Woongg, the vibrating bell in his hand convulsed.
Yoon Taehee, who was sitting languidly on a soft cushion and burying his body in it deeply, slightly straightened his back. He then lightly tossed the vibrating bell as if passing the baton to the other who was sitting across from him.
“What are you doing, Youngshin?”
Lee Youngshin caught the vibrating bell steadily and made an incredulous face. When he turned around, two drinks were placed on the pick-up table in the cafe. He turned his head and stared at Yoon Taehee again. Yoon Taehee gestured with his chin nonchalantly, telling him to go quickly and get the drinks.
“Wow, really. I came all this way for you, and you want to be pampered?”
“That’s why I paid for the coffee.”
Yoon Taehee waved his credit card. Lee Youngshin, who had just arrived from Seoul, felt his stomach boil. He said earlier that as soon as he entered the cafe, he said he would treat, so Lee Youngshin was happy inside. It was because Lee Youngshin had always been responsible for the bills. When asked what he wanted to drink, he smiled and said he would drink iced Americano.
For some reason, he willingly ordered and paid. He wondered if the sun would rise in the west today, but sure enough, there was no such thing as free things. Of course, he didn’t come all the way here just because of Yoon Taehee, and he stopped by for a good reason, but he was still miffed. Lee Youngshin, who grumbled, eventually ran to the pick-up station.
“Huh? What is this.”
Lee Youngshin, who was holding the drinks in both hands, hesitated and put his head to the counter.
“Hey, excuse me. I think this is the wrong order.”
“Yes? Which one are you talking about?”
“We ordered one iced americano.”
The two drinks in Lee Youngshin’s hands were topped with whipped cream. “What? Wait a minute,” the clerk tilted her head and tapped the POS installed on the counter.
“Uh? Didn’t you order iced caramel macchiato?”
“… Yes?”
“You ordered both as macchiatos, would you like to see the receipt?”
Lee Youngshin made an absurd face. Surely he had told him it was Americano? Just in case, he turned his head and looked at Yoon Taehee. Then Yoon Taehee, who had been slouching, raised one corner of his mouth crookedly. Lee Youngshin blinked, then nodded his head in affirmation.
“…”
That bastard!
It was only then that Lee Youngshin, who grasped the situation, turned red. After hurriedly handing the clerk an apology, he hurriedly ran to his seat with two cups of macchiato piled high with whipped cream. Lee Youngshin sighed and put down his drink on the table.
“Thank you.”
When Yoon Taehee lightly thanked him, Lee Youngshin sighed and let out a snort.
“I said I’m drinking an Americano!”
“How do you drink that bitter stuff?”
“What? Hey! Are you the one drinking it? I’m the one drinking it so why… ”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“It’s my card. I don’t want to buy an Americano.”
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He also liked snacks, so there was an abundance of jelly and chocolate all year round on Yoon Taehee’s desk in the headquarters office. There was a time when he was kicked out by Department Head Seok while munching on candies loudly in his suit during a serious meeting.
Yoon Taehee waved his hand as if asking for his drink. This bastard, he wanted to have two drinks on purpose, didn’t he! He couldn’t be fooled by the big picture, Lee Youngshin refused to yield and dug into his whipped cream, vowing revenge. Yoon Taehee, whether aware of Lee Youngshin’s intent, only laughed.
Lee Youngshin sighed and glared disapprovingly.
“Department Head Seok is always asking when you’re coming back.”
“I still have over a month left.”
“Then at least contact her. Why aren’t you answering her calls?”
“I’m taking a long break, of course I blocked my boss’s number.”
Yoon Taehee replied dryly. “You’re the only one who can block the unrivaled Department Head Seok,” Lee Youngshin shook his head. She wanted Yoon Taehee to return as soon as possible, and she was hoping that Lee Youngshin, who was close to him, would be able to persuade him. But Lee Youngshin decided to change the topic, thinking that it would be useless to say more.
“How is the search for your successor, is it going well?”
“Who knows. I am trying.”
“Ooh? I see you have someone in mind?”
Yoon Taehee smiled lightly, a shallow dimple forming on his cheek.
“Mm.”
“What kind of guy is he?”
“Wild and ferocious.”
“…”
What’s there to like? Lee Youngshin frowned.
“And…”
Yoon Taehee muttered for a moment with an expressionless face, then added.
“Pretty when he smiles?”
“… What?”
Lee Youngshin asked in disbelief as if he had heard something strange.
“He’s so guarded, he doesn’t let me get close.”
“What, didn’t you tell him you’re an exorcist yet?”
When Lee Youngshin lowered his voice and asked, Yoon Taehee quietly nodded.
“What’s so hard about it? He’ll be totally grateful if you say you will make him an exorcist without going through the Chorani period. Let’s say you’ll register him as an exorcist. I’m sure he will accept right away? There is no gwijae who does not want to become an exorcist.”
Yoon Taehee laughed silently and murmured.
“Because he has to be my exorcist, not Naryecheong’s exorcist.”
To do that, he had to put in a lot of effort. Of course, he could take him by force. Putting on shackles and grabbing the scruff of the neck was a simple and convenient method that couldn’t have been better. But he didn’t want to do that. He hoped that he would come to him on his own feet, not just the external shell but also the contents inside.
So, it would be nice if he came out obediently when he knocked. He didn’t want to break down the door and enter. If possible, he was thinking of postponing the use of rude and unbeautiful hands.
“But what did you come here for?”
While Lee Youngshin was confused, Yoon Taehee briefly changed his words.
“Well, you’re quick to ask.”
After grumbling for a while, Lee Youngshin sucked on his straw until his cheeks were hollow. It was so sweet that it made him sick to his stomach. After quenching his throat for a while, his face became serious. It was a common expression he had when shaving and polishing ceremonial instruments.
“I got information that something very valuable has been seen.”
Lee Youngshin looked around lightly and lowered his voice.
“Near here?”
“Yeah, around here.”
“What is it?”
He opened his eyes and opened his mouth.
“Mountain wild ginseng.”
Yoon Taehee propped up his chin with his hand. It was a disinterested expression.
“Aren’t they everywhere even if you go to the herbal medicine room in the main office?”
“No, that’s just grass roots compared to what I found.”
“What kind of wild ginseng is it?”
“It’s a living wild ginseng.”
At the words Lee Youngshin added, Yoon Taehee’s eyes suddenly narrowed and straightened his slack posture. The atmosphere flowing between the two Chiefs changed rapidly. Yoon Taehee’s attitude changed significantly, and Lee Youngshin smiled.
“A precious little child.”
A frantic frown circled over Lee Youngshin’s pupils.
***
Lee Youngshin, the head of the Team 1 of the Ceremonial Instruments Department, received an intriguing report. A few days ago, he heard a story from a fellow exorcist of the same team who was on a business trip. He was touring the provinces to gather materials needed for the development of instruments when he saw a strange child in the middle of the street.
As he passed, he saw a cat surrounded by onlookers. The cat was seriously injured and the wounds were so serious that it seemed unlikely that it would survive. Out of sympathy, he was thinking of pouring the mineral water he was carrying, waiting for the number of spectators to decrease. But a child appeared and touched the cat. Mysterious light seemed to emanate from his hand, but the blood stopped and the wound healed. It happened in the blink of an eye.
It was a sight he had never heard of before. The moment he came to his senses after being as stiff as a statue, a man burst out and took the child. The years of being an exorcist sharpened his instincts and made him realize; he shouldn’t miss this.
He took out a small box from inside his bag. Inside the box, a small bunting bird that could fit in one hand was sleeping soundly. After blowing the whistle once, the bunting opened its eyes. He hurriedly sent the bunting away. After half a day had passed, the bunting returned safely and succeeded in securing the location of the child. He immediately called Lee Youngshin and reported all of this.
“A precious little child.”
Lee Youngshin raised the corner of his mouth and added in a confident tone.
“Ginseng child? Are you sure?”
“Apparently he was a child with healing powers.”
Yoon Taehee widened his eyes with surprise.
Since ancient times, wild ginseng had been said to be a medicinal herb given by the heavens, and it was also called a “gift from the mountain gods” thanks to its divine efficacy. Surprisingly, this was a fairly close story. This was because wild ginseng spirits grew from seeds directly sown by mountain gods.
Wild ginseng spirits, which had received the energy of the mountain for hundreds of years, became sacred spiritual beings. Becoming spiritual, they had the power to heal and could change into a human form, and all of them looked like children, so they were called ‘wild ginseng children’ or ‘apothecary children’.
Yoon Taehee muttered to himself.
“I heard that wild ginseng children went extinct a long time ago…”
In the past, wild ginseng children could be found on any mountain. However, as the years passed, they appeared sparsely and someday completely disappeared. The last time wild ginseng children were seen was about a hundred years ago, and unofficial documents at the time remained.
As the times changed, the mountains began to deteriorate, and the humans who worshipped the mountains disappeared, and the power of the mountain gods naturally weakened. Therefore, the established theory was that the number of wild ginseng spirits born from the seeds sown by the mountain god decreased, and as a result, wild ginseng children also disappeared.
“So what are you going to do now?”
“What else would I do, I’ll catch and study him.”
Up until now, no matter how strong the spiritual energy that they possessed was, the only thing that amplified their recuperation was mineral water or special medicine made from medicinal herbs. It was because the power to physically regenerate or heal wounds was a realm of divine power that could never be imitated by ghosts or humans.
There was also a struggle in Naryecheong for that power. There was a precedent in which extensive research was conducted to find the origin of wild ginseng children. The elite exorcists were sent to search the Paldo River Mountains with avidity, but the investigation team was disbanded in vain without any success.
Therefore, the discovery of wild ginseng children would have been a great discovery that would go down in the history of Naryecheong. The idea was to uncover the secret of the wild ginseng spirits’ identity and healing abilities and use it to make tools. Right now, dozens of schematics of what he could make popped into his head.
“Wait a few days, alright? I will take the child and make the ultimate thing.”
Yoon Taehee silently stared at Lee Youngshin. A sharp glint flashed in Lee Youngshin’s eyes, overflowing with excitement. There was a saying that the exorcists at the headquarters would jokingly say about him; even if he wasn’t a gwijae, he would have been a scientist or an inventor and made a good living.
Yoon Taehee also agreed with that opinion. Lee Youngshin, who was usually full of squeamishness, became a completely different person once he got engrossed in something. His spirit of experimentation that constantly pursued new things, and the maddening desire for exploration could be said to be outstanding.
“Sure, I’ll look forward to it.”
Yoon Taehee smiled faintly.
Oh boy Jaegyeom should need to protect Mesani
Thanks for the chapter
Leave mesani alone dangit
Leave! my! baby! alone!! 🗣
Oh no! Mesani!
Thank you!
Leave the poor baby out of this please, he already have enough…
Oh my!!! Noo!!! 🥺
Jaegyeom was right to give Mesani a home & protection. How can people be so insensitive to want to “dissect” something that is sentient.
No waaaayy, poor Mesani