IDSEGI Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Yeoul looked at the massive pile of weapons Ihan had brought with him, his expression clearly unimpressed.

“…What is all this?”

The variety was impressive—long swords, daggers, arrows, spears, maces…

‘Why is there a rose knife?’

He let out a short, disbelieving laugh, and Ihan began chattering beside him.

“I brought everything just in case. Most monsters aren’t affected by explosives, but blades can at least wound them a little.”

Seeing the bright, proud look on his face, Yeoul wasn’t sure how to even start criticizing him. Picking up the rose knife, he asked,

“Why did you bring this one?”

“Yeoul, this might look like nothing, but it’s actually a very deadly weapon.”

“This?”

Could it be that something like this worked better on monsters? While Yeoul tilted his head in confusion, Ihan proudly exclaimed,

“This thing can even slice tomatoes!”

“……”

Yeoul quietly set the rose knife back down. Lately, he was starting to think Ihan might be just a little bit crazy.

‘I thought he was a normal, kind boyfriend—aside from being a bit of a pervert—but maybe I’ve been seeing him too favorably.’

As Yeoul narrowed his eyes at him, Ihan caught his hand and pressed a quick kiss to the back of it, then curved his eyes into a gentle, charming smile.

“How about it? Pick whichever one you like.”

Yeoul stared at him in a daze for a moment, then thought to himself,

‘…I guess this much is fine.’

It wasn’t like Ihan hit people just because he didn’t like them, nor did he constantly curse—except when Yoon Geon was around. A bit of eccentricity like this seemed tolerable.

The reason Ihan’s pretenses had never been caught before was about sixty percent due to his effort, and the rest was purely thanks to his handsome face.

“Do you like the rose knife?”

Completely unaware that he should be thanking the parents who gave him those looks, Ihan smiled brightly.

Leaving Ihan, who said he had something to do, Yeoul returned to the lodging first to pack for tomorrow’s expedition.

Naturally, he didn’t choose the rose knife. Instead, he packed a short dagger about the length of his hand, along with protective gear.

‘Better to travel light than to carry a weapon I’m not used to.’

He decided this because the heavier the load, the faster he’d get tired.

“Hoo… Tomorrow’s the day…”

He swallowed his words along with a sigh.

In his memory, that one-eyed being was grotesque and terrifying. Facing such a thing was nothing short of horrifying. His knees felt weak, and fear reached deep into his bones.

Truthfully, if he could, he wanted to run away right now. But Yeoul was someone who had already endured pain worse than death, more than once.

He knew well that no pain could ever be worse than losing Yoo Ihan.

“I have to do this.”

Whether it would work or not… Even if they killed it, whether time would truly rewind—nothing was certain.

Betting his life on such a speck of hope was insane, but for someone who had once been ready to die, it was a chance worth more than gold.

Still, something weighed on his mind.

“I did ask for help, but…”

Yoon Geon had readily agreed to assist him. Honestly, if it were him, he wasn’t sure he could believe someone claiming they had gone back in time and met a monster capable of conversation.

But neither Ihan nor Yoon Geon doubted him. They simply listened, believed, and agreed to help.

Unlike Ihan, who trusted him without question, Yoon Geon was a realist. He had probably considered the possibility that none of it was true.

Even so, he had stepped forward to help—and that was something Yeoul was grateful for. But maybe refusing his goodwill was the right thing to do for Yoon Geon’s sake.

It was true that having Yoon Geon around was reassuring. While Ihan was one of the strongest Espers in the world, Yoon Geon was no less formidable. He hadn’t been given an S-rank for nothing.

If not for his fatal flaw—his rejection of Guiding—the country would have proudly presented him to the world. His abilities were worth boasting about globally. With the two of them working together, there might actually be a chance.

But if everything failed, and all three of them died…

The worst outcome would be for him to survive alone. Both of them would always put Yeoul’s safety above their own lives—without question.

The thought alone made it hard to breathe. Yeoul shook his head to drive it away and checked his bag again for anything he might have forgotten.

He pulled out his dagger and checked its condition one more time, his mind tangled with so many worries it felt blacked out. Because of that, he was absentmindedly stroking the flat of the blade when his hand slipped, slicing the tip of his finger.

“Hh—!”

Fortunately, it wasn’t a deep cut, but red blood dripped freely. At that moment, Yoon Geon suddenly burst into the room, having heard Yeoul’s small gasp.

“Han Yeoul! What happened?”

Seeing Yeoul clutching his finger, Yoon Geon quickly assessed the situation and strode over to him.

“You’re hurt?”

“Ah, yeah… It’s nothing.”

“I’ll decide if it’s nothing. Give me your hand.”

When Yeoul hesitated, Yoon Geon pulled his wrist toward him and examined the injury. Then, he slowly brought Yeoul’s hand toward his mouth. Thinking he was about to lick it, Yeoul quickly stopped him.

“Ah, no need to lick it!”

Yoon Geon gave him a puzzled glance, then grabbed the antiseptic from beside the bag and poured it over the wound.

“Licking makes it worse.”

“R-right… Ha ha.”

Yeoul gave an awkward laugh while mentally kicking himself. He’d forgotten common sense because Ihan always acted like a puppy and licked his wounds.

Yoon Geon glanced at Yeoul’s flushed neck and let out a small chuckle. Yeoul muttered shyly,

“Why are you laughing…”

“I’m just… used to you being the one treating me, so now that it’s the other way around—”

“Is it funny?”

A faint, barely-there smile touched Yoon Geon’s lips.

“I’m happy.”

Only after placing a bandage on him did his rough hands finally let go.

“All done. Keep it away from water.”

“…Hyung.”

No. This wouldn’t do. No matter how he thought about it, dragging Yoon Geon into this was wrong. It was ridiculous to suddenly decide that now, after having involved him in matters with Ihan before—but this was a life-or-death matter. He couldn’t let Yoon Geon get hurt.

But as if predicting his thoughts, Yoon Geon reached out and gently ruffled his hair.

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m not here because you asked—I came because I wanted to. I’m helping you because I decided to.”

The gentle hand tousled his hair a bit more before Yoon Geon gave him a playful half-smile.

“I don’t take orders. I’m a selfish guy.”

He tapped the crown of Yeoul’s head lightly with his palm, then turned and walked out. His back was as broad and reassuring as it had been in the past.

* * *

“Today’s… May 11th.”

Ihan muttered as he looked at the date on his phone.

Checking the date before a mission was an old habit of his—not because he wanted to remember it, but because he wished he could forget.

He hoped that with time, he wouldn’t even recall what had happened. That this day would be just another ordinary one next year, the year after, and the years beyond.

Most of the time, that wish came true. But there were days he could never forget.

2291, 2292… 2298, 2301, 2303.

The list of dates he had to remember only grew, never shrank. He could never save everyone. The dead became numbers, etched as scars in his heart.

Lost in thought, his phone suddenly buzzed. Seeing the caller, Ihan threw it to the ground, shattering it.

“Quit rushing me, damn it.”

The government was still in an uproar, demanding his return. Only after promising to come back in a week did he manage to shake off the nuisance—but the calls had never stopped.

Nervous, are they? Afraid I won’t come back?

It was annoying, but he would keep his promise—whether he returned alive or as a corpse, he didn’t know.

He had never been sure of survival in any mission. Gambling wasn’t his style. But this time, he’d bet everything on one side.

Han Yeoul would come back alive.

He had gone all-in—his life included, holding nothing back. The card he laid down was “Yes.” Fate had yet to reveal its hand.

Ihan had never once thought of gambling with Yeoul’s life. He had intended to keep things safe—to flip the table entirely.

If I die, it’s over without Yeoul ever having to put himself in danger.

It was such a simple, clear calculation. But the moment he saw Yeoul’s short will, he knew he had to sit back down at the gambling table.

It was now a gamble with Yeoul’s life at stake. That meant there needed to be a safety net.

“Hey, Yoon Geon.”

In the middle of the night, Ihan barged into Yoon Geon’s lodging. Yoon Geon was in the middle of training, doing one-handed push-ups.

Ihan clicked his tongue at the sight.

“Tsk, tsk. You should’ve been training regularly. You think cramming like this works?”

“If you’re here to pick a fight, get out.”

Catching the towel Ihan tossed at him with one hand, Yoon Geon asked bluntly,

“What is it this time?”

Leaning casually against the wall with his arms crossed, Ihan threw out a question.

“Can you teleport?”