Honbul: Flame of the Soul

When the boy regained consciousness, he realized he was on Myojeong’s back.

“You’re awake?”

Myojeong was carrying him up a mountain path on the way back from the magistrate’s office. Still dazed, the boy looked around blankly.

He remembered the magistrate slapping him. He remembered the surge of blinding rage afterward.

Everything beyond that was hazy.

“Myojeong, where are we going?”

“Home. Where else?”

“That magistrate hit me.”

“Yes. So I nearly beat him to death for it.”

The boy fell silent.

This had happened before.

Slowly loosening his arms from around Myojeong’s neck, he reached up and touched Myojeong’s forehead.

“...”

Just like before, blood stained his fingertips.

“Don’t lie to me. You begged again, didn’t you?”

Myojeong only smiled quietly.

“Why don’t you just kill them? Why do you always bow your head to weak ordinary people? You’re stronger than they are. They’re the ones in the wrong. So why do you always...”

The boy’s voice trembled.

Hot tears threatened to spill over.

“Then at least tell me what I did. I can’t remember.”

“What did my disciple do? You stripped naked and danced around like a lunatic.”

“Don’t joke around. I’m serious.”

Myojeong chuckled under his breath, then eventually answered after a long silence.

“It’ll get better with time. One day, everything will return to normal.”

So I lost control again.

I must’ve hurt people. Broken things in a fit of rage.

“Myojeong.”

“Hm?”

“I’m sorry.”

Myojeong gently shook his head.

“It isn’t your fault.”

The thought of Myojeong humiliating himself because of him made the boy’s chest ache.

Without a sound, tears soaked into Myojeong’s shoulder.

In response, Myojeong merely adjusted him higher on his back and silently continued up the mountain path.

I really am a burden to him.

***

The following morning, after waking—

“Gyeom-ah, where are you going this early?”

The boy was packing his belongings.

Myojeong looked at him in confusion.

“...”

The boy said nothing.

Once he finished packing, he slung the bundle over his shoulder. Then he carefully folded up the black robe he had spent days secretly mending and held it out.

“Hm? This is...”

Myojeong stared at it with widened eyes.

The robe he’d lost was right in front of him.

“The tie was cut before. I stitched it back together.”

Looking down awkwardly, the boy added in a small voice,

“I’m leaving now. You don’t have to keep wasting your life taking care of me anymore.”

A faint scar still lingered across Myojeong’s forehead.

“What?”

“You should get married, have children, and live properly. Thank you for everything until now. People always treated you like a widower dragging around a child because of me. I’m old enough to survive on my own now.”

Myojeong’s expression turned strange.

“I genuinely can’t believe what I’m hearing.”

For the past few days, the boy had been gloomy, withdrawn, and strangely cautious around him. Myojeong had wondered what was wrong.

Now he finally understood.

He burst out laughing.

“You little brat. I can’t get married.”

“...What? Why?”

The boy looked up, frowning.

“Well...”

Myojeong hesitated for a moment, then trailed off.

The boy muttered darkly,

“What, is there something wrong with you? Or can’t you perform—”

“...”

This insolent little bastard.

Myojeong let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded.

“In any case, I’m never getting married. So stop thinking ridiculous things and spend the rest of your life serving your master properly.”

Grinning, he sat down cross-legged.

The boy stared at him blankly.

“My precious disciple will take care of me for the rest of my life. And when the day comes, you’ll carry my funeral bier when I leave this world. When I grow old and my back bends, you’ll carry me around on yours too. So don’t you dare abandon me then, understood?”

Then Myojeong spread the robe open with a bright smile.

“It’s a beautiful leaf.”

“On the day I die, I’ll wear this into my grave.”

The boy clenched his fists tightly.

“...”

He thought he’d cried himself dry yesterday, yet tears welled up again.

Silently, he rubbed at his eyes with his sleeve.

Myojeong had just said they would stay together until death.

This is where I belong.

His chest overflowed until it hurt.

See?

Myojeong won’t abandon me.

He plans to stay with me forever.

At that moment, the boy truly believed he had nothing left to wish for.

***

Immersed in memories of the past, the boy who had finally found a place to belong spent his days in happiness.

Several peaceful days passed with Myojeong.

Every trivial thing brought him joy.

As always, they ate together and climbed the mountain path side by side for training.

I wish every day could stay like this.

Sometimes there were days like that.

Days when everything felt perfect.

The sky was clear blue. Sunlight poured down warmly, and a cool breeze drifted in from afar.

Humming to himself, occasionally teasing Myojeong, the boy walked along happily.

“Ow.”

Suddenly, sharp pain stabbed through one of his ears.

The boy flinched and grabbed at it.

Myojeong, who had been faintly smiling, blinked in confusion.

“Gyeom-ah? What’s wrong?”

“M-my ear hurts.”

The boy lowered his head, grimacing.

“Are you alright?”

An inexplicable unease began creeping over his body.

His head throbbed violently.

Then—

Something suddenly sprang out from behind a large tree.

Startled, both the boy and Myojeong instinctively stepped back, thinking it was a wild animal.

“My lord.”

But it wasn’t a beast.

It was a small child.

The child blocked their path and looked up at them with shining eyes.

Since the child had called someone “my lord,” the boy glanced at Myojeong.

“Do you know this kid?”

“No. This is my first time seeing him...”

Myojeong shook his head.

At that moment, the child walked closer with a bright smile.

“My lord, where are you going?”

The child stood right in front of the boy, looking up at him innocently.

The boy froze in confusion.

The child wasn’t talking to Myojeong.

He was talking to him.

...What?

Why is he calling me my lord?

“Who are you?”

Standing on tiptoe, the child beamed brightly.

“It’s me! Me!”

“So who are you?”

The boy snapped irritably.

“You gave me my name, my lord!”

Squirming bashfully, the child giggled.

I gave him a name...?

The boy stared at him blankly.

No matter how hard he looked, the face was unfamiliar.

And yet...

Something about him felt strangely familiar.

As though he should remember.

What was his name again...?

Frowning deeply, the boy ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) slowly spoke.

“Me... san... Mesan?”

The child’s face lit up like a full moon.

“Yes! That’s right, my lord! I’m Mesan!”

Mesan bounced up and down, clapping excitedly.

“Don’t you remember? The first time we met, I said, ‘I’m a great being! As tall as Mount Tai!’ Then you laughed and said, ‘Mount Tai? Don’t be ridiculous. Nothing’s higher than the sky. Tiny thing like you should just be called Mesan.’ That’s how I became Mesan!”

The child chattered nonstop before suddenly hugging the boy around the waist and rubbing his cheek against him.

Startled, the boy looked down at him blankly.

“My lord, are you coming home late again tonight?”

Caught off guard, the boy answered without thinking.

“Huh? Ah... yeah...”

“When you come home tonight, can I show you how I play gonggi?”

“Uh... sure...”

The moment the boy nodded absentmindedly, Mesan’s face lit up with delight.

“Okay! Then I’ll wait with Jeongju!”

With that, Mesan dashed off somewhere in excitement and vanished almost instantly.

The boy stood there staring blankly after him.

“...”

What was that?

Still bewildered, he slowly turned toward Myojeong.

Myojeong looked just as confused.

“Gyeom-ah. Let’s go.”

Without another word, the boy started walking after him again.

After only a few steps, he abruptly stopped.

That strange unease from earlier still clung to him like a shadow.

The boy glanced toward the direction Mesan had disappeared, then suddenly turned around.

“Gyeom-ah? Where are you going? The path’s this way.”

Confused, Myojeong grabbed his wrist as he started walking the opposite direction.

“Myojeong... I... I need to go home...”

Myojeong stared at him.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Blinking slowly, the boy slipped his wrist free.

“I need to... go home...”

“Hm? Did you forget something?”

“Huh? No, it’s just... well...”

His thoughts tangled together chaotically.

Then suddenly—

A splitting pain tore through his head.

The boy clutched his forehead and began muttering in confusion.

“When I left... I didn’t tell Jeongju or Mesani anything...”

The words spilled out awkwardly, pieced together from fragments floating through his mind.

“I-if I disappear without saying anything... they’ll worry...”

Myojeong silently watched him for a moment before sighing quietly.

“Gyeom-ah. What are you talking about?”

Ah.

Wait.

The boy’s expression slowly stiffened.

Jeongju and Mesan...

I met them after Myojeong abandoned me.

Slowly, he lifted his head.

His eyes met Myojeong’s.

“...”

Cold sweat suddenly broke out across his skin.

The world spun violently around him.

His breathing became ragged.

Staggering backward, the boy clutched his forehead as painful memories crashed through his mind all at once.

Realizing something was wrong, Myojeong immediately crouched in front of him.

“Gyeom-ah, are you alright? What’s wrong?”

His expression had completely changed.

But the boy couldn’t answer.

Myojeong quickly dropped to one knee so their eyes were level and gently grabbed his shoulders.

“Where does it hurt? Can you walk?”

Only then did the boy barely force the words out.

“Don’t... touch me...”

“What? I couldn’t hear you.”

The boy violently shook off his hand.

“Gyeom-ah, why—”

Just as Myojeong reached toward him again—

“Don’t touch me!!!”

Startled by the sudden scream, Myojeong froze.

The boy collapsed to the ground clutching his ears, eyes squeezed shut.

“You abandoned me! You betrayed me—!”

The moment the words left his mouth, the boy’s eyes flew open in shock.