By Zephyria 
After passing the elementary school equivalency exam, Jae-gyeom was given one month of free time before joining the Bureau.
Completely liberated from his grueling studies, Jae-gyeom lay sprawled across the living room sofa like a shed skin. He rolled around with his hips perched on the armrest, then stretched with a long yawn. Currently, Jae-gyeom was deep in serious contemplation over what he should do during this remaining month to ensure people would say he spent his time productively.
Recently, Yoon Tae-hee had been spending more time away from home as the official launch of Team 1 of the newly established Department of Grievance Resolution approached. He had heard that there was a lot to handle, such as scouting Kang Yi-bin, who had been driving tower cranes as heavy equipment operator, and Go Jun-hyung, who was raking in money as a tarot reader while preaching the harmony of East and West, back to the Exorcism Bureau.
After being entrusted with full personnel authority over Team 1 of the Department of Grievance Resolution by Director Seok Ju-ryeon, Yoon Tae-hee had been spending busy days trying to gather the former members of Team 1 of the Department of Spirit Suppression.
Today, Yoon Tae-hee was also out of the house for personnel consultations and paperwork with the main office.
“Hmm…”
In the house without Yoon Tae-hee, Jae-gyeom’s day flowed with extreme leisure. He woke up late, tucked Yu Nam-saeng into his pocket, and went for a stroll along a nearby mountain path. On his way back, he stopped by the supermarket to buy daily necessities like milk and ramen. He also diligently finished the housework, from running the vacuum to tending to the garden.
Meanwhile, Jeong-ju and Yu Nam-saeng had gone into their room, claiming they were going to practice a script. With even his family members busy with their own affairs, Jae-gyeom’s boredom reached its peak amidst the surplus of time. It had been a long time since he felt this way. He had plenty of time in the past as well, but he couldn’t recall what on earth he used to do to pass the time back then.
It was just as Jae-gyeom, exhausted by the emptiness and boredom, was writhing like an earthworm pulled out of the soil. The phone he had tossed in a corner of the sofa vibrated. The name appearing on the screen was ‘Im Hyo-mun’.
Jae-gyeom answered immediately.
“Hello.”
— Hey, Chil-chil!
“Yeah. What is it?”
— What are you doing?
“Just hanging out.”
— I’m off today, want to meet up? Let’s hang out if you have time.
At those words, Jae-gyeom, who had been on the verge of collapsing from boredom, bolted upright.
“Now? Sure. What are we going to do?”
— Hmm… Shall we watch a movie? A movie I wanted to see was released a while ago.
There was no reason to refuse. Jae-gyeom readily accepted Im Hyo-mun’s proposal.
“Got it. Let’s meet in front of the cinema we went to last time.”
The plans were made swiftly. Jae-gyeom threw on some clothes and headed to the cinema located in Jongno. Upon arriving, he saw Im Hyo-mun waving from a distance. After joining him, Jae-gyeom walked toward the ticket kiosk. However, while booking the tickets, Im Hyo-mun slapped his forehead and shrieked.
“Ack, right! I forgot this is rated R!”
The movie Im Hyo-mun wanted to see was a high-intensity action film filled with violence and gore, rated for those 19 and older.
“Since this is R-rated, you can’t see it, so let’s just watch something else.”
“What’s R-rated?”
“Restricted for minors. They check IDs when verifying tickets, so you can’t get in.”
At Im Hyo-mun’s words, Jae-gyeom froze in place without realizing it.
‘Ah.’
That was right.
Im Hyo-mun still knew nothing about Jae-gyeom. Since Yoon Tae-hee had made him a resident registration card, Jae-gyeom was now legally an adult and no longer a minor. Therefore, there were no restrictions on watching R-rated movies.
However, the thought of telling Im Hyo-mun this suddenly made Jae-gyeom feel awkward. If he said he had become an adult overnight, the other would surely find it strange; he agonized over whether he should correct the misconception or not.
Numerous thoughts flashed through his mind.
If he corrected it, where exactly should he start and end the explanation? From the fact that he had lived for over two hundred years with an immortal body? Or should he say that Yoon Tae-hee had bypassed the law(?) to make him an ID?
“Hey.”
After pondering for a moment, Jae-gyeom spoke with a solemn expression.
“Do you know how old I am?”
“Huh?”
“How old am I?”
“…”
It was a bizarre, sudden question, as if asking, ‘Do you know who I am?’ Im Hyo-mun blinked with a bewildered face. Searching through his memories, Im Hyo-mun counted on his fingers before speaking.
“You were a sophomore in high school last year.”
“Yeah.”
“Then you’re eighteen—no, the year changed, so aren’t you nineteen this year?”
“Right. I was…”
Jae-gyeom nodded with a grave expression. Im Hyo-mun believed that Jae-gyeom had attended high school until his second year before dropping out to become an exorcist. That was partially true.
“I have a confession to make.”
“What is it?”
“I’m twenty now.”
“…Huh?”
Im Hyo-mun stared at Jae-gyeom with a blank expression. He was racking his brain intensely to understand Jae-gyeom’s words. In response, Jae-gyeom silently pulled out his resident registration card and thrust it right in front of Im Hyo-mun’s eyes.
“…”
Taking the ID, Im Hyo-mun looked back and forth between the tiny photo on the card and Jae-gyeom’s face with a dazed expression.
“What the… You…”
Im Hyo-mun, who was about to ask ‘What is your identity?’, paused mid-sentence.
A sophomore last year. Twenty years old this year. Then the answer was…
“You held back a year.”
“What?”
“Geez~. And here I thought it was something else. That’s what it was?”
Im Hyo-mun let out a deep sigh and patted Jae-gyeom firmly on the back.
“Being held back isn’t a flaw. Even when I was in school, there was a Hyung in my class who held back a year.”
“No, it’s not that…”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Everyone has their own story.”
“…”
“Hey, don’t be discouraged. Nobody cares.”
“…”
Then, Im Hyo-mun said with a serious expression.
“If anyone teases you about it, bring them to me. Hyung will give them a good thrashing.”
“…”
Having cheerily boosted his spirits, Im Hyo-mun threw an arm around Jae-gyeom’s shoulder and walked briskly toward the theaters, saying, “Hey, let’s go, let’s go, the movie’s about to start.” Jae-gyeom let out a small chuckle. Rather than explaining things in a complicated way, it was much cleaner and more comfortable to be misunderstood as a ‘twenty-year-old who held back a year.’
However, he hoped that if the opportunity arose, a day would come when he could tell Im Hyo-mun everything he had accumulated so far. Jae-gyeom tapped Im Hyo-mun’s back and reluctantly accepted the arm around his shoulder.
“Alright. But aren’t we getting popcorn? My treat.”
And the movie was very entertaining.
As it usually is when you’re with a friend.
Even after coming out of the movie, the two spent time together. After eating, going to a cafe, and taking four-cut photos, it was late afternoon. It was too early for dinner, and there wasn’t much else to do.
Im Hyo-mun looked at his watch and said.
“Shall we head home soon?”
“Why? Let’s play more. Isn’t there anything else to do?”
At Jae-gyeom’s words, Im Hyo-mun’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You want to play more?”
“Yeah.”
Im Hyo-mun also felt it was a waste to end his day off like this and felt that something was missing. “Hmm, then what should we do now…” Im Hyo-mun groaned while scratching his forehead, then suddenly clapped his hands.
“You said you like games. Then shall we go to a PC cafe?”
“What’s that?”
“Heol. You’ve never been to a PC cafe?”
Im Hyo-mun explained to Jae-gyeom step-by-step what a PC cafe was.
Thus, led by Im Hyo-mun’s hand, Jae-gyeom stepped into a new world for the first time.
For Jae-gyeom, who was experiencing a place called a PC cafe for the first time in his life, this was truly a wonderland. He loved the system where delicious drinks, hot ramen, and even rice bowls were delivered just by a few clicks from his seat, and the plush leather chairs that felt like they were swallowing him, along with the state-of-the-art computer equipment flashing with dazzling LED lights, were simply fascinating.
After settling into a seat, Im Hyo-mun asked while clicking the mouse with practiced movements.
“Chil-chil, what games do you usually play?”
“I’ve never played on a computer. I only played on game consoles.”
“Heol, really? Then what should we do… How about something like this?”
Since Jae-gyeom had spent his life playing at most Friends Pang or outdated console games, PC games operated by a keyboard and mouse were completely foreign to him. Im Hyo-mun suggested they try a flashy 3D graphics game that he frequently played.
Although Im Hyo-mun helped him sign up and explained the controls in detail, the way the screen spun frantically 360 degrees while requiring the simultaneous movement of the WASD keys and the mouse only induced motion sickness in Jae-gyeom, who was unskilled in modern civilization. Far from being fun, it was just dizzying, and Jae-gyeom frowned.
At Jae-gyeom’s lukewarm reaction, Im Hyo-mun scratched his head.
“Not your thing?”
“Yeah. I feel like I’m going to die from dizziness.”
“Hmm… then what else is there… a game our Chil-chil can play~…”
After rolling his eyes for a moment, Im Hyo-mun searched for a certain game and brought it up on the screen.
“Ah! Then how about this? It’s a game I played in elementary school.”
“What is it? Let me see.”
What appeared on the monitor was a game made of dot graphics. It featured taverns and tavern keepers, set in the eras of Goguryeo and Buyeo. At that moment, Jae-gyeom’s eyes snapped open. To Im Hyo-mun, it was a game of memories, but this kind of Oriental-style game was exactly to Jae-gyeom’s taste, far more than sophisticated 3D graphics.
Im Hyo-mun explained everything meticulously, tailoring it to a level that even a kindergartner could understand.
“It’s a bit old-fashioned, right? It’s a very old game, but the classic version is still popular these days.”
“There was something like this?”
“Now, look here, see where it says ‘Request Party’? This ‘party’ thing means you and I form a team and go hunting together…”
And three hours later.
“Man, this is damn fun.”
It was the first time Im Hyo-mun realized that Jae-gyeom’s eyes could sparkle so brilliantly. Buying dongdongju at the tavern and hunting deer and pigs, Jae-gyeom’s fingers were now flying across the keyboard.