When Mu-ryeong returned to the main house, he found Hwan-young sitting in the living room with Seolgi.It seemed that he had managed to enter using the keypad code, but he hadn’t gone as far as rummaging through Mu-heun’s room for clothes. Seeing the two of them sitting there, almost awkwardly, Mu-ryeong had to bite back a laugh."You can relax, you know…"Hwan-young shifted uncomfortably, rising to his feet. Seolgi, who had been curled up on his lap, immediately sprang up and ran toward Mu-ryeong, tail wagging."Where’s your brother?""Busy. He just dropped by for a bit."With the full moon out, both their mother and Mu-heun would be occupied. It was surprising enough that Mu-heun had managed to make time to talk at all."Wait here. I’ll get you some clothes. Take a shower while you’re at it."Mu-ryeong grabbed some clothes from Mu-heun’s room and handed them to Hwan-young. He looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t, instead taking the bundle and heading to the bathroom.Mu-ryeong turned toward his own room’s attached bathroom to do the same.***After showering, the two of them gathered in Mu-ryeong’s room.Mu-ryeong had laid out two futons on the floor, already seated comfortably when Hwan-young hesitated by the doorway. Patting the bedding beside him, Mu-ryeong gestured."Aren’t you going to lie down?"Seolgi had already claimed the blankets, rolling around on the crisp summer fabric. He seemed to enjoy the texture, stretching out happily before Hwan-young could even sit down.Instead of lying next to Mu-ryeong, Hwan-young sat a little distance away, remaining quiet for a long time."…….""……."Neither of them spoke.Really, they should just sleep. That would be the easiest thing to do. But neither of them seemed in a hurry to close their eyes.Eventually, Mu-ryeong broke the silence."Your head doesn’t hurt or anything?""Huh? Oh… no, I’m fine."In the brighter light, the only sign that Hwan-young had been crying earlier was the faint redness around his eyes. He sounded awkward answering, but his attention soon shifted to the scars along Mu-ryeong’s arm, his brows knitting together."Are you okay?""Ah… yeah, this much will be gone by tomorrow."It had bled earlier, but after washing up, the wound was already closing. Exorcists had stronger physical endurance and healing abilities than normal people—by tomorrow, it would be as if nothing had happened."…….""……."And then, silence fell again.Mu-ryeong lowered his gaze, his thoughts drifting back to what had happened at the gate.The soft, lingering warmth against his lips. The way it had spread, leaving behind a sensation that refused to fade.It had just been for the sake of transferring spiritual energy, yet the awkwardness persisted.Hwan-young was probably feeling the same way. That must have been why he was avoiding eye contact, instead focusing on Seolgi’s wagging tail."…Kim Mu-ryeong."Mu-ryeong lifted his head.The way Hwan-young said his name felt unfamiliar today.He opened his mouth slightly, hesitating, before finally meeting Mu-ryeong’s gaze directly, as if making up his mind about something."Thank you.""…Huh?"Mu-ryeong blinked, startled by the sudden gratitude.Those dark, ink-like eyes remained locked on his, unwavering."For helping Hwan-hee move on… for letting me say goodbye…""…….""Just… for everything. It’s all thanks to you."Satisfaction—no, something warmer than that—spread from the pit of his stomach.Hearing those words from Hwan-young filled him with a sense of accomplishment so deep it was hard to describe."I’ll give you the name tag on Monday."With that, the request had officially come to an end.It had started when the weather was still cool and had only just concluded now, with summer settling in.Out of all the cases Mu-ryeong had taken on, this had been the longest—and by far, the most rewarding.Clenching his fists, Mu-ryeong lowered his gaze.His heart felt light and restless at the same time. He wasn’t sure how to process it.He wanted to laugh out loud.Or maybe, like he had on the rooftop earlier, he wanted to break down in tears."You did well.""…Nah, come on. That’s nothing."The corners of his mouth twitched.Feeling his expression slip into something embarrassingly pleased, Mu-ryeong covered his face and coughed.Hwan-young, meanwhile, reached down to stroke Seolgi, who was now dozing off. His voice, when he spoke again, was slow and quiet."I used to think all exorcists were bad people."Mu-ryeong’s gaze lifted.Hwan-young hesitated briefly, then continued."When I was little… exorcists would come to our house a lot.""…….""Saying they were going to take me with them."Mu-ryeong’s fingers twitched.Hwan-young had known about exorcists.When Mu-ryeong had first asked, he had coldly said, I know what they are.And now, Mu-heun had revealed that the Exorcist Association had been keeping an eye on him.This was the missing piece—how those two things connected."I don’t remember much since I was young. But at first, they tried talking to my parents nicely. Later, it turned into threats."Of course.There was no way the Association had simply ignored Ki Hwan-young.They had likely fed his parents all kinds of sweet words—how they would raise him, train him, help him reach his full potential.Many of the exorcists within the Association had been recruited that way."But every time they came… things in my house would get worse."That was something even Hwan-hee’s memories hadn’t shown.Perhaps their parents had tried to hide it, but Hwan-young had noticed anyway.Biting his lip, he let out a quiet sigh."I thought they were just making my family suffer.""…….""I thought they were bad people. That they just wanted to ruin everything."To a child, those exorcists must have seemed like villains—trying to take him away, forcing him to separate from his parents."Then… my parents died.""…….""And I started wondering."His voice was calm, almost too much so."If I had gone with them back then… would none of this have happened?"This translation is the intellectual property of .Mu-ryeong recalled the funeral he had seen through Hwan-hee’s memories.Hwan-young had sat there alone, his head bowed, unable to shed a single tear. He had looked frozen, like a prisoner awaiting his sentence."They were there at the funeral.""…….""I didn’t see their faces, but ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) I knew they were there. I could feel it. It was probably their spiritual energy."He had been too young to even understand what spiritual energy was.Mu-ryeong had purified his first evil spirit when he was eight years old. But Hwan-young, with no knowledge or guidance, had simply been left to live his lonely life."I thought it was my chance, so I asked them to take me with them.""……Why?"Mu-ryeong couldn’t help but ask.Why had Hwan-young made that choice at such a young age?Without a change in expression, Hwan-young answered."Because… I thought Hwan-hee might end up like me, too.""…….""If I was just going to bring trouble to everyone around me, it was better to leave with them."Mu-ryeong barely swallowed back a sigh.How much must the adults around him have blamed him for an eight-year-old to think like that?"But do you know what they did?""…What did they do?""They ignored me and left.""…….""They didn’t even listen."That…Mu-ryeong didn’t understand.If it was the Association he knew, they would have convinced his relatives, done whatever it took, to recruit a spiritually gifted child born on a leap day.So why had they ignored someone who willingly sought them out?"They spent all that time saying they needed me… but the moment I asked for their help, they acted like I didn’t exist."The betrayal he had felt back then was clear, even now.Perhaps it was an emotion long since buried, but at eight years old, Hwan-young must have been devastated."After that, they never came back.Not until the day Hwan-hee appeared before me as an evil spirit."That would have been when he was around fourteen.When he had returned to that vast, empty house alone, just as he had started middle school.A time he hadn’t been able to see through Hwan-hee’s memories—the time after his younger brother had died."They told me they had to eradicate Hwan-hee."So they had tried to get rid of him.Mu-heun had said there had been multiple failed attempts. That must have been when."I understood. Exorcists exist to get rid of evil spirits. That’s their job."Hwan-young’s voice was calm, almost self-mocking.The hand that had been stroking Seolgi stilled, and the dog’s wagging tail also came to a stop."But to me, he wasn’t an evil spirit. He was my brother.""…….""My last remaining family.And they wanted to take him away from me."He had lived every day in fear, yet still tried to protect Hwan-hee.Even if it meant enduring the nightmares, even if it meant being haunted—at least, in that way, he wasn’t alone.To him, exorcists had been nothing but merciless executioners."So whenever they came, I made sure Hwan-hee could escape.I scared them off, made them leave.""…….""After a few tries, they stopped coming."The day Hwan-young had brought his request to Mu-ryeong, he had immediately grabbed his hand when he saw him reach out to Hwan-hee.That paranoia…That fear of losing his brother…It had been built up over years of protecting Hwan-hee from exorcists."…You can curse me if you want. If they had purified Hwan-hee back then, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad. No one would have been hurt. You wouldn’t have had to go through all that trouble.""But you would have suffered."How could Mu-ryeong blame him?His voice was steady as he shook his head.His normally lively gaze was quiet, serene as he looked at Hwan-young."It’s fine.No one died.No one else will get hurt.That’s all that matters.""……."Hwan-young lowered his head, his black hair spilling forward.His expression was hidden, so Mu-ryeong simply waited."…I know it wasn’t their fault.I even met a good exorcist once.Just one."Truthfully, Mu-ryeong couldn’t bring himself to completely condemn the Association, either.At the end of the day, their goal was to protect the living.They understood how dangerous untrained spiritual users could be, so they tried to control them.Even if that meant stepping on a few lives in the process."Still, to me…""…….""I hated exorcists."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.