The rough sketch for taking down Naryecheong had already been completed a long time ago. The picture Yoon Taehee had drawn in his head for a long time was just about to reach its culmination. It was a meticulously planned plan with no errors.
The only thing left to do was draw the eyes.
The dragon that finally got its eyes would wake up from a deep sleep and shake the earth and fly up to the sky, but since this was the only thing that was out of Yoon Taehee’s control, it needed the right person.
When Yoon Taehee had to borrow someone’s hand, he preferred to entrust the work to a ghost rather than a human. But this time was an exception. The gatekeeper to open the prelude to the finale had to be a human.
Because the gate was deep inside Naryecheong. The only person who could enter Naryecheong was an exorcist. That was the reason he had to find a gwijae who would become his “successor.”
It was not something that could be left to just anyone. A competent chess horse. If not, everything he had built up to now might fall apart. So, that person couldn’t be an exorcist of Naryecheong. Only for him, loyal only to him.
‘My’ exorcist.
Who knew when and where he appeared, the boy stole Yoon Taehee’s gaze at once. He was a boy whose identity was unkown. A youthful face wet with the inertia of the years. Yoon Taehee recognized at a glance the boredom and lethargy that engulfed the boy.
At first, he was merely a target. However, at some point, Yoon Taehee gradually felt a faint and strange enthusiasm welling up from an unknown source. It was ‘curiosity’, and Yoon Taehee couldn’t not know that this curiosity was a sign of greed.
He knew very well how to deal with humans. Be nice or intimidate them. Yoon Taehee was good at faking a smile, but his gentle and kind pretensions were all too easily stripped away by the boy.
From the moment he discovered that he was an exorcist, the boy denied him all access. He showed great hostility and did not even give him a chance to speak. So Yoon Taehee gave that up cleanly and modified his goal slightly.
It’s okay if he didn’t become ‘my’ exorcist.
He just had to become an exorcist of ‘Naryecheong’.
He didn’t think it was bad for the boy to become an exorcist for himself. Yoon Taehee barely opened the gap and gave the boy a sense of crisis. Threats, appeasement. The next best thing was a relationship where each of them used and moved for their own benefit. But now it was all for naught.
‘Your threats are invalid, you fucker.’
At that moment, Yoon Taehee felt a strange thrill. The closer he got to him, the farther the boy ran away, and the board he had so painstakingly designed was turned over again and again. He thought he had to give up. It’s unfortunate, but it couldn’t be helped. So ‘let’s back off wisely’ he told himself. As Lee Youngshin said, gwijaes were far and plenty…
He knew it in his head, but repeatedly…
“I wish it were you.”
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.
With a clear gaze, Yoon Taehee met the boy’s eyes.
“Vbwfbcf ktb klii pblc atlr agfjrbc.”
Pc atf vjgxcfrr, atf ybs’r qeqlir ribkis ugfk ijgufg.
“Qtja jgf sbe ajixlcu jybea?”
“Eluta. P’w cba bglulcjiis reqqbrfv ab rjs atlr…”
Tbbc Kjftff rqbxf delfais ab tlwrfio jr tf rwlifv ojlcais.
Lf ofia ilxf tf kjr yflcu qeiifv lc ys j obgmf bo jaagjmalbc. Ktfgf kjr cbatlcu ubbv atja mbeiv mbwf ogbw mbcofrrlcu tlr qijc ab vfragbs Rjgsfmtfbcu. Yc atf mbcagjgs, la kjr jxlc ab fzqbrlcu tlr bkc kfjxcfrrfr. Ktf bcf ktb xcfk atja yfra kjr Tbbc Kjftff tlwrfio. Lf kjcafv atf ybs, yea ktfatfg tf mbeiv yf agerafv kjr jcbatfg wjaafg jiabufatfg. Tbbc Kjftff vlvc’a agera tewjcr ys cjaegf.
“Look at what happened to my head from being hit by you.”
Yoon Taehee tapped his temple with his index finger and lowered his head. The head of the architect, who was always calculating, thinking, and estimating numbers up to the aftermath, had been blank from a while ago. Yoon Taehee, who was silent for a moment, opened his mouth with a sigh.
“Then let’s make it even.”
As if he didn’t know what that meant, Jaegyeom frowned.
“I gave you my weakness, so please protect me.”
Who knew if he wasn’t grasping the situation or he couldn’t grasp the situation, but in the midst of this, Yoon Taehee was shameless. However, Jaegyeom was not easy enough of a person to let it pass. He wouldn’t be fooled any longer.
“You play around with people until the end.”
Jaegyeom regained his composure and fired at him in a low voice.
“You’re saying it wasn’t you who kidnapped Mesani? Fine. I’ll believe it. But then? So what did you say? Do you feel wronged to be misunderstood? After staying still all this time, did you think I would let it pass if you pretended to cut the tail and draw a line?”
Yoon Taehee replied with an unwavering gaze.
“I couldn’t help it if I didn’t want to arouse suspicion.”
It wasn’t an excuse, it was the truth. That was the reason why he couldn’t take anyone’s side. If he had let go of the ginseng spirit child from the beginning, or if he had visibly interfered with Jaegyeom when everyone else was dealing with him, the exorcists would surely have been suspicious of Yoon Taehee. Because it’s not like an ‘exorcist’.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Jaegyeom was not an idiot to the point of being seduced by the absurd words of destroying Naryecheong. He wasn’t going to be swayed by such a line. Jaegyeom scanned hsi surroundings. Perhaps, if all of this was a play orchestrated with his colleagues to lure him in…
At that time, Yoon Taehee bowed his head.
“W- Wait.”
Interrupting the conversation, Yoon Taehee suddenly started staggering like a drunk. Just when Jaegyeom fixed the bowstring in his hand alertly, Yoon Taehee’s body leaned forward and leaned toward him, who stood facing him.
“What are you doing.”
Yoon Taehee put his forehead on Jaegyeom’s shoulder. As the hard mask hit his shoulder, a heavy weight could be felt. A rough breath flowed into his ear. Jaegyeom was stunned at this and tried to shove Yoon Taehee away but the latter grabbed his hem. Yoon Taehee’s hands were white and trembling.
“Ha, uh…”
Yoon Taehee groaned and clawed at his chest with his other hand. It was his injured hand, but he didn’t even seem to register that his broken finger hurt. The dark gray suit crumpled in the bloody grip. Just when Jaegyeom was about to roughly push Yoon Taehee away, a beat quicker, he collapsed at his feet on his own.
“…”
Jaegyeom stared down at Yoon Taehee with an emotionless gaze. The other knelt on his knees to the ground with both arms, then painfully scratched the ground, grabbing dirt.
“What kind of nonsense is this now.”
Yoon Taehee, who had been fine until just now, was suddenly unable to compose himself. He brought one hand that had been clutching himself to the side of his mouth. The twitching fingertips were scraped and bloody. He groaned faintly, and then began to cough low and raspy.
“Cough, cough…”
Yoon Taehee suddenly vomited blood, hacking. A large amount of blood flowed from the inside of his mask. At the sight, Jaegyeom hesitated for a moment. He drew back the bow he was aiming at Yoon Taehee and involuntarily stepped backward.
“M- My lord. Maybe he was hit by an arrow earlier… ?”
A shocked Mesani sucked in a breath and murmured.
“No. You don’t vomit blood when you get hit by an arrow.”
Jaegyeom took off the mask Yoon Taehee was wearing. His defined bare face was distorted from the pain. Upon examining his face, he had a hunch that he was not acting.
Then why on earth… ?
“Because he violated the contract.”
Jaegyeom raised his head at the sudden voice. Mesani, who was next to him, was also startled and collapsed on his butt. Jaegyeom’s gaze looked around and then turned to the night sky. The pegasus, who had been shrouded in the darkness for a while, slowly took shape.
“You didn’t go? How long have you been there?”
The pegasus fluttered in the air.
“How can I just go back with such a rare sight in front of me.”
Jaegyeom narrowed his eyes.
“There is nothing more fun than watching a fight. Not to mention, since the lord, of all people, is directly involved in the battle, I’m going to have to keep my distance. Don’t be angry, I was just peeping quietly. I am no match for the lord.”
The pegasus shook its mane, saying.
“What do you mean he violated the contract?”
Fortunately, the boy didn’t seem to have any intention of scolding the pegasus for feasting with its eyes. Instead, he changed the subject and questioned the pegasus’s statement.
“I know that all exorcists belonging to Naryecheong are bound by a blood contract, of which the content is that they must not harm fellow exorcists or use their spiritual energy without warning.”
Jaegyeom looked up at pegasus.
“I heard that one who violates this taboo will suffer terrible pain, like death. I don’t know the details, but that’s all I know.”
Jaegyeom’s eyes slowly widened.
“…”
Mesani covered his mouth with one hand and clutched Jaegyeom’s clothes with the other. Jaegyeom turned his head and cast his gaze at Yoon Taehee, who was coughing up blood. He was suffering silently.
It’s probably not something he did unknowingly. ‘Just. A silly thing’, he had said. It was a pretty harsh price to pay after saying it so casually. Jaegyeom wasn’t particularly sympathetic. It was just a little confusing.
Thank you!
thank u for the chapter(≧▽≦)
Idk why but Yoon Taehee have become my favorite character 😭😭
“He wasn’t going to be swayed by such line” Gosh, I’m so easy then. I was lowkey swooning when he said “please protect me”
I didn’t know how much I would like this slow burn
Sorry, for some reason whenever I make a comment it appears as a reply
Thankyou for the update
So in their eyes wiping the memories counted as harm to other exorcists. But it’s not harm to random ppl. Nary rly is a bit hypocritical but to them its better keeping the regular folk in the dark so worth.
why would it be hypocritical..? it doesn’t refer to harm in the objective sense. the exorcists are bounded by contract that detects possible in-fighting which then punishes them, regular people aren’t because they don’t have that problem.
What is Yoon Taehee intend to do
Thanks 😊
Jaegyeom is one tough nut to crack!
Yoon just makes me like him more and more in every chapters 😔
Thank you for the chapter 💞💞💞