HLFH | Chapter 11

“Your aunt will make the meals. If there’s anything you want to eat, write it on the fridge board. We usually eat together to make it easier for her to clean up, so try to join in. Laundry should be gathered and put out after 6 PM. See that bin? Men’s clothes go in the white one, women’s in the black one. Don’t touch or peek. The bathroom is on this floor, and the men’s bath is next to it. We usually check packages before bringing them in, but they won’t be delivered to your room, so find them yourself.”

Kim Juwon rattled off instructions as he showed Ki Jaeeon to his room, which was next to his own. Normally, he’d show the living room and bathroom in detail, but why bother? He’s not a kid. He can figure it out.

It’s probably more convenient for both of them this way.

“That’s it. Any questions, ask now.”

“……No,”

“Okay, then.”

Kim Juwon cut off Ki Jaeeon’s response with a shrug, as if he’d been waiting for this moment. An awkward silence fell between them again. Ki Jaeeon’s eyes widened for a moment before slowly dropping to the floor. A gloomy aura surrounded him. Seeing him deflate so quickly, Kim Juwon clicked his tongue in annoyance.

A guy getting down over something like this?

‘How pampered must he have been by everyone around him…….’

He really didn’t like it.

Kim Juwon turned away, seemingly done with the conversation, but then stopped with an “Ah.” It was as if he remembered something. Sure enough, he reached into his pocket with a cocky demeanor and stood in front of Ki Jaeeon again, looking like a thug about to demand money.

“Hey, I’m saying this because I’m an old-timer.”

“…….”

“I’m not really interested in why you’re here. I don’t want to know. But this isn’t a place where you can act spoiled. No one’s going to indulge you. So if you want to stay, drop the habits you picked up in Incheon and behave.”

Twenty-one and twenty-three.

Just a two-year difference, yet Kim Juwon shamelessly gave advice.

Fortunately, Ki Jaeeon responded with a mild demeanor, saying he understood. He nodded slightly, and Kim Juwon raised an eyebrow.

‘I noticed earlier, but he’s pretty obedient. I was ready to smack him if he talked back.’

What’s up with this guy?

Kim Juwon was starting to get confused.

The “Ki Jaeeon of Incheon” he’d heard about wasn’t a timid jellyfish that shrank when poked. He wasn’t a fool who just stood there when hit, nor was he an abused loner. If anything, he was like an orca—a monster with no natural enemies, flaunting a huge presence and stirring up jealousy among exorcists.

‘But that was all bullshit.’

Kim Juwon glanced disapprovingly at the wimpy guy fumbling with his suitcase handle. Who the hell spread those lies around?

What was it again?

An arrogant young master?

Bull. He’s a total wimp.

But if you asked if he felt sorry for him…… he couldn’t agree with that either. Kim Juwon still harbored resentment towards Ki Jaeeon. Yeah, like when he said about Ahn Seomyeong, who got hurt because of him, ‘Isn’t it fine as long as he didn’t die?’

‘But where does this guy get the nerve when he can’t even make eye contact?’

His character was truly amazing.

‘Maybe he’s scared because he got beaten?’

Well, Kim Juwon had reformed countless human trash with his fists.

He thought of it as adding to his collection, a trivial joke, while fidgeting with the hand in his pocket. Ah, damn. Should he give it or not? Kim Juwon, uncharacteristically pondering, awkwardly tossed something from his pocket towards Ki Jaeeon, who was clumsily fiddling with the door.

It was ointment. And it looked like it had been used.

“I gave it to you.”

Kim Juwon shook his head, feeling a strange, itchy sensation all over his body. He looked like someone who had eaten something they shouldn’t have and wanted to throw it up immediately.

In dorm life, fights among guys were a dime a dozen. Once a fight broke out, a bloody nose was standard, and it was lucky if nothing got broken.

Of course, reconciliation? No such thing. The next day, you’d casually ask, ‘Did you eat?’ and that was it. Then you’d share a cup of ramen with bruised faces, chuckling as if nothing happened.

That was their unspoken rule for maintaining peace. Giving medicine like this was honestly too…… even though he did it, it felt kind of gross.

It was more cringe-worthy than when he was in his early twenties, downing two bottles of soju with a friend and saying, ‘You’re the best, you know? You’re freaking awesome.’

But was Kim Juwon someone who didn’t take care of others? Not really.

It’s just that, except for his master Kim Young, ‘men’ were excluded from that care.

Kim Juwon was quite soft when it came to Kim Young and the girls. If they were sick, he’d bring medicine and porridge, and he’d run errands if asked. It was natural by his standards.

He couldn’t refuse his master, who was like the sky, and the girls…… well, it wasn’t because he was a ladies’ man, but because they were ‘someone to take care of.’

Why? The reason lay in his long life on the streets.

For Kim Juwon, who was a runaway youth, the dangers faced by kids and girls were beyond imagination, and the unfair treatment they received was enough to instill a new set of values in him. So, as an adult, kids and women became those he had to protect. No matter if others called him a ladies’ man or patriarchal.

So back to the point…….

Giving medicine directly to Ki Jaeeon, who was in the ‘someone not to protect’ category, was…… indeed embarrassing and unusual.

‘At least this should stop the nagging to make up.’

Thinking of Kim Young’s relieved expression, Kim Juwon figured he wouldn’t have to endure any more nagging to apologize as he slowly walked towards his room. Just as he was about to turn the doorknob, he heard a hesitant voice from the side.

“You don’t have to care.”

Naturally, his gaze fell on Ki Jaeeon.

“……I’m used to it. This much is okay.”

His pale, cracked lips moved with each word, and his gaunt cheeks shifted along.

……Used to it?

What’s he used to?

Kim Juwon blinked, trying to comprehend what he’d just heard. But before he could fully understand, Ki Jaeeon had already gone into his room.

Kim Juwon was left standing there, stiff. He let go of the doorknob and rubbed his forehead.

Slowly.

Firmly.

“……?”

His lips gradually turned downward. Eventually, a single word slipped out.

“……Why is he used to it?”

Just then, Kim Young’s voice began to echo in his mind like a refrain.

– That kid seems to be in a very dangerous state.

– From what I see, it looks like a form of panic disorder. I can’t say for sure, but…….

– It seems like he’s been abused.

If all those ridiculous assumptions were actually…… true?

Kim Juwon swallowed hard, cracking his neck side to side. His expression looked very uncomfortable. His cold fingertips ruffled his messy hair. Ah, damn. He tilted his head back, taking a deep breath, and then exhaled, glancing sidelong at the door Ki Jaeeon had entered.

“That guy, making things so damn complicated…….”

For a moment, the [someone not to protect] category Ki Jaeeon belonged to wavered, and the [someone to protect from unfair treatment] category flickered faintly.

Unaware of this himself.

As soon as Ki Jaeeon entered the room, he collapsed onto the bed. His limbs flopped down limply.

He showed no intention of unpacking. His eyes fluttered open and shut several times from fatigue, eventually closing weakly.

‘I gave it to you.’

He recalled the awkward gesture of the kid handing him the ointment.

The three whites of his eyes, his tall height, and sturdy build. A noticeable feature was a faint scar on his right cheek.

Exorcist Kim Juwon.

The hero who became a star while protecting Seoul (Bonryeong) when ‘it’ awakened.

He didn’t know much about him. He’d only heard a few stories through Ahn Seomyeong, who admired him.

Kim Juwon had used forbidden incantations with the intention of dying together with his comrades, ultimately losing his life. Although the incantation itself failed, thanks to the time he bought, many lives were saved.

What was it again? ……Ah, right.

‘That hyung, he seemed really gruff on the outside, but he was actually super kind.’

Rough but warm……. Yeah, that’s right.

Ki Jaeeon murmured, gripping the ointment tightly in his hand.

“You didn’t have to give it…….”

Actually, when Ki Jaeeon said he was ‘used to it,’ he was referring to the times he fought ‘it.’

Even amidst the horrific pain of having his body torn and face melted, he had to chant incantations and fight.

Having walked that path for so long, he was somewhat numb to ordinary pain. So, a bruise that would soon fade was really nothing.

He didn’t hold any particular grudge against Kim Juwon. He didn’t even feel wronged or resentful. To put it another way, he thought, ‘I must have deserved it.’

‘Yeah, if I had just come to my senses sooner…….’

Just before judging himself.

Bzzzz-!!

Suddenly, his phone vibrated.