Jaegyeom stared at the masked man with an expressionless face.
The bizarre mask covering his face was unfamiliar, but his tall physique and dark gray suit with impeccable fit drew a profile that gave him a sense of déjà vu. His gaze, which had been slowly scanning from the top of his head to his toes, sank deeply at some point.
"As expected."
Jaegyeom murmured dryly, not showing any surprise. Beyond the mask, Yoon Taehee's eye twitched. He, who had been lowering his head without a word, finally sighed deeply.
"... Hi."
A resigned voice came out. Yoon Taehee raised his hand and took off his mask. If he tried to hide here, it would only make him look ridiculous. It was better to reveal his true identity before more misunderstandings piled up on him. When he removed his bizarre traditional mask, a picturesque face was revealed.
"Uh... ?"
Seeing Chief Yoon's face for the first time, the other members of the team except for Lee Youngshin widened their eyes in surprise.
Sometimes, like today, they met face-to-face a few times due to luck, but each time, Chief Yoon was wearing a mask, so it was their first time seeing his bare face.
"What? Do you know him?"
Lee Youngshin, who was looking at the two of them, asked.
"Well, a little..."
Yoon Taehee brushed his bangs that had been pressed down by his mask and answered vaguely. Lee Youngshin blinked, wondering if they knew each other, then did Taehee call him?' Glancing at the boy in school uniform, he opened his mouth in a nonchalant tone.
"Is that so? What is he doing here?"
Yoon Taehee replied with a hint of reluctance.
"The one I told you about before, the person I want as my successor."
"Eh? That wild and ferocious one?"
Lee Youngshin's eyes widened and looked up at the boy in the school uniform. Who was it that Yoon Taehee was putting so much effort into getting? It was so unexpected that he wanted to see his face more clearly.
He was handsome, even though he looked very rough...
Lee Youngshin scrutinized the boy carefully with a curious gaze. He was a very normal-looking boy from the outside. To say that it was a person that Yoon Taehee coveted, the energy felt was very dull, and there seemed to be no one thing remarkable.
At that moment, the boy opened his mouth and muttered to himself.
"I thought maybe you took him. Still, I couldn't be sure of it, but it was you. You were like that."
At that, Yoon Taehee retorted, squinting one eye.
"No, this is not what I did..."
Yoon Taehee, who was trying to explain something, became speechless and shut his mouth. He couldn't help but laugh at himself even thinking about it. He had been wondering who the 'my lord' that the wild ginseng child had been crying out for. Since it was a title used for a superior, he thought he might be serving someone, but he never imagined that it would be a human being.
No, even if it's a human...
"I didn't think it was you."
Jaegyeom now misunderstood that he was responsible for the kidnapping. It would look that way to anyone. Yoon Taehee, who was furrowing his eyebrows, let out a self-deprecating sigh. It was a disaster. He thought things had already gone wrong enough, and at this point he had to say that he was on his way to complete deterioration.
"You won't believe it, but I'm serious. I didn't do this..."
"No, it's better."
Jaegyeom nodded, suddenly muttering to himself..
"I had something to say anyway."
In front of him, the man made all sorts of conciliations, such as saying that he would protect him, that he would be on his side, that he would let him use him, and all sorts of other appeasement, but he was doing this behind his back.
This time it was Mesani. His denial, saying that he did not know about this situation, aroused ridicule. He even covered his face and planned his work meticulously. Well, Jaegyeom thought something was strange. If he had known the existence of jeongju, he would have known enough about Mesani.
In order to draw attention to Jeongju, he deliberately mentioned only Jeongju and made him distracted and riled up. It was clear that he was going to use him, and at the same time secretly stole Mesani behind his back and use him separately. Then, pretending that it had nothing to do with him, he would play dumb.
"Are all the people here the same as you, exorcists?"
Yoon Tehee didn't answer a word. However, he was only staring at Jaegyeom with a somewhat disturbed expression. Jaegyeom nodded as though that was all the answer he needed.
At that moment, Lee Youngshin frowned and interrupted.
"Hey Taehee. I don't know what you two are talking about, but did you bring him here? If you have business, meet up separately. What are you doing now? It's not the time to be carefree..."
Jaegyeom cut off Lee Youngshin's words and opened his mouth.
"You asked me to be an exorcist. I've been thinking about it."
There was no particular subject, but Yoon Taehee knew that Jaegyeom was talking to him. Their gazes collided seamlessly.
"I'll tell you from now on, you guys, listen carefully."
Jaegyeom came down to the ground from on top of the tree. He swept his gaze over the exorcists, then spoke blandly.
"I am Kim Jaegyeom, and I don't know exactly how old I am, but I lived about two hundred years. I do not die and I do not grow old."
At that moment, Yoon Taehee's face hardened.
"..."
"..."
"..."
All eyes turned to Jaegyeom in unison while Mesani's jaw dropped blankly. His lord looked very calm. He didn't look particularly angry, just his usual self.
"I think the person who used to be my master may have cursed me, but I don't know exactly why."
What?' Lee Youngshin let out a laugh without even realizing it.
"... Hey, what is he talking about all of a sudden?"
At first glance, he seemed like a boy with no special features. The energy he had felt was also flat and calm. He was saying absurd things that didn't sound like an ordinary high school student. The other exorcists, who were distracted by Chief Yoon's face, looked at each other with a look of absurdity.
Jaegyeom continued without wavering.
"I'm in school now, and a man named Jeongju is acting as my uncle.
For your information, Jeongju's occupation is a celebrity, and his real identity is the fox clan. He must have lived for over a hundred years.
And I don't know how, but somehow he secretly fakes and fabricates things so we both can live like normal people."
"..."
"..."
"..."
This time, the smile disappeared from the faces of the exorcists.
"What? He just, what, what..."
"H- Hold on. Who is the fox clan?"
'Fox clan?' Yoon Taehee's eyes widened.
"And that guy is called Mesani, and he has been living with me for a long time. As you all probably know, he is a wild ginseng that is hundreds of years old even though he looks like a child on the outside."
Mesani looked up at jaegyeom in contemplation.
"M- My lord! W- why..."
At that moment, the exorcists, who were taken aback by the boy's words, turned their heads and looked at the child. He just clearly called out 'my lord'. It was the title the child had been calling out all along. It was a confirmation that all the unbelievable words that have come out of the boy's mouth so far are all true.
"You, are you crazy?"
Yoon Taehee, who had been standing in a daze for a moment, immediately fired at him with a look of disbelief. The unexpected revelation of the connection between jaegyeom and the ginseng child was enough to give Yoon Taehee a headache.
He had made it clear, an exorcist never misses an opportunity, so he shouldn't let his guard down, that if he got caught, that would be the end of it. That was only half a day ago. Those words at least were sincere.
As if hiding his identity is not enough, he was revealing his identity on his own when, and in front of exorcists above anyone else...
Yoon Taehee couldn't understand what Jaegyeom was thinking.
Jaegyeom put on a calm face, but in reality, he must have lost his rational judgment and was on the defensive. If it weren't for that, there'd be no way he would such a stupid suicide.
Yoon Taehee unknowingly glanced sideways at the exorcists around him.
"If you're caught with a weakness, you just have to throw it away."
"You are not the only one who knows me now. There are no secrets to hide from this moment."
Yoon Taehee, who was about to ask what that meant, kept his mouth shut. A fleeting thought caught him off guard.
Don't tell me...
Just when Yoon Taehee's gaze wavered,
"I'd rather destroy it with my own hands than have it ruined by someone else. And vice versa. Rather than asking a bastard like you to protect me, I'll do it myself. Whether you block the road ahead or chase the trail, do as you please. I will do as I please."
His deeply sunken gaze pierced Yoon Taehee.
"You understand?"
Jaegyeom added in a ferocious voice.
"Your threats are invalid, you fucker."
Yoon Taehee's face strangely stiffened. It felt like a blow to his head.
It was as if an electric current had flowed through his toes. An unpleasant, thrilling sensation that he didn't know where it came from engulfed his body.