“Ask these brats.”
Shoes dangling from one hand, Jae-ha jerked his chin toward the kids glued stubbornly to his legs. The children, clearly aware they’d messed up, hung their heads but clutched his pants even tighter.
“We… we brought the Cheonrok….”
“That’s not the Cheonrok.”
“But the the Cheonrok was supposed to heal you, young master….”
Their rambling explanation was a mess, but Hallakung seemed to piece it together with ease. He let out a sigh and strode toward them.
“So, the little ones went and caused trouble after all.”
“They said I can’t go back. Is that true?”
He asked with a sliver of hope—but what came back was a merciless truth.
“Well… an ordinary human’s body and soul separate the moment they step into this place. The empty husk left behind will slowly rot away.”
“……”
It was all too surreal. He couldn’t even summon anger anymore.
For a fleeting second, Jae-ha tried convincing himself this was just an actor in costume, that the scenery was nothing but a movie set. But even that fantasy couldn’t hold up. He let out a long, weary breath. Faces flashed in his mind one by one—his mom, his younger sibling, his friends, his seniors and juniors… and even Hae-hyun.
If his body and soul had truly separated, then his body must still be in the human world. He’d been dragged here without so much as a word, but if it was Hae-hyun, he’d probably grasp the situation at least a little. That thought eased his heart.
His family, though—that worried him more. How shocked would they be, thinking he’d just dropped dead out of nowhere in the middle of school life? He could only hope Hae-hyun explained it to them properly.
“But there is a way.”
…Why the hell are you saying that now? Jae-ha, who’d been bracing himself for the worst, blinked in disbelief. Hallakung ignored the look and continued.
“In Seo-cheon, there are countless flowers. Among them is one that can breathe a soul back into its body.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. If you obtain it, you can return to the human realm.”
Hallakung smiled faintly.
“If you’ll do me a favor, I’ll give it to you.”
“What the—”
Jae-ha barely managed to swallow the curse on his tongue. He hadn’t come here willingly—he’d been dragged by mistake. He hadn’t even been useful. And now, instead of taking responsibility, this guy had the audacity to demand a favor? He was about to ask if he had no shame when—
KWAANG!
A deafening blast tore through the flower field’s quiet.
“…What was that?”
Hallakung, the children, and Jae-ha all snapped their heads toward the sound. Smoke rose in the distance—it looked like an explosion.
“What is it?”
“Did the flowers get destroyed?”
“Nooo!”
The children burst into tears as they bolted off. Hallakung’s face hardened and he quickened his pace. Left behind, Jae-ha hurried after them. Whatever was happening, it was better than being alone inside.
At least there was hope now. If he played this right—persuading and pleading—maybe he really could go back.
He imagined his dog crying with joy, relieved to see him alive after believing him dead. The thought made him impatient. Time was precious. Who the hell bombed a flower field in the middle of the night? Clicking his tongue, Jae-ha glared at the rising smoke. Whoever it was had no damn sense.
…Or so he thought—
“Sunbae!”
A man suddenly barreled into him, pulling him into a crushing embrace. Jae-ha nearly lost his breath, but instead of protesting, he froze, staring blankly at the familiar face.
“What are you doing here?”
For a moment, he wondered if he was dreaming. At his dazed words, Hae-hyun lifted his head from Jae-ha’s shoulder. His brows were furrowed, his eyes red and trembling on the verge of tears.
“Do you have any idea how worried I was? …Forget it.”
Without waiting for an answer, Hae-hyun buried his face back into Jae-ha’s shoulder and hugged him tighter.
It really was the same puppy who should have been back at school…. Still dazed, Jae-ha glanced around and spotted Su-min bowing his head nearby. …Him too?
“Hold it right there.”
Hallakung’s voice rang out, thick with displeasure. His flower field had just been blown apart by these uninvited guests.
“How dare humans lay hands on Seo-cheon’s flowers? Do you have a death wish?”
But Hae-hyun didn’t flinch under the fury. Instead, he shot back, eyes blazing.
“You’re the one who dragged my sunbae here without warning. This is going to be filed as an official complaint with the Guardian Agency.”
“Guardian Agency? …Now that I see you clearly—you’re a Haetaeson. That face is familiar. Don’t even dream of returning to the human realm after damaging this flower field!”
Jae-ha couldn’t help picturing the Guardian Agency’s chief getting this report and muttering curses with a smile. He bowed his head for a brief moment of silence in memory of the man’s shattered peace.
“Hey, let’s calm down. How did you even get here?”
Letting Hae-hyun and Hallakung fight didn’t seem wise, especially when Jae-ha still needed that flower. Better to change the subject. At once, Hae-hyun turned from fierce wolf to gentle pup, looking at him with soft eyes.
“I used your grandmother’s Guardian Talisman.”
The moment Jae-ha had been dragged off by the wax doll, Hae-hyun froze in shock.
Jeong-seok, collapsed on the ground, bore no trace of the doll’s energy. The world around him had returned to complete normality, filled only with distant music and laughter. Only Jae-ha’s soulless body remained.
Catching Jae-ha’s collapsing form by reflex, Hae-hyun stared in horror. No matter how many times he checked, the closed eyes never opened, no breath escaped. Cold reality poured over him from head to toe.
“Sun….”
His voice broke. He didn’t have the strength to wait for an answer that would never come. For a long moment, he stood frozen like a man lost, then gathered Jae-ha into his arms. His hurried steps brimmed with panic.
“…Wait, is Jae-ha oppa sick?”
Back at the bar, people gasped as they recognized the figure in his arms. Hae-hyun forced a faint smile, though whether it looked natural was doubtful.
“He must’ve been exhausted. He suddenly fainted.”
“Shouldn’t you take him to the hospital?”
“Oh no, should we call 119…?”
“No, I’ll take him home. I know where he lives.”
With a small bow, Hae-hyun turned. He headed to Su-min’s table, grabbing Jae-ha and his own bag. Su-min scowled.
“…What the hell? Why is hyung with you—”
Before he could finish, Hae-hyun grabbed him by the collar and yanked him up. Su-min struggled briefly, but froze when their eyes met. The gleam in Hae-hyun’s pupils, half-rolled back under the light, was terrifying.
“Find sunbae’s location.”
“What?”
Su-min blinked in confusion as they hurried off campus. He was clearly carrying Jae-ha already, so why ask him to track him? Hyung was right there in his arms—
Then it hit him. Jae-ha’s body was empty. His soul was gone.
“You didn’t erase your energy from him.”
“…I was going to, soon.”
“Sunbae was dragged away by that wax doll. He’s not in the human realm anymore.”
Striding down the lamp-lit street, Hae-hyun gave him a cold, rigid look.
“You can track him, can’t you?”
And so Su-min was dragged to Jae-ha’s house, where he traced the energy he’d left in Jae-ha’s soul. Meanwhile, Hae-hyun laid Jae-ha on the bed and tore through the house— —this bastard? Jae-ha flinched at the memory, but considering the urgency, he held his tongue—until Hae-hyun found the box holding the Guardian Talisman and seized it whole.
That was how they had come here.
Normally, crossing realms with the talisman required precise coordinates and careful rituals. But there was no time. Jae-ha’s life depended on it. As soon as Su-min gave him even a rough location, Hae-hyun rammed his energy into the talisman, reckless but sufficient.
That was why the gate burst open with a partial explosion—why the Seo-cheon flower field had been ripped apart.
“……”
Should he call it devotion or insanity? Jae-ha knew the answer, but with Hae-hyun clinging to him like an anxious pup, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
As he explained, Hae-hyun casually brushed aside the children still clutching Jae-ha’s pants and slipped into their place. The kids pounded on his legs in protest, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t reclaim their spot.
