Chapter 19: Chapter 19

“......”

It felt like my throat was closing up. The emotions rising inside me weren’t anything other than sheer sentiment. I’ve heard “thank you” countless times in my life, but this time, it felt especially significant. It was like when a cat, who usually pretends not to know you, finally comes over and rubs its face against yours.

“Then I’ll go.”

As he turned his body, Mu-ryeong instinctively grabbed his wrist. A rush of fresh spiritual energy flowed from the contact. The apparition, which had taken a step, furrowed his brow and looked back at Mu-ryeong.

“Do you have something to say?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Mu-ryeong rolled his eyes in a flustered manner, still holding his hand. He hadn’t planned on saying anything, but fortunately, a valid reason came to mind quickly.

“Seung-joo didn’t get hurt.”

It seemed like a simple, natural thing to say, but the reaction wasn’t great. At those words, the apparition’s face turned cold, like he’d just been struck in the back of the head. His stiff expression shattered the previously pleasant mood, turning the atmosphere icy.

“Ah… I see.”

That was it. The apparition muttered that single word and pulled his hand away from Mu-ryeong’s grip. He lowered his gaze, pressed his lips together, then raised his eyes again, and the look that met Mu-ryeong’s was filled with an almost suffocating darkness.

“I’ll go now.”

This time, Mu-ryeong couldn’t hold him back. The figure walking down the hallway had an oddly precarious air about him.

***

Why did he make that face?

Throughout the first math class, Mu-ryeong couldn’t think of anything but the apparition. The fleeting look that had passed between them kept flickering in his mind. With his hand, he followed the teacher’s writing on the board, but his thoughts remained on the apparition. As soon as the bell for the first period rang, he shot up from his seat.

“Are you going to see Ki Hwan-young again?”

“I’ll be back soon.”

His steps were full of confidence as he strode down the hall, as if he were a soldier heading into battle. Mu-ryeong walked through the corridor with his usual energy.

However, when he reached the classroom, there was no sign of Hwan-young.

“Hey, do you know where Ki Hwan-young went?”

“Ki Hwan-young? Hmm, he left a while ago.”

Had he gone to the bathroom? Mu-ryeong thought so, but Hwan-young didn’t return by the time the bell rang to start class. Mu-ryeong turned back a few times, feeling an uneasy weight in his steps, and returned to class 7.

When the second-period Korean class ended, Mu-ryeong once again headed toward class 3. This time, he brought some chocolates given to him by a friend from the front row. Maybe if he fed Hwan-young this, he could figure out what was going on.

Unfortunately, his well-meaning plan failed again.

“...Do you know where Ki Hwan-young went?”

“Erm... No idea.”

Mu-ryeong let out a rare sigh as he leaned against the back door. Those who knew him well approached, asking if everything was okay. Mu-ryeong answered them all kindly, then, as the bell rang, he left again, hoping next time would be different.

But, once again, no luck. He returned to class empty-handed, with no one in his class knowing where Hwan-young had gone. Mu-ryeong wanted to ask them to pass along the message that he was looking for him, but the mention of Hwan-young’s name made people uncomfortable, so he refrained.

“...What’s going on with you?”

Seung-joo, who rarely showed concern for anything, noticed the expression on Mu-ryeong’s face and asked, worried.

“Did you get into a fight with Ki Hwan-young?”

Mu-ryeong blinked slowly at the question, his slightly furrowed brow easing back into his usual calm expression. Then, he drooped his eyes and seemed downcast.

“I didn’t really fight with him...”

It wasn’t a fight, not at all. If anything, in the morning, Hwan-young had even said thank you. There was still an umbrella hanging next to his desk. That overwhelming feeling of gratitude couldn’t possibly have been a dream.

“...Why would I fight with him?”

“Well…”

Mu-ryeong decided to calmly wait for lunchtime. After all, Hwan-young had to eat too, so he might catch him if he hurried. Of course, he didn’t exactly wait calmly—he dashed out the door faster than the teacher could ring the bell.

“...Is Ki Hwan-young not here?”

But once again, Mu-ryeong faced the same frustrating result. Hwan-young wasn’t there, and his classmates had the disheartening news: the class had ended ten minutes early. Mu-ryeong ground his teeth and gently rubbed his forehead.

‘Something’s definitely off...’

As an exorcist, his instincts were never wrong… well, even if you didn’t have those instincts, you could still tell. Missing class every break time, and now even during lunchtime? It was obvious that Hwan-young was actively avoiding him.

“Hey, let’s go. The line’s already really long.”

Mu-ryeong went to the cafeteria with Seung-joo and, as usual, finished his meal. Seeing his expression, Seung-joo didn’t ask about Hwan-young. After they finished eating, he waved his hand carelessly and said:

“Don’t act like a grumpy rice cake, just go.”

Usually, Mu-ryeong would say it was fine, but today, he simply apologized and left the cafeteria. He was already heading to class 3 like a machine. This time, he planned to stick it out until the bell rang and force a meeting with Hwan-young.

Of course, once again, things didn’t go as planned.

“Next class is P.E…?”

Mu-ryeong stared at the timetable on the teacher’s desk with his mouth wide open. He should’ve realized when the kids were already dressed in gym clothes that morning.

If the next class was P.E., Hwan-young had probably gone straight to the gym instead of coming to class. No matter how long he waited, he wouldn’t meet Hwan-young here.

‘Guess I’ll have to come back after the next class.’

With a heavy sigh, Mu-ryeong dragged himself back to the classroom, considering whether to use his spiritual energy to track Hwan-young. However, the idea of stalking him felt uncomfortable, so he decided against it. If he found Hwan-young and he was in a bad mood, it could make things worse.

Still, since they were in the same school, he’d probably run into him before the day ended. If not, he could wait until after school.

At that thought, Mu-ryeong straightened his back.

Little did he know, something unexpected was about to happen in the next class.

***

“Alright, let’s stop here for today.”

The very next class after lunch. As soon as the class ended, Mu-ryeong shot up from his seat. It was rude, but given his usual behavior, the teacher seemed to think, ‘Must’ve had an urgent bathroom break.’

Mu-ryeong rushed through the hallway and stopped right outside class 3.

‘I hope it’s nothing serious.’

In fact, there was a reason why Mu-ryeong was so anxious. Tomorrow was the weekend, and if he didn’t see Hwan-young today, he wouldn’t be able to for two whole days. Also, it had been more than a week since he last visited his house, so today, it was crucial to apply spiritual energy to make sure everything would be safe.

‘Once today passes, it’ll be fine.’

As long as he used the talisman over the weekend and then delivered it to Hwan-young on Monday, his plan would be half successful. That meant he wouldn’t have to see that hopeless look in Hwan-young’s eyes when he grabbed Seung-joo’s arm again.

“...Today…”

“Why are you over there...?”

Mu-ryeong had been waiting for about five minutes when he heard a murmuring sound from the stairs. It was the sound of students from class 3 returning to their classroom after P.E. But there was something strangely off about the normally lively atmosphere.

“...Is he really okay?”

“I don’t know... No one asked.”

“He was bleeding a lot...”

As soon as he heard the word "blood," Mu-ryeong jerked his head up. His heart, usually steady, pounded in his chest as it sank. The familiar name that followed made his heart skip a beat.

“Ki Hwan-young, what’s going on?”

Ki Hwan-young.

“...”

Mu-ryeong instinctively approached the student who had said that. The student, who had been frowning, widened his eyes when he saw Mu-ryeong.

“Oh? Mu-ryeong?”

“Did Ki Hwan-young get hurt?”

“What? Ah... you’ve been looking for him all day, huh? He fell during P.E. and...”

He got pretty badly hurt.

“...”

Mu-ryeong’s face went pale. His already white complexion seemed to drain of all color. He didn’t even listen to the student’s further explanation before rushing toward the stairs.

‘But it looks like it’s not too serious yet...’

Seung-joo’s words echoed in his head like an omen. And the confident answers he had given before also came back.

‘It’ll be fine.’

‘I’ll make sure it’s not dangerous.’

He rushed down the stairs, skipping a few steps at a time. He shouldn’t have been so complacent. He should’ve found a way to handle this sooner. There was no time to waste or hesitate like this. Thoughts of regret kept creeping in, but Mu-ryeong fought to push them away.

The short distance from the second floor to the first felt like an eternity. Mu-ryeong couldn’t stop imagining how Hwan-young had fallen, how badly he was hurt, and all the possible scenarios.

When he finally reached the school health room, Mu-ryeong suddenly changed course and walked out toward the back of the building. The water fountain near the main building, a place no one really used anymore. His instincts told him that’s where he’d find Hwan-young.

“Ki Hwan-young!”

The smell of sand from the playground hit his nose. His eyes quickly locked onto the water tap, where the sound of running water could be heard.

In the isolated space, far from anyone’s gaze, Hwan-young was sitting by the fountain, the hot sun shining down on him.

“...”

“...”

Mu-ryeong’s heart was pounding so hard, it felt like it might burst out of his chest. He was breathing heavily, almost on the verge of tears. His ragged breaths trembled, and his heart was racing uncontrollably.

“...Kim Mu-ryeong?”

It was Hwan-young. He was sitting at the water fountain, washing his hands, with his pants rolled up to his knees. His shins were covered in scratches, the skin raw and bleeding. There was no trace of malice or ill energy, only spiritual energy emanating from him.

“Ha…”

So, he wasn’t a demon after all.

The realization hit Mu-ryeong like a wave, and his legs gave out. He collapsed to his knees, his face pale. Hwan-young quickly stood up in a panic, but Mu-ryeong, covering his face with one hand, waved the other at him weakly.

“No... No, sit down.”

“...”

“I was just a little shocked…”

Mu-ryeong took a deep breath, slowly calming his frantic heart. He placed one hand on his chest, focusing on the sound of his heartbeat. He felt foolish—there was no way a demon would be here in broad daylight.

“Ah... thank goodness.”

“...”

Hwan-young, silently watching him, turned off the running water. The sound of water abruptly stopped.

“I was planning to tell you later…”

“Hm?”

Mu-ryeong reflexively looked up at him, but because Hwan-young was standing with the sunlight behind him, his face was obscured in shadow. Hwan-young stared at him with his deep, dark eyes before slowly turning his gaze elsewhere.

“Let’s just leave it at that.”@@novelbin@@

“...”

What? Mu-ryeong couldn’t ask what he meant. Hwan-young’s eyes fluttered closed for a moment, then slowly opened again. His quiet voice came to Mu-ryeong like a soft breath.

“The request is canceled.”