Honbul: Flame of the Soul

Yoon Taehee pressed the elevator button.

Since it was his first time at a department store, Jaegyeom stood there gawking while they waited for the elevator. The walls, the floor—everything had a crisp, polished sheen.

“Hey. What did you come here to buy?”

“Mm, a suit. For you.”

What was a suit?

As soon as they stepped into the elevator, Yoon Taehee pressed a button with complete ease. He must have gone in and out of department stores often, because he seemed familiar with where he was headed. The elevator started moving, and Jaegyeom’s eyes widened as he grabbed at his ears. Ugh. His body felt strangely weightless, and his ears began to ring.

“What...”

Startled, Jaegyeom grabbed the handrail fixed to the wall. He had seen elevators plenty of times on TV, but this was his first time actually riding one. Yoon Taehee, standing there with his hands in his pockets, lowered his head and laughed softly.

“Swallow.”

He pointed near his mouth. When Jaegyeom swallowed as Yoon Taehee had told him, his ears suddenly popped.

Whoa... That was fascinating.

Just as Jaegyeom blinked with a puzzled look on his face, the elevator rose above ground. Through the transparent windows at the back, the outside of the building came clearly into view.

“Ah, fuck... That scared me!”

Jaegyeom, who had been standing near the back thinking it was only a wall, jumped in fright. He was completely startled by the open view suddenly unfolding before him. Hopping as if he had seen a bug, he quickly moved closer to Yoon Taehee. He had been so surprised that he did it without thinking. Yoon Taehee smiled and lightly caught Jaegyeom by the arm.

“Were you surprised?”

Jaegyeom, his eyes wide, glared at Yoon Taehee.

“Hey. I’ve seen this on TV too.”

“Hm?”

“Don’t look down on me like I’m some country bumpkin.”

“I didn’t say anything...”

Just then, the elevator stopped on a floor above ground with a ding. The doors opened, and people came pouring in. As strangers suddenly rushed inside and pressed closer, Jaegyeom flinched and clung to the wall. Then Yoon Taehee reached out and pulled him over.

“Come here.”

Nearly swept away by the crowd rushing in, Jaegyeom was dragged straight into Yoon Taehee’s arms. The inside of the elevator was packed like bean sprouts in a jar. Before he knew it, their bodies were pressed close together. The distance between them was far too short. He could practically feel Yoon Taehee breathing.

When that breath, mixed with the lingering scent of cologne, brushed his forehead and scattered, Jaegyeom’s face stiffened slightly. Just as he tried to free his captured wrist and lean his upper body back, an arm shot out from behind him.

“Excuse me.”

Someone leaned over, apparently unable to press the floor button they wanted. The jostling mass of people followed right after.

It was barely possible to put any distance between himself and Yoon Taehee. When someone shoved from behind, the space became so cramped that there was no room to move back at all. Yoon Taehee, leaning against the elevator wall, lifted a hand, wrapped it around the back of Jaegyeom’s head, and pulled him in. In the end, Jaegyeom had no choice but to lean against Yoon Taehee’s shoulder.

“Don’t touch my head.”

Yoon Taehee, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly asked,

“What shampoo do you use?”

With that breath tickling his ear, Jaegyeom narrowed his eyes and replied,

“I don’t know.”

“I see.”

Yoon Taehee lowered his head and lightly brushed the tip of his nose against Jaegyeom’s hair. Of course, Jaegyeom did not know that. All he wanted was to get off this thing quickly.

They got off on the floor where luxury men’s suits were displayed. The floor was divided by brand, and mannequins dressed in impeccably tailored suits stood out here and there. Yoon Taehee lightly scanned the spacious floor, then walked off at a leisurely pace. Walking beside him, Jaegyeom took in his surroundings out of the corner of his eye. Unlike the crowded elevator, the atmosphere here was refined and quiet. It was nice being somewhere calm.

After finding the store he wanted, Yoon Taehee glanced at Jaegyeom as if telling him to follow.

“Hello. Are you looking for something to wear...”

As an employee approached, Yoon Taehee gave him a polite nod. While the two exchanged a few words, Jaegyeom tapped at the mannequin standing by the entrance. Before long, Yoon Taehee gestured to him.

“My lord.”

Jaegyeom narrowed his eyes and shot him a look.

“Don’t call me that in front of people.”

The male employee who had approached Jaegyeom to check his size smiled brightly.

“You must be his younger brother. That’s an adorable nickname.”

Jaegyeom answered the employee with a perfectly straight face.

“I’m not his younger brother.”

“Ah—yes...?”

The employee seemed momentarily flustered by the blunt, unexpected reply.

They did not look alike, but Jaegyeom looked younger, and since there were two men together, it was a reasonable guess from the employee’s point of view. It was also because the nickname Yoon Taehee used sounded affectionate, like something used for a younger sibling or a baby. But Jaegyeom sharply rejected it and looked openly displeased.

“Ah, I thought you were brothers...”

Yoon Taehee, standing beside him, let out a small laugh. He could have simply said, “Something like that,” and moved on, but the boy had no tact. Yoon Taehee playfully cut in.

“Just a younger brother I know.”

The employee smiled awkwardly and murmured, “I see...”

“On my side.”

Yoon Taehee smiled and quickly added. The employee, not understanding what he meant, looked puzzled.

“Yes?”

“I’m the younger one.”

While Yoon Taehee was introducing himself as the younger brother, Jaegyeom, slightly startled, pursed his lips and stared at him. Yoon Taehee simply stood there with his hands in his pockets and looked back at Jaegyeom.

“Right, big brother?”

The employee looked between the two of them with a still-confused expression.

“...”

“...”

Jaegyeom’s face belatedly hardened.

Here he goes again...

What? Big brother?

He tightened his brows and glared at Yoon Taehee. While Jaegyeom cursed him with his eyes, Yoon Taehee’s face was serious, but playfulness dripped from his eyes like honey.

Just then, the employee finally came back to his senses and hurriedly put on a smile.

“Ahaha, y-you’re joking, right?”

Yoon Taehee shrugged in a noncommittal way.

“No. He’s a little older than me. No, not a little. Severely...”

Unable to stand it anymore, Jaegyeom walked over to Yoon Taehee and discreetly jabbed him in the side with his elbow. Yoon Taehee clutched his side as if he had been brutally assaulted, but he was laughing silently. He had a natural talent for provoking people. Jaegyeom was starting to suspect that he simply liked getting hit. Why on earth did he keep picking fights?

“Are you insane? Who’s your big brother? Stop screwing around.”

Jaegyeom gritted his teeth and whispered in a low voice.

“Did I say something wrong? I am younger.”

Yoon Taehee answered slyly, and Jaegyeom could not exactly refute it. He had never had a younger brother this big, this tall, and this infuriating, and he did not want one. Unless it was small, precious Mesan. Hearing Yoon Taehee call him big brother gave him goosebumps. Sometimes it was “friend,” sometimes “my lord,” and now it was “big brother.” Yoon Taehee changed what he called people however he pleased. Come to think of it, that bastard had always done everything his own way from the beginning.

“I told you to stop. This time, I really will hit you.”

“You just really hit me here...”

“If you don’t want your ribs broken, be quiet.”

“...”

Yoon Taehee suddenly pretended to check his wristwatch. Meanwhile, a faint dimple still lingered on one side of his cheek.

*****

“How is it? Is there anything you like?”

Yoon Taehee chose clothes for him with practiced hands.

“Not really. They all look the same to me.”

Jaegyeom only looked annoyed. He did not have much interest in shopping, and Jeongju always bought his clothes and shoes for him, so even seeing them in person did not tell him much. Especially suits. It was a type of clothing he had never worn in his life.

Yoon Taehee occasionally took a hanger down and held the clothes up against Jaegyeom’s body.

“Whatever I hold up to you, it suits you.”

That was something Jeongju said from time to time too. Jaegyeom had a neat, upright build, with straight shoulders, so clothes looked good on him even if someone dressed him carelessly.

Either way, he kept his bored expression.

“Why do I have to wear clothes like this?”

At that moment, Jaegyeom suddenly asked. He had just grown curious.

“Government jobs are usually rigid and conservative.”

It was pointless formality. Yoon Taehee spoke in an easy tone, his eyes still fixed on the clothes. Becoming a Naja was no different from becoming any other office worker, except that the work itself was different. Since it was a state organization that claimed to carry out public duties, it had a vertical atmosphere and placed importance on formalities and procedures. Naturally, one had to pay attention to attire as well.

“If that’s the case, shouldn’t you wear a horsehair hat and traditional robes?”

Jaegyeom crossed his arms crookedly and made a disapproving face, as if he could not understand it. Yoon Taehee laughed softly at that. It was a ridiculous thing to say, but it made a certain kind of sense. Still choosing clothes for him, he looked at Jaegyeom.

“Then I suppose we should wear straw sandals instead of shoes.”

Straw sandals...

The corner of Jaegyeom’s mouth twitched upward.

“Mm. And clogs when it rains.”

“Ride a palanquin instead of a car.”

“Or ride a horse.”

Yoon Taehee playfully followed along.

“Carry an A-frame carrier instead of a bag.”

Jaegyeom chuckled at the back-and-forth.

“An A-frame carrier? Why would we need an A-frame carrier, you idiot?”

It would be incredibly funny to imagine people walking around carrying those things these days. “That’s what you use when farming or cutting wood. Normally, you’d carry a bundle.”

“Ah. Right.”

Yoon Taehee let out a laugh as if realizing his mistake. The two looked at each other and snickered.

After they laughed like that for a while, it faded naturally.

Suddenly, silence fell.

It felt very strange to be looking at each other like this after they had just been laughing together a moment ago.

“Would you like to try it on?”

Just then, an employee walked over.

Yoon Taehee nodded toward Jaegyeom and said, “Yes. This one,” pointing to the clothes he had just chosen. The perfectly timed interruption broke the awkward stillness. Following the employee’s guidance, Jaegyeom went into the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) fitting room.