Honbul: Flame of the Soul

Following Seok Juryeon’s orders, Kang Ibin took Jaegyeom and left the art center.

With the event abruptly canceled, the entire area around the building had descended into chaos as visitors poured outside all at once. Kang Ibin headed straight for the parking lot where Yoon Taehee’s car was parked.

Sliding into the driver’s seat in Chief Yoon’s place, she started the engine with a deathly pale face. Jaegyeom silently got into the passenger seat beside her.

But even after the engine turned over, she couldn’t bring herself to drive away.

Staring blankly ahead, she muttered in a trembling voice that sounded on the verge of tears.

“What the hell is happening...?”

Her mind had been numb ever since the call with Seok Juryeon.

One thing, however, had become painfully clear.

The mission ordered by Department Head Choi had been fabricated from the start. Someone inside headquarters had deliberately created a fake operation to lure members of the Exorcism Unit away.

She still couldn’t believe it.

She couldn’t even begin to understand what kind of situation this had become.

You idiots, can’t you tell it’s a trap? What do you think you’re doing there when you can’t even use spiritual force? Leave the one they caught behind and get out.

Of course, Seok Juryeon hadn’t explained everything directly. But the fact that even Seok Juryeon herself had known nothing about the mission, the fact that the head of the Covert Division had lied to them, and the fact that their spiritual force had suddenly been sealed—

All of it pointed to the same conclusion.

Someone had carefully orchestrated this entire situation.

“Chief Yoon’s worked himself to death for headquarters all this time... and now they’re not even going to try to save him? They’re just abandoning him?”

The hands gripping the steering wheel trembled violently.

The sheer ease with which headquarters had discarded someone like the head of the Exorcism Unit was horrifying enough.

No—

More shocking still was the fact that headquarters had betrayed them at all.

Kang Ibin had never once imagined the Office of Narye would turn against its own Naja. She had devoted herself loyally to the organization all this time.

Now it felt as though something inside her had cracked apart.

“How...? How could they do something like this...?”

Because Seok Juryeon had ordered her back so forcefully, Kang Ibin couldn’t bring herself to disobey.

But anger still burned inside her.

Rationally, she understood the order to at least save two out of the three of them.

Emotionally, however, disappointment and fury raged through her like fire.

“Something felt wrong from the beginning. If this was planned internally, then they must’ve mixed a spiritual-force suppressant from the Ritual Implements Department into the welcome drinks. Why didn’t I realize it sooner?”

Part of her was angry at Seok Juryeon too.

No matter what orders came from above, shouldn’t she have done more?

After issuing the one-sided order, Seok Juryeon had immediately cut the call. Since then, Kang Ibin hadn’t been able to reach her again.

Everything she had believed in as a Naja felt as though it was collapsing.

And if even Seok Juryeon couldn’t do anything about it, then the order must have come from even higher up.

After sitting frozen for a long while, Kang Ibin finally pressed down on the accelerator.

Originally, she should have gone out alone today.

The reason Yoon Taehee had accompanied her was simple enough.

Her own car was currently in the repair shop. When she awkwardly asked around headquarters about borrowing a car for the day, Yoon Taehee had casually handed over his keys instead.

Not only that—after hearing the details, he had offered to come along himself.

Yoon Taehee had always been kind to the people beneath him.

It had been the same when he quietly helped with her mother’s hospital bills.

And recently, when her mother collapsed and the hospital contacted her during work hours, he had immediately told her to go and taken over her assignment himself.

As a result, he caught a terrible cold and ended up on sick leave for several days afterward.

Gratitude. Guilt.

Those feelings had piled up inside her for a long time now.

And at this moment, that guilt pressed down on her chest like a massive stone.

It felt as though all of this had happened because of her.

“This mission was supposed to be mine alone... I never should’ve mentioned it to Chief Yoon... I should’ve gone by myself... I should’ve been the one they captured...”

Still crying, Kang Ibin wiped at her face with the back of her hand.

“It’s my fault. What if something happens to him...?”

Tears streamed down her face as she drove Yoon Taehee’s sedan recklessly through traffic.

If it had been up to her, she would have turned the car around immediately and gone back for him.

But they had no spiritual force right now.

And because this wasn’t a ghost-related operation, Yoon Taehee hadn’t brought any weapons either.

With their spiritual force sealed, they were little different from ordinary people.

Breaking into a heavily guarded building barehanded was impossible.

While Kang Ibin drowned in guilt and self-reproach, Jaegyeom sat silently beside her, staring ahead with an unreadable face.

What Jaegyeom knew was simple.

Whatever the circumstances, Yoon Taehee had knowingly walked into a trap.

And now he was in danger.

Truthfully, Jaegyeom wasn’t especially shocked by the situation itself. He had never trusted the Office of Narye to begin with.

He already knew exactly how cold and inhuman the organization could be.

“Lead Naja Kang.”

At the sound of his voice, Kang Ibin glanced over in surprise.

“Don’t worry. Chief Yoon will come back safely.”

Jaegyeom slowly turned his head toward her.

He was unnervingly calm. His eyes carried no visible emotion at all.

“Can I borrow your knife?”

“Huh? A knife? Why all of a sudden...?”

“I just need it for something.”

Still flustered, Kang Ibin pulled a jackknife from her pocket and handed it over.

Jaegyeom tucked it into his waistband. Then he abruptly opened the console compartment between them and began rummaging through the clutter inside.

“W-What are you doing? What are you looking for?”

Ignoring the question, Jaegyeom continued searching until—

Clack.

He found what he wanted.

Slamming the compartment shut, he suddenly grabbed Kang Ibin by the arm.

“Kyaah! What are you doing?!”

The steering wheel jerked violently sideways.

SCREEECH—

The sedan swerved hard across the road, black tire marks carving across the pavement. Cars behind them slammed on their brakes as well, horns blaring loudly.

It could easily have caused a massive accident.

Drivers leaned out their windows, shouting furiously.

But while traffic ground to a halt—

Jaegyeom calmly unbuckled his seatbelt and threw open the passenger door.

“You go ahead!”

Then he leapt out onto the road and immediately started running.

“Jaegyeom! Where are you going?!”

Still gripping the wheel in shock after barely avoiding a collision, Kang Ibin twisted around and screamed after him, her face pale.

But Jaegyeom never slowed down.

By the time he returned to the art center entrance, he was breathing hard.

Unlike before, the area was now completely deserted. With the event canceled, even the guards stationed at the entrance had disappeared.

The tall iron gate blocking the entrance was firmly shut.

Jaegyeom vaulted over it effortlessly.

Go back to headquarters with Lead Naja Kang. This is a trap.

Truthfully, Jaegyeom had been furious for quite some time now.

Maybe Yoon Taehee had sensed something from the beginning.

If so, then no matter what reason he had for remaining behind alone, Jaegyeom couldn’t stop himself from growing angrier the more he thought about it.

That bastard had walked willingly into danger without explaining a single thing.

Still—

No matter how immortal Jaegyeom was, charging in barehanded while his spiritual force remained sealed would be idiotic.

First, he needed to restore it.

Fortunately, he already knew how.

If Kang Ibin’s guess was right—if something they had consumed was suppressing their spiritual force inside the body—then the answer was simple.

Remove the blood containing it.

It was the kind of method only someone immortal could even consider.

Jaegyeom drew the knife and pressed it against his arm.

But if he lost too much blood, he would go berserk.

That would become troublesome.

This wasn’t some isolated mountain like before, and cleaning up the aftermath afterward would be a headache.

After a brief moment of thought, Jaegyeom shifted the blade toward a safer spot away from the arteries.

Then suddenly—

He froze.

“......”

His fingertips were trembling.

It wasn’t fear of pain.

It wasn’t anger either.

Staring blankly at his own shaking hand, Jaegyeom finally understood.

Ah.

He was afraid something might «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» happen to Yoon Taehee.

What if he was already too late?

What if something had already happened?

If everything fell apart—

If Yoon Taehee disappeared forever—

If the world simply returned to the way it had always been before, as though none of this had ever happened—

Dark thoughts crawled through him like cold water.

Slowly lowering the knife, Jaegyeom pulled his phone from his pocket and made a call.

After several rings, Jeongju answered.

“Hello? Oh, Jaegyeom.”

“What is it? Aren’t you at work right now?”

“Yeah. I’m working. But there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Oh. Okay. What is it?”

“I think I’m going to get seriously hurt today.”

Silence.

The abrupt statement wiped all trace of ease from the other end of the line.

“...Hurt? What do you mean?”

Jeongju’s voice had gone rigid.

“I’m telling you now so you won’t be surprised later.”

“Wait. Wait a second—Jaegyeom. Where are you right now—”

“Don’t worry. I’ll see you later. Tell Mesani too.” 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Ignoring Jeongju’s urgent voice, Jaegyeom ended the call.

Then he gripped the knife once more.

Jeongju and Mesan would probably be furious later, but at least he had warned them.

Expressionless, Jaegyeom looked up at the art center.

Yoon Taehee was somewhere inside.

If you die, everything ends.

So I have to protect you.

Which meant—

This time, he wouldn’t hesitate.

Without the slightest pause, Jaegyeom drove the jackknife into his own shoulder.