By Zephyria 
Meanwhile, Kim Yeong and Ryu Seong-hee were confronting each other in the main office.
“Teacher Ryu, I am formally planning to transfer Exorcist Ki Jae-eon’s affiliation to the main office.”
It was a rather sharp tone.
However, Ryu Seong-hee didn’t show any particular agitation. Her beautiful hand gently lifted a warm teacup. And after wetting her lips in a leisurely manner, she asked back.
“What’s the reason?”
“Asking for the reason is the reason. I should be asking. In Teacher Ryu’s opinion, is Exorcist Ki Jae-eon’s condition… normal?”
Kim Yeong confessed honestly.
“A curse? No. There was no such thing. I can say that with the name of a Curse Unraveling specialist. Teacher Ryu, no… Jae-eon’s mother, I am also a very lacking person. I know. But… I’m an adult. Yes, so I’ll tell you.”
Kim Yeong clenched his hands tightly, which were neatly placed on his knees. His expression was distorted as if he was in great pain.
“Jae-eon needs to go to the hospital.”
He’s in a very dangerous state right now.
Wriggle, wriggle.
“A box of tangerines, 10,000 won! A box, 10,000 won each!”
“Mister, how much is this?”
“Come on, come on! Three packs for 5,000 won!”
“Hyungnim! Why were you off yesterday!”
“Aish, I had a hangover! Did you sell a lot today?”
“Mother! This is what I caught today!”
Noisy, bustling, koong-jjak-koong-jjak*.
It felt like all the sounds of the world were gathered together.
Ki Jae-eon was very nervous and was following Kim Ju-won like a baby duck. Because he was so tall, he could easily find him even if he lost him.
“Two big chickens, please.”
Kim Ju-won quickly found the ingredients written on the memo, weaving through the crowd.
“Imo, don’t you have peeled green onions?”
“Potatoes, no, the ones next to it. How much are they?”
“Where’s the small minced garlic?”
He was an expert.
“Hey.”
“Ah… uh.”
Ki Jae-eon received the heavy black bag that Kim Ju-won handed him. It was full of potatoes and mushrooms.
“Is there anything else?”
“Ju, just a moment… Two chickens and gr, green onions… garlic… ah, minced garlic… potatoes…”
Kim Ju-won glared at Ki Jae-eon, who was reciting them one by one, as if he was pathetic, then suddenly changed direction and started walking. Ki Jae-eon also panicked and followed him.
The place where the two stopped was a snack bar in the market.
“Imo, four servings of tteokbokki and 3,000 won worth of fried food, please. And sundae too. Lots of lungs, no liver. I’ll just eat the fish cakes and pay.”
While Kim Ju-won was skillfully ordering, Ki Jae-eon was quietly rolling his eyes around. Then, a paper cup filled with fish cake soup was placed roughly in front of him. A big, hard hand that put down the cup and disappeared, it was Kim Ju-won.
“Don’t even say you’ve never eaten it before.”
That’s so last season. Kim Ju-won mumbled under his breath, picking up the tteokbokki that had come out first and began to eat. His firm jaw moved non-stop.
Student, here. Soon after, a generous spread was laid out, from fried foods to sundae. Ki Jae-eon subtly scanned the room, then hesitantly picked up a toothpick. He wasn’t particularly hungry, but perhaps because of the atmosphere, his hand moved on its own.
Actually, he had eaten street food before. Back when he was traveling all over the country for exorcism.
When there was no time to eat properly, his manager would sometimes pack him kimbap and tteokbokki. But like this, in a market… eating while standing, that was definitely a first.
He remembered seeing it once by chance…
‘I think the kids ate like this.’
Kids in groups, wearing school uniforms, huddled together, eating deliciously; he felt like he had become one of them.
‘…Doing all sorts of things.’
But it wasn’t a bad feeling.
Ki Jae-eon put the steaming, bright red tteokbokki in his mouth. The spicy-sweet gochujang sauce enveloped his mouth, followed by a chewy texture that was quite… nice.
For once, he didn’t feel nauseous or sick to his stomach.
And Kim Ju-won, who had been glancing at Ki Jae-eon without making it obvious, expressionlessly chewed on his rice cake before suddenly sliding an egg from his tteokbokki over to him.
“……?”
“Eat it.”
Then, he devoured a fish cake in one bite. It was as if he had a black hole in his mouth.
‘It’s too big…’
While Ki Jae-eon was rolling the large egg around with his toothpick, at a loss for what to do, he heard a low voice from beside him, “Hey.” The hand that had been tormenting the egg jumped.
Ah… he must think I’m playing with my food?
Thinking he was about to get scolded again, Ki Jae-eon shrunk back and looked up, only to see Kim Ju-won’s face, crumpled as if in embarrassment.
He hesitated, uncharacteristically taking his time to consider, before asking in a slightly awkward tone.
“What do you… think of me?”
It was a strange question. What did he think, in what way?
Ki Jae-eon blinked. He didn’t understand the question itself.
…It seems like he wants some kind of evaluation.
But he had no idea what he wanted to be evaluated on. In the end, he had no choice but to give a basic evaluation of his appearance.
“W-Well, you’re hand… handsome, I guess…”
In truth, ‘a bit scary’ should have been part of the honest assessment. But no matter how lacking he was in social skills, he couldn’t bring himself to say ‘your face looks scary’ to someone’s face.
He barely managed a plausible answer…
“No, you idiot.”
Guess not.
“I’m talking about my skills! Who asked you to evaluate my appearance? Who doesn’t know I’m handsome?”
So, he was aware…
Ki Jae-eon was briefly flustered, but quickly found an answer. With an accurate question, it was that much easier to answer.
Kim Ju-won’s skills? Well, of course…
“Weak.”
He was grabbed by the collar.
‘Jae-eon needs to go to the hospital.’
“So, we can interpret this as… Exorcist Ki Jae-eon has a mental problem?”
Ryu Seong-hee finally parted her lips after a long silence.
Kim Yeong nodded calmly, meaning that was correct.
“I know Jae-eon’s capabilities are great. But…”
“Going further than that would be quite a dangerous statement.”
Ryu Seong-hee’s eyes became quite sharp. It was only natural. The current ‘Ki Jae-eon’ was not just something that belonged to Heavenly Land and the Gi Clan. If you were to put a value on it, he was a brand in and of himself. A talent representing an entire profession. There was a reason why he was even called ‘the person closest to God among humans’.
But to say that someone with such a heavy responsibility had a flaw? And a mental one at that?
It was not something that could be simply overlooked.
Ki Jae-eon had to be perfect. Without even the slightest blemish.
If Ki Jae-eon faltered, the reputation of the brand he possessed would also fall, and naturally, its value would plummet. The financial damage that would result from that would not be insignificant.
And would that be the end of it?
The pack of jackals, who had been waiting with bated breath for the day the tiger lost its teeth, would pounce fiercely to seize the throne.
A main office without roots.
An arrogant Sea God.
Neither was qualified. As a rule, a future led by someone who was not righteous could only walk the path of destruction.
Ryu Seong-hee, who had devoted her entire life to this industry, could not stand to see such a future.
“I can confidently say that I have been providing perfect support for Exorcist Ki Jae-eon.”
“Master Ryu, …Jae-eon’s mother!”
With a creak! Kim Yeong jumped up from his seat and shouted at her. Did he not understand the seriousness of the situation? His face, overcome with anxiety, looked very distressed.
“However.”
She stubbornly continued her statement. Her voice was soft but firm.
“If we’re discussing parental qualifications, I can’t think of anything to refute.”
The two people’s gazes met.
Kim Yeong widened his eyes and awkwardly sat back down in his seat. As soon as he realized that he had acted rashly, embarrassment washed over him.
However, Ryu Seong-hee did not show any displeasure at Kim Yeong, who had judged her recklessly, but simply smiled quietly.
In fact, that was right. If you looked at her as Ryu Seong-hee the human, not Ryu Seong-hee the mother… surprisingly, her thoughts were exactly the same as Kim Yeong’s.
“I couldn’t bring myself to ask.”
Ryu Seong-hee recalled the day Ki Jae-eon first collapsed.
Then, when he locked himself in his room and screamed the whole time.
And then, when he finally fainted in the bathroom while eating.
Yes, when Jae-eon collapsed dozens of times.
Once, twice, three times, four times…
There were several opportunities.
Are you okay? What’s wrong?
Talk to Mom. …She simply lacked the courage to reach out.
“I know more about Exorcist Ki Jae-eon than anyone else, but I don’t know anything about my own son. His favorite color, side dishes, clothes… nothing.”
“……”
“I regret it.”
It was a word that contained many meanings.
“Why did I think he would be okay? He’s still human.”
He’ll take care of himself. Because he’s always shown more than what was expected.
“I never thought that belief would drive my son to his death.”
Ryu Seong-hee gave a weak smile. Her uncharacteristic smile was somehow stifled and pitiful.
“It’s too late to play the role of a mother now… but I still have to do what I can.”
She picked up the neatly placed bag. And what she took out rustlingly was a catalog filled with a list of hospitals that were said to be famous in Seoul. As if department store VVIPs were choosing products in a room exclusively prepared for them… the neatly organized list of hospitals was a service that only the chairmen of major corporations could enjoy.
However, Ryu Seong-hee very simply flaunted wealth no less than them.
“Anywhere.”
Even the business card of the director of A Hospital, where making a reservation was said to be as difficult as picking a star from the sky, was placed together.
“Any amount.”
Her expression was firm.
“If it’s necessary for Jae-eon.”
She would mobilize all the power she had to protect him. If anyone appeared to stop her, she would not forgive them, no matter who they were. Even if it was Heavenly Land and the Gi Clan.
She could throw everything away for her child. Everything was only for Jae-eon.