By Zephyria 
It was then.
While scrolling through his missed calls, Jae-gyeom suddenly flinched.
Whether he had mis-tapped or not, a call was placed to Im Hyo-mun. Startled, Jae-gyeom hurriedly mashed the cancel button. However, the moment the connection was severed, Im Hyo-mun called him back immediately.
Jae-gyeom conflicted over whether he should answer the phone or not.
What should I do?
If he asks what’s been happening all this time, I can’t exactly tell him the truth…
After a moment of hesitation, Jae-gyeom decided to take the call.
“He… hello…?”
It was the moment he clumsily brought the phone to his ear.
― Chil-chil!!
The moment the call connected, a shout that hammered his eardrums flew in.
“Hey, you’re going to burst my eardrums.”
― You… you! You were alive?
“Yeah. How’ve you been? Uh… congrats on becoming an exorcist.”
Jae-gyeom spoke up, braving the awkwardness. He felt like he had to say something, so he opened his mouth and said whatever came to mind, but suddenly, Im Hyo-mun’s voice became muffled and choked with emotion over the phone.
― What on earth happened to you? Your phone was off the whole time. I went to your team to ask, but everyone just said you quit, and even Chief Yoon, who you’re close with, suddenly said he quit being an exorcist, and then later, they said Chief Yoon was the leader of the Exorcist Order… I thought something had happened to you…
Then, Im Hyo-mun, who had been rambling incoherently, spoke up with a sob in his voice.
― Since I couldn’t get a hold of you, honestly, I thought you were dead…
Suddenly finding it absurd, Jae-gyeom let out a chuckle and retorted.
“Hey, who’s dead…?”
No, he had intended to retort. Who’s dead? What are you talking about? That was the answer he originally intended. Like someone completely unrelated to death. As if being alive was the most natural thing in the world… Jae-gyeom closed his mouth, unable to finish the sentence.
“….”
If things had gone according to the original plan, if nothing had changed from the initial purpose of joining hands with Yoon Tae-hee, Im Hyo-mun’s guess wouldn’t have been entirely wrong. Because he had become an exorcist with the intention to die, with a heart longing for death. Moreover, if it hadn’t been for Mesan, he would likely be asleep right now, as good as dead.
Ah, it’s not a given that I’m alive right now.
Jae-gyeom thought once again about the irony of life.
“Sorry. And thanks for worrying about me.”
At the blunt but sincere greeting, the other end went quiet for a moment.
“Just… a lot of things happened during that time.”
― Is it all resolved now? Are you okay?
“Yeah. I’m fine now. Take care.”
― Where have you been and what have you been doing?
“I went back to my hometown to be with my family.”
― I see… Which area?
“Something came up, so I’m back in Seoul now.”
At that, Im Hyo-mun’s voice rose with delight.
― Really? Thank goodness! Then do you want to meet up?
“…Meet up?”
― Yeah! Let’s meet and talk! I want to see your face since it’s been so long.
“…Now?”
― Yes! Do you have time today? I’m off today and tomorrow. I’ll go to wherever you are!
It was a sudden proposal, but he had mostly finished unpacking his things and had no real reason to refuse. He could have made up a plausible excuse to decline, but lacking in tact, Jae-gyeom instinctively agreed.
He stopped Im Hyo-mun from rushing straight to his house and agreed to meet in front of the cinema where they had watched a movie before, then hung up. It wasn’t far from home, making it convenient to move and a short distance to travel.
Jae-gyeom got dressed and went out to the living room. Jeong-ju and Yoon Tae-hee had also apparently finished cleaning and organizing, as they were resting on the living room sofa. Jeong-ju, who was holding Yu Nam-saeng in his arms, asked Jae-gyeom.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to meet someone for a bit.”
“Who?”
Jae-gyeom blinked a couple of times and then blurted it out.
“A friend.”
At that, Jeong-ju’s eyes widened. He had never dreamed that the word ‘friend’ would come out of Jae-gyeom’s mouth. Moreover, he had only just arrived in Seoul. To go meet a friend immediately upon arrival.
“Which friend?”
It was while Jeong-ju was asking with a tilted head. Before Jae-gyeom could answer, Yoon Tae-hee narrowed one eye slightly before quickly returning to normal and asked.
“Im Hyo-mun?”
Jae-gyeom paused and looked at Yoon Tae-hee.
“How did you know?”
Instead of answering the question, Yoon Tae-hee looked down and muttered to himself in a barely audible voice, “I thought all the numbers were gone…” Jae-gyeom showed him the phone he used previously.
“I thought I lost my old phone, but I found it.”
“Oh. I see. Glad you found it.”
Jeong-ju nodded as if it were a good thing, but Yoon Tae-hee had no particular reaction.
“Then is this Hyo-mun person someone from the Exorcism Bureau?”
To Jeong-ju’s question, Jae-gyeom answered that he was. Perhaps not expecting him to call an exorcist a friend, Jeong-ju looked surprised for a moment, then asked in a cautious tone.
“But is it okay for you to meet an exorcist?”
“Why?”
“Just, you know, since he’s an exorcist, I thought it might be a bit dangerous.”
Jae-gyeom fell into thought for a moment.
“Hmm….”
Yoon Tae-hee frequently exchanged messages with Seok Ju-ryeon and maintained ties with the members of Team 1. Judging by this, it didn’t seem like a situation where he had to avoid exorcists or keep the Exorcism Bureau as an enemy. If that were the case, given Yoon Tae-hee’s personality, he wouldn’t have come back to Seoul like this.
“No. If it’s that guy, it’ll be fine. He knows Tae-hee too.”
“Is that so? Tae-hee, is he someone Jae-gyeom is okay to meet?”
Jae-gyeom cast a glance at Yoon Tae-hee as if seeking agreement. At that, Yoon Tae-hee raised one eyebrow and then pretended to be indifferent, pursing his lips like a bird’s beak. It was an attitude of resisting as much as possible because he didn’t want to answer in the affirmative.
At this, Jae-gyeom glared at Yoon Tae-hee and said.
“Jeong-ju is worried. Answer properly.”
Despite this, Yoon Tae-hee did his best to be mischievous.
“What if Im Hyo-mun attacks you when you meet?”
Jae-gyeom paused for a moment at those words, then spoke with a serious face.
“Then I’ll have to fight.”
…Do you have no intention of avoiding a fight from the start?
“It’s fine. I can win.”
It was while Jeong-ju and Yoon Tae-hee looked bewildered by the belligerent answer.
“In the first place, he’s not that kind of guy. Though I don’t know him perfectly.”
He was a decent enough guy. He was somewhat endearing. Was that why? It felt more like he was going to meet Im Hyo-mun rather than going to meet an exorcist. It was strange and fascinating that he felt no worry at all.
Will I be glad to see him?
Jae-gyeom left the house with a light step.
On a weekend evening, the Jongno area, visited for the first time in a long while, was vibrant with bustling crowds.
“Chil-chil! Over here, over here!”
Arriving at the meeting spot, Jae-gyeom turned his head toward the sound. Someone was raising their hand high in the distance. It was Im Hyo-mun with a bright expression. The moment Jae-gyeom saw that expression, he felt a smile forming.
I wonder what’s so great that he always walks around smiling like that.
Without realizing it, Jae-gyeom approached Im Hyo-mun with a smile on his face.
“Long time no see.”
He didn’t recognize him for a moment because his hair color had changed. Unlike before when it was bright yellow, Im Hyo-mun’s hair was now a dark, dull green. The piercings dangling from his ears had also increased. Perhaps due to the hair color, he looked calmer than before, but it was still a very conspicuous style.
Then, Im Hyo-mun approached with wide strides and suddenly hugged Jae-gyeom tightly.
“You really were alive!”
Im Hyo-mun jumped up and down while hugging Jae-gyeom, overjoyed like a child. Jae-gyeom felt somewhat embarrassed. Clearing his throat for no reason, Jae-gyeom hugged Im Hyo-mun back and patted his back while greeting him.
“Yeah… how’ve you been?”
“I’ve been great!”
“Your hair color is weird.”
“Huh? This? Ah, I originally dyed it blue, but the color faded and it became like this.”
Im Hyo-mun, who was scrutinizing Jae-gyeom’s face from every angle, spoke with a broad grin.
“Chil-chil, you’re still the same. Somehow it feels like you’ve grown taller?”
“D-do I?”
“Yeah. Your hair grew a lot too.”
Meeting Im Hyo-mun after a long time, he was exactly as he had been. The two of them headed to a nearby cafe while chatting about various things. After moving to the cafe, they began to have a full-fledged conversation about everything that had piled up.
He thought it would be quite awkward since it had been so long, but spending time with Im Hyo-mun was more comfortable than expected.
Im Hyo-mun was very curious about the reason Jae-gyeom quit the Exorcism Bureau and why he had been unreachable.
To that, Jae-gyeom gave a rough summary: ‘Something happened with the family so I had no choice but to quit, and I had to return to my original home, but I happened to lose my phone so I couldn’t receive calls. Then, coming back to Seoul today, I found the phone and finally got in touch.’
Fortunately, Im Hyo-mun nodded and let it pass with an ‘I see.’
Im Hyo-mun, who had recently officially become an exorcist, shared various news with Jae-gyeom.
Thinking that Jae-gyeom knew nothing, most of the topics were about the war with the Exorcist Order and the events that followed. While explaining how the current Exorcism Bureau was faring, Im Hyo-mun asked.
“So, Head Seok stepped down from his position after that. Did you hear about it?”
“No, I didn’t.”
That’s a lie. Actually, I did. I already know because I heard it from Yoon Tae-hee.
“Did you know that Chief Yoon was the leader of the Exorcist Order?”
“No, I didn’t.”
This one is true. I never dreamed it, and I almost died of rage after finding out.
“Chil-chil, so what do you do these days since you quit being an exorcist?”
“I’m studying for the GED.”
“Oh, really? If there’s anything you don’t know, ask me.”
“Are you good at studying?”
Im Hyo-mun suddenly cleared his throat and took something out of his wallet. It was a university student ID that doubled as a credit card. “What is this?” Jae-gyeom asked, looking at the card, and his eyes widened.
It was a very prestigious name, one that even Jae-gyeom, who was practically illiterate regarding university reputations, knew.
“I assume this answers your question?”
Im Hyo-mun’s shoulders were now raised high, almost touching his ears.
“Why don’t you look for a position where you can achieve more social success instead of being an exorcist?”
“Social success, my ass. First time I’ve heard that word since high school.”
Im Hyo-mun talked relentlessly. By the time they were about to part, Jae-gyeom was completely drained, but Im Hyo-mun insisted that taking four-cut photos was a courtesy before saying goodbye, grabbing Jae-gyeom as he tried to leave. Only after taking the four-cut photos was he finally able to part with Im Hyo-mun and return home.