Mu-ryeong’s Spirit

EP.5 Descending Dusk (5)

Mu-ryeong’s eyes trembled violently. If he had been holding something, he would have definitely dropped it. His face turned pale, and the surrounding noise became distant.

‘Why?’

Maybe it was his exorcist’s intuition, but he started to suspect something was wrong. He wondered if there was someone who caused the traffic accident on purpose.

Mu-ryeong got up from his seat as soon as the morning assembly was over and followed the homeroom teacher out. He trailed along like a motherless duck, nervously looking around.

“Teacher, where did Seung-ju get hurt?”

“Huh? You didn’t know he got hurt, Mu-ryeong?”

“I didn’t get a phone call.”

With a frown, Mu-ryeong sullenly showed his phone. If only he had stopped by Seung-ju’s house this morning. He thought Seung-ju, who always left first, would already be there today.

“Oh, right. He said his phone was broken. He broke his arm, but he’s supposed to be discharged today. Since you live next door, you can visit him after school if you’re worried.”

The homeroom teacher said this and patted Mu-ryeong on the shoulders. Hearing about the broken phone, Mu-ryeong had been lost in thought, but upon hearing the teacher’s next words, he let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that Seung-ju wasn’t badly hurt since he was going to be discharged today.

“Be careful when you get around, Mu-ryeong. And come on, wear your tie.”

Mu-ryeong wished this was something he could just be careful about. He just answered lightly that he would and bowed before turning to leave. He wished he had given Seung-ju a talisman or something filled with regret.

And as he turned to go back to his classroom, he met someone in the hallway, and their eyes met.

“…….”

“…….”

A neatly tied necktie, a shirt buttoned up to the neck, and at least a head taller than the other students. Despite the distance, it was difficult not to notice Hwan-young.

Trying to act nonchalant, Mu-ryeong threw his gaze away from Hwan-young. He didn’t turn his head, but he managed to awkwardly turn his body.

However, his efforts were in vain, as Hwan-young swiftly approached and got right in front of Mu-ryeong.

“Kim Mu-ryeong.”

“…….”

How could someone have this little presence? Nervous, Mu-ryeong blinked his eyes slowly. He took a deep breath, then exhaled quietly. Trying to hide his worry, he lifted his head and saw the face of Hwan-young high above him.

“Uh… why?”

His height was… really tall. Even if you took into account that Mu-ryeong was small, Hwan-young was just excessively tall, maybe even taller than Seung-ju. It felt potentially threatening.

“Do you have something to say?”

Even as he asked this, Mu-ryeong slowly stepped back. Hwan-young glanced downward at the sound of his sneakers dragging on the floor.

Ki Hwan-young and Kim Mu-ryeong: They were both famous figures, so they attracted curious gazes from people around them.

“If you have nothing to say…”

“I have a request.”

“…….”

Mu-ryeong blinked. A request?

“I’ll come to find you after school.”

Hwan-young just said what he needed and immediately turned around. Seeing him walk away, Mu-ryeong instinctively grabbed his arm. As he wrapped his arm around the muscly arm under the white shirt, a refreshing energy flowed into him.

“Um…”

Mu-ryeong hesitated for a moment, even after opening his mouth. Not because of Hwan-young’s chilling body temperature, but because of the surprise in his gaze as he looked back at him. Hwan-young, who seemed ready to get away from Mu-ryeong at any moment, stopped in his tracks with his arm outstretched.

“Sorry, but… I have somewhere to go after school today.”

Mu-ryeong slowly let go of the arm he had been holding and took a step back, his fingers twitching. His other hand clenched and unclenched into a fist hidden behind his back.

“Can we do it tomorrow instead of today?”

“…….”

Upon hearing Mu-ryeong’s words, Hwan-young closed his mouth. His lips stretched into a long, straight line. After a brief pause, he spoke in a hushed voice.

“Did your friend not come to school today?”

“…….”

Mu-ryeong had no answer. What Hwan-young said was true. How had he taken Mu-ryeong’s silence? Hwan-young repeated.

“It won’t take long. Just a moment.”

Mu-ryeong didn’t answer, saying yes, but unfortunately, the bell signalling the start of the first period rang. At the same time, the students who had been watching them rushed back to their classrooms. Mu-ryeong slowly nodded at Hwan-young, who was waiting for an answer.

“Then… wait for me in the classroom.”

“Our classroom?”

“Yeah. I’ll come after school is over.”

A puzzled look appeared on Hwan-young’s face. Mu-ryeong thought he would ask why, but a different question came out.

“Do you know what class I’m in?”

“I know; you’re in class 3.”

“…….”

“I’ll clean for my friend, so wait for me in your classroom.”

The teacher in charge of the first period walked towards them from the end of the hallway. Mu-ryeong bit his tongue lightly with an expression as if he just realised something. He patted Hwan-young’s arm and said,

“You should go too. See you later.”

In the blink of an eye, Mu-ryeong entered class 7.

Mu-ryeong held onto his arm in front of the closed door. It was the very spot where Hwan-young had touched him just a moment ago.

* * *

Yeah, I didn’t get hurt badly. It’s not news that parents overreact.

After having lunch, Mu-ryeong called Seung-ju through his mother’s number. Fortunately, his voice was fine, and his indifferent tone was no different from usual.

He said that he didn’t get hurt much, but he had to undergo all sorts of tests at the hospital. So he was hospitalised, and as a result, he missed school. It wasn’t unreasonable for his family to worry, as their youngest son, whom they cherished, got injured.

“What happened?”

My bag strap got caught on a car’s side mirror. I tripped and sprained my wrist while trying to free it. That’s also why my phone got broken.

Such bad luck. Upon hearing Seung-ju’s words, Mu-ryeong gently rubbed his forehead. His bag strap getting caught on a side mirror was a situation that was not only unlucky but also extremely rare. He didn’t know if it was because of luck or something else.

Anyway, there’s no need to worry. I’m perfectly fine.

“Is your left hand injured?”

No, it’s my right hand.

“…….”

He might have to give him a talisman after all.

Hey, I have to go eat. I’m hanging up now.

After saying that, Seung-ju hung up without any hesitation. Similarly, Mu-ryeong put down his phone on the desk without feeling disappointed. Since Seung-ju said he was okay, he thought he should focus on dealing with the problem at hand first.

The afternoon hours passed slowly as if someone were playing a prank. Mu-ryeong listened attentively in class for the first time in a while with his big, innocent eyes and received exactly three compliments from the teacher. If Seung-ju had seen this, he would have been surprised that school life could be so easy.

“Okay, everyone, go home safely and see you tomorrow.”

After the final bell rang, Mu-ryeong finished cleaning the classroom as slowly as possible before leaving. It would be easier to talk about the request without any students around. Well, he had been too leisurely, and as a result, the hallway was completely empty.

He could see the sunset through the window in the hallway. The setting sun shimmered with a strange light as if it were dissolved in watercolours. Mu-ryeong fiddled with the plastic in his pants pocket.

‘What kind of request could it be…?’

As a rule, Mu-ryeong never refused the requests that he got. Most of them were things he could handle on his own, and even if they weren’t, he could usually find a way to make them work. Plus, just the thought of considering refusal made him feel guilty, considering the person on the other end had likely been struggling with their problem for a while before coming to him.

But now, for the first time since starting high school, Mu-ryeong felt a strong urge to turn down a request. There was no particular reason for it other than the fact that the requester was Ki Hwan-young.

‘There’s probably no need for him to ask me for help.’

As Hwan-young approached, Mu-ryeong felt a shiver down his spine. The refreshing and clear spiritual energy was more vivid and distinct than any other spiritual energy he had ever felt. Even his mother, who was a very well-known exorcist, did not possess such energy.

Why would Hwan-young entrust him with a request? Not just because of his spiritual energy but also because he possessed that kind of ability. With that kind of spiritual energy, he probably had spiritual eyes as well.

[2-3]

Standing in front of the classroom door, Mu-ryeong took a moment to catch his breath. He placed his hand on his chest and focused on the sound of his beating heart. It was a technique his father had taught him to calm his nerves.

Quite some time had passed since Mu-ryeong held onto the door handle.

He looked inside through the glass on the front door, but he couldn’t see any sign of Hwan-young, not even a shadow. Was he sitting in the back? As he opened the door with that thought in mind, he felt his heart sink.

“…….”

Mu-ryeong slowly entered inside as if he was possessed by something. As an exorcist, his senses were sending repeated signals of danger. And as if that wasn’t enough, there was a tremendous amount of evil energy clinging to his skin like dampness.

“You’re late.”

Thump. Thump.

The sunset glow descended. In an empty classroom, after everyone had left, only Hwan-young sat alone by the window, waiting for Mu-ryeong. The second seat from the back On the spot where the shadow dropped, with his waist straight, he spoke to Mu-ryeong.

“Come and sit. It won’t take long.”

Thump. Thump.

“…….”

Mu-ryeong stood there, unable to say anything. Surprise filled his large eyes, and his Adam’s apple moved up and down as he gulped. In the silence that was so quiet that even his breathing could be heard, a sharp sound pierced his ears.

Thump. Thump.

“You.”

Barely managing to catch his breath, he couldn’t say anything else. He simply took shallow breaths, and his eyelids trembled. The long, extended hair, the drops of blood falling from his nails, and the strange arms that were wrapped around his neck.

You don’t see it?

Those words got stuck in his mouth and didn’t come out. The ghost clinging to Hwan-young seemed to be laughing with its mouth open.