Chapter 13: Chapter 13

Since midterms had ended recently, the school was still bustling with activity. During homeroom, the report cards were handed out, but Mu-ryeong didn’t even glance at his scores before stuffing the paper into his bag. He had long since given up on studying.

At the end of the first period, Min-ji approached him with a small hairpin as payment for her request. It was a tiny snap hairpin with a pink plastic flower at the end—something that would look adorable on a child around four or five years old.

"Min-ji, is this something you used to wear when you were little?"

"Probably? I don’t even remember."

Mu-ryeong thanked her and tucked the hairpin into his bag. It looked like it was at least ten years old, making it quite the interesting find.

"But what do you even use those for? Are you gonna put it on Seolgi?"

"Mm, something like that."

Half-used erasers, marbles he played with as a kid, friendship rings, or accessories from childhood—people who made requests always asked Mu-ryeong what he did with the things they gave him in return. Every time, he avoided giving a clear answer. As a result, he had developed a reputation as "that weird guy who collects random stuff."

"It’s a miracle there aren’t any rumors about you being a pervert."

Seung-joo spoke with genuine amazement. If it were anyone else, weird rumors would have already spread. But somehow, Mu-ryeong’s naturally pure and innocent image protected him. Some people even believed he accepted what seemed like junk just to humor others.

"That hairpin looks totally useless, though."

"Everything has a use."

Instead of explaining further, Mu-ryeong pulled out his next class’s textbook. He also took out a clean notebook to take notes for Seung-joo.

But before class started, Min-ji, who was still hovering near him, hesitantly asked,

"Mu-ryeong, are you close with Ki Hwan-young?"

"Huh?"

The question was sudden but familiar. After all, he had just seen Hwan-young yesterday after school.

"I heard you came to school with him last week."

"Oh, yeah. When I heard that, I thought your social skills were insane, Mu-ryeong."

"Isn’t he kinda scary? What’s he like?"

Had that rumor already spread?

Curious questions poured in all at once. Mu-ryeong glanced around at his friends and playfully winked.

"I’m close with everyone at this school."

"Oh, come on."

"Kim Mu-ryeong, you’re unbelievable."

It was meant as a joke, but it was also the truth. No one could even argue against it—they could only grumble.

Then, a boy among them muttered something that shifted the mood.

"I just think he’s kinda… weird."

That was how it started.

People began voicing their thoughts about Hwan-young—the boy who never talked to anyone, the boy who didn’t belong anywhere.

"I was in the same class as him last year, but I never said a single word to him."

"Maybe you just weren’t close?"

"No, I tried talking to him, but he ignored me. And during group projects, he never gave his opinion on anything. It was so frustrating."

"Wait, then how did he do graded group work?"

"He always did his part, though."

"What? Then what’s the problem?"

Laughter rippled through the group. Mu-ryeong remained silent while they continued talking about Hwan-young.

"Hey, I accidentally bumped into him in the hallway once, and he glared at me so hard I thought he was gonna punch me."

"Ugh, and he’s huge too. That must’ve been terrifying."

"He’s really strange, though."@@novelbin@@

"Why does he always act like he’s above everyone else?"

"I dunno, but remember when he came to our classroom? The way he said, ‘Call Kim Mu-ryeong for me,’ in that deep voice…?"

Seung-joo scowled.

It was at that moment that Mu-ryeong’s gaze landed on Seung-joo’s casted right hand.

Seung-joo slammed his palm against the desk, immediately silencing the group.

"Hey, cut it out. You guys don’t need to be talking behind someone’s back like this."

"Yeah, I just asked if they were close, but now it sounds like you guys are trashing him."

Even Min-ji looked uncomfortable. But the boy who had started the conversation wasn’t backing down. Embarrassed, he raised his voice even more.

"I’m not talking behind his back—I’m just being honest. Come on, Mu-ryeong, don’t you think he’s weird too?"

At that moment, all eyes turned to Mu-ryeong.

Anyone else might have felt pressured, but Mu-ryeong’s expression remained completely unchanged. He simply said,

"Ki Hwan-young is kind."

"……."

That single sentence was enough to kill the conversation.

Even the ones who had been complaining the most fell silent, unsure of how to respond.

Mu-ryeong absently toyed with the textbook on his desk and grinned.

"Maybe he’s just really shy. When I showed him a picture of Seolgi, he said he looked more like injeolmi than baekseolgi. And people who like dogs can’t be bad."

His last words were half a joke.

He took out his phone and showed them the same picture he had shown Hwan-young—Seolgi lying on the floor, looking just like a piece of injeolmi.

"Look. Isn’t Seolgi cute?"

The conversation naturally shifted to a discussion about Seolgi’s fur color and growth.

The debate over whether he looked more like baekseolgi or injeolmi ended with a consensus: "Well, he’s just a perfectly cooked baekseolgi."

Right on cue, the bell rang, signaling the start of the second period.

"Come visit him sometime."

"Oh, for sure! I’ll bring snacks!"

"Mu-ryeong, I wanna go too!"

"Everyone’s welcome. Seolgi loves people."

Seung-joo watched all of this unfold with an amazed look on his face.

He had known Kim Mu-ryeong since birth, yet somehow, the kid always managed to surprise him.

Especially the fact that none of this was an act.

"Hwan-young is kind?"

Seung-joo murmured the words quietly.

Mu-ryeong’s eyes curved into a gentle crescent shape as he smiled.

"The night I stayed at his house, he had breakfast ready before I even woke up."

"……."

"He even matched his walking pace with mine on the way to school and kept walking closer to the road."

"…That’s considerate."

"Right? That’s what I’m saying."

Mu-ryeong nodded as if to prove his point.

Seung-joo had actually meant that Mu-ryeong was the considerate one, not Hwan-young, but he didn’t bother correcting him.

"Let’s eat lunch with Ki Hwan-young today."

Seung-joo glanced at Mu-ryeong. He was flipping through his textbook, his expression completely serious—there wasn’t even a trace of mischief in his eyes.

Seung-joo let out a quiet chuckle.

"…Does Ki Hwan-young even know about this?"

Of course, Mu-ryeong’s answer was a simple, "No."

Forget eating lunch together—Hwan-young probably didn’t even expect Mu-ryeong to seek him out. He had most likely assumed that the next time they met would be when Mu-ryeong came back with another talisman, probably sometime next week.

"He always eats alone anyway. If we invite him, he might join us."

"……."

Mu-ryeong made it sound simple, but Seung-joo knew that Ki Hwan-young wasn’t the type to just go along with things.

The last time Seung-joo had greeted him, Hwan-young had responded with nothing but a cold stare. And this was Mu-ryeong we were talking about—someone who had even stayed at Hwan-young’s house for the night.

"Just leave him alone. Why do you even want to eat with him? Because you feel bad about what people said earlier?"

"Feel bad?"

Mu-ryeong frowned, scrunching his nose as if the idea hadn’t even crossed his mind.

"If you say it like that, it sounds like I pity him. It’s not that—I just think I should get closer to him."

Yesterday, when Mu-ryeong had watched Hwan-young throw away the talisman, a lot of thoughts had crossed his mind.

For one, Hwan-young was really difficult to deal with.

And yet, there had been no real malice in his actions.

This request was not going to be easy.

Mu-ryeong had rarely struggled with a request before. Most people actively sought his help and willingly provided information. If it had been any other student, they wouldn’t have reacted so strongly to receiving a talisman.

"I need to see him more often if I want to do anything about this."

"Oh… So it’s about the request?"

"Yeah. I haven’t solved it yet."

His plan had been nearly flawless.

If Hwan-young hadn’t been so uncooperative from the start, Mu-ryeong would have already taken care of everything—he would have exorcised the vengeful spirit, ensured that no one else around Hwan-young got hurt, and done it all without anyone noticing.

"Why are you the one putting in all the effort? He should be the one asking for help."

Seung-joo was clearly frustrated.

Kim Mu-ryeong had always been a pushover, but this time, the scale of his self-sacrifice was too much. And worst of all, he was going out of his way for someone who didn’t even ask for it.

"…There must be a reason why he can’t."

"Wow, you’re like a saint."

"You mean I’m kind?"

"No, I mean you’re a complete pushover."

Seung-joo tapped Mu-ryeong’s head with his casted hand.

His cast was covered in colorful scribbles and doodles from their classmates. It didn’t hurt, but Mu-ryeong instinctively rubbed the spot anyway.

"It’s not really for him…"

"Yeah, right."

Seung-joo might not believe him, but this really wasn’t about Hwan-young.

Even without a request, Mu-ryeong would have taken action the moment he detected such a dangerous spirit.

As an exorcist, as someone born into a family of exorcists, it was his duty.

"At least pick your battles when you decide to help people."

Their conversation ended there as the teacher entered the classroom.

Mu-ryeong, as always, took careful, neat notes.

Seung-joo, watching him, quietly sighed.

***

Today’s lunch was jjolmyeon (chewy cold noodles) and fried fish cutlets.

A friend who carried around a cut-out meal plan like a vocabulary flashcard had told them in advance.

For dessert, there was apple juice, which meant people were already making bets on who would get extras.

As soon as the bell rang, Mu-ryeong made his way straight to Class 3, just as he had told Seung-joo.

Normally, he would have been dragging himself behind Seung-joo’s back, but today, he walked with the dignity of a general heading into battle.

Seung-joo lazily followed behind, scratching the back of his head.

"…What?"

"Let’s eat lunch together."

Hwan-young’s face instantly twisted with disbelief.

Even Seung-joo, standing at a distance, felt second-hand embarrassment from his reaction.

But Mu-ryeong, completely unfazed, simply grabbed Hwan-young’s arm.

"They’re serving fish cutlets today."

"……."

Was it because he was getting used to it?

Hwan-young only flinched slightly this time and didn’t immediately shove Mu-ryeong away.

Eventually, though, he pulled his arm free—albeit slowly.

"Why would I—"

"You feel guilty about something, don’t you?"

Mu-ryeong looked up at him with bright, expectant eyes.

Since their height difference was significant, Mu-ryeong had to crane his neck quite a bit to meet his gaze.

Hwan-young frowned the moment their eyes met.

"…What does that have to do with this?"

"Oh, so you do feel guilty."