By Zephyria A cult? Did he just call us a cult? The Exorcists of Heavenly Land buzzed with indignation. They widened their eyes, doubting their own hearing.
That’s how offensive the word ‘cult’ was to those who served the gods. Of course. It was treating believers and spirits alike as heretics.
In any case, this was a problem that couldn’t be ignored.
“What did you say? Hey!”
“Ah—…….”
As the enraged people protested, demanding an immediate apology for the rudeness, Kim Ju-won kicked the chair in front of him with a thunk! It was hard to believe that sound could come from a steel chair, but the chair spun around and flew diagonally.
The atmosphere froze in an instant.
The people who had been raising their voices shut their mouths.
“Annoying as fuck.”
Kim Ju-won rubbed his eyes with his middle finger, his head slightly lowered. His tone was truly irritated and dismissive. Then, after letting out a frustrated sigh, “Haa-. Shit,” he suddenly raised his head.
“Speak. What.”
Huh? What was he supposed to do? He sauntered towards the people, revealing his characteristic swagger.
“If you called me, say something. Why.”
His murderous aura made people flinch and step back. The naturalness of it suggested he had shaken down people more than once or twice. This guy is definitely an experienced thug! People swallowed hard, making assumptions.
“Even dogs don’t bother you when you’re eating.”
Kim Ju-won snorted with laughter. His twisted lips were very cold. Kim Ju-won blatantly expressed his displeasure, putting pressure on the people. Ah, shit, the more I think about it, the more annoying it gets? It felt like he was about to shake them down for a settlement. Especially the faint scar on his twitching cheek, which particularly emphasized his rough demeanor.
“W-we… did we do something rude to you…?”
“I told you. If you hang around my food bowl, I’ll growl.”
“No…”
“Because I’m a dog.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t you know? Dogs live in packs.”
Kim Ju-won frowned as if asking if they really didn’t know. In other words, he was a dog, and Ki Jae-eon was his pack, so he was angry that they had bothered them.
It was insane sophistry.
But no one raised an objection. They just exchanged glances. Of course, they weren’t silent because they understood his absurd logic. No way, that couldn’t be it. It was just that they had a strong gut feeling that they ‘shouldn’t engage!’ and decided to back down.
You shouldn’t mess with crazy people who are loud and illogical. Moreover, that thug was the one who bossed around ‘Ki Jae-eon’!
“Anything else to say? If not, get lost. And stop glaring at me, it’s fucking annoying.”
Kim Ju-won waved his hand as if shooing away a fly. It was a very condescending attitude. But after the subsequent, ‘Why, I didn’t learn anything, so my hands go out first. Want me to show you?’ everyone was about to turn around at the murderous threat.
The wind blew.
To be exact, someone burst through the crowd between Kim Ju-won and the others.
Haa, huh- the rough sound of breathing passing by.
Wavy black hair.
A familiar lingering scent that lingered and disappeared at the tip of his nose.
Huh? Kim Ju-won reacted half a beat late. His head followed in slow motion.
Before long, he realized that the person who had stormed out of the store was Ki Jae-eon.
“Ki Jae-eon? …Hey! Hey!!”
What’s wrong with him? By the time he blinked his eyes and grasped the situation, he had already disappeared far away. Ah, seriously, what’s wrong with him! Kim Ju-won chased after him without knowing why.
After sprinting at full speed, he arrived at the Gi Clan before he knew it.
Ki Jae-eon was still nowhere to be seen. Judging by the fact that the gate was open, he seemed to have already gone inside.
“Haa, ha… That bastard, huh, how, hoo- fast is he?”
Kim Ju-won put his hands on his hips and bent over. His shoulder blades protruded, and the sweat that had gathered on his neck dripped down. His lungs and heart throbbed with the rough breathing. He rubbed his chest with his large hands. Augh- it hurts. I think I ran more than when I fought the Wish Eater. Wow, crazy bastard. Why isn’t he a runner? Kim Ju-won shook his head and was about to cross the gate of the Gi Clan when.
Whoosh——-!
A chilling sensation made his heart drop.
‘What.’
He instinctively looked around.
The sight of three large traditional Korean houses surrounding the area was as magnificent as ever.
In other words, it was no different from usual.
But it was strangely eerie.
He could feel the taut air.
What is it? Kim Ju-won couldn’t move as if his feet were tied to the spot. He had a gut feeling that he shouldn’t move carelessly. An unknown tension slowly tightened his heart.
-…….
His sneakers hesitated, crunching on the gravel. Something finally caught his sensitive ears. Kim Ju-won slowly moved his steps as the sound led him.
Unhappy premonitions always come true, don’t they?
A terrible tragedy had already struck there.
“Jae-ha-!”
“Where is the Purifier!”
“Towels and, quickly!”
“When is Teacher Lee coming!”
“We need to do first aid first. Start here!”
Amidst the people screaming and crying.
A limp red mass.
No, a person.
The person wrapped in bandages all over his body, breathing in and out, was a face that Kim Ju-won knew well.
Ki Jae-ha.
Ki Jae-eon’s brother.
There wasn’t a single place on him that was intact, as if he had suffered some terrible accident.
Especially his right arm was severe. The skin was half peeled off and twitching.
“Wh-what…”
He spat out a word.
Kim Ju-won belatedly realized that someone was standing next to him.
It was Ki Jae-eon, who had run out earlier.
“Hey, you…”
His lips, which had been hesitating about what comforting words to say, soon closed tightly.
Because Ki Jae-eon wasn’t crying.
He stood upright, silently watching the moment his family was on the verge of death.
His black, dead gaze held the life that seemed about to go out for a long time.
How can he be so calm? He’s family. Wouldn’t it be normal to collapse and wail? Kim Ju-won felt a subtle chill. It was even more so because only Ki Jae-eon was uniquely quiet amidst the chaos.
An indescribable sense of incongruity surrounded him.
Just as he was feeling uneasy.
Ki Jae-eon suddenly moved. He walked towards Ki Jae-ha without taking off his shoes. His dirt-stained shoes roamed the room. People were briefly surprised by Ki Jae-eon’s sudden behavior, but soon nodded as if they understood. They thought that the already sick person was shocked by seeing his brother’s terrible appearance. People who are mentally unstable often show behaviors that violate common sense.
However, those who had a duty to protect the patient blocked him.
As mentioned earlier, people who engage in behaviors that violate common sense are likely to create situations that are harmful to the patient.
“Young Master, you can’t do this. Eldest Master-!”
But he pushed everyone away and stood tall next to Ki Jae-ha.
A long shadow fell over Ki Jae-ha.
His turbid eyes looked down at his blood brother.
He had an expression that was somehow lacking.
“Jae-eon, Jae-eon. Don’t look. Later… Later, when Mom gets better, I’ll call you—.”
Ryu Seong-hee, who had been guarding Ki Jae-ha’s side faster than anyone else, said in a pitiful voice. She seemed worried that her fragile second son might suffer new wounds. It was understandable, as it was not a sight suitable to be shown.
“Jae-ha is okay, he’ll be okay. Mom will definitely heal him—.”
She also seemed to understand Ki Jae-eon’s strange behavior as ‘shock’. So, while her own hands were trembling, she tried to stay as calm as possible so that her son wouldn’t be more frightened, and was trying to soothe him.
But before she could finish speaking, Ki Jae-eon knelt down.
He brought his head close to Ki Jae-ha’s heart in a very slow motion. It was as if he was trying to check if his heart was beating. Soon after, he slowly closed his eyes.
Everyone held their breath at the affectionate gesture.
Some even covered their mouths.
“Jae-eon, it’s okay. Mom—.”
But.
“Yudang tree, Zihua flower, …river, rancid smell.”
Everyone was wrong.
“Yudang tree, Zihua flower… South, South Mountain.”
Shock?
No.
The direction of interpretation was completely wrong.
Ki Jae-eon moved his lips as if mocking people’s sorrow.
“Yudang tree, Zihua flower, river, rancid smell, South Mountain.”
Muttering.
Ki Jae-eon, who had been muttering as if combining words, slowly raised his head.
“…Datbal, Jomagu.”
He had found the answer.
Ah, so it’s you?
The dark eyes in his half-open eyelids twinkled briefly as if saying that.
Then he stood up from his seat with strength. His long body stood up straight.
“South Mountain…”
Ki Jae-eon slowly turned his head and stared blankly at something beyond the main hall.
Moist and sticky eyes with no vitality at all.
To be honest, the unnatural gaze was a bit uncomfortable to look at.
Kim Ju-won unconsciously bit his lip, thinking of Ki Jae-eon as a ‘creepy guy’.
At that time.
“Jae-eon, what… what did you just say?”
A trembling voice broke the silence.
It was Ryu Seong-hee. She was looking at her son with an expression of disbelief. She seemed to have been quite shocked by Ki Jae-eon’s actions. It was natural. It wasn’t because she was worried about her brother who had been brutally attacked…
‘He smelled it to find out the specter’s information?’
She gasped and covered her mouth with both hands.
Her black eyes, shaking as if she couldn’t believe how he could do that, turned to her second son.
There was a strong fear in them.
Even she could not understand Ki Jae-eon’s way of thinking.
The same was true of the people standing around. They were staring at Ki Jae-eon with half-lost expressions. It was a gaze that saw a monster worse than a specter. It was natural because it was an attitude that was difficult to understand with their common sense.
Receiving all sorts of negative gazes, Ki Jae-eon quietly turned his body.
“It’s okay.”
Ki Jae-eon muttered as he stepped on the stone steps one by one.
“He’s not dead yet.”
He can live. I can still fix it. Thank you, God. Thank you for not making it that. I can protect it. I can retaliate. I can repay it. I can. I can. I can. I can!
Ah…….
“Thank God.”
Ki Jae-eon smiled as if collapsing.