Honbul: Flame of the Soul

“The ferry will soon be docking at Geoyeo Island... Passengers disembarking at Geoyeo Island, please prepare to leave, and make sure you do not forget any belongings...”

By the time they arrived at Geoyeo Island, it was already afternoon.

After nearly two hours at sea, the ferry pulled up to the pier, and Jaegyeom, Yoon Taehee, and Shin Jihye prepared to disembark. Taehee, who had taken a brief nap and woken up again, seemed to have recovered quite a bit. His complexion looked much better.

The moment they stepped onto the island, dazzling sunlight greeted them.

A strong, salty tang of the sea drifted over at once. Geoyeo Island was a small island at the southernmost edge of the archipelago, known only to those familiar with the area. Around forty households lived there.

Several fishing boats were moored at the pier, and tangled nets, broken buoys, and discarded tires lay scattered about. Seagulls waddled along the breakwater, making the scene feel peaceful and quaint.

It was a quiet, beautiful island.

“So where do we go now?”

This was Shin Jihye’s second time visiting Geoyeo Island. She had come once before with her mother, and she searched her memory as she tried to guide them.

“I think we went around that way, toward the back of the island.”

Shin Jihye pointed in one direction. She had looked excited for a while now. Jaegyeom and Yoon Taehee walked side by side, pushing her wheelchair. As the three of them passed by, clearly outsiders from the way they were dressed, the fishermen at work glanced over at them.

After walking for quite some time, they reached the far edge of the island.

“Now I remember! This is it!”

At the rear of the island, a majestic cliff carved by sea winds stretched out before them. Unlike the warm impression of the pier, this side received little sunlight and had a shadowed, heavy atmosphere. Compared to the calm waters at the front, the waves here were rough, and the sea wind blew hard. Pebbles covered the ground, making the path uneven beneath their feet. Waves crashed and withdrew again and again between rocks large and small.

Shin Jihye stared at the sea with a strangely thrilled expression.

“There! That’s the place!”

In the direction she pointed, a narrow channel like a strait cut between the split cliff and a rocky islet. According to an old legend, a dragon had once passed through it, so the islanders called it Yongso-gol.

Because whirlpools formed there often and the currents were fierce, Yongso-gol was a place even the island’s fishermen rarely approached, let alone anglers.

“When I came to my hometown with my mom before, we dove under that cliff and swam through the whirlpool. They said only a mermaid could pass through.”

Which meant they couldn’t accompany her any farther.

It was time to part ways.

“I’ll leave right away, then.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Shin Jihye removed the blanket covering her legs. Beneath it, her legs had completely fused, both feet merging into one and taking on the shape of a fish’s tail.

“Are you sure you’re all right to go right away? Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m fine.”

Although Jaegyeom and Taehee were both a little worn out from the long trip, she seemed full of energy. “A mermaid’s still a mermaid, even if I’m only half,” she said with a laugh. While living in the city, she hadn’t ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) noticed it, but the closer she came to the sea, the more strength filled her body and the better her mood became.

“If I’m fast, it might take one day. If I’m slow, two or three. But I’ll try to come back as soon as possible. Don’t cause trouble. Just wait quietly.”

After giving her instructions, Shin Jihye took off her outer clothes. She already had a rash guard on underneath. She had been ready from the moment they set out. Once she had quickly changed, she asked Taehee for her carrier.

Finally, she turned off her cell phone, placed it in a waterproof zip bag, and sealed it tightly. She needed a way to contact them once she returned to land. Since she couldn’t move around properly in mermaid form, she would have to call Jaegyeom and Taehee back here.

“Hide the carrier and wheelchair well between the rocks so nobody sees them. It’ll be a pain if passersby get suspicious. Oh, and be especially careful with the carrier. My change of clothes, tablet, and Bluetooth earphones are in there. Don’t let them get wet or damaged. If anything happens to them, it’s all your fault.”

Shin Jihye crossed her arms and issued her orders with a prim expression.

“...”

Taehee nodded with a faint smile.

“It won’t happen, but if anything does get damaged, I’ll buy you new ones.”

After easily promising to take care of it, he found a suitable rock beyond the reach of the waves and wedged Shin Jihye’s phone, still sealed in the zip bag, into a crevice.

“I’ll leave your phone here for now. Please contact us as soon as you return.”

“Got it.”

With those final words, Shin Jihye, still sitting in her wheelchair, untied her tightly bound hair and threw herself from the rock into the water below.

Jaegyeom looked slightly startled by how boldly she launched herself in.

With a splash, water sprayed upward.

Jaegyeom and Taehee fixed their eyes on the spot where Shin Jihye had dived. Soon, she surfaced, pushing back her long wet hair as she smiled brightly. Her expression was full of liberation.

“Well then, I’m off!”

Shin Jihye waved both arms eagerly at them.

“Take care.”

“We’ll be waiting.”

At last, Shin Jihye the mermaid began swimming toward Yongso-gol. Beneath the water, her beautiful scales reflected the light, shining in shifting rainbow colors.

And then, in the blink of an eye, she vanished into the deep sea.

Only gentle waves remained in her wake. Jaegyeom stared blankly at the trail she had left behind and muttered to himself,

“Amazing. That’s my first time seeing a mermaid in person.”

There was nothing more he and Taehee could do now. All that remained was to wait until Shin Jihye returned with the mermaid.

Jaegyeom clenched his fist.

At that moment, he realized he was hopeful.

In just a day or two, he might obtain a clue that would free him from this weary life of immortality. Even though he still hadn’t decided what he would do after the curse was broken, Jaegyeom was unconsciously anticipating the moment he escaped those shackles. His heart couldn’t help but pound.

But then, conflicting feelings rose inside him.

While he hoped Shin Jihye would return quickly, one part of him wished she would never come back at all.

“...”

Jaegyeom’s eyes slowly darkened.

This was why he hated expectations.

When a heart swollen with hope deflated, all that remained in its place was emptiness and helplessness. A heart that had expanded without end shriveled pitifully back down. If he never expected anything from the beginning, there would be nothing to be hurt by and nothing to be disappointed over. And yet, even knowing that, he foolishly hoped every time.

Anxiety suddenly crept over him.

What if, after coming all this way, his curse had nothing to do with mermaids?

What if nothing changed, and all they learned was the hopeless fact that the curse could not be broken?

Just then, a large, warm hand stroked the back of his head.

“It’s all right.”

As if he had read Jaegyeom’s mind, Yoon Taehee spoke.

Startled, Jaegyeom looked up at him. Their eyes met, and Taehee slowly closed and opened his own.

It’s all right.

Strangely enough, those words seemed to calm his anxiously pounding heart in an instant.

For a while, the two of them simply stood there, looking at each other.

Seventy-Seven, expecting something isn’t wrong. Well, sure, if you don’t expect anything, you won’t be disappointed. But I think people should keep living with expectations anyway...

Suddenly, he remembered something Im Hyomun had once told him.

“...”

Even after everything, Im Hyomun had said they should keep living with expectations.

Jaegyeom suddenly turned his head toward the horizon.

Then Taehee spoke in a low voice.

“Shall we go?”

“...Yeah.”

After safely seeing Shin Jihye off, the two slowly began to walk.

As Shin Jihye had instructed, Taehee folded the wheelchair and placed it together with the carrier in a hidden corner of the cliff. They decided to circle halfway around the island and return to the pier. Since it would take Shin Jihye a few days to come back, they first needed to find a place to stay.

***

Geoyeo Island was much smaller than they had expected.

Because it was a quiet island with few residents, most of the shops were clustered around the pier. After returning there, the two looked over the row of storefronts. There was a fishing-supply shop, a raw-fish restaurant, and a tiny corner store that looked no different from an ordinary modern house. However, the faded sign on the corner store read, Lodging Available, which suggested it also served as an inn.

Taehee headed for the corner store without hesitation. Jaegyeom followed as he opened the sliding door and stepped inside. He figured Taehee would handle things well enough without Jaegyeom needing to step in.

“Is anyone here?”

But there wasn’t a single person inside the shop.

“Excuse me?”

Taehee called out once more. Then the sliding door inside the shop opened, and an elderly woman with permed hair emerged from what looked like the living area of an ordinary home. Behind the old woman, whose back was half-bent, a small child peeked out and stared at Jaegyeom and Taehee.

“Hello. We’d like to stay for a day or two...”

Taehee politely greeted her and stated their business.

“Yes, yes.”

The old woman nodded at his question about lodging. Fortunately, it seemed there was a vacant room.

Just then, the child standing behind the old woman tugged at her loose pants and whispered something in her ear. With missing front teeth, the child looked about six or seven years old.

“Mm. They’re gentlemen from the mainland, staying for a few days.”

Judging by the old woman’s answer, the child seemed to have asked who they were. Taehee smiled gently and bent down to meet the child’s eyes.

“Hello.”

At Taehee’s greeting, the child shyly hid behind the old woman for a moment before answering in a small voice.

“Hello...”

“How old are you?”

“Seven...”

“Seven? Then you’ll be going to school next year.”

He asked with a soft smile,

“Can I pat your head?”

The child wriggled a little, then gave a tiny nod. Taehee smiled and patted the child’s head a couple of times with his large hand.

“Your hairpin is cute. What’s your name?”

“Kim Siwoo...”

“Siwoo? That’s a great name.”

Maybe because of the missing baby teeth, Siwoo’s pronunciation came out slightly lisped. Looking at Siwoo, Taehee seemed to think of Yeonok.

And as Jaegyeom thought of Mesan, one thought suddenly crossed his mind.

He’s always so kind to children.

“...”

Jaegyeom stared at Taehee as he crouched in front of the child.

“This is my grandchild.”

The old woman explained that Siwoo was her grandchild. The child’s parents were currently living in the city, but due to some circumstances, they had left Siwoo here for a few months.

I see.

Jaegyeom stood one step back and did not join the conversation.

“But what brings you to this island? It’s usually old men coming here to fish. What could two young fellows like you possibly find worth seeing?”

At the old woman’s question, Taehee vaguely replied that they had come for a quiet vacation. Fortunately, she did not press any further.

“So, would it be possible for us to stay here?”

When Taehee asked politely, the old woman answered,

“We do have an empty room, but if it’s too cramped for two big fellows like you, there’s an empty house up the way you can use.”

“An empty house?”

The old woman nodded, her hands clasped behind her back. She explained that if they went up a little from this house, there was an old earthen house on a sloped alley. They had lived there until about ten years ago, but over time, they had built this new modern house here instead.

“It’s old, so it’s a bit worn down, but it does have two rooms.”

The choice was between sharing one room here in the modern house or renting the entire old earthen house separately and having two rooms.

As Jaegyeom considered it, Taehee answered without hesitation, regardless of what he was thinking.

“We’ll take the whole house, please.”