HLFH | Chapter 5

Srrrk—

The hand went down.

“Unexpected.”

A sly smile.

“Oh, right. Here.”

Before the awkwardness could settle in, Ahn Seomyeong suddenly handed over a phone.

A neat, basic-cased domestic phone.

“This is your phone, right, Exorcist?”

“Oh, …yeah.”

I thought I dropped it somewhere, but I must’ve left it in Bonryeong.

‘Glad I found it.’

Ki Jaeeon quickly retrieved the phone.

Let’s head back before getting distracted by stray ghosts and causing trouble.

“Just a moment… I need to make a call.”

“Oh, sure. Don’t mind me.”

After getting Ahn Seomyeong’s understanding, I hurriedly made a call.

Sssss—

A sinister energy seemed to hover over the park, soon followed by a chilling sensation that tingled at my toes. Feeling the hair on my skin stand up, Ki Jaeeon instinctively put down the phone and looked around.

The wind was blowing fiercely.

Swaaah- sssaa-

Was the park always this quiet? Suddenly, there were no pigeons or children in sight.

“Exorcist, this…”

Ahn Seomyeong stood up awkwardly.

He felt the strange atmosphere too.

Swaaaaah-

The wind continued to blow.

Dust swirled, and the scent of life faded away.

Just as the tension was reaching its peak.

Riiiiing—!!

Both Ahn Seomyeong and Ki Jaeeon flinched simultaneously.

“Sorry, that’s my phone.”

Ahn Seomyeong answered the call, his sharp gaze unwavering. Thanks to the silence, Ki Jaeeon could hear the voice on the other end.

[Where are you?]

A low, rough voice.

“I’m at the park.”

[Get out of there immediately.]

The caller urgently instructed Ahn Seomyeong to escape. It was clear now. A ‘demon’ was nearby. A being that surpassed stray ghosts, evil spirits, and malevolent entities. A disaster that exorcists most dreaded, capable of directly harming humans.

“Don’t worry too much. Exorcist Ki Jaeeon is with me.”

[…With you?]

“Yes.”

[If that guy’s there, you can buy some time. Wait, I’m coming.]

“Hyung.”

Ahn Seomyeong frowned at the mention of “that guy,” but the call ended abruptly.

Ki Jaeeon turned to Ahn Seomyeong, who apologized, “You heard, right? Sorry.”

Ki Jaeeon shook his head, pretending he hadn’t heard anything. At this point, Ki Jaeeon’s palms were already damp with cold sweat. He was just holding it in to avoid showing it.

Then it happened.

A chill ran down the backs of both their necks.

Before their minds could register, their instincts knew.

It’s coming. It’s here.

Sure enough, something appeared, singing a twisted song.

Its skin was charred black, with long, disheveled white hair. It wore old hemp pants and an unidentified mask. Its emaciated frame was accentuated by a bulging lower belly, giving it a strange appearance.

[Demon: Infernal Demon]

[A demon that tempts humans to ruin by stirring their twisted hearts. It approaches those addicted to gambling or alcohol, offering gold teeth in exchange for luck, leading them to incur debts and eventually sacrifice their lives.]

Heeya- Hiyah- Ahhh- Ah-!

It bared its yellow teeth, singing a song filled with resentment.

It was hard to even call it a song. It was just an unsettling resonance.

As if calling for something, resenting someone, or offering a misguided prayer to an unholy deity.

Just a glance at it made one feel downcast and uneasy. Every movement of the Infernal Demon was accompanied by the sound of dry bones cracking.

At that moment, Ahn Seomyeong instinctively realized.

‘That’s dangerous.’

It was beyond what Ahn Seomyeong could exorcise at his level.

He was already overwhelmed in the battle of wills.

‘I want to run away.’

Sweating profusely, Ahn Seomyeong bit his trembling lips.

With Kim Juwon absent, the only person he could rely on was Ki Jaeeon.

No, it was always just Ki Jaeeon.

The exorcist loved by the gods, Ki Jaeeon.

But… the problem was that Ki Jaeeon, whom he considered the only way out, was trembling like a leaf, covering his ears.

Far from exorcising, he was more paralyzed by fear than Ahn Seomyeong.

He was in a state of complete panic.

Ahn Seomyeong, flustered, called out, “Exorcist?” but received no response.

It was a sight that could only be described as combat incapability.

“Stop, stop… Please, stop, stop…”

His pale fingers raked through his hair, trembling incessantly. Eventually, he vomited yellow bile. Ahn Seomyeong’s gaze slowly shifted to the vomit on the ground. His pupils shook vigorously as he faced reality.

‘What on earth is happening?’

Come to think of it, Ki Jaeeon’s condition had been strange all day.

…Even in Bonryeong, and at the subway station.

Could it be that the curse wasn’t lifted? Did Master fail at the haeju? No way. Master is the best at haeju!

Ahn Seomyeong looked at the cornered Ki Jaeeon with shock.

Watching someone crumble in real-time was a truly horrific experience.

“Exorcist!”

“…I, I’m sorry, I, I’m sorry, ha, ha…”

Ki Jaeeon’s condition was dire. His gasping seemed like he might stop breathing any moment. Ahn Seomyeong grew increasingly confused by his desperate state. After all, this was ‘Ki Jaeeon.’

At least the Ki Jaeeon he knew shouldn’t be like this.

Even if others faltered, Ki Jaeeon had to be the strongest.

He’s our future.

“Get a grip! Exorcist!”

“Don’t call me! Don’t call me, please, please. Please… stop, stop, please, stop…”

But this pathetic sight.

Ahn Seomyeong released Ki Jaeeon’s shoulder, which he had been gripping tightly, and closed his eyes tightly before opening them again.

He concluded that finding another way was meaningless.

Ki Jaeeon, this person can’t fight. But I can’t leave him behind either.

So the only option is for the remaining person to muster strength.

The calculation was simple.

‘Just until Kim Juwon hyung arrives.’

Just hold on until then.

Ahn Seomyeong calmed his agitation and summoned his meager courage.

The first resolve taught to Bonryeong’s practitioners before serving the gods.

‘Divinity begins with faith.’

Hoo- He took a deep breath and pulled out holy water and a silver dagger from his pocket.

‘Get a grip. Don’t mess up. Otherwise, we’ll both die.’

Let’s do it as we’ve learned, as we’ve trained hard.

The goal isn’t exorcism but survival.

Yes, survival.

Pssht—

…?

“…!!”

Barely had he composed himself.

Not even 10 seconds into battle mode, a large hole was pierced in his abdomen.

‘Damn, this is ridiculous.’

Ahn Seomyeong gripped the spear embedded in his stomach. Hot blood flowed freely down the cold metal shaft. Ha, ha… Ugh. As he slowly opened his hand, sticky blood smeared his calloused palm.

“Haa, ugh, cough…!”

His legs, struggling not to collapse, wobbled and buckled several times before finally crashing to the ground. It was laughable, but it wasn’t Ahn Seomyeong’s fault. Yes, he wasn’t careless.

It was just a difference.

A difference in skill, a difference in strength.

An absolute gap that couldn’t be bridged by mere attention and effort.

“Run… Jaeeon… Exorcist…”

He couldn’t lose consciousness. Ahn Seomyeong, with his vision blurring, spotted Ki Jaeeon staring blankly at him.

Red-rimmed eyes, slightly parted lips, disheveled hair.

‘Idiot, what are you doing? Why aren’t you running away?’

“Go, ah… Ugh, gasp… Ugh! Cough!”

Gasping for breath, Ahn Seomyeong gulped and spat out sticky blood, then lost consciousness, leaving behind a deep regret that he shouldn’t have fallen like this.

At that moment, all of Ki Jaeeon’s actions stopped as if it were a lie.

The hands that ruffled his hair, the lips that screamed, the wildly shaking eyes… not a single movement.

The demon was unaware of the quietly transforming Ki Jaeeon.

Ki Jaeeon slowly breathed, taking in the sight of the bleeding Ahn Seomyeong.

His chaotic mind focused solely on one point.

And finally.

“…I wish.”

Ki Jaeeon’s lips parted.

It was a long-learned grudge against evil.

“A mere creature makes a desperate plea.”

What the Infernal Demon awakened was not just an exorcist.

“To the immortal spirit that dwells among us… to those who know no remorse.”

One who learned ruthlessness through justice.

“The end.”

A crazed hope.

A white aura surged around the Infernal Demon.

A divinity that shone brighter under the bright sun.

Countless lights soon covered the vast park.

It was like a galaxy embroidered in the blue sky. But there was no mercy in its beauty. The lights quickly transformed into 108 chains, fiercely striking down.

First the arms.

Then the legs.

Then the neck and torso.

The chains, tightening and stripping away freedom, seemed to say, ‘This is the weight of death I’ve built.’

“I’ll teach you.”

Ki Jaeeon murmured in a gloomy voice.