IDESGI Chapter 21

Chapter 21

It was a bright and cheerful room that didn’t match the modern interior of the house. Looking at the bed and the spacious desk, Yeoul was swept up in unexpected sentiment.

“It reminds me of the old days.”

He was running his hand over the wooden desk when he spotted a photo frame standing in one corner.

“Huh? This is…”

It was a photo of Yeoul. The strange thing was, Yeoul had never once printed out a photo of himself and put it in a frame.

“Why is this photo here?”

Yeoul looked at the bright, smiling image of himself in the frame, feeling confused. Just then, the door burst open.

The moment Yoon Geon saw Yeoul holding the frame, he quickly snatched the photo away.

“Hyung, that…”

“Ahem. Come on. The coffee’s getting cold.”

Geon placed the frame face down on the desk and pushed Yeoul gently on the back. Yeoul left the room without resistance. It felt like pressing further wouldn’t do either of them any good.

Sitting on the sofa, Yeoul accepted the cup Geon handed him. The fragrant coffee scent was unmistakably from the brand he liked. Taking a sip, Yeoul smiled softly.

“This is the coffee I recommended, right? Back then, you asked why I drank such weird and bizarre stuff. I guess you liked it enough to buy and keep it around?”

“It still tastes bizarre.”

“Huh? Then why’d you buy it?”

“Because you liked it.”

Geon spoke quietly as he inhaled the coffee’s aroma.

“Drinking this reminded me of you. That’s why I drink it.”

“…Hyung.”

Geon chuckled softly and set his cup down on the table.

“Well, it’s not like I wouldn’t think of you if I didn’t drink it.”

For a while, silence fell between them. Yeoul shifted his gaze around before forcing the topic to change.

“Ah, now that I think about it, my old room’s still empty. Seems like a waste to keep it vacant. You could’ve used it with someone else or turned it into a studio or something.”

“Maybe I was waiting. For a day like this.”

“A day like this?”

Geon lowered his head slightly and tapped the teacup. His eyes, quietly reflected in the dark surface, slowly turned to Yeoul. They were unbelievably gentle—so much so it hurt.

“The day you’d come back to me.”

The low voice slipped into Yeoul’s ear.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

Yeoul couldn’t respond right away, only opening and closing his lips. Just as he hesitated, trying to find words to refuse, Geon cut in first.

“Don’t answer. I didn’t say it to hear a response.”

Yeoul lowered his head, fiddling with the cup’s handle.

“Words like that… make me uncomfortable.”

“I know. But I can’t stop.”

His soft voice carried a firm edge.

“I’ve waited too long. I can’t wait anymore.”

Not giving Yeoul a chance to argue, Geon continued.

“So just listen. It’s an order—from your superior.”

“…That’s abuse of power, hyung.”

“If it bothers you, get promoted and outrank me.”

Geon laughed briefly and took another sip of his coffee. Yeoul glanced sideways at him, then brought his own cup to his lips. The coffee had gone lukewarm before he knew it.

---

When Yeoul woke up in the morning, there was a small note stuck to the fridge.

Had to go out for something. There’s breakfast on the table. Eat up.

“This hyung still does this, huh.”

Back when Yeoul and Yoon Geon lived together, Geon would always leave notes on the fridge like this whenever he had to leave earlier than Yeoul.

Yeoul had left a note like that once himself, and after that, Geon started copying him—eventually making it a habit.

He could just send a message.

Letting out a small chuckle, Yeoul passed through the kitchen and headed for the table. A store-bought sandwich was waiting there. With the sandwich between his lips, Yeoul opened the fridge. Aside from bottled water, it was completely empty.

“Hah… still not cooking at home, huh.”

That was the thing that surprised him most when they’d lived together—Geon never cooked at home. The reason was simple: his cooking was awful.

“Hyung, I’ll be in charge of meals from now on.”

Yeoul had said that seriously after eating ramyeon Geon cooked once. It was the worst ramyeon he’d ever had. From then on, Yeoul had been the one in charge of cooking in that house.

“Should I try making something for the first time in a while?”

After moving in with Ihan, Yeoul had barely cooked at all. It had been ages since he last stood in a kitchen. Ever since Yeoul had cut his hand with a knife while cooking, Ihan had freaked out every time he even went near the kitchen.

“It’s my dream that not a single drop of water touches your hands, Yeoul.”

Ihan truly never let Yeoul do anything. If Yeoul tried to help just to not feel bad about Ihan doing all the chores, Ihan would make a huge fuss.

“Yeoul, do you really want to get your hands wet? Whew… Fine. But it doesn’t have to be water, right?”

“What are you even saying?”

“As long as it’s like water, it’s fine. Right?”

After being thoroughly worked over by Ihan a few times, Yeoul stopped trying to do housework entirely.

Just the memory of those moments was enough to make the blood rush downward, so Yeoul quickly shook his head and slapped his cheeks a couple of times.

“Ahem, I should go to the store.”

Humming the national anthem to himself in his head as a distraction, Yeoul headed out to buy groceries.

On his way back from the nearby supermarket, he noticed a man loitering near the front door. Recognizing him, Yeoul approached and spoke.

“Yeon-oh?”

Yeon-oh frowned slightly, letting out a short breath mixed with a scoff, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“So it was true. You’re really here, Guide Han Yeoul.”

His gaze was icy as he jerked his chin toward the door.

“Open it. I’ll hear your excuses inside.”

“Oh, it’s chilly, huh? The weather’s still kind of cold. If I knew you were coming, I wouldn’t have gone to the store.”

Seeing Yeon-oh only wearing a thin cardigan, Yeoul quickly put down his grocery bag and moved to unlock the door. Yeon-oh peeked into the bag and let out a scoffing laugh.

“Planning to set up house with someone else’s man now?”

“…Huh?”

“Just open the door. It’s cold.”

The way Yeon-oh ordered it made something in Yeoul flare up, but he held it in and silently punched in the four-digit code. The lock beeped and the door opened, but Yeon-oh didn’t move from where he stood.

“Four digits. Doesn’t look like it’s Yoon Geon’s birthday.”

Muttering to himself, Yeon-oh gave Yeoul a sharp glance.

“Don’t tell me… it’s your birthday?”

“Ah… Uh, well, Geon-hyung just doesn’t care about stuff like this, so he never changed it. It doesn’t mean anything!”

Despite Yeoul’s flustered explanation, Yeon-oh’s expression didn’t soften. He furrowed his brow and brushed past Yeoul with a cold shoulder, stepping inside. Yeoul followed behind with a quiet sigh.

Now that I think about it, he never changed the passcode.

The door’s lock code was still the same as when Yeoul lived there: 1231*.

Seven years ago, when Yeoul first moved into Geon’s place, the original password had been 0000. At first, Yeoul didn’t say anything, but as he got closer to Geon and noticed how lax he could be about things, he finally spoke up.

“Hyung, seriously? This is way too careless. The world’s dangerous these days. Let’s change the password, yeah?”

“Do whatever you want.”

“What should we change it to?”

“Anything’s fine.”

“There you go again! Then I’ll really pick something random. Like my birthday or something.”

“Sure.”

“Hmm… But to make it easier for you to remember, let’s use your birthday instead of mine.”

“My birthday?”

“Yeah. Let’s see… when was it again?”

Geon furrowed his brow and fell into thought. Seeing him unable to answer right away, Yeoul gasped in disbelief.

“Wait—don’t tell me you don’t know your own birthday?”

“I don’t celebrate it. Just use yours. 1231.”

“You remember my birthday?”

“Why would I forget?”

Yeoul had assumed it was because Geon saw him as family—just like he thought of Geon as his own older brother. He thought Geon felt the same.

But watching how Yoon Geon treated Yeon-oh, Yeoul realized something for sure—Han Yeoul was special to Yoon Geon.

Yeoul followed behind Yeon-oh, cautiously watching his mood.

Yeon-oh walked right into the house like he owned the place and sat on the sofa. The way he moved so naturally made it seem like he’d been here many times, so Yeoul tried to lighten the mood with some small talk.

“Don’t you think Geon-hyung’s house is kind of empty? It must’ve felt cold whenever you came over.”

“This is my first time here.”

The cold response made Yeoul awkwardly smile as he offered him some tea.

“Should I bring out something to drink?”

“We’re both technically guests here, but Guide Han Yeoul, you really act like the owner.”

Yeoul decided to keep his mouth shut after that. As he quietly moved to sit on the floor across from Yeon-oh, Yeon-oh’s brow twitched.

“What are you doing right now?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you sitting on the floor instead of next to me?”

“I thought you might feel uncomfortable if I sat too close.”

“Guide Han Yeoul, you really do know how to make me look like the bad guy sometimes.”

Yeon-oh tilted his head toward the seat beside him.

“Sit on the couch.”

Yeoul silently did as he was told, sitting a little distance away next to him.

He kept sneaking glances at Yeon-oh, whose lips were pressed into a firm line as he let out a deep breath, as though trying to calm his anger. Yeoul understood his attitude. If Ihan had another Guide, Yeoul might’ve lost it too.

After seemingly gathering himself, Yeon-oh turned to face Yeoul.

“Guide Han Yeoul.”

“Yes?”

Yeoul tensed, waiting for what Yeon-oh would say next. What would he say if he were in Yeon-oh’s shoes—if he were speaking to Ihan’s former Guide? Especially if that Guide was someone Ihan had feelings for?

…I’d probably want to kill him.

He’d grab the Guide by the collar, shake him, and bury him in the ground—along with Ihan.

Wait, no. Why together? They should be buried separately!

Even if dirt got in his eyes, Yeoul couldn’t stand the thought of Ihan cheating with another Guide. He wasn’t as bad as Yoo Ihan, but Yeoul was pretty jealous himself. It was just that Ihan had always been so hopelessly devoted, there’d never been a reason to feel jealous.

But now, here he was—desperately wishing Yoo Ihan would receive guiding from someone else.

It was a contradiction. He couldn’t bear the thought of Ihan cheating, yet he hoped he would engage in mucosal guiding with another Guide.

The idea of Ihan loving someone else made his blood boil, and the idea of him sleeping with someone else tore his insides apart.

But Yoo Ihan dying… would destroy his entire world.

Yeon-oh continued speaking calmly.

“You probably already know, but I’ll make it clear. I like Yoon Geon.”

He confessed his feelings for Geon without hesitation. It wasn’t surprising—it was already obvious.

“So I hope Guide Han Yeoul never comes back to Zone 5. Ever.”

“I don’t plan on returning. Don’t worry.”

“I know. You’re always consistent—especially when it comes to Esper Yoo Ihan.”

At those words, Yeoul’s fingertips twitched.