Homecoming (3)
The morning light filtered through the curtains. Seol-hwa stirred awake, her biological rhythm pulling her from sleep at the usual hour despite staying up a little late the night before. The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was a white t-shirt blocking her view.
“...Huh?”
Still half-dazed, Seol-hwa couldn’t immediately recall the events of last night. She tilted her head in confusion. Right in front of her was Se-hwan, the owner of that white t-shirt. She blinked several times, staring blankly at his peacefully sleeping face as the situation slowly sank in.
Then, as her mind cleared, her face flushed bright red.
“Eep…!?”
For someone with zero immunity to the opposite sex, waking up in a man’s arms was an incredibly embarrassing experience. To make matters worse, Se-hwan must have moved in his sleep, because his arm had somehow ended up wrapped around her like he was holding her captive. Seol-hwa was completely pinned down, unable to move an inch. Even though she was awake, there was no way she could get up.
Se-hwan showed no signs of stirring from dreamland anytime soon. Seol-hwa rolled her eyes around helplessly before letting out a quiet sigh of defeat.
I can’t get out of this…
At this point, she was starting to deeply regret her own actions. If she hadn’t gotten so worked up over that single message and chased after him without thinking, things wouldn’t have turned out like this. This entire situation was the result of her own choices. Knowing that, she endured the embarrassment and refused to wake him. She also knew how much trouble he’d gone through for her sake since yesterday.
All because of that ridiculous excuse about being his girlfriend. Even though he hated yokai, he’d forced himself to call her by name affectionately… and even ended up sleeping in the same bed with her. A twinge of guilt pricked at Seol-hwa’s heart.
If she had just thought things through a little more carefully before acting, neither of them would have had to suffer like this.
But why did it have to be something like “girlfriend,” of all things…
Couldn’t he have come up with a different excuse? Out of all the options, he’d chosen to pretend they were lovers. It might have looked simple on the surface, but for Se-hwan himself, it had to have been an incredibly annoying choice. Seol-hwa was grateful he’d given her the most convincing cover possible, but it was only natural that it would burden him. Yet he had still picked that path.
“...He really is a dummy.”
The words slipped out before she could stop them, but Se-hwan remained fast asleep. Seol-hwa gazed at his face for a moment. Just as he found her to be a very unusual yokai, she felt the exact same way about him. Yoo Se-hwan was an incredibly strange person.
He was a human who could access the Ghost Gallery, a talented exorcist who claimed to hate exorcism, and on top of that…
I never thought there would actually be someone who believed everything I said.
Like an idiot, he was the very first person to believe every word she said and offer to help her. Of course, Se-hwan had reached that conclusion through his own logical reasoning, but that was more than enough. No one who had ever judged her words logically had ever believed her before.
Those memories still ached like open wounds inside her. That was why Se-hwan felt so special. No matter how logically he had reasoned it out, he was still human. He came from an exorcist clan that despised yokai even more than most, and he carried deep trauma toward spiritual beings.
And yet…
He believed her words. Not only that, he had also believed Jang San’s story and helped her, ultimately restoring her to her true form as a sacred spiritual beast. She had never met a human who listened to yokai so willingly. When you considered that he belonged to an exorcist bloodline, it was even more astonishing. Even his own mother didn’t fully trust her yet. Se-hwan truly was one of a kind.
Seol-hwa reached out a hesitant hand. She gently brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen across his eyelid and murmured, almost to herself.
“What would you have done if I really tried to devour you?”
Her pure white tail swished softly behind her. Seol-hwa’s eyes widened in shock. She hadn’t consciously moved it at all.
“...!”
It had moved on its own, unconsciously reacting to her emotions. Seol-hwa stared at Se-hwan with wide, round eyes.
“...N-no, that’s not it.”
Her ears flattened slightly against her head. Her face burned like a ripe persimmon, and her blue eyes trembled. She clasped her hands tightly together, curled her body into a small ball, and whispered under her breath.
“It’s nothing… Yeah, it’s nothing at all.”
“Did you both sleep well?”
“Yeah… I guess I did.”
“G-good morning, Mother…”
We had gone to bed extremely late, but there was no avoiding getting up. Honestly, I would have liked to sleep a little longer, but when I opened my eyes and saw that Baek Seol-hwa looked like her face was about to explode from embarrassment, I had no choice but to wake up. By the way, why did my nose feel so itchy… It was like I had slept while hugging a cat or something.
Mom, who was in the living room, took one look at Seol-hwa’s bright red cheeks and chuckled softly.
“You two were so quiet, I was planning to just pretend I didn’t notice…”
“What are you even saying?”
“It’s a joke, dear. Come have some apples.”
At the word “apples,” Seol-hwa’s eyes sparkled. It really was fascinating no matter how many times I saw it—a gumiho who preferred fruit over meat.
“Why apples all of a sudden?”
“I picked some up while grocery shopping yesterday.”
“Thank you~!”
“Go on, eat as much as you like.”
Seol-hwa seemed to forget all about her embarrassment and awkwardness as she began devouring the apples with intense focus. Her appetite was something else.
“Hey, slow down a bit. You’re going to choke.”
“Huh? Oh.”
Seol-hwa quickly set down her fork.
“S-sorry… I mean, excuse me.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s nice to see you eating so heartily. I’ve seen plenty of gumihos who love meat, but you’re the first I’ve ever seen who loves fruit this much~.”
“Ahaha…”
I feel the same way. After eating several apples, I had to admit they were pretty good. Since I rarely bought fruit while living alone, it had been a while since I last had apples. After peeling and finishing two of them, I carefully spoke to Mom as she started clearing the fruit away.
“...Mom.”
“Yes?”
“Start trusting Seol-hwa a little more.”
“Oh my, was it that obvious?”
“Of course it was. Honestly, the reason you made her sleep in the same room as me was because you didn’t trust her, right?”
“W-why are you bringing this up all of a sudden…”
Seol-hwa shot me a look that asked what I was doing, but I needed to settle this clearly. If Mom secretly decided on her own to perform an exorcism on Seol-hwa later, it would be a huge problem. I had a responsibility to help Seol-hwa, and once I decided to help someone, protecting them was simply how I lived my life. Even if it was my parents, I couldn’t allow them to arbitrarily take away my responsibilities.
Mom looked at me and Seol-hwa for a moment, then let out a small sigh.
“It’s not easy to trust someone just like that. As you know, your mother has been through far too much in her life.”
“I know. That’s exactly why I think you’d feel that she’s very different from the others.”
“That’s… true, son. Just as you said, I do feel that this child is quite different. In fact, she feels more trustworthy than most people.”
“Then…”
“However… how should I put it? It might be an instinctive aversion. Because of all the experiences I’ve had, even when I start to trust her, doubt keeps creeping back in.”
So persuasion had failed after all? Then what should I do moving forward? I was already starting to consider various contingency plans when Mom spoke again.
“Still, I’m much more open-minded than your father, aren’t I?”
“Huh? Well…”
“So if this mother takes her son’s side, it might help convince your father later on.”
“...Mom?”
You really don’t have to go that far…? Besides, after today, I was planning to make sure Seol-hwa wouldn’t have to meet my parents again…
“I’ll support my son’s relationship. I can’t change my thinking overnight, but I’ll try to gradually get there. Seol-hwa, I hope you can understand that a little.”
“...Y-yes, of course.”
“You don’t look very happy about it, son?”
“N-no? I’m really happy! Seol-hwa, this is great news!”
“Y-yeah! Thank you so much, Mother!”
Seol-hwa’s slightly delayed reaction seemed a bit awkward, but Mom didn’t seem to think much of it. Probably because she had already seen Seol-hwa acting shy so many times.
“By the way, you said you receive spiritual energy by helping spirits resolve their regrets and ascend, right?”
“Yeah, that’s how Seol-hwa has lived her whole life.”
“Then could you show me?”
“Huh?”
“Pardon?”
Mom smiled brightly.
“I’d really like to see how you two give rest to spirits. It’s not a test or anything. I’m just curious about how you usually help spirits…”
The warm, motherly gaze from just moments ago had changed. She was no longer looking at me as her son, but as exorcist Lee Hye-yeon observing Yoo Se-hwan.
“As one exorcist to another, I’m curious what kind of exorcism you practice.”
“If that’s what you want…”
I glanced at Seol-hwa. When I gave her a look asking if it was okay, she nodded.
“Of course! I’d actually appreciate it if you watched.”
Seol-hwa offered a small smile and spoke carefully.
“There are plenty of evil yokai in this world, but there are also yokai who live like me. I want you to know that such yokai exist too.”
“I see.”
Mom kept her gentle smile as she turned to me.
“Shall we head out right now?”
“Ah, just a moment, Mom. We need to find a spirit with unresolved regrets first, so some preparation is necessary.”
“Preparation?”
“Yeah. You need to get ready to go out too, right? Get ready while Seol-hwa and I set things up.”
“Hmm, alright.”
“And Mom.”
“What is it?”
It was finally time to bring this up. This was the topic I had been thinking about most carefully on the way home. If Seol-hwa hadn’t been with me, it would have been the thing that worried me the most. I brought it up cautiously.
“Can I take some talismans with me?”
Mom wiped away a tear with a sniffle.
“My son is finally stepping back into exorcism… This is all thanks to you, Seol-hwa.”
“Huh? Ahaha…”
When I mentioned taking talismans, Mom’s reaction was naturally one of surprise. After all, I had quit exorcism, so there was no reason for me to need them. I had explained the reason to some extent, which was why she was reacting like this—claiming that I had returned to the path of exorcism.
“It’s not like that. I’m just helping her… helping Seol-hwa, that’s all.”
“Even so, it’s something. Honestly, I thought you had completely given up on this path. I thought you would live your whole life without ever seeing spiritual things again.”
“...To be honest, that was my intention.”
But I had learned that helping spirits wasn’t limited to the kind of exorcism I knew, and that there were lives that could be saved that way. I had realized that helping spirits who could be saved was truly rewarding. That was why I had changed my mind a little. I still had no intention of walking the full path of an exorcist.
“But it would be such a waste of your talent.”
“Talent, my ass…”
“You got badly hurt before, and both your father and I were so worried that we couldn’t force you anymore… but your talent as an exorcist was truly exceptional. I told you this before, didn’t I?”
“Instead of that kind of talent, don’t I have any talent for making money?”
“Oh dear, if I had that kind of talent, wouldn’t I already be rich?”
Mom laughed softly.
“So where are we going?”
“Ah, Haeundae.”
That’s right. We were heading to Haeundae. Not the entire district, but specifically Haeundae Beach. A little earlier, Seol-hwa had posted on the Ghost Gallery, and this comment had appeared.
After contacting them, we learned they were close to the beach, so we arranged to meet there.
“Mom, don’t take out the talismans right away. We don’t know yet if it’s a regular spirit or a vengeful one, but even if it is, I want to hear what it has to say first.”
“Son, what exactly do you take your mother for?”
“A scary exorcist?”
“That’s not entirely wrong. But I know that much too. If you want to help, conversation comes first.”
She understood more easily than I expected. The truth was, vengeful spirits carried the risk of turning into malevolent ones with even the slightest mistake, so many exorcists would mercilessly exorcise them without hesitation. After all, if left alone, they would inevitably become evil spirits. From an exorcist’s perspective, it was safer to take care of them in advance. I had wondered if Mom, who was an exorcist to her very core, would understand so easily… but thankfully, she did.
I rode in Mom’s car while Seol-hwa followed on the motorcycle she had brought, and we headed toward Haeundae. Traveling by car instead of the subway was definitely more comfortable.
“By the way, son.”
“Yeah?”
“How do you know there’s a spirit in Haeundae?”
“Um…”
Should I tell her about this? I thought about what kind of reaction an exorcist would normally have upon learning about the Ghost Gallery.
…Absolutely not.
“Ah, Seol-hwa has an acquaintance who receives requests for spirits’ problems in the form of commissions. She gets them from there.”
I gave a plausible excuse while hiding the existence of the Ghost Gallery. Mom asked,
“Does that person also help spirits and receive spiritual energy like Seol-hwa?”
“It seems so.”
“How interesting.”
After some time had passed, the sound of seagulls reached us, and the sea gradually came into view. When I glanced back, Seol-hwa was following neatly on her bike. We parked in the lot and got out. Seol-hwa parked her motorcycle as well and walked over to us. She spoke first to Mom.
“Thank you for driving, Mother. It must have been tiring.”
“My goodness, our son who got a free ride hasn’t said a word, but you’re the one thanking me.”
…Sorry.
“I forgot…”
“It’s a joke. So, shall we head to the beach now?”
“Ah, yes. They said they’d be waiting there.”
We walked a bit, crossed the crosswalk, and arrived at the beach. Thinking it was about time, I tapped my necklace, and a rather surprising sight unfolded before me.
…There were so many.
Beaches were places where many accidents occurred, so they were also filled with lingering spirits. Of course, there were also spirits who hadn’t died there but came because they wanted to see the ocean.
“Where is the spirit we’re supposed to meet?”
“Hmm, wait a second?”
Seol-hwa must have opened a group chat, because she sent a couple of messages before pointing in one direction.
“They said they’re over by the aquarium.”
“Really?”
Following her directions toward the aquarium, we found a spirit waiting for us. It was a man who looked around my age, or perhaps a little younger.
“Hello? I’m Baek Seol-hwa, the one who contacted you.”
When Seol-hwa greeted him cheerfully, the man finally looked our way. It was as if he hadn’t noticed people approaching at all. I found it a bit strange, and the spirit spoke first, sounding equally puzzled.
“Ah, nice to meet you. Um… there are two people here.”
“They’re both here to help you, so please don’t worry. Everyone came to assist you.”
“Is that so? But I don’t think I need that many people’s help… I hope you didn’t come all this way for nothing.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about that. May I ask your name?”
“Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Im Bo-hyuk.”
“I’m Yoo Se-hwan. And this is… Madam Lee Hye-yeon, who is accompanying us for a while.”
There was no need to explain that we were mother and son. Introducing her this way would probably be less burdensome for the spirit. Mom seemed to understand, nodding as she spoke.
“I’m Lee Hye-yeon. I may not be much help, but I’ll do my best with sincerity.”
“Ah, thank you…”
“What would you like us to do for you, Mr. Bo-hyuk?”
When Seol-hwa asked, Im Bo-hyuk reached into his pocket and pulled something out. It was a small glass bottle. Inside was a piece of paper rolled up tightly. It looked like a message in a bottle.
“Could you deliver this for me?”
Im Bo-hyuk held it out. The position was a bit awkward, though. While it was closer to Seol-hwa, it was slightly angled toward me. If he meant to give it to her, he could have just held it straight.
“Of course.”
Seol-hwa didn’t seem to find anything strange about it as she accepted the glass bottle. Then she asked,
“Who should we give it to?”
“There’s a person named Na Ye-ji living at 155-1 Donggwang-dong 2-ga, Jung-gu, Busan. Could you deliver it to her?”
“If it’s not too rude, may I ask what your relationship was with her while you were alive?”
I stepped forward to ask. Their relationship might not have been ordinary. Although the fact that Im Bo-hyuk was a normal spirit rather than a vengeful one made that unlikely, it was still a question worth confirming.
“She was… the most precious person to me. I don’t know how she felt, but at least to me, she was. Ah, it wasn’t anything strange. I wasn’t in a criminal relationship where I was one-sidedly stalking her or anything, so please don’t worry.”
“I see.”
There were so many weird people these days. Especially after that recent incident with Jin Chae-young. Since he had given us the address, we could find out for sure once we went there.
“So we just need to deliver this?”
“Yes. At the very least, I want to confirm that she receives my letter. And then I’ll give you the spiritual energy I promised.”
“Wait, then you’ll be coming with us, right? Why did you give us the address separately?”
“Ah… well, you see.”
Im Bo-hyuk smiled a little sheepishly.
“I can’t see anything in front of me.”