Mu-ryeong’s Spirit

Haam—Mu-ryeong let out a big yawn. Tears welled up at the corners of his drooping eyes, and his clear gaze turned hazy with drowsiness. He wiped away the tears with the same hand that had covered his mouth, then stretched his arms upward with a deep sigh.

“Ugh…”

Hearing his groan, Hwan-young’s gaze naturally followed him. He silently observed Mu-ryeong for a moment before asking in his usual flat tone.

“I thought you weren’t picky about where you sleep.”

Mu-ryeong responded with nothing more than a sheepish grin. There was no way he could explain what he had been up to all night, so he could only pretend it was nothing. Well, yeah, normally I’m not. That was the best response he could give, and Hwan-young, showing no further interest, turned his head away.

The sky was still dark, the early hours of dawn just beginning to creep in. The two of them had set out for school together at an absurdly early time. As usual, they took the secluded, winding paths, and Mu-ryeong made sure to touch the talismans attached to the walls once again. Then, feeling slightly awkward, he struck up a conversation with Hwan-young.

“But you really leave for school early.”

Hwan-young had been up before the sun had even risen—right around the time Mu-ryeong had only just started pretending to be asleep. By then, Mu-ryeong was completely drained, having exhausted all his spiritual energy.

Rather than waking Mu-ryeong, Hwan-young had gone straight to the bathroom, finished washing up, and even prepared breakfast before finally telling him to get up.

“If I leave at this time, I won’t be late.”

Naturally, Mu-ryeong had groaned and tossed around on the blanket for a long while. He was so utterly exhausted that he wasn’t even faking it. In fact, if he had closed his eyes for just five more seconds, he wouldn’t have noticed even if someone carried him away.

“That sounds rough.”

Muttering to himself, Mu-ryeong continued walking in silence. They passed through Hwan-young’s neighborhood, retracing the same route as the day before, until they reached the familiar intersection. For more than two hours, neither of them spoke. The only words exchanged were the occasional, “Not that way,” from Hwan-young when Mu-ryeong, half-asleep, veered off course.

“…How many times a week do you show up late?”

The distance really was just far enough to require leaving at such an ungodly hour. If it were Mu-ryeong, he would’ve chosen to just sleep at school instead. Or better yet, he’d just take public transportation. But Hwan-young answered as if the question itself was ridiculous.

“Not even once since I enrolled.”

“….”

The already fragile emotional distance between them suddenly stretched into a vast chasm. Mu-ryeong unconsciously stepped slightly away, turning his head in the opposite direction. Until now, he had believed that Seo Seung-joo was the only person on Earth this absurdly diligent. This moment shattered that belief into pieces.

Because they had left so early, there weren’t many students around when they arrived at school. Even so, Mu-ryeong still managed to run into a few familiar faces and exchanged greetings along the way.

"Mu-ryeong, hey. You’re early today. What’s up with you not being late?"
"Hey. Just happened to be early today. I don’t actually show up late that often. And yeah, Seung-joo’s coming to school today."

Hwan-young, meanwhile, continued walking ahead without a word, regardless of who Mu-ryeong was talking to. In truth, they were only walking together because their routes happened to be the same—whether this could be considered going to school together was debatable. Of course, that wasn’t how the other students saw it.

"Why are those two together?"

Mu-ryeong felt those questioning stares at least five times. The friends he greeted, the students who only vaguely recognized him, even the disciplinary committee members standing by the school gate—all of them looked at him and Hwan-young with curiosity.

It was just like yesterday, when they had been seen together in the hallway. Half curiosity, half intrigue. The way people stared at them was reminiscent of spectators at a zoo watching an exotic animal.

But it was inevitable. Mu-ryeong was well-known throughout the school as the go-to problem solver, while Hwan-young was infamous for being that ridiculously good-looking guy. Even alone, they naturally attracted attention—seeing them together was bound to make people curious.

“Oh? Seung-joo’s here.”

Just as they passed the sports field and approached the entrance to the main building, Mu-ryeong glanced back and spotted Seung-joo coming through the front gate. His right hand was in a cast, and instead of his uniform shirt, he was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt.

“Seo Seung-joo!”

Mu-ryeong called out loudly and instinctively grabbed Hwan-young’s arm. Hwan-young, who had been about to head inside without him, scowled and immediately shook him off.

“I told you not to touch me—”

“I didn’t get hurt.”

“…What?”

From a distance, Seung-joo frowned, clearly thinking, Why are those two together? But Mu-ryeong, ignoring that look, grabbed Hwan-young’s wrist this time and lightly shook it in front of him.

“I just touched you, and I didn’t get hurt.”

“….”

Hwan-young’s lips parted slightly. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but Mu-ryeong didn’t give him the chance. Instead, he simply smiled—a bright, carefree smile that made his round eyes curve gently.

“Just saying. No particular reason.”

With that, Mu-ryeong let go of his wrist. Hwan-young’s left hand twitched slightly before curling into itself, just a beat too late. Mu-ryeong met his gaze and playfully winked.

“Well, see you later.”

And just like that, Mu-ryeong dashed off toward Seung-joo, not even sparing Hwan-young a backward glance. Left behind, Hwan-young stood there, blinking in a daze. He looked equal parts dumbfounded and unsettled.

***

“Why were you walking with him?”

Just as he had claimed, Seung-joo wasn’t seriously injured. Aside from the cast, he was completely fine. He couldn’t use his right hand for now, but even the cast had been forced on him by his parents. He said it could come off in about two weeks, which made Mu-ryeong sigh in relief once more.

"I slept at his place last night."

Mu-ryeong casually took Seung-joo’s bag from his shoulder. Seung-joo told him it wasn’t necessary, but Mu-ryeong felt uncomfortable just standing around, so he needed to do something. I should definitely prepare a talisman. He reaffirmed his resolve and continued speaking as if it was no big deal.

"He said he had something he wanted me to handle."

"So now you’re offering home visits too?"

Seung-joo clicked his tongue in disapproval. From the moment Mu-ryeong ran toward him, his expression had been anything but pleased. He looked like he was holding back a flood of nagging, his concern evident.

"What is it this time? A ghost, right?"

"…Mm."

Mu-ryeong hesitated, gripping the strap of the bag tightly. His unusual response made Seung-joo narrow his eyes. Normally, Mu-ryeong would ramble on with all sorts of details. The fact that he was holding back now was strange.

"What, it wasn’t a ghost?"

"It was… but…"

Trailing off, Mu-ryeong glanced toward the entrance where Hwan-young had disappeared. As he walked alongside Seung-joo, he muttered with a troubled expression.

"It’s… complicated."

"You can do it, right?"

Earlier that morning, after the flames had faded, Mu-ryeong had quietly stepped outside the front door. While his little companions were out searching for the remains of the dead, there was something else he needed to check on. Nothing major, just a small confirmation.

Standing in the middle of the yard, Mu-ryeong closed his eyes and sharpened his senses.

Exorcists who wielded spiritual energy often had heightened physical abilities compared to ordinary people—not just their stamina, but also their sight, hearing, smell, and even taste.

As he gathered his energy and focused, the surrounding sounds became clearer. The rustling wind, the occasional brushing of leaves, the faint chirping of insects, and the flickering of a streetlamp.

…

Something felt off.

That same uneasy feeling that had been nagging at him ever since they entered this neighborhood.

Why aren’t there any people?

Throughout their entire walk, Mu-ryeong had not sensed a single sign of life from any of the houses they passed. Not because of his exorcist’s intuition, but because his sharpened senses had scrutinized every detail.

All those houses, perfectly intact on the outside, were nothing more than abandoned shells.

And even after stepping inside Hwan-young’s house, that eerie silence had remained.

It wasn’t impossible, of course. The neighborhood could simply be deserted, or maybe Mu-ryeong had overlooked something. But what troubled him wasn’t just the absence of people—it was the absence of anything.

Mu-ryeong took a running start and lightly jumped onto the wall next to the gate. The stone wall was only about half the height of the ones at school. Standing on the thick ledge, he looked out over the barren landscape of the neighborhood.

Once again, he let out a small whistle, summoning his flames.

One. Two. Three. Four.

The flames rose sluggishly, orbiting around him. Seeing their dejected glow, it was clear they had already heard that Mu-ryeong had no spare coins to offer them.@@novelbin@@

"I’ll make sure to get some for you when we get home, alright?"

Soothing them with soft words, Mu-ryeong assigned them the same task as before. One to the east, one to the west, and the other two to the north and south.

"Don’t go too far—only within the range of my energy."

After setting the boundary, he sent them off without further explanation. To the one that was particularly reluctant, he secretly infused a bit of his own spiritual energy as encouragement.

Now, all he could do was wait. If they were quick, ten minutes. If not, thirty. Within that time, they would have searched every corner of the area and returned with their findings.

"…This is taking a while."

Mu-ryeong paced along the top of the wall, waiting. He wasn’t just walking aimlessly—he was leaving traces of his energy behind, forming a barrier to block any unwanted intrusions. All he needed was a solid medium like stone or wood, just like when he had reinforced the talismans on his way to school.

By the time he had circled the wall ten times, the first of the summoned flames finally returned. Flickering weakly, it had none of its usual vibrancy.

"…Nothing?"

The result was hard to believe.

Hwan-young’s energy naturally attracted spirits. Even the malevolent ghost they encountered at school had been drawn to his presence, its hunger extending even to Seung-joo. And yet, in this house overflowing with spiritual energy, there wasn’t a single trace of the dead?

One by one, the other flames returned, bringing the same disappointing news. Not just inside the house, but outside as well. There were no lingering souls within Mu-ryeong’s reach.

Of course, he wasn’t about to give up that easily. After comforting the disheartened flames, Mu-ryeong rolled up his sleeves and took matters into his own hands.

He poured out his energy until it covered every inch of the house, overwhelming even Hwan-young’s presence. Like filling a cracked dam with an endless flow of water, he kept going until he had scoured every possible hiding place.

"…"

But the results remained unchanged.

Hwan-young’s house.

This eerie neighborhood.

There were no living people.

And no dead ones, either.