He had already guessed it. There was no way that someone as perceptive as Ki Hwan-young wouldnât notice, not when Mu-ryeong had been visiting him every single day. And yet, the moment Hwan-young turned his gaze toward him, Mu-ryeong still felt an unexpected wave of unease.
"I told you the request was off."
A fleeting sunset glow flickered in those pitch-black eyes. If the days grew any longer, he might never see that same sight again.
Mu-ryeong stepped closer, pulling an item from his pocket.
"...I have something to return."
It was a name tagâKi Hwan-young. Mu-ryeong had picked it up on the very first day they met. Back then, it had been soaked in Hwan-youngâs spiritual energy. But now, after over a year of carrying it around, only Mu-ryeongâs energy remained.
"I found this before, but I forgot to give it back."
He carefully placed the name tag on Hwan-youngâs desk. Hwan-young stared at it, his expression unreadable. Even though it had come from Mu-ryeongâs hands, he showed no signs of surprise.
"â¦Was this what you were trying to give me?"
There was no need to ask whatâHwan-young had already figured it out. His gaze slowly lifted, locking onto Mu-ryeong with quiet intensity.
"Did you only try to get close to me just to return this?"
"â¦No?"
Mu-ryeong blinked at him, wide-eyed, as if the question itself was absurd. He had carried the name tag with him, sure, but it wasnât why he had spoken to Hwan-young. If that were the case, he could have returned it ages ago and been done with it.
"Thereâs no reason behind being friendly."
"There is."
Hwan-youngâs answer came without hesitation. His gaze lowered slightly, eyelashes casting faint shadows on his cheekbones.
His voice dropped, barely above a whisper.
"There has to be."
"Not for me."
Mu-ryeongâs voice was firm, youthful but unwavering. As if that wasnât enough, he calmly added another statement.
"There never was."
Hwan-young said nothing.
"And there never will be."
In the beginning, it had been just an excuseâan easy pretext for smudging his energy onto the object. If that had been the only reason, then yes, Mu-ryeong would have been lying. But, in all honesty, that shallow excuse wasnât the only reason he had spoken to Hwan-young.
"Of course, people have all sorts of reasons for doing things."
Mu-ryeongâs voice softened, the characteristic smoothness in his tone filling the quiet classroom.
"But I never wanted anything from you."
If someone asked whether he had expected a reward, Mu-ryeong would firmly say no. But if they asked whether he considered someone elseâs safety or peace of mind a kind of rewardâwell, that, he wasnât sure how to answer.
"You donât have to do anything." Mu-ryeong tilted his head slightly. "But⦠do you hate it when I act friendly?"
Hwan-young didnât answer right away. His lips pressed together before he finally spoke, almost reluctantly.
"â¦Itâs not that I hate it."
"Then thatâs enough."
Mu-ryeong cut him off before he could finish, a playful smile flickering onto his lips.
Hwan-youngâs eyes sharpened slightly, clearly frustrated by the interruption. But Mu-ryeong, still grinning, placed his hand on Hwan-youngâs desk and spoke.
"Thereâs something called timing, you know?"
His fingers tapped lightly against the name tag. Hwan-young didnât respondâjust followed the movement with his eyes.
"Even if youâve made up your mind to do something, if the timingâs off, you might miss your chance before you even realize it."
Hwan-young remained silent.
"If you overthink and hesitate too much, sometimes you end up doing nothing at all."
That was exactly why Mu-ryeong always tried to make choices he wouldnât regret. He never wanted to lose something just because he was caught up in unnecessary worries.
"We always try to make the best choices in the moment, but when we look back, we realize they werenât actually the best timing."
Another pause.
"And sometimes, even when the right moment comes, we still hesitate and let it slip away."
Mu-ryeongâs fingers tapped against the desk againâtok, tok. Hwan-young still hadnât lifted his gaze.
Then, in a voice unusually firm for him, Mu-ryeong spoke.
"If you regret something later, itâs already too late."
He had grown up watching his family work in exorcismâseeing how a single mistake could mean the difference between life and death. Hesitation, even for a moment, could shape an entire future. He wasnât a full-fledged exorcist yet, but he knew that one day, he would walk the same path.
"But I donât think itâs too late for me yet."
At that, Hwan-young finally looked up. His pitch-black eyes were filled with something indescribableâcomplicated, layered, unreadable.
Mu-ryeong simply smiled, lifting a hand to scratch at the side of his cheek.
"I was talking about the name tag. Thatâs why Iâm giving it back now."
And that was it.
Mu-ryeongâs expression was as light as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. His dimples deepened in the glow of the setting sun, as if they, too, were catching the last of the fading light.
"Sorry for returning it late."
Hwan-young didnât respond.
"Well, Iâm heading out now."
With that final remark, Mu-ryeong turned and walked out of the classroom.
Just before closing the door behind him, he looked back one last time and didnât forget to sayâ
"See you tomorrow."
There was no reply, but Mu-ryeong understood the look in Hwan-youngâs eyes clearly. His expression, always cold and impenetrable like a wall, now wavered ever so slightly with hesitation.
***
A week had passed.
Since their last conversation, Mu-ryeong had stopped going out of his way to approach Hwan-young. If they happened to run into each other, he would greet him, but as expected, Hwan-young never responded.
The season had fully shifted into summer. In a few days, the monsoon rains would arrive, and once they passed, the heat would become unbearable without air conditioning. As the weather changed, the school also transitioned to its official summer uniform period.
"The skyâs so clear today."
First period had just ended. For once, instead of napping, Mu-ryeong perched on the windowsill, gazing outside. The sky was painted in soft pastels, wisps of feather-like clouds scattered across it. It was hard to believe that in a few days, dark storm clouds would take over.
"It wonât rain today, right?"
Mu-ryeong disliked rainy, overcast days. On such days, the negative energy of wandering spirits felt unusually strong. The dead clung to the melancholy of the living, and when the sun didnât rise, peopleâs moods sank with it.
"Dunno. Havenât heard anything yet. But more importantly, youâre gonna fall if you keep sitting like that."
"I wonât."
Mu-ryeong swung his legs lazily, grinning before hopping off the windowsill. He wasnât actually in danger of falling, and even if he did, he wouldnât get seriously hurt. Still, he had no intention of making Seung-joo worry unnecessarily.
Seeing Mu-ryeong settle back into his chair, Seung-joo suddenly let out a thoughtful hum.
"Oh, right. My dad wants you to come over for dinner tonight."
"Why? Did he make something good?"
"Galbi-jjim (braised beef short ribs). Heâs making a ton, and he told me to bring Seolgi, too. He even bought a bunch of beef bones just for him."
"Wow, I guess I have no choice but to go, then..."
Mu-ryeongâs face brightened with a pleased smile. He was especially popular among adults, and Seung-jooâs parents were no exception. Though, in truth, he was a little scared of them, so he didnât visit often.
"Seolgiâs gonna love that."
"Are you sure that dog needs to get any fatter?"
"Itâs not fat, itâs just thick fur!"
"Yeah, no. I saw him during his last bath, remember?"@@novelbin@@
Last winter, Seolgi had put on a little weight from eating too many sweet potatoes. The vet said it wasnât dangerous yet, but it wouldnât hurt to slim him down a bit.
"Iâll just make him walk three times as much after he eats."
"Youâre insane. Youâre the one whoâs gonna lose weight at this rate."
Even now, Mu-ryeong walked Seolgi for an hour every morning and evening. The dog had always been full of energy, and that was the bare minimum needed to satisfy him. He had slowed down slightly with age, but as a puppy, he had been relentless, constantly begging to go outside. Because of that, Mu-ryeongâs own stamina had naturally improved alongside him.
"Should we grab something on the way over?"
"Nah, no need. Donât act like itâs some special occasion."
Seung-joo brushed off the suggestion with ease, but then, his expression shifted. His brows furrowed slightly as he glanced at Mu-ryeong, whose smile hadnât faded.
"By the way, are you completely done with Ki Hwan-young?"
So his patience lasted about a week, huh?
He had stayed quiet all of last week, but the moment Monday arrived, he couldnât hold it in anymore. He had probably been thinking about walking home together after school, and that thought had naturally led to Hwan-young.
"â¦The way you say it makes it sound like we were dating or something."
Mu-ryeong scrunched up his nose at the phrasing but answered casually. Of course, it was just a joke, so he followed up with the real response right away.
"Iâm just waiting."
"For what?"
"Until he talks first."
His lips curled into an easy smile, his head tilting slightly. His warm brown eyes lazily drifted in the opposite direction, following the motion.
"Though I think I need to hurry up a little."
Mu-ryeong never liked prying into other peopleâs secrets. Even if he stumbled upon something by chance, he never made the mistake of exposing it carelessly.
Thatâs why he had waited. He had given Hwan-young plenty of time to think it over on his own.
"I just donât want things to get dangerous."
But waiting was only an option when time allowed for it. Given the circumstances, if worse came to worst, Mu-ryeong wasnât above using force.
He still remembered the panic he felt when he thought Hwan-young had been hurt by an evil spirit. If there was even a chance of that happening again, he needed to act before it was too late.
"Well, then," Seung-joo shrugged, "letâs eat some galbi-jjim tonight, recharge, and deal with it tomorrow."
Mu-ryeong nodded quietly. Just today. He would wait until the end of today, but tomorrow, he needed to start moving.
If he didnât finish this before the weather turned gloomy, things might spiral out of his control.
But what he didnât know was that the moment demanding a decision would come far sooner than expected.