By Zephyria It was fucked up.
Is it right for the child to get hurt in a marital fight?
Ki Jae-ha briefly recalled the dizzying fight between his father and mother. His father focused on the ‘Family’s honor,’ and his mother focused on the ‘safety of her child.’ A tense confrontation with no backing down. And himself, getting torn apart in the middle.
‘I thought I was going to get dehydrated.’
Even thinking about it again made him shudder.
‘I’d rather fight ten specters.’
Ki Jae-ha looked at the dim sky and swept back his wavy hair. An impression that resembled Ki Jae-eon but was different was distorted mercilessly. It was because he was reminded of some annoying situations that would happen in the future.
That’s right. The various checks that would come in as if they had been waiting.
‘Now that they’ve seen Jae-eon’s condition with their own eyes…’
There’s no way those snake-like Heavenly Land bastards will leave him alone.
‘They must be having a party right now.’
They must be having fun because my brother’s condition is fucked up. Ki Jae-ha’s eyes curved into a circle. He chuckled with a cigarette in his mouth, but his fox-like face was filled with a firm determination to retaliate someday.
Of course. The Gi Clan’s famous Family motto.
[Repay kindness twice, and grudges twenty times.]
‘Um~ I’ll never forget it.’
I remember all the faces of those sons of bitches who crossed this threshold.
Ki Jae-ha lightly flicked his finger to flick off the cigarette ash.
‘Once this training is over, I should go and harass them appropriately.’
Ki Jae-eon’s return is virtually impossible?
‘So, that means the only remaining root of the Gi Family is that Family’s eldest grandson…’
Some Exorcists gathered inside [Heavenly Land] exchanged glances.
A silent conversation passed through the cold air. They could understand the meaning without speaking.
[If Ki Jae-ha disappears, the powerful Gi Clan will remain in the past.]
They who seek greed and ambition were hard to see as those who serve God.
‘How can we get rid of him quietly?’
‘W-what are you talking about?’
The person who conveyed the words couldn’t help but be embarrassed. It was too heavy to be taken as a joke.
But the greedy people of [Heavenly Land] did not stop.
‘Think about it. Isn’t the game already tilted at the point when Exorcist Ki Jae-eon’s return became impossible? The Head of the family is faithfully walking the path of birth, aging, sickness, and death, so it will be impossible for him to control Heavenly Land alone as before. Then the only one left is the eldest grandson…’
There was a subtle joy in the trailing voice.
‘Is there any reason to follow a young punk with no ability? There are plenty of Exorcists like Ki Jae-ha in this Heavenly Land. Especially Choi, who became a divine spirit seventeen days ago. But they are trying to stand above us just because they are from the Gi Clan, that Family’s bloodline? So, let’s cut off the bud altogether. The fangs of a young beast may be a threat.’
His snake-like eyes began to gleam as he became more and more convinced.
‘As for retaliation or repercussions… it doesn’t seem like we need to worry too much. We just have to not leave any evidence. More than anything, it won’t take long for a Family that has lost its child and heir to fall. Well, I don’t think there’s anything to be afraid of from a Family that’s dragging around a crazy guy and holding a funeral for their eldest grandson.’
‘I’ll pretend I didn’t hear what you just said.’
The person who conveyed Ki Jae-eon’s condition immediately drew a line.
Of course. No matter how much of a thorn in their side the Gi Clan was, killing someone! It’s absurd. It’s truly outrageous.
‘Are you all out of your minds?!’
The reason they went to see Ki Jae-eon was just to keep him in check.
Now that things have turned out this way, they were just trying to whine and ask for a share of the pie.
No, to be more honest, they were just trying to break Ki Jae-eon once in his lifetime.
Yes, that was it.
But that was all.
They had no intention of destroying the Gi Clan. The two were very different issues.
‘AHAHAHA! It seems that our Exorcist has a big misunderstanding. All of us gathered here are nominally those who receive the teachings of God, so how can we commit murder? That is an act that goes against the doctrine. Yes, didn’t we all learn? [You must not harbor malice towards the harmless.]’
‘How can you make such a joke when you know that! …Don’t say any more. You’ve gone too far.’
‘No, no.’
The wicked Exorcist of Heavenly Land smiled cruelly.
‘A joke? That’s absurd.’
The wicked Exorcist secretly took out a talisman. It was a talisman for Curse Unraveling [Sealing Specters]. At the same time, he conveyed the fact that ‘Jomagoo (five feet tail, five feet snout)’ was sleeping in the southern mountains. It was referring to the five-foot monster that has been passed down in legends.
‘I heard that the Gi Family’s eldest grandson is training in the southern mountains these days.’
‘……!’
‘Don’t be nervous. You don’t have to feel guilty. We just woke up Jomagoo to exorcise it. Without any intention.’
‘……Wh, what.’
‘We don’t have to take responsibility for dying from a specter, do we? Of course, it’s not like we have any reason to be disliked by the divine spirit.’
His lips twisted meanly. This is an opportunity that will never come again. A golden opportunity to cut off the leash held by the Gi Clan!
‘Exorcist, you just have to take on one simple task. Silence.’
‘……I, I.’
The Exorcist smiled gently as he watched the trembling man.
‘From now on, what happens will just be a simple accident.’
*
Really, nothing happened.
5 a.m.
Even his father, who he thought would call him early in the morning, was quiet.
At that moment, a note came to mind.
[Don’t worry, nothing will happen.]
His brother’s note became a reality as if keeping a promise.
‘…Did he take care of it?’
He had many questions, but he didn’t try to dig them up. It was easier for him if he didn’t touch it.
‘Should I sleep a little more…’
As his mind became more at ease, his body also became languid.
More than anything, there was nothing else to do besides sleep.
Because there were still about three hours left before the main office kids woke up.
‘It’s better to sleep a lot when you can…’
He was about to close his eyes, feeling peaceful, when—!
A faint sound was heard beyond the sliding door. At first, he thought it was the sound of the wind, but no. It was definitely a human voice. Ki Jae-eon got up from his bed and slid the door open. In the middle of the bluish dawn, with the sound of crickets chirping, stood a figure wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and black shorts.
“Hyung.”
It was Ahn Seo-myeong.
A child who had taken a step further from the edge of boyhood and was just becoming an adult. But his white face was still so young that if you looked at him, you would smell a fresh scent.
“…It’s, it’s cold.”
A pretty child.
“Ah, co, come in.”
Ki Jae-eon didn’t have any big questions about Ahn Seo-myeong’s early visit.
Rather, he was only worried about his cheeks, which were chapped red in the cold dawn air.
Ahn Seo-myeong stood alone in the middle of the room, rubbing his hands, which were stiff from the cold. The sound of him sniffling in between made Ki Jae-eon’s heart only grow busier. He raised the temperature of the room and dragged the bedding to the hottest part of the heated floor.
“Co, come here.”
Then, he grabbed his cold arm and tucked his small body into the blanket. Ahn Seo-myeong obediently entrusted himself to Ki Jae-eon’s lead. The luxurious red silk cotton blanket with goldfish embroidery warmly wrapped around his small body. The blankets used in the guest room were as stylish as any hotel, but they couldn’t compare to this red silk.
“Wa, warm?”
“A little.”
“Sh, should I raise the floor temperature mo, more?”
To Ki Jae-eon’s question, Ahn Seo-myeong replied primly, “Yes, well. It doesn’t matter.” At the same time, he was just touching the edge of the blanket for no reason. His reaction was strangely lukewarm.
“……?”
Ki Jae-eon operated the boiler and then quietly lowered his hips next to Ahn Seo-myeong.
A glance.
Whoosh-.
But Ahn Seo-myeong glanced at him once and then turned his head sharply to the other side. Seo-myeong-ah? Even when he called him, he didn’t answer. His cheeks were puffy and he didn’t even make eye contact. The round back of his head was covered with an inexplicable sulk, strongly appealing that ‘I’m sulking.’
“…Seo, Seo-myeong…”
“You know.”
A pronunciation closer to ‘I-tchannayo.’ Ki Jae-eon quietly stared at his twitching white cheeks.
“Hyung, is your phone broken?”
It was a sudden question. Suddenly, a cell phone?
Ki Jae-eon rolled his eyes and answered in a slow tone.
“It’s fi, fine.”
It’s fine? Heung, I see-. Ahn Seo-myeong muttered to himself and then threw out a word a little later.
“I kept contacting you yesterday.”
“H, huh?”
He contacted me yesterday, you say. Ahn Seo-myeong, who repeated the same words like a parrot, soon closed his lips tightly like a clam. He seemed to be in a very low mood.
Uh-. Contact? Ki Jae-eon, who understood the meaning a beat late, hurriedly turned his body and picked up the cell phone that he had thrown down carelessly. When he pressed the call list that he hadn’t been able to pay attention to, the name [Ahn Seo-myeong] written in red letters was listed. A total of 23 missed calls. He did a lot.
“I, I ca, called.”
“I texted too.”
Ahn Seo-myeong mumbled softly. He hurriedly looked for the app at the sulky voice. There were 40 unread messages. Ki Jae-eon bit his lip and slowly read each message one by one.
[Good morning]
[(Greeting puppy emoticon)]
[Hyung!]
[Why aren’t you answering?]
[(Pouty puppy emoticon)]
[Hyung??]
[Don’t you want to have lunch together?
[Hyung, let’s play games together]
[My sister and brothers keep killing me, please get revenge ㅡㅡ]
[Ignoring me? I’d rather you read and ignore me, I’m worried]
[(Knocking puppy emoticon)]
[(Sobbing puppy emoticon)]
[Are you sick???]
[Answer]
[Why aren’t you answering the phone]
[You’re not sick, are you?I went to find my older brother, but they said I can’t see you today. I was completely turned away, my heart is hurt. I’m glad you’re not sick haha. If you see this, contact me even in the early morning. But the uncle got angry again when I came, I’m scared older brother. I’m too young, but the uncle kept scolding me. Etc…….
The messages had the same meaning, but the sentences were different, and they were piled up.
All of them were worried about Ki Jae-eon and were waiting for him.
In the end, he even came to visit at 5 a.m. to avoid the adults who wouldn’t let him see him. As if he had been waiting for this time.
“I, I didn’t see it. The Family wa, was busy……. I, I’m sorry.”
Ki Jae-eon apologized, glancing at Ahn Seo-myeong’s messy hair.
His gloomy eyes drooped powerlessly.
“Seo, Seo-myeong…”
But the child kept his head turned away. His puffy cheeks showed no signs of subsiding. Ki Jae-eon gently reached out and shook Ahn Seo-myeong gently. Then, a unique warm and savory smell wafted out. A smell that would make you giggle if you buried your nose in his bare skin.
“Di, did you wait lo, long?”
“Yes, well.”
He was about to apologize once again at the blunt answer.
“But it’s okay. If you’re busy, there’s nothing I can do. I don’t have an obligation to answer my calls, and I don’t have the right to claim it. In the first place, obsession is not good in a person-to-person relationship. It’s a mindset of trying to possess the other person. That’s very unattractive and rude. Whether it’s a romantic relationship, a friendship, or a Family relationship. Only insecure people do that, right? I’m different. My grandmother said that you have to treat the other person with composure. She said that appropriate indifference is the secret to maintaining a good relationship between both parties. I agree too. I think relationships should be based on understanding.”
Da-da-da-da- it was like a machine gun.
“Ah……. Um, uh-huh. Th, thank you.”
He thought he was understanding anyway, so he tried to wrap up the situation-.
“But didn’t you even have time to go to the bathroom?”
As if it was impossible, it went back to the beginning again.