By Zephyria 
“Is there some misfortune haunting your household?”
Jeil Heon quickly recovered from his surprise and responded skillfully. The Girl let out a sound of interest and told them to enter. After passing through a wall decorated with silk, they stepped inside; the Girl dismissed everyone around her and sat in a celadon chair at the seat of honor. Yoo Jiha followed Jeil Heon’s lead, awkwardly perching himself on a chair.
“Stories should not have leaked to the outside. From whom did you hear news of this residence?”
“I heard it from a fox.”
“……You surprise me time and again. You do not look like an official from the Seoungwan who performs divination, yet what is your true identity? Why are you dressed in such a manner?”
“Because we are barbarians.”
At the nonchalant answer, the Girl burst into laughter.
“Very well. If you can resolve my worries, it matters not whether you come from the Seoungwan or the lands of the barbarians. As you said, an anomaly, presumed to hold a grudge against my late father, is attempting to invade this residence.”
Since the mansion was equipped with defenses against anomalies, no family members or servants had been directly harmed yet, but the Girl continued, saying it was only a matter of time. This was only natural, as a grudge is an intense, negative emotion as difficult to dilute as fear.
“You are as capable as my father was, so I shall entrust this to you.”
The Girl told them to rest until the anomaly appeared again when the night deepened, as things were quiet for now, and then she left the room.
Only after the door closed did Yoo Jiha let out a long breath.
“She believes us way too easily, doesn’t she?”
“It’s just a formality. The anomaly that attacks every night won’t be difficult to dispose of.”
“But that person from before, she’s a Spirit, right? She must have really been the daughter of a Chief State Councilor in her lifetime. I don’t know which one, though.”
“……Likely so.”
Jeil Heon seemed to think for a moment before returning to his ‘star tutor’ mode for Yoo Jiha.
“Did you notice the Spirit’s legs weren’t clear and her overall outline was blurry at times? That’s because it’s an incomplete soul. For example, there’s a possibility she was summoned through a part of the body, like a bone fragment or a strand of hair. It appears only the baek was summoned from the soul and spirit.”
“Huh. Did she die because of the anomaly that attacks at night?”
“Probably not. In the actual historical event, Mae-gu likely resolved it.”
“Do you have someone in mind who that might be? Seeing as she wasn’t contaminated even in the Aberrant Realm, I doubt she was an ordinary person in life.”
He hadn’t asked with any great intention. It was merely pure curiosity and a question about the existence of a Spirit uncontaminated by the Aberrant Realm. Jeil Heon also replied with a casual smile, his eyes curving.
“I don’t. More importantly, you’ll be safe until night falls, so why not look around the mansion? Since Mae-gu likely implemented it to be as close to reality as possible, you might see things like talismans from the Goryeo era.”
Was this not a golden opportunity to see the Buddhist influences and folk beliefs before they were suppressed in the Joseon era? For once, his identity as a folklore student fluttered with excitement.
While Yoo Jiha set out to tour the house under the guidance of a servant entity, Jeil Heon naturally shook him off and sought out the Girl again.
“My lady, you have a guess as to exactly what the identity of the anomaly is, don’t you?”
“……I do.”
The Girl seemed caught off guard by the sudden question for a moment, but she readily admitted it.
“In my deep reflections, I believe it must be an anomaly born from the resentment of the many people who grieved and raged when the Prince of Cheorwon was executed. For the one who executed him was my late father.”
“Do you not think the people were foolish?”
“How could that be?”
Taking after her father, the Girl was very tall compared to the women of that era, and she directed a steady gaze toward him.
“Though the method was wrong, it is an undeniable truth that the Prince of Cheorwon was one of the two great pillars that supported this Goryeo alongside my father. Since that pillar collapsed, how could those who eked out a living day by day in the ruins it left behind not be heartbroken?”
“…….”
“They, too, are the people my father embraced and sheltered beneath his pillar. For now, they may harbor resentment toward my father due to the shock and sorrow of the Prince of Cheorwon’s execution. However, they shall soon realize. My father’s pillar is incomparably wider and firmer than that of the Prince of Cheorwon; they will not merely survive in misery as they do now, but will enjoy a peaceful and prosperous age for ten thousand years.”
Her firm voice was filled with unwavering conviction and pride. Recalling the Girl’s horrific future, Jeil Heon smiled bitterly.
“You seem quite proud of your father.”
“Of course. The path my father and brothers walk is my pride. I hope my younger siblings also grow quickly so they may light a torch on the path of my father and brothers.”
The person there was not a daughter who merely obeyed the head of the household as was common for that era, but a spirited girl who had made the ambitions and pride of her father and elder brothers her own.
After the twilight passed, night arrived in an instant. Even though there was no wind, the candlelight danced erratically, and eerie wails echoed from the swaying shadows. The sound of someone banging their head echoed in an empty room, and it seemed a decapitated head was rolling, but in reality, it was a rock.
Unlike Jeil Heon, who took it lightly, Yoo Jiha, who was encountering an anomaly manifesting as a phenomenon for the first time, was extremely tense. Though the True Eye Text of the Aberration wasn’t clear, he could tell the resentment was deep. Just as he was stiffening from tension, someone touched his shoulder; he let out a startled “Hiek!” and turned around, only to have his cheek poked with a finger. Jeil Heon smiled brightly, poking his cheek a few more times.
“It seems the Chief State Councilor earned quite a bit of hatred; this anomaly was born from the shared resentment of several people, not just one. Still, I’ll finish this quickly, so just stay behind me.”
“Ye-yes, sir.”
The man did not break his promise. After scanning the surroundings to gauge the Aberration, he walked toward one of the swaying shadows and bit into the skin of his own wrist. Then, with a blood-soaked hand, he reached into the shadow and forcibly dragged out an Aberration.
Before Yoo Jiha could even register the Aberration’s face—with joints bent in unnatural directions, skin torn and bones protruding—Jeil Heon crushed its jaw. He thrust his arm deep into the gaping hole where the lower jaw had been ripped away and pulled out a Divine Blade from inside the Aberration’s body. It must have been the Divine Tool Mae-gu promised to deliver.
As the now-useless body of the Aberration scattered like grains of sand, the air tore open. It was the exit back to reality.
* * *
They had spent at least several hours in the Aberrant Realm, but upon returning to the present, not much time had passed since they entered. Jeil Heon explained that unlike other Aberrant Realms, this place flowed according to Mae-gu’s will, so the time axis must have been slowed down.
Nodding and listening intently to the explanation, Yoo Jiha suddenly spoke.
“Um, Mister.”
Actually, when he saw the Aberration with twisted joints, a thought had crossed his mind. Since Jeil Heon had killed the Aberration before he could see its face, he couldn’t confirm it, but he wondered if it had been Park Jun-yeol.
“Hmm?”
However, seeing Jeil Heon’s expression as he looked down at him with a puzzled look was so normal that he immediately dismissed the doubt. There was no reason for Park Jun-yeol to suddenly appear in Mae-gu’s Aberrant Realm. He must have just become sensitive because Park Jun-yeol was on his mind.
Recalling that situation, the image of Jeil Heon’s back—which had once again kept him safe—flickered before his eyes. As did his voice, promising what would happen after they left the Aberrant Realm.
He felt a flush of heat rising to his earlobes. Yoo Jiha stood on his tiptoes, gave a quick peck on the lips of the still-puzzled Jeil Heon, and hurried out of the basement.
Even after returning to the villa, his heart continued to throb. Pressing down on his racing chest, he peeked into the room to find the blue shirt he had taken off, and unfortunately, he found it in one of the second-floor bedrooms.
“…….”
S-still, here… it wouldn’t be… right? Just as he was about to hurry back out while pretending to be calm, a hand reached out from behind and suddenly hugged his waist.
“Uwah! You startled… ngh.”
Before he could even finish his sentence, a sharp moan escaped. A humid breath nibbled at the nape of his neck, staining the skin a hot red. Gently stroking his upper body, which had stiffened reflexively in surprise, Jeil Heon whispered with an urgent heat.
“Jiha. Is now… okay? If you’re not in the mood, you can push me away.”
He swallowed hard. Even without a subject, it was obvious what he was asking. It was even more embarrassing because they weren’t at home, but… Yoo Jiha squeezed his eyes shut, turned his head, and recklessly crashed his lips against the other’s.