IDESGI Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Yeoul’s mouth opened and closed like someone who had forgotten how to breathe. Ihan, still holding his hand clasped in his own, gave it a little shake.

“Shall we go? There aren’t really any proper walking paths nearby, but I saw a spot over there with some trees.”

Yeoul looked around in disbelief and couldn’t speak.

“You… you… what is this place?”

Up in the sky, a gaping black hole of a gate hung ominously. Below, the roads were shattered, riddled with sinkholes. The surrounding buildings had all collapsed into heaps, with concrete rubble strewn across the ground.

‘What in the world…’

Yeoul rubbed his eyes hard, almost until they turned red, but the scene before him didn’t change.

Through trembling lips, his voice came out in a thin, wavering thread.

“Yoo Ihan… is this… outside the zone?”

He truly didn’t want to ask, but he had no choice. Nothing about this place could be mistaken for inside a zone.

Collapsed buildings were one thing, but the fact that a gate floated openly in the air without a single Esper dispatched to deal with it was decisive proof—this was outside the zone.

Yeoul grabbed Ihan’s arms and shook him.

“You… you brought me outside the zone? What, are you planning for us to die together?”

“Yeoul, how could you say something so horrible? You know I’d never do that to you. I’d die before I let you die.”

“Then what is this! You brought me to a place where monsters could appear any second?”

Inside the zones, gate occurrence rates were lower, and high-level gates were less likely to open than outside. On top of that, Espers were stationed for defense, offering some measure of safety.

But outside the zones? Humans couldn’t live here. Forget running water, power, or reception—this place held hundreds of unclassified gates with unknown danger levels. Monsters could attack at any moment.

He’d brought him somewhere like that? Yeoul had wanted to die in Ihan’s place, not meet a pointless death together with him.

“Are you seriously planning to be buried with me? Why did you bring me outside the zone!”

“Of course not. Don’t worry. No monsters have come out of this gate in over ten years.”

‘Wait. If it’s a gate that’s been inactive for more than ten years…’

Yeoul nearly collapsed from the shock. Clutching at his chest, he felt like his heart had skipped a beat entirely.

“Yoo Ihan… this place… could it be…”

No. No way. There was no way he could have done something that insane. Yeoul stumbled back in denial but tripped over something underfoot. Ihan caught him by the arm.

“Careful, Yeoul.”

Yeoul stared blankly at the dented green sign he’d almost fallen over. Rusted and weatherworn, it bore a straight-ahead arrow and the words Jamsil Station. With a trembling finger, he pointed at it.

“This… is Jamsil?”

Unaware of what was running through Yeoul’s mind, Ihan replied cheerfully,

“Yup!”

Yeoul couldn’t tell if Ihan had always been this insane and he’d just never realized, or if it was the breakup that had pushed him over the edge.

“Jamsil…? You’re out of your damn mind…”

He had never imagined Ihan would lock him up on the original ground itself.

Now that he was here, there was no way to escape.

‘How do I get out of here…?’

Yeoul stared blankly at Ihan’s bright, relaxed smile. Looking at that ease, he understood one thing clearly—Yoo Ihan had absolutely no intention of ever letting him get away.

---

The First Land, Jamsil.

At first hearing, one might imagine something like the Garden of Eden or a paradise. But it was nothing like that.

The place where the first mega-scale gate had opened
The place where, for the first time, tens of thousands of people were massacred in an instant.
The place where the first disaster-class monster appeared.

In South Korea, every “first” associated with tragedy was tied to this place—Jamsil, the region known as the First Land.

Mega-scale gates had appeared a total of seven times worldwide since the first one opened in India fifty years ago. The seventh had erupted in Jamsil, South Korea. Fourteen years ago—it was also the place where Yoo Ihan first awakened.

—Breaking news. An SSS-class monster has been sighted in Jamsil…
—The current death toll has reached one hundred thousand…
—A city-wide evacuation order has been declared for Seoul… A national emergency…

It was, quite literally, a disaster. A calamity that could be understood, but not stopped—one you could only flee from. The monster destroyed Jamsil in an instant, killing countless people as it advanced.

And the one who subdued that hellscape was none other than an eleven-year-old elementary schooler—Yoo Ihan.

The third S-Class Esper in Korea, and the birth of a hero.

“Yoo Ihan is Korea’s very own superhero.”

Even the then-president’s words were proof of just how remarkable he was.

But could the inside be as sweet as it looked?

To get juice, you have to twist and squeeze the orange.

Yeoul trembled as he turned his gaze to Ihan.

“Are you seriously out of your mind? Jamsil? You’ve lost it.”

Ihan smiled faintly, pulling Yeoul into his arms.

“Yeoul, what’s the problem? You know this—once a mega-scale gate opens, no new gates form nearby. There’s no better hiding place than here.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean!”

Yeoul shoved Ihan away, but Ihan didn’t budge an inch, which only made Yeoul’s anger flare hotter.

“Don’t twist words. Can’t you see that gate? Do you know when that thing might open?”

Yeoul jabbed a finger toward the sky. The black-hole-like gate writhed darkly, looking ready to vomit out monsters at any moment.

“Hey, don’t worry. It looks close, but it’s actually a bit far. If I see monsters show up, I’ll grab you and get us out immediately.”

“Your maximum teleportation range is only ten kilometers!”

For a secondary ability, that was impressive, but if an SSS-class monster appeared, it was a different story. Back during the Jamsil Gate incident, the monsters had moved so quickly that even some space-type Espers under D-rank had been killed.

“That’s nothing to worry about. Being by my side is the safest place in the world.”

His confident tone was infuriating, yet it was hard to deny—no one could dispute Yoo Ihan’s strength.

‘Even so, this is insane!’

A mega-scale gate wasn’t just any gate. It was a catastrophe—ripping the land apart, wiping out tens of thousands in mere minutes.

The only fortunate fact was that in all recorded history, no monsters had emerged again from a mega-scale gate once it had already opened. Normally, gates disappeared after releasing their monsters, but mega-scale ones didn’t vanish.

Like a dormant volcano, it might not spew fire now, but no one knew when it might erupt again. Because of that, the government had classified Jamsil as an area outside the zones and kept it under special management.

And he’d brought him here?

“Yoo Ihan, you really are completely insane.”

“Yeah. I’m crazy about you, Yeoul.”

Seeing Ihan’s bright smile, Yeoul was at a loss for words. All he could do was laugh weakly.

“Ha ha.”

“Hee hee.”

Ihan laughed along with him, looking as thrilled as a kid on a field trip.

Yoo Ihan, this lunatic…

Suddenly, a nickname popped into Yeoul’s head.

‘He’s not called “Yutto” because his eyes are bright and pretty—he’s “Yoo Ihan the Ttal-ai” (lunatic) shortened.’

It was a reasonable suspicion. Yeoul eyed him up and down warily, and Ihan simply smiled, eyes crinkling. That smile was so beautiful that Yeoul found himself staring, momentarily entranced.

‘Well… his eyes are pretty, I’ll give him that.’

The filter through which Yeoul saw Ihan was as sturdy as a fortress.

---

The walk had been nothing but an excuse—he’d gained nothing but a hollow sense of futility. Back in the bunker, Yeoul sprawled out on the sofa in the corner of the living room.

Whether he was being considerate or oblivious, Ihan didn’t pester him for the promised guiding session. He simply sat snugly at Yeoul’s side, soaking in his warmth.

“Yoo Ihan, do you really think this makes sense? What’s your plan from now on? How are you going to replenish food or supplies? I’m not going to guide you anymore.”

He’d almost said couldn’t but quickly changed the wording in his mouth.

“Don’t worry. I’ll feed you whatever you want. Going out alone doesn’t even raise my gauge by much.”

“You’re going to go out to buy things? Then just make a door. Why go out of your way to raise your gauge!”

“Making a door is easy. But if I do that, you might run away. It’s better to eliminate problems before they happen, don’t you think?”

Ihan had a talent for making outrageous statements sound perfectly reasonable. Yeoul let out a short breath.

“Hah.”

He couldn’t just let Ihan have his way. Quickly, Yeoul racked his brain for a rebuttal.

“Then what about when I get sick? What are you going to do then?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll bring a doctor here when that happens.”

The nerve on this guy… Yeoul flicked his nails in irritation, then suddenly raised his voice.

“And what if all these little things pile up until your gauge reaches a runaway risk? What then?”

Yeoul looked at him with a smug expression that all but screamed, I have no intention of guiding you. Ihan met his gaze and opened his mouth.

“In that case…”

His voice was gentle.

“I’ll just have Kim Yushin do it. There’s no need for me to go out myself.”

With a crooked smile, Ihan laced his fingers with Yeoul’s.

“No problem, right?”

There were plenty of problems, but Yeoul had nothing to say. His lips parted, then he turned his head sharply away.

“Until you let me go, I’m really not eating this time. Do whatever you want!”

If Ihan was going to be stubborn, Yeoul could be stubborn too. No matter if Ihan’s stomach rumbled like thunder, Yeoul was set on a hunger strike.

Ihan lifted their joined hands and placed a soft kiss on the back of Yeoul’s.

“Alright. But Yeoul, you still have to keep the promise you made, right?”

With an angelic smile, Ihan’s hand slid to Yeoul’s waist.