Honbul: Flame of the Soul

“...Seoul?”

Suspicion crept into those clear, bright eyes, and Lee Youngshin, who had blurted out the first thing that came to mind, found himself a little rattled. He forced the corners of his mouth up and tried to look calm.

“Yes. He’s in Seoul.”

Mesan turned away without a word.

For one panicked instant, Lee Youngshin nearly reached out and grabbed him. If he let him slip away now, this would be a disaster. According to the records, ginseng children were innocent by nature, incapable of harming others, bad at lying, and easy for humans to deceive. There were countless old tales about it. That was why he had meant to improvise, get him into the car somehow, and sort the rest out later.

Apparently the lie had been far too flimsy.

“Seoul...”

That’s strange. My lord went to school this morning.

Mesan stood there, turning the word over in his mind. Watching that puzzled face, Lee Youngshin grew steadily more anxious. Had he underestimated him because he looked like a child? He definitely seemed suspicious.

Damn it. Should I just tie him up and take him? I want to handle this carefully because he’s so cute, but...

Clutching his head, Lee Youngshin fell into serious deliberation.

“Seoul...”

Just as he began fidgeting and reached for the zipper on his hip pack—

“Ah! If it’s Seoul, that’s where Jeongju is, isn’t it?!”

Lee Youngshin jumped so hard he nearly cursed aloud and hid his hand behind his back. Mesan’s face had brightened before he knew it. Nodding to himself as if everything finally made sense, he even smiled. At the sight of that adorable smile, Lee Youngshin’s nostrils flared again in spite of himself. Tears still clung to the corners of Mesan’s eyes as he asked in a delighted voice,

“My lord went to see Jeongju, didn’t he?”

“Ahem—pardon?”

“Was he going to make up with Jeongju?”

And who exactly was Jeongju?

Lee Youngshin carefully watched his expression.

“That’s why he sent for me, right? Isn’t it?”

“Uh... ah, yes. Right! That’s right!”

He had no idea what he was agreeing to, but the young master clapped his hands in delight.

“I knew it! That’s why he’s in Seoul with Jeongju!”

Mesan bounced in place, wiping the remaining dampness off his face with both hands. Until a moment ago, the man standing in front of him had been nothing but frightening. Not anymore. Of course he was still a little scared—he was a strange human, after all—but if he was someone sent by his lord, then he had to be trustworthy.

He should have said so from the beginning!

The reason his lord had pretended to go to school without saying a word to him must have been because he knew how much Mesan had worried, and wanted to surprise him. Mesan had never imagined it. To think he would go all the way to Seoul himself to make up with him...

With his eyes still swollen from crying, Mesan beamed.

“Youngshin. Please take me there at once.”

“...Yes? Ah—yes?”

“My lord must be waiting for me.”

Youngshin.

So moved he could have cried, Lee Youngshin’s eyes filled with tears.

*****

After settling Mesan into the passenger seat, Lee Youngshin fastened the seat belt snugly around him. Then he walked around the car, got into the driver’s seat, and immediately sat there sniffling with a strange expression on his face.

It felt unreal all over again.

Taking a drive with a little rabbit-like kid in the passenger seat had always been one of his dreams. He had never imagined the child in question would not be some little bunny of a kid, but an actual ginseng child.

And despite all the preparations he had made, he had brought him out surprisingly easily. The moment the young master got into the car, it was effectively over. Now all he had to do was hit the gas.

“Young master.”

“Yes?”

“Do you like music?”

“M-music?”

Starting the engine, Lee Youngshin nodded gravely. Mesan had come along happily enough, but now that he was actually in the car, it was obvious how tense he was. What they needed was a change of mood. If possible, Lee Youngshin wanted to cheer him up.

And, to be honest, he also rather wanted to earn some points.

A childish adult had a desperate need for the attention of children.

“Ahem.”

Clearing his throat, Lee Youngshin pulled out his phone. Then, with the most serious face in the world, he began rummaging through his music app. Before long, a grand opening theme poured from the speakers connected to the car.

Mesan, who had been fidgeting with his fingers and glancing nervously out the window, lifted his head.

“Ponyo, Ponyo, Ponyo, little fishy—”

“From the deep blue sea she came, Ponyo, Ponyo, Ponyo, round and chubby—”

Lee Youngshin, in the middle of singing the next line, met Mesan’s eyes.

“......”

“......”

Mesan opened his mouth with a baffled expression.

“W-what kind of song is this?”

“It’s called Lightning-Struck Ponyo...”

“Ah...”

Not a hit, apparently.

It had been his trump card, too.

Looking dejected, Lee Youngshin pressed the gas pedal. Then again, he might look like a child, but he had probably lived longer than Lee Youngshin had. Maybe he had underestimated his taste.

Having failed to win him over, Lee Youngshin muttered the lyrics to himself in lonely resignation.

And then, on the twenty-third replay, the trump card finally started working.

They were passing through the tollgate by then.

“I love Ponyo so much.”

“With her bright red little body.”

“Ponyo, Ponyo, Ponyo—”

Trading lines back and forth at the top of their lungs, the two of them sped down the road together.

It was past noon.

Their destination was the Office of Narye.

*****

An hour had passed since they cleared the tollgate and began driving down the expressway.

“Ah, hell. This is killing me, seriously.”

Lee Youngshin was driving under immense strain. At the beginning of the trip, he had been joyfully belting out Ponyo at full volume, but at some point his words had grown noticeably sparse.

Now he was breaking out in a cold sweat.

Mesan, who had been looking out at the scenery, turned to him in confusion.

“Do you not feel well?”

“N-not at all.”

Lee Youngshin forced a smile. Even as he said it, the muscles in his face were twitching violently. Grinding his teeth as he kept one foot on the accelerator, he suddenly let out a shriek.

“Ahhh—rest stop!”

Mesan visibly flinched at the sudden shout, but Lee Youngshin did not have the leisure to soothe him. The moment he saw the sign for the rest area, he yanked the wheel.

He was in an urgent situation.

The moment they had gone through the tollgate, his lower abdomen had started sending signals.

According to the original plan, he was supposed to keep driving without stopping in case anything unexpected happened. That had been the idea at first. He had not wanted to waste time, so he had passed several rest stops. He had simply kept going.

And in the process, Lee Youngshin had learned exactly what it meant for the sky to turn yellow.

To reach Seoul, they still had to travel at least half again the distance they had already covered. No matter how important the matter at hand was, there were limits. Human dignity had to be preserved.

Hurriedly parking the car, Lee Youngshin fumbled frantically at his seat belt. He threw open the door and was just about to bolt out when—

“W-where are you going?!”

Mesan, seated in the passenger seat, grabbed at his clothes. The car had suddenly pulled into a rest stop for no apparent reason, and now he was trying to get out without any explanation. Naturally, Mesan was flustered.

At that, Lee Youngshin made a strangled sound, almost tearful.

“Y-young master, I, ngh—bath... room...”

“...What?”

“I tried to hold it, but I think I might piss myself, so...”

“......”

“Do not come outside. Wait here...”

“......”

He was speaking so badly that Mesan could barely understand him. The only part he truly caught was that he was supposed to wait there.

With that, Lee Youngshin leaped out of the car.

Or rather, he leaped out—and then immediately came back.

Hurrying back over, he tapped on the car three times, like he was knocking on it.

“Hm?”

Mesan, still sitting in the passenger seat, blinked with wide eyes.

Lee Youngshin shook his head miserably, as if to say, It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.

Then he turned and sprinted toward the restroom like lightning.

Mesan watched his rapidly retreating back through the window.

What had happened?

Still, he would probably be back soon, wouldn’t he? Once the smoothly moving car came to a stop, Mesan began to grow uneasy. He was worried they might arrive late like this.

The two of them must be waiting and waiting for him...

“Ah, right!”

Sitting there with a gloomy face, Mesan’s eyes suddenly lit up. He immediately began rummaging deep inside his clothes, searching for something. After a moment, his fingers found it in the inner pocket of his pants. Smiling brightly, Mesan pulled it out.

“I can call!”

What he had taken out was the cell phone Jeongju had given him before.

Originally, he had hidden it in the living room dresser so Jaegyeom would not find it, but one day he had nearly gotten caught by his lord. Since then, he had simply kept it on his person at all times. He had forgotten all about it until now.

I should tell Jeongju I’m coming soon ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) and ask him to wait just a little longer!

With clumsy hands, Mesan turned on the phone. Then, just as Jeongju had once shown him, he fumbled through pressing a few buttons. When he held it to his ear, he heard the call signal.

He was bouncing his legs in excitement when—

“Mesan?”

At the familiar voice, his face lit up.

“Jeongju!”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Uh, we stopped for a minute, but we’ll be there soon!”

Jeongju’s voice came over the phone.

“Huh? What stopped?”

“The car. Youngshin’s car stopped for a minute.”

“What? Who?”

“Youngshin! Uh, the one who came to get me!”

Mesan answered eagerly into the phone. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

“We’re on our way to Seoul right now!”

And then, in a bright, cheerful voice, he added clearly,

“Because my lord is waiting with you.”

“......”

All at once, the line went silent.

Just a second ago he had heard Jeongju perfectly, but now there was nothing. Mesan blinked, holding the phone in both hands.

“Mesan.”

“Yes.”

He answered obediently.

“Where are you right now?”

“I’m in Youngshin’s car.”

The moment Mesan finished speaking, there was a crashing commotion on the other end of the line. He could faintly hear unfamiliar voices too, saying things like, Are you all right? Actor, where are you going?

“Jeongju?”

“Mesan. Is that man... is he next to you right now?”

Mesan tilted his head in confusion. Jeongju’s voice, usually no different from any other day, suddenly sounded urgent. There was a strange tremor in it.

“No! He went somewhere for a minute. But Jeongju, why does your voice—”

“Open the car door!”

“...What?”

“Open the door and get out. Hurry!”

Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?

Mesan did as he was told for the moment. He grabbed the door handle and pushed outward.

But the door did not budge.

“Jeongju, it won’t open.”

“Why not? It—maybe it’s locked. Mesan, you rode in my car before, remember? I showed you what to do when the door won’t open. Near the handle, there should be—right? Undo that and...”

As Jeongju spoke, Mesan quickly remembered unlocking the door just as he had shown him. Fortunately, the car he was riding in now looked similar to Jeongju’s. He retraced the memory and started feeling around near the handle.

Then, all at once, his face changed.

“Mesan, did you unlock it?”

“Jeongju...”

Mesan said, looking bewildered.

“The door... it isn’t locked.”