Honbul: Flame of the Soul

“Would you like to go with me?”

Jaegyeom’s clenched fist twitched. He glared murderously at Yoon Taehee.

“...”

“...”

Jaegyeom took one step closer and suddenly punched Yoon Taehee in the shoulder.

“Ow.”

Yoon Taehee wrapped his arms around his shoulders and pretended to be in pain. The smiling face of the Fool mask only made him look more infuriating.

Jaegyeom growled.

“You bastard... Why didn’t you tell me?”

Jaegyeom had not thought much of it when Yoon Taehee chose his mask. He had not known that, in the field, they used the masks’ names as aliases. If Yoon Taehee had told him in advance, he would have asked for a different mask.

“This bastard really pisses me off...”

He had never imagined he would hear someone call him “Bride” in his life. A crawl went down his spine as if an earthworm had wriggled along it, and his whole body cramped with disgust. It was unbelievably spiteful. He should have asked why, out of all those masks, it had to be a Bride mask. Yoon Taehee had clearly chosen it on purpose just to tease him.

“Are you fucking with me? You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Me? Surely not...”

Yoon Taehee covered the lower half of his face with his fan and put on an innocent act.

“Do you think it was a coincidence?”

Yoon Taehee swallowed his laughter and looked at Jaegyeom’s ears, which had gone bright red.

Ah, what a shame I can’t see his face...

“Don’t be ridiculous. What kind of coincidence is that?”

“Why? Because you’re embarrassed? Just think of it as an alias.”

“It’s obviously an alias. What kind of name is that for a man—”

Yoon Taehee cut him off and spoke in a solemn voice.

“In this day and age, dividing things into men’s and women’s is a little...”

Yoon Taehee, who had been about to say tacky, took one step back. Jaegyeom’s foot, aimed at his shin, narrowly missed.

“Right. You’re old, after all. I understand.”

Having dodged safely, Yoon Taehee nodded and changed his words at once.

“You’re right. It wasn’t a coincidence. I chose it on purpose.”

Yoon Taehee, laughing softly, folded his fan.

“Have you ever seen the Hahoe mask ritual?”

At the unexpected question, Jaegyeom glared at Yoon Taehee. What was he trying to say now? He had seen the Hahoe mask ritual briefly once, while traveling through the eight provinces with his teacher.

It was a village ritual performed to pray for the village’s prosperity and peace. The ritual involved making offerings to the village’s guardian deity, and the details differed from village to village. In the case of the ritual held in Hahoe Village in Andong, people wore masks and performed a masked play. The masks used then were called Hahoe masks. The Fool mask worn by Yoon Taehee and the Bride mask worn by Jaegyeom were both Hahoe masks.

“In the performance, the Bride is the main character of the first act.”

“So what? What does that have to do with me?”

Yoon Taehee smiled and whispered gently.

“You’re the main character too. You’ll be taking the first step in the plan.”

Jaegyeom froze and looked at Yoon Taehee. Standing with his back to the burning sunset, Yoon Taehee cast a long shadow. A dimple appeared in his cheek as he added,

“And since the Bride is a guardian deity...”

When the masked play began, the first performer to appear was the Bride, wearing the Bride mask. The Bride, symbolizing the village guardian deity, appeared riding on the shaman’s shoulders without setting foot on the ground. Because the Bride was treated as a deity, the Bride mask was the most sacred of all the masks.

“That’s why I chose it.”

Yoon Taehee had chosen the most precious mask for Jaegyeom.

For some reason, Jaegyeom could not answer. The sensation that had faded for a moment came alive again. A prickling crawl, like an earthworm wriggling down his spine.

The sunset backlight covered the young flush on the Bride’s cheeks.

*****

The inside of the half-built building was bleak and gloomy.

The reason construction had stopped so close to completion was a series of mysterious falls. There had been four accidents this month alone. The company had conducted an inspection to determine the cause. The on-site investigation concluded there were no safety issues. The injured workers had all received thorough safety training and were experienced technicians.

According to the injured workers, it had felt as though someone had pushed their bodies toward the railing. With ominous accidents occurring one after another and no known cause, the remaining workers could not help trembling in fear.

Around then, sinister rumors had begun to spread. Some workers who had stayed late for night work claimed they had seen something whitish or heard strange sounds. As more and more workers left the construction site, work eventually came to a temporary halt. The news reached the ears of the Covert Division and, through the situation room, was passed to Team 1 of the Exorcism Unit.

Bride and Fool entered the building side by side.

“It stinks.”

Jaegyeom frowned and grumbled. The moment he stepped inside, a damp stench hit him. The air around his body was cold and heavy. Yoon Taehee, who was looking around, nodded.

“The yin energy is strong, and it feels nasty. It’s probably an inauspicious site...”

Then the newcomer murmured softly.

“Sounds like an earthbound ghost.”

“That would fit.”

Chief Yoon quietly agreed.

An inauspicious site, commonly treated in geomancy as the opposite of an auspicious site, referred to a place that brought harm to people. Places like that were often occupied by earthbound ghosts. Earthbound ghosts were malevolent beings bound to a specific location by grudges, bringing misfortune upon that place.

The first task was to find the earthbound ghost. Jaegyeom opened the door and climbed the dark stairs. Every step made bits of cement crunch beneath his feet. Everywhere, there were signs that construction had stopped midway.

Yoon Taehee lightly adjusted the end of his tie and brought it to his lips.

“What do you think? See anything?”

Voices came from a special tiepin that also functioned as a radio.

“Nothing on the first floor.”

“Doesn’t seem like there’s anything on the third floor either.”

Jaegyeom’s eyes widened as he watched Yoon Taehee exchange radio calls. Then, abruptly, he lowered his head and looked at his own tie. Why didn’t he have one of those...?

Yoon Taehee spoke into the pin.

“Check one more time. If there’s nothing, come upstairs.”

After giving the order, Yoon Taehee switched off the radio. Just then, Jaegyeom, who had been standing sullenly, seemed to remember something and quickly pressed close to him. Yoon Taehee looked at Jaegyeom in puzzlement. Jaegyeom grabbed him by the neck.

“Hey. Did they hear everything?”

Yoon Taehee paused at the breathy whisper.

“...What?”

When Yoon Taehee asked blankly, Jaegyeom reached up again and pulled his neck down, just as before. Yoon Taehee bent his knees slightly and leaned his upper body toward Jaegyeom.

“You know. What we talked about outside earlier. About the Bride. And the way I spoke to you. Did they hear all of that? People will think it’s strange...”

Yoon Taehee silently turned his head and looked at Jaegyeom. His eyes beyond the mask were serious. Bride and Fool looked at each other. Their gazes lined up exactly.

“...”

Why aren’t you saying anything? Jaegyeom narrowed his eyes.

After a long moment of silence, Yoon Taehee lightly bumped his forehead against Jaegyeom’s. The wooden masks struck each other with a clack.

“Wh—what?”

Startled, Jaegyeom took one step back and rubbed the forehead of his mask.

“Earlier... I had it switched off, so it’s all right.”

The answer came very late.

*****

They scattered and searched the inside of the building, but no matter how thoroughly they looked, nothing caught their eyes. Those who had failed to find any trace of the ghost gathered in one place under Yoon Taehee’s orders. Outside, night had fallen, and the inside of the building had grown considerably darker as well.

Pyo Jiho, wearing the Nobleman mask, tilted his head and gave his impression.

“Judging from the energy, it does seem like an earthbound ghost.”

Yoon Taehee nodded, his hands in his pockets. The other Naja seemed to have realized as well that this was an inauspicious site and that an earthbound ghost had taken root here.

“Maybe it noticed us and ran outside?”

Kang Ibin, wearing the Monk mask, offered her opinion.

“But once an earthbound ghost has settled in, it can’t easily leave its territory.”

“That’s true, but if its activity range is wide enough, isn’t it possible?”

While the other Naja talked among themselves, Jaegyeom, standing a little away from them, suddenly dropped his gaze to their feet. Something had just passed beneath them. It had been a fleeting instant, but the sensation was unmistakable.

The other Naja seemed not to have noticed and kept talking.

“Then why don’t we check outside, just in case?”

No, the earthbound ghost is in here...

Jaegyeom was just about to open his mouth.

“No. The earthbound ghost is definitely inside the building.”

Before he could, Yoon Taehee spoke first. Jaegyeom, who had been focusing on his senses, raised his head. Yoon Taehee continued in a calm voice, resting his hand on one leg.

“It’s faint, but its presence has been circulating for a while now. Looks like it’s blended into the building itself. That must be why we couldn’t find it no matter how hard we searched.”

What, he’s pretty good...

Jaegyeom straightened up and looked away.

“So what do we do now?”

“We’ll have to drag it out. Shake it up a little.”

After saying that, Yoon Taehee called Go Junhyung, a lead Naja wearing the Concubine mask.

“Concubine.”

Go Junhyung sat down on the floor and took a brass gong and a wooden striker wound with red thread from the bag at his side.

The Naja covered their ears as if they were used to the sight of the gong.

Go Junhyung drew a deep breath and closed his eyes. He began striking the gong and reciting scripture. A sharp metallic rhythm filled the empty space. The sound pierced like thunder, and Jaegyeom covered his ears too, his face twisting.

Go Junhyung struck the gong as if possessed by a deity. The inside of the building, however, remained silent. The energy wavered, but the ghost did not come out. Several minutes passed with no response. Yoon Taehee lifted one hand.

“Well done. It’s quite stubborn...”

At Yoon Taehee’s signal, Go Junhyung stopped the gong.

“I’ll do it.”

Yoon Taehee crouched down on one knee and placed one palm against the floor.

Then, at some point, the cement fragments and stone dust scattered across the floor began to tremble and rattle. The ground beneath him shook with an unknown vibration. It felt as though the entire huge building was writhing in pain.

Once Yoon Taehee stepped in, the change was fierce, nothing like what had come before. The stench grew stronger and stronger. In response, each Naja took a position and settled into stance. It was both anticipation of the ghost’s appearance and preparation for it.

Kang Ibin gestured to Jaegyeom, who was standing some distance away.

“It could be dangerous, so come here. Stay behind me.”

It was only natural for the senior Naja to protect the weakest member.

“Yeah...”

Jaegyeom quietly obeyed Kang Ibin. He wanted to protect someone, but he was in no position to protect anyone at all... Yoon Taehee had told him not to reveal his power to anyone but him and to keep his identity hidden.

At that moment, the presence pointed to a certain spot.

“It’s out! Over there!”

Something that looked like an enormous leech began to swell up from the floor. A foul stench and heavy, damp air filled the space. It was the earthbound ghost they had been searching for all this time.

Seeing the earthbound ghost at last, Jaegyeom was impressed. He sensed far more unpleasant malice from it than he had expected. He had thought its presence was vague because it was weak, but seeing it with his own eyes, he realized the opposite was true. It seemed to be a fairly powerful ghost, strong enough to kill anyone who appeared before it with skillful precision.

Jaegyeom looked back and forth between Yoon Taehee and the earthbound ghost. The rest of the team, including Jaegyeom, had taken one step back. Yoon Taehee alone stood at the front, close to the ghost.

“...”

Without realizing it, Jaegyeom pressed his lips together. Something sprouted in one corner of his mind. After thinking for a moment, he approached Kang Ibin. He lightly touched her elbow and whispered quickly.

“Aren’t you supposed to help him?”

That small sprout was worry.

He had heard that in the newcomer rite, the seniors resolved the case for the newcomer. Since he was in a position where he had to stay back no matter what, he had assumed that was how it worked. But he could not understand ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) why everyone else was standing by as if watching a fire across the river.

Kang Ibin paused and asked again.

“What? Go help?”

Jaegyeom nodded silently.

Of course, Yoon Taehee was using a fairly good method. From that alone, Jaegyeom could roughly guess that he was more skilled than the other Naja dregs. On top of that, Yoon Taehee had said he had seen the deer, just like Jaegyeom. Among the team, Yoon Taehee had also been the only one to notice the presence of the ghost hiding inside the building.

He knew all that, but Jaegyeom was still worried about Yoon Taehee.

“I—I think it would be dangerous for him to handle it alone. If he gets hurt...”

Jaegyeom spoke in a serious voice. Kang Ibin blinked at him, then suddenly clapped her hands and burst into laughter after seeing the concern in the youngest member’s eyes through his mask. She abruptly raised one hand and called out loudly.

“Chi— I mean, Fool! Should we help?”

At Kang Ibin’s playful shout, Yoon Taehee turned around. He looked puzzled and raised his index finger, pointing at himself.

“Me?”

Then the other Naja burst out laughing too.

“The one over here is terribly anxious!”

Kang Ibin held out her palm like a tray, presenting Bride standing beside her.

“Ah...”

Yoon Taehee gave a low laugh and tilted his head.

“Are you really worried about me?”

In Jaegyeom’s memories, Yoon Taehee had always been getting beaten up by him, so he had no way of knowing how strong Yoon Taehee actually was.

Seeing the pale man who was always busy being beaten deal with a dangerous enemy alone naturally made him uneasy. Now that they were in the same boat, it was only natural for Jaegyeom to worry.

“If you need help, please tell us anytime!”

Kang Ibin said, holding back her laughter.

“Thank you for the kind offer, but I’ll politely decline.”

Just as Jaegyeom gave him a suspicious look for refusing help, Yoon Taehee smiled and reached for the fan tucked into the back pocket of his trousers.

“I may look like this, but I’m still useful.”