Chapter 4: Chapter 4

With a sudden jolt, Seung-joo stood up. He moved with such force that the entire class turned their heads to look at him. But Seung-joo wasn’t concerned with their stares—his focus was on one thing.

Mu-ryeong was still asleep.

Satisfied that his friend remained undisturbed, Seung-joo strode toward the back door.

"……."

"……."

A strange silence filled the air. The charged atmosphere made Hwan-young frown slightly, his expression darkening. Locking eyes with him, Seung-joo spoke bluntly.

"Why are you looking for Kim Mu-ryeong?"

"Are you Kim Mu-ryeong?"

It wasn’t a genuine question. The tone was more Who do you think you are, asking me that?

"Mu-ryeong’s asleep. Tell me instead."

"Is that so?" Hwan-young said indifferently. "Then I’ll come back later."

He turned on his heel without hesitation. Or at least, he tried to.

Seung-joo’s hand clamped down on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"Just tell me—"

Hwan-young reacted instantly, forcefully shrugging him off. The movement was so sharp, so unexpectedly harsh, that even Seung-joo—who rarely showed surprise—widened his eyes in shock. The smack of his hand being slapped away was loud enough to make the entire class turn toward them.

"……."

"……."

Seung-joo's first instinct was to check on Mu-ryeong.

Still asleep.

Mu-ryeong, who always slept deeply, was completely motionless, likely worn out from his previous exhaustion. The gym jacket covering him had been a good decision—he wouldn't wake up even if someone started yelling right next to him.

“Let’s take this outside,” Seung-joo muttered.

Rather than grabbing Hwan-young again, he simply nodded toward the hallway.

This time, Hwan-young complied, stepping out without protest. Seung-joo quickly shut the door behind them and leaned against it, arms crossed.

"Why are you looking for Mu-ryeong?" he repeated.

Hwan-young didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stared at Seung-joo’s hand—the same one that had grabbed him.

Just as Seung-joo was about to demand an answer, Hwan-young finally spoke.

"You’re his friend, right?"

Seung-joo scoffed, tilting his head. "Obviously."

He was about to follow up with So just tell me already, but Hwan-young’s next words caught him off guard.

"Then go home with him today."

"What?"

"Don’t take the main roads. Avoid alleyways."

"……."

"Watch out for anything falling from above."

A chill ran down Seung-joo’s spine.

Maybe it was the way Hwan-young’s long bangs cast a shadow over his eyes, or maybe it was the unsettling blankness in his expression.

His black eyes were different from Mu-ryeong’s—there was something lifeless about them, as if they belonged to a corpse.

"And don’t touch me again."

"Hey, wait—"

But before Seung-joo could even process what was happening, Hwan-young turned and walked away.

"…What the hell?"

Seung-joo stared after him, an uneasy feeling settling in his stomach.

Didn’t he come here with a reason?

Suppressing the unease creeping up his spine, Seung-joo watched as Hwan-young disappeared down the hall.

***

Mu-ryeong finally stirred just before the last class of the day ended.

He had been sleeping like the dead, but as soon as the teacher left, he sat up groggily. His usually bright eyes were half-lidded, heavy with sleep.

"You awake?" Seung-joo asked.

"Yeah…" Mu-ryeong mumbled.

Seung-joo grabbed the gym jacket draped over Mu-ryeong’s head. The fabric was still warm—probably from Mu-ryeong’s body heat. Shaking it out, Seung-joo neatly folded it.

"Did someone come by earlier?"

Seung-joo froze for a second.

Mu-ryeong yawned loudly, rubbing his eyes with one hand.

A beat later, Seung-joo replied nonchalantly, "Nah, no one."

If he told Mu-ryeong the truth—that Hwan-young had come looking for him—Mu-ryeong would definitely go find him.

And if Hwan-young was looking for him, it could only mean one thing—an exorcism request.

Which meant there was a very real possibility that Mu-ryeong would stay at school again tonight.

Even for someone like Mu-ryeong, who had ridiculous stamina, staying up several nights in a row was pushing it.@@novelbin@@

Better to let him rest.

"Really?" Mu-ryeong muttered, nodding sleepily. "I could’ve sworn I heard my name…"

His voice trailed off, but there was no real suspicion in it. He simply blinked slowly, scratching the back of his head before yawning again.

"You’re on cleaning duty today, right? Should I wait for you?"

They didn’t always walk home together, but if there wasn’t anything urgent, they usually did.

Not because they were particularly close—just because they lived next door to each other.

"Nah, just go ahead. It’s gonna take a while."

Seung-joo said it as casually as possible, but in the back of his mind, he was remembering Hwan-young’s warning.

Go home with Mu-ryeong today.

It was such an ominous, almost prophetic statement.

But… it was probably nothing.

Probably.

As he was about to close his textbook, Mu-ryeong suddenly grabbed his wrist.

His fingers were firm, his grip unusually tight.

Seung-joo’s first reaction was disgust.

"What the hell, let go. You’re creeping me out."

Mu-ryeong, however, ignored him.

Instead, his expression turned serious.

"Did you touch something?"

"What?"

Mu-ryeong’s grip on Seung-joo’s wrist didn’t loosen.

Despite his usual easygoing nature, there was an unexpected strength in his hands, both firmly grasping Seung-joo’s. His sharp gaze, full of scrutiny, sent a shiver down Seung-joo’s spine—it reminded him eerily of Hwan-young.

"Touch what?" Seung-joo scoffed.

With a swift tug, he yanked his hand free.

Mu-ryeong didn’t grab him again.

Their conversation was cut short as their homeroom teacher entered the classroom.

“Wait for me. We’re going home together.”

When the final bell rang, Mu-ryeong was still standing outside their classroom, arms crossed, waiting for Seung-joo.

Seung-joo tried to argue, but Mu-ryeong was stubborn—once he made up his mind, there was no convincing him otherwise.

But in the end, Mu-ryeong was forced to leave without him.

A phone call from home changed everything.

"What? Seolgi ate something weird?"

Seolgi—his old, golden-furred mutt.

He had raised the dog since childhood, and even though Seolgi was over ten years old, he was still as energetic as a puppy.

Mu-ryeong glanced at Seung-joo, torn between staying and leaving. But in the end, he only managed to say one last thing before sprinting out of the classroom.

"Go straight home. No detours, okay?"

What could Seung-joo do?

If Mu-ryeong’s family was in trouble, there was no stopping him.

With little enthusiasm, Seung-joo waved a hand as his friend ran off, though he made a mental note to at least be cautious. If Mu-ryeong was worried, then maybe he should be too.

But the next day—

Seung-joo didn’t come to school.

***

The classroom was filled with noise.

Footsteps hurried in, desks scraped against the floor, and conversations layered over each other in a loud, chaotic mess. As usual, several students came rushing in just before the late bell.

Amidst the bustle, Mu-ryeong sat at his desk, frowning down at his phone, fingers tapping repeatedly against the screen.

Seung-joo still hadn’t arrived.

"Mu-ryeong! Where’s Seung-joo?"

"Yeah, that’s weird. Even if you skip, Seung-joo never does."

"You guys didn’t come together today?"

The questions poured in, one after another.

Mu-ryeong ran a hand through his hair, letting out a quiet sigh. His already gentle features softened further with exasperation.

"I don’t know. He’s not answering his phone."

This morning, Mu-ryeong had woken up feeling more refreshed than he had in a long time.

Unlike his usual restless nights, he had actually gotten a full night’s sleep.

Exorcists naturally recovered energy quickly, but a solid night of rest made all the difference. The exhaustion from the past few days had faded completely.

Even Seolgi’s situation had resolved itself.

Turned out, the "weird thing" he had eaten was just the plastic eye from a stuffed toy.

Seolgi had a bad habit of chewing on his favorite plushies, and this time, he had swallowed a piece by accident. Mu-ryeong had rushed him to the vet last night, only to be told to wait for it to pass naturally.

Once home, he had hidden all the stuffed toys Seolgi could chew on. But the dog had whined so pitifully that Mu-ryeong ended up holding and apologizing to him for nearly an hour.

So in the end, nothing serious had happened.

Which is why Seung-joo’s absence today felt all the more unsettling.

Mu-ryeong had called several times, only to be met with the dull, automated voice:

"The number you have dialed is unavailable."

Even the messages he sent had gone unanswered.

"Did something happen?"

A normal person would assume Seung-joo had just overslept.

But Seung-joo wasn’t the type.

Unlike Mu-ryeong—who could sleep through an earthquake—Seung-joo always woke up early. He was strict about schedules, even waking up at dawn without an alarm.

And he never missed school, not even when he was sick.

Frowning, Mu-ryeong chewed on his lower lip. His gaze drifted to the empty desk beside him, unease settling in his chest.

His mind flashed back to yesterday.

That strange sensation when he had touched Seung-joo’s hand.

"Did you touch something?"

It was spiritual energy.

A lingering presence, attached to someone—or something—Seung-joo had come into contact with.

Mu-ryeong had only ever sensed such a clear, pure aura from one other person before.

Not another exorcist.

But still, someone different.

"It didn’t seem dangerous, though…"

In theory, having strong spiritual energy meant a soul was clean and untainted.

But that also made a person an easy target.

The purer the energy, the stronger the attraction—spirits, ghosts, and wandering souls would be drawn to it like moths to a flame.

Still, most ghosts followed a certain instinct.

They avoided threats.

They didn’t attack powerful exorcists like Mu-ryeong, because his energy was too strong. Too risky.

And Seung-joo—

Seung-joo had no spiritual power of his own.

Even if he had briefly carried the energy of something else, no ordinary ghost would be stupid enough to mistake him for an exorcist.

If Seung-joo was in danger just because of that, then simply being Mu-ryeong’s friend should have gotten him killed long ago.

"Damn it… He’s fine. He has to be."

Mu-ryeong took a deep breath and shoved his phone into his pocket, trying to shake off his nerves.

Seung-joo always called him out for overthinking.

Maybe it really is nothing.

Just as he was convincing himself—

Click.

The classroom door opened.

The homeroom teacher stepped inside, brushing chalk dust off his hands.

Without a word, he walked over to the board and erased a name under the "Tardy" list.

Seo Seung-joo.

The teacher turned to face the class, casually announcing:

"Seung-joo got into an accident. He won’t be coming in today."

A heavy pause.

"It wasn’t anything serious," the teacher added quickly. "So don’t worry too much. Just make sure you all stay careful on the roads, alright?"