Honbul: Flame of the Soul

The news that Yoon Taehee, the chief Naja of Team 1 of the Exorcism Unit, had personally selected his junior spread quickly. Only one day had passed, yet there was no one who did not know Kim Jaegyeom was Yoon Taehee’s protégé. Taehee’s plan to make Jaegyeom introduce him in front of an audience had worked.

Perhaps because his reputation was so good, everyone let the fact that Chief Yoon had slapped Hwang Seungsu go in one ear and out the other. Those who dealt with Chief Yoon daily dismissed it as a false rumor, saying, “How could someone so polite and kind to his subordinates hit a newcomer?” Those who did not know Chief Yoon well were skeptical too. “Even if he did hit him, there must have been a good reason.”

The Naja of headquarters were all in an uproar over the “junior” Chief Yoon had chosen. There were stories based on fact, such as that he had seen deer during the first exam and received a gold pass, but as rumors tended to do, some odd embellishments had attached themselves here and there as the tale spread. In any case, the greatest question was what relationship he had with the chief. Half curiosity, half envy. The arrival of a junior wrapped tightly in Chief Yoon’s halo was the hottest topic of conversation at headquarters.

“I heard he’s distantly related to Chief Yoon.”

“Really? I heard he’s just a younger guy Chief Yoon is close to.”

The Naja gathered in the hallway, chatting away, suddenly gasped. A Fool mask had abruptly popped out from the corner of the corridor. Those who recognized the person wearing the mask immediately greeted him with polite bows.

“Hello, Chief!”

“Hello, Chief!”

As the saying went, speak of a tiger and it would come. The mask Taehee wore was a Fool mask. Dressed in a black suit with the mask over his face, Taehee gave a slight bow and returned their greetings. The Naja leaning against the wall exchanged glances. Sure enough, Chief Yoon had a companion with him. They looked at that companion with curious eyes. Unlike Chief Yoon, the long-necked, sharp-looking boy was bare-faced.

Is that him? He looks a little young. He’s handsome....

Just as the people standing against the wall were glancing over to look at the boy’s face, the boy seemed to sense their gazes and cast a sideways look at them with an expressionless face. The Naja flinched and averted their eyes. His pale double eyelids and upturned eyes looked quite fierce.

The boy withdrew his gaze and whispered something to Chief Yoon. Chief Yoon then turned his head and looked at the Naja. At that, their hearts seemed to drop. Had he heard them talking? It was not exactly gossiping behind his back, but they somehow felt guilty and hurried away, murmuring, “Let’s go, let’s go.”

Jaegyeom stared blankly at their rapidly retreating backs, then opened his mouth.

“Hey, they must’ve been cussing you out.”

At that, Taehee laughed and said playfully,

“You should go scold them.”

“Why would I?”

Jaegyeom merely retorted as he scratched his cheek.

What Jaegyeom had whispered into Taehee’s ear just now had not been a report. It had been a question. Watching the Naja greet Taehee by calling him “Chief,” he had asked, “Hey. If you’re Chief, then what am I?”

Once again, he had found himself wondering what title they would use for him.

“So am I Probationary Naja Kim?” Jaegyeom asked seriously.

A soft laugh came from inside the mask. In the case of apprentices or rank-and-file Naja without any special title, it was common to call them by name, but there was no way Jaegyeom would know the naming culture of a workplace.

Taehee was silent for a moment, then smiled, one dimple appearing.

“Isn’t it cool? Probationary Naja Kim.”

He could have shaken his head and said no one used such a title, but Taehee accepted Jaegyeom’s idea exactly as it was. Jaegyeom simply nodded in response, as if he understood. Chief Yoon took the satisfied Probationary Naja Kim to the office of Team 1 of the Exorcism Unit.

The office of Team 1 of the Exorcism Unit was on the third floor of the main building. When he pressed the access key, the door with opaque tinted glass opened automatically. Although the nature of the work required frequent travel, the office itself did not look much different from any ordinary company.

Faces of team members popped up from behind desk partitions.

“Huh? The chief’s here!”

“Chief, you’re here!”

The team members rose from their chairs and welcomed Taehee. Compared with the people they had met in the hallway, their attitude was much more casual. Taehee also greeted them back in a far more relaxed tone than before and took off the mask covering his face. The team members’ gazes focused on the boy who had followed Taehee in.

“Ah! Jaegyeom!”

Kang Ibin smiled brightly and raised both arms.

The office immediately began to buzz. Taehee smiled and drew Jaegyeom closer, lightly wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Jaegyeom flinched at that and glanced at the hand holding his shoulder.

“This is Probationary Naja Kim Jaegyeom, the newest member of our Team 1.”

Unlike the time when Jaegyeom had introduced him on his behalf, this time Taehee introduced Jaegyeom himself. The moment the introduction ended, the team members cheered in unison. It was as if some exciting festival had begun. Everyone was welcoming Jaegyeom. For Jaegyeom, it was a strange experience he was having for the first time in his life. The team members flocked around him and offered enthusiastic first greetings.

“Wow, it’s so nice to meet you. Welcome to Team 1, sincerely.”

“I heard you got a gold pass. As expected of our chief’s pick.”

Jaegyeom froze in a daze at the unexpectedly passionate response.

“Chief, be honest. You picked him because of his face, didn’t you?”

Taehee laughed and answered the teammate’s joke.

“Oops. You caught me.”

The atmosphere of Team 1 was very harmonious and lively. The team members treated one another without reserve, and the same was true toward Taehee. Jaegyeom had vaguely guessed as much from the moment he met Kang Ibin, but his teammates were very friendly toward Taehee. Their words and actions exuded solid trust and warm affection.

It seemed the claim that everyone liked Taehee really was true. Seeing that fact with his own eyes made Jaegyeom feel dazed and strange.

“I’m Senior Naja Pyo Jiho. Nice to meet you. If you need anything or need help, feel free to come to me anytime. All right? Take care.”

The team members introduced themselves one by one and said their piece. Team 1 had nine people in total. Excluding the team leader, Chief Yoon, and the youngest member, Probationary Naja Kim, there were two senior Naja, three lead Naja, and two rank-and-file Naja. Three people were currently out on dispatch orders, so there were six people in the office.

“Jaegyeom! That suit looks so good on you!”

Kang Ibin, the ninth member, clapped her hands and praised him.

“Ah. Yeah....”

Jaegyeom shook hands with his teammates, who all wore moved expressions. The team members already had at least a rough idea of who Jaegyeom was, since Taehee had told them about him a few days earlier. Of course, it was all a story Taehee had made up to some extent.

He’s eighteen this year, and his parents returned to their hometown and raised him through homeschooling. From what I heard, it seems he lived in an environment without computers or cell phones. Because of that, he’s a little different from kids his age these days. He only just moved to Seoul, so there are many things he doesn’t know. Please teach him well.

The team members were quickly convinced. It was easy to imagine because it was the sort of case often introduced on television programs. Parents disillusioned with city life quit their jobs and went into the mountains. They lived in a log cabin they had built themselves. At nine at night, they turned off the lights and went to sleep. The parents must have taught the child themselves in a nature-friendly way. A story about living a simple life far removed from modern culture. In their heads, a documentary was swiftly completed.

It was an excellent story.

As a result, even if Jaegyeom showed somewhat awkward or clumsy sides, the team members would not have any doubts.

Kang Ibin led the youngest, who had been frozen stiff, to the seat assigned to him.

“This is your seat, Jaegyeom.”

A desktop computer sat on a neatly organized desk, and two sheets of coated paper were attached to the partition. One page showed the symbols used on the hand mirror for communication, and the other had the team members’ personal contact information written on it.

Meanwhile, Taehee was receiving an oral report from Pyo Jiho.

Jaegyeom was given basic items Naja carried, including an access card key for entering and leaving and a hand mirror for communication. Kang Ibin carefully explained their purposes and how to use them. While listening to Kang Ibin’s explanation, he unconsciously glanced at Taehee. For some reason, his eyes kept going to him. Placed in an unfamiliar and awkward environment, he unconsciously turned his gaze toward someone close to him.

Just then, amid the chaotic atmosphere, one of the team members spoke.

“Chief, since we have a new ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ employee today, should we do that?”

The other team members immediately exclaimed in agreement. Jaegyeom was the only one wearing a puzzled expression, wondering what “that” was. Taehee, who had been talking to Pyo Jiho with his arm draped over the partition, smiled and nodded.

“Oh, the newcomer rite? Of course. We have to do it.”

The newcomer rite was a custom that originated in the Joseon dynasty, a ritual for welcoming newly appointed officials and the origin of today’s orientation culture. At the time, newly appointed officials had to pass through this ceremony to be recognized by their seniors, but the process was so harsh it was considered an evil custom. The ritual involved serving luxurious food to senior officials and carrying out all kinds of punishments and orders.

And in the Exorcism Unit, it was tradition to hold a welcome rite when a new member came in. However, rather than inheriting the abuses, they had completely reversed it, so in truth, only the name had been inherited. The purpose of the Exorcism Unit’s newcomer rite was not for the newcomer to offer something to the seniors, but for the seniors to give something to the newcomer.

The first step of the newcomer rite was for the entire team to go out together. When a request for support came in, all team members went to the scene and resolved the case, but the seniors stepped forward while the newcomer stayed back. However, all the credit went to the newcomer. Results were intentionally passed along to help with future personnel evaluations.

Taehee flicked his tie over his shoulder and looked at Jaegyeom.

“Well, first of all... I think we should start by choosing our probationary Naja’s mask.”

*****

The sunset burned the horizon red.

Standing with his back to the evening sky, Taehee quietly looked at the building with its bare steel frame exposed. Behind his mask, his eyes sharply examined the half-built structure. The members of Team 1 stood in a line about one step behind Taehee, each wearing a different expression.

Taehee carefully inspected the building and muttered to himself.

“From the outside, nothing stands out....”

The place where the support request had come from was a construction site where a twelve-story building was being built. Dozens of workers must have been mobilized there, but unfortunately, the construction site was empty. Since construction had been halted, it was only natural that no one was around. Surrounded by a temporary panel wall, the construction site looked desolate and shabby.

“Let’s each take one floor and check it.”

Taehee tapped his shoulder with the folding fan in his hand, a fan made by lacquering thin bamboo ribs. Just then, a wind blew in from afar, kicking up thick dust. Taehee, who had been half folding and unfolding the antique lacquered fan, opened it wide.

He gently swung the folding fan in the direction the wind was blowing from. The dust seemed to scatter, and the wind died down. Jaegyeom, standing at the back, saw it and widened his eyes. Taehee folded the fan with an indifferent hand.

“Then... Nobleman.”

When Taehee called, one person stepped forward.

“Coming!”

The Nobleman answered in a loud voice. Taehee and the others standing behind him burst into laughter. The owner of the voice was none other than Pyo Jiho. The reason he was called Nobleman was because the mask he wore was a Nobleman mask. In the Exorcism Unit, when several people gathered and went to a scene, the rule was to call one another by mask names instead of titles or real names. This was to protect their safety in case of retaliation.

In the past, there had been an incident where a Naja attempted to exorcise a powerful vengeful ghost and lost it, but the vengeful ghost remembered his name out of spite, used that name as a clue to find him, and caused mischief. Since then, those working in the Exorcism Unit had used the names of their masks as aliases in the field.

“Nobleman, take the first and second floors.”

Taehee pointed to the building entrance with his folded fan. Since Pyo Jiho was a senior Naja, he was assigned two floors.

“Yes!”

Pyo Jiho smiled and entered the building.

“Servant.”

The team member wearing the Servant mask headed to the third floor.

“Monk.”

Kang Ibin, wearing the Monk mask, went to the fourth floor. In the same way, Concubine went, then Nobleman’s Servant, then Old Woman... Everyone left. Before long, only one person remained.

“...”

Taehee opened his fan and laughed, covering his mouth. Perhaps there was something ominous about the silence, because he could feel murder gathering behind him. Suppressing his laughter, Taehee turned around. Jaegyeom was glaring at him, fists clenched tight. His expression could not be seen because of the mask covering his face, but his eyes were extremely vicious.

“Bride.”

Jaegyeom’s earlobes were red like the burning sunset.

“Would you like to go with me?”

The mask Taehee had chosen for Jaegyeom was a Bride mask.