“Su-min, I think I know what this is.”
Without realizing it, Jae-ha lowered his voice to a whisper. It was the smell of burning—almost certainly tied to that candle that had vanished earlier.
“What happened? What exactly is that?”
“Well…”
Jae-ha quickly explained. After listening to the whole MT incident, Su-min muttered with a serious look.
“If what you’re saying is true, then it’s definitely not just some random stray spirit. It’s rare for something to target someone so directly and track them down. I’d bet this thing will keep circling around you. Who was it that purified the last one?”
“An exorcist from the Guardian Agency. …Do you know them?”
At that, Su-min’s face twisted into a frown. His expression was laced with clear irritation.
“Ah, from there…”
The tone wasn’t friendly at all. Jae-ha asked, puzzled.
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“No, not exactly. Let’s just try contacting them.”
Jae-ha nodded and pulled out his phone. He didn’t have Hae-ryeong noona’s number, so he decided to call Hae-hyun instead. No messages had come in yet, but this wasn’t the time to worry about that.
The phone rang and rang, but Hae-hyun never picked up. Was he asleep? After listening to the dull ringtone until it switched to voicemail, Jae-ha clicked his tongue and ended the call.
“What do we do? He’s not answering.”
His tone was helpless. Su-min hummed thoughtfully.
“This is when the Guardian Agency’s usually active, and he’s not picking up?”
“Yeah…”
If only he’d gotten Hae-ryeong’s number—even if Hae-hyun had raised hell about it. Regret always came too late.
“Then we’ll just handle it ourselves.”
“…Handle what, exactly?”
Su-min casually jerked his chin toward campus.
“What do you think? There’s no point in waiting around while people keep getting hurt. We’ll root it out now. Honestly, I’m curious what kind of bastard thought it could mess with this place.”
He said it like he was inviting Jae-ha on a casual evening stroll. The mismatch between his breezy tone and the situation made Jae-ha grab him by the arm.
“Are you sure we’ll be okay just the two of us?”
“Of course. I’m probably better than that exorcist anyway.”
The confidence in his voice made it awkward to press him further, but Jae-ha still wasn’t reassured. He asked again, cautiously.
“I thought you had other things to do.”
“I can do them later. I’m not about to leave you in danger.”
It was a noble sentiment, but it didn’t ease Jae-ha’s concern. Could Su-min really be stronger than Hae-ryeong or Hae-hyun? He looked so calm, as if he had something to rely on.
“Come on, let’s move.”
Already several steps ahead, Su-min turned back to urge him on. With a reluctant sigh, Jae-ha followed, stealing another glance at his silent phone. Why wasn’t anyone answering now of all times? A flicker of resentment crept in.
The campus was nearly dark, their footsteps the only sound echoing in the stillness. Su-min strode ahead without hesitation, as though he knew exactly where the candle was.
“Don’t tell me… you’re a spirit descendant too?”
Jae-ha asked as he followed. If nothing else, he needed to know who—or what—Su-min really was.
“Huh? Of course not.”
Su-min shook his head immediately and even let out a short laugh.
“I may be young, but I’m not low enough to be treated like that.”
There was a faint sneer in his tone when he mentioned spirit descendants, which made Jae-ha’s brow twitch. What was that supposed to mean? His voice turned sharp.
“Then what are you?”
“I…”
Su-min stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing he shouldn’t say more. He quickly forced the subject elsewhere.
“Let’s just focus on what’s in front of us. We’re here.”
The building he pointed to was one Jae-ha knew all too well—the one he’d probably spent the most time in as a student.
The Business Department building.
“It’s somewhere inside here. Not the basement or the first floor—feels like it’s on one of the upper levels.”
With that, Su-min pushed open the glass door. A faint chill slipped out into the night.
Jae-ha hesitated as he watched Su-min step straight into the darkened building, then followed. He wasn’t sure how much faith to put in Su-min’s abilities, but he wasn’t wrong. The urgent problem was the candle that had suddenly appeared.
And this wasn’t just anywhere—it was the Business building. Students would start filling the place in a few hours. If someone ended up hurt like in the research hall incident… Jae-ha’s face tightened. He wasn’t a hero, but he wasn’t the type to ignore danger when he saw it coming either.
Even though the place was empty, it felt like unseen eyes were watching them, and Jae-ha found himself moving cautiously. He kept his steps quiet, scanning the darkened halls where he could barely make out shapes. If he hadn’t been so familiar with the building, he probably would’ve walked straight into a wall.
“Hyung, this way.”
Unlike Jae-ha, Su-min walked confidently through the darkness as though the lights were on. They’d just stepped onto the stairs leading to the second floor when it started.
[……woonghwaaa…….]
At first, Jae-ha thought it was the wind. Then he realized—it was a voice. Drawn out and slow, like something played back at a fraction of its speed. It buzzed low, with strange static bleeding between syllables.
“…You hear that? Sounds like it’s saying something.”
His voice was stiff. Su-min silently nodded.
[kkkoootiiiiiii…….]
Flower? Did it just say flower? As Jae-ha strained to listen, the words began to quicken.
[piieotsssseumnidaaa!]
The deep, somber baritone rose higher and shifted until it became the shrill voice of a little girl, ringing through the building like metal scraping against metal. Jae-ha froze, replaying the words in his mind.
Woonghwa flower has bloomed… gung-hwa? Mugunghwa? The Mugunghwa flower has bloomed?
“Hyung, this—”
Su-min whipped his head around to speak, but then—
[You moved, didn’t you?]
With a metallic laugh, an icy gust swept down from above. At the same time, a faint grinding sound echoed closer.
“Ah, right. You can’t move when it turns around.”
Su-min clicked his tongue, then whispered quickly to Jae-ha.
“I’ll run around and look for the candle. Just stick to the rules.”
And with that, he bolted downstairs. …Was he an idiot? Left alone so suddenly, Jae-ha just blinked in stunned disbelief.
The noise upstairs grew louder and soon crackled its way toward him. In the dimness, he could just make out thin, black strands like strips of seaweed. Remembering the MT, they were probably candle wax.
Jae-ha held his breath. Would tearing it off make it vanish? The situation was similar to before but not quite the same, leaving him unsure what to do.
The strands shot past him, crawling across the floor and walls toward the first floor. Chasing Su-min. Probably because he’d broken the rules. Relief flickered for a moment, but then irritation surged.
And what am I supposed to do by myself? Su-min, Hae-hyun—they were all the same. Always leaving him alone while they ran around with their powers. Complaining in his head didn’t change reality. Worse still, the ghost began chanting again.
[mooouuugunghwaa…….]
Without thinking, Jae-ha started climbing the stairs. The only comfort was that Su-min hadn’t looked particularly nervous even knowing he’d be chased for breaking the rules. At most, he’d looked like someone who’d buttoned his shirt wrong—mildly inconvenienced. That calmness gave Jae-ha some assurance it wasn’t a deadly threat, just a hassle.
So if he stalled for time, Su-min could probably find the candle and put an end to this. He glanced up into the darkness above. Do what I can for now.
At the MT, the candle’s game had been tag. Now, in the Business building, the game was “The Mugunghwa Flower Has Bloomed” — Korea’s version of Red Light, Green Light. The rules were simple.
The “it” would face the wall and chant, The Mugunghwa flower has bloomed. While the chant was being spoken, you could move. When it finished and the caller turned around, you had to freeze. If you managed to sneak up and touch them, then run away before being caught, you won.
At least while the game was in progress, the candle didn’t seem to attack indiscriminately. Which meant Jae-ha’s only option was to play along.
First step: find the “it.”
Jae-ha grimaced, glancing up toward the higher floors. The Business building had eight floors. Excluding the basement and first floor, that left six levels to check. How the hell was he supposed to search them all… wait.
[kkkootiiiii…….]
His eyes shifted sideways. The black strands that had chased Su-min had hardened into a crusty trail, like the slimy path left behind by a snail.
So all I have to do is trace that back, right?
