Honbul: Flame of the Soul

“It means there’s no such thing as a true immortality pill in this world.”

Jaegyeom, who had been about to step toward Shin Jihye’s mother, suddenly stopped.

No true immortality pill exists?

He turned toward Yoon Taehee. Their eyes met briefly. Then Yoon Taehee walked over to stand beside him and asked Shin Jihye’s mother in an emotionless voice:

“What do you mean by that?”

He had spoken politely when he first greeted her, but somewhere along the way he had naturally dropped the formal speech. At the same time, he closely observed both Shin Jihye and her mother’s reactions. Yet neither of them seemed particularly bothered by it.

Shin Jihye had stayed silent the entire time, wearing only an awkward smile.

“Because mermaids aren’t immortal beings,” her mother replied gently.

“Unlike humans, mermaids don’t age, and even when they’re injured, their bodies regenerate naturally. To humans, that may have looked like immortality. But mermaids were never truly immortal in the first place.”

Mermaids were originally special spiritual beings that did not age and possessed tremendous healing abilities. At a certain point, their outward growth simply stopped, and they remained that way for the rest of their long lives.

According to Shin Jihye’s mother, humans had mistaken that for immortality.

“So mermaids have lifespans too?” Yoon Taehee asked.

“That’s right.”

Come to think of it, Shin Jihye had mentioned the same thing before they came to the island. She had said mermaids eventually died, though they called it “entering eternal sleep.”

After a brief silence, Yoon Taehee asked:

“Then how long do they live?”

“Usually around two hundred years. Three hundred at most.”

Two hundred years.

The familiar sense of unease settled heavily inside him, and Yoon Taehee’s eyes slowly widened.

“The immortality pill first appeared in this world a little over two hundred years ago. Long ago, there was a human who studied alchemy. That person discovered a secret technique that allowed humans to steal the traits of spiritual beings through sacrifice. That was how the immortality pill was created.”

Shin Jihye’s mother continued with a faint smile.

“Humans made it by sacrificing mermaids, and they called it the ‘immortality pill.’ The people who consumed it stopped aging, and even their wounds healed naturally, so they believed they had attained true immortality.”

“But taking the immortality pill does not make someone truly immortal. Strictly speaking, it only grants ageless longevity. Once the lifespan of the sacrificed mermaid comes to an end, the effects disappear as well.”

Once the mermaid’s lifespan ended, the effects of the immortality pill vanished with it. Aging resumed from that point onward. Those who had taken the pill would begin aging like ordinary humans again and eventually fall ill or die of old age.

“So the effects eventually wear off.”

“That’s right.”

Shin Jihye’s mother nodded.

Yoon Taehee felt dizzy as the truth unfolded before him.

Jaegyeom had already lived for more than two hundred years. The timing matched the mermaids’ lifespan almost perfectly. And the fact that someone’s appearance stopped aging from the moment they consumed the immortality pill fit as well.

If that so-called master had used the immortality pill on Jaegyeom—

Yoon Taehee forcibly cut the thought short and slowly drew in a breath.

The more he linked Jaegyeom to the immortality pill, the harder it became to stay composed. He needed to calm himself. If Jaegyeom’s curse truly was tied to the immortality pill, then someday he might be able to return to being an ordinary human again.

“I understand what you’re saying. But...”

At that moment, Jaegyeom, who had been quietly thinking the entire time, finally spoke.

“My wounds don’t heal on their own.”

The gazes of the two mermaids and Yoon Taehee turned toward him at once.

“You said people who take the immortality pill stop aging and regenerate when they’re injured. The part about not aging is true. But my body doesn’t heal itself. Actually, I recover slower than normal people.”

Yoon Taehee hesitated and stared at him.

Now that he thought about it, it was true. Jaegyeom’s injuries never regenerated naturally. If it were not for Mesan’s healing abilities, his body would have long since been covered in scars.

“Then we can’t conclude it’s the immortality pill just yet.”

Shin Jihye’s mother glanced aside briefly before motioning to Jaegyeom.

“Then come here for a moment.”

“Why?”

“It would be better to check directly whether you’ve taken the immortality pill.”

“How?”

“Mermaids can tell whether someone has eaten mermaid flesh. People who do carry a distinct scent. But humans who’ve only consumed an immortality pill made from mermaids don’t smell any different. Instead, ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) we can confirm it by mixing their blood with mermaid blood.”

Shin Jihye’s mother cut her palm open and continued:

“Look carefully. Mermaid blood is green. So when it mixes with ordinary human blood, it usually turns yellow. But if it mixes with the blood of someone who has taken the immortality pill, it turns blue.”

After finishing her explanation, she held out her palm toward Jaegyeom. Green blood pooled there.

“Will you come closer and let a drop of your blood fall?”

Jaegyeom stared silently at her.

To reach her, he would have to stand at the very edge of the rock where it met the sea. Waves crashed violently below.

“Alright.”

After a brief pause, Jaegyeom nodded and started forward.

But Yoon Taehee abruptly stepped in front of him.

“No. Why don’t you come out here instead?”

Jaegyeom paused and looked at him.

“You have legs now. You should be able to walk.”

Yoon Taehee’s eyes had gone cold.

He remembered every word Shin Jihye had said. Her mother could freely create legs by consuming the gallbladder of the person she loved.

Caught off guard, Shin Jihye’s mother frowned faintly at Yoon Taehee.

Their eyes met.

For a brief moment, silent tension passed between them.

“...”

“...”

After a short silence, Shin Jihye’s mother finally spoke.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve lived without legs for so long that walking feels awkward.”

She smiled as if troubled by the situation.

Yoon Taehee narrowed his eyes and stared at her coldly.

It was then that Jaegyeom stepped past him.

As he headed toward the shore, Yoon Taehee’s expression hardened. He reached out and grabbed Jaegyeom by the arm.

“Jaegyeom.”

Jaegyeom had already sensed something was wrong.

From the moment they left the mud house, Yoon Taehee — normally so relaxed — had been unusually wary and tense.

This could be a trap.

But even if it was, Jaegyeom had no choice. He was immortal anyway. He had to know where this curse began and what exactly had been done to him.

Yoon Taehee had no choice but to stop him.

And Jaegyeom had no choice but to go.

“It’s fine.”

Jaegyeom turned back toward him with steady eyes.

“...”

The hand gripping his arm slowly loosened.

Jaegyeom walked to the edge of the rock without another word. Looking down at Shin Jihye’s mother submerged beneath the water, he crouched.

“Just let it drip?”

He bit down hard on his fingertip and held it over her palm.

Drops of blood fell from Jaegyeom’s finger into the mermaid’s hand.

At the exact moment the two kinds of blood mixed, Jaegyeom’s pupils trembled faintly.

“...”

The blood turned brown.

Jaegyeom had no connection to the immortality pill.

A fierce wind swept past them. Waves crashed violently below.

Neither Shin Jihye and her mother nor Jaegyeom and Yoon Taehee spoke.

“Thank you for checking.”

Still staring blankly at his hand, Jaegyeom slowly rose to his feet.

“So my curse really had nothing to do with the immortality pill after all.”

He muttered quietly.

“Jaegyeom.”

“I’m so fucking tired of this.”

All the effort they had spent searching for mermaids and coming all the way to Geoyeo Island had amounted to nothing.

In the end, Jaegyeom’s curse had nothing to do with mermaids at all.

Yoon Taehee lowered his head, overcome with disappointment.

In contrast, Jaegyeom remained strangely calm.

“That’s enough. Let’s go.”

The hope that he might break the curse and live as an ordinary human had shattered.

They were back at the beginning again.