One of the dorm kids happened to stop by Bonryeong on an errand.
‘Thought it was a ghost... who is that?’
He caught sight of a woman walking alongside Kim Young. He was sure he’d seen her before somewhere.
‘On TV? Or in the newspaper?’
Curiosity drew him closer to the room they entered.
“To take exorcist Gi Jae-eon—”
Kim Young’s faint voice drifted.
Wait, take who...?
“Gasp!”
The kid covered his mouth with both hands.
A guest from Cheonjiharang had come!
‘But they’re taking Ja-eon? He hasn’t even properly apologized yet!’
Suddenly, the kid remembered what An Seo-myeong said—the story about trying to jump in front of a train. He didn’t know the full situation, but just that act meant he must be really worn out!
If Gi Jae-eon was dragged off to Cheonjiharang now, he’d definitely face a grueling schedule again. If he couldn’t endure it this time... gasp.
Too terrible to even imagine!
The kid hurriedly turned around.
‘Emergency, emergency!’
“Cl-clean the room…?”
“Sorry for the sudden request, Ja-eon.”
It was 11 a.m.
Gi Jae-eon was in quite an awkward situation. Someone had suddenly knocked on his door and ordered him to clean his room, issuing a mandatory evacuation. This was the first time such a thing had happened since coming to Bonryeong. Wasn’t it supposed to be each person’s responsibility to clean their own room? Even if he questioned it, the answer was always that he had to vacate, which was frustrating. Cold sweat poured down Gi Jae-eon’s face.
“Well... they said... ah! Yeah! If I don’t clean, only I get scolded! Please understand, Ja-eon.”
The aunt explained awkwardly like reading from a Korean textbook. But Gi Jae-eon, not sensing anything strange, was just anxiously refusing.
Still, she didn’t budge either, and in true Confucian fashion, the matter was settled.
The young Gi Jae-eon had stepped back.
It wasn’t right to stubbornly refuse and get an innocent adult scolded.
‘Maybe she’s in the bathroom.’
Just as he was about to give up a little, the aunt called out to him again in an embarrassed voice.
“Ja-eon!”
“Really sorry.”
“Could you run an errand for me?”
Of course.
“I had to buy groceries yesterday but totally forgot. After cleaning here and making dinner, when could I possibly go to the market? So could you go buy the things on this list?”
“Ah... ah.”
“Please, Ja-eon!”
“Uh, well, um...”
“You can buy whatever you want too.”
She thrust a small memo and a wallet into his hand, then disappeared into the room. The door clicked locked.
What on earth was this... it felt like a big whirlwind had just swept through.
Gi Jae-eon was left alone, staring silently at the note and wallet in his hands. His expression was not good.
Truth was, although he had caught yokai, exorcised evil spirits, and even saved the world... he’d never run an errand before.
‘What do I do?’
Standing there blinking for a long time, Gi Jae-eon blushed at a shout of “Hey! What’s with this room?!” and slowly descended to the first floor.
To anyone watching, he looked as pale and pitiful as someone about to face execution.
‘Is anyone here?’
He wandered around, neck hunched, looking for someone to take his place.
Meanwhile, the aunt who heard his footsteps quickly grabbed her phone and sent a message to the dorm kids’ group chat at Bonryeong.
[I did as asked, are you guys really okay?? You’re not bullying him, right??? If so, you’ll get scolded by auntie for real.]
Replies came quickly.
[We’re protecting Ja-eon! haha]
[We won’t let anyone take him]
[Auntie, no worries, we’re helping him escape]
[And eating the food Ja-eon bought, hehe]
[I’ll just eat whatever they get]
[Today’s chicken stew]
[??? Raw chicken???]
[Delicacy.]
[Delicacy? Seriously report this.]
[So annoying.]
Meanwhile, unaware of the situation, Gi Jae-eon had been pacing in front of the dorm entrance for an hour. If he went out... the stray spirits would cling to him.
If he didn’t... he couldn’t run the errand.
Then what about dinner?
Even if he himself ate only every other day, what about the kids?
Looking up at the clear sky, so peaceful, he instinctively covered his mouth. It didn’t hurt, but the discomfort was unpleasant. It felt like his chest was filled with all sorts of nasty stuff. Hmm, biting the inside of his lip, Gi Jae-eon sank into deep thought.
Should he just pretend not to know? He’d get hated, but didn’t care.
...Really?
Letters from the kids suddenly flooded his mind. Before he knew it, his feet began to step over the threshold.
His eyes naturally landed on the memo.
And so on.
“Green onion... chicken... twelve?”
Isn’t chicken just chicken? What’s twelve? Gi Jae-eon thought hard, trudging along the path.
After about twenty minutes, the stray spirits crawling up from his ankles began kicking him playfully. The unpleasant dizziness followed. …Ugh! His already sunken eyes deepened further as Gi Jae-eon finally squatted down in the middle of the road to catch his breath.
Then, a worn sneaker stopped suddenly ahead, and a gruff voice said, “...What are you doing?”
Looking up, he saw Kim Joo-won in a black jacket.
Kim Joo-won was carrying a big bag, apparently fresh from finishing a job request.
He stared at Gi Jae-eon for a moment before suddenly furrowing his brows and growling lowly:
“Why aren’t you moving?”
At that, the stray spirits clinging to Gi Jae-eon vanished with a whoosh. Yes, the question was directed at the spirits.
His body suddenly felt lighter, and his mood improved.
“...Ah.”
“Hey, you know.”
A guy who summons Suzaku being harassed by stray spirits—what a comedy.
Kim Joo-won glared at him with a displeased look, but as if he had something to say, stared a while longer before muttering, “Fine.” and turning away.
Well, he was about to turn away.
If Gi Jae-eon hadn’t nervously called out, “Uh, um...”
A sharp gaze came back instead.
It meant: if you have something to say, say it.
Gi Jae-eon hesitated and showed the crumpled memo toward Kim Joo-won.
“D-Do you know... where the market is?”
“What?”
“I have to... run an errand...”
Seeing his timid posture, Kim Joo-won was briefly speechless.
An errand? Who the hell would send Gi Jae-eon on an errand... no, the fool is that guy.
Kim Joo-won irritably ruffled his hair.
He had barely enough time to exorcise yokai across the country!
What a waste of manpower. Like sending a national soccer star to play in a local amateur league.
Kim Joo-won suddenly recalled the fire he’d seen that day.
The absolute gap he’d never felt before and the deep inferiority it caused.
...Some people train and exorcise all day to catch up.
“You... sigh.”
Swallowing his words, Kim Joo-won reached out toward Gi Jae-eon.
“Give it here.”
His hand waved lazily.
“I’ll buy it and carry it in, so give it to me.”
“...”
“Not giving it?”
“I...”
“What? Speak up! Don’t act petty, man!”
Kim Joo-won barked threateningly.
“I’ll, I’ll…”
Gi Jae-eon stammered and hurriedly shoved the memo into his pocket, as if Kim Joo-won might snatch it. Watching that, Kim Joo-won was dumbfounded. “What am I, some kind of extortionist? I’m just helping with the errand.” He scoffed and shrugged with a crooked smile.
“Suit yourself.”
But he didn’t move.
Ah, the market?
Kim Joo-won roughly pointed behind him.
“Just go straight until you hit the intersection.”
“D-Do you happen to know what ‘12th-grade chicken’ means?”
“...”
“Or what peeled green onions mean...?”
“What kind of idiot sent you on an errand?”
“My aunt…”
“Trying to teach you social skills? Auntie’s smart.”
Damn, was that a landmine? Kim Joo-won hastily maintained his social composure and reluctantly decided to go with the dummy.
As for Gi Jae-eon…
The reason he insisted on doing it himself instead of leaving it to Kim Joo-won was simple.
A small desire for an ordinary daily life.
Gi Jae-eon lightly touched the pocket holding the memo.
‘An errand...’
He definitely disliked it but felt an odd regret handing it over to someone else. He’d never done it as a child either.
Maybe to his standards, it was a small rebellion.
“Hey, aren’t you coming?”
Kim Joo-won shouted sharply from far ahead. Gi Jae-eon snapped out of his thoughts and hurried to follow.
“What do I have to buy again?”
“Two chickens… twelfth-grade… two of them.”
“That damn twelfth-grade, I hate it. I’m buying eleventh-grade.”
“!!”