"……Hyung?"Why was he here?Mu-heun rarely visited the family home, spending most of his time elsewhere. He came by less than once every three months, and since he had just visited last week, Mu-ryeong hadn't expected to see him again until at least the end of summer."Our youngest—staying out so late instead of sleeping, no wonder you’re not growing taller."But there was no doubt. The man standing before him, dressed in a black long-sleeve shirt, leaning casually against the wall, was indeed Kim Mu-heun."Why are you here?"Mu-ryeong wasted no time in asking. Mu-heun chuckled and straightened up."Now, that hurts. Why am I here? Do I need a reason to come home and see my family?"Despite his words, his expression showed no signs of actual disappointment. Mu-heun rarely came home unless he had a reason, as if he had been born with a wandering spirit—his absence was more reassuring than his presence."Hey, Hwan-young. We meet again.""……Hello."Hwan-young, still standing by the gate, gave a stiff bow. He looked away awkwardly, like someone caught red-handed.Mu-ryeong tilted his head in confusion—what was up with him? But the moment their eyes met, the events that had just unfolded at the gate flashed through his mind.[Isn't there another way besides hugging?][Another way?][A way to transfer more energy.]"……."How long had Mu-heun been standing there? Had he overheard their entire conversation?Mu-ryeong’s mind raced. They hadn't done anything wrong, but it was still embarrassing. His gaze flickered anxiously.Then, Mu-heun called his name."Mu-ryeong."Mu-ryeong flinched. Even though Mu-heun was always friendly, their age difference made moments like this oddly intimidating. It reminded him of when their mother used to scold him as a child."Hwan-young, go on inside first. I need to talk to Mu-ryeong for a bit.""……."Mu-ryeong swallowed dryly.Mu-heun casually recited the house’s entry code to Hwan-young. Then, as if it were nothing, he added, "If Seolgi starts barking, just hold him for a bit. And you can borrow any of my clothes if you need.""Get some rest. Mu-ryeong, let’s go."Without a word, Mu-ryeong followed.He cast a glance back—Hwan-young stood frozen, watching them with the same uneasy expression. He didn’t move an inch, even as they disappeared into the separate training house.***The training house, used by the family for their practice, was much older in design than the main house. The interior was completely empty, save for the rectangular wooden floor. The only windows were high up, letting the night sky filter through."…….""……."For some reason, Mu-ryeong found himself kneeling in front of Mu-heun.Mu-heun hadn’t said anything, but the atmosphere made it feel like the right thing to do. Meanwhile, Mu-heun sat cross-legged, quietly staring at him."……What?"In the end, Mu-ryeong broke the silence.What was this about? No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure it out.At first, he had worried it was about what had happened at the gate—but surely, Mu-heun wouldn’t scold him for that."Mu-ryeong."At the low call of his name, Mu-ryeong straightened his back instinctively.Mu-heun folded his arms, tilting his head slightly."What did you do today?""……Me?"What was he supposed to say?Plenty of things had happened today, but most of them weren’t things he could tell Mu-heun. If he talked about Hwan-hee, he’d have to mention Hwan-young as well.He debated just saying, I purified an evil spirit.But before he could answer, Mu-heun spoke first."A record was uploaded—the evil spirit the Association had been monitoring has passed on.""……What?"Mu-ryeong’s eyes widened.Mu-heun continued, his tone neutral."Not eradicated. Passed on.""…….""You know what that means, don’t you?"Of course, he did. There was no way he wouldn’t.But that wasn’t what shocked him.[The Association was monitoring that spirit?]That meant the Exorcist Association had known about Hwan-hee’s existence.And yet, they hadn’t erased him. They had left him alone.It was fortunate, but it also raised questions—why hadn’t they intervened?Evil spirits are meant to be eradicated.Hwan-hee had lingered in this world for four years. Mu-ryeong had always assumed it was because the Association had failed to notice him. If they had known, they should have erased him long ago."And… at the same time, Ki Hwan-young’s fate has changed."Mu-heun referred to it as fate, but his readings weren’t like ordinary fortune-telling.He could see not just birth charts, but also spiritual flows and external influences—giving him insight into people’s lives in ways others couldn’t. Even those born at the exact same time would have different destinies under his reading."Mu-ryeong, I have a feeling this has something to do with you."His sharp gaze met Mu-ryeong’s."What do you think?""……."Mu-heun knew.Maybe not the full details, but he had put the pieces together.He had likely already guessed that Mu-ryeong had purified something today. And since he could read fate, he had probably realized that the spirit was connected to Hwan-young’s family."……Yeah, it was me."Mu-ryeong didn’t bother lying.It was his family—there was no point in hiding it."There was an evil spirit attached to Ki Hwan-young.""It’s been lingering around him since he was fourteen… for four whole years.""…….""So, I helped him move on."This translation is the intellectual property of .It was a simple, concise explanation.There was no need to mention that the evil spirit had been Hwan-young’s younger brother. No need to say that Hwan-young had asked him to do it.After all, Mu-ryeong didn’t see what he had done as helping him. The evil spirit had been there, Hwan-young had been suffering, so Mu-ryeong had simply acted on his own will."I see…"Mu-heun’s gaze lowered, his thoughts unreadable. He remained silent for a moment, then looked back up at Mu-ryeong.The emotion in his deep-set eyes wasn’t reprimand."You did well.""……."Only then did Mu-ryeong exhale in relief, the tension in his shoulders unwinding.Mu-heun never offered empty praise. If he said it, he meant it."That’s all I wanted to ask. You must be exhausted after your work—go get some rest."Mu-heun wrapped up the conversation somewhat abruptly, already shifting to stand. But before he could rise completely, Mu-ryeong instinctively stopped him."Hyung."Mu-heun, half-standing, glanced down at him. Mu-ryeong met his gaze, eyes clear and direct."Why did the Association leave the evil spirit alone?""……Hm."Mu-heun’s expression turned slightly troubled. The way he scrunched his brows was eerily similar to Mu-ryeong’s own habits. With a sigh, he lowered himself back down."Mu-ryeong."Mu-ryeong’s instincts kicked in—whatever Mu-heun was about to say, it wasn’t lighthearted.It was a pattern he had learned over the years. Whenever Mu-heun looked like this, it was always something heavy.As expected, Mu-heun spoke in his usual smooth, deliberate tone."The Association couldn’t not know about a spiritually gifted person born on a leap day.""……."It felt like a slap to the back of his head.It wasn’t just Mu-heun who had figured it out—the Exorcist Association had known all along.It made sense.Mu-ryeong had recognized Hwan-young’s unusual presence the first time they met—there was no way the Association, an organization that scouted and monitored exorcists, would have missed it. Their hunger for new talent was unmatched."There was an official restriction placed on eliminating the evil spirit attached to Ki Hwan-young. They tried a few times at first, but they must have failed."Had Hwan-hee’s power been that strong?Mu-ryeong doubted it. There must have been some other reason the Association failed."So they were ordered to back off. Because it was dangerous. You could’ve gotten hurt, Mu-ryeong—not just because of the spirit, but because they might find out about you and what you can do. Ideally, you should’ve stayed far away from that kid altogether."Mu-ryeong’s unique ability—the power to purify evil spirits instead of exorcising them—was a secret. Only his family, and now Hwan-young, knew about it.Their mother had always insisted that the less people knew, the better. The plan had been to keep it hidden from the Association until he was an adult.But now… maybe it wasn’t a secret anymore."…Then why didn’t you tell me?""Tell you what? That you should stay away from him?"Mu-ryeong fell silent.His sharp features, inherited from their mother, made his expression seem even colder when he wasn’t smiling. But his voice, in contrast, remained gentle."How could I? It’s not like that kid did anything wrong."Just because the Association was watching Hwan-young didn’t mean Mu-ryeong had to avoid him.Ki Hwan-young was just… Ki Hwan-young.Being born with spiritual power wasn’t a crime."This is adult business. You kids don’t need to be caught up in it."Their mother had always said the same thing.That was why, even when the topic of Seung-joo’s family came up, Mu-ryeong was never burdened with any expectations."Besides, even if I had warned you, would you have listened?"Mu-ryeong hesitated—then, grudgingly, nodded.Mu-heun was right.No matter what, he still would’ve made the same decision.If anything, he would’ve just felt even more restless and frustrated."…Does Mom know, too?""Yeah. Probably more than I do."Mu-ryeong thought back to last week—when he had brought Hwan-young home for the first time.His mother had casually grilled meat for them, let Hwan-young stay the night, and hadn’t acted any differently.Neither she nor Mu-heun had given anything away."The only reason I’m telling you this is so you can be careful. You know there’s nothing good about getting the Association’s attention, right?"Mu-heun clicked his tongue lightly, then smirked."Not that it matters. You were already on their radar from the moment you were born."Despite his teasing tone, the implication was clear."Don’t take this too seriously. You don’t have to keep your distance from Ki Hwan-young. If anything happens, Mom and I will handle it. You get what I’m saying?"Mu-ryeong nodded quietly.Mu-heun hadn’t come to warn him.He had /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ just wanted to check in—see how things were shifting."…How did Ki Hwan-young’s fate change?"Mu-ryeong finally asked the one last thing on his mind.Mu-heun grinned and lightly tapped the crown of his head."For the better.""Huh?""It changed for the better."His words were crisp and confident.His sharp eyes curved into a gentle crescent.Mu-heun’s voice softened as if speaking to a child."At least now… he won’t be alone anymore."

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