The Scent of Uninvited Guests
As expected, the rain began to fall shortly after. Yeo-won bought an umbrella at a nearby convenience store and headed back home.
The raindrops grew increasingly violent, and he briefly considered hailing a taxi, but the sudden downpour had already left the taxi stand completely packed.
In a way, it was for the best. After everything that had happened, his head felt hazy, and he wanted to walk for a while to clear it.
Re-young's strange behavior and words, along with that unidentified man—his mind swirled with worry over what on earth was going on.
Ever since meeting Shin-wol, there hadn't been a single day that passed quietly.
He wanted to ask about the situation, but since he couldn't even see him, the frustration only deepened.
When he arrived near his house and glanced at his watch, midnight had already come and gone.
Cheong-sil was bound to throw a fit the moment he got home. Or perhaps he had already exhausted himself from throwing one and fallen asleep.
Anxious, Yeo-won quickened his pace. He was so focused on checking his watch that he wasn't watching where he was going when a pair of dress shoes appeared beneath his umbrella.
If he had walked just a little faster, they might have collided. Yeo-won turned his body to avoid the man. That was when a grating, screeching sound reached his ears.
“Ugh!”
The sound was like nails scraping across a chalkboard. Yeo-won stopped in his tracks, covering his ears. He realized his mistake too late. Behind him came the wet, squelching sound of footsteps trudging through mud. Yeo-won quickly glanced at his wristwatch and grumbled in annoyance.
“Ah, what the—my watch is broken. And I paid so much for it.”
The watch was working perfectly fine, of course. It was merely an excuse to stop walking. Yeo-won shook his wrist dramatically and let out an exaggerated sigh. To avoid seeing the ghost, he lowered his umbrella as far as possible to block his view. In that instant, a face dropped down beneath the umbrella with a soft thud.
When he saw the skull more than half caved in, Yeo-won unconsciously clenched his fists tight.
His nails dug into his palms, but the sharp sting helped keep the panic at bay.
“I wonder if it can be repaired? I’ll have to look into it when I get home.”
Yeo-won spoke as casually as he could manage, ignoring the ghost once more as he started walking forward again. He bit down hard on his trembling lips and kept his eyes straight ahead. Soon, a crosswalk came into view. He really didn’t want to cross that particular one, but taking a long detour right now would be even more exhausting.
As he tried to ignore the signal and cross anyway, a car suddenly sped past right in front of him. There wasn’t a single person around, yet dozens of cars were racing across the crosswalk at high speed.
From behind came the wet squelch, squelch of footsteps.
Before long, the ghost had drawn right up behind him. A chill radiated from its presence. When he rolled his eyes to the side, he saw the ghost’s hand reaching out beside him.
That day flashed through his mind—the ghost that had pushed him onto the crosswalk.
The hand gripping the umbrella began to shake uncontrollably. Rain that he could no longer block streamed down his face.
Should I run like this? Will Cheong-sil help me if I make it home?
While a thousand thoughts raced through his head, he felt the ghost’s fingertips brush against his shoulder.
“Aaaah!”
Yeo-won reflexively twisted away, but in his panic he slipped and fell. The umbrella rolled across the ground as torrential rain poured down over his head.
He wiped the wet rain from his eyes, only to find the ghost’s face inches from his own. Its mouth slowly split open, stretching all the way to its ears.
“Y-y-you dodged, j-j-just as I th-th-thought you w-w-would.”
His mind went blank. Without thinking, he scraped at the ground with his palms and shook his head. The moment the ghost’s hand reached for him, pillars of flame erupted all around them.
“Keeeeeeeek!”
The flames swallowed the ghost in an instant. Beyond the creature burning away without a trace, a sweet, melodic voice drifted through the air.
You always end up like this whenever I see you.
“……”
Yeo-won lifted his head toward the voice. Shin-wol stood there. Even in the midst of this pouring rain, not a single drop had touched him. He looked perfectly serene.
Like someone who had always been this way—or perhaps someone who always would be—he stood motionless, gazing down at Yeo-won.
As Yeo-won stared at him in a daze, tears began to spill from his eyes.
He hastily wiped them away, but he couldn’t tell whether he was brushing off rain or tears anymore, so he simply let them fall.
I even sent Cheong-sil down as a talisman to protect you.
“……Hic.”
At last, the sobs broke free. Shin-wol approached the weeping Yeo-won and crouched down before him.
Were you frightened?
“H-hic…”
Did I not tell you? The outside world is dangerous for you.
He spoke gently, the way one might soothe a child. Yeo-won had no words to argue against him.
After not seeing each other for three days, this was the state he was in. Anything he said now would probably sound ridiculous.
Shin-wol was right. He had been terrified.
Once again, he had been unable to do anything. The helplessness made him furious with himself.
Even so, Yeo-won could not admit it. Admitting it would mean Shin-wol was correct.
And if he did, there was no telling where Shin-wol might lock him away this time.
Yeo-won roughly wiped away the flowing tears and glared at him.
“Why… why aren’t you helping me up?”
He knew it was a ridiculous thing to say, but Yeo-won stubbornly continued.
“Is it fine as long as you don’t get wet? I’m completely soaked. At least give me your hand so I can stand.”
When he brazenly reached out a hand, Shin-wol let out a mocking laugh as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
You’ve only grown more impudent in the time we’ve been apart.
Even as he said so, Shin-wol extended his hand and lifted Yeo-won into his arms. Yeo-won tried to push him away, but the faint scent of apricot blossoms drifting from his chest drained all the strength from his body. Leaning limply against Shin-wol’s shoulder, Yeo-won murmured softly.
“……You could have just held my hand.”
Can you walk?
While still holding Yeo-won, Shin-wol waved a hand through the air. The rain no longer touched him. When Yeo-won reached out, he felt an invisible barrier.
As Yeo-won marveled at the unseen shield, Shin-wol quietly studied his face.
You’ve gained more wounds again.
At his words, Yeo-won touched his own cheek. It stung slightly—probably scraped his cheekbone when he fell earlier.
He saw Shin-wol’s hand approaching. Just before those long fingers could brush his cheek, the dream he had a few days ago suddenly flashed through his mind.
The unfamiliar face that had killed without a flicker of emotion. Those cold eyes that held no trace of warmth.
The Shin-wol from the dream overlapped with the one before him now. Yeo-won gasped sharply and flinched.
Having heard the small sound, Shin-wol’s hand froze in midair.
“No, it’s just… it’s been a while, so I was a little startled……”
Yeo-won hurriedly made an excuse, but Shin-wol had already tilted his head with clear displeasure.
“It’s true…… Anyway, can we go home first? Cheong-sil is waiting, and I’m soaked. I’d like to wash up.”
Naturally changing the subject, Yeo-won smiled brightly. The golden irises flashed dangerously for a moment before the corners of Shin-wol’s lips curved softly.
I told you, didn’t I?
“Ah, no—ah!”
Without warning, he suddenly sank his teeth into the nape of Yeo-won’s neck. The burning pain made Yeo-won bite his lip hard.
“It hurts, it hurts!”
Being held in his arms, he couldn’t push him away or run. As Yeo-won endured the pain, Shin-wol licked the spot he had bitten.
You have no talent for deceiving others.
When Yeo-won glanced sideways, he saw a faint trace of blood on Shin-wol’s lips. He licked the nape of his neck again.
As if he refused to miss even a single drop, his tongue moved with meticulous, relentless precision.
The sensation was strange. It felt so ticklish that the pain almost seemed preferable. To deny the odd feeling, Yeo-won pounded on Shin-wol’s shoulder, but of course it didn’t budge.
Shin-wol continued licking at his neck for a long time before finally murmuring in a low, hoarse voice.
You’ve come carrying quite an interesting scent.
“……Scent?”
Yeo-won caught his breath and asked.
“Now that you mention it, Cheong-sil said something similar. What does that mean?”
Shin-wol made a subtle expression as he continued toying with the nape of his neck.
It is the stench of things that do not know their place.
With those words, his expression hardened completely.
Yeo-won desperately racked his brain. Had someone marked him with a scent? The first person that came to mind was the beautiful man with the mysterious aura.
He was about to ask Shin-wol when, at that very moment, the ghost’s charred remains began to twitch disgustingly at his feet.
From the pile of ashes, the caved-in head of the ghost rose halfway up.
“Below—below it!”
Yeo-won cried out in horror, yanking at Shin-wol’s clothes.
A half-burned, blackened arm was stretching out from the ashes, about to grab his ankle.
Without the slightest hesitation, Shin-wol crushed it beneath his foot.
With a grotesque wail, the remains splattered in every direction, even landing on Yeo-won’s face.
The sticky sensation sliding down his skin was utterly revolting.
When Yeo-won scrunched his face in disgust, Shin-wol looked at him and smiled beautifully.
Oh dear, you’ve gotten dirty. You’ll need to wash up.