"What Do You Think of That Student? He Seems a Bit Ordinary, Doesn't He?"
"What do you think of that student? He seems a bit ordinary, doesn't he?"
Mun Yo-seop lit a cigarette the moment he stepped out of the hospital. He took a long drag, savoring the smoke, and turned to his subordinates.
They tilted their heads, unsure of what he was getting at.
"...He doesn't seem ordinary. I think he's got a very promising future ahead of him."
"Yeah, I agree. From what he's done so far, and even just listening to him talk today—he's no ordinary kid."
"No, that's not what I meant... Never mind."
Mun Yo-seop clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and continued. "Moving on. Jeong In-ah, how's that student doing? Still not in good shape?"
"She's recovering quickly, but she's not fully back to normal. She says her memories are hazy—probably the black magic's aftereffects. And she was exposed to demonic energy for a long time."
"Hazy memories."
Mun Yo-seop still seemed displeased with their answers, puffing away at his cigarette. He finished one and immediately lit another from the pack. A thin haze of smoke veiled his furrowed brow.
"Hazy. Hazy... Do people normally say their memories are hazy? They usually say they can't remember. Hazy implies there's something there, but it's blurred."
"Pardon? What do you mean...?"
"Why use hazy? It's not some new slang..."
Mun Yo-seop muttered to himself for a while. His subordinates watched him with slightly fearful expressions.
Suddenly, a spark lit in his eyes as he stared blankly into the distance.
"Jeong In-ah, I think I need to visit that friend of hers again tomorrow."
"Pardon? Her memories are gone because of the black magic—visiting won't do any good, will it?"
"Whether her memories are really gone or she's just pretending. We need to check. I heard she was really close to Gu Jun-hyeok, but she didn't know he was a Satanist until then? That's suspicious too."
Mun Yo-seop flicked his cigarette butt to the ground as he spoke.
"Ma Yu-hyeon. That kid still refuses to cooperate, right?"
"Yes. He just wants to keep going to school."
"It's driving me crazy... If he'd just help a little, we could root out every heretic infiltrator in the country."
Mun Yo-seop reached for another cigarette, but his hand paused. The pack was empty—the one he'd just smoked had been the last. He gave a wry smile and looked up at the sky. The sun was beating down hotter each day. Come to think of it, it was summer now.
"This incident is unusual. No matter how much we investigate, it feels like nothing fits together. Or like there's just a shell with nothing inside."
Mun Yo-seop recalled every student he'd met so far. He had a habit of reviewing the names, faces, and traits of everyone he encountered whenever he had time. Even the tiniest detail could become a crucial clue in an investigation.
"I don't know."
But no matter how much he pondered, no clear picture emerged. It remained just as vague.
Jeong In-ah's memories were wiped by black magic, and she was still recovering. Yeo Min-seo hadn't regained consciousness. Han Su-ryeon had been trapped in the second-year building the whole time, sleeping in the student council room. Ma Yu-hyeon refused to cooperate on the incident at all, and Kim Jin-seo was the same. Kang Dae-man and Seong Ha-yeon didn't seem to know much. The only one really helping was Do Seon-woo—and he was the only student who had known Gu Jun-hyeok was a Satanist from the start.
He'd informed the teachers about Gu Jun-hyeok being a Satanist. Ha Ye-jin and Kim Bok-dong had cooperated fully, but they didn't know much either. Kim Chang-won and So Do-jin were in too poor condition to ask for help. So Do-jin was a bit better, but Kim Chang-won was vomiting blood with every meal, his condition worsening by the day.
"Was this all planned...?"
Gu Jun-hyeok had triggered major incidents all over at once. He'd cut off all communications and relays, preventing key figures from gathering, creating information gaps among people. Without shared knowledge, they couldn't cross-verify and refine the intel. The aftermath had been chaotic, and public fear of Voodoo and Satanism had only grown, amplifying the confusion.
Gu Jun-hyeok must have predicted even the societal ripple effects. He was smarter than he looked.
"I thought we could pull out both Satanists and Voodooists in one go if we played it right. But it's not that easy."
"Still, we've made good progress on systematizing countermeasures against black magic, thanks to Do Seon-woo's help—"
"True, it's not zero progress. But it's not enough. Too many gaps."
Mun Yo-seop spoke sternly, as if scolding himself.
"Oh, and don't blindly trust Do Seon-woo either. There's too much that's fishy about him. Don't put too much stock in what he says."
It was true they'd relied heavily on Do Seon-woo for the black magic research in the Satanist response manual. But Mun Yo-seop still couldn't fully trust him. Talking to Do Seon-woo, he sometimes felt swept up in the kid's flow—his tone, emphasis, voice inflection, even his expressions. Even as a heresy inquisitor, Mun Yo-seop was impressed by his advanced rhetorical skills. He could deceive others easily, and with intent, make them follow him.
And he was too composed for his age. Even innocents got intimidated talking to an inquisitor, but Do Seon-woo showed no fear or fluster. It was vague grounds for suspicion, but better safe than sorry.
"...Come to think of it, Do Seon-woo was supposed to be discharged soon. Why's he rushing it so much?"
"Who knows?"
"That's suspicious too."
At a glance, Do Seon-woo seemed like a devout Romanica follower and promising Florence student. But breaking him down element by element gave an off feeling. Shiny on the outside, but hollow within.
"What could he be planning that he needs to get out so fast...? Florence is basically on indefinite hiatus, so no rush to leave the hospital."
"You're overthinking it, sunbae. Probably just wants to see his friends."
"Maybe..."
"Yeah, he looks like the popular type. Probably going out to meet his girlfriend or something."
Mun Yo-seop pictured Do Seon-woo's face. A bit sharp around the edges, but objectively appealing. Articulate, Charity Holy Mark holder—he must be popular at school. His subordinate might be right.
"...Yeah, maybe I'm overthinking it. Occupational hazard—suspecting people over nothing."
Objectively, Do Seon-woo was blameless. His answers on Satanism and Voodoo were model responses. It was just his speech patterns, tone, and vibe that felt off. Mun Yo-seop was going on gut instinct.
"Still, better safe. Gather everything on Do Seon-woo and Jeong In-ah—any info that might help—and compile it for me."
"Got it. Email okay?"
"What? Print it out, file it, and put it on my desk. Can't trust computers."
Mun Yo-seop strolled along with his hands behind his back.
"Oh, what was Do Seon-woo's blood type again? Might be useful."
"Pardon? How's that useful?"
"Why? Blood type gives personality insights. You been investigating long?"
Mun Yo-seop's face was dead serious. His subordinates gaped at him, dumbfounded.
"So... you're saying he's stable for now?"
"Exactly! He regained consciousness recently, and his body's improving steadily. Your dad's tougher than he looks—no need to worry."
Kim Jin-seo couldn't fully trust the doctor's casual, smiling reassurance. This same doctor had lied to her before. He's fine, everything's okay, go home and rest. Back then, her father had been dying. He'd vomited more blood than he could eat.
Her sharp eyes scanned the doctor's face.
"Can I see him and talk, then? That'd put my mind at ease."
"Huh? Oh, uh... Sorry, but the healing priest is in there treating him right now. Come back next time?"
"Then I'll come after treatment. When does it end?"
"Uh, probably... tomorrow, or maybe the day after... Yeah, day after tomorrow. Should be done by then."
"What treatment takes two days?"
"Simple wounds take an hour max, but your dad's had health issues for years, right? Treating the accumulated conditions takes time."
The doctor rattled off his explanation smoothly. Kim Chang-won's congenital condition made treatment longer than for others. But the real reason he couldn't let her in was different. Though conscious, Kim Chang-won was critically ill. Worried about shocking his family, he'd refused all visits to focus on treatment. He'd see them once he was presentable.
"Really sorry, Jin-seo. I get you're worried, but we can't delay treatment for visits..."
"I understand."
Kim Jin-seo nodded blankly, staring at the doctor. Her piercing gaze made him flinch.
She kept her eyes locked on him. "I'll come back the day after. You won't stop me then, right?"
"...Of course, treatment'll be done, so visits are fine. No reason not to. Haha..."
"See you then."
She left the director's office abruptly. The doctor watched her go, alone. He understood her worry but couldn't let her see; and it pained him how she hid her pain so immaturely.
"It's my fault, my fault... Sigh..."
The doctor's face was somber.
The scab on her arm itched. From the day Do Seon-woo had died—or seemed to. In the chaos when her memories were a blur, she'd scratched her arm with her nails. Deeper than expected, even healing left a scab.
Kim Jin-seo absentmindedly picked at it when frustrated. Something irritating happened, her chest tightened, then the itch started. Picking drew blood, she stopped; soon a new scab formed. Worried it'd never heal, she bandaged it. Summer short sleeves were coming, and she wanted to hide it anyway.
She'd just rebandaged and was heading to Do Seon-woo's room when she ran into his dedicated healing priest in the hall. The priest had just left the room.
"Is Do Seon-woo awake?"
Kim Jin-seo asked without hesitation. She wasn't even sure if he'd regained consciousness. Terrified he might be dead, she hadn't dared visit.
The priest bowed awkwardly at her question.
"Well, um... Huh? W-wait! Hold on. Just a sec."
The priest hurriedly blocked her from entering Do Seon-woo's room. Kim Jin-seo's face hardened.
"Why?"
"It's, uh, hard to explain right now..."
"Is he dead?"
"No, not that. It needs explaining—hey! Wait, you can't go—!"
Ignoring her, Kim Jin-seo strode into the room. Her mind raced with possibilities. Did he really die? No way. But it's not impossible. His injuries were the worst. Even tough, even a miracle revival—no guarantee he'd survive that. Or critical, can't show outsiders. Necrosis, disability. Or dying any moment...>
Bam!
She flung the door open and barged in. The priest chased after, trying to stop her, but failed.
Kim Jin-seo scratched at her bandaged arm as she approached the bed and threw back the covers.
"..."
Do Seon-woo was gone.
She checked the nameplate, thinking she'd entered the wrong room. No—it was his. His bed. But empty.
Why?
It made no sense.
"Where... where is he...?"
The priest caught up, panting, and placed a hand on her shoulder. Only then did she stop scratching.
The priest caught her breath, lips twitching awkwardly, hesitating long. Then, eyes darting, she spoke.
"That's why I tried to stop you... I'll explain, so calm down. Don't freak out."
"Where the hell is he? Where is he now?"
Kim Jin-seo couldn't let the priest finish, repeating the question. Did he really die? Funeral already? No...>
"Um... Do Seon-woo was discharged yesterday!"
"..."
"I tried to stop him, but he was so stubborn, as you know... Yeah, that's how it happened..."
Kim Jin-seo stared blankly at the empty bed. She checked her phone—no messages from him. Just from reporters, Florence Foundation contacts, and some unknown guy.
(To be continued in the next chapter)