A few peaceful days passed.
Today, a deployment order was issued in broad daylight. The destination was a quiet hillside in Chungcheongbuk-do, about a two-hour drive from Seoul. The report said strange sounds were coming from a narrow cave halfway up the mountain.
Normally, the Undercover Department would complete an on-site investigation before transferring the case to the Exorcism Department, which would then issue a deployment order. However, lately, the Undercover Department had been concentrating its manpower on gathering information about the Byeoksadan, leaving them short-staffed.
As a result, headquarters skipped the investigation phase and immediately sent one exorcism agent. Though the situation had not been verified due to the lack of an investigation by the Undercover Department, it was still fine, as the person sent was more than capable of handling unexpected situations. And that exorcist brought along one tag-along rookie.
"Yawn~"
The exorcist was driving the car with the tag-along in the passenger seat, who kept yawning non-stop. The car, carrying the two of them, sped down a quiet country road. The tag-along gazed sleepily at the passing scenery through the window, then yawned again.
As jaegyeom yawned so wide his jaw almost dislocated, Yoon Taehee, who was driving, asked.
"You've been yawning a lot. Are you tired?"
"Mhm."
Lately, Jaegyeom had been dutifully performing his duties of following his senior team members around.
"What time did you go to bed last night?"
"I tried to go to bed early, but last night, Mesan suddenly said he wanted to eat sweet potatoes. So I went outside, started a fire, and we roasted sweet potatoes. I didn't go to sleep until after 2 a.m."
'My lord, I want to eat sweet potatoes.
It was around midnight when Mesan said that. It was the perfect time for a late-night snack, so Jaegyeom decided to steam some sweet potatoes with him. Since he had work the next morning, he figured they'd quickly eat and go to bed. He put water in a pot, but then Jeongju chided, You really don't know anything. Sweet potatoes have to be roasted. So, he suggested they do it right, and they started a small bonfire in the yard.
And so, the three of them spent two hours having a mini-campfire... roasting not only sweet potatoes but also potatoes and corn wrapped in foil. They didn't go to bed until after 2 a.m.
"If you're tired, you can sleep."
Yoon Taehee spoke kindly to the tag-along rookie squished in the passenger seat. Taking the words literally, the guy promptly committed the "sin" of dozing off next to the highest-ranking member of the team, who was driving. By the time he woke up from his nap, they had arrived at the destination.
It was already past 3 p.m.
Since the sun sets early in the mountains, they planned to quickly deal with the situation and head back. After getting out of the car, Yoon Taehee opened the trunk and took out the necessary equipment: two flashlights for the dark cave, a fan to trap ghosts, and a long staff with a strap to carry on his back.
"What's with the staff?"
Jaegyeom asked indifferently. Instead of answering, Yoon Taehee smiled and gripped the staff, spreading his arms shoulder-width apart. In a murmuring tone, He chanted briefly.
"Hidden Weapon.Strange.Piercing Heaven and Earth"
With a clicking sound, the sheath opened. Inside the seemingly ordinary staff, a sharp blade was revealed, making Jaegyeom's eyes widen. The first phrase referred to a concealed weapon. Jaegyeom blinked at the staff, then held out his hand as if asking to be given it.
Jaegyeom unsheathed the sword with a sharp swish.
"Oh... Is this a sword?"
"Yeah, that's right."
It had been a long time since Jaegyeom had held a sword. Now that he thought about it, it was the first time he had seen Yoon Taehee use a weapon. During the welcoming ritual, he had subdued the earthbound spirit solely using spiritual energy.
Jaegyeom had heard from Kang Yibin that Yoon Taehee found carrying weapons troublesome, so he usually used a fan instead...
"But didn't you say you don't use weapons often?"
"We skipped the investigation phase this time, so just in case."
After receiving a report about a strange noise coming from somewhere, most of the time the cause turned out to be a ghost. If the Undercover Department had conducted an investigation, they would have roughly known what kind of ghost it was, so he would have gone with just a fan. However, since they didn't know what kind of entity was there this time, he prepared weapons just in case.
Jaegyeom, who had drawn his sword and was inspecting the surroundings carefully, turned his head to look at Yoon Taehee.
"So, can you use a sword?"
Jaegyeom raised an eyebrow as he asked, a question only someone confident in their own abilities would ask, with a distinct air of ease.
Yoon Taehee chuckled lightly, a faint dimple forming on her cheek.
"Sort of?"
Hmm... Jaegyeom smirked slightly. Well, he'd see for himself soon enough how skilled the other man was. The two shared a radio pin and began climbing the mountain, both wearing masks.
It wasn't long after they started climbing that they found the cave.
Thick vegetation surrounded the entrance, so it would have been easy to miss if they hadn't been informed of its location beforehand.
The cave entrance was fairly wide and seemed rather gentle, looking like an abandoned small tunnel.
"I don't hear anything."
"Maybe because it's still daytime?"
The two stood side by side in front of the cave. Yoon Taehee turned on his flashlight and examined the interior. They had been told strange sounds were coming from here, but from the outside, there didn't seem to be anything unusual.
"Let's go in for now."
Yoon Taehee adjusted his mask and spoke. Jaegyeom stepped back slightly, holding a flashlight and following him as he led the way, illuminating the path ahead and beneath their feet as they carefully made their way inside.
As they entered the cave, it certainly felt damper and cooler than outside. The rocky path was extremely uneven. Water dripped from the ceiling, making the floor entirely wet. The further they went in, the rockier and more uneven the path became, with stones constantly catching underfoot.
At one point, Yoon Taehee, who was walking ahead, stumbled slightly, bracing himself against the wall. He had stepped on a small stone and slipped a bit. Instantly, Jaegyeom, who was following right behind him, grabbed his arm firmly.
"You'll fall. Be careful."
Through the mask, Jaegyeom's eyes gazed sharply at Yoon Taehee.
The latter paused for a moment, looking at Jaegyeom, who was solidly supporting him. Jaegyeom gestured with his chin.
"Hey. I'll walk in front."
"..."
"The path is rough, and we don't know what might jump out, so it's safer if you walk behind me."
Jaegyeom spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Yoon Taehee's heart pounded. This was foul play. For a junior to tell the senior to fall back would be unprecedented in the history of the Naryecheong.
The Imae stared at him silently through his mask for a moment before muttering to himself in a barely audible voice,
"Stop doing that. Every time you act like this, I feel like my heart's going to explode."
"What?"
Jaegyeom asked, but Yoon Taehee didn't say anything more and continued walking ahead.
***
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Jaegyeom and Yoon Taehee stopped and exchanged glances. At some point, the path had split into two. Up until then, they hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. If they wanted to go further, they'd have to split up.
One path was narrow, while the other was wider. It was fortunate that they had each brought a radio pin and a flashlight, just in case.
"There are two paths now. What are we going to do? Split up?"
Jaegyeom, shining his flashlight on both paths, asked.
"Yeah, I think we'll have to."
They checked their radios once again to make sure they were working properly. Since Jaegyeom wasn't assigned any particular weapon, he decided to take the fan he had brought to trap the ghost instead.
"If you see anything or if something happens, let me know right away."
Leaving those words of caution, Yoon Taehee adjusted his mask and started walking.
The path he took was narrow from the entrance. The further he went inside, the narrower it became until only one person could barely pass through. At one point, the path turned sharply.
"Oh..."
At some point, Yoon Taehee's eyes widened. As soon as he rounded the corner, he entered a wide space that resembled a large plaza. In the middle of this massive dome-like space was an enormous body of water. It wasn't just a pond-at this scale, it was practically a reservoir.
He shone his flashlight around, examining the interior. The high ceiling was lined with stalactites of various sizes, and there were tiny cracks, like crevices, in the corner, allowing faint beams of light to stream in.
Perhaps because of that, despite this being the deepest part of the cave, it didn't feel as pitch-dark as one might expect.
There was nowhere else to go from here.
Yoon Taehee slowly walked towards the water. Had rainwater collected here, forming this body of water? The water was exceptionally clear. However, it was so deep that the bottom couldn't be seen, making it impossible to gauge its depth.
Aside from that, there didn't seem to be anything particularly special here. It seemed like this was the end of the path.
Yoon Taehee approached the water's edge. He removed the mask she had been wearing, bent his knees, and sat down. Placing the mask beside him, he dipped his hand into the lake. He washed off the strange sticky residue that had been on his hand since he had braced himself against the wall earlier.
The water was incredibly clean and clear. It was also cold enough to chill his bones. After washing his hand, Yoon Taehee shook off the excess water and picked up his mask again. He turned around to back the way he came. Just as he was about to put his hand on the radio pin to inform Jaegyeom that there was nothing on his side, something suddenly caught his ear.
"Seon... oh... ya..."
He froze in place as he was bringing the radio pin near his mouth.
"... "
His hand, which was clutching the mask, twitched slightly as if convulsing.
"Seon... oh... ya..."
No. No, it couldn't be. That's impossible... It doesn't make any sense...
"..."
Yoon Taehee, frozen, slowly turned his head. In the center of the lake, amidst the dark surface of the water, someone was faintly poking their head out. The mask in his hand dropped to the grounc with a thud
"Seon... oh... ya..."
His legs suddenly gave out, and he collapsed to his knees.
"No... no..."
Yoon Taehee muttered softly, clutching his forehead. He grabbed at his hair as if trying to tear it out and lowered his head. Suddenly, he felt like his head was going to split.
This can't be happening. It's impossible. Think. You have to think. Think clearly. It left long ago. You saw them leave right in front of you. The book you held in your arms was the proof. That book is still in the pavilion, you looked at it just a few days ago...
"Seon... oh... ya..."
"..."
"I... missed... you..."
"..."
At last, Seonoh covered his face with his pale hands.
"Why….. why…."
Seonoh gripped his chin with one hand and stood up.
"Were you here?... Why were you here?..."
He staggered forward, wading into the water. With each step, the sound of the water being parted echoed through the space. And so Seonoh stood face-to-face with the water ghost.
At that moment, the ghost suddenly submerged into the water and disappeared.
Simultaneously, the ground beneath Seonoh's feet gave way. He plunged into the deep water as if he had fallen from a great height.
As he looked around in panic, vines began to grow from the bottom and wrapped around his legs, pulling him down.
He was quickly dragged into the dark, deep water. Bubbles surged around him, distorting his vision. As he was being pulled towards the bottom, Seonoh grabbed at the vines binding his ankles. He channeled energy into his hands and twisted hard, but the vines were thick and tough, refusing to break. Cutting them might be easier. Seonoh drew the sword he had been carrying on his back.
It was then.
"Seon... oh... ya..."
The water ghost, who had disappeared momentarily, reappeared in front of him. The familiar ghost was smiling brightly. Like a fish, it swam gracefully around Seonoh. The sword slipped from his grasp and slowly sank deeper into the water. Seonoh pulled the ghost into his embrace.
I missed you too...
I missed you so, so much...
Holding the ghost tightly, Seonoh slowly closed his eyes. The sensation of what he held in his arms was vivid. And so, he sank peacefully into the dark, deep waters.