Honbul: Flame of the Soul

“Excuse me! We’d like to order!”

Kang Ibin shouted with both hands raised high. Her voice was so loud that every customer in the restaurant turned to look. Jaegyeom’s shoulders flinched in surprise, and he fidgeted with his fingers. Yoon Taehee, sitting diagonally across from him, gave a small laugh. Jaegyeom frowned faintly and looked away.

“First, two bottles of red-cap soju. Do you have beer?”

Kang Ibin waved at the employee who approached, visibly in high spirits. Pyo Jiho looked up from the menu and stared at her in disbelief.

“Um, Ibin. Shouldn’t we order the meat first?”

“I’m thirsty, so let’s wet our throats first.”

At some point, the team members had started speaking comfortably to one another regardless of rank. Unlike at the scene, the mood was more like a gathering of friends. That was how close the team members were.

“Whew. Chief, please stop that lunatic.”

Pyo Jiho appealed with a frightened face. Yoon Taehee, who was taking off his tie and unbuttoning his shirt, chuckled. Even while the team members spoke casually among themselves, they used polite speech only with Yoon Taehee. Yoon Taehee did the same with them.

He was someone with little interest in hierarchy. That was why his team members could get along so informally with their superior. Yoon Taehee treated his team members as colleagues, regardless of rank. He worked with the team as its leader, not as its boss. However, when it came to his personal life, he drew a clear line.

He did not create unnecessary hierarchy, but he also did not allow the distance to narrow more than necessary. He maintained close collegial relationships with his teammates, but that was all. Yoon Taehee separated work and private life thoroughly. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he rarely ate with his team members unless it was a company dinner like this one.

“Lead Naja Kang, are you excited today?”

Yoon Taehee asked playfully, finally down to just his shirt after removing his suit jacket. His tie was crumpled carelessly in his jacket pocket.

“Of course! Since our youngest is here, we have to go all the way.”

At Kang Ibin’s enthusiastic declaration, the team members burst into laughter.

Before long, bright red raw meat, several side dishes, and various greens were set out. The alcohol Kang Ibin had ordered also took up one proud corner of the table. When she performed the trick of popping a beer bottle cap off with a spoon, the team members cheered and clapped excitedly. The mood was already heating up. The team members divided into the soju group, the beer group, and the soju-beer mix group, each choosing the liquor they preferred.

And today, Yoon Taehee chose to go his own way. As he poured pineapple-flavored soda into his beer glass, his teammates nodded as if they were used to it.

“As always, a mixer for our Chief.”

Pyo Jiho gently held out a bottle of soju. Yoon Taehee filled the glass about halfway with soda, then filled the rest with soju. Since Yoon Taehee liked sweet things, he always mixed soda into his alcohol when he drank.

Meanwhile, Jaegyeom was staring openmouthed at the meat cooking on the grill. The words I hope it cooks quickly seemed written plainly across his face. Watching him, Yoon Taehee grinned.

“Probationary Naja Kim, a fly’s going to get into your mouth.”

The team members’ attention fixed on him. They looked at the youngest member with delighted eyes. Jaegyeom turned his head with a puzzled expression. Just then, Pyo Jiho suddenly handed him an empty beer glass. Jaegyeom, who had been quietly shifting his eyes around, took the glass. Pyo Jiho slyly glanced at the fat brown bottle.

“Come on, our youngest should have a drink too.”

He quietly suggested alcohol. Kang Ibin’s face immediately hardened. Having a younger brother around Jaegyeom’s age herself, she shook her head firmly and pushed Pyo Jiho’s hand away.

“What are you doing to a growing teenager?”

Undeterred by Kang Ibin’s disapproval, Pyo Jiho extended the beer ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) bottle again.

“One glass of beer is fine. You’re allowed to drink what adults give you.”

“Hey, an adult has to act like an adult to be an adult. Teach him something good.”

“Come on, honestly, people should try alcohol at least once while they’re young.”

“No means no. Jaegyeom! Drink Fanta.”

A childish argument broke out between the adults. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“...”

Jaegyeom stared at the menu posted on the wall.

Beef ribs. Beef brisket. Rib eye. Beef brisket soybean paste stew...

“Well, in other countries, I heard people start drinking at sixteen. It’s only our country that’s so strict. Huh? It’s just one glass of beer, come on.”

Pyo Jiho lamented. Yoon Taehee, sitting beside him, showed no intention of getting involved in the question of whether to give Jaegyeom alcohol or soda. He simply sat with his legs crossed and laughed quietly.

“Is that something a public servant should say? Is it all right for someone paid so generously by the state to say things like that? If this were the old days, your head would already be off.”

Kang Ibin rolled her eyes and pretended to chop the back of Pyo Jiho’s neck. At that, his complexion changed completely, and he quickly raised his hand in a salute.

“Ohh, my apologies. Pay me and I’ll be patriotic. Loyalty.”

Pfft. Jaegyeom burst out laughing despite himself. The two of them were acting so absurdly that he could not help laughing. Then his eyes met Yoon Taehee’s as Yoon Taehee rested his chin in his hand.

Their gazes met, and Yoon Taehee’s eyes curved like half-moons.

“...”

Embarrassed, Jaegyeom pretended to fiddle with his chopsticks while the other team members, watching the two bicker, laughed as if they were dying.

In the end, Jaegyeom’s glass was filled with Fanta. Since Jaegyeom did not particularly enjoy drinking, he felt no real disappointment. It was not that he hated alcohol. When he drank, he liked traditional rice wine or floating-rice wine, but he had never tried modern soju or beer, so he had no interest.

“Now that everyone’s glasses are full, shall we make a toast?”

Kang Ibin clapped her hands and cheerfully led the mood.

“Now, attention, everyone. The Chief has a word to say!”

The team members clapped in agreement. Yoon Taehee, sitting languidly with his legs crossed, pointed at himself.

“Me?”

Everyone burst out laughing. Yoon Taehee looked as though this was the first he had heard of it, but soon obediently rose from his seat despite not having volunteered. Jaegyeom stared at him in disbelief.

Yoon Taehee stood leisurely with one hand resting on the table.

“I was away for a while, so everyone had a hard time in my absence...”

Yoon Taehee continued with words of encouragement, kindly meeting each team member’s gaze in turn. The team members raised their glasses one by one. Jaegyeom looked at him too and hesitantly lifted his glass.

Yoon Taehee’s gaze stopped when it reached Jaegyeom.

“And last but not least... our new probationary Naja.”

A clear dimple appeared in Yoon Taehee’s cheek.

“He’s precious, so please treat him that way.”

It was a short but powerful ending. Jaegyeom’s eyes trembled rapidly.

Precious.

Suddenly, a faded voice he had heard long ago came to mind. Yoon Taehee’s voice seemed to overlap with it.

Ah. There was one more person who told me I was precious...

“Well, then...”

Yoon Taehee smiled and raised his glass.

“To our success!”

The Naja echoed him and toasted in unison. Jaegyeom’s hand, having missed the timing, wandered awkwardly in the air. Seeing this, Yoon Taehee stretched out his arm and clinked his glass against Jaegyeom’s. As glasses came in from every direction, several small toasts followed. Each time the glasses touched, a clear clink rang out.

Watching Yoon Taehee and the others empty their glasses, Jaegyeom rubbed his faintly flushed cheek. Then he suddenly looked down at the glass in his hand. The lingering sound of the toast left ripples behind, making the surface tremble.

“...”

Hesitantly, Jaegyeom took a sip of Fanta. The sharp carbonation slid down his throat. A corner of his chest flared. The prickling sensation felt almost like excitement.

Until recently, he could never have imagined anything like this. He had taken a test for the first time in his life, gone to a department store and bought clothes, eaten a meal fit for a king, and joined a company dinner like the ones he had only ever seen on TV. These days, he was trying so many things for the first time that every day felt strange and awkward. Maybe he was even excited.

But he must not forget why he was here.

When Yoon Taehee spoke of success, he meant Yoon Taehee’s success and Jaegyeom’s. Destroying the Office of Narye—that was why Jaegyeom was here. They had clinked glasses without thinking, but this was only a brief mingling for the sake of the plan.

And all these moments would become nothing as time passed.