An exorcist of the Talisman Department named Yoon Wonjoong had a young son.
Yoon Wonjoong, who had lived in the countryside, moved to Seoul and by chance became an exorcist. A lifelong bachelor, he married late and started a family, but separated with his wife later, leaving him with only his seven-year-old son.
Yoon Wonjoong loved his son dearly, enough to give up his own life for him. With a sincere personality, he raised his son alone, spending every moment of his free time after work with him.
Watching his son grow day by day was the joy of his life.
And then, the following year, he tragically lost his son in an accident.
After losing his son, Yoon Wonjoong fell into despair, stopped eating, and drowned himself in alcohol. Unable to overcome the deep sense of loss and grief, and yearning for his son, he eventually did something he should never have done.
He summoned his son's soul, which had departed to the afterlife, back to this world.
His son, pure-hearted and without lingering regrets, had departed peacefully to the afterlife. Since he left without becoming a ghost, Yoon Wonjoong could have lived on at peace, cherishing his son's memory in his heart. But the man couldn't accept his son's death and resorted to necromancy. This was a forbidden practice, even among Naryecheong, and something that should never have been used. However, as a practitioner who wrote and studied talismans, Yoon Wonjoong had easy access to these forbidden arts. After extensive research, he developed a necromantic talisman by mixing his blood with cinnabar.
"Kijun-ah."
At Yoon Wonjoong's call, his son came running to him as a ghost.
Yoon Wonjoong wept profusely as he embraced his son. Since the soul that had once departed was now brought back to this world, it had become a ghost. Yoon Wonjoong knew well that this was his own selfish desire.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, just stay with me until I die... Just until then."
From that moment, Yoon Wonjoong regained his vitality. Every day, he diligently drew talismans, and when he returned home, he would bathe and play with his son, just like before, and they would go to bed together.
These were perfectly fulfilling and precious daily routines.
Whenever Yoon Wonjoong left the house, he plastered the doorframe with talismans to prevent his son from going outside. He was worried that if his son wandered outside, he might get lost and wander the "ninth heaven" or that something dangerous might happen to him.
And so, many years passed like that.
It was a day like any other. After having a meal with a fellow exorcist and returning to the main office, Yoon Wonjoong witnessed an unbelievable sight. His son was standing in the distance. He had forgotten to put the talisman on the doorframe that morning. Unlike usual, when the door opened, the young son left the house and came out to find his father, who had gone to work.
Upon seeing his son, Yoon Wonjoong was utterly shocked and froze in place. Then, the exorcist beside him clicked his tongue and pulled out a banishing talisman from his pocket. Yoon Wonjoong quickly reached out.
"Wai... Wait a moment..."
But he was a step too late. The ghost, who had been running toward Yoon Wonjoong with a bright smile, was immediately engulfed in flames and disappeared.
"Ghosts are rampant these days. Even the headquarters is getting infested with all sorts of miscellaneous ghosts..."
It all happened in an instant. Yoon Wonjoong's arms went limp, and he said nothing. Making an excuse about going to the restroom, he turned the corner and immediately covered his mouth.
"Uh... Ugh..."
He then started to cry without making a coherent sound.
Because of his selfishness, he had lost his son before his eyes for the second time. If he hadn't summoned him, his son would have been well in the afterlife... The method of Naryecheong wasn't to guide souls to heaven but to annihilate them completely. Now, his son was gone from existence.
When Yoon Wonjoong returned home, he sat in the empty room, staring blankly at the wall.
"Kijun... You should answer when dad calls..."
No matter how many times he tried to use the necromantic talisman again, nothing came back.
"Where has my Kijun gone... Come back to dad... Kijun..."
In the end, Yoon Wonjoong cried out in agony, scraping the floor.
"Kijun..."
No, that is not my Kijun. That is not my son. It is merely a ghost.
"Yes, just a ghost..."
No matter how hard he tried to calm himself, resentment towards his fellow exorcist began to rise within Yoon Wonjoong. If only it weren't for that person... If only they had been lenient just that once, this wouldn't have happened... No, if only he himself hadn't been an exorcist...
From that moment on, he began to despise himself and the Naryecheong.
Then, one day, Yoon Wonjoong finally made up his mind.
He decided to avenge the one who killed his son.
He resolved to curse his fellow exorcist. He wanted to ruin their life quietly by making them bear all the misfortunes. It was unbearable to watch them live day by day, oblivious to what they had taken from him. Gradually, Yoon Wonjoong found himself going mad without realizing it. To exact revenge on him, he had to first break the taboo against harming another exorcist or using spiritual energy without warning. So, he devised a plan to retrieve his wooden plaque, break the contract, and cast the curse without anyone noticing.
As an exorcist from the Talismans Department, it wasn't difficult for Yoon Wonjoong to access the registry where the wooden plaques were kept. The registry was managed by the Talismans Department, and exorcists from that department took turns guarding it. Yoon Wonjoong waited for his shift, successfully deactivated the barrier, and entered the registry, where he quickly found his wooden plaque with his name on it.
But unfortunately, he did not achieve what he wanted.
He was unaware of the fact that when the owner of a wooden plaque touches it, a spell is triggered, causing the person to burst into flames. As soon as he touched the talisman, a fire ignited, and he lost consciousness. The incident on the day he attempted to stea. his plaque became known as the "Registry Incident," widely revealing the previously hidden fact that touching one's name plaque triggered a spell.
Meanwhile, Yoon Wonjoong, who was engulfed in flames, miraculously woke up a month later.
Having failed in his revenge, what remained was a wretched life, horrific burn marks covering his body, and a notice from the Naryecheong informing him that he had been expelled and must appear before the disciplinary committee once his treatment was complete. The charges were two fold: tampering with forbidden magic and attempting insurrection.
Yoon Wonjoong took advantage of a moment of lax supervision to drag his barely manageable body away and flee. Disobeying orders was the minimum retaliation he could perform after being cast out
from Naryecheong. He then escaped into the deep mountains to avoid the Naryecheong's pursuit. Consumed by hatred and anger toward the institution, he prayed that the heavens would punish this land. From then on, Yoon Wonjoong wandered the mountains, offering prayers.
"Grant enlightenment to wicked men..."
In the end, all that a man who has lost everything can lean on is the existence of a god.
"Grant enlightenment to wicked men..."
Yoon Wonjoong climbed the high mountains even on snowy and rainy days, offering his blood in daily prayers. On the thousandth day of prayer, he felt his vision turn white and lost consciousness on the altar. When he came to, he saw a warm light shining down on him. Soon, he heard a sound coming from somewhere.
"Wah. Wah..."
Like a man possessed, Yoon Wonjoong followed the sound.
"O heavens and earth! O heavens and earth...!"
As he listened carefully, he realized the sound was coming from beneath the ground. Yoon Wonjoong began to dig like a dog. As the sound grew closer, the first thing he saw was a heavy stone slab.
After pushing the slab aside, he found a coffin. With trembling hands, he opened the coffin lid.
"Haha... Ha..."
Inside the coffin lay a newborn baby, quietly sleeping. Yoon Wonjoong fell backward.
"Haha... Hahaha... Ha! Hahaha..."
Yoon Wonjoong gently stroked the boy's cheek with blurred eyes.
He laughed while crying for a long time. The sound of his laughter, mixed with tears, echoed through the mountains. It was then that Yoon Wonjoong finally realized.
"The heavens have answered and truly granted enlightenment!"
He held the boy in his arms, tears streaming down his face.
"My baby….. it's my baby..."
He ran down the mountain with the boy in his arms, fearing someone might see him.
"Dear... Come with this grandfather... Come live with me...
From that day on, Yoon Wonjoong completely lost his mind.
***
"...Theo wanted to go to the sea. He wanted to go to a beautiful island where the emerald waves sparkled in the sunlight. So that no one could find him, and so that he wouldn't have to wait for anyone.
Lonely Theo wanted to go to the lonely sea so that he wouldn't be lonely anymore..."
The young boy read the book hesitantly, relying on the dim candlelight.
The book the boy was reading was a thin children's storybook, with large letters and warm, pastel-colored illustrations. It was a book the boy cherished and loved the most.
"Who made that noise just now!"
Suddenly, there was an angry commotion outside. He hadn't been gone for long and wasn't supposed to return for a while... This was bad.
The boy quickly blew out the candle with a puff of breath. He hurriedly closed the book and lay down in the pile of trash, pretending to sleep.
"Who made that noise! Huh?"
The door burst open just in time, and Elder Yoon appeared. The small, dark room was a mess. All sorts of junk and garbage were piled up like a mountain, surrounding the boy like a nest.
Elder Yoon looked around the dark room and then stared down at the boy's sleeping face. The boy was so convincingly asleep that it would have been easy to believe, but the old man wasn't fooled.
"You punk! It was you! You! It was you!"
Elder Yoon grabbed the boy's shoulder, who was pretending to sleep, and roughly pulled him up. He shook the boy's shoulder and pressed him.
"You punk, do my words mean nothing to you? I told you not to make a sound! You wicked child, ungrateful brat..."
Elder Yoon stood the boy up and began to hit him. He struck the boy repeatedly, waving his hands wildly. The man's eyes were clouded, tainted with anger and madness. The boy kept his mouth shut and glared back at the old man with all his strength.
"I told you not to open your eyes like that, how many times do I have to tell you!"
This only made Elder Yoon even more furious, and he slapped the boy harder. At times, he was not in his right mind. When he went off the deep end like this, there was no way to stop him. The boy silently endured the blows, his lips split, and small wounds appeared all over his body, but nothing seemed to register in Elder Yoon's eyes.
Then, suddenly, the old man, who had been flailing wildly, stopped moving.
"Uh, hgh..."
Elder Yoon suddenly clutched his head with both hands and groaned, then let out a scream. He threw the boy aside and crawled into a corner.
"Hrgh... Big, big trouble... Big trouble! They're coming, they're coming...!"
He pulled the blanket over his head. By now, he was trembling as if he had been thrown into the dead of winter.
"The exorcists are coming... The exorcists are coming! They must have found me...!"
Elder Yoon frantically looked around with anxious eyes, then suddenly grabbed the boy's wrist and dragged him under the blanket. He wrapped the boy tightly in the blanket, as if trying to hide him from anyone.
'This child is my grandson! He's my grandson, who are you... Get away, don't come!"
Elder Yoon shouted at the empty air. His neck veins bulged as he yelled. At some point, he had become consumed by the fear that someone would come to take the boy away and kill him, and he was frequently tormented by hallucinations and delusions.
His actions, preventing the boy from speaking to anyone and confining him at home, not allowing him to go outside, all stemmed from this fear. As days passed, Elder Yoon's desire for control and obsession grew increasingly severe.
Elder Yoon babbled incomprehensibly, burst into loud laughter, then suddenly stood up and began swearing while gesturing wildly.
Then, at some moment, he abruptly fell silent. After standing still for a while, he knelt and approached the boy, suddenly pulling back the blanket and hugging him tightly.
"Seonoh... my Seonoh…. I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
The madness that once clouded his eyes had cleared up. Elder Yoon had named the boy Seonoh, meaning "heaven's enlightenment"
"Grandpa is sorry... Seonoh..."
With tears streaming down his face, Elder Yoon rubbed his cheek against the boy's. The boy's cheek, once scarred by a past fire, was wet with tears, its texture bumpy and somewhat rough.
Seonoh remained expressionless as he was held in Elder Yoon's arms.
"..."
This wasn't a rare occurrence. Elder Yoon would be out of his mind for four days and somewhat normal for a day. When in his right mind, he was a kind grandfather who dearly loved his only grandson, but at times, he was less than human.
Seonoh was fed up with all of this.