“What do you mean by that?”
If the analysis ended with ‘unknown,’ then wasn’t it no analysis at all? When Jae-ha asked, baffled, Hae-ryeong’s expression darkened slightly.
“The Guardian Agency holds the largest collection of information in the human realm.”
The Guardian Agency—an institution that could wield both human methods and those of spirit beasts—was a name that had changed with the passage of time, yet its history stretched back to the very first appearance of spirit-beast descendants. One of its greatest prides was possessing more records than any other organization in the human realm.
So, when the Guardian Agency categorized something as unknown, it could only mean one thing.
“The ingredients in that candle didn’t come from the human realm. Not ordinary chemical materials, not even souls or sorcery tied to our world.”
What the hell was that supposed to mean? Before Jae-ha could wrap his head around it, Hae-hyun cut in.
“You mean it was made in the underworld?”
“Not necessarily. It could’ve come from the Dragon Palace, or even the Celestial Realm.”
Though Hae-ryeong countered easily, she didn’t really look like she believed it.
The Dragon Palace was notoriously closed off, and the Celestial Realm was rigidly obsessed with honor and propriety. Objects forged there were usually called divine relics. In history, items branded as cursed relics most often came from the underworld—a place crawling with unruly spirits.
“…Wait, the underworld?”
Was the conversation seriously going there? Jae-ha’s face twisted in disbelief.
He hadn’t even believed in spirit-beast descendants until he saw them himself, and now it was the underworld, the Dragon Palace, and so on. Weren’t these just myths? The fact that they were chatting about it so casually made it feel like some kind of hidden-camera prank.
“What, you don’t know what the underworld is? Do kids these days not know?”
Hae-ryeong looked at him, genuinely surprised. Clearly, years at the Guardian Agency had dulled her sense of reality.
“I know what it is. It’s just… it feels strange to hear it like this.”
But asking if it really existed would be pointless. She hadn’t come all this way just to trick him.
“Well, whatever the case—it makes the danger skyrocket.”
“Why?”
“Think. That candle was after you. If it caught you, where do you think you’d end up?”
Jae-ha hesitated, then asked quietly:
“…If I went, I wouldn’t be able to come back, right?”
“Of course not. Out of everything that makes up a human, only the soul can cross to the underworld. Your body would be discarded along the way—it’d be no different from dying.”
Someone actually wanted him dead? That thought had never once crossed his mind. Which meant that if Hae-hyun hadn’t come running to the business building at the exact right moment, Jae-ha really could have died.
Wait—weren’t they supposed to guarantee that no one harmed him? Did killing without pain somehow not count as harm? The sudden threat to his life felt nothing short of absurd.
Just then, the pho was served. Piling all the cilantro onto his own plate after the siblings refused it, Jae-ha mixed it in with the bean sprouts. As he did, Hae-hyun, still stirring his noodles, casually dropped a question.
“There’s still one candle left, right? What about that?”
If someone nonhuman was truly targeting Jae-ha, then the last candle’s whereabouts mattered. The best-case scenario would’ve been that both weakened and were purified together—but judging from Hae-ryeong’s expression, that wasn’t the case.
“It looks like it’s still waiting for the right chance.”
“Then it’ll come after sunbae again.”
“Exactly. Odds are high it’ll approach soon.”
“Then wouldn’t it be better to request a temporary Guardian Talisman permit from the Agency…?”
Jae-ha kept chewing, listening as the two grew more serious. He didn’t know enough to add anything.
“You think they’d just hand that out to an outsider? Getting approval alone would take forever. So for now, I’ve decided to personally keep watch over him.”
“…What does that mean?”
Hae-hyun’s voice instantly sharpened. Since cursed relics usually appeared at night, Hae-ryeong’s “personal watch” basically meant living together. But she looked at Jae-ha with a calm smile.
“So, Jae-ha, how about staying at my place for a while?”
“…Sorry, what?”
“I’ve got a spare room. I’ll talk to my parents. It’s safer if you stay with us until this is resolved before you go back to your apartment.”
At first, he thought she was joking. But her tone was strangely serious. Why was he getting so many offers to live together lately? While Jae-ha was still reeling from the thought, Hae-hyun exploded.
“Are you insane?”
“What, you don’t want Jae-ha at our house? I’ll make sure you two never even run into each other. Or, you know, you could just keep staying at his apartment.”
“I don’t want either. Why would sunbae live with you? I can just stay with him.”
“Think about it. If you had the choice between a sexy, older beauty and a snot-nosed kid, which would you pick?”
“What the hell kind of logic is that?”
Hae-hyun’s face contorted as he whipped his head toward Jae-ha. Suddenly it felt like Jae-ha was being forced to choose. Feeling awkward, he avoided eye contact. It wasn’t that he was swayed by the “sexy older beauty” part, but… if he really had to pick between the two right now, it would probably be Hae-ryeong.
“Sunbae?”
For some reason, Hae-hyun’s voice slowed, his instincts suddenly sharp, while Hae-ryeong smirked triumphantly.
“See? How could a newborn brat ever hope to beat noona?”
“…Come here.”
Out of nowhere, Hae-hyun grabbed Jae-ha’s arm and yanked him up. His grip was so strong that Jae-ha stumbled along before he knew it.
“Hey! Where are you going mid-meal?”
“Stay out of this, noona.”
His glare at Hae-ryeong was icy cold. What a brat. Clicking her tongue, she let it slide for her brother’s sake. Slurp. Alone at the table, she found the pho just as tasty.
“You said you had no intention of dating noona.”
That was the first thing out of Hae-hyun’s mouth once he dragged Jae-ha into the alley beside the building.
…Wait, that’s the issue? Jae-ha, who’d expected questions about staying at their house, froze.
Why was Hae-hyun so against him and Hae-ryeong dating when he didn’t even like him? But then, just imagining his beloved junior shyly admitting he was dating Seo Ah-young… that thought alone made Jae-ha fully sympathize. That would’ve been fucking horrific.
“I don’t. …She just said it was dangerous, that’s all.”
“I told you I’d stay with you. Don’t you trust me?”
“That’s not it.”
“Then what?”
Hae-hyun’s tone was firm, demanding an answer. His sharp brows angled low, and his eyes locked onto Jae-ha with relentless intensity. Realizing there was no dodging this, Jae-ha let out a sigh.
“You already figured out what that ‘curse’ really was. So we don’t actually need to live together anymore.”
Hae-hyun’s eyes widened, shock plain on his face.
“W-what are you talking about?”
“Think about it. You stayed at my place to suppress that so-called curse with Haetae’s energy. But now we know it wasn’t a curse—it was Imoogi energy. And Su-min promised not to use it if I didn’t want him to. So basically, the curse issue’s over.”
Which meant there was no longer any reason for Hae-hyun to stay.
“There’s no need to keep overlaying Haetae’s energy anymore. So—”
“There’s still the candle!”
Hae-hyun suddenly shouted, tightening his grip on Jae-ha’s arm. His strength was startling.
“Didn’t you hear noona? There’s still one candle left! And who says it’ll only show up at school?”
“Exactly. That’s why I was considering Hae-ryeong noona’s offer. I care about my life too, you know.”
“There’s nothing to consider. I’ll stay with you. I can protect you myself.”
The words came out fast, almost like a rap. Jae-ha studied him—there was desperation in his eyes.
This was why it was easy to misunderstand. The way he clung like he didn’t want to let go, the way he spoke so honestly.
“You think I can’t protect you as well as noona? Sure, she’s got more experience, but I’m better at spellwork. Both Mom and the Director said so. And if we’re just comparing energy, I’ve got way more. Besides—I can even go to the bathroom with you.”
“No. We are not going to the bathroom together.”
“Anyway. I’ll just stay until we catch the candle.”
His expression looked like it would collapse into gloom any second, and Jae-ha’s heart softened again. At this rate, how was he ever supposed to detach himself?
And yet…
“…Fine. Until we deal with the candle.”
In the end, Jae-ha relented. Hae-hyun’s face lit up immediately.
“Then you’ll be with me?”
So this was how it turned out. Both exasperated and oddly glad, Jae-ha couldn’t quite rein in his tangled feelings. He gave a crooked smile.
“Yeah.”
