"Anyway, my guess is that those who saw a few flowers will be eliminated."
It wasn't just the bleached haired man who came to this conclusion.
Everyone was thinking the same thing. In a blink of an eye, each candidate's turn passed and the test had progressed to the 30s. All of the test takers who received the red color had a foreboding of being eliminated and had a look of despair on their faces. On the other hand, test takers who received blue were full of smiles.
"Next. Child number 38, how many flowers?"
Candidate number 38 was pale-faced and speechless. The eyes that were tinged with a nervous glow were shaking. Shim Kijung, who had been waiting for an answer for a while, asked cynically.
"Are you still counting because you see so many flowers?"
Candidate 38 swallowed hard.
"I- I see seven flowers..."
Shim Kijung stared at the candidate with her arms crossed then, candidate number 38, who was standing at attention suddenly jumped up.
"Ahh!"
An unexpected scream rang out. At that, Jaegyeom and the bleached haired man exchanged glances in confusion.
"It tickles, ugh, it tickles so much!"
The candidate started running around the conference room, screeching. He had been fine earlier, but red hives now suddenly appeared all over his body. It was so itchy that he could barely stand still. He began scratching at it, squealing. Just then, Shim Kijung stood up.
A ghastly voice escaped from her purple lips.
"Child, I said you'd get scolded if you lied."
Shim Kijung snapped her fingers. Then, the number tag of candidate number 38 turned black. It was neither red nor blue, but black. As soon as the number tag turned black, the front door of the conference room opened and a tired exorcist entered. The exorcist grabbed the candidate who was squealing and running around the conference room.
"Candidate number 38, disqualified for the first stage."
The exorcist dragged the person out with a tired face.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The atmosphere in the conference room turned cold.
"Did you see that? Children, that's what happens when you lie."
Shim Kijung planted her butt on the table again.
"See that water I gave you earlier? It's from drinking it. It's kind of like a lie detector. Sweat, pulse, breathing, blood pressure. When physiological changes occur suddenly and rapidly, hives are supposed to come up. Of course, if you pee it out, the effect ends."
The liquid from the Purification Department was made by infusing various herbs and mushrooms. Jaegyeom crinkled his eyes at Shim Kijung's explanation. Candidate number 38 had a premonition that he would receive a red color when he only saw a few flowers, and it seems that he lied to avoid being eliminated.
"A child who can't believe in himself, regardless of the test results, doesn't deserve to be here. Children, haven't you lived your life pretending that you can't see what you see? Don't do that here. If you want to be an exorcist, you must have the guts."
Shim Kijung commanded in a husky voice. "Okay, next!" The test was promptly resumed. The bleached haired man who was watching the situation shook his head and whispered to Jaegyeom.
"No wonder, I thought, what the hell were they putting trust in people's words?"
The bleached haired man added, fiddling with his piercings.
"I thought it was strange to announce the results clearly while all the test takers were watching. You could fake it if you wanted to, but l didn't think it would be so lax. But they already had their own arrangements set up. As expected, it's not easy."
Jaegyeom, who had been listening quietly, propped his chin on a hand with a disapproving face.
Anyway, the exorcists were...
If they're going to do that, at least say it in advance. As expected, they're too sly. It was not like they were testing anyone. Oh, it was a test... Anyway. It's not like they're playing with people. He still didn't like all of them.
Jaegyeom felt sorry for candidate number 38 in many ways.
***
After that, the rest of the test went smoothly.
There was an exact 50/50 split between those who got red and blue on their number tags. It stood to reason that half of the test takers would fail in the first stage exam. Yoon Taehee easily declared that it was a 'rite of passage', but the threshold felt quite high to the clumsy gwijaes.
Eventually, it became Jaegyeom's turn.
"Okay, next! The last line, come out."
"Ahh. I'm shaking..." Murmuring, the bleached haired man took a deep breath and stood up. Jaegyeom, who was the last number, followed after the man. "Let's stick together." The bleached haired man whispered, pumping his fist in the air as they lined up.
Jaegyeom nodded wordlessly.
"Is child number 77 the last? So there are seven people in the last row."
Shim Kijung snapped her fingers. Candidates with their numbers in the 70s lined up in front of the screen took a step forward and simultaneously stepped on the masking tape pasted on the floor.
Jaegyeom, who looked down at his feet to see if he had properly stepped on the line, raised his head slowly.
"..."
The moment when the gaze reached the screen, Jaegyeom's face hardened. A clear image appeared on the screen that had looked only white when he was sitting in the back. The man standing next to him was also surprised. But there was no time to be carelessly admiring. The bleached haired man began to scan the screen quickly.
"Then, we go in order, starting with child number 71."
Shim Kijung made a gesture with her chin while her hand stuck in her pants pocket.
"Have you counted them all? How many?"
Candidates began to respond.
"I see five flowers."
Candidate number 71 smiled and said.
"... I see three flowers."
Number 72 bowed his head.
"I see seven flowers."
Number 73 straightened his shoulders.
Shim Kijung diligently snapped her fingers. The color of the number plate changed one by one, and joy and sorrow intersect each time.
Finally, it was the turn of the bleached haired man number 76. The man already had a clear look of disappointment.
The bleached haired man hesitated at his answer and bit his lip,
"One- one flower..."
In the end, he couldn't speak fully and shook his head. Shim Kijung snapped her fingers without mercy. The number tag of the man turned red. While Jaegyeom looked at the bleached haired man with a puzzled expression, Shim Kijung nodded her head.
"Last. child number 77."
Jaegyeom sighed and hurriedly cast his gaze at the screen. His pupils quickly scanned the green meadow in the picture. However, no matter how many times he examined it, it's just the same. He rubbed his eyes, closed them tightly, and opened them, but what he saw did not change.
"..."
Jaegyeom couldn't open his mouth for a while. His eyes were shaking uncontrollably. Silence hung over the meeting room.
Everyone was looking at Jaegyeom. The bleached haired man, who was lowering his head with a disappointed face, also raised his eyes and glanced at Jaegyeom.
"Child. Are you still counting because you see so many flowers?"
The question that was asked as a joke to candidate number 38 flew towards Jaegyeom this time. A cold sweat ran down his spine. At that moment, he understood a little why that candidate made that choice. In the silence that followed, Shim Kijung glanced at her watch.
"I... I can't see a single flower..."
In the end, Jaegyeom confessed the truth.
***
Had he been still counting because there were so many flowers? No, it was quite the opposite. He turned his eyes over and searched, but he couldn't find even a single flower. To be honest, he couldn't believe it. It was to the point of doubting whether everyone else was lying.
Jaegyeom's answer caused an uproar in the conference room. He was the only one who said he couldn't see a single flower. All the other answers came from within one to eight.
Jaegyeom naturally thought that he would see eight flowers. Or more than that. There's no way his eyes would not have opened...
However, he never imagined that he would not see a single flower.
Even a bleached haired man found one.
"You can't see a single flower?"
Shim Kijung seemed to be staring at Jaegyeom, but then slapped her hands together. Then Jaegyeom's number tag turned red. Jaegyeom was stunned to see the color.
Are they saying I'm eliminated? What are you guys? These scumbag bastards...
Jaegyeom clenched his fists and stared at the screen.
"Okay, end of stage 1. Everyone go back to your seats."
The last applicants standing in a line left the ranks one by one.
However, Jaegyeom was so stunned to move. To destroy Naryecheong, he must become an exorcist. There was no way he could fail in step one, and he should not have failed. Jaegyeom suddenly wanted to grab Yoon Taehee by the collar. He had said it was just a rite of passage, but how did this happen... Could it be that he was tricked again? He was just playing around with him again.
This fucking bastard was just...
"Let's go, Seven-seven..."
Jaegyeom, who was nailed to the spot with a bewildered face, was led by the bleached haired man helplessly. Jaegyeom wheezed and followed him. The man sighed and whispered. "You can take the test again. It's alright." Jaegyeom shot back, "Speak for yourself." He didn't want to be an exorcist until not too long ago... but you really don't know what would happen. He never thought he would be in a position where he couldn't be one even if he wanted to.
"Seven-seven. By the way, aren't you just an ordinary person?"
At that time, the bleached haired man whispered in a small voice.
"So, I mean... If you're no different than an ordinary person, there's no reason to join such a rough industry. If you can't see a single flower, your eyes are closed..."
Jaegyeom, who followed the man back to his seat, stopped walking.
"Hey, I... I'm really dumbfounded..."
It's the first time he had ever heard such a thing. The bleached haired man said it as a deep advice, but jaegyeom found it so ridiculous that he couldn't help but laugh. If he were an ordinary person, would he be living like this? He rather wished he were.
"Sure. The deer must have eaten all my flowers."
Jaegyeom sighed and muttered. As if he understood, the other person soothed Jaegyeom and patted him on the shoulder. Just when Jaegyeom was about to push the bleached haired man's hand away,
"Wait a minute, the child in yellow."
Shim Kijung stopped Jaegyeom as he returned to his seat. Jaegyeom and the bleached haired man flinched and looked back. Shim Kijung, who was sitting at the table, slowly raised her body.
"What did you just say?"