IDESGI Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Ihan’s voice trembled.

“What… what did you just say? Yeoul, I think I misheard you. Can you say that again?”

“I like Geon-hyung—”

“No. Never mind. I’m not listening to this. My ears must be broken.”

He shot up from his seat, turning to leave.

But Yeoul grabbed his wrist.

This time, he made sure every word hit like a branding iron.

“I—like—Geon—hyung.”

Ihan clenched his jaw so tightly it looked like his teeth might crack. His head hung low as he forced himself to breathe.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“You need to hear it. I don’t want you anymore, Ihan. I want—”

“Han Hyunho. Get your ass out here. Now.”

Ihan suddenly turned toward the tree-lined path, his voice sharp as a blade.

A few seconds later, Hyunho hesitantly stepped out from behind the trees.

“Uh… w-why are you calling me…?”

“Show me your watch.”

“What? Why all of a sudden—?”

It wasn’t just Hyunho who was caught off guard.

Yeoul, too, was frozen, unable to understand what Ihan was trying to do.

Hyunho hesitated, fidgeting nervously, but Ihan lost patience.

With an irritated sigh, he yanked Hyunho’s wrist and checked the device himself.

“15%. Still stable.”

“Y-yeah, I haven’t used my ability in a while, so…”

“Good. Then use it again.”

Ihan turned back to Yeoul, eyes locking onto him like a predator pinning down its prey.

“Say it again, Yeoul. What was that?”

And that was when Yeoul finally realized what Ihan was trying to do.

He’s checking if my runaway index spikes.

An Esper’s runaway index increased when they used their abilities. If Hyunho hadn’t used his ability on Yeoul earlier, his numbers wouldn’t have changed.

Yeoul’s stomach twisted.

If Hyunho hesitated now, it would prove that Yeoul had been trying to deceive Ihan.

But if Hyunho actually used his ability…

I’ll be exposed.

What do I do?

With no escape, Yeoul clenched his trembling hands behind his back.

Just then, a familiar voice cut through the tension.

“Han Hyunho, do as he says. It’s fine.”

Geon strode forward, stepping between Ihan and Yeoul.

Ihan let out a dry, disbelieving laugh before glaring at him coldly.

His once-smiling lips were now frozen in an icy line.

“Stay out of this.”

“I’m involved. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You son of a—”

Ihan let out a sharp exhale, forcing himself to keep his composure.

“Fine. Fine.”

He turned back to Hyunho, his voice laced with warning.

“Then do it properly this time. Unless you want to eat dirt.”

Ihan refrained from swearing outright in front of Yeoul, but his threat was clear.

Hyunho darted a glance at Geon, uncertain.

Geon gave him a small nod.

“Go ahead, Han Hyunho. I’ll take responsibility.”

“Y-yes! Guide Han Yeoul, please answer the question. Why do you want to break up with Esper Yoo Ihan?”

Both Ihan and Geon stared at Yeoul intently.

Yeoul hesitated, glancing between Geon and Hyunho before finally speaking.

“Because… I like Geon-hyung. That’s why I want to break up with you.”

Geon looked down at Yeoul, his voice calm but unwavering.

“I need Han Yeoul. I thought I could do without him, but I can’t. I need him.”

His gaze was so steady, so devoid of any deceit, that Yeoul momentarily forgot he was acting.

Unconsciously, he avoided Geon’s eyes.

Ihan suddenly grabbed Hyunho’s wrist and checked his watch again.

His expression twisted in an instant.

“Ha.”

He shoved Hyunho’s hand away roughly, the numbers on the screen flashing 17%.

The runaway index increased.

Something was wrong.

Hyunho hadn’t used his ability.

Yeoul had been able to lie.

So why had the numbers gone up?

Caught in the confusion, Yeoul barely registered it when Ihan yanked him closer.

“Yeoul, I don’t believe this. I can’t believe this. There’s no one who knows how much you love me better than I do.”

Ihan’s eyes burned with desperate intensity.

Yeoul’s heart wavered for a fraction of a second—then, gritting his teeth, he pushed Ihan’s hands away.

“I like Geon-hyung. I’m sorry, but let’s break up.”

His own words felt like knives in his throat.

Acting on impulse, Yeoul grabbed Geon’s hand.

The moment he did, Geon interlocked their fingers.

The unexpected gesture startled Yeoul, making him glance up at Geon, only to see him wearing a faint smile before he turned to Ihan.

Geon’s voice was calm but firm.

“Han Yeoul is returning to Zone 5.”

Ihan’s expression darkened.

“Is he your Guide? Who do you think you are, deciding that?”

“He chose to come with me. Not you.”

“You son of a—”

Ihan’s golden eyes flashed dangerously.

Heat surged around him, steam rising from the pavement as flames curled around his hands. The air itself seemed to tremble, as if anticipating an imminent explosion.

In response, a deep red glow flickered in Geon’s eyes.

Towering waves surged from nowhere, forming a wall between them.

Ihan sneered, completely unfazed. With a casual flick of his hand, the surrounding pavement cracked, and pieces of the sidewalk began to float.

Hyunho, unable to withstand the pressure, collapsed to his knees.

Yet in the middle of the chaos, Yeoul stood unharmed.

Both of their abilities were subconsciously shielding him.

The absurdity of it all made Yeoul’s frustration boil over.

If you’re so worried about me getting hurt, then don’t fight in the first place! And on top of that, now you’re both splitting your energy to keep me safe?

Who’s going to handle the Guiding if either of you goes into runaway mode?!

Fury surged up inside him, and he finally snapped.

“Enough! BOTH OF YOU, STOP!”

His furious shout shattered the tension like glass.

The towering waves crashed down, soaking the ground. The floating pavement dropped back to earth with dull thuds.

Yeoul turned his burning gaze to Ihan.

“Stop it. What the hell do you think you’re doing, causing this mess in someone else’s zone?”

“Yeoul, I—”

“I told you already. I can’t lie to myself anymore. I like Geon-hyung, and I’m tired of you. Let it go.”

As Yeoul firmly declared their breakup, Ihan’s lips trembled, yet he desperately tried to keep his smile intact.

“Yeoul, are you really that mad? I’m sorry. I was wrong. I won’t do it again, so—”

He stepped forward, reaching out toward Yeoul, but Yeoul shoved him away roughly.

“Yoo Ihan, how many times do I have to say it? We’re over.”

The fragile smile that had been hanging onto Ihan’s lips shattered, leaving raw despair in its place. His trembling voice burrowed into Yeoul’s chest like a dagger.

“Yeoul, over? Why would we be over? How can you say that?”

Yeoul turned his head away, avoiding his gaze, unable to say anything more.

That was when Geon stepped between them.

“Just accept it and let Yeoul go.”

Ihan’s eyes darkened with pure malice as he shot Geon a murderous glare.

“Shut up.”

“Stop whining. Stop making this harder on him.”

“I’m barely holding myself back from tearing you apart, so get the hell out of my way.”

“You’re the one in the way. Maybe you should go look for another Guide—one that doesn’t need to be forced to stay with you.”

“You think I need any Guide besides Yeoul? I’m not like you, you pathetic piece of shit.”

Geon fell silent for a brief moment before replying,

“…In the end, Yeoul chose me. You’ve been discarded.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Ihan’s fist slammed into Geon’s stomach.

Geon staggered from the impact but immediately retaliated, sending a punch flying straight for Ihan’s face.

What started as a fistfight quickly devolved into a full-blown brawl.

The two men rolled across the ground, exchanging vicious blows, fueled by nothing but rage.

And, as always, the one who ended it was Han Yeoul.

“Enough! You absolute idiots!”

Both of them froze.

Yeoul rarely used harsh language, always speaking politely, even when angry.

Even now, it seemed his subconscious had prevented him from using actual curses, defaulting to “idiots” instead.

The absurdity of it made the moment even heavier.

Both of them knew this wasn’t the right moment, but somehow, Yeoul’s outburst felt… endearing.

‘Shit, the strongest insult he can come up with is “idiots”? That’s fucking adorable.’

‘…Does he even realize how cute he is?’

Yeoul, still fuming, forcibly pulled Ihan and Geon apart.

They were equally bruised, but Yeoul’s gaze kept drifting back to Ihan.

Noticing that, he clenched his jaw and deliberately turned his head away.

Then, he grabbed Geon’s hand and tugged him forward.

“I’ve made myself clear. I’m going to date him now, so you need to get out of my life.”

With that, Yeoul turned and walked off, dragging Geon toward the dorms.

Despite being much larger than Yeoul, Geon followed along sluggishly, the sight oddly comical.

‘I’ve never seen Senior Yoon Geon like that before.’

Hyunho watched them disappear, then turned hesitantly toward Ihan—only to immediately flinch and stumble back in fear.

Ihan’s eyes had gone cold.

Not the kind of anger that exploded outward, but the terrifying silence before a volcano erupted.

That quiet, still moment before the lava surged out.

Somehow, that was even scarier.

“Yeoul-ah…”

His voice was quiet, almost gentle.

“If you do this… I have no choice but to be the bad guy.”

Hyunho’s spine went rigid with dread.

Then, without another word, he fled.

---

Yeoul dabbed a disinfectant pad against Geon’s battered face, tending to his wounds.

With a single session of Guiding and a good night’s sleep, these injuries would heal quickly, but Geon sat still, allowing Yeoul to care for him anyway.

As he carefully pressed the cotton against a bruise, Yeoul hesitated. His lips parted slightly.

“I’m sorry, Geon-hyung.”

“Why are you apologizing? Yoo Ihan was the one who hit me.”

“Because he did it because of me.”

“You don’t have to take responsibility for that bastard’s actions. You’re not anything to him anymore.”

“…That’s true.”

Yeoul forced a small smile and lightly tapped Geon’s shoulder.

“Hyung, turn around. Let me check your back, too.”

But before he could, Geon caught his wrist.

“Yeoul.”

“Come on, just turn around.”

“Why are you crying?”

“…Ah.”

A single tear slid down Yeoul’s cheek.

Then another.

Droplets fell from his chin, creating small, round stains on the floor.

Geon’s voice was steady as he spoke.

“I’m the one in front of you. I’m the one you’re treating. But why does it feel like the person you’re really worried about isn’t me?”

Yeoul flinched.

Shaking off Geon’s hand, he wiped his face with his sleeve.

“It’s not like that. Don’t think too much about it.”

“Turn around, hyung. Let me check your back.”

Geon stared at him for a moment before responding.

“My back is fine.”

“Then let me finish disinfecting your face.”

Silence settled between them.

Unable to bear the tension, Yeoul changed the subject.

“By the way, what happened back there? Hyunho didn’t use his ability on me, but my index still went up.”

“He did use his ability.”

“But I could lie. I wasn’t under his control.”

“That’s because he didn’t use it on you.”

“What?”

Geon met his gaze directly and repeated,

“Hyunho used his ability on me.”

“Hyung… what are you saying—”

Before Yeoul could finish, Geon’s watch beeped with an incoming call.

Glancing at the screen, he stood up.

“I have to go.”

Yeoul, still frozen in shock, didn’t even think to move.

“Han Yeoul.”

At the sound of his name, he instinctively looked up.

“Y-yeah?”

Geon’s eyes were unreadable at first glance—calm, steady.

But beneath that surface, something deeper stirred.

“Come back and face me properly. Don’t pretend you didn’t hear. Don’t act like you don’t know.”

“…Hyung.”

“This time, I’ll be serious too. So don’t run away.”

With that, Geon pressed a firm hand on Yeoul’s shoulder before leaving the room.

Left alone, Yeoul found himself unable to get up for a long time.

Another stone had been thrown into the already turbulent waters of his heart.