Gi Jae-eon, embarrassed that he had cried alone, finally staggered out of his room to wash his face in the morning.
Blink.
Sting.
Blink.
Sting.
“...Ah.”
Even blinking made his eyes burn sharply.
He rubbed the redness swelling around his eyes with the back of his hand and went down the stairs.
He was about to head straight to the bathroom but stopped by the kitchen first. He glanced around cautiously to see if anyone was there, then quickly opened the refrigerator door. He wasn’t looking for food—he wondered if there might be another letter. He felt oddly self-conscious, a faint flush warming his ears and neck.
At that moment, a piece of paper caught his eye.
An A4-sized sheet lying atop a black lunchbox container.
It wasn’t a letter. It looked more like a timetable.
What’s this? Gi Jae-eon carefully read through it.
The more he read each line, the paler and more worn his face became.
The paper was basically a one-sided notice telling him to vacate the dormitory during certain hours—a burdensome kind of consideration. The very last paragraph even said, “If you prefer a different time, please write it down!” He gasped and gripped the paper tightly. There was no burden like this burden. He wanted to rush outside and grab the kids wandering the neighborhood aimlessly.
‘Who do I, uh, contact…?’
Just as he thought to plead for them to stop since it was unnecessary—
“Just enjoy it.”
Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded.
Gi Jae-eon’s shoulders twitched, and he turned his head toward the voice. There stood An Seo-myeong. As soon as their eyes met, An Seo-myeong gently placed his index finger over his lips and whispered, “Rule violation in progress.”
“If you get caught, it’s bathroom cleaning, so please cooperate.”
“...Bathroom cleaning?”
Gi Jae-eon’s lips trembled in disbelief.
There was actually a punishment?
Hoping to deny it, but An Seo-myeong nodded, confirming exactly what Gi Jae-eon feared.
“Penalties for breaking rules are only natural.”
Gi Jae-eon felt his tongue stiffen with the weight of the burden. Now even breathing felt blocked.
“T-This doesn’t seem right…”
“Isn’t it shameless to act like this now?”
“That’s not it…”
“Then just leave it. You’ll only feel guiltier.”
“...?”
Confused, Gi Jae-eon looked at him, and An Seo-myeong shrugged with a face that clearly said “just kidding.” Then slowly, he reached out and gently hooked his pinky finger around Gi Jae-eon’s. The touch of his dry skin sent an odd shiver down Gi Jae-eon’s spine.
Ah… startle. When Gi Jae-eon slightly stepped back from the unfamiliar sensation, An Seo-myeong abruptly stopped and rolled his eyes to meet his gaze.
Black and clear eyes.
For some reason, his steady gaze made Gi Jae-eon’s chest flutter.
“Whatever you do is your choice, your life…”
An Seo-myeong smiled very leisurely with his eyes. Then, his small head tilted lightly to the side.
“You keep making me meddle.”
Then his pinky finger tightened as if to say don’t run away.
“Presumptuous, right?”
An Seo-myeong scrunched his nose as if troubled.
Before Gi Jae-eon could reply, the finger slipped away. Somehow, even the paper he was holding was taken away.
“I’ll go tell them to stop. What can we do if the person doesn’t want it?”
“Ah… th-thanks.”
Finally gathering his wits, Gi Jae-eon moved his lips slightly. The lingering warmth on his pinky still felt strange.
Hmm. Watching Gi Jae-eon hesitate quietly, An Seo-myeong suddenly rolled up the paper and lightly tapped his shoulder.
“Anyway, I hope your burden feels lighter.”
Gi Jae-eon’s expression changed in an instant.
A hallucination spoken in a thicker, stronger voice.
It was An Seo-myeong from the days when they fought together.
How could the same person… say the same words in different times and places?
Is that even possible?
‘...Ah, maybe.’
Is it possible?
Gi Jae-eon’s lips faintly curved upward. It was a smile even he didn’t realize.
‘Yeah, you were that kind of person.’
Always kind.
“Yeah…”
A joy he hadn’t felt in a long time.
No, a longing that was not frightening.
Gi Jae-eon smiled.
An Seo-myeong froze like a broken robot for a moment.
His lowered gaze and lips curving slightly.
His finger twitched.
If he hadn’t been holding his head so stiffly, it might have impulsively reached out and touched Gi Jae-eon.
Thump. Thump.
Th... thump?
An Seo-myeong realized his heart was pounding very fast. It was like having three Americanos in a row.
‘That’s strange.’
Gi Jae-eon was caught in a tug of war between the two. Nothing else had ever crossed his mind.
He hadn’t expected things to go so wildly off track.
Sometimes he recalled his sisters saying they’d “fallen for an idol” after seeing a stage for the first time.
Is this the same kind of thing? Hmm, he pondered briefly but leaned toward no.
‘Then….’
Thump. Thump.
Thump.
An Seo-myeong sighed, “Ah.”
His sharp mind mercilessly realized what this strange feeling was.
He blinked several times, wearing a slightly embarrassed expression.
For someone so dry, it was an unusually strong emotional disturbance.
But it made sense.
An Seo-myeong, 20 years old.
First love, and with a man?
‘Is this right?’
His head stubbornly protested, but his heart firmly said, ‘Yeah, it is.’
‘I like him.’
An Seo-myeong sighed softly at the sudden arrival of a crush and first love.
‘Ja-eon is cute…’
Being the younger, he omitted honorifics when liking someone man-to-man.
Isn’t that the bravado only the younger can have?
Ah, of course only in his heart.
“Hey hyung, maybe this week—.”
Just as he was about to act on his realized feelings with some boldness, bang! The front door opened. The pounding footsteps rushed in. Terrible timing.
‘Not easy.’
After all, they say love is precious because it’s hard.
“Hey! An Seo-myeong!!”
The kids yelled loudly, saying he got bathroom cleaning duty. Shrugging, An Seo-myeong raised his shoulders. It was a rule that would soon disappear anyway.
Even if it continued, it wouldn’t matter.
One bathroom cleaning equals one exclusive chance with Gi Jae-eon—one hundred times, a thousand times.
In this way, the younger man in love feared nothing.
“Why sneak in and bother Ja-eon hyung—huh…?”
“Right! We had a pact… gasp!”
The kids, shooting rapid-fire words with fierce expressions, suddenly closed their mouths.
Dozens of pairs of eyes turned to Gi Jae-eon.
They gaped in disbelief, blinking their tiny eyes repeatedly before opening them wide.
“!!!!”
Suddenly startled as if struck by lightning.
H-His smiling?
Is he really smiling?!
The incomparable Gi Jae-eon… smiling!!
This was front-page news.
Just as the kids gasped, inhaling sharply in surprise—
“Uh, I-I’ll, um, excuse myself first.”
Sensing the flood of attention instinctively, or maybe overwhelmed by the gazes, Gi Jae-eon backed away slowly and quickly dashed off. A startled roe deer would be slower.
“...Hey.”
Someone parted their lips.
Then—
“Waaahhh!”
“What! What happened!”
“Whoa!!”
Screams and exclamations burst out everywhere.
“An Seo-myeong! What did you say? Why did the exorcist smile?!”
The exorcist who neither ate snacks nor replied to letters smiled like spring flowers!
“Explain right now!”
“Why are you the only one getting close?! So unfair!”
Left alone, An Seo-myeong had to bear the brunt of all the kids’ outbursts.
But no matter how much they pinched or shook him, he didn’t even twitch his lips.
Of course. The reason Gi Jae-eon smiled? Wanna know?
Because it was only...
‘Mine.’
The childish possessiveness had blossomed into a bud.
One month later.
As Bonryeong expected, news of the Suzaku summoning spread widely, eventually reaching Cheonjiharang’s ears. Sure enough, Cheonjiharang proceeded with a unilateral meeting without consulting Bonryeong.
However, this time Bonryeong did not lower its pride.
They had thoroughly prepared to humiliate Cheonjiharang.
Kim Young adjusted his attire as he waited for Cheonjiharang’s guests. Behind his horn-rimmed glasses, his gentle eyes burned intensely.
“Sir, guests from Cheonjiharang have arrived!”
“Is that so? Very well. Thank you for your effort. I will take it from here.”
Who had come?
An exorcist from Cheonjiharang? Or someone from the Gi family?
The family head, Gi Tae-ho, was known for heavy footsteps and probably wouldn’t come.
Perhaps Gi Jae-ha, currently acting in Gi Jae-eon’s place?
‘Doesn’t matter. Anyone is fine. They’re all just abusers anyway.’
Watching the large pinewood gate swing open, Kim Young vowed firmly. No matter who came, he would not hand over Gi Jae-eon. No, he wouldn’t even show them his face!
But the person who arrived at Bonryeong mocked all of Kim Young’s plans by being completely unexpected.
Why him?
Wearing a pure white dress reminiscent of a lily flower, spotless flats without a speck of dirt, and a slight face veil hiding her face.
It was Gi Jae-eon’s mother, Ryu Seong-hee.
“Long time no see, Kim Young.”
She was also the country’s top fortune-teller.
[Fortune-teller Ryu Seong-hee]
Eldest daughter of a long-established fortune-teller family with a history as old as the Gi family.
Her mouth never told lies.
Ryu Seong-hee’s predictions had never been wrong, earning a great reputation.
The waiting line for her fortune-telling stretched from Seoul to Busan… no, around the entire globe.
“I didn’t expect Lady Ryu to come.”
“Of course it is natural.”
She quietly raised her lowered gaze and smiled faintly.
“After all, I am a mother.”
Her eyes, full of gloom and somehow hollow, resembled Gi Jae-eon’s exactly.