IDSEGI Chapter 53

Chapter 53

After hearing Yushin’s words, Yoon Geon’s first move was to spread out a map.
Yushin had been clear — “It’s not far from Zone 1.” That meant they only needed to search the outskirts, since Zone 1 covered about half of Seoul plus parts of Gyeonggi Province and Incheon.

But it never occurred to him that “outside” could mean Jamsil. Who in their right mind would go there? No one could sleep soundly in a place with an active gate looming overhead.

Geon hadn’t expected Yushin to be that much of a lunatic. He’d underestimated Ihan’s level of insanity — and that was his mistake.

So he ruled Jamsil out completely.

He searched everywhere else, but there was no sign of Yeoul. Days passed in mounting frustration, unable to find even the smallest clue.

“Where are you, Han Yeoul.”

His muttered words carried the weight of exhaustion. He hadn’t been eating or sleeping properly for days while searching. Thanks to Kim Ji-won, a spatial-type Esper, they could at least move around more efficiently — but with only the two of them, finding someone in such a vast area was still almost impossible.

“Let’s stop here for today. My levels are already low, and I need to get Guiding.”

Ji-won spoke carefully, watching Geon’s expression. Geon couldn’t bring himself to ask for more. Ji-won had already been pushing himself too hard for his sake.

“Alright. I’ll contact Seo Yeon-oh.”

Seeing the fatigue in Geon’s furrowed brow, Ji-won couldn’t help but let his frustration slip out.

“Don’t you feel bad for Yeon-oh? I get that Han Yeoul is precious to you, that you care for him. But he already abandoned Zone 5. And every time you drag Yeon-oh into this, he has to provide extra Guiding outside of work. Have you even thought about what that’s like for him?”

“…”

“And… I hate to say it, but Yeon-oh likes you. This is torture for him! You’ve always kept work and personal life separate — so why are you doing this now?”

Geon stayed silent for a long moment before replying in a low voice.

“When you love someone… you change.”

For Han Yeoul, he could throw everything away. Hadn’t he done so two years ago, choosing Yeoul’s happiness over his own desires?

But desire had always been gnawing at him, little by little, so slowly he barely noticed.

He scraped his shoe against the ground to get rid of the sticky mud clinging to the worn-down sole — but the dirt, pressed deep, wouldn’t come off. Just like the emptiness that wouldn’t leave him.

A soundless laugh escaped between his teeth. For some reason, he wanted to cry. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had, but his heart felt endlessly heavy. Was it because he still hadn’t found Yeoul?

No… maybe this sorrow had started two years ago, when Yeoul first left. Geon clenched his teeth against the urge to cry and lowered his head.

“…Change isn’t always for the better.”

To love someone enough to give them everything meant nothing else mattered — not even the lines he’d never crossed, the convictions he’d held, the principles he’d guarded.

All of it had turned to ash in an instant. It was hollowing. What had all those years of holding on been for? The powerless despair left a deep scar in his chest.

And still…

He couldn’t help the way he felt.

“I’m sorry. To you, and to Seo Yeon-oh.”

His voice was heavy with exhaustion, and Ji-won couldn’t bring himself to scold him anymore. He swallowed down his anger with a quiet sigh.

“…Let’s go. Yeon-oh will be waiting.”

That day, their footsteps were heavier than yesterday — and tomorrow, they would be heavier still.

* * *

After parting with Yeoul, Yushin immediately turned off his watch. It was to avoid any possible pursuit from headquarters.

Because of the text he had sent earlier, his location was probably already reported to them. It was even possible that they had found out Ihan was staying in Zone 5 by now. Headquarters would be after Ihan, and Ihan would obviously be chasing him — the one who had run away with Yeoul.

“This isn’t a game of tag. What the hell am I doing.”

He couldn’t let Ihan catch him yet. He needed to buy at least two or three more days. Ihan would most likely assume he and Yeoul were together, so he had to choose a place Yeoul would never go in a situation like this. Somewhere Ihan would never think to search.

“This guy’s smart — he’ll probably figure out where I’d go and chase me right away.”

No matter how he thought about it, there was only one answer.

Yushin stood outside Yoon Geon’s house, running a hand through his hair as he hesitated.

“Ha… am I really doing the right thing here?”

Thinking back on Geon and Yeoul’s history, if Yeoul needed help, the only person he would rely on after Yoo Ihan was Yoon Geon. And if Yeoul ever tried to get help while running from Ihan, Geon was the obvious choice. There was no way Ihan wouldn’t consider that, so he was sure to check on Geon at some point.

‘But it won’t be right away.’

If he put himself in Yeoul’s shoes, going straight to Geon wouldn’t be his first move. It was too obvious, and he’d be caught instantly — so why go there? Ihan would probably think the same, meaning he’d spend at least a day or two searching other places before checking Geon’s home.

That was the gap Yushin was aiming for. It wasn’t possible to hide from Ihan forever anyway. All Yushin needed was to buy time until Yeoul died — so there was no need to stay hidden for long.

But while his reasoning made sense, there was one problem — showing up out of nowhere and saying “Please hide me” wasn’t exactly a guarantee Geon would help him.

“Especially when he’s desperately searching for Han Yeoul.”

He remembered Geon grabbing him with desperate eyes, demanding to know where Yeoul was. Since he’d heard Yeoul wasn’t far from Zone 1, he was probably tearing through the area like a madman right now. Odds were good he wasn’t even home.

Which would actually be better — he could just break in.

Muttering something completely unbecoming of a public official, he debated whether to sneak in or ring the bell. That’s when someone grabbed his shoulder.

“Hey, what are you doing in front of someone else’s house?”

Yushin turned and froze for a moment.

After getting used to seeing Ihan — who looked almost inhumanly good-looking — everyone else had started to seem plain by comparison. His sense of scale had been so warped that even decent-looking people barely registered.

But the man in front of him? He was exactly Yushin’s type. Long, sharp-tilted eyes, neatly arranged features, a soft jawline — even the slightly prickly vibe matched his preferences perfectly.

“And you are? Why are you hanging around here? Haven’t seen your face in Zone 5 before.”

When the man eyed him suspiciously, Yushin quickly tried to explain.

“I’m not some creep. I… uh… ah! I’m Geon’s high school friend. I came to Zone 5, so I figured I’d drop by and see him.”

“And what brings you to Zone 5?”

Sweat trickled down Yushin’s back. It was like his brain had been thinned out by the heat — no excuse came to mind. But telling a stranger his real business would defeat the whole purpose of hiding.

Thinking fast, he went on the offensive instead.

“Then who are you? You close with Esper Yoon Geon?”

The man’s expression stiffened slightly, as if the question had hit a nerve. He pursed his lips into a tight O, gave Yushin a sideways glare, and replied coolly,

“I’m Zone 5’s team Guide. Got a problem with that?”

“Team… Guide?”

“Yeah. Guide Seo Yeon-oh, Zone 5. Now it’s your turn — who are you, exactly? You can’t just stroll into Zone 5 without clearance.”

Damn it. Of all the people he could run into, it had to be the team Guide. That meant he probably knew Geon well — and someone who knew Geon well would never buy the “old friend” story.

After all… Esper Yoon Geon didn’t exactly seem like the type to have friends.

‘Now what?’

He was just about ready to make a run for it when Yeon-oh sighed and gestured.

“Forget it, just move. I’ll open the door.”

“You… you know the code?”

Yeon-oh glanced at him, sounding almost bored.

“If you punch in Han Yeoul’s birthday, it opens. Geon’s been too busy running around lately to be home much. Go on in.”

Something felt off.

Wait — so this was unauthorized entry for both of them?