Honbul: Flame of the Soul

Early that morning, Chief Yoon Taehee visited the pavilion.

“You’re here.”

Paehyeon, who had sensed the master’s presence from the foot of the mountain and come out to wait, greeted him first. Bowing his head, he welcomed Yoon Taehee, who, as always when he came to the pavilion, was dressed casually. He wore a large black hoodie and gray sweatpants.

Taehee pulled back the hood covering his head.

“You’re up early.”

The pavilion was quiet at dawn. Hyungwoon, who loved to drink, was still passed out in a drunken sleep. Saero and Heukje had yet to return from enjoying the nightlife downtown, while Daga and Yeonok had gone out for an early morning walk.

Taehee was scheduled to go into work in the afternoon. He planned to stop by the pavilion to take care of a few things before heading straight to headquarters. He had left home with damp hair, but it had mostly dried on the drive over. Running a hand through the strands that were still slightly wet, he walked ahead while Paehyeon followed after him. A faint scent of shampoo and perfume lingered around him.

“The deadline’s already passed. Did Chairman Jang pay?”

At Taehee’s question, Paehyeon pointed toward a stack of apple crates covered with cloth. When the cloth was removed, four dirt-stained boxes appeared underneath. Just as Taehee had predicted, when they checked the appointed place on the appointed day, the money had indeed been buried there. In the end, the side making the request was always the desperate one.

“Oh. Fresh bills.”

Opening the boxes, they found bundles of crisp banknotes packed tightly inside. Taehee picked one up, tapped it lightly against the table, and counted through the stacks before giving a small nod.

“Looks right.”

Now that the advance payment had been made, it was time to carry out the request. There were many ways to cast a curse, but Taehee preferred using straw dolls as the medium.

“Bring me the straw doll.”

While Paehyeon went to fetch it from another room, Taehee sat down at the table and began preparing the ritual. He pricked his finger and let several drops of blood fall into a small dish. Mixing it with cinnabar paste, he spread out a sheet of mulberry paper made from dak fibers. Using the bright red mixture of blood and cinnabar, he carefully wrote down the client’s name and birth date.

Just as he was delicately finishing the strokes of the classical Chinese characters with a thin brush, his phone vibrated inside his hoodie pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen.

[Kim Jaegyeom sent you a heart. (Just now)]

“...” 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Yoon Taehee stared silently at the screen, expressionless.

Then, without warning, he slumped forward over the table and rested his chin on one arm. Like someone gazing at something precious beyond measure, he lowered his eyes and carefully reread the notification on the screen.

“Sent you a heart...”

7:23 a.m. He must have just woken up.

Jaegyeom played Friends Pang diligently every single day. Just from the timing of the hearts he sent, Taehee could tell when he went to sleep and when he woke up. He sent one before bed, and another the moment he opened his eyes. Since hearts could be sent once every hour, Jaegyeom faithfully sent at least ten a day without fail.

Looking at the heart Jaegyeom had sent him, Taehee sent one back.

Then, suddenly clutching his phone tightly, he lowered his forehead onto his arm.

“...”

Pain twisted through his stomach as if something were wringing it tight. The bones of the hand gripping the phone stood out sharply as it trembled from the intensity of it. Pressing his other hand against his upper abdomen, Yoon Taehee folded over the table.

Paehyeon, returning with the straw doll, hurried over.

“Are you alright?”

“Just bring me some warm tea.”

“Does something hurt?”

“My stomach...”

Ever since he had finally loosened the emotions he had buried deep inside himself for so long, Yoon Taehee had been living through days that were strangely pleasant.

And yet moments like this dragged him straight back into despair.

A nameless anxiety would suddenly wrap itself around his entire body, and whenever he forced himself to swallow down that unbearable urgency, his stomach twisted painfully. Bent over the table, Taehee waited for the wave of agony to pass.

Every day overflowed with indescribable fullness,

and indescribable emptiness.

He knew impatience would ruin everything. Even so, Yoon Taehee could not stop himself from growing restless. Every day he searched through the archives for a way to break the curse of immortality, yet he still could not find an answer. Watching precious time slip away day by day was unbearable.

After some time, the pain finally eased. Still slumped over, Taehee dragged a hand through his damp hair. At that moment, Paehyeon returned carrying a cup of warm tea.

“Did you find anything?” Taehee asked.

Paehyeon hesitated briefly as he set the teacup down and looked at him.

It was rare to see Taehee this restless. Ever since ordering him to search for a way to ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ break the immortality curse, the master had been calling every two or three days to ask whether he had found anything. Paehyeon knew even that patience had cost him dearly.

Fortunately, this time he actually had something to report.

“I heard a story about legendary mermaids.”

“Mermaids?”

Taehee frowned slightly.

“Yes. Long ago, there was supposedly a group of mermaids living in the sea near Geomun Island. There’s a legend that consuming the flesh and blood of those divine creatures grants immortality.”

Still leaning against the table, Taehee focused intently on Paehyeon’s words.

“It may only be a legend, but they say humans hunted the mermaids relentlessly, and now they’re nearly extinct. There’s also a rumor that a few young mermaids were spotted not long ago. If we investigate them, we might find a clue related to immortality.”

“Mermaids...”

Lost in thought, Taehee eventually nodded.

“Fine. Keep looking into it. Track down the mermaids.”

He picked up a book resting at the edge of the table. It was one of Yoon Seonoh’s children’s books. From between the pages, he pulled out the Polaroid photograph he had been using as a bookmark. Lately, whenever he visited the pavilion, he always took out that photograph and stared at it for a while.

Looking down at the picture, Taehee spoke quietly.

“There’s not much time left. Two months.”

Resting his cheek against his arm, he murmured to himself.

“...”

In other words, hurry.

Watching Taehee, who was always calm and unhurried, grow impatient like this felt unfamiliar. To Paehyeon, the man was closer to a ghost than a human being. Someone who lived for nothing except revenge.

It was astonishing that he now placed breaking the boy’s curse on the same level as that revenge.

“Do you love him?”

Paehyeon asked softly.

“Yes.”

The answer came without even a moment’s hesitation.

Paehyeon’s eyes widened slightly.

Not that long ago, the boy had been nothing more than a tool for revenge. A game piece. Until recently, Taehee had shown no intention of even remaining by his side once everything was over.

What kind of change of heart had happened in such a short time?

After standing there silently for a while, Paehyeon spoke again, still unable to hide his surprise.

“If you can’t find a way before the deadline, what will you do?”

“I suppose I’ll have to break the promise.”

Paehyeon knew about the promise between Taehee and the boy.

“You mean you’ll break your promise to him?”

“No. I mean I’ll create a situation where keeping the promise becomes impossible.”

...A situation where the promise becomes impossible to keep?

Paehyeon looked at him in confusion, unable to understand.

“Without the Bangsangsi mask, I can’t keep that promise to begin with.”

After a brief silence, Taehee added dryly,

“If I can’t find another way, then halfway through I’ll steal the mask myself. As the leader of Byeoksadan.”

Paehyeon hesitated before looking at him.

Taehee had never told the boy that he was the leader of Byeoksadan. Jaegyeom still knew nothing about it.

“Otherwise, there’s no way to keep him beside me.”

Muttering under his breath, Taehee pressed his forehead against his arm again.

“...”

After thinking for a moment, Paehyeon carefully asked,

“Wouldn’t it be enough to win his heart?”

Taehee looked at him as if he genuinely did not understand the question.

“Why not tell him honestly that you’re searching for a way to break the immortality curse? Ask him to stay with you. Spend a long time together. Or... wouldn’t it be enough to make him want to remain in this world of his own free will?”

“That’s never going to happen.”

Only after a long silence did Taehee finally answer.

Hearing that, Paehyeon understood once more.

Yoon Taehee’s heart was broken.

Creating a situation where the promise could no longer be kept was his own twisted way of avoiding breaking it with his own hands. Even if the boy ended up hating him for it, Taehee had already made up his mind. No matter the cost, he intended to keep him close.

And yet—

he could not believe he was capable of winning his heart.

Taehee’s way of thinking was utterly unlike that of ordinary people. A normal person would never consider forcibly trapping someone at their side as a solution. They would try to make the other person choose to stay willingly. They would try to change their heart.

But Taehee seemed incapable of even imagining such a possibility.

It was a bleak and desolate way of thinking, fitting for someone who had spent his entire life consumed by a single purpose and driven only by revenge.

For the first time, Paehyeon felt something close to pity for his master.

Even a ghost like him understood what this human being could not.

Though Taehee could manipulate people as easily as breathing, he was incapable of truly winning someone’s heart.

He was a broken man.

After a long silence, Paehyeon smiled faintly and spoke softly.

“You really always do choose the hardest path, Taehee-nim.”

Yoon Taehee said nothing.