Honbul: Flame of the Soul

It was late in the evening when Jaegyeom returned home.

After they finished shopping, Yoon Taehee walked Jaegyeom all the way to his front gate. The original plan had been to do orientation, but Taehee had received a call from headquarters and had to skip it. He postponed orientation to the next day again, then turned his car around and drove out of the alley, saying he would come pick Jaegyeom up tomorrow.

Jaegyeom stood by the gate and watched his car leave. After Taehee came out of the fitting room, he had spoken noticeably less. He had barely said anything in the car on the way back, which made the silence strangely awkward. For some reason, it bothered Jaegyeom. He watched until the car disappeared completely, then opened the front door.

As soon as he stepped inside, Jeongju and Mesan, who had been waiting impatiently for him to come home from work, came rushing out.

“My lord, you’re... back?!”

“You’re back! Jaegyeom... huh? Huh?”

The moment he saw Jaegyeom come in, Mesan’s mouth fell open. Jeongju was no different. Realizing that Jaegyeom was dressed from head to toe in a perfectly fitted suit, Jeongju froze for a moment and looked him up and down.

“I’m back.”

After that brief greeting, Jaegyeom kicked off his shoes. The new shoes rolled across the floor like fallen leaves. He looked a little tired. He set the shopping bags in his hand down on the floor. There had to be more than ten of them.

“Oh my... Jaegyeom, you. What happened?”

“They said I have to dress like this when I go to work from now on.”

Jaegyeom explained with a displeased look. He also said he had gone to the department store with Yoon Taehee. He had not wanted to change clothes, so after leaving the store, he had simply kept the suit on. It had been pure annoyance on his part, but the result was an unexpected surprise for Jeongju and Mesan.

“Wow. I never imagined I’d see you in a suit...”

Jeongju adjusted Jaegyeom’s suit with an expression of disbelief. Dressed in a suit that fit his body perfectly, Jaegyeom’s clean, youthful beauty stood out even more clearly. This was exactly what people meant when they said clothes made the man. Jeongju could not help admiring him. Mesan, too, was staring at Jaegyeom with shining eyes.

Jaegyeom gently stroked Mesan’s head.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yes!”

“What did you play?”

“I played all kinds of things with Jeongju!”

“And?”

“I said hello to the birds, but they didn’t say hello back!”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know!”

“...Are Seoul birds scumbags?”

While Mesan and Jaegyeom chatted, Jeongju rummaged through the shopping bags and checked the contents one by one. The brand name was printed in gold on the outside of the luxurious-looking bags. It was an expensive luxury brand he recognized. Inside were several suits, various shoes, ties, and even socks.

“Jaegyeom, then Taehee bought all of this?”

Jaegyeom was taking off his suit jacket. He nodded at Jeongju’s incredulous look, which seemed to ask, How much did all this cost? When Jeongju checked the price tag, a single suit cost more than two million won.

He was grateful, but there had been no need to go this far...

“I gave you my card. You should have used it.”

Jeongju felt sorry for no reason. It was not as if he had no money. Besides, these were clothes Jaegyeom would be wearing anyway, so it was only right for Jeongju to pay for them. They had already received a house from Yoon Taehee, and being indebted to him again and again felt burdensome.

“I tried, but he wouldn’t let me.”

Jaegyeom had, in fact, taken out the card in front of the register. Since he had not known exactly how much it would cost, he had thought he could simply use the card he had been given. But Yoon Taehee had gently pushed Jaegyeom’s hand away and said, “I’ll use mine.” Then he had paid for everything himself.

Jaegyeom had looked at him in confusion and asked,

“Why are you buying clothes I’m going to wear?”

“They’re clothes I chose, so I should buy them.”

It was strange logic, but somehow it seemed to make sense.

Jaegyeom asked, “Are you rich?”

“Mm. I have a lot.”

Yoon Taehee nodded obediently.

“Really? I have a lot of money too.”

Jaegyeom answered in an unimpressed tone.

“Isn’t that Jeongju’s money?”

“Jeongju’s money is my money.”

“Then use my money as your money too.”

And so, in the end, the winner at the checkout counter had been Yoon Taehee. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

“What the hell? Does he own stocks or something?”

Jeongju, who had been listening quietly, looked serious. Or was it real estate? No matter how much he thought about it, he could not understand how someone with an annual salary of two hundred million won had that kind of financial power... Maybe he should secretly ask whether there was any good investment information.

“Anyway, I feel bad about us keep getting things like this. It may look like we’re getting it all for free now, but when you look back on it later, it’s all debt. You’re supposed to return what you receive.”

The fox, now completely assimilated into capitalist society, rummaged through the shopping bags. Mesan was squatting beside him too, his head stuck inside one of the bags as he peered around.

“Speaking of which, shouldn’t we invite him over sometime? It can be a housewarming party and a meal invitation at the same time. Jaegyeom, ask Taehee when he’s free.”

“Why invite him? His money’s probably rotting in piles, so he’s throwing it around. Just leave him alone.”

Jaegyeom pulled at his tie with a disgruntled look.

“Come on, it’s give-and-take. And honestly, after only hearing your side of the story, I didn’t have the best impression of him, but when I actually met him, he seemed polite and sensible enough.”

Jeongju continued speaking as he neatly organized the shopping items.

“I think it’s better to experience people for myself instead of relying only on my instincts.”

“Weren’t you the one bragging that you had good instincts? Turn in your tail, you bastard.”

Jaegyeom glanced at Jeongju with pity.

“Ahem. Even monkeys fall out of trees sometimes...”

Jeongju made a small awkward sound, then said, “Oh, right,” and changed the subject.

“It was a little surprising when I shook Taehee’s hand.”

“What was surprising?”

“How should I put it? It felt strange.”

Jaegyeom, who had been neatly folding an empty shopping bag, looked up.

“What do you mean, strange?”

“Uh... like, how do I say this? It felt like my heart was being squeezed.”

Jeongju looked down at his palm.

“I don’t know how to express it, but something hit me. Should I say I felt a kind of pressure?”

Jaegyeom asked back, puzzled.

“Pressure?”

Jeongju nodded quietly.

“Yeah. But it wasn’t unpleasant or anything. It was more like... my chest tightened and my blood rushed. Jaegyeom, did you feel anything like that when you shook hands with Taehee?”

Jaegyeom’s eyes wandered as he thought. He had never felt anything like that before.

Actually, had he ever shaken Taehee’s hand?

He briefly looked back on the past, but all he could remember was beating him up.

*****

“Unit Head, Chief Yoon is here.”

Along with the knock, Han Juyoung’s businesslike voice came from beyond the door. Seok Juryeon, who had been sitting at the wide desk in the office of the head of the Exorcism Unit, turned over a document.

“Let him in.”

The door opened without a sound. Yoon Taehee, who had come after receiving Seok Juryeon’s call, entered and bowed silently. Seok Juryeon’s eyes, however, remained fixed on the documents. Taehee crossed the room, and when he stopped in front of the desk, he said slowly,

“You called for me.”

Unlike his bowed posture, which showed obedience and respect, his tone was loose. Seok Juryeon did not acknowledge him, let alone glance at him. She simply stared at the documents in silence, as though she were the only person in the spacious office.

“...”

“...”

A strange tension flowed between them. Yoon Taehee stood with his hands behind his back, staring straight ahead. It was as if the two of them were waiting to see who would speak first. Usually, Taehee would have spoken first, but right now, he was in a bad mood. A long silence continued, and only after some time did Seok Juryeon mutter calmly,

“You’re not wearing a mask for some reason.”

From the moment Yoon Taehee came in, Seok Juryeon’s gaze had never once left the documents. Taehee stroked his bare face.

The mask was the symbol of the Exorcism Unit. Anyone who belonged to the unit was given a traditional mask. The mask served both as a symbol of carrying on the Bangsangsi’s will and as a protective device that blocked the shock of ghostly force. Therefore, members of the unit had to wear masks in the field. Of course, there were exceptions in special situations, such as when they had to disguise themselves as criminals or infiltrate a place with too many eyes watching. Generally speaking, the times they had to wear masks were when they went into the field as combat personnel.

That meant there was no particular need to wear a mask inside headquarters. Most people took off their masks when they returned to headquarters. But that did not mean no one wore one inside. The reasons varied. Some were called out several times a day and found it annoying to take the mask off and put it back on each time. Some kept losing theirs whenever they took it off. Some were proud to belong to the Exorcism Unit. Some looked better with the mask on than with their bare face.

Yoon Taehee was one of the people who never took off his mask.

Usually, Taehee rarely ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) removed it. Except in front of his team members and a few people he knew, he almost never showed his face to others. Once, when Seok Juryeon had asked him the reason, he had answered that he was afraid his proud face might wear out. From that day on, she had stopped asking.

“Mm. I left it in the car.”

Yoon Taehee answered slowly.

“I heard you hit a new recruit.”

Seok Juryeon quietly turned over another document.

“Who said that?”

“Just answer me.”

Yoon Taehee slowly raised the corners of his mouth.

“Rumors travel fast. I wonder if they have legs.”

At his playful reply, Seok Juryeon closed her eyes for a moment. Then she set down the folder in her hand with a loud thud. After a soft sigh, she opened her mouth.

“Chief Yoon.”

At that, Yoon Taehee loosened his posture and rubbed the corner of his eye.

“Ah, I see. It must have been Senior Naja Hwang. Did he run to the unit head and tattle that his little brother got beaten? Incompetent bastards really are good at snitching.”

“Chief Yoon.”

Seok Juryeon spoke coldly. Her voice sounded as though she was suppressing her anger. With a nonchalant look, Yoon Taehee picked up the ballpoint pen lying to one side of the desk. He turned it over in his hand. Seok Juryeon glared at his shameless attitude.

“Aren’t you old enough to stop behaving however you please?”

“That’s exactly what I told him before I smacked him.”

In the end, Seok Juryeon snapped back with a fierce expression.

“I’m talking about you, not Hwang Seungsu, you bastard!”

Yoon Taehee, who had known perfectly well, clicked the ballpoint pen and laughed softly.

“Hey, you bastard. Do you have that little common sense?”

“Sometimes. I have no common sense in front of people with no common sense.”

Ah, a migraine...

Seok Juryeon touched her forehead.

“Go apologize.”

Yoon Taehee put the ballpoint pen back in its place and answered,

“I don’t want to.”

“Yoon Taehee.”

He pulled out a chair and sat down.

“He laid a hand on my successor. I only paid him back.”

“You beat a newcomer who only just got in?”

Seok Juryeon narrowed her eyes at him, furious.

“Yes. Unit Head, you did that before too. Don’t you remember when I first applied? I got into a fight in the exam room. Back then, you saw my busted lip, went to that bastard, and broke his arm.”

“...”

For a moment, Seok Juryeon was speechless. When she quietly looked back on her own past, she realized she had, in fact, done exactly that. She could just barely remember it. Taehee stared at the woman who had fallen silent and smiled with his eyes, as if to say, See?

“I learned from you.”

“...And out of everything I could have taught you, that’s what you learned?”

Yoon Taehee had also been a recommendation candidate, and the person who had recommended him was Seok Juryeon. Seok Juryeon briefly scolded Taehee, who was still smiling.

“You bastard, are you laughing right now?”

Inevitably, Seok Juryeon’s mood softened.

“You told me once that I should go around smiling.”

“What? When did I say that?”

“When we first met.”

Yoon Taehee rested his elbow comfortably on the desk and propped his chin on his hand.

“You said it looked like I had a knife in my eyes.”

The first time Seok Juryeon met Yoon Taehee had been ten years ago. At the time, the boy she met on the street had been a vagrant whose birth had not even been registered. After she brought him home, he lived with her for three years. Once he became an adult, he had lived separately ever since.

“Hide the knife in your belly, not in your eyes.”

At those soft words, Seok Juryeon narrowed her eyes. The smile slowly vanished from Taehee’s face as he looked back at her. She felt something unfamiliar, a sense of déjà vu.

Finally, expressionless, Yoon Taehee asked,

“What do you think? Can you still see the knife in my eyes?”