LFG 1

[Genius] : A person who is innately gifted with talents far superior to others, or who possesses such talents.

Ki Jae-eon, the second son of the prestigious Exorcism family with a long history, was what one would call a genius. Even before he turned sixteen, he would go out into the field and exorcise Specters, showing off his tremendous skills. He was truly perfect. A talent who would lead the future of the Exorcism world in Korea.

Ki Jae-eon was a human who was called that.

“Heok, heok……! Ugh, ugh!”

Uweeoeok-!

It was a demonstration for apprentice Exorcists.

All he had to do was recite a simple Spellcasting for the sake of the pitiful souls who couldn’t find peace and floated around… It wasn’t a difficult task for Ki Jae-eon.

But this time was different.

Just a minute ago, Ki Jae-eon, who had been reciting the ‘I wish-‘ Spellcasting with his signature cool, expressionless face, suddenly turned pale, vomited, and collapsed. It was truly instantaneous. His tall frame tilted to the right and fell straight down. Those who had been anticipating Ki Jae-eon’s Exorcism, those who had been relieved that he would surely succeed, and even the secretary who had been busily managing Ki Jae-eon’s next schedule alone, all stared blankly at him as he fell, their faces dumbfounded.

“Jae, Jae, Jae-eon-ah!”

The belated cry was of no use.

It didn’t reach Ki Jae-eon, who had already lost his mind and was rolling around in his vomit.

And so, in just one morning, the genius of the century collapsed.

* * *

The one huddled in the dark room, trembling, was indeed Ki Jae-eon. However, his appearance had changed drastically since the day he collapsed. His once glossy hair had become dry, the dark circles under his eyes were hollow from long sleepless nights, and his complexion was almost corpse-like, devoid of color. Also, contrary to his usual indifferent demeanor, devoid of any emotional fluctuations, he was highly sensitive and even chose his own isolation. Everyone who knew Ki Jae-eon was in shock. That Ki Jae-eon? The second son of the Ki family?

‘No way. Not him of all people…’

‘Someone who saw it in person said he was convulsing and shaking his body like crazy! Ugh!’

‘There’s also a rumor that he suffered a major head injury?’

‘The family’s reputation must be in tatters.’

‘Could he be Cursed?’

‘If even the Ki family is suffering from a Curse, this is a big deal!’

The rumors grew larger as they spread.

As the days when Ki Jae-eon refused to eat and clutched his blanket, weeping, increased, and as the days when he screamed without falling asleep increased, people became more and more anxious.

[What kind of Curse is it?]

The Exorcism Association, beyond the Ki family, began to stir.

Eventually, Ki Tae-ho, the head of the Ki family, thought that his second son was afflicted with a Curse that was difficult to deal with, so he decided to send him to Seoul, where the best Curse Unraveler was said to be.

But unfortunately, Ki Jae-eon’s strange condition was not due to a Curse that was difficult to deal with. It was a wrong guess from the start. The answer was elsewhere.

[PTSD]

That is, a mental illness called ‘Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.’

Yes, he was a sick person.

‘I’ve come back.’

A survivor who had returned from a very tragic future.

He was Ki Jae-eon, the hero of tragedy, the strongest Exorcist.

* * *

Ki Jae-eon got into the car heading to Seoul and captured the rapidly changing scenery in his eyes. The sky was blue and clear with fluffy clouds floating around. Everything was clear. That’s why he wanted to die. The world that Ki Jae-eon had endured was not so beautiful.

That day in 20XX when the white snow fell.

‘It’ suddenly appeared and took quite a lot from our side. The despair that stretched out like a shadow frustrated many people and led them to death. It couldn’t be stopped.

It was around that time that Ki Jae-eon’s pride was shattered.

Genius? What a joke. What good is a moron who couldn’t even protect his family and colleagues?

But even so, Ki Jae-eon fought. Half willingly, half forced. People revoked Ki Jae-eon’s abandonment out of fear that it would really be the end if he gave up.

Ki Jae-eon, seeing their desperate pleas, accepted. He, too, recited Spellcasting every day, even as his left arm was torn off, his intestines twisted, and half of his face was crushed, with a sense of duty that ‘there’s no one but me.’

I wish-, I wish-. He fought like that for several years. He desperately endured to recall the lost sun in a world dominated by the black night.

Ki Jae-eon fought even when his fighting spirit was broken, and as a result, he had to suffer countless losses.

Many sacrifices, endless resentment, and the pressure that strangled him.

Even so, there was an end.

The result was victory.

A human victory.

Because he was human, he tried to succumb, but because he was human, he did not succumb.

When the darkness cleared and the light rose again.

When people’s safety was guaranteed.

When full-blown peace arrived.

Ki Jae-eon committed suicide.

He left the world without regret, relying on a rope he had woven himself. He couldn’t bear it.

Because those he couldn’t protect came to his mind every night more than those he had protected.

Ki Jae-eon shed tears for the first time at the moment of death.

It was a tear of liberation.

‘Ah, now I can sleep.’

But he opened his eyes again.

A full 13 years ago.

He doesn’t know what woke him up. Could it be a Curse cast by ‘It’ harboring resentment?

I don’t know.

Ki Jae-eon accepted only one thing.

‘Fear’

The fear of having to face it again.

That’s why Ki Jae-eon cowardly chose to run away.

[Mental Breakdown]

That was the reason why that man was broken.

The appearance that seemed to have changed in just one morning to others was, in fact, a struggle to live.