Honbul: Flame of the Soul

After sending Yoon Taehee off alone, Jaegyeom remained in the lobby waiting for Kang Yibin, pacing restlessly back and forth.

A few minutes later, he finally spotted her in the distance.

The moment they regrouped, Jaegyeom repeated Taehee’s instructions word for word: if they didn’t hear from him within thirty minutes, the two of them were to return to headquarters together.

Kang Yibin’s expression darkened immediately.

“So the Chief went in alone?”

After thinking for a moment, she slowly nodded.

“...Yeah. Let’s wait a little longer first.”

Neither of them understood what was happening.

More than anything, they couldn’t understand why Yoon Taehee had chosen to infiltrate by himself. Since he hadn’t given a proper explanation, there was nothing they could do right now.

The two sat down at a table inside the event hall and waited.

“Has the Chief contacted you yet?”

As time passed, Kang Yibin grew visibly more anxious. She checked her wristwatch every minute, unable to sit still.

Before long, the full thirty minutes Taehee mentioned had passed.

Then her clutch bag vibrated.

Thinking Taehee had finally called, Kang Yibin’s face brightened as she hurriedly pulled out her phone.

But after checking the screen, she froze.

“Huh...? Who’s this...?”

It was an unfamiliar number.

Not Taehee.

After hesitating briefly, Kang Yibin hunched her shoulders and answered in a whisper.

“Hello?”

The voice on the other end was someone she never expected.

Her eyes widened in shock.

Just then, Jaegyeom looked over at her questioningly, and Kang Yibin quickly pulled him toward a corner.

“U-Unit Head Seok?”

The caller was Seok Juryeon herself.

Although several years had passed since Kang Yibin joined the Office, this was the first time she had ever seen Seok Juryeon’s direct number.

It was also the first time she had ever received such a personal call from her.

Immediately after Taehee abruptly ended the call earlier, Seok Juryeon had tried calling him back. When he didn’t answer, she remembered he had mentioned Kang Yibin and contacted her instead.

She immediately demanded to know where Kang Yibin was and what she was doing.

“Uh? Ah... right now...”

Standing in the corner with the phone pressed to her ear, Kang Yibin lowered her voice.

“We’re on-site investigating the disappearance of a Covert Division Naja.”

— Explain the situation.

Beside her, Jaegyeom listened carefully to the conversation.

As Seok Juryeon questioned her from the other end, Kang Yibin answered methodically. She explained that she had received orders from Chief Choi Wonyoung of the Covert Division, and that ever since entering the building, they had been unable to use spiritual force for unknown reasons.

Finally, she added that Chief Yoon had gone in alone and that they were currently waiting for contact.

— ......

After hearing everything, Seok Juryeon fell silent.

“Uh... Unit Head?”

At that exact moment, the call abruptly disconnected.

“W-What the hell...? It cut off...”

Kang Yibin stared blankly at her phone.

***

Inside the office of the head of the Exorcism Unit, Seok Juryeon lowered her phone and buried her face in her hands.

Something was wrong.

Han Juyoung, who had come by to deliver documents, had been quietly watching her for some time.

“Unit Head... what’s wrong?”

At Han Juyoung’s cautious question, Seok Juryeon—still pressing a hand against her forehead—suddenly picked up the desk receiver.

She dialed the internal line for the Covert Division.

An aide answered.

“Where’s Chief Choi right now?”

— He’s in Seminar Room Two receiving the weekly report.

Seok Juryeon slammed the receiver down and shot to her feet.

Han Juyoung followed behind in confusion.

As Seok Juryeon strode down the corridor, Naja respectfully bowed and greeted her, but she ignored every single one of them and kept walking.

The moment she reached Team 1 of the Covert Division, she shoved the door open without knocking.

Choi Wonyoung was in the middle of a meeting with several Covert Division Naja.

Every eye in the room turned toward Seok Juryeon at once.

The sudden intrusion—combined with the murderous look on her face—instantly froze the atmosphere.

As the others exchanged uneasy glances and tried to gauge Choi Wonyoung’s reaction, Seok Juryeon glared at him coldly.

“Chief Choi. Where did you send my people?”

Choi Wonyoung, several years older than Seok Juryeon, looked up at her in bewilderment.

The two had known each other for over a decade and were normally on friendly terms, so the sudden confrontation clearly caught him off guard.

Hesitantly, he glanced at the Covert Division Naja around him.

“I heard you formed some kind of task force. Apparently you even got verbal authorization from me. So why the hell am I only hearing about this now? Did Kim Yekwon pay you off? And what exactly is Kim Yekwon doing?”

The room turned ice-cold at Seok Juryeon’s vicious tone.

Still seated moments earlier, Choi Wonyoung stiffened and half rose from his chair.

“Unit Head Seok, calm down. This isn’t something to discuss here—”

He motioned for her to continue the conversation elsewhere.

“What the fuck is this? Stop screwing around and explain properly!”

Seok Juryeon had no intention of accommodating him.

With a savage expression, she grabbed him by the collar.

The Covert Division Naja who had been watching in shock rushed forward all at once, while Han Juyoung turned pale and tried desperately to intervene.

“U-Unit Head...! W-Why are you suddenly—”

Still gripping Choi Wonyoung by the collar, Seok Juryeon spoke in a low, terrifying voice.

“Choi Wonyoung. Where did you send my people using my name?”

Choi Wonyoung’s face twisted in disbelief.

“Unit Head Seok, what are you doing in front of everyone? You’re crossing a line right now.”

“A line? What line? You’re the one secretly dragging my people into whatever filthy scheme you’re running. Choi Wonyoung, you bastard—I don’t know what kind of rebellion you’re planning by using them for your own purposes, but if even one of them gets hurt...”

Finally, Choi Wonyoung shouted at the surrounding Naja with wide eyes.

“What are you all staring at? Get out!”

Only then did the frozen Naja hurriedly bow their heads and file out of the office.

Silence fell.

Once they were alone, Seok Juryeon released his collar.

Choi Wonyoung smoothed back his graying hair and pressed a hand against his temple.

“Unit Head Seok. If you suddenly storm in here like this—”

Seok Juryeon kicked aside the items on the reception table, then dropped heavily into a chair across from him.

Grabbing his tie, she yanked him forward sharply.

“Answer me first. Where are my people, and what are they doing?”

Choi Wonyoung sighed and lowered his head.

Even with age, his fundamental nature clearly hadn’t changed. Seok Juryeon had been infamous for her explosive temper since she was young, but it had been a long time since she’d lost control like this.

“I’m sorry things turned out this way. I didn’t have a choice.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“They demanded an Exorcism Unit Naja as a sacrifice.”

“...What?”

Seok Juryeon’s eyes widened slightly.

“Juryeon.”

After a long silence, Choi Wonyoung finally spoke.

“It was a direct order from the Commissioner.”

Her eyes slowly widened further.

***

Not long afterward, Seok Juryeon called again.

After the abrupt disconnection earlier, Kang Yibin had been debating whether to call back when the phone rang.

She answered immediately.

“Yes, Unit Head?”

Suppressing her emotions with visible effort, Seok Juryeon explained the situation.

Chief Choi Wonyoung had never requested her cooperation.

She had never authorized the mobilization of the Exorcism Unit.

And she had known absolutely nothing about any of this.

As Kang Yibin listened, her expression grew increasingly strange.

— Lead Naja Kang. Get out of there immediately.

“Uh? B-But... Chief Yoon is still—”

— You idiots, can’t you tell this is a trap? What the hell do you think ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) you’re doing in there when you can’t even use spiritual force?!

Kang Yibin’s face turned pale.

It was the first time she had ever heard Seok Juryeon this furious.

Having completely lost control of her temper, Seok Juryeon unleashed a torrent of abuse.

— You useless morons, why the hell are you still wandering around in there?! Stop dragging everyone else down and get out immediately!

For some reason, her voice trembled slightly near the end.

— Leave the one who got caught behind if you have to. At least the rest of you get out. That’s an order...

The call ended.

Kang Yibin stood frozen, trembling as she stared at the dark phone screen.

She had no idea what was happening anymore.

Then an announcement echoed from the speakers mounted on the ceiling.

“Attention all guests. We regret to inform you that today’s fifth anniversary charity event has been canceled due to internal circumstances. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience...”

Jaegyeom and Kang Yibin exchanged looks.

And in that moment, both of them realized it at once.

Something was very, very wrong.