HLFH | Chapter 4

“Looks like he’s about to collapse.”

Ahn Seomyeong stared blankly at the end of the hallway where the man had disappeared.

But he had no intention of forcing help on someone who didn’t want it. What he wanted to offer was assistance, not interference.

“But who is he?”

Was there someone like that in Bonryeong?

“Not a face you’d easily forget.”

His impression was quite strong, in both good and bad ways.

…Hmm, a handsome zombie?

Perfect for appearing in dreams.

“If I saw him at night, I might have performed an exorcism…”

Just as he tilted his head in thought, he heard someone running up behind him.

“Seomyeong!”

“Hello.”

The one who bowed and greeted him was Kim Young, the Haeju master and his teacher at Bonryeong.

“Have you seen Ki Jaeeon, the exorcist?”

Kim Young was holding a phone. It didn’t have the various stickers his students usually stuck on, so it wasn’t his.

A simple domestic phone with a basic case.

Ahn Seomyeong quickly understood the situation.

“Oh, it looks like Ki Jaeeon left it behind. Is he unexpectedly careless?”

Ahn Seomyeong shrugged his shoulders while staring at the phone, indicating he hadn’t seen him. There was no one who looked like the “famous Ki Jaeeon exorcist” walking down the hallway.

Unless it was a patient who seemed like they needed immediate hospitalization.

“Oh, okay. Thanks. Have a great day. See you in the evening~.”

“Uh… Teacher.”

Ahn Seomyeong called out to Kim Young, who was about to rush past.

“Sorry to bother you when you’re busy.”

“Oh, no, go ahead.”

“There was someone who seemed unwell earlier…”

“Huh? Who? Eunha? Kyunghak?”

“No, it was someone I’ve never seen before. Tall, slightly wavy hair. He looked pale and kept gagging. It seemed like he might have been cursed or something…”

It wouldn’t hurt to give a heads-up to the best Haeju master in Bonryeong. Ahn Seomyeong lightly judged and explained the situation from earlier. Kim Young, who had been listening quietly, suddenly interrupted.

“Huh? Didn’t you say you didn’t see Ki Jaeeon?”

“What?”

“Huh?”

“…Oh, that person… Huh? What?”

Was that dying zombie really Ki Jaeeon?

Ahn Seomyeong blinked in disbelief with his mouth slightly open.

“He looked like he was on his last legs.”

Kim Young gave an awkward smile at the sharp comment.

“Yeah, that’s him.”

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

Ahn Seomyeong found Ki Jaeeon easily in the bustling city.

Without a phone, it would be hard to call someone, so he might use public transport, right? It was a rough guess, but it turned out to be spot on. Ki Jaeeon was standing blankly inside the nearest subway station. His towering height made him stand out. Ahn Seomyeong took a deep breath, holding the phone Kim Young had given him in his left hand.

“Teacher, I’ll go.”

“Huh? You, Seomyeong?”

“Yes, if I can have a one-on-one, I’d like to. It might be a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”

How amazing he is, if he’s really stronger than Kim Juwon, how to become like him.

As a fellow exorcist, there were many things he wanted to ask.

“Ki-!”

He was about to call out to him.

Ding ding ding ding-!

[The train to — is arriving. Please mind the gap between the train and the platform…]

With the announcement, the clattering sound of the train could be heard from afar.

Hmm, the train must be coming. That’s what he thought… but Ki Jaeeon was acting strange.

Even though the train hadn’t stopped, he started to stagger forward.

Clatter clatter clatter-!

Since this was the only station without screen doors, the risk of accidents was high. Most people would step back when they heard the train announcement. Ahn Seomyeong did, and so did everyone else. It was natural. That was the usual reaction.

But Ki Jaeeon was different.

He walked forward as if he was about to jump in front of the oncoming train.

Then he saw it.

The black, sticky evil spirits clinging to Ki Jaeeon, pulling him down onto the tracks.

Ahn Seomyeong’s eyes widened.

Creak- creak creak- creak!

As the ground shook violently, the flashing lights approached.

His thoughts stopped there.

Ahn Seomyeong pushed through the crowd and ran. A middle-aged man he bumped into dropped his phone and yelled, but he didn’t stop. His heart felt like it was going to explode.

Clatter clatter clatter!

With a loud noise and a strong wind, the train sped past the two of them and finally came to a stop.

Ding ding- ding-!

[The safety doors are opening.]

“Huff, huff…”

“…”

“Do exorcists build courage like this, huff?”

Ahn Seomyeong sat down, catching his breath while holding Ki Jaeeon in his arms.

Really, …it was a close call.

Soon, people getting off and on the train formed a crowd around them.

They each left comments like “Oh my, what happened?” and “Are you okay?” but he ignored them, not in the mood to respond.

Ahn Seomyeong was just curious about what this man in his arms was thinking when he did such a thing.

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

Coo coo.

Coo coo coo.

The two of them were now sitting on a bench in a park near the station, catching their breath.

There was no conversation between them.

The silence remained even as pigeons cooed and some children passed by, laughing.

“…Uh, hey.”

Surprisingly, it was Ki Jaeeon who broke the long silence.

“…Th-thank you.”

He thanked him in a barely audible voice while staring intently at the line of ants crawling on the ground. Honestly, he didn’t look very grateful. If anything, he seemed a bit resentful.

Why would he be resentful…? Ahn Seomyeong, momentarily at a loss, considered giving advice like “Jumping in front of a train is a nuisance,” but seeing Ki Jaeeon’s gloomy face, he tilted his head.

“Your reputation and image are quite different.”

The wind blew over the two of them.

The sound of rustling leaves quietly spread through the air.

“You’re slow to speak.”

“Huh, what?”

“And a bit… gloomy, maybe.”

Ki Jaeeon looked at Ahn Seomyeong with a bewildered expression. Gloomy? He was at a loss for words at the unexpected criticism.

“You seem like someone who wouldn’t have friends.”

Ki Jaeeon was speechless at the blunt remark.

If he were to defend himself, there were a few people he could call future friends or… colleagues.

A prime example was Ahn Seomyeong, who was saying he had no friends.

Of course, they all died because of his incompetence. Well, they’re alive and well now…

“Anyway, we’re complete strangers now.”

The truth was, he had no card to refute Ahn Seomyeong’s words.

Ki Jaeeon realized he was a loner. Ahn Seomyeong’s lips curled into a faint smile at his peculiar expression. It was a subtle change that was hard to notice unless you looked closely, but a small hint of mischief appeared on his otherwise plain face.

“Ki Jaeeon, the exorcist, is-.”

Ahn Seomyeong’s lips slowly parted.

“Quite ordinary.”

Ki Jaeeon’s shoulders stiffened at the unexpected words.

It was understandable since “ordinary” was a word he had never heard in his life.

Ordinary? …Me?

The more he thought about it, the stranger it felt.

[Ordinary.]

A word he had never heard in the past or the future.

It was so strange.

“Am I ordinary?”

Ki Jaeeon swallowed hard.

The other person probably said it without much meaning… But for Ki Jaeeon, it was different. He was experiencing a remarkable change.

“Breathing feels a bit easier.”

Just from the word “ordinary,” the world that had felt “alien” to him was starting to feel a little more natural.

…All because of a single word.

An ordinary life where he could blend in, just like anyone else.

A life where he didn’t have to bear any responsibilities.

A life where he didn’t have to fight.

An ordinary life.

Ki Jaeeon, the human, not the exorcist.

Ki Jaeeon’s head drooped low.

“If only that were possible…”

He found himself envious of the version of himself in his imagination.

He was even idly thinking about wanting to trade places with his current self if possible.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

A sudden awkward apology interrupted his thoughts.

Startled, Ki Jaeeon turned his gaze to see Ahn Seomyeong, who was apologizing again. It seemed he had misunderstood Ki Jaeeon’s reaction to the word “ordinary.” Ahn Seomyeong mumbled, “I guess it was an overstep for someone like me,” nodding to himself.

The atmosphere quickly turned somber.

Specifically, only for Ki Jaeeon.

Ahn Seomyeong remained calm and expressionless as usual, while Ki Jaeeon was the only one feeling restless and anxious.

“I’m fine…”

He opened his mouth to explain that it wasn’t like that, but he didn’t know what to say, so he just moved his lips like a fool.

“I-I just, didn’t sleep well.”

After much thought, that’s what he ended up saying.

Ki Jaeeon pressed his cheek with the back of his hand.

Unable to explain his foolish behavior, he decided to blame it on his condition. Fortunately, Ahn Seomyeong seemed to believe him.

“Oh, sleep? Now that you mention it, your dark circles are severe.”

Ahn Seomyeong reached out toward Ki Jaeeon’s face.

Ki Jaeeon flinched but didn’t avoid the touch.

He didn’t want to ruin the gently relaxed atmosphere by awkwardly turning away.

“…Ugh.”

“…”

“…Ugh.”

“…”

Isn’t he touching it a bit too long?

Ki Jaeeon’s eyes twitched at the thumb brushing under his eye.

He wanted to tell him to stop, but Ahn Seomyeong seemed so focused that he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“You’re quite…”

Ahn Seomyeong persistently rubbed under Ki Jaeeon’s eye before slowly opening his lips.

“Sensitive to a man’s touch.”