IDESGI Chapter 23
by BrieChapter 23
“Hello? Eunha-hyung?”
— Hey, Han Yeoul. Get to the lab. Right now.
With that, the call ended abruptly.
‘What’s going on? Has he already made up his mind?’
Tension gripped his body once more. Without even a moment to rest, Yeoul immediately left Geon’s house.
“I’ll do it.”
Eunha responded bluntly, tossing the words out like they cost him something. His eyes were dark and sunken, like he hadn’t slept all night.
“Hyung…! Thank you. Seriously, thank you.”
Yeoul was overwhelmed with emotion as he grabbed Eunha’s hand. He couldn’t stop thanking him.
“Really, thank you. There’s no one else I could ask to do this.”
“Forget it. I’m just an idiot blinded by love. Can’t even let go of a failed romance properly. Ha… what a joke my life is.”
“Hyung, if I end up dying and you end up with Ihan, I won’t… I won’t curse you.”
He couldn’t bring himself to say bless, so Yeoul just pressed his hands together and made a promise.
Eunha stared at him in disbelief, as if dumbfounded.
“I knew you were kind of slow, and yeah, maybe that’s what I liked about you, but wow… this is seriously… No, whatever. It’s my fault. Who else is there to blame?”
As he rambled with a frustrated look, Eunha suddenly pointed a finger at Yeoul and snapped sharply.
“If you say one more thing about dying in front of me, I’ll make sure it happens. Don’t even think about dying before we finish the research. As for the berserk solution… there’s an S-Class Guide in the U.S. If we get the dosage right, a kiss-guiding session with that person might actually work.”
“Oh, Jason?”
“You know him?”
“From my first life. Ihan refused the kiss, so we tried hand-guiding, but their match rate was in the single digits. The guiding couldn’t even start.”
“Right… you’ve probably already tried every method back then.”
Yeoul nodded with a faint, melancholic smile.
“Yeah. I think so. There’s no other way.”
“I’ll keep looking. I’ll find something.”
“Thank you, Eunha-hyung.”
“Forget it. Oh, I need the results from your first compatibility test with Ihan. I’ve got to compare it with the ones from Esper Yoon Geon.”
“It’s not in Zone 5?”
“Come on, they transferred everything to Zone 1 and scrapped the originals. You must have a copy, right? You printed one for yourself?”
“Ah… I should have it somewhere. I’ll look for it.”
Just then, Yeoul’s radio let out a sharp beep. The high-pitched tone pierced through the air, and he checked the screen.
-Please report immediately to the Zone 5 Central Center, 9th floor, Center Director’s Office.
“Huh? Why is the Zone 5 Center Director calling for me?”
“What the hell? Why would he want to see you?”
“I don’t know. Why would he…? Anyway, I’ll go check. Hyung, keep me posted.”
As Yeoul turned to leave, Eunha grabbed his wrist.
“Han Yeoul.”
“Yes?”
Eunha’s face looked completely worn out, but his eyes were serious and focused.
“Don’t die.”
“…Yeah. Hyung.”
Yeoul couldn’t be sure whether that response would turn out to be true or a lie. But for Eunha’s sake, he nodded quietly.
After finishing a small-scale gate dispatch in Zone 5, Yoon Geon returned home. He had bought Seolleongtang (ox bone soup) and tangerines—Yeoul’s favorites—but the house was empty. He went from room to room, calling out Yeoul’s name.
“Han Yeoul?”
Frowning after confirming Yeoul wasn’t home, Yoon Geon took out his phone and tried calling him, but there was no answer. He then called Eunha.
—Yeah, what is it…?
“Do you know where Han Yeoul is?”
—Why, did he leave him in my care? Why’re you asking me?
“You really don’t know?”
—He got called in by the Center Director earlier. About an hour ago. He’s not back yet?
Yoon Geon immediately ended the call and rushed to the parking lot. Sitting in the driver’s seat, he slammed his palm against the steering wheel.
‘So that’s why they called me to a minor gate dispatch… to get me out of the way?’
His black Cadillac shot out of the parking lot.
As soon as he arrived, he jumped out and slammed the car door shut. He shoved his keys into his pocket and stormed toward the Central Center with long, fast strides. Though he passed a few familiar faces, no one dared speak to him. His expression was so cold, it repelled everyone.
Unless someone had a death wish, no one would approach Yoon Geon right now.
“Yoon Geon.”
But Seo Yeon-oh had no such hesitations. He stepped in front of Yoon Geon outside the Center Director’s office.
“Let go.”
Yoon Geon coldly brushed off his hand. Yeon-oh clutched his wrist where it had been pushed away and quickly spoke.
“If you’re looking for Guide Han Yeoul, he’s not here. He went to Central Headquarters.”
“What? How do you know that?”
Yoon Geon’s voice was accusatory. Annoyed by his tone, Yeon-oh frowned.
“Don’t misunderstand. I just happened to hear it while I was here.”
Of course, he’d actually come to request that Han Yeoul be banned from Zone 5, but he left that part out.
“Fine. Central HQ, huh…”
Yoon Geon muttered and turned away again. He didn’t even want to waste time filling out a zone transfer form—he was going to find a spatial Esper and move immediately.
“Wait.”
Yeon-oh stopped him again, making Yoon Geon scowl.
“What.”
“Don’t forget—I’m your Guide. Even if it’s just a team role, you are my primary Esper. You can’t deny that.”
Already agitated, Yoon Geon’s patience ran out at Yeon-oh clinging to him. He grabbed the wrist that was holding onto him.
“Seo Yeon-oh, do you really think those feelings are your own?”
Yeon-oh didn’t flinch and raised his chin.
“What are you talking about? Of course they’re mine.”
“Not instincts from being a Guide to a high-match Esper?”
Yeon-oh hesitated, but then fired back.
“Guides developing feelings for their Espers is normal.”
Yoon Geon let out a sigh and turned his gaze back to him.
“Says who? Do Guides have to love their Espers? And because I’m an Esper, I’m obligated to love you?”
Yeon-oh was at a loss for words—not because the logic beat him, but because of how ridiculous it sounded.
“Are you serious? Most Espers fall for their Guides. Sure, not everyone does, but the majority do!”
Exceptions existed, of course. He couldn’t claim it was absolute. But Yoon Geon wasn’t one of those exceptions… or so he thought. Didn’t Geon also love a Guide? Even if it wasn’t him, but a measly C-Class Guide.
“You’re one of those Espers too, aren’t you? Because you… love your Guide.”
“Yeah, by your logic, I guess I am.”
Yoon Geon accepted it easily—but then hit Yeon-oh where it hurt most.
“But my Guide… isn’t you.”
Yeon-oh’s lips clamped shut, unable to speak. He stood there for a moment before asking, still with a sharp voice.
“Do you think Esper Yoo Ihan’s just going to sit back and watch? You don’t seriously think he’s going to let this go forever, do you? He will come for you. He’ll do whatever it takes to get rid of you.”
Yoon Geon nodded nonchalantly.
“Maybe.”
Then he gently shoved Yeon-oh aside.
“But that has nothing to do with you. Stay out of it.”
A clear rejection.
Yeon-oh abandoned his pride and grabbed Geon’s sleeve, desperation spilling from his voice.
“You don’t need my guiding? You can’t function without it!”
But the threat didn’t land. Yoon Geon just looked at him—eyes dry, empty of emotion.
“Seo Yeon-oh.”
“…Yeah?”
Yoon Geon turned and took his hand in his.
“That’s not a reason for me to love you.”
Then he removed Yeon-oh’s hand from his sleeve.
“And it shouldn’t be a reason for you to love me, either.”
His calm voice was low and steady.
“You called me one of the ‘typical Espers’, right? Yeah, I’m an Esper. But—”
A faint smile touched Yoon Geon’s lips. The kind that always came when he thought of someone else.
“I’m trying not to be that kind of Esper.”
Even as his eyes turned red like he might cry, Yeon-oh didn’t shed a tear. Yoon Geon looked at him in silence. He might not think of Yeon-oh as his Guide, but he was still a teammate. As he would for any comrade, Geon gently patted his shoulder.
“Don’t become that kind of Guide either.”
With that, Yoon Geon turned away—no hesitation, no intent to stay.
Yeon-oh clenched his fists and finally left without a word.
Yeoul sat with his head lowered, silently listening to the man seated across from him. The plush black buffalo leather sofa felt more like a bed of nails.
And understandably so—because the man sitting in front of him was…
“Guide Han Yeoul, I must say… I’m quite proud that our country possesses an S-Class Esper. Don’t you feel the same?”
“Yes, I do.”
…Defense Minister Park Chulho.