IDESGI Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Yoon Geon asked Eunha urgently.

“Have you been in contact with Han Yeoul?”

“What?”

Eunha stared at him blankly. The eyes that were usually so cold and dark they made it hard to read his intent were now filled with desperation.

Eunha opened the door.

“Come in. I have something to tell you.”

“Have you been in contact with Han Yeoul or not?”

“No. I haven’t either. But… there is something strange. He told me something before, and it might have something to do with why we can’t reach him.”

“What was it?”

Geon barked the words at him before quickly apologizing.

“…Sorry for shouting. Just tell me what it is.”

“It was when you stepped away, Esper Yoon Geon. Yeoul told me something that’s been bothering me. He was acting a little strange at the time.”

“Strange? How?”

“Let’s talk inside. Someone might overhear.”

Before Eunha could even finish speaking, Geon stepped inside, kicked off his shoes, and urged him.

“So what is it?”

“Han Yeoul said… he’s going to die soon.”

“What?”

Geon’s eyes lost focus, trembling slightly.

“What are you talking about?”

‘Going to die soon?’

His fists shook violently. Was this it? Was this what you were hiding from me?

It felt like the puzzle pieces were finally falling into place—the way he’d gotten so thin, the way he was trying to break up with Yoo Ihan… It was all because his days were numbered.

Geon grabbed Eunha’s shoulder, unable to hide the trembling in his fingers.

“What illness is it?”

Seeing Geon’s face turn pale, Eunha quickly shook his head.

“No! Wait, that’s not it. It’s not like that. What he meant was… if he doesn’t die, Esper Yoo Ihan will die, so he has to.”

What kind of nonsense was that?

When Geon frowned in confusion, Eunha sighed deeply.

“It’s a long story. Let’s sit on the couch and talk.”

What Eunha told him next was hard to believe. Geon rubbed his sharp jawline with his thumb, deep in thought.

“Han Yeoul really said that?”

In response to the incredulity in his voice, Eunha thumped his chest in frustration.

“Yes! I’m telling you, I think there’s something wrong with him mentally. He probably needs to see a doctor… if only we could get in touch with him.”

Geon stayed silent for a long while. Eunha, gauging his expression, cleared his throat.

“Ahem. In this day and age, having some mental struggles isn’t something to be ashamed of. I actually know a really good psychiatrist. I was planning to casually introduce him when I got the match rate results. So don’t worry too—”

“What if what he said is all true?”

Eunha’s eyes widened, blinking rapidly. His mouth hung open before the words stumbled out.

“You actually believe that? That’s scientifically impossible!”

“You also told me the increase in efficiency between me and Han Yeoul couldn’t be explained scientifically. Maybe, just like he said, his match rate with Yoo Ihan really has dropped.”

“Well… to find out if Yeoul is telling the truth, the best thing would be for him to take a new match rate test with Esper Yoo Ihan. Even having the first test results would help.”

Eunha muttered as he added,

“But there’s no way it’s true.”

Geon, who had been looking down in thought, raised his gaze to Eunha. The sharp glint in his eyes made Eunha swallow hard.

“First, I need to see Han Yeoul.”

“What? But all the roads to Zone 1 are blocked right now. How are you planning to get there?”

When Geon stayed silent, Eunha tilted his head—and then realization struck.

“No way. Don’t tell me you’re thinking of going by car?”

“……”

“Are you insane? Is this because you’re an S-Class Esper? How can you be so fearless? How are you even going to get there by car?”

“It’s not that far.”

“Oh, sure. And what if a gate opens on the way? You do know it’s common for gates to open outside the zones, right? What if there’s more than one? You think you can handle that alone without a Guide? Even for an S-Class, that’s suicide.”

“It’s not impossible.”

“You’re impossible to talk to!”

Eunha clutched at his chest in frustration. The others had been right—his own feelings for Yeoul didn’t even compare to Yoon Geon’s.

“Ha… Han Yeoul’s the kind of guy who says he’d die because of Yoo Ihan. You do realize there’s no place for you in that, right, Esper Yoon Geon?”

“That’s exactly why I have to find him. Before something happens.”

Truthfully, Yoon Geon didn’t fully believe the story Eunha had told him about Yeoul. But still—Yeoul had said it himself, hadn’t he? There had to be a reason.

He had lived with Yeoul for five years. They hadn’t been wasted years. In that time, Geon had loved Yeoul, and trusted him as a teammate.

Yeoul was like a reed that looked as though it could break at any moment, yet it never truly did. No—more precisely, even when he broke, he rooted himself again.

If someone like that said something so extreme, then it meant there had been a significant change in him. Whether it was psychological or physical, Geon would know once he saw him.

“I have to go to Zone 1.”

“Wait! Don’t push yourself like that. Why don’t you just get a spatial Esper to help? Who’s the teleporter in Zone 5 again? Ugh, I’m so flustered I can’t think. Ah! Kim Jiwon. Ask him. If you tell him you’ll make sure he gets guided in return, he’ll take you to Zone 1.”

“Guiding isn’t something I can just make happen. The Guides are going to be cautious right now.”

“Well, there’s one person who might do it for you, right? Ask Yeon-oh.”

Geon’s brows furrowed. Would Seo Yeon-oh really agree to this? He wasn’t sure. But Eunha had a point.

As an S-Class Esper, Geon could handle two or three gates alone without much trouble. But if he got unlucky and five or more opened in succession—and if they were all A-Class or above—it would be another story. Outside the zones, that wasn’t such a rare occurrence.

Inside the zones, thick walls built with special technology kept out most of the monsters that attacked from outside.

But outside was different. Even for him, there would be no guarantee of survival.

‘If it were Yoo Ihan, it would be different.’

He’d seen Yoo Ihan fight a few times up close. In joint operations, Ihan had looked more like a monster than the monsters themselves.

A body built for battle, an innate genius, razor-sharp instincts.

Geon didn’t like him, but he couldn’t deny his skills. Without Yoo Ihan, far more people would have died.

Ihan could handle things Geon alone could not.

That was why he had to go to Zone 1. If the safest zone—because Ihan was there—had suddenly been poisoned, then it was as good as saying something had happened to him.

‘If that’s the case, then Yeoul might already be in danger.’

If something had happened to Yoo Ihan, who was supposed to protect Han Yeoul, then Geon would have to take that role himself. And if Eunha was right, Yeoul might even be thinking about ending his own life. He couldn’t just stand by.

“You’re right. I’ll ask Seo Yeon-oh.”

“Yes, ask him. He’s your Esper, after all. He’ll probably agree.”

Geon didn’t bother denying Eunha’s words. His gaze stayed fixed on one spot, as though he were seeing something perfectly vivid in his mind without even looking at it.

* * *

Yeon-oh rubbed at the corner of his mouth to hide the smile threatening to slip out.

‘What’s this about? Yoon Geon calling me?’

Earlier, Geon had contacted him directly on his personal line. He must have saved his number. That alone touched Yeon-oh slightly—until Geon asked:

—Got time?

Even if he didn’t, he’d make it. That’s what Yeon-oh thought inwardly, but he answered with practiced nonchalance.

“What’s this about?”

—I need a favor. I’ll come to you.

“Huh? You’re coming to my place?”

—Yeah. Where is it?

Afraid Geon might change his mind, Yeon-oh quickly gave him the address without further questions.

He cleaned his already spotless apartment even more thoroughly and changed into the neatest, newest-looking clothes he owned.

When the doorbell rang, Yeon-oh stood in front of the hallway mirror, smoothed his hair, and took a deep breath.

‘One, two.’

He counted silently before opening the door a little late. Opening too quickly would make him seem desperate. Even if he was hopelessly in love, he didn’t want to look like he was clinging.

With catlike eyes, Yeon-oh glanced at Geon.

“Come in.”

“Sorry to intrude.”

The deep, steady voice hit straight into his chest. He was used to seeing Geon in work clothes, but now he wore a crisp white shirt and jeans, and the sight made Yeon-oh’s heart pound.

People said Yoo Ihan was handsome, but Yeon-oh preferred Yoon Geon. He wasn’t into men prettier than himself. Geon was a completely different type—a strikingly handsome man in an entirely separate category.

Yeon-oh led him to the living room.

“Coffee?”

“Sure.”

Yeon-oh brought out the brand Geon drank most often. It was cheap and not to his taste at all, but he had bought it just in case this kind of opportunity ever arose.

‘Good thing I did.’

Suppressing the smile tugging at his lips, he set the cup down on the table.

“Here you go.”

Geon took a sip, then looked at him in mild surprise.

“You like this too?”

“Yeah. Suits my taste.”

He lied without batting an eye. When Geon took another sip, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

“You like it too, Yoon Geon?”

Yeon-oh asked casually, even though he already knew the answer—hoping that sharing a ‘common interest’ might bring them closer.

“No. Not my taste.”

“What? But you only ever drink this.”

The unexpected reply made Yeon-oh feel like he’d just been caught.

‘Does this make me look like I’ve been stalking him?’

He had pretended not to know, but now it was clear he even knew Geon’s coffee preferences. He worried Geon might see him in a negative light, but Geon didn’t seem to care at all, simply sipping his coffee in silence.

“If it’s not your taste, why do you only drink it?”

“Just a habit.”

“A habit?”

“Yeoul liked it.”

After drinking what Yeoul liked so often, he couldn’t even think of drinking anything else.

Geon stared down at the black, glossy surface of the coffee. Seeing his own gentle expression reflected there startled him slightly.

So this is the face I make when I think of Han Yeoul.

It felt like seeing a new side of himself. Thinking of Han Yeoul was as natural as breathing. The love that had become habit was lodged in his heart like a callus.