IDSEGI Chapter 80

Chapter 80

The Jamsil Gate floated in midair. An Esper could have easily entered, but Yeoul was a Guide.

Kim Yushin is no good.

Yushin would never agree to it. He had already lost Ihan once by taking a gamble on something uncertain. If Yeoul tried to go inside, he would definitely stop him—not for Yeoul’s sake, but to uphold Ihan’s last request.

He needed another way. And Yeoul knew exactly one person he could ask for help.

* * *

“Well, well. Look who it is.”

Lim Juho let out a dry laugh when Yeoul appeared before him.

“Isn’t this the hyung who coldly left me behind?”

“It’s been a while.”

“Sure has. Damn, I’m thrilled.”

After half a year, Lim Juho was still living as he always had. That, at least, was a relief to Yeoul. There was no one easier to deal with than someone who chased after amusement.

Yeoul glanced briefly at Chi-ho standing beside Juho, then looked back at him. Juho’s gaze was a little more impatient than the leisurely look he’d once had. Lifting his chin confidently, Yeoul spoke.

“Don’t you want revenge on me?”

“Not really. I almost got killed messing with you last time. I’m not dying just for fun. Ah—”

Juho cut himself off, a malicious smile spreading across his lips.

“Come to think of it, Yoo Ihan’s dead, isn’t he?”

Yeoul’s fingertips twitched. Juho twisted the knife deeper.

“So I can touch you now? Since he’s gone? No, wait. I heard you switched to another S-class Esper. Not some eighty-year-old, I’m guessing… must be that handsome guy. Congrats on the new boyfriend.”

Yeoul said nothing. If his face had twisted, it would’ve been worth seeing, but his expression remained calm. That irritated Juho.

“You come here because you don’t like your new boyfriend? Why? Is he bad in bed? Want me to open you up a bit?”

“Yes.”

“…What?”

It was a pointless provocation, said only to get a rise out of him. But Yeoul answered instantly, without a single change in his expression. Even back when he’d talked about wanting to die, he’d never reacted like that. Juho was the one who felt thrown off by the flat tone.

Yeoul’s voice stayed level.

“I’ll sleep with you. If you do me one favor.”

“Ha. What, you on drugs or something…?”

Annoyance rose in him. If Yeoul was saying this to him, it meant he’d probably said it to other guys too. The thought alone made him want to strangle him.

“So now that Yoo Ihan’s dead, you’ve decided to whore yourself out?”

It was pure anger now, stripped of any mockery. But Yeoul ignored the open contempt and simply stated his request.

“My favor comes first. Do that for me, and then you can do whatever you want with me.”

Juho’s expression eased slightly. That’s more like it. He was sure Yeoul was running some kind of con. If he agreed to the favor, Yeoul was probably planning to bolt again like a squirrel. Crafty bastard. His tone softened.

“Not sure I like paying in advance. You might run off again.”

“I won’t.”

Like hell he wouldn’t. Once the favor was done, he’d obviously just leave. Still, Juho didn’t hate the idea. His lips curved lazily.

“Let’s hear it. What’s the favor?”

If it wasn’t anything huge, maybe he’d go along with it. He could just hold on tight this time so he couldn’t escape. But Yeoul’s next words wiped his mind blank.

“The Jamsil Gate. I want to go inside.”

Whatever softness had been in Juho’s eyes vanished instantly. Had he really gone insane in the time they’d been apart?

“Are you crazy? You really are on something. What the hell did you take to lose it this bad? If you need drugs, just ask me—we only deal in the best.”

Juho clicked his tongue and ran his gaze up and down Yeoul’s body.

“No wonder you look like a dried-up junkie. Forget it. I’m not touching you. Might as well fuck a corpse that’s already half-dead.”

It wouldn’t be the first time a Guide had died during sex, but if that Guide was Yeoul, it would leave a bad taste in his mouth. Just picturing it made his fists clench.

“Just take me there. That’s all I need.”

Juho felt irritation spike at Yeoul’s flat tone. What? The Jamsil Gate? Fuck. Maybe he really was on something. If he was crazy, he was completely gone.

“Cut the crap and get lost.”

“Yeah. I figured you’d say that.”

Yeoul stopped talking, pulled out his phone, and checked the time. Then, without warning, he threw it to the ground. The screen shattered instantly. Before Juho could even ask what the hell he was doing, Yeoul spoke.

“I sent a scheduled message. In five minutes, your location will be sent. To that S-class Esper.”

The screen was damaged badly enough that it was obvious the touch wouldn’t work. That meant the message couldn’t be canceled. Juho ground his teeth.

“Should’ve killed you when I had the chance.”

“It’s not even a big favor. Just throw me inside. I’ll even write a note saying it was my choice, so it won’t come back on you.”

The desperation was amusing, but it wasn’t much of a tempting offer. Why should I bother? If anything happened to Yeoul, there’d be trouble.

After being burned badly by Yoo Ihan, he’d developed a serious prejudice against S-class Espers. That guy had been a complete psycho.

A top-tier maniac, even by his own standards as a lunatic.

But when Yeoul’s eyes met his head-on, Juho swore under his breath. Fuck. How did I end up getting stuck with something like this?

“Chi-ho.”

He gave a half-hearted tilt of his head.

“Take him there.”

“But hyung! That place…”

“It’s been more than ten years since any monsters came out of there. You’ll be fine. Just toss him inside and come back.”

Chi-ho hesitated, fidgeting where he stood.

“But… what if, you know, a monster suddenly shows up…”

“Isn’t the chance of that happening lower than the chance of me killing you for mouthing off right now? Go while I’m still telling you nicely.”

When Lim Juho’s eyes hardened, Chi-ho quickly bowed his head.

“Yes, understood! Hey, let’s go.”

Before Chi-ho could tear open the air, Juho shot Yeoul a murderous glare.

“Hyung, I hope you die this time for real. Dream come true.”

“Thanks for doing me the favor.”

Yeoul offered a half-hearted word of thanks, then vanished with Chi-ho. Another subordinate approached Juho.

“But hyung, didn’t you say you wanted to kill that bastard with your own hands? Why just let him go…?”

“What’s the point of killing something that’s already a corpse?”

Juho clicked his tongue, recalling the bloodless face.

“That’s a walking corpse.”

Yeoul’s whole body was so thin he looked ready to drop dead at any moment. But his eyes were still sharp and fierce. Those eyes stirred Juho’s heart just a little.

“Whether it’s just his last bit of flailing before dying or whatever…”

Do your best.

The faint words never made it out, swallowed back down at the tip of his tongue.

* * *

Tearing through the air, they arrived in front of the Jamsil Gate. Chi-ho recoiled in horror.

“Gah!”

The fear radiating from the entrance froze his blood in his veins. The inky blackness rippling inside the gate was darker than night.

To Yeoul, the feeling wasn’t unfamiliar—he’d felt it before.

“It’s similar to when I first met the One-Eye.”

A presence terrifying enough to make his hair stand on end. Yeoul had an unshakable, baseless certainty that this gate would take him to the One-Eye.

“Throw me in there.”

Eager to leave the place as quickly as possible, Chi-ho followed his instructions without question. He grabbed Yeoul and hurled him into the gate with all his strength.

“Ugh…”

The impact of landing made Yeoul feel like his body had been smashed apart, but thankfully nothing was broken. Pushing himself up, he looked around. Strange blue flames floated in a neat line along the walls, evenly spaced.

“Brighter than I expected.”

From outside, it had looked like complete darkness, but inside there was light—enough to cast shadows.

That gave weight to his hunch. If there were shadows, there was a high chance the One-Eye was here.

Getting inside had been the first obstacle, but he’d managed it somehow. The problem now was how to attack the One-Eye. Without a proper weapon, it would be difficult to face him—but not impossible.

“The One-Eye’s attack power is weak.”

Its attacks were limited to shaking stones and forming spears from shadows. That would be tough for a normal person, but any Esper above D-rank could take it down. The reason S-class Espers like Ihan and Yoon Geon had lost to it wasn’t because of its attack power, but because of its regeneration.

Its endless regeneration compensated for its low attack strength—a truly broken ability. While Espers burned through their stamina and risked going berserk the more they used their power, the One-Eye could endlessly recover from any wound.

An enemy that could never be killed—scarier than the monsters of a mega-class gate, because at least those could be slain.

“I have to stop the regeneration.”

Yeoul thought of one possible way to do it.