IDESGI Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The head of headquarters let out a horrified cry at the sight of the trashed minister’s office.

“Esper Yoo Ihan! What on earth is this!”

Park Cheol-ho pressed his throbbing temples and waved his hand.

“Enough. Leave it.”

“Minister! This has gone too far!”

“The one who’s gone too far is you.”

Ihan kicked over a potted plant with a cold remark.

‘That bastard! Do you know how much that cost!’

Park Cheol-ho watched something worth as much as a decent used car shatter, struggling to contain his anger as he tried to calm Ihan down.

“I admit I was harsh. But there are opponents you have to come down hard on.”

“So you tell Yeoul some nonsense, and now you’re threatening to exile him? They said it’s stress-induced acute gastritis. How much stress do you think Yeoul must have been under to collapse the moment he walked out of here!”

Seeing no sign of Ihan’s fury subsiding, Park Cheol-ho hurried to defend himself.

“Weren’t you the one who told me to persuade Guide Han Yeoul?”

“Listen, Minister.”

Ihan tilted his head with a sneer and stepped closer to Park Cheol-ho. Even he, normally composed, felt a sudden jolt of fear at Ihan’s intimidating presence.

“Don’t you get why I turned down an astronomical salary to stay in this country? It’s because Yeoul is here. I’m here because of my Yeoul.”

What Park Cheol-ho really wanted to do was shout, Then just emigrate to another country! But having more than ten S-Class Espers in the world, with three of them in South Korea alone, meant no other nation could even think of challenging Korea.

Even if one of them was over eighty and retired from the frontlines, having two S-Class Espers was the envy of many countries.

And if one of them was Yoo Ihan, the story changed entirely. Yoo Ihan was said to be worthy of the SSS-Class label, not just S-Class. Although it was never made public due to U.S. pressure, unofficially, Yoo Ihan was the strongest Esper in the world.

Of course, the bigger reason it wasn’t publicized was because Ihan had warned them that if they ever attached such an embarrassing title to him, he wouldn’t let it slide.

“If I’m done with this country, the ones screwed aren’t me—it’s you. You’re great at running the numbers, but you can’t figure that one out?”

Yoo Ihan might be eccentric, but he normally stayed within certain bounds. This was the first time he had stormed into the minister’s office and made a mess like this.

It was because they had underestimated his feelings for Yeoul.

‘Why make such a fuss over a mere Guide?’

He could just take some medicine and roll around with another Guide, or if that didn’t work, break the imprint and find a new one. Of course, that would mean getting rid of Han Yeoul first. Better to kill a mere C-Class Guide than lose Yoo Ihan, right?

Hiding his thoughts, Park Cheol-ho tried to soothe him.

“It was just a threat. I never actually meant it. Would I really exile your Guide?”

“Don’t call Yeoul in again. If he collapses from stress because of you people one more time, I’ll make sure your blood pressure spikes for real.”

Faced with Yoo Ihan’s feral growl, Park Cheol-ho was left speechless. Ihan clicked his tongue and turned away, his gaze freezing cold.

Just as Park Cheol-ho was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the clueless head of headquarters muttered,

“What’s so special about Guide Han Yeoul that two S-Class Espers are raising such hell…”

“What was that?”

Ihan, who had been about to leave, turned back.

“Has Yoon Geon been here too?”

A cold smile curved Ihan’s lips.

“Hah… that son of a bitch…”

Ihan’s mouth hardened into an icy line as he glared at the head of headquarters.

“Tell him that if he shows up in front of Yeoul again, he’d better be ready to die. I’m asking you to pass it along because if I tell him myself, I’ll actually kill him. I made a promise to Yeoul, so I can’t kill him.”

Ihan exhaled sharply as if trying to calm his anger, but the head of headquarters just had to add fuel to the fire.

“Esper Yoon Geon too… What’s the big deal about Han Yeoul anyway?”

“What did you just say?”

Unable to hold back anymore, the head of headquarters raised his voice at Ihan.

“Well, isn’t it true? A Guide? Sure, they’re important to Espers. But Yoon Geon already has an A-Class like Seo Yeon-oh, and you could just find another Guide besides Han Yeoul…”

“You’re telling me to find another Guide? Listen, Director. I’m imprinted. Even if my match rate with another Guide is high, it’s barely twenty percent. What’s the point of finding a new one?”

Then Park Cheol-ho spoke up.

“It’s not like there’s no way to break an imprint.”

“What?”

The temperature in the room spiked in an instant. Engulfed in a heat that felt like their skin was burning, both Park Cheol-ho and the head of headquarters choked, unable to breathe. Ihan ran a hand through his hair, smirking at them.

“Gah… What the…”

His golden eyes flashed before returning to a pale brown. The heat that had filled the room dissipated just as suddenly.

“Thanks. You just made my decision easier.”

Ihan’s voice suddenly took on a strangely gentle tone, which only made it more frightening. Struggling to breathe through his coughing, Park Cheol-ho managed to croak out,

“Wha… cough… what decision?”

“Who to throw away.”

“Guide Han Yeoul?”

Ihan chuckled, looking down at him.

“Do you think I’d throw Yeoul away?”

Leaving them behind, Ihan walked out leisurely.

---

—Ding.

After leaving Ihan’s house, Yeoul was back in his own apartment. Moving sluggishly as he brushed his teeth in the bathroom, he heard a notification sound from his phone. Turning on the screen, he checked the contents.

“Cough.”

The toothbrush fell from his mouth to the floor, but he didn’t bother to pick it up. It was because of the bank alert.

[Web Message]

[Shinul Bank] 03/18 07:25

153****1526

Yoo Ihan

Smartphone Withdrawal

₩29,550,000,000

Balance ₩113,500,000,000

“H-how much is that?”

Yeoul’s fingers trembled as he counted the zeroes.

“What the hell did he buy?”

The Shinul Bank account was under both their names. Whenever Ihan used the card or withdrew money, the notification was set to go to Yeoul.

“Yeoul, it’s only natural for a married couple to combine their bank accounts.”

Because of Ihan’s absurd demand, the two had pooled their money. Of course, ‘pooled’ was only in name — the difference in their assets was so vast it was like pouring a cup of water into the ocean.

Since it was Ihan’s money anyway, Yeoul normally didn’t care what he bought. But this was the first time he’d spent such a huge amount without even mentioning it. Uneasy, Yeoul immediately called him.

“Yoo Ihan! What did you buy?”

—Did you sleep well, Yeoul?

“What did you buy to spend billions in one go…! What is this?”

—I love it when you nag me about spending money, Yeoul. It makes me so excited I could faint.

“Are you going to tell me or not?”

—If you go on a date with me, I’ll tell you.

“What?”

Yeoul hesitated, then steadied himself. This could be exactly what Ihan wanted — an excuse. It left a bad taste in his mouth, but he wasn’t about to give him the opening.

“Forget it. It’s your money, you can spend it however you want. Let’s just split the account while we’re at it. I’m hanging up.”

—Yeoul, just one last date with me outside. Then I won’t beg you to meet me anymore.

“…Really?”

—Yeah. For real.

Yeoul hesitated. Whether or not Ihan would keep that promise was beside the point — the fact that he claimed he’d give up on him was suspicious enough.

‘Feels like he’s plotting something.’

Better to meet him and find out what he’s planning than get blindsided later.

“Fine. When?”

—I’ll come to your apartment tomorrow.

After hanging up, a shiver ran down Yeoul’s spine for no reason.

A foreign luxury car that screamed expensive was parked in front of the shabby villa. What stood out even more in that mismatched scene was Yoo Ihan standing beside it.

As Yeoul climbed the steps and spotted Ihan, he drew in a sharp breath.

In a beige knit sweater and jeans, Ihan looked like he’d stepped out of a fashion spread. Even in such a neat outfit, there was an undercurrent of sensuality that made Yeoul swallow hard — and then their eyes met.

Ihan smiled brightly at him.

“Yeoul.”

Still staring in a daze, Yeoul was met with a teasing question.

“Am I pretty?”

“No, I mean… Just get in the car!”

He couldn’t bring himself to deny it. Yoo Ihan’s looks were the kind that transcended gender or taste, but they matched Han Yeoul’s preferences perfectly.

When they first met, Yeoul had sworn he’d never seen anyone that beautiful in his life.

Famous for his good looks, Yoo Ihan was notoriously unphotogenic. The first time Yeoul saw him in person, he’d mentally cursed the camera crews for failing so badly to capture that face.

Yushin had once summed the two of them up like this:

“A straw sandal found its match. Birds of a feather — it’s science. If Yoo Ihan’s an outright lunatic, Guide Han Yeoul is more like… a subtle lunatic. Either way, that guy’s not normal.”

There was a reason they’d earned the nickname ‘Zone 1’s cockroach couple from hell.’ But that was then — now he had to act.

Seated in the driver’s seat, Ihan reached over and buckled Yeoul’s seatbelt for him. Accepting the gesture without thinking, Yeoul snapped back to his senses.

“I-I can do it.”

But the buckle was already clicked into place. He was here to figure out Ihan’s intentions, yet he already felt like he was being drawn in. Ihan’s eyes curved like a crescent moon.

“This is the outfit you picked for me before. Remember?”

“It doesn’t suit you.”

Resting his chin on his hand, Yeoul answered curtly.

“It doesn’t?”

“Yeah. Really doesn’t.”

Yeoul replied while sneaking glances at Ihan’s reflection in the window. Ihan suddenly tugged at the hem of his sweater and murmured to him suggestively,

“Should I take it off?”