By Zephyria But the children couldn’t easily believe it.
Lies. The elders? Those people who are hard to even see?
“Ehh… Even so…”
“Uh-uh, it’s not a lie. I saw it myself. They were even smiling with their eyes, saying, ‘Jae-eon~’?”
“Crazy.”
“Wow.”
“Wow- that jerk is really amazing, he was an amazing jerk…”
“So that’s why he could be so arrogant.”
The children whispered among themselves.
“Then, he’s acting like that even though the elders asked him? No way.”
“It must mean that purification work isn’t his level.”
“How refined, how refined.”
“Wow~ Then why did he come? Is he our supervisor or something?”
“He’s really too much. He knows it takes a long time… would it hurt him to help a little? Honestly, Ki Jae-eon can purify the village by himself. He could just do it.”
“That kind of thing isn’t what Jae-eon does. That’s what servants do.”
“Servants, my ass.”
It was then.
“Hey, hey, that’s enough. Stop gossiping and get to work.”
A child who had been listening quietly without participating in the conversation waved his hand and scattered the group. At this rate, the sun will rise. At his words, the children also agreed and returned to their original places. There’s no time anyway, and all they’re doing is gossiping about Ki Jae-eon. What’s the point of that? It’ll only make them feel inferior.
“I’ll go over there.”
He waved his hand lightly and headed towards the public restroom in the vacant lot.
But someone was already there. It was Ki Jae-eon.
He didn’t budge when he was told to do it?
Looking closely, he was just standing there awkwardly, aimlessly looking around, so as soon as he saw him, he felt a surge of annoyance.
‘If it were before, he would have already…’
The child, looking at his clumsy appearance, turned his head away.
‘That’s it. Let’s just ignore him.’
The footsteps passing by Ki Jae-eon were quite fierce.
Step, step.
Abruptly.
The child stopped walking. It hadn’t even been a few seconds since he had resolved to ignore him.
“……”
His legs, hesitating for a moment, soon moved.
His tightly clenched fist, his steps suppressing his emotions, stopped in front of the specter-like man. The clear sky darkened with a rumble, and small raindrops began to fall.
“Hey.”
Once his lips opened, the next part was easy.
“Do it moderately.”
He spat out harsh words while looking straight at the pale face drenched in rain.
“Ki Jae-eon, I guess you were a king in Incheon, but it’s different here. This isn’t a place to come for a change of pace or to play around.”
His tone grew increasingly rough.
At that moment, Ki Jae-eon shed his skin in the child’s mind.
He threw off his pathetic, rain-soaked husk and regained his former self. His shadowed eyes shone as if they had absorbed the sun, and his gaunt body became sturdy.
It was Ki Jae-eon from those days.
He first saw him at fifteen.
-‘To the foolish who do not know repentance.’
His appearance, sealing specters while wearing a school uniform, was like an absolute god who had descended to earth.
Yes, that’s Ki Jae-eon.
The child blinked his eyes. The shimmering illusion was truly romantic.
At his every gesture, an inexplicable sense of elation rose!
‘The reason I became an Exorcist.’
It was solely because of Ki Jae-eon.
‘I want to become like that.’
The first dream he ever had in his life.
Ki Jae-eon was a goal that he didn’t even have to reach.
He knew from the start that he couldn’t catch up with effort.
Even so, it was okay. It was enough just to have the name of Exorcist engraved in his heart together.
But what is this?
“Why aren’t you working hard?”
How could someone disappoint people like this?
‘He ruined my dream!’
The child glared venomously at Ki Jae-eon, pouring out his resentment. The more words piled up, the more they transformed into a thick sense of betrayal.
“Why did you change?”
The child’s chest heaved greatly.
Yes, the ‘real’ reason he was angry at Ki Jae-eon.
Perhaps it wasn’t because Ki Jae-eon was ignoring them, the main office. In fact, that didn’t matter at all.
From the very beginning to the present, the existence that made him walk the path of an Exorcist was Ki Jae-eon, not the main office. That’s why he couldn’t forgive him even more.
‘Laziness is also a sin.’
The child looked at the idol committing sin with sharp eyes.
Yes, let’s be honest.
The real reason Ki Jae-eon is hated.
“Are you tired of this job?”
He could tell because he liked him so much. He had always been watching him.
He loathes it and wants to run away. With that kind of hopeless attitude.
It was then.
Ki Jae-eon suddenly frowned and brushed past the child.
Without any excuses or conversation. As if he wasn’t worth talking to, coldly.
“……Ha.”
The child, who had been inwardly curious about his inner thoughts, let out a bitter laugh as if shocked. Yes, that’s your answer.
‘Ki Jae-eon is nothing…’
He’s no longer a hero.
“Ugh- waek, cough!”
Ki Jae-eon, who had run to the back of the empty lot, vomited up the vomit he had been holding back. He convulsed his bent back for a long time, emptying his stomach until yellow gastric juice finally came out. Haa, ha. Saliva that had been running down his rough lower lip mixed with the rainwater and sparkled. Hoo, his lips were white and trembling. It’s cold. The rainwater pressing down on his shoulders was too cold.
“Haa, haa…”
Ki Jae-eon wiped his mouth with an exhausted face.
Even his angular shoulders drooped powerlessly.
‘We were in the middle of talking…’
He couldn’t stand it at all.
‘Should I go back…’
But what would he do if he went?
Ki Jae-eon soon gave up. Even if he went, there was no role he could play.
He wouldn’t even be able to help with the purification work, let alone soothe the child’s feelings.
Ki Jae-eon slammed his forehead hard against the bumpy surface of the tree.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Something that was neither rainwater nor tears pooled up and slid down his chin. Rumble- crash! The sky, where lightning flashed, was already darkly stained. Swish- the loud sound of rain strongly struck his eardrums. The petty ghosts that had crawled up his wet pants whispered curses in childish voices, ‘Die- die-‘.
Gasp. His moist lips moved silently.
There were actually many things he wanted to say. But all that came out was a cold sigh.
Ki Jae-eon slowly closed his eyes.
*
It was 10 p.m. when he dragged his wet body into the dormitory room.
His arms and legs were shivering.
He wanted to soak his body in warm water right away, but he couldn’t. The children were already packed in.
After thinking about it, Ki Jae-eon reluctantly gave up on bathing and picked up a dry towel. The best option he could do now was to wipe his body and change his clothes.
‘Did I have any cold medicine?’
His gaze reached the carrier placed in the corner of the room. When would he open it, find it, and eat it? Ki Jae-eon quietly went into the blanket with a listless feeling. But strangely, the chill didn’t go away. He wiggled his cold toes and curled up his body as much as possible. The round shape was similar to an armadillo.
‘……To think I’m getting a fever just from getting a little rain.’
If his past self saw him, he would have clicked his tongue and said he was weak.
Ki Jae-eon chuckled and set his phone alarm for 3 a.m. The bathroom would be quiet around that time. He would probably be able to comfortably warm his body.
Should he just sleep until then? His eyelids throbbed hotly.
Fortunately, sleep came quickly. He always suffered from insomnia… he was lucky.
Ki Jae-eon blinked his eyelids a few times and soon let out a colorful breath.
“Umm.”
He liked the rustling of the blanket touching his toes. He also liked the coziness that wrapped around his body.
The soft touch stroking his head was also very nice.
……
……?
‘Head?’
“!!”
Ki Jae-eon was startled and woke up abruptly.
The person he suddenly met eyes with also widened his eyes as if he hadn’t expected it. The two people’s gazes became entangled. But the surprise was only for a moment, and the other person soon greeted him indifferently as if nothing had happened.
“Hello.”
His unique calm expression and tone.
It was Ahn Seo-myeong.
What… is it?
‘Am I still dreaming?’
He was at a loss for words at the unexpected situation. Why was the child who should be in the hospital here?
Ahn Seo-myeong carefully looked at Ki Jae-eon’s dazed face and belatedly realized something, “Ah.” He made an insipid sound while raising his eyebrows. Then, he raised his hand and slowly pointed to the door. Ki Jae-eon’s gaze followed the neatly arranged fingertips.
“I was discharged.”
Ahn Seo-myeong continued in a tone without highs and lows.
“The door wasn’t locked.”
Then, he tapped Ki Jae-eon’s forehead again.
“I noticed you had a slight fever.”
It was an explanation with many omissions.
But because of his calm voice, he was able to understand, thinking, ‘I see.’ Ki Jae-eon even felt a strange sense of relief as he faced Ahn Seo-myeong’s peaceful face.
‘I’m glad. It seems he was discharged safely.’
Then, a question suddenly arose.
‘……Is there such a thing as a dawn discharge?’
Ki Jae-eon instinctively glanced at the window. The darkness unique to dawn was still quietly lingering. Ahn Seo-myeong, who noticed that gaze, freely revealed personal circumstances that didn’t even need to be explained.
“I was discharged yesterday. I arrived now because I went to see my grandmother.”
In other words, it could also be interpreted as he came to Ki Jae-eon’s room first as soon as he arrived at the dormitory. Of course, it’s unknown whether Ki Jae-eon thought that far.
“Aren’t you curious about anything else? For example… this.”
Tap.
His finger lightly tapped around his forehead. This? Ki Jae-eon groped his forehead as if possessed. Something caught on his awkward touch. He glanced around and carefully took it off, and what came into view was a children’s cool patch with cute characters drawn on it.
Why is this on me…… Doesn’t it not suit me too much?
As Ki Jae-eon was staring at the cool patch without reacting, a faint laughter was heard from the side.
“It’s been a while, but nothing has changed. You’re still slow……”
Ahn Seo-myeong put his lost fingers back on Ki Jae-eon’s forehead. His beautiful fingers playfully stroked his curly hair. Like a curious cat.
“And……”
The eyes he met for a moment curved roundly.
“You have no wariness.”
Ahn Seo-myeong tilted his head with a gentle attitude.
“Do you like being touched?”
A faint playfulness rose on his white face.
“I guess you haven’t learned to scratch.”
You’re docile. It was a murmur close to a soliloquy.