It was under the magnificent night sky that Yoon Taehee, who could not bear the pain and put his mind at rest, opened his eyes. From a distance where he seemed to be able to reach with just an outstretched hand, the clear waxing crescent followed him. Yoon Taehee gritted his teeth at the sharp pain that seemed to choke him and pounded his heart.
Soft mane blowing in the wind brushed his cheeks. In a surreal sensation, he realized that he was riding on the back of a horse. 'A flying spirit horse.' It didn't take long for him to recognize the pegasus. Despite the dizzying height, he remained calm..
"Awake?"
The pegasus, who ran through the night sky, spoke up knowingly.
Yoon Taehee, who was looking down at his feet, asked what had happened. The pegasus replied.
"I'm taking you to a safe place."
At the same time, it did not forget to show off its lofty attitude, saying that it usually did not give out rides to anyone, and that it was only giving him a ride this time because it was a special request from the boy.
However, putting the pegasus's condescension to shame, Yoon Taehee asked it to return him to where he was from. It was because he remembered that the exorcists had been with him. He would surely be questioned if he disappeared like this. So it was much more natural for him to be with them.
Upon returning to the scene, Yoon Taehee first removed the scraps of paper that were rolling on the ground. The arrows that had been stuck everywhere, including the bodies of the exorcists, had disappeared before he knew it. It was as if they had dissipated naturally over time. After removing all the clues that might help others piece together what happened, including the remains of the black birds, Yoon Taehee leaned against a tree.
All they needed to know was that the wild ginseng child was gone. It should be only that. Of course, that went for Yoon Taehee himself as well. While he waited until dawn, he lost consciousness several times throughout the night, passing out and waking up repeatedly while leaning against the tree.
He had used spiritual energy against not just one but five people. In addition, the chief was included, so the price for breaking the taboo was, of course, high. The terrible pain that came in intermittently, as if it was hacking away at his heart, subsided only slightly as morning came over.
As time passed, the exorcists woke up one by one. As soon as they opened their eyes, they realized that their bodies had scars. Their whole body ached like it was going to break. The exorcist of the Ceremonial Instruments Department, who barely came to their senses, groaned and were confused. The memory of Lee Youngshin and other exorcists was suddenly cut off around the time Manager Shin held up an ax to sever the ginseng spirit boy's ankle.
The exorcists agreed that it seemed that the child had hit them, and that the angry ginseng child punished everyone and ran away.
However, Lee Youngshin did not readily agree. He said, if that was the case, "No matter how much I think about it, something is strange, how is it that only Chief Shin has been beaten to a bloody pulp like that?"
"The wild ginseng child is known to be a spiritual creature that does not harm humans..."
When the exorcists started to be agitated by Lee Youngshin's words,
"I don't know. There are always exceptions."
Yoon Taehee, who had been silent the whole time, gave an ambiguous answer that was neither affirmative nor negative.
However, it was a plausible line no matter where the context. A horizon of countless possibilities opened up with that cryptic sentence. Lee Youngshin couldn't help but shut his mouth. He tried to hold on to the part that didn't make sense, but it was only draining of strength. There was nothing they could find out now anyway.
In the end, Lee Youngshin and the exorcists decided to return to the headquarters. It wasn't just that they were hurt, they even incurred scars, so they needed to be cleansed by the Purification Department. The plan to take the ginseng child failed, and it was unreasonable to follow him in this state. 'I guess we underestimated the child too much.' Lee Youngshin, barely able to move his aching body, contacted the headquarters situation room and asked for help.
"Hey, I'm exorcist Lee Youngshin, a member of the 1st team of the Naryecheong Ceremonial Instruments Division..."
Lee Youngshin had no choice but to lie that he had turned out like
unis alter accle entally touchine a sacred tree. At that, through the phone, the exorcist from the control room shouted, "Yes?" as if it were absurd. It was as though they were asking what kind of stupid mistake he was making. Lee Youngshin's face turned red. It was unfair, but he had no choice but to bury the case.
After all, embarrassment was only temporary. He hid the fact that he had discovered a wild ginseng child, moved arbitrarily and missed the child in the end, and even incurred dongti. It was clear that the headquarters would disband the 1st team at this rate. That had to be avoided at all costs.
While everyone complained of pain and was anxiously awaiting rescue from the headquarters, Yoon Taehee groaned and raised his body.
"Wh- Where are you going? You should also go to the headquarters and receive treatment."
"No. Then they'll know I was here."
"What about it?"
"It's not strange that you make mistakes, Youngshin, but it's strange that I make mistakes. If they know that I also got afflicted, the headquarters will get suspicious."
It was strangely offensive, but at the same time it made sense. The Team 1 of the Ceremonial Instruments Division has an image of a hole in the main office, so the excuse would work. However, if Yoon Taehee was involved, the situation would be different. There's no
way that a chief of the Exorcism Department will be afflicted by a mere sacred tree.
Yoon Taehee staggered and held his head.
"I don't want to get pulled into it, so please keep your mouth shut."
Lee Youngshin bowed his head in shame.
"O- Of course. I will make sure I don't cause you problems..."
"Okay, I'll call you later."
"Are you really going? Huh? With that body?"
With a scarred body, he would not have been able to even budge.
However, Yoon Taehee hurriedly left, saying he should go before he ran into the exorcists from the headquarters. The exorcists looked at the back of the chief of the Exorcism Department staggering down the mountain on both legs, as if they were looking at a monster.
"Is that a... a person..?"
Rescue personnel arrived shortly thereafter.
***
Afterwards, the team, who was urgently transferred to the treatment room of the headquarters, had to receive a stern glare from the exorcists of the Purification Division. A devastating diagnosis was made that they needed to be cleansed for at least two weeks before they could move. The Department Head of the Ceremonial Instruments Department, who came running after receiving the call, was furious and yelled fiercely.
"Yeah, you guys did it in the end. You outlaws!"
The 1st team had to lie on the hospital bed amicably and listen to their boss's scolding for nearly an hour. 'Are you insane for making such a stupid mistake, I knew when this would happen, when are you going to ask for permission and listen to the higher-ups, how did you leave the talismans behind...
As a result, all members of the team, including Lee Youngshin, were sentenced to one month's probation in addition to having to submit a report. It looked like they were going to lie still for a while, but it's a relief that it's over, the lot comforted each other. It was a pity that they missed the wild ginseng child, but it couldn't be helped. They decided to be satisfied with keeping the slogan, promising another chance in the future, 'Our love forever O'
That's how the wild ginseng child kidnapping case came to an end.