KTC | Chapter 21

Flames engulfed the surroundings in an instant. The stench of sulfur stung the nose mercilessly. The fire, waving eerily like thousands of snakes, seemed to encircle everything. Seo Jihan, feeling powerless as the flames clung to his body, could do nothing but wait.

Each time purgatory threatened to consume him, a savior adorned with a golden aura would appear, extend a gentle hand, and repeatedly save him from the brink. Seo Jihan had come to call this figure an angel.

It was a secret too bizarre to share—that at his age, he was merely waiting for an angel to appear as his only escape from this hellish place.

It was during one such wait that a sharp “click!” resonated like a definitive spell across the sea of unconsciousness. The flames vanished abruptly, leaving a cold void in their wake.

“Jihan, come here.”

A voice called out, its owner unknown.

A voice?

It was odd. His savior in these nightmares had never beckoned him so tenderly before. Despite feeling a surge of intense unease, Seo Jihan walked towards the sound as if pulled by gravity.

At the source of the sound, someone dressed in a black t-shirt and worn black jeans reached out. While the face remained unseen, the fact that clothes were visible at all meant this was not the angel he knew.

Could it be the priest? But he had never seen him dressed like that.

As instinctive wariness took hold, the figure transformed. There stood Choi Seonwoo, familiar in his clergy shirt and black slacks.

However, something about his appearance was off, as if the pieces of a puzzle were incorrectly assembled. It was suspicious enough to doubt it as a poor attempt at reassurance.

You’re not the priest.

Seo Jihan stepped back and, without realizing, called out loudly.

Seonwoo hyeong!

He wasn’t sure why he did it, but instead of the angel, it was Choi Seonwoo whom Seo Jihan sought. Confident that he would find him, he shouted with all his might. Then, the disheveled priest’s outfit vanished, and the man returned to his casual attire, extending both hands.

“Don’t cry. I’ll definitely get you out of here safely.”

As a strange sense of déjà vu tingled at his fingertips, the darkness obscuring his face cleared. Blood streamed down from a cut on his forehead, covering half his face, yet it was undeniably Choi Seonwoo.

Even though he looked much younger and fresher-faced, those delicately troubled features were unmistakable.

Seo Jihan hurled himself at him like a moth to flame. Choi Seonwoo’s slender arms, seemingly too frail to save anyone, powerfully lifted him. His embrace was as sweet and secure as death itself.

“Brother?”

Seo Jihan wasn’t sure when he had opened his eyes. Starting with Choi Seonwoo’s voice, his senses rapidly returned to normal. Like someone just pulled from water, he gasped for air before finally speaking.

“Priest…?”

“Phew.”

Choi Seonwoo sighed deeply and leaned back as if collapsing. His disheveled clothes, wet hair, and split lips made it look as though he had been waging a solitary war.

“That’s a relief.”

“Relief?”

Seo Jihan responded vacantly.

“I managed to drive out the evil spirit before it could create any corrupt fissures in your depths. You don’t need to worry about any aftereffects.”

Choi Seonwoo smiled faintly, then slightly winced as fresh blood tinged his split lip. His tongue, as red as the blood, flicked out to swiftly clean it off.

Seo Jihan, still dazed, stretched out his hand only when he noticed Choi Seonwoo preparing to rise.

“What happened to your lips?”

His thumb brushed over the torn mark. His face still hazy as if in a dream, only his deeply sunken eyes shone brightly. The sting made Choi Seonwoo crinkle his eyes, almost smiling.

“Someone was sucking up to me, begging to be saved, and then even nibbled at me in the end.”

“…Is that supposed to be me?”

With a nonchalant chuckle, Choi Seonwoo moved to the edge of the bed and began untying Seo Jihan’s restraints around his legs. Now free, Seo Jihan stepped off the bed.

“Tell me. Was that about me?”

“What?”

Choi Seonwoo paused while flicking wet strands from his forehead and quizzically tilted his head. Seo Jihan’s index finger pressed again on Choi Seonwoo’s torn lip.

“Are you saying I did this?”

“Oh, this. Yes.”

Pushing gently at Seo Jihan’s wrist, Choi Seonwoo walked over to the next bed, continuing,

“The evil spirit and you seemed to sync well. Kept clinging and calling me ‘hyeong’, so I got distracted and got bitten in the meantime.”

Watching Choi Seonwoo start checking on another man, Seo Jihan absentmindedly licked his lips, tasting a faint trace of blood.

“Goo Seungjun. Mr. Goo Seungjun?”

Choi Seonwoo carefully woke him. Blood was trickling down through the nasal feeding tube, but his breathing and heart rate seemed stable.

“Better let him sleep some more.”

Muttering to himself, Choi Seonwoo turned around after flapping his sweat-soaked shirt. He then habitually smiled and said,

“Let’s head back before the ferry leaves. We’re done here.”

Though usually meticulous with his clothing, Choi Seonwoo now looked as if he’d hastily dressed after a scuffle, disheveled from head to toe. His innate elegance shone more vividly amid the disorder, emitting a vivid sense of allure.

Seo Jihan, feeling an odd thrill, listened to his pounding heart and suddenly approached Choi Seonwoo. Despite the sudden reach, Choi Seonwoo didn’t avoid the contact as he had never done before. He just looked perplexed, rolling his eyes in confusion.

Thanks to that indifference, Seo Jihan could deeply comb through his wet bangs with his fingers. The damp hair clung to his fingers with a peculiar viscosity.

“This scar.”

Lowering his head with unusually bright eyes, Seo Jihan noticed a scar about 2 cm long just below the hairline on the left side of the forehead. It had healed well, barely noticeable unless closely inspected.

“When did you get this?”

He rubbed the spot with his thumb, his voice sounding enchanted. Choi Seonwoo gazed up at him, then gently crinkled his eyes.

The residual warmth in his eyes curved like a crescent, provocatively seductive. The heart that had been beating dully now thundered like a speeding train. Startled as if touching a flame, Seo Jihan stepped back hastily.

“Let’s save the chit-chat for later. If we miss the ferry, we’re stuck without options.”

Choi Seonwoo called for Angela as he grasped the doorknob. Normally, the cat would have immediately rubbed against his legs, but unusually, she hesitated before approaching. Bending down, Choi Seonwoo extended a hand, which Angela sniffed for a long while before looking up at him.

“Not going home?”

At Choi Seonwoo’s tender query, Angela finally rubbed her cheek against his hand and returned with her carrier bag. After carefully placing her inside, Choi Seonwoo slung the bag over his shoulder and turned the doorknob.

“Seo Jihan!”

Head of Security Kim Youngchan greeted them first. As the security team approached the dazed Seo Jihan to check on him, Choi Seonwoo briefly explained the situation to Lee Juhee.

Go Changhyun had already left, but two of Lee Juhee’s team members had arrived instead. Their scrutinizing gaze seemed typical of someone involved with the National Intelligence Service.

“Is everything really okay?”

Lee Juhee kept glancing back into the open hospital room as she asked repeatedly. Choi Seonwoo responded in a tone just shy of annoyance.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

He looked over each of them and continued,

“Not just the friend in that room, but all of you, stay away from places that powerful shamans avoid or that strongly evoke the past. Someone who’s been touched by a ghost carries a unique frequency that makes them a good vessel for other spirits. The weaker ones will probably just nibble and fall off on their own, but to the stronger ones, you’ll appear as prime targets. Don’t get cocky and stir up trouble, just steer clear, that’s all I’m saying.”