Yeah, I’d wanted to say the same thing. Though it wasn’t on purpose, Jae-ha had gotten to know her fairly well, so when he silently agreed with Hae-hyun’s words, the woman snorted.
“Ju Hae-yoon’s throwing a tantrum over that bastard, but honestly? He doesn’t seem all that against it either. Feels like I just got dragged into their stupid little friend feud.”
“That’s…”
“That’s why you told him to break up, isn’t it? Guys these days have no decency. Do you think dating’s just a game?”
From here, it was nothing but a flood of new information… and the mood was nothing like he’d imagined.
Jae-ha furrowed his brows, studying the two of them again. His vision, blurred from the shock of running into them, was slowly coming back into focus.
The easy, familiar air between them. The woman who could recognize Hae-hyun’s aura clinging to his entire body. The sudden mention of a man named Ju Hae-yoon. And the woman’s boyfriend.
…No way, don’t tell me—
“Forget it. I’m sick of a boyfriend who cares more about my brother than me. I’ll be breaking up with him soon anyway, so tell Ju Hae-yoon that if he doesn’t come back by tomorrow, I’ll kill him.”
After dropping that chilling line, the woman slipped her hand into Jae-ha’s, interlacing their fingers. Her soft touch pushed firmly between his.
“And seriously, you’re totally my type. You seem close to Hae-hyun, but I’m not some creep—I’m his older sister. Don’t be so on guard. You’re really going to give me your number this time, right?”
“Noona!”
Hae-hyun shouted again, rushing over to wrench them apart. But Jae-ha, completely spaced out, ended up blurting something he’d never in his life intended to say.
“…You two are… not spending the night together?”
“What kind of outrageous thing is that to say?”
“Sunbae! How could you even think that!”
Both of them froze, their expressions dead serious. The way they recoiled from each other made it clear they were being genuine.
As if worried Jae-ha still might not believe them, the woman added firmly, already stepping a pace away from Hae-hyun.
“Don’t even joke about something like that. We’re here on official business. Strictly professional cooperation, got it?”
Her name was Ju Hae-ryeong. The eldest daughter of the Ju family, and an exorcist with Guardian Agency’s Field Team 1, Unit 5.
But recently, she’d had a falling out with her partner—who also happened to be her younger brother, Ju Hae-yoon—over personal matters. He’d gone on strike, and since Hae-ryeong had no intention of apologizing, she’d been dragging another brother, Ju Hae-hyun, to join her on missions at night instead.
…That was the real story behind all this.
“So that’s why you stopped showing up halfway…”
“Helping noona once or twice is fine, but why do I have to be her volunteer every single time? I’m busy enough hanging out with sunbae.”
“You brat. Look at that attitude toward your sister.”
Hae-ryeong smacked him on the back of the head with a sharp thwack, and Hae-hyun groaned in protest. The violent streak he always complained about… yeah, it looked pretty real.
Wait… so it was real? All of this had just been my misunderstanding?
“We don’t even stay out overnight. We’re always back before sunrise.”
He looked like a loyal retainer wrongly accused of treason.
“And how could you think such dirty thoughts, sunbae? You thought I was sneaking off to see some girl every night? What do you even think of me?”
“Well, that’s…”
…I thought you were fooling around. Jae-ha couldn’t bring himself to say the rest, while Hae-hyun puffed up proudly.
“I mean, how would I be doing that stuff when I’m not even dating anyone? Could you do that, sunbae?”
There was nothing he could say in front of those wide, innocent eyes. When Jae-ha looked away awkwardly, Hae-hyun’s gaze trembled with shock.
“Why—why are you looking away…”
“This is why kids are hopeless. Hey, buzz off. So you’re Hae-hyun’s sunbae? What’s your name?”
Shoving Hae-hyun aside, Hae-ryeong’s face softened instantly as she turned to Jae-ha. Unfortunately, he was close enough to catch every detail of her shifting expression. The transformation was so dramatic—like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—that he almost applauded.
“Seo Jae-ha.”
Thankfully, he suppressed the impulse and introduced himself properly. Hae-ryeong smiled.
“Seo Jae-ha. Pretty name. Can I just call you Jae-ha?”
You already did.
“Uh… sure.”
Ignoring his reluctant reply, Hae-ryeong clasped his hand and shook it firmly, her grip more suited to a general than her gentle tone suggested.
“Let’s see each other often. You’re not dating anyone right now, are you?”
Now you ask that…
“Stop saying weird things to sunbae. Sunbae, don’t listen. She’s just crazy.”
Hae-hyun rushed back in, yanking them apart. Pushed aside, Hae-ryeong grabbed him by the scruff, snapping at him for shoving his own sister. At this rate his clothes were going to get ripped, so Jae-ha quickly steered the conversation elsewhere.
“You said you came here for work?”
“Yeah. We got an emergency call.”
Two days ago, the Guardian Agency received an urgent message from the mountain god of Undu Mountain in Gapyeong County. Some strange, sinister force had appeared, pressing down on the entire mountain.
The complaint was frustratingly vague, which only made it more dangerous. Even the mountain god—the ruler of the mountain—couldn’t identify this powerful energy, and worse, it bordered on a residential area.
Fortunately, the manifestation had taken the form of a small candle, something that could be retrieved without special tools. The Guardian Agency immediately mobilized. Their best option was to send in a Haetaeson—the descendant of Haetae—whose purifying power was unmatched regardless of the type of spirit.
That was why Field Team 1, Unit 5—Hae-ryeong’s unit—had been dispatched to Daeseong-ri.
“Thanks to my pain-in-the-ass partner ditching, I was going to go alone, but then, out of nowhere, Hae-hyun here volunteered to come with me.”
At her offhand comment, Hae-hyun shot back.
“What are you talking about? You came to my school to drag me out here!”
“Oh yeah? Then who texted me at lunch today saying he’d volunteer?”
“……”
Leaving him speechless, Hae-ryeong continued.
“Anyway, that’s how we ended up here. But when we actually got to Undu Mountain, that massive energy had completely disappeared. We’ve been searching for it ever since.”
And while she was looking for the missing Hae-hyun, she’d stumbled across Jae-ha instead.
“I see… then I’ll let you get back to it.”
Once, he would’ve thought this kind of story completely absurd. But after everything lately, he was starting to take it in stride. Curses, ghosts—why not mountain gods too? When Jae-ha dipped his head slightly in encouragement, Hae-hyun pressed the point again.
“I’ll walk you back. With your perception half-awake, it’s dangerous. I’ll be right back.”
To his surprise, Hae-ryeong nodded. Waving him off, she gestured for him to hurry. Hae-hyun grabbed Jae-ha’s wrist and led the way.
“Come on, Sunbae.”
With him insisting like that, Jae-ha couldn’t bring himself to refuse and nodded before he realized it.
The night was quiet, broken only by their footsteps and the chirping of insects. Unlike Seoul, the sky here was crystal clear, stars scattered thick above them, and the scent of grass brushed at his nose. Jae-ha realized it had been a long time since he’d walked alone with Hae-hyun at night.
Of course it had. Believing Hae-hyun liked someone else, he’d been keeping his distance. Daily life was fine, but he never joined him for nighttime walks. He’d been afraid that if he felt even the slightest strange mood walking alone with him under the stars, he’d end up grabbing Hae-hyun by the collar and yelling, You cheating bastard, cut the act right now!
Jae-ha glanced sideways at him. That neat, serious profile stayed fixed straight ahead.
So that was really his sister.
Only now was it starting to sink in. Jae-ha squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again. That it had all been one big misunderstanding—he still couldn’t believe it. Not that he disliked the truth, but… remembering how certain he’d been that there was no other explanation made him want to die of shame.
