Honbul: Flame of the Soul

It was late at night. The roads were empty.

Yoon Taehee entered the address Kang Ibin had given him into the navigation system and drove without a word. Neither of them spoke. Classical music flowed quietly from the radio, and then, suddenly, a familiar melody began to play.

[The piece you just heard was performed by Evgeny... Nocturne No. 3... Liebestraum, “Dream of Love”...]

Jaegyeom realized he knew the song. It was the same piece that had played from the music box Yoon Taehee had given him.

The title brought the memory back immediately.

Almost without thinking, Jaegyeom glanced sideways at Taehee. He stole a look at his profile, but Taehee’s expressionless face remained fixed on the road ahead.

Fidgeting with his hands, Jaegyeom spoke before he could stop himself.

“When are you taking the wooden tag?”

“After this month ends. Around the middle of next month.”

The answer came short and indifferent.

That was the end of the conversation.

“...”

Jaegyeom didn’t say anything else either.

***

[You have arrived at your destination. Navigation ended.]

They had reached the location connected to the ring’s owner.

Yoon Taehee parked briefly at the curb. Resting both arms on the steering wheel, he lowered his chin onto them and stared out the windshield with an unreadable expression.

Jaegyeom looked outside.

Even at this hour, the downtown streets were crowded with people. At the entrance to a party salon, men in black suits stood guard with earpieces in place.

After driving another couple of blocks, Taehee turned into an alley and parked.

He opened the console box between the seats. Inside was an assortment of simple field equipment and miscellaneous items. From it, he pulled out two tiepins that Jaegyeom recognized immediately.

They were the tiepin radios Team 1 had used during the earthbound ghost operation.

Taehee clipped one to his own collar, then held out his hand toward Jaegyeom.

“Let me borrow your hat for a second.”

Jaegyeom took off the hat and handed it over. Taehee attached the tiepin near his ear and briefly explained how to use it before stepping out of the car.

[Hello. Can you hear me?]

“Yeah. I hear you.”

They tested the connection a few more times.

[Good. I hear you too.]

Climbing back into the car, Taehee took off his suit jacket and tossed it onto the back seat. He loosened his tie, undid a few buttons at the collar, and neatly rolled up his sleeves.

In an instant, he blended naturally into the atmosphere of the party.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

The two of them headed toward the entrance together.

When Taehee presented the invitation he had received, one of the guards checked it, looked ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) the pair over, confirmed something on a list, then spoke quietly into his earpiece before nodding.

“You may enter.”

He gestured politely toward the stairs.

They descended underground. Beyond the first door was another one padded thickly with red cushioning. The moment they opened it, deafening music exploded out at them.

Jaegyeom instinctively clapped his hands over his ears.

The soundproofing had been perfect.

Yoon Taehee frowned faintly as he surveyed the interior.

The place was darker and more decadent than he had expected.

Despite being called a party hall, it felt more like an upscale lounge bar. A large counter along one wall served alcohol, while standing tables were scattered throughout the space.

People crowded the room shoulder to shoulder, drinking, talking, laughing. Others danced under the flashing lights.

In a place this dark and packed, Jaegyeom wondered whether finding the ring was even possible.

At least blending into the crowd would be easy.

“For now—”

Taehee leaned closer to say something.

“What? I can’t hear you!”

The music drowned him out completely. Taehee bent down and spoke directly beside Jaegyeom’s ear.

“First, we find the person wearing the ring. Split up and search separately. If you spot it, press the tiepin right away and tell me. I’ll retrieve it myself.” 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

“Mm.”

“It’s silver, with an emerald—well, a green gemstone. The stone’s pretty large, so you should recognize it immediately.”

“Mm.”

“And...”

Taehee paused, glancing around the hall.

“If anyone grabs you, ignore them. Don’t answer if they talk to you either. Just don’t engage.”

“Mm. Got it.”

Jaegyeom nodded obediently.

The sight of it struck Taehee straight in the chest.

For one irrational moment, he wanted to rip off that hat, bite his forehead, and kiss him senseless.

“...”

Scrubbing a hand roughly through his hair, Taehee disappeared into the crowd.

***

About an hour passed.

Jaegyeom was nearing the end of his patience.

After separating from Taehee, he had spent the entire time wandering through the packed hall, getting shoved around by people. Eventually, exhausted, he ended up sitting alone at the far end of the bar to rest for a moment.

Pulling his hat lower, he rubbed at his eyes with both fists.

At first, he had thought the task sounded simple enough. Just look for the ring.

But in practice, it was miserable.

He had tried watching people standing around talking, but their hands moved constantly while they spoke, making them difficult to track. The people dancing were even worse. And because of the nature of the event, nearly everyone was dressed extravagantly, many wearing multiple rings and accessories.

Finding one silver ring with a green gemstone in the middle of all this felt impossible.

His eyes were starting to ache from staring at people’s hands in the dark. The noise, the crowd, the constant movement—it was hard to focus.

To make matters worse, some people were dressed so boldly that his gaze kept snagging unintentionally before he awkwardly looked away again.

Feeling drained, Jaegyeom fiddled with the tiepin attached to his hat.

There had still been no word from Taehee. Apparently he was searching just as seriously.

Then suddenly—

Something green flashed at the edge of Jaegyeom’s vision.

“Huh?”

Near one of the pillars, someone lifted a hand while talking, and for an instant something green glittered there.

But the person kept moving too much for him to see clearly.

Jaegyeom leaned forward, lifting the brim of his hat for a better look, debating whether he should move closer—

“Hey.”

Someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Startled, Jaegyeom turned around.

The man standing there was skinny, covered in tattoos, with a piercing through one ear.

“What’s up? You into that girl?”

Swirling the drink in his hand, the man tilted his chin mischievously toward the woman by the pillar. Despite being a complete stranger, he spoke with easy familiarity.

What the hell?

Jaegyeom stared blankly at him.

“What?”

“You’ve been staring at her for a while.”

Realizing someone had been watching him the entire time, Jaegyeom felt himself grow awkward.

“Uh... her clothes looked cool.”

He made up an excuse on the spot.

The tattooed man grinned.

“Oh? So that’s your type?”

“...”

“If you want, I can introduce you. We’re not close, but I know her a little.”

“...No thanks. I’m not interested.”

After a brief silence, Jaegyeom looked away.

“Hm. Really?”

The man slowly looked him up and down, one corner of his mouth curling upward.

Something about the gaze made Jaegyeom uncomfortable.

Right. Taehee had specifically told him not to talk to anyone.

But the guy had caught him off guard, and before he realized it, he’d already gotten dragged into a conversation.

Jaegyeom quickly stood to leave.

At that moment, someone approached the tattooed man and said something to him. While the man’s attention shifted away, Jaegyeom slipped off quietly.

Passing behind a large pillar and turning the corner, he suddenly spotted Yoon Taehee.

Instinctively, Jaegyeom started toward him—then stopped.

Taehee was standing at one of the tall tables, talking with someone.

The woman said something, and Taehee leaned down slightly to hear her better. After listening, he smiled faintly and nodded before murmuring something back.

The woman laughed, lightly smacking his shoulder.

Then she casually brushed at his sleeve, dusting off something invisible.

“...”

What the hell. He told me not to talk to anybody.

Annoyance flared up inside Jaegyeom without warning.

While he had been wandering around straining his eyes trying to find the ring, Taehee had apparently been leisurely flirting with people.

For some reason, the sight irritated him badly.

Clicking his tongue under his breath, Jaegyeom turned away and forced himself to focus on searching for the ring again.