Honbul: Flame of the Soul

“If you’re not interested, stop fucking meddling and get lost, you asshole.”

The tattooed man froze at Yoon Taehee’s crisp pronunciation and unexpectedly low voice.

Taehee snatched Jaegyeom’s hat from his hand, then grabbed Jaegyeom by the wrist and led him away.

He pulled him into the crowded lounge. Music pounded through the room. People were dancing all around them.

Jaegyeom, still speechless, stared at him in disbelief.

After a while, Taehee let go of his wrist and casually glanced back the way they had come. When their eyes met, he gave a quiet snicker.

“Surprised?”

Surprised?

Jaegyeom could hardly believe what he had just seen. It went beyond surprise. It was closer to bewilderment, as if Yoon Taehee had come back from retrieving the necklace possessed by a ghost.

So what, had he just pretended to be gay?

“You... sometimes you really...”

Jaegyeom muttered with a frown, but the music was too loud for his voice to carry. Taehee leaned closer to his ear, prompting him to repeat himself.

“Sometimes, you’re a real fucking lunatic.”

Since he had leaned in to listen, Taehee heard the insult perfectly. He pressed his lips together, barely holding back a laugh.

Jaegyeom’s voice had been dead serious.

“By the way, did you drink?”

“Yeah, a little. Why?”

“You stink of alcohol.”

Most of it was from the drink the necklace owner had splashed on him earlier, but he had also taken a few sips here and there, leaving his stomach warm.

By now, even his breath carried the faint scent of liquor.

A slow, hazy heat began wrapping around his body.

“The Purification Unit will be here soon. We’ll leave as soon as they arrive.”

Jaegyeom nodded awkwardly.

Then, just like before, Taehee suddenly threw an arm around his shoulders.

Startled, Jaegyeom stiffened.

“Wh-what are you doing? Why are you acting like this?”

“He’s watching us from behind.”

Jaegyeom subtly turned his head.

Just as Taehee had said, the tattooed man was standing near the bar, looking their way and whispering to someone.

Was he suspicious about whether they were really together? Or had he realized they weren’t invited guests?

Jaegyeom couldn’t help worrying.

At that moment, Taehee reached out and caught his chin.

“Don’t turn around. It’ll make it obvious. Act natural.”

He drew Jaegyeom closer by the shoulder and brought his lips near his ear.

“Stay like this until he leaves. Just for a little while.”

Standing this close to Yoon Taehee, with Taehee’s arm around his shoulders, felt unbearably awkward.

Nervous, Jaegyeom instinctively tried to glance back toward the tattooed man again.

This time, Taehee firmly held his cheek, stopping him from turning his head.

“Don’t look back.”

“Is he still there?”

“Yeah.”

Just then, the lights suddenly shifted red, plunging the party space into deeper darkness.

Jaegyeom looked around.

Then he quietly pushed Taehee’s arm off his shoulders, turned to face him, and abruptly pulled him into a tight # Nоvеlight # embrace.

“...”

Yoon Taehee froze.

“I’m doing this because of that bastard. Stay still.”

Taehee stood motionless in Jaegyeom’s arms.

“...”

“...”

The heavy beat of the music thudded up through the floor.

Of course, this was only to match Taehee’s act. He had pretended they were together. And since the tattooed man was still watching from behind, showing him something more intimate would probably throw him off.

“Now? Is he gone?”

Jaegyeom asked quietly.

Taehee didn’t answer.

“Hey. Did he leave or not?”

At that moment, Taehee’s arms, which had been hanging loosely at his sides, suddenly wrapped tightly around Jaegyeom’s back.

He buried his face in Jaegyeom’s neck.

“...”

Jaegyeom startled.

Warm breath brushed against his skin.

“Hey.”

Jaegyeom pushed at him gently.

“Hey, Yoon Taehee...”

Taehee obediently stepped back and opened his eyes.

“Yeah.”

Jaegyeom hesitated, lips parting as if he meant to say something.

“You know, you...” 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

But then—

“It’s him!”

A sharp shout rang out.

Both Taehee and Jaegyeom turned toward the voice at once.

Someone was pointing straight at Yoon Taehee.

“Ever since I sat with that weirdo, my necklace has been missing!”

It was the owner of the ring Taehee had approached earlier.

Beside her stood two burly guards in tight suits, ready to move at any moment.

“...”

Ah, shit.

Expressionless now, Taehee rubbed at his eyebrow.

“Excuse me. We need to check your pockets.”

One of the threatening-looking guards stepped forward.

Taehee took one step back, raising a hand to stop him.

“Alright, alright.”

He rolled his eyes and let out a silent sigh.

“I’ll give it to you. Fine.”

He raised both hands in surrender and nodded.

Jaegyeom, confused, looked back and forth between Taehee and the guard.

Taehee reached toward his back pocket, then suddenly turned to Jaegyeom.

“Oh... what day is it today?”

Caught off guard by the random question, Jaegyeom froze and stared at him.

“What?”

“What day is it today?”

It seemed like Taehee was pulling some other strange trick.

Jaegyeom glanced nervously at the guard and mumbled,

“June... fourteenth.”

“Right. June fourteenth.”

Taehee nodded as if only now realizing it.

“I’ve been so out of it lately, I didn’t even notice how fast the days were passing.”

He smiled, looking between the guard and the necklace owner.

As he rambled nonsensically, the guard held out his hand.

“Just hand it over.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Taehee took something from his back pocket and placed it in the guard’s palm.

The guard frowned down at it.

What he had received was not a necklace.

It was a small mercury battery.

“What is this?”

“My heart,” Taehee said with a shameless smile. “A gift.”

The guard looked utterly baffled.

Taehee went on.

“Because today is June fourteenth.”

The necklace owner, clearly at the end of her patience, snapped with a frown.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Suddenly, Taehee wrapped both arms tightly around Jaegyeom’s waist.

One step.

Two.

Three.

He stepped back while looking down at Jaegyeom.

In that brief instant, Jaegyeom felt the grip at his waist tighten and loosen.

A signal.

Taehee’s lips barely moved as he whispered,

“...Earth Dog, fourteenth day of the sixth month.”

At that moment, Jaegyeom’s eyes widened.

“Yoon Taehee ends the Submergence countdown.”

BOOM—!!!

Nearby bottles and lights exploded with a violent crash.

People screamed and dropped to the floor in terror.

The party hall instantly descended into chaos.

Thrown back by the sudden burst of force, Jaegyeom staggered, then felt a hand clamp tightly around his wrist.

“What are you doing? Run!”

Before he could even process what had happened, his legs were already moving.

Dragged by the force pulling him forward, Jaegyeom tore through the panicking crowd.

“Hey! Catch them!”

The guards reacted a beat too late and gave chase.

Taehee and Jaegyeom shoved aside anyone blocking their path without mercy. Tables overturned, bottles shattered, and the crashes echoed through the chaos.

They sprinted up the stairs two or three steps at a time.

The guards at the entrance, apparently having received the alert, rushed toward them.

Jaegyeom kicked one square in the body and cleared the way.

They vaulted over the railing blocking their path and kept running.

Before they knew it, a light drizzle had begun falling outside.

The two of them burst onto the bright nighttime street and ran.

At some point, Jaegyeom pulled ahead of Taehee.

As they raced along the main road, Taehee shouted from behind,

“Left!”

Jaegyeom turned into the alley at once.

A narrow residential street opened before them.

They ran until they reached a dead end.

Behind them, the guards were closing in. In front of them stood a wall about the height of a grown adult.

Jaegyeom stepped onto a planter and vaulted over it easily.

Taehee followed right after him, landing with a thud.

They slipped into the narrow alley between multi-unit homes.

They had run so hard and fast that Jaegyeom tasted blood in his mouth.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had run like this.

Their chests heaved as they caught their breath.

Taehee pressed himself against the wall and listened for the sound of pursuit.

Panting, Jaegyeom asked,

“Are they gone?”

“Yeah. They’re gone.”

Only then did Jaegyeom let out a long breath and sink to the ground.

Still leaning against the wall, Taehee braced his hands on his knees and tried to steady his breathing.

Then their eyes met.

“...”

“...”

Still gasping, Jaegyeom suddenly felt the corners of his mouth twitch upward.

He tried to hold it in, but a laugh escaped him.

“Pfft...”

Taehee, who had been biting his lip to suppress his own laughter, couldn’t hold back anymore either.

His heart felt as if it might burst.

And, strangely, the whole thing felt exhilarating.

Struggling to stop laughing, Jaegyeom said,

“I really thought you were going to give the necklace back.”

“No chance.”

Like boys who had just pulled off a reckless prank, they laughed together for a long time, shoulders shaking.

Then, still laughing, Jaegyeom suddenly clenched his fist.

“You bastard, were you messing with me? You scared the hell out of me. You should’ve told me beforehand.”

He swung his fist and lightly punched Taehee in the shoulder.

It didn’t hurt, but it stung a little.

Taehee rubbed his shoulder and leaned back against the wall.

“I gave you a signal. For someone so scared, you ran pretty damn fast.”

“Hey, but weren’t they all ordinary people in there? Was it really okay to use that thing?”

Taehee had used the battery at the last moment.

Jaegyeom had seen it once before.

It was the same ritual implement Lee Youngshin had used in the mountains, and back then, its explosive force had been tremendous.

“It’s fine. I didn’t compress much force into it. No one should be badly hurt.”

The explosion had been loud, but not lethal.

It worked like a balloon popping—startling, but harmless.

If Taehee had used a stronger version like Lee Youngshin had, he would definitely have faced disciplinary action.

Jaegyeom nodded, then asked,

“The necklace?”

Taehee took it from his back pocket.

The necklace glittered brilliantly, but its splendor had something sly about it, like a poisonous mushroom.

The energy radiating from it was unmistakably malicious.

“I’ll have to come back for the car tomorrow.”

“Then how are you getting home?”

“I’ll call a cab.”

The two leaned against the wall and waited for a taxi.

The rain grew heavier by the minute.

After glancing around, Taehee pulled Jaegyeom beneath the awning of a nearby house.

The space was so narrow they had to stand close together to stay out of the rain.

Before long, silence settled between them.

The late-night residential street was quiet.

Only then did Jaegyeom realize how long it had been since they had talked and laughed like this.

A bittersweet ache suddenly filled his chest.

Taehee’s cologne smelled damp and heavy in the rain.

When Taehee took a half step away, letting rain strike one shoulder, Jaegyeom casually reached out and tugged him back by the elbow.

“Your shoulder’s getting wet.”

Taehee obediently moved closer.

Rain hammered loudly against the awning.

He let out a deep breath and slid down the wall into a crouch.

“I’m exhausted. Shouldn’t have drunk.”

He crouched there with his head lowered.

Jaegyeom stood quietly, looking down at the back of his head.

After hesitating for a moment, he spoke softly.

“...Hey.”

“Yeah.”

Taehee’s voice came muffled from where his face was buried against his knees.

“You know... you...”

“Yeah?”

Still hesitating, Jaegyeom crouched halfway and reached out to touch Taehee’s forehead.

At the touch, Taehee slowly lifted his head.

Just as Jaegyeom had thought.

“Hey. You have a fever.”

When Jaegyeom had hugged him earlier, Taehee’s forehead against his neck had felt strangely hot.

He hadn’t been sure if it was just the alcohol, but it had been bothering him. Maybe Taehee was sick.

“Do you feel bad?”

Taehee closed his eyes, as though savoring the warmth of Jaegyeom’s hand against his forehead.

Then he slowly lifted his own hand and covered Jaegyeom’s hand with it.

“No. I’m fine...”

Then he lowered their hands.

Still holding Jaegyeom’s hand, he guided it down to his cheek, making Jaegyeom’s palm brush lightly over his face.

Jaegyeom froze.

Then Taehee pressed his lips to Jaegyeom’s palm.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

Jaegyeom flinched and tried to pull away, but Taehee’s grip tightened, making escape difficult.

“It’s exhausting.”

The soft movement of lips against his palm, the damp heat of Taehee’s breath, sent a shiver crawling up Jaegyeom’s spine.

Something indescribable rippled through him, and his heart began to pound.

Jaegyeom tightened his grip on Taehee’s hand, signaling for him to let go.

Taehee seemed as if he might.

Instead, he murmured softly,

“Whenever you’re kind to me... I feel the thrill of being alive.”

His voice was faint.

Lowering his head over their joined hands, Taehee rested his forehead against Jaegyeom’s knuckles as though in prayer, or surrender.

“Eating with me...”

Taehee muttered to himself.

“What?”

“Sometimes... drinking tea with me. Laughing at my stupid jokes, even when they aren’t funny...”

Jaegyeom couldn’t understand why he was suddenly saying any of this.

“And like today... getting in my car sometimes. Sitting in the passenger seat...”

Yoon Taehee knew about the small ember in his heart.

He thought he had stomped it out. Crushed it rudely underfoot. Smothered it until nothing remained.

But no matter how hard he had tried to put it out, that ember had flared back to life from a single touch.

Even inside his rain-soaked, exhausted heart, the flame spread uncontrollably, as though it meant to burn everything down in the end.

“And...”

Taehee trailed off, murmuring against Jaegyeom’s hand, then fell silent.

After a long pause, he finally spoke again.

“No. That’s enough.”

A cold raindrop fell onto their joined hands.

“Yeah. I think that’ll be enough...”

The rain, once gentle, had become a downpour.