Honbul: Flame of the Soul

Yoon Taehee stopped by his apartment to get ready for work.

The first thing he did when he got home was plug in his dead phone. He had been too preoccupied yesterday to check any of his messages. The moment he turned it on, dozens of missed calls poured in. The names that appeared most often were Kang Ibin and Seok Juryeon.

He was scanning the call log with indifferent eyes when the phone rang.

The caller was Kang Ibin.

Taehee brought the phone to his ear.

“Yes, Lead Naja Kang.”

“...Chief? Is that really you?”

Kang Ibin sucked in a breath. She must not have expected him to actually answer after being unable to reach him for so long.

“Chief! What on earth happened? Are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine. As you can hear, I survived and am answering the phone.” 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

“Thank goodness... thank goodness...”

Her voice trembled faintly as she repeated the words.

“Were you worried? I was too busy yesterday and forgot to contact you. I really am fine, so don’t worry.”

Yoon Taehee briefly explained what had happened yesterday. It was a carefully filtered version: he had escaped the scene using a Submergence Cell, the situation had been resolved, and Jaegyeom was safe as well.

“Chief, I’m sorry... This is because of me...”

“How is this because of you, Lead Naja Kang?”

Taehee let out a small laugh.

“B-but originally, I was supposed to...”

“We’ll talk about the details when we meet. I’m heading to the office soon.”

“Chief...”

“I’ll see you there.”

***

Just before noon, Yoon Taehee walked into headquarters bare-faced, bruises still visible, and strode briskly down the corridor.

Before going to Team 1’s office, there was somewhere else he needed to stop first.

Standing in front of the head of the Exorcism Unit’s office, Taehee knocked and opened the door at the same time.

“Oh, you’re here. I was worried you might not be in yet.”

He entered the Unit Head’s office in his usual tone.

Seok Juryeon, who had been sitting at her desk, froze when she saw him in the doorway. Even at this hour, piles of file folders were already stacked high on her desk.

Her complexion had worsened considerably in just one day.

“Have you eaten?”

Taehee asked casually, as if nothing had happened.

After staring at him in silence for a while, Seok Juryeon lowered her gaze to her documents and answered curtly.

“Yes.”

As usual, Taehee walked in without permission and dropped onto the leather sofa. But the seat he chose was the one Seok Juryeon usually occupied—the head seat with its back to the desk.

He crossed his legs, opened the newspaper on the reception table, and began reading as if the Unit Head’s office belonged to him.

“...”

Seok Juryeon said nothing.

Neither did Yoon Taehee.

Aside from the rustle of newspaper pages turning, a heavy silence settled over the office.

After flipping through the paper for a while, Taehee finally broke it.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

At the subtle question, Seok Juryeon’s hand stopped mid-signature. She set down her fountain pen and lifted her head.

After staring at the back of Taehee’s head for a moment, she spoke quietly.

“Choi from the Covert Division said he would formally apologize to you.”

“Is that so?”

“They had apparently formed a task force in secret for a mission, but one of the Covert Division Naja on that team had a private connection to Kim Yekwon. In the process, a spray developed by the Ritual Implements Department was diverted. Chief Choi admitted personally that the responsibility lies entirely with the Covert Division.”

Taehee nodded while turning the newspaper page.

He knew Seok Juryeon well. She was not usually this talkative.

“And?”

“They say the Covert Division Naja who caused the problem will be expelled within the week. The decision was made internally by the division due to the risk of identity exposure. The spray manufactured by the Ritual Implements Department will be fully collected and disposed of.”

“I see.”

Taehee toyed with the corner of the newspaper and laughed soundlessly.

The excuse headquarters had prepared was nothing more than a clumsy attempt to cut off the tail. Still, he nodded as if he knew nothing.

“Is that all?”

Taehee asked, tilting his head back while still holding the newspaper.

Seok Juryeon’s face appeared upside down in his vision. When their eyes met, she looked away after a moment.

Taehee’s expression turned faintly strange.

For some reason, it felt as though Seok Juryeon couldn’t look him in the eye. Having avoided his gaze, she stared down at her documents with an unreadable expression.

“You don’t seem surprised that I came back safely after being captured in a situation where I couldn’t use spiritual force.”

Taehee smiled faintly.

He had no intention of revealing anything about the Pill of Immortality or the “teacher.” For now, he needed to remain someone who knew nothing. It was enough that he had been unlucky, gotten caught in the Covert Division’s scheme, nearly died, and escaped.

“Ah. Or maybe...”

His voice turned light, almost playful.

“Did you think, ‘Yoon Taehee would find a way out somehow’?”

Even at his teasing tone, Seok Juryeon showed no particular reaction. She only kept her gaze fixed on her documents.

“If you trust me that much, I’m grateful. But aren’t you curious how I escaped?”

Only then did Seok Juryeon raise her head, her face stiff.

“All right. How did you escape?”

The conversation was no different from begging for forgiveness.

Taehee shrugged.

“I used a Submergence Cell.”

“...I see. So that’s what you did.”

Taehee stared at her with his head slightly tilted, then rested one arm along the back of the sofa, lost in thought for a moment.

Then he spoke abruptly.

“Unit Head, do you feel sorry for me?”

At the sudden question, Seok Juryeon’s eyes wavered.

“Why? Don’t.”

Taehee smiled faintly.

“Do you remember what I said the day we first met?”

At those words, Seok Juryeon hesitated and lifted her head.

I’m Yoon Taehee. I don’t know my age, and I don’t have parents. So put a leash on me and use me as your hunting dog. If I ever become useless, you can just throw me away.

“It’s all right if you throw me away. If you decide I’ve outlived my usefulness, discard me whenever you want. If it weren’t for you, I would have died a long time ago.”

Taehee spoke slowly, still smiling.

“I made it this far thanks to you...”

His voice trailed off, and the smile gradually disappeared from his face.

Then, with an expression as blank as polished ice, he spoke in a cold-tinged voice.

“So don’t feel sorry for me.”

After saying that, Yoon Taehee stood lightly and left.

Seok Juryeon stared blankly after him as he walked out of the Unit Head’s office.

“...”

Left alone, Seok Juryeon finally squeezed her eyes shut and bowed her head.

In truth, she had known all along that Yoon Taehee would return alive.

Because for the first time in her life, she had gone against the director of the Office of Narye’s wishes.

Yesterday, Seok Juryeon had gone to rescue Yoon Taehee.

***

When Yoon Taehee entered the office after leaving the Unit Head’s office, the team members rose from their seats to greet him as usual.

But the atmosphere was different today. It felt subdued.

Taehee soon realized why.

“Chief, are you all right?”

Seeing the bruises on his bare face, the team members looked solemn. Judging by their reactions, they seemed to have heard something about yesterday from Kang Ibin.

After exchanging a few words with them, Taehee glanced at Kang Ibin.

Her complexion was visibly poor. The shadows beneath her eyes looked dark and hollow. She seemed so fragile that the slightest touch might make her collapse.

“Jaegyeom won’t be coming in today. He seems to be feeling unwell after yesterday’s fieldwork, so I told him to rest.”

As he ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) said that, Taehee gave Kang Ibin a subtle signal.

“Lead Naja Kang.”

He nodded slightly toward his office.

“May I see you for a moment?”

Kang Ibin rose from her seat and followed him inside.

“You look terrible... Are you all right?”

Kang Ibin only nodded silently.

“Did you say anything to the team?”

After a moment, she asked in a cloudy voice,

“Are you really not affected at all, Chief?”

“By what?”

“You almost died yesterday.”

Taehee rubbed his chin and answered lightly.

“Well... I almost did, but I didn’t. And according to the Unit Head, this whole incident was the independent action of one Covert Division Naja...”

Kang Ibin’s face hardened, and she cut him off.

“Do you really believe that?”

She bit her lip, grinding out each word.

“The Office of Narye betrayed you, Chief.”

Taehee, who had been hanging his suit jacket over the chair, paused and turned to look at her.

Kang Ibin stood there for a long time with her face buried in her hands.

Taehee sat loosely on the edge of the desk for a moment, then approached her. With both hands clasped behind his back, he leaned toward her slightly and asked,

“Are you crying?”

His teasing tone shattered the serious mood.

Irritated, Kang Ibin dropped her hands and glared at him.

“I am not crying!”

Thanks to that, the gloomy look on her face seemed to ease for a brief moment.

But soon, she lowered her gaze again and muttered softly,

“I just... can’t forgive them.”

Her shoulders slumped as she shook her head.

“Headquarters knew you were in danger and did nothing. How is that not betrayal? No matter how I think about it, I can’t forgive them.”

And the person she couldn’t forgive most of all was herself.

She said headquarters had done nothing despite knowing Chief Yoon was in danger, but the truth was, Kang Ibin had done nothing either. She hadn’t gone to rescue him like Jaegyeom. She hadn’t defied Seok Juryeon’s orders.

The guilt had kept her awake all night.

“I already died once yesterday...”

Kang Ibin drew in a deep breath and smiled bitterly.

It was the face of someone staring at a sandcastle that had collapsed.