All at once, every mistake and every cold shoulder he’d given came rushing back to him. Jae-ha suddenly realized how bewildered Hae-hyun must have felt, blindsided by his sudden change in attitude. He could still hear the grumbling voice asking why he was being so harsh, see the sulky face that had pouted, “Is hanging out with me that boring?”
“…Sorry.”
“Huh?”
Hae-hyun blinked wide-eyed at the abrupt apology. His innocent look—Sorry for what?—only made Jae-ha feel guiltier.
“Just… for misunderstanding.”
His voice lacked its usual confidence, and that in turn seemed to startle Hae-hyun. Tilting forward, he studied Jae-ha’s face closely, his eyes darting over every detail.
“What’s wrong? It’s fine. Misunderstandings happen. I mean, honestly, your misunderstanding didn’t even make sense, but….”
Still as blunt as ever.
“I thought you liked someone who was already taken. I really thought you were… a messed-up guy.”
“So you avoided me because of that? Yeah, that’s kind of harsh.”
Yet Hae-hyun just chuckled, still managing to point out the truth.
“Then you’ll hang out with me again, right?”
The words were so guileless, as if he’d completely forgotten everything Jae-ha had done or said until now.
Jae-ha’s mouth closed without him realizing it. His chest churned with emotions too tangled to explain. He had a hundred things he could say—pathetic excuses, shameless justifications—but what finally came out was only a single, halting question.
“…Can I?”
His whisper was so soft it almost didn’t sound like speech, yet Hae-hyun caught it instantly. His bright eyes sparkled as he met Jae-ha’s gaze.
“Of course.”
Jae-ha turned forward again. Instead of replying, he rubbed Hae-hyun’s arm twice and let go. Hae-hyun laughed, asking what that was supposed to mean.
On the way down the mountain path, a message came from Min-hee. Thankfully, the ones who’d run off had made it back safely. In fact, they’d sprinted so fast they’d already arrived a while ago and were waiting for him. Ridiculous—but at least no one was hurt.
Relieved, Jae-ha started tattling to Hae-hyun about all the trouble the others had caused. Hae-hyun finally let out the complaint he’d been holding back, saying he’d noticed a strange smell clinging to Jae-ha.
“I wasn’t gonna say anything, but it was really bad. Did you roll around hugging them or something? Why does everyone act like they can’t get enough of you?”
He muttered, giving Jae-ha a once-over with obvious disapproval. He even slipped in some sly badmouthing about the other classmates, sounding rather triumphant about it.
Lately he hadn’t said things like that, so Jae-ha had assumed he’d gotten used to it—but apparently he’d just been keeping it in. A wave of guilt swept over Jae-ha, thinking he’d made the younger one shrink back. He quickly nodded along with lines like, Yeah, they can be too much, and It felt stifling and heavy.
When Hae-hyun started aggressively shaking out his jumper, insisting they had to get rid of the smell, they finally reached the lodge. Even in the dead of night, the building was brightly lit and easy to find.
“From here, just head back and you’ll be at the lodge. You should go. Be careful on the way.”
Stopping in front of the building, Jae-ha spoke. Hae-hyun nodded but added sternly:
“Don’t eat lunch with the others tomorrow—come straight here. I’m seriously not eating until you do.”
There he went again, threatening him with something ridiculous. What a cheeky little puppy. Jae-ha chuckled and nodded.
“Alright, I got it.”
The thought of finally eating a meal with Hae-hyun in peace for the first time in a while made him unexpectedly excited. He even caught himself wishing he could just head home already.
After seeing Hae-hyun off, Jae-ha went down to the underground auditorium. Most of the group seemed to have finished the ghost-story activity and returned, as the place was bustling. From the strong reek of alcohol, it looked like they’d already been drinking plenty.
“Seo Jae! You okay?”
Spotting him, Ji-hyang leapt up and hurried over. Beside where she’d been sitting, Yoon-taek and Jeong-seok were waving cheerfully. Funny—moments ago they’d been running for their lives, yet here under the fluorescent lights, their faces looked perfectly fine.
“You guys sure can run.”
He answered dryly, and Ji-hyang’s cheeks flushed.
“Ah, shit… sorry. It was seriously terrifying.”
“Got it. At least you managed to find the way. There was a fork in the trail.”
“You said left, right?”
“You heard that?”
With a faint chuckle, he joined their table. Jeong-seok hastily grabbed a new paper cup and poured him a drink, guilt written all over his face.
“Sorry, hyung….”
“We ran off first and left you alone….”
Even Yoon-taek hung his head. Jae-ha had seen them downing drinks enthusiastically, yet the moment he showed up they looked like chastised kids. He just shrugged.
“Next year, you two can run the relay at the sports fest.”
“Ah, hyung…”
“Kidding.”
Jae-ha laughed and raised his cup. The three, still sitting like convicts, hurried to clink theirs against his.
A few more rounds later, the mood was back to normal. Yoon-taek started chattering with excitement.
“I’m telling you, that had to be a will-o’-the-wisp. It looked like flames floating in the air!”
“Maybe you just imagined it?”
Ji-hyang clearly wanted to believe that, but Yoon-taek shook his head firmly.
“No way. It was so clear.”
Now Jae-ha was actually curious about what he’d seen. Since even he—sensitive enough to pick up traces of earthbound spirits—hadn’t seen anything, it was probably nothing serious.
Still, Yoon-taek seemed thrilled just to have experienced something supernatural. If he knew there was actually a Haetaeson at our school, he’d probably faint, Jae-ha thought idly, just as a strange scent brushed past his nose.
“Hyung, what’s wrong?”
He froze mid-motion, cup half-raised. Yoon-taek noticed immediately. Jae-ha narrowed his eyes.
“Don’t you smell something burning?”
“Huh? There’s no kitchen down here.”
“Yeah. Weird….”
It wasn’t gas—it was more like incense, the kind used in temples….
There was no way someone would light a fire in a sealed underground space. Muttering uncertainly, he felt Ji-hyang poke his side, mischief dancing on her face.
“What’s this, Seo Jae? Trying to hit on me?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s the perfect moment to say, my heart’s on fire.”
What kind of antique pickup line… Jae-ha couldn’t keep his face straight, brow furrowing. At his strong reaction, Ji-hyang patted Yoon-taek’s shoulder, joking about what a shame it was she’d been rejected, while Yoon-taek pretended to sob dramatically. The two of them were clearly enjoying themselves.
“Oh right, hyung, I’ve got something for you too.”
“Hm?”
“Ji-hyang noona didn’t want hers, so there’s one left.”
“Hey, I told you it’s creepy as hell! Toss it already!”
As Yoon-taek rummaged through the small hip bag at his waist, Ji-hyang groaned. What now? Jae-ha was about to ask when Yoon-taek pulled something out. His eyes followed automatically—and then froze.
“The fortune-teller said red was my lucky color. And then I found this—it’s fate, right? In that dark trail, this was the only thing that stood out.”
“Do you even believe in that stuff or not…?”
“Come on, it’s cool, right? A souvenir? The color’s nice, huh?”
“Nice, my ass. That thing looks like it’s crawling with ghosts.”
Sitting in Yoon-taek’s palm was a half-burned crimson candle.
“……”
That’s… the one, isn’t it?
“There are three, so me, Jeong-seok, and you can split them. Perfect, right?”
“Actually, it does smell kind of fragrant here. Maybe it’s from a temple? Want to light it outside later, like those candle ceremonies at retreats?”
Already holding the one he’d gotten, Jeong-seok pulled it out from where he’d stashed it. His too was the same blood-red.
As Jae-ha fell silent, at a loss for words, Yoon-taek’s eyes lit up.
“Oooh, Han Jeong-seok’s… got a poetic side?”
“This is insane…. Seo Jae, please knock some sense into them.”
Even Ji-hyang, though she scolded, didn’t seem all that worried. Her chatter was as bright as ever, while Yoon-taek and Jeong-seok egged her on to just appreciate the vibe.
Jae-ha quietly downed his drink in one shot and pulled out his phone. The alcohol burned bitter on his tongue tonight.
[Me]
Found the candles
[Me]
Come to our lodge
