IDSEGI Chapter 88

Chapter 88

The dragging conversation made Ihan let out a sharp breath.

“I don’t know how long you plan to keep this up… Fine. Let’s say I did imprint. What exactly are you going to do if I tell you who it is?”

His gaze tilted sharply, testing. Normally, Park Cheol-ho might have tried to placate him. But right now, the advantage was with the government. An Esper who couldn’t receive guiding was no better than a toothless tiger.

Park Cheol-ho’s lips curved into a slow, benevolent smile.

“I’d ask them why they aren’t guiding you and convince them to do it.”

To Ihan, it was laughable. The government was astonishingly rational—always putting reason before sentiment. What benefitted the majority was justice.

That had been the guiding principle worldwide since the first gates appeared—an inescapable, suffocating net that even Ihan could not slip out of.

“And if my Guide has a reason—if they told you they’d rather die than guide me—would you kill them for it?”

“If your condition is a side effect of imprinting, then ending the imprint would be the only solution.”

“Ha… you really talk like shit. Same as ever.”

Nothing had changed. This country was as calculating, cold, and rotten as ever. Rational to the core.

“The government is only pursuing efficiency. Losing an S-Class Esper is worse than losing one measly Guide’s life.”

“Still clinging to that damned efficiency.”

“But isn’t it Espers themselves who care most about efficiency? You fall in love or betray each other over match rates. I think that’s the right way to live. Efficiency is the mark of a highly developed human being.”

Ihan found the whole conversation absurd. Nothing had changed in over a decade. The most ridiculous part was that he was still part of the same group that believed this was justice. His voice was edged with bitter self-mockery.

“You people… sometimes—no, always—you see Espers as monsters, not humans. But the real monsters are you.”

The only answer he could give was that he’d never imprinted. Even if he told the truth, these people would only believe what they could see. Anything else was a waste of breath.

In the end, Ihan stood up. Officers moved to stop him, but Park Cheol-ho waved them off.

“Leave him. Let him go.”

Just as Ihan gripped the door handle, Park Cheol-ho called after him with a promise sweet as bait.

“Esper Yoo Ihan, don’t forget—we’re always on your side. If you just guide properly, we’ll reward your Guide with the best treatment possible.”

Even without turning back, Ihan could feel the eyes stabbing into his back, clinging like something sticky to his legs. Disgusting to the point of goosebumps.

“If I find my Guide, I’ll let you know. I’m curious myself who I supposedly imprinted with.”

The door closed softly, carrying his calm fury with it.

Ihan strode quickly out of the headquarters building.

I have to find that man.

The man he’d seen earlier at the concert—the one who guided him, then ran. He was certain they were the same person. The feeling when the man had taken his hand was identical to when the Guide had. It wasn’t proof, just instinct, but as an Esper, Ihan trusted his instincts.

He’d narrowed the target—now he had to find that man. Before the government did. Whether he truly had imprinted with him, and if so, how it was even possible—none of that mattered.

Once the government found Ihan’s imprinted Guide, the next step was obvious—they’d check the Guide’s rank.

If that man turned out to be a D-Class or lower… or worse, an F-Class with abilities so weak they were practically a normal civilian…

If his ability was nowhere near enough to guide an S-Class like Ihan…

The government would have no hesitation in killing him.

Yushin was leaning against the headquarters wall with two other Espers, waiting for the meeting to end. Across from him, one Esper stretched with a groan.

“Hey, I’m gonna sneak a smoke.”

“What if Yoo Ihan shows up? Just wait here.”

“Meetings at HQ take at least an hour. It’s fine to—”

“Hey, he’s coming! Put the cigarette away!”

Yushin started to wave at Ihan as he walked toward them but froze mid-motion.

What the hell… something happened?

Ihan’s expression was different from usual. Normally, he always looked like he was chewing nails when summoned to HQ, but today it was worse. There was no trace of a smirk, not even his usual mocking curl of the lips—just a straight line. And the eyes that were always full of lazy confidence now held nothing but sharpness.

Standing in front of Yushin, Ihan ordered in an icy tone,

“Kim Yushin. Gather the guys.”

“Uh… for training?”

He was clearly furious, yet still talking about training? Relentless. Yushin almost whistled in disbelief—but the next words caught him off guard.

“No. Call them to my place. Tell anyone with a laptop to bring it.”

“All of a sudden, to your place? And what’s with the laptops?”

“There’s someone I need to find before those government bastards make the first move.”

The veins on Ihan’s forearm stood out.

“Once I find him, I’ll flip everything upside down. This rotten government.”

So something did happen. Yushin considered whether it was safe to ask, watching Ihan’s expression carefully. Ihan didn’t bother to hide his irritation, spitting out his words roughly.

“Thick-headed idiots who can’t understand a word. They won’t get it until they take a real beating. I don’t know why they think it’s a good idea to mess with kind, harmless me.”

For a moment, Yushin thought he’d misheard. Kind? Who? This guy? The doctor must have cut his conscience along with the umbilical cord when he was born. There was no other way to explain that personality without calling it a medical accident.

“You talk like that, but you always follow government orders to the letter. I mean, even you can’t ignore what the bigwigs tell you to do.”

One of the other Espers piped up without reading the mood. Instead of getting angry, Ihan smiled faintly. Yushin clicked his tongue inwardly.

Tsk, tsk. I knew he’d blow up one day.

The guy’s nickname was “Flower Field” shortened to just “Flower Head,” because he couldn’t read the room to save his life. When Ihan smiled like that, it always meant his mood had twisted past the breaking point. Yushin silently offered his condolences. Ihan took a step toward Flower Head while still smiling.

“Do you know why Espers and Guides all crawl under the government like dogs?”

“Why are you asking that out of nowhere?”

“Too many words for someone who’s told to shut up and do as he’s told. You’d better think carefully before you answer—before you lose your head.”

Ihan’s mouth was smiling, but his tone was sharp as a blade. Flower Head must have realized he was screwed, because his face went white. A wrong answer here wouldn’t just get him fired—he might literally lose his head. He swallowed hard before answering cautiously.

“Well… to avoid being exiled outside the zones.”

“Right. And why do you think that is? What’s so bad about being exiled as an Esper?”

“Because the government surrounded all the low-gate-rate areas with walls. Thanks to the walls, it’s safer, so Guides and regular civilians want to stay inside. Naturally, Espers stay in the zones to follow their Guides.”

The reason any government held power was simple—outside its control, survival was difficult.

The boundary between a zone and the outside was a thick wall made from special materials. Those walls blocked monsters from outside gates, ensuring a measure of safety. Espers had it easier too—defend only the inside of the wall, and their work became far simpler.

Outside monsters, unable to feed on people, would starve to death within a week to a month and disappear naturally. What made that possible were the astronomically expensive walls, built with rare materials so scarce they couldn’t be produced in large numbers even with enough money.

Flower Head pulled every bit of sense he had to continue speaking.

“Building the walls costs too much, and the materials are so hard to get that you can’t make many… That’s why.”

“Correct.”

Ihan patted his shoulder twice.

The wall’s materials and construction methods were known only to governments, and building just one side of a wall could easily cost trillions. It was only natural that the government’s power grew so strong.

Ihan’s smile vanished, turning cold. His hand clamped down on Flower Head’s shoulder hard enough to hurt.

“Ow! That hurts!”

“It’s not because I’m weaker than the government that I follow orders.”

The world was hard to survive in without government aid—but that didn’t mean the country was in good shape. Gate occurrences inside the zones were rising, and the national treasury had been drained over the last hundred years creating and maintaining thirteen zones.

Just before the nation’s back broke, Ihan had appeared. The income from his overseas expeditions nearly matched Zone 1’s yearly budget.

Releasing his grip, Ihan looked down at the wincing Flower Head and finished in a low voice.

“It’s only because they can’t manage without me.”

It was no exaggeration to say Yoo Ihan had helped keep the staggering nation upright. There was a reason he was called a hero.

Though arrogant in demeanor, he generally followed government orders—

For justice alone.

If Ihan declared a coup, every Esper in Zone 1 would follow him. Every one of them respected and admired his sense of justice.

But that didn’t mean they’d agree with what he was doing now.

* * *

The Espers gathered in Ihan’s home stared at their laptop screens so intently it looked like their eyes might fall out. They resembled zombies.

“Why the hell are we even doing this?”

One Esper burst out, but the others only glanced at him briefly before looking away. Complaining to Ihan never left you with anything but bruises. Still, they couldn’t stop muttering under their breath. One person’s grumbling set off a wave of complaints.

“Shit, I’d rather be deployed.”

“My eyes are gonna fall out.”

“How the hell are we supposed to find someone like this? This crazy bastard…”

Without warning, Ihan had summoned the Zone 1 Espers to his home and handed out documents and USB drives. While they were still confused, he explained.

“The USBs contain the attendee list and CCTV footage from an idol concert.”

His order was simple and direct.

“Find one man in there.”