All things follow the order of beginnings and endings. Just as the full moon wanes, life is also like this; every living being is given a destiny. That destiny is life, and bearing life also means bearing a name. It is said that only when a being is named does it fully place its feet upon the earth, fulfilling its fate.
Since ancient times, when preparing for a funeral, it was customary to climb to the roof and call the deceased's name aloud three times before sending out the bier. This ritual, known as "summoning the soul" , sought to reunite the departed soul with the body.
Thus, a name is the critical link between soul and body.
As the boundary between this world and the next things, and the living groan under the tyranny of the dead, the hometown, in its mercy, sent down an emissary to restore order. This emissary from the hometown is known as the Bangsangsi.
The hometown granted Bangsangs three powers to lead the souls of the dead: first, the power to reveal a name, Cheonmyeong; second, the power to bestow a name, Myeongmyeong; and third, the power to call a name, Homyeong .
With his golden staff, he could see the names engraved on souls (Cheonmyeong), assign names to the unnamed (Myeongmyeong), and by calling a name three times (Homyeong), he could elevate the soul, transforming it into a spirit flame that ascends. Thus, he was revered as Seongmyeongja, the ruler of names.
With these divine powers, Bangsangsi commands both the living and the dead, who could dare oppose him? In awe of his majesty, the royal palace holds ceremonies to honor him, petitioning for his protection over the kingdom's safety. He accepted, performing rites directly to secure peace, marking the origin of the Naryecheong ritual.
—Excerpt from the Kunasejeon
Beyond the round, rimless glasses, cold eyes glided smoothly over the inked characters. Each time a page turned, the old, yellowed book emitted a damp, musty smell. Yoon Taehee, reading vertically arranged classical Chinese characters, suddenly snapped the book shut with a sharp clap.
With an expressionless gaze, he read the Chinese characters embossed on the spine of the aged book.
"Find a way to break the curse of immortality."
For days now, he had been frequenting the archives at Naryecheong, searching through records related to immortality. He had given orders to Paehyeon, but he felt the need to conduct his own investigation. The one who cursed Jaegyeom with immortality was said to be his master, a former exorcist. Taehee thought he might find some clues within the archives associated with past Naryecheong members.
The Naraecheong archives held rare books not easily accessible to the public, including many passed down from the organization's predecessors. Some of these records were kept in strict secrecy within the main office. Only a few had clearance to access these sensitive documents, but Yoon Taehee's rank as chief of the Exorcist Department granted him entry.
After several days of going through the stacks, he had yet to find anything useful.
As he flipped through another aged text, he suddenly clutched his upper stomach. He felt sick. It was hard to tell if it was hunger or pain. Come to think of it, he hadn't eaten since last night. Yoon Taehee replaced the book on the shelf, removed his glasses, and left the archives.
He exited the building and walked outside.
Looking up at the sky, he noticed the weather was beautiful. The sky was bright, and the sunlight was warm. The pouring sunlight dazzled his eyes. Jongno, known since the Joseon era for being an auspicious location, was especially bright, filled with energy.
The late morning, well past rush hour, had a lazy atmosphere. Yoon Taehee began to walk slowly in the direction of Gwanghwamun.
Dressed in a light sky-blue shirt and a deep navy suit, and with his ID around his neck, he looked like any other office worker.
As he strolled in the sunlight, he suddenly stopped. His gaze turned to one spot. An elderly man sat by a roadside stall, selling morning newspapers and chewing gum. 'If Grandpa were still alive...' was a thought that Yoon Taehee habitually had when he saw elderly men of a similar age as Yoon Wonjoong. Approaching the stall, Taehee picked up a newspaper and a pack of mints, handing the old man a bill.
"Keep the change."
After politely nodding, he resumed his walk. Holding the newspaper under his arm, he soon reached his destination. Familiar with the place, he opened the glass door and stepped inside. He had come to a franchise café, one he often visited for a quick meal.
With one hand casually in his pocket, he selected his order at the kiosk with a bored expression: a sandwich and a cup of tea to replace his missed meal. He took a seat by a window where the sunlight streamed in, quietly enjoying his meal with the newspaper spread before him.
Finishing his meal, he returned to the street, pausing in the warm, abundant sunlight. It was a dazzling view. The radiant sunlight filled the street. Strangely, in moments like these, he always felt as if he were in another world.
Looking down, Yoon Taehee stared at his feet. Standing in this seemingly harmless sunlight, he couldn't help but glance at the shadow cast beneath him. After watching the shadow he cast, eventually moved on.
On his way back to the main office, he stopped by a bookstore for the first time in a while. It was a bookstore he used to go to at least two or three times a month, but he'd been too busy lately to visit.
With some time to spare today, he decided to stop by since he was in the area anyway.
The bookstore's calming scent was just as he remembered. As he slowly browsed, he found himself pausing in front of a display he wouldn't normally look twice at: the self-help section.
Yoon Taehee, who had read more books in his life than he could count, had never once read a self-help book. He had a particular disdain for the genre. But today, one title caught his eye as he passed by. Taking a step back, he tilted his head slightly and read the title.
You can't have that man.]
Standing with his hands buried in his pockets, he unconsciously picked up the book.
"A love expert's advice for those struggling with unrequited love! If you want to win that man's heart, read this book! Advice from a famous columnist at XX Magazine..."
Yoon Taehee, reading the promotional blurb on the book jacket as he inspected the book from front to back, promptly put it back. He ran his index finger along his eyebrow and shifted his gaze to the other books on display beside it. But for some reason, the titles of the books that caught his eye today were these,
[A Guide to a Successful Unrequited Love]
[The Ten Reasons Your Confession Failed]
[The Art of Seducing Your Crush]
[There Is No Impossible Love]
Yoon Taehee flipped through a few of the books displayed on the stand.
"..."
Engrossed in flipping through self-help books as though under some kind of spell, he closed his eyes tightly at some point. He suddenly felt absurd, wondering what on earth he was doing. With a look of disgust, he closed the book and walked out of the bookstore without a trace of hesitation.
As he made his way back toward the main office from where he came, he arrived at Jongmy Park and sat down on an empty bench.
Unconsciously, he took out a cigarette but then broke it and tossed it away. Lilacs in full bloom spread their strong fragrance from a nearby flower bed behind the bench.
"You can't have that man..."
He muttered to himself in an expressionless tone.
The human heart is astonishingly complex and mysterious-there are feelings that wither the moment they're spoken, and there are others that only blossom with intensity once they are voiced. Yoon Taehee realized that the love he had just admitted out loud had fully transcended his control. Now, it had bloomed wildly, beyond any hope of restraint.
Tilting his head back, he looked up blankly at the sky, slowly pressing his hand to his upper abdomen. A familiar pain twisted within him. He wondered if it was because he had skipped a meal, but the sensation didn't seem tied to hunger. Ah, thinking about it now, it was an all-too-familiar feeling.
In his teens, when he had lived aimlessly, drifting through the streets, his stomach had often ached like this. Back then, he was angry at the world and armed with a blade-like exterior that cut like scales, as Seok Juryeon once put it, unable to hide the dagger in his eyes. At that time, he'd often suffered from this stomach-wrenching pain caused by a seething anger and thirst for revenge he didn't know how to control. Over time, that stomach ailment had naturally faded, but it seemed to have flared up again lately.
Thinking of Jaegyeom now made his stomach ache.
It had been several days since the cave collapsed. In that short time, everything surrounding Yoon Taehee had been utterly transformed. He had overturned and rebuilt from scratch the plans he'd meticulously crafted over ten years. If there was one thing he wanted from life, it was to bring down Naryecheong. But now, there was one more thing.
To possess the one who possesses him.
He tilted his head back, gazing up at the blue sky. Only about two months remained for the two of them. Under this brilliant sky, Jaegyeom continued to race toward death, and Yoon Taehee felt emotions that blended dark, ugly desire, sadism, and violent longing. It was as intense as the twisting pain in his stomach.
The wind blew. The lilac tree behind him filled the air with a scent so heavy it was like poison. The fragrance was so overpowering it made his head ache, and suddenly, he felt suffocated. He hooked his finger into his tie knot and loosened it, relieving the tightening grip around his neck.
A love that suffocates-before he knew it, it was early summer.