The Secret of My Birth
Kim Jihye, introduced as the head sorcerer of the Seoul branch, led me and Miho to a black sedan. Strangely enough, there wasn't a single car or person in sight near the sedan. Even though the academy had been in absolute chaos just moments ago, the street was filled with an eerie silence that set my nerves on edge.
She must have noticed me staring blankly at the street, because she snapped her fingers at me. "What're you doing? Get in."
"Y-yeah... okay."
I sat in the back with Miho, and Kim Jihye gripped the wheel with practiced ease before pulling out. As she sped down the road, she glanced back at us. "Lee Miho, you head home first. Gotta deal with this guy before anything else."
She knew Miho's name and spoke so casually—it seemed like the two of them had known each other for a while. Miho's ears perked up at her words, and she shot back rebelliously. "D-deal with him?"
Miho grabbed my hand tight. Her grip was surprisingly strong for such slender fingers as she glared daggers at Kim Jihye.
Kim Jihye clicked her tongue in exasperation. "What the fuck, seriously."
She fished a cigarette from her jacket pocket, stuck it between her lips, and jerked the wheel toughly while eyeing Miho. "Don't worry, it's not what you think. This guy's a hell of a lot trickier than you imagine—no one's touching him."
Her tone was cold and brusque, but somehow reassuring. Miho lowered her head sheepishly and fiddled with my fingers. "Got it..."
The sedan came to a stop in front of a grand standalone house before long. Kim Jihye turned her head and nodded toward the door, like get going. "I'll contact you later, so keep that in mind."
Out the window, two burly men in suits emerged from the massive wrought-iron gate and approached the car, clearly there to escort Miho. As I started to say goodbye, Miho spoke up at the same time.
"Th-that..."
Our words tangled in the air, and we naturally paused to let the other finish. My eyes met hers. Exchanging glances with those brown, cat-like eyes brought back a rush of today's events with Miho. A lot had happened, but what filled my mind most was her shaking her hips above me.
"......"
Miho seemed to be thinking the same thing; her cheeks flushed as she mumbled. "Um... Hanjun, I'll get going... S-see you tomorrow."
The suited men reached the sedan, and Miho hurriedly said goodbye before stepping out. "Y-yeah, sure. See you, Miho."
I waved awkwardly as I returned her farewell, and Kim Jihye let out heavy sighs. "Fucking hell... seriously."
She wrenched the wheel roughly. Leaving Miho's house behind, the sedan headed to the underground parking garage of my apartment building.
"Grab my hand."
As we arrived in the garage, Kim Jihye extended her hand to me. I blinked, wondering what for, and she furrowed her brow. "You planning to take the elevator looking like that? It's not like you're living in a house like Miho's."
She had a point—my current state was a mess. With only my head poking out like some barber's cape, this black cloth draped over me like a cloak wasn't fit for public view.
"Got it."
I didn't know the reason, but I took her hand as instructed. Then, with a sensation like being sucked through a vacuum...
I arrived in a corner of my own apartment with Kim Jihye.
"...Huh?"
As I stood there dumbfounded, she strode to the sofa like it was nothing and crooked her finger at me. "Go change into some clothes. We've got a lot to talk about."
"...Okay."
I had no idea what was going on, but something told me Kim Jihye would clear up all my questions, so I hurried to my room and changed.
* * *
"Um... want some coffee?"
I approached awkwardly where she sat on the sofa, cigarette dangling from her lips. She'd seen me naked, and her gruff demeanor made her tough to talk to.
She eyed my face steadily before shaking her head. "Nah, no coffee after 5 PM. Messes with my sleep."
"Right."
I bowed politely and sat seiza-style on the floor across from the sofa. She'd said there was a lot to discuss, so I waited quietly. Kim Jihye slowly removed her cigarette and spoke. "Kang Hanjun, there's a ton to say, but I'll keep it simple. You're under a curse."
"A... curse?"
"Yeah, one you might even feel like a blessing."
She pointed a slender finger at my neck. Following her gaze, I touched it and felt the necklace.
The necklace.
With everything today tied to it, I swallowed hard and waited for her next words. Kim Jihye rummaged in her suit pocket and held something out to me like take a look.
It was a photo. In it, a tall, handsome man held hands tightly with a woman smiling gently. They looked ordinary, but faint snake-like scales dotted the woman's cheeks. Guessing she was a youkai like Miho, I asked Kim Jihye, "Are these the ones who cast that curse you say feels like a blessing?"
They didn't strike me as curse-casters, no matter how I looked. Hard to judge from one photo, but something about it felt... familiar. My heart tickled, instinctively drawn to them.
"Yeah. Their curse on you is 'being loved by everyone.'"
"...What?"
As I stared through the photo, Kim Jihye answered flatly. "And they're your parents."
"...What the hell."
I'd grown up without parents, just me and Grandmother. She'd always dodged questions about them. This was the first time I'd ever heard of them from someone else.
"You know about the terrorist attacks around the world twenty years ago?"
Kim Jihye continued while I reeled in shock. "Y-yeah, like buildings collapsing, stuff getting wrecked..."
She sighed, furrowing her brow as if recalling. "Whatever, skip the details. Bottom line: all that shit happened because of fights between youkai and sorcerers."
Youkai. Sorcerers. Words that had felt so distant, but they'd already entered my world. Today alone, I'd cast a spell and met Miho and that weird monster.
"The youkai who'd been hiding rebelled and clashed with the sorcerers... and in the middle of it..."
She tapped the photo. "Your parents locked eyes amid the war. Ended it in the most ridiculous way possible."
"H-how?"
I swallowed, hooked on the story. Kim Jihye made a face like it was still unbelievable. "Your dad, the top sorcerer of his time, and your mom, on the verge of ascending as a dragon, just created a whole new world and ended the war."
"...What?"
I blinked in disbelief. "Exactly that. They made a world so the youkai wouldn't have to hide anymore—wiped out the root cause of the war."
"...That possible?"
"Nope. But that's what your parents did. And because they pulled off the impossible, you got cursed."
She took a breath and went on. "Sadly, creating another world took its toll—they didn't last long. But right before dying, they had you. In their final moments, holding you, they left a last wish."
I blankly recalled her earlier words. And from Kim Jihye's lips came:
"'May you be loved by all.'"
"Just loving parents' words to their kid. But those two were on the brink of transcendence, so it became a massive binding force on you."
Suddenly, Miho charging at me like mad flashed in my mind. Ignoring everything around her, devouring me—it sent a chill down my spine.
"D-does that apply to guys too?"
I asked seriously, and she reassured me. "Nah. The 'everyone' got twisted—it doesn't apply universally. It manifested in your body instead."
She pointed at my necklace again. "Exponential surge in yang energy. That's your blessing and curse. The necklace suppresses it."
Yang energy...? Like male virility? Thinking back, every time I came, Miho shuddered like she was broken, moaning insanely.
As I pondered aloud about yang energy, Kim Jihye added, "And it affects most women. Especially... female youkai."
Grandmother's warnings flooded back. Never take off the necklace.Don't trust women who approach without reason.
Grandmother must have known about this world already.
I clamped my mouth shut at the bombshell, and Kim Jihye lit another cigarette, waiting patiently.
"...Damn."
She peered at my face, sighed, and chewed her cigarette thoughtfully. I stared at my parents' beaming faces in the photo. I'd never met them, but an inexplicable longing welled up.
And so, for a while, I gazed at my parents in the picture, sorting through my thoughts.