Honbul: Flame of the Soul

When Jaegyeom got home, it was already close to midnight.

Jeongju had come out to the entryway at the sound of the door opening, but the moment he saw Jaegyeom standing there, he was struck speechless.

“Why are you just standing there? Move.”

Jaegyeom managed to kick off his shoes using only his feet, then jerked his chin for Jeongju to get out of the way. Jeongju stepped aside with a bewildered look on his face. Carrying a certain piece of luggage, Jaegyeom came inside.

“What about Mesan?”

“Huh? Oh, he fell asleep earlier while waiting.”

Jeongju answered dazedly, then looked at the burden on Jaegyeom’s back.

“W-what... How did this happen?”

“He drank, fell asleep, and wouldn’t wake up no matter what I did.”

The person riding on Jaegyeom’s back was none other than Yoon Taehee.

Yoon Taehee had fallen asleep right there, crouched on the stairs beside the restaurant. No matter how many times Jaegyeom called him, he gave no answer, and even when Jaegyeom shook him awake, he did not so much as budge. Flustered, Jaegyeom had gone back to the team members and asked for help. The team members were astonished, saying this was the first time in their lives they had ever seen the Chief drunk.

Yoon Taehee was not especially good at holding his liquor. Since he knew that better than anyone, he never drank beyond his limit. Because of that, an alcohol-related disaster like today had never happened before. He always stopped before he got drunk, went home on his own, and appeared the next day looking as neat ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) as ever.

“Our Chief turned out to be human after all. What happened?”

Kang Ibin took a picture with her cell phone of Yoon Taehee sleeping where he sat.

“Wow, you vicious woman.”

Pyo Jiho clicked his tongue.

“He’s been terribly busy lately. I suppose he was exhausted.”

Pyo Jiho called a taxi first. Fortunately, they were in a busy area full of restaurants and shops, so they were able to catch one quickly. Only after they had loaded Yoon Taehee into the back seat did the team members realize something.

“Does anyone know the Chief’s address?”

No one knew where Yoon Taehee lived.

“We can’t just leave him in the street.”

Of course, as far as Jaegyeom was concerned, it did not particularly matter to him whether Yoon Taehee got dumped in the street or not... But after a brief deliberation, he decided to take charge of the burden named Yoon Taehee. His house was the closest, and he had been treated to quite a bit along the way, so this was Jaegyeom being generous in his own way.

Yoon Taehee was quiet throughout the taxi ride. Too quiet, in fact, so Jaegyeom even put a hand beneath his nose, just in case. The taxi dropped them off in front of the gate. Jaegyeom searched his pockets, paid the fare roughly, and hoisted the tall adult man onto his back. The taxi driver glanced at him in surprise and said, “You’re strong.”

After hearing a rough explanation of the situation, Jeongju nodded.

“He’s a guest, but putting him on the sofa feels a little... Maybe my room...”

Jeongju, who had been following Jaegyeom, suddenly stopped in his tracks and stood upright.

“Oh, right! Mesan’s sleeping in my bed right now!”

“It’s fine. I’ll just let him sleep in my room.”

Jaegyeom shook his head, telling him not to wake the child. He crossed the living room and headed for his room. Jeongju hurried after him, opened the door, and turned on the light.

Jaegyeom dropped the burden onto the bed. A fully grown adult man who was completely asleep was seriously heavy.

“At least he’s easy to handle when he’s drunk.”

Jeongju looked at Yoon Taehee lying there motionless and tossed out a dry remark. Finally freed of the weight, Jaegyeom let out a long breath.

First, he had to take off Taehee’s shoes...

While Jaegyeom dealt with the burden, Jeongju brought spare blankets and pillows.

“Jaegyeom, then you sleep in my bed with Mesan.”

“Where are you going to sleep?”

“I can sleep on the sofa. The sofa’s uncomfortable for you.”

“It’s fine... I’ll just spread a blanket on the floor and sleep.”

Saying that, Jaegyeom roughly covered Yoon Taehee with a blanket. He lifted Taehee’s head and propped it on a pillow. The angle looked uncomfortably crooked, as if it was not quite right, but Jaegyeom dusted off his hands with satisfaction, as though there was nothing more to be done.

Jaegyeom took the blanket from Jeongju’s arms. Jeongju tried several times to give up his bed, but Jaegyeom ignored him and simply spread the blanket on the floor.

“Are you really going to be okay?”

“Yeah. Go sleep.”

In the past, he had always slept like this, with a blanket spread on the floor. He had slept on bare floors more times than he could count, so what was one more night? Bringing Yoon Taehee home had been entirely Jaegyeom’s own decision. There was no reason for Jeongju to put up with inconvenience on his behalf.

After arguing for a while, Jaegyeom succeeded in kicking Jeongju out of the room.

At last, the room became quiet.

In the silence, faint breathing could be heard.

Jaegyeom walked closer to the bed, unbuttoning his shirt one button at a time. He glanced down at the face sleeping quietly on his bed.

It looked as if someone had carved it.

The hands undoing his buttons gradually slowed.

Seeing someone else—and that someone being Yoon Taehee—lying on his bed made him feel strangely unsettled. Thinking about it again, the feeling really was strange. Until not long ago, Yoon Taehee and he had been strangers. He had been a high school student, and Yoon Taehee had been a librarian. In just a month or two, Jaegyeom’s daily life had been transformed completely.

It was unbelievably dramatic.

Even though they had known each other only briefly, there were things only the two of them knew. Secrets only they shared. Each other’s deepest truths.

It was strange that Team 1, after knowing Yoon Taehee for years, did not even know where he lived.

Isn’t everyone actually being fooled by the Fool?

Yoon Taehee lived so harmoniously with his team members, yet he had not told them where he lived. He was at the center of everyone’s attention. And still, there among them, he was alone.

In bright sunlight, he stood in damp darkness, casting a vivid, living shadow called revenge.

Yoon Taehee had said he had waited ten years.

During those ten years, had Yoon Taehee never once forgotten his revenge? Not for even the smallest, most trivial moment?

If so...

Were you alone even then, when you were clinking glasses with people?

Jaegyeom lowered the hand that had been unbuttoning his shirt and looked quietly at Yoon Taehee.

The sleeping man’s face gave nothing away.

“...”

The one deceiving everyone was the Fool, so why did Jaegyeom feel sorrier for the Fool than for the people being deceived by him?

Truly, it was something he could not understand.

*****

Yoon Taehee opened his eyes in the dim dawn light.

Though he had clearly just woken from a fairly deep sleep, his eyes were sharp and clear.

An unfamiliar ceiling. An unfamiliar bed. An unfamiliar room. The bedding against his body was fluffy and soft.

After silently moving his eyes around, Yoon Taehee slowly sat up. He pulled back the blanket and lowered his gaze. He was still dressed exactly as he had been yesterday. As he traced back the memories of the previous night and took in the room washed in blue dawn light, his eyes landed on a certain spot.

Yoon Taehee froze at once, his eyes widening.

Why was he here?

Jaegyeom was asleep below the bed.

Unlike Taehee, he was dressed comfortably. Wearing a loose T-shirt and shorts, Jaegyeom was sound asleep, curled up with one leg thrown over a rolled-up blanket.

“...”

Only then did Yoon Taehee realize where he was and who owned this unfamiliar room. He began to piece together roughly what had happened.

Earthbound ghost. Newcomer rite. After-party. Alcohol...

Once he had finally sorted out his memories, Yoon Taehee lowered his head and touched his forehead.

“Oh, fuck.”

He had lost his mind.

I haven’t slept properly these past few days...

He had no hangover, so it seemed he had not drunk that much. He had simply been exhausted, and the alcohol had knocked him out.

Irritation at himself for failing to control his own condition rose in him. The fact that he had relaxed even for a moment brought on a surge of displeasure.

Yoon Taehee closed his eyes and gently bit his lip.

The room was terribly quiet.

After a long moment, Yoon Taehee opened his eyes. He lifted his wrist and checked the time.

4:53 a.m.

The whitish light of dawn was gradually growing brighter.

Yoon Taehee got out of bed and approached Jaegyeom.

Jaegyeom was lying on his side with his back turned. Yoon Taehee moved around to the other side and settled there. Propping himself on one elbow, he matched their eye level. He openly admired the peacefully sleeping face.

He was thinking of leaving once it reached five.

“Bye. I’m going.”

The faint whisper slipped out like breath.

Of course, it was not loud enough to be heard. But just then, Jaegyeom began to turn over. He seemed to toss onto his back, and then his T-shirt rode up.

Yoon Taehee, who had been watching to see whether he had woken up, let out a small laugh.

Did he have a habit of sleeping with his stomach exposed?

Still supporting his head with one hand, Yoon Taehee casually reached out to pull the shirt back down.

That was when he noticed the large scar on Jaegyeom’s side.

“...”

He slowly raised his upper body.

All expression had vanished from his face.

He stared at the clearly exposed stomach, then reached out again as if drawn to it.

Yoon Taehee’s palm rested lightly on Jaegyeom’s flat, lean stomach. Warmth transferred into his skin like a spreading stain.

Without realizing it, Yoon Taehee moved his hand. As he gently stroked the stomach, he felt the faint ridges of muscle beneath the slightly dry skin.

He could feel Jaegyeom’s breathing directly.

The hand that had been still eventually slid toward his side. Slowly, Taehee ran the long joints of his fingers over the texture of the scar.

Then, perhaps because the touch tickled even in sleep, Jaegyeom’s arm twitched once.

Yoon Taehee hesitated for a moment, then withdrew his hand.

In the dim dawn light, he silently looked down at his own palm.

“...”

Yoon Taehee slowly raised his head.

He saw the face of the sleeping boy, defenseless and peaceful. The soft sound of his breathing was clear.

Yoon Taehee placed his hands on the floor and looked down at the boy lying on his back, as if possessed. Even in the whitish dawn light, the lines of his face were cleanly drawn.

Suddenly, a strange impulse rose in him.

He stretched out his hand without realizing it. As he carefully traced his index finger along the messy bangs over Jaegyeom’s forehead, the boy’s brows faintly twitched.

“...”

At last, Yoon Taehee stopped breathing.

Ah.

I want to shake you apart with these hands.

That desire, still without a clear shape, resembled a kind of madness. It was destructive and violent.

He wanted to wake Jaegyeom from this deep sleep with his own hands, without permission. He wanted to shatter that composure. Crying, laughing, whatever it was—he wanted to make it crumble, break it open, ruin it.

So that Jaegyeom could no longer remain himself.

The moment he recognized the shape of that impulse, Yoon Taehee’s fingertips trembled faintly.