Honbul: Flame of the Soul

Lee Juyeol’s mother was pacing the maze-like hospital corridor without end.

Mother and son had been waiting outside Radiology for nearly an hour. At first they had stopped by an orthopedic clinic near the school. But when things were going to go wrong, they were going to go wrong one way or another. They had arrived right in the middle of lunch break, of all times, just as they were trying to check in.

When she tried to sit there quietly and wait, all his mother could see was her son dying by inches.

In the end, Juyeol’s mother had hurriedly left the clinic.

That was how they ended up here, at a large general hospital quite a distance from the school.

The doctor adjusted his glasses and spoke in an indifferent tone.

“His nose has clearly collapsed to one side. Well, a nasal fracture seems certain. But we’ll need to examine him properly, so let’s start with X-rays, including the chest.”

At that bolt-from-the-blue verdict, mother and son staggered out of the exam room together.

Even through the pain, Juyeol ground his teeth.

I know I hit him more than he hit me.

The fact that his nose bone might be broken made it feel, somehow, like he had lost.

He had not expected that bastard, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ who had spent days shrinking into himself like a wet rat, to come charging at him all of a sudden. Right now Juyeol was caught in a strange dilemma—part of him desperately wanted to know, as fast as possible, whether his nose really was broken, and another part of him did not want to know at all.

Whether that was fortunate or unfortunate, the X-rays he had assumed would be over quickly kept being delayed because there were so many patients ahead of him.

Hovering near Radiology in growing agitation, Juyeol’s mother snapped at a nurse.

“Excuse me! Exactly how much longer are we supposed to wait?”

The nurse, who had been looking over a chart, let out a sigh. This was already the fourth or fifth time she had been asked the same thing. Pestering her was not going to make the line move any faster. They would obviously be called when it was their turn, but the guardian in front of her had been making a scene for some time now.

The hospital was chaos today.

“I’ll call you soon.”

The nurse replied flatly, casting her a tired side-eye.

That was when—

“Mrs. Juyeol?”

Juyeol, curled up in one of the waiting seats, lifted his head. His mother, who had been about to add another irritated remark to the nurse, turned toward the voice behind her.

A stranger was standing there.

Jeongju had pulled a black cap low over his head, and half his face was hidden behind a disposable white mask.

“And who are you?”

Juyeol’s mother asked with a deep frown.

“This is our first time meeting. I’m Jaegyeom’s uncle.”

Mother and son both froze and exchanged looks.

Bowing his head, Jeongju spoke politely.

“I heard that Juyeol was badly hurt because of my nephew and that he was in the hospital. So I came because, as Jaegyeom’s guardian, I wanted to offer you a proper apology in person. I know this is terribly presumptuous, but—”

“Are you kidding me right now?”

The mother cut him off and strode straight at him, her face blazing with anger.

“You should have kept a better eye on that kid!”

Her shrill voice rang through the corridor.

People nearby glanced over at Jeongju and the pair beside him. Jeongju drew in a breath and squeezed his eyes shut. His ears were ringing.

I knew this would happen...

He had worn the cap and mask out of concern that a scene might break out in a crowded hospital of all places.

Judging by the result, it had been an excellent choice.

“Our son’s nose is broken. Broken! How exactly are you going to take responsibility for that? If his parents aren’t around, then his uncle should have kept him under control. At his age he’s already beating people like this—what kind of violent habits is he developing? What is this supposed to mean? Are you planning to raise him into some kind of thug? A gangster?”

“...I have no excuse.”

“He’s about to get X-rayed, all right? Just wait until the results come out. I won’t let this go. I’m getting the medical report and proceeding immediately, so keep that in mind. This is way beyond something the school can just handle internally. How is anyone supposed to keep attending school with a boy like that running around?”

“...I’m truly sorry.”

Jeongju bit down hard on the lip hidden under his mask.

He had expected as much, and sure enough, husband and wife were equally impossible in their own ways. The mother was flinging out every word she had to say in a blind rage, barely pausing to breathe. While she ranted, Jeongju caught the fact that the test results had not come back yet and let out a silent breath of relief.

“I thought the very least I could do was come in person and see his condition for myself. I will cover all hospital expenses. Once the results are out, not only any surgical costs afterward, but compensation for emotional distress as well—”

Just then, Juyeol, who had been slumped in his chair, sprang abruptly to his feet with an ugly scowl.

“God, seriously.”

“Juyeol, what is it? Are you hurting that badly?”

“Ugh, stop.”

With all the attention gathering around them because of the commotion, Juyeol’s temper had only gotten worse. On top of that, his mother, in the name of standing up for her son, was shouting about his broken nose and how badly he had been beaten, which in the end amounted to broadcasting to the entire hospital that he had gotten his ass kicked. For Lee Juyeol, who would rather die than lose face, it was a complete humiliation.

“Where are you going? The nurse said they’d call you any minute.”

Ignoring his mother when she tried to stop him, Juyeol brushed past her.

Then he deliberately slammed his shoulder into Jeongju’s as he went by and shouted irritably,

“Juyeol, wait—”

“Move!”

Jeongju bit down on his lip after being shoved out of nowhere.

What an absolute piece of trash.

He had made a rough guess already, from the parents alone, but like parent, like child. Looking at the brat, he had the distinct sense that getting hit had done him no injustice at all.

Jeongju was feeling even heavier than before over the possibility that he had taken out his anger on Jaegyeom for nothing.

Scolding Jaegyeom with How could you lay a hand on an ordinary person like that? now felt regrettable all over again.

Juyeol rounded the corner of the corridor, stomping as if to make sure everyone heard it.

The place his resentful steps took him to was the men’s restroom.

He meant to get away from his seat for a while, and while he was at it, rinse off the dried blood clinging sticky across his nose. He turned on the cold water and scrubbed his hands first. After washing his face with a running stream of complaints under his breath, he pulled out some paper towels and wiped himself down.

“E-excuse me...”

Juyeol, dabbing carefully at the sore tip of his nose, turned his head.

A small child was peeking around the restroom entrance. The little thing was swallowed up in an oversized hood several times bigger than his body. The moment his eyes met Juyeol’s, he gave a violent start and immediately looked away. Juyeol stared at him for a second, then turned back to the mirror and kept wiping his face.

“E-excuse me... um...”

What now?

At the voice again, Juyeol turned around one more time. The kid had kept avoiding his eyes, so he had not been sure what to make of it, but apparently the child was trying to talk to him. His voice sounded almost like a goat bleating. He was trembling so badly it seemed like a feat no one could imitate even on purpose.

What is this kid?

“What? Me?”

“Y-yes...”

Juyeol frowned and asked while glancing around, and the child nodded.

Swallowing hard, the boy crept toward him on tiptoe.

Juyeol was already in a foul mood, and having some random little kid hovering around him only made him more irritated. The child was walking at the speed of an actual turtle. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

“Hey. What?”

“Th-this... p-please... drink...”

The child held out both hands from behind his back.

What he was holding was a paper cup with liquid in it.

Juyeol looked at the thing, then at the child, like What is this supposed to be? The child startled all over again and looked away.

Hah.

Juyeol let out a disbelieving snort.

Why is he so scared?

“Y-your lo— no...”

“What?”

“B-big brother... your mom... told me to bring this...”

“My mom?”

“Y-yes...”

Juyeol looked from the contents of the cup to the child and back again.

“What is it?”

“Your mom said... you might be thirsty... she said to drink it...”

We’re leaving soon anyway. Why is she sending some kid I’ve never even seen to run errands?

With a displeased look, Juyeol took the paper cup.

It held a clear liquid.

Probably just water.

He was thirsty already, and without much suspicion he lifted the cup to his mouth. The cup was only about half full, and he gulped it down in one shot.

“Kgh—! Cough, cough!”

Juyeol, who had swallowed it without thinking, suddenly doubled over in a violent coughing fit.

“Damn it— cough— what is this? This doesn’t taste like water— kgh?”

What he had poured into his mouth was unexpectedly a drink with an overpowering sweetness.

It tasted practically like sugar water.

Startled by the sweetness he had not been expecting, Juyeol clutched his side and coughed for quite a while. Every time he coughed, pain rang out through his ribs in a sharp electric pulse, making his vision flash. Bent over the sink, groaning for a long time, he only barely managed to lift his head once the worst of the pain subsided.

“Ugh... hey. Is this even—”

He broke off with a frown.

The child who had been trembling right in front of him just moments ago was already gone.

Juyeol stepped out of the restroom and looked up and down the corridor. When he had approached, he had moved like a turtle. But the instant he handed over the paper cup, the child had vanished like an arrow loosed from a bow.

“What was that?”

Juyeol muttered in dissatisfaction and started walking again at a slow pace.

Unlike when he had been heading to the restroom, his steps along the corridor had grown strangely light.

Juyeol, however, did not notice that at all.