Honbul: Flame of the Soul

The team members looked at Jaegyeom, who had shown up to work alone, as if wondering why he was asking when they had gone home together yesterday. Jaegyeom had nothing more to say. He did not know the reason himself. He opened his phone one more time. As expected, there had been no contact.

Should I try calling again?

After thinking for a moment, Jaegyeom asked the others whether Yoon Taehee was always this busy.

“The Chief is always busy.”

The team members answered naturally, as if it were obvious. Jaegyeom hesitated, then put his phone away again. Well, if he waited, Taehee would contact him on his own.

After that, Jaegyeom kept checking his cell phone every now and then.

*****

The newcomer’s third day at work went smoothly.

First, Jaegyeom drew up a work schedule with the help of his team members. They also showed him around from the main building to the annex, and at one point, Go Junhyung went out on an external errand and came back with spicy rice cakes, so they had a small snack break with the team.

It was only late in the afternoon that Yoon Taehee appeared in the office. Dressed in a striped navy suit, he entered while talking to someone on the phone. The team members sitting at their desks rose and greeted their superior warmly.

Jaegyeom had been scribbling a formula for the hand mirror on a piece of scrap paper, and he stood up in a daze. As the team members greeted him, Yoon Taehee waved lightly in acknowledgment and walked into the chief’s office inside. Jaegyeom’s gaze followed Taehee’s footsteps.

He didn’t answer my call...

A little while later, the door to the chief’s office opened, and Yoon Taehee, now finished with his call, came out bare-faced. He squeezed hand cream onto the back of his hand and leaned at an angle in the doorway.

“Hello. Did everyone get home all right yesterday?”

Now that the delayed greeting had finally come, the other team members began answering one by one. A light conversation went on. Throughout it all, Jaegyeom’s eyes remained fixed on Yoon Taehee. He looked like a meerkat poking its head up over the partition.

Yoon Taehee seemed no different from usual. If anything was different, it was that today, unusually, he seemed to be ignoring Jaegyeom. Just when Jaegyeom thought their eyes might meet, Taehee’s gaze slipped away.

“So... any messages?”

Yoon Taehee slowly rubbed his hands together and looked over the team members. As if he had been waiting, Go Junhyung pushed his chair back and raised his voice so everyone could hear.

“There’s a monthly trend report at six today. You all know that, right? The Unit Head is attending too. Anyone leaving for the evening shift, please submit your reports to me.”

The team members answered energetically, “Yes!”

The monthly trend report was a meeting where they reviewed trends in the human world over the past month, identified anything unusual, and shared noteworthy points among the information collected. The presentation was handled by the Covert ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) Division, and it was a fairly weighty event attended by all members of the Exorcism Unit.

“Keep the schedule in mind when you go out into the field today.”

Yoon Taehee nodded and added simply, “Anything else?”

After confirming there were no other messages, Yoon Taehee began directing the team members’ work with practiced precision.

“Senior Naja Pyo. It looks as though the Grade 1 Reduction Talisman we requested from the Talisman Unit a few days ago was rejected. Could you check the reason? And Sihyeon, how was that bus collision handled? The Purification Unit asked for it to be transferred, so let me know the progress...”

Jaegyeom, who had been sitting there blankly, lowered his head and fiddled with the corner of his paper. Yoon Taehee, skillfully exchanging work-related conversation with the other team members, was as friendly as ever. And yet Jaegyeom felt a strange distance from him that he had never felt before.

The Yoon Taehee in front of him right now was “Chief Yoon.”

He was this team’s superior.

“And, Probationary Naja Kim?”

At the title, Jaegyeom suddenly lifted his head.

“For yesterday’s annihilation of the earthbound ghost, you need to summarize the details of the incident and write a work report... Well, since it’s your first time, Lead Naja Kang, would you help him?”

It was completely businesslike.

“Submit it to me when you’re done.”

Yoon Taehee added that with a smile, then turned and went back into the chief’s office. Jaegyeom, slightly stiff, unconsciously dropped his gaze and nodded.

“Yes...”

His answer came a beat late.

*****

Jaegyeom began writing the work report with Kang Ibin’s help.

Unfortunately, he ran into trouble right from the start. Even in an organization like the Office of Narye, where they dealt with ghosts, office work such as document writing required the use of computers. For Jaegyeom, who had never used a computer before, that was a tremendous obstacle.

“Look here. See that arrow? This is called a mouse...”

Accordingly, Kang Ibin set the report aside for the moment and started from the very beginning, teaching him how to turn on the computer.

“Now, close the window. Try closing the window first.”

Jaegyeom stood up.

“The window? Where’s the window...”

Kang Ibin covered her face with both hands in despair.

“No, not that window! There. The X. The X icon. The red one!”

Kang Ibin had one great strength: patience.

“Wow... What is this, a computer academy?”

The team members burst into laughter. Of course, Kang Ibin was the only one who did not laugh.

“It’s okay. Yes, this can happen. Our youngest is a rare, innocent boy these days. It’s very nice to see. For now, let’s start with typing practice.”

More important than patience was persistence.

This was not something that would be fixed overnight. Having come to that conclusion, Kang Ibin decided to write the report herself. In any case, all she had to do was fill in the events of yesterday according to the form. It did not take long to finish.

For Jaegyeom, it was like solving a problem without lifting a finger.

After receiving the completed report, Jaegyeom headed to the chief’s office with the folder held in both hands. Yoon Taehee worked in a separate chief’s office inside the team room. Although it was its own space, Taehee usually left the door wide open. When Jaegyeom poked his head through the open doorway, he saw Yoon Taehee sitting at his broad desk, eyes fixed on the monitor as he typed.

Jaegyeom stood in the doorway and made a show of announcing himself.

“Ahem.”

He even cleared his throat for no reason. But Yoon Taehee, absorbed in his work, did not react much. Jaegyeom slowly turned his head back and glanced at the team members sitting in the office. With everyone else around, he could not just call out, “Hey.” Standing there with a dismayed look on his face, Jaegyeom finally opened his mouth, very reluctantly.

“Ch... Chief...”

Only then did Yoon Taehee lift his eyes.

“Come in.”

Jaegyeom stepped through the open doorway. He watched Taehee for a moment, then was about to close the door behind him.

“Leave the door open.”

Yoon Taehee clicked his mouse and spoke softly. Jaegyeom hesitated, then lowered his arm.

Jaegyeom had wanted to close the door because he was worried their voices would be heard outside. He had thought that if they were alone, it would naturally lead to a private conversation like usual. If the door stayed open, he could not speak freely because there would be ears listening... The other man was usually quick to read things, so why was he acting like this now?

Jaegyeom tried to signal something with his eyes, but Yoon Taehee’s gaze was elsewhere. In the end, Jaegyeom gave up on closing the door and approached the front of the desk.

So he had not been trying to create a chance for the two of them to be alone. He had literally just told Jaegyeom to hand in the report and leave...

As soon as he stopped hesitantly in front of the desk, Jaegyeom frowned. Seeing Chief Yoon’s desk up close, he realized it was very messy and distracting. Had the librarian’s desk he had seen in the library been like this? Back then, it had seemed neatly organized...

Not only were documents piled up everywhere, but the desk calendar was still stuck three months in the past, and handwritten notes were plastered around the monitor. Just looking at that complicated desk made it clear how busy Yoon Taehee was at work. The traces of eaten candies and gummies rolling around were an added detail. Compared to his always clean and immaculate appearance, it was somewhat surprising.

“Give it to me.”

With his gaze still fixed on the monitor, Yoon Taehee quietly held out a hand. Just as Jaegyeom was about to hand over the file, a certain thought flashed through his mind.

It felt a little strange when I shook Taehee’s hand.

Should I say it felt like pressure?

It was something Jeongju had once mentioned. Instead of handing over the file, Jaegyeom suddenly wrapped his hand around the other man’s outstretched palm.

At that, Yoon Taehee flinched, then froze in that position. Only after a while did he slowly lift his head. Their gazes collided sharply in midair.

“...”

“...”

When Jaegyeom tightened his grip, Taehee’s fingertips twitched.

“...What are you doing?”

After a long silence, Yoon Taehee finally opened his mouth. At the same time, Jaegyeom let go of his hand.

“Just a handshake.”

Jaegyeom did not know what that tremendous pressure Jeongju had been talking about was supposed to be, but there was nothing like his blood rushing or his chest tightening.

He only thought that Taehee’s hand was large and warm.