Honbul: Flame of the Soul

When Jaegyeom woke up, the first thing he did was reach for the phone beside his bed. These days, the moment he opened his eyes, he turned on Friends Pang in a half-asleep haze. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Jaegyeom tapped furiously at the screen, using up even the hearts he had received as gifts.

Game Over!

As always, he failed to break his record.

“Fuck...”

Just then, a message appeared in the banner at the top of the screen.

[Hyomun: Hey, Seventy-Seven~~]

Until recently, the only people Jaegyeom contacted were Yoon Taehee and Jeongju. But after he started playing Friends Pang, he installed a messenger app to collect hearts more easily, saved the numbers of people around him, and naturally ended up talking to more people. One of them was Im Hyomun.

Im Hyomun sent him trivial messages several times a day.

[Hyomun: When are you going to work today? I’m going in the morning~~]

Somehow, Jaegyeom had started hanging out with Im Hyomun fairly often. In the past, Hyomun’s chatter had annoyed him, but after going to the movies together, he seemed to have grown used to that endless talking. These days, Hyomun was not as bothersome as before.

[Kim Jaegyeom: Me too. Morning.]

[Hyomun: lol wanna go together?]

Jaegyeom hesitated for a moment.

[Kim Jaegyeom: K]

***

When he reached the bus stop, Jaegyeom boarded Bus 7212 bound for Jongmyo. As soon as he sat in an empty seat, he took out his phone and texted Im Hyomun.

[Kim Jaegyeom: Here]

A few stops later, the front door of the bus opened, revealing a head of bright yellow bleached hair.

“Seventy-Seven!”

Showing his bright red gums in a grin, Im Hyomun came over to Jaegyeom.

There was a reason Jaegyeom had not refused Hyomun’s suggestion that they go to work together. He had something he wanted to ask him.

The moment Hyomun sat down, Jaegyeom got straight to the point.

“What? They said they love you?!”

After hearing Jaegyeom’s story, Im Hyomun opened his eyes wide like a startled rabbit and shouted. The passengers on the bus glanced over at them. Jaegyeom frowned in irritation.

“Keep it down, idiot.”

Jaegyeom had briefly explained what had happened between him and Yoon Taehee up until now. Of course, he avoided saying exactly who the other person was. He left some things out and adjusted the story a little.

To summarize, they had been on bad terms, but somehow things had improved. They were getting along decently again, only for Yoon Taehee to suddenly say he loved him.

That was the gist of it.

The main point of the consultation was: What was he supposed to do about the embarrassing things that happened from time to time?

“Wow... so they confessed...”

Not long ago, Hyomun had advised Seventy-Seven to maintain a neutral stance. He had assumed that once the other person lost interest, they would naturally drift away. But to confess outright... could that person actually be serious about Seventy-Seven?

“So? What did they say when they confessed?”

Hyomun asked, swallowing dryly.

“What do you mean, what did they say?”

“They said they liked you. That can’t have been the end of it.”

Jaegyeom replied blankly.

“That was the end of it.”

“What? That’s it?”

Hyomun sounded baffled.

“Hey, when someone confesses, they’re supposed to make the relationship clear. What does it even mean to say they don’t want anything? You should’ve either accepted them properly or rejected them properly!”

“So I asked before.”

“What did they say?”

“Just... what they wanted from me.”

“And?”

“They said they didn’t want anything.”

With a devastated expression, Hyomun closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

“And you believe that? Why confess if they don’t want anything?”

“They said eating together and drinking tea was enough.”

At Jaegyeom’s addition, Hyomun frowned.

That was the classic line of someone who did not want to advance the relationship but also did not want to let the other person go.

“Hey, Seventy-Seven. That person is seriously selfish.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why? Because they’re not considering you at all!”

Hyomun shook his head and continued.

“What kind of confession is that? In the end, nothing changed. Is saying they like you supposed to be enough? They don’t care how you feel. They just dump their feelings on you one-sidedly and make things awkward for everyone else. That’s selfish.”

Hyomun placed a solemn hand on Jaegyeom’s shoulder.

“Seventy-Seven, this is exactly when you need to keep your head on straight.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean don’t let yourself get dragged along. Draw a clear line.”

“I did draw a line. But even after I drew it, he keeps crossing it.”

I’m not a sodomite like you.

Jaegyeom had clearly said that a few days ago. Yet nothing had changed. Yoon Taehee did not hide his feelings. He still followed Jaegyeom around, said embarrassing things to him, and sometimes kissed him.

“Seventy-Seven, people push as far as you let them.”

Jaegyeom looked at Hyomun in confusion, and Hyomun continued.

“If they keep crossing the line after you drew it, maybe you didn’t draw it properly in the first place. You’re being vague and leaving room.”

I left room?

Jaegyeom frowned «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» slightly.

“So what am I supposed to do?”

“Push them away with everything you’ve got.”

Jaegyeom turned his gaze out the window.

“...”

The truth was, Jaegyeom did not dislike spending time with Yoon Taehee. It was convenient when Taehee drove over to pick him up or dropped him off. Sometimes, when Taehee acted embarrassingly, it was awkward and startling, but continuing as they were did not feel bad.

So he had thought it would be better for both of them if they simply got along well like this.

If he pushed Taehee away too harshly and their relationship soured again...

After thinking for a moment, Jaegyeom hesitated before speaking.

“Anyway, in two months, I won’t see him anymore.”

“Hm? Why?”

Hyomun asked, puzzled.

He had heard that Jaegyeom had to keep seeing this person for a while even if he did not want to, but this was the first time he had heard that they would part ways in two months.

“Just... it was something we promised from the beginning, when we first met.”

Jaegyeom mumbled, fidgeting with his hands.

“Anyway, it’d be nice if we could get along without fighting for the time we have left.”

Hyomun let out a deep sigh.

“Ugh, you really are something...”

In the end, they had gone in a circle.

Hyomun understood that Seventy-Seven thought highly of that person. When they had once met in the break room, Seventy-Seven had opened up about wanting to be friends with that person and wanting to get along with them.

There had to be circumstances Hyomun could not see, something that made it difficult for him to sever the connection.

Ultimately, without a clear trigger, it seemed obvious that Seventy-Seven would continue to be dragged along.

“Fine. Then enjoy it.”

“Enjoy what?”

“Enjoy the fact that that person likes you.”

“What?”

Jaegyeom frowned slightly.

“Anyway, you’re saying things are fine as they are now. So what’s the problem?”

Hyomun looked utterly fed up.

This was why relationship advice was the most useless thing in the world. No matter how much you talked, people ended up doing whatever they wanted anyway.

“Anyway, Seventy-Seven, what I’m trying to say is this.”

Hyomun raised a finger dramatically and spoke in a grave voice.

“Everything has its time. If you keep getting dragged along without drawing a clear line, there’ll come a moment when it becomes too much for you to handle.”

Hyomun paused, his expression serious.

“If you really won’t have anything to do with them in two months, then sure, I get why you’d want to get along until then. But if you think about it the other way, wouldn’t keeping your distance make more sense?”

Hyomun reached out and pressed the stop button, then looked at Jaegyeom.

“The better you get along with that person, the harder it’ll be to part ways.”

***

After getting off the bus, Jaegyeom and Im Hyomun stood at the crosswalk. They were chatting while waiting for the light to change when a black sedan passed in front of them, pulled over to the side of the road, and lowered its driver’s-side window.

“Hey! Jaegyeom!”

At the unexpected call, Jaegyeom and Hyomun turned at the same time.

“Lead Naja Kang?”

Kang Ibin leaned out of the car and waved brightly at Jaegyeom.

Lead Naja? So she’s Seventy-Seven’s senior...

As Hyomun glanced back and forth between Jaegyeom and Kang Ibin, she said something to the driver and opened the passenger door.

Jaegyeom’s eyes widened when he saw Kang Ibin step out of the car.

Normally, she wore formal suits, but today she was dressed in a light sleeveless chiffon dress. Seeing her in such a different outfit was startling. Her heels clicked against the pavement as she approached them.

“Who’s this?”

Kang Ibin glanced at Hyomun standing beside Jaegyeom and gestured toward him.

Hyomun, who had suddenly snapped to attention, lowered his voice and introduced himself.

“Hello. I’m Im Hyomun, a probationary Naja from Team 4 of the Covert Division.”

After that discreet introduction, Hyomun bowed politely.

“I’m Seventy-Seven’s... I mean, Jaegyeom’s same cohort.”

“Oh, so you’re Jaegyeom’s cohort? Nice to meet you.”

Kang Ibin held out her hand.

“Hello. I’m Lead Naja Kang, Jaegyeom’s senior.”

Bowing like a complete flatterer, Hyomun said brightly,

“Please just call me Hyomun.”

“Sure, sure. Hyomun.”

Kang Ibin shook his hand enthusiastically.

Jaegyeom watched the two of them shake hands with a dazed expression. Running into her in front of headquarters was surprising enough, and her outfit was even more surprising.

After finishing introductions with Hyomun, Kang Ibin turned to Jaegyeom.

“Jaegyeom, why do you look like that?”

Kang Ibin laughed heartily and pinched Jaegyeom’s cheek.

“Are you surprised because this is your first time seeing me in a dress?”

Jaegyeom awkwardly lowered his gaze and nodded. Kang Ibin ruffled his hair as usual and shrugged.

“This is my first time wearing something like this in all twenty-six years of my life.”

At Kang Ibin’s playful remark, a sudden spark flashed in Hyomun’s eyes.

What? Twenty-six years? So Ibin is twenty-six...

Hyomun found himself looking back and forth between Jaegyeom and Kang Ibin.

Wait. Ever since Ibin showed up, Seventy-Seven’s barely talking. And he can’t even look at her properly!

That was not all.

“Don’t I look pretty today?”

“Uh... yeah...”

He had been awkward and shy from the start, and now he was practically turning into a blushing mess.

“Jaegyeom, you should come with me and Chief Yoon today. We’re heading out.”

“...What?”

“Jaegyeom, your probationary period ends in two months. With only two months left, you need to pay attention to your performance evaluation. What if you fail and get dropped from the Exorcism Unit? I told Chief Yoon you should come along, and he agreed.”

That’s right! Now that I think about it, two months from now is when his probationary period ends!

“W-Wait...!”

Hyomun covered his mouth and stared at Kang Ibin.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

Kang Ibin looked at him, puzzled.

“No?! I mean, ah... it’s nothing! I’ll get going now!”

Hyomun suddenly bowed deeply, then ran off somewhere.

“Hm? Okay, take care... see you next time.”

What was that?

Kang Ibin waved after him with a bewildered expression.