Just as Jin Gwangmin was about to express his doubts beside him, members came rushing toward them.
“Hello. We’re Team 5, joining this investigation.”
“It’s our first time at Gwiraechon, but we’ll work hard not to be a burden!”
“We look forward to working with you…!”
Team 5, called Heun’s apprentice team, was to accompany this mission. Following Team 5’s leader Kim Myeongyeon, four novice practitioners whose field deployment count could be counted on one hand greeted them with extremely tense faces while subtly looking around. Though Team 2’s personnel numbered only four, each one was famous at Heun.
Sim Seowoo awkwardly received the respectful gazes they sent. His deployment count was only once, fewer than theirs, and that time he’d accompanied them for observation purposes so it wasn’t even an official deployment, but because he’d accomplished such a great purification, he occasionally received such looks.
Feeling somewhat burdened, Sim Seowoo turned his head and asked Do Seonhwa.
“It seems Gwiraechon is a place that’s been investigated many times before?”
On the way out of the cafeteria as ordered for deployment, he’d briefly heard an explanation about the investigation location from Jin Gwangmin. Gwiraechon. He’d said that was the name of the village where the Hyungsin first opened its eyes hundreds of years ago.
‘An existence recorded even in ancient texts, when the Hyungsin first descended to the mortal world, the village burned and all the people died. To the extent that the blood poured out along every path formed red valleys, it was called the period of Hyeol Gok.’
The “burned village” in the story of the Hyungsin that Do Seonhwa had first told him was that very place. The Hyungsin started in that village and traveled across the country causing disasters and spreading pestilence.
In fact, he’d vaguely thought the location of that village would be unclear. Like places in legends tend to be, he’d thought it would only be identified as somewhere in the deep mountains, but seeing Cheon Yijae’s attitude of being bothered about going there, it seemed like a place they’d quite often investigated before.
To Sim Seowoo’s speculation, Do Seonhwa smiled brightly and answered.
“Yes, because Heun’s founding took place there. Since it was where the Hyungsin awakened, they searched thinking they might find clues to confront that disaster, but at that time it was only burned ruins so they say they couldn’t find out anything special. Then 6 years ago the Hyungsin rose again, so now they go to investigate trying to search from a different perspective than the past.”
The explanation was that since Heun was an organization established with the purpose of opposing the Hyungsin, they had deep ties to that village as well. However, in the past, not only was it burned and desolate, but it was also full of the Hyungsin’s evil energy, making it difficult to properly search.
Still, Heun had consistently examined Gwiraechon over the past few hundred years, and since the Hyungsin’s resurrection 6 years ago, they’d been conducting periodic investigations. Though the place where the Hyungsin currently awakened was Hoejin Mountain, that place was now full of fog and they couldn’t enter, so instead they were trying to analyze at least its origin.
With the expectation that they might obtain new clues in this search since they’d created more spells than in the past and had also consistently accumulated data over hundreds of years of investigation.
“I see…”
Sim Seowoo nodded. Since it was a familiar mission, they were lightly accepting the accompaniment of Team 5, called Heun’s apprentice team. And despite being forced to deploy, rather Do Seonhwa and Jin Gwangmin seemed to think they’d been considerate by the Vice-Leader.
Of course, Cheon Yijae looked very displeased.
“…”
Before he knew it, he was standing far away. Outwardly it seemed he’d just advanced first to board the vehicle heading to Gwiraechon, but Sim Seowoo speculated he’d avoided the spot because being in a situation close to him was uncomfortable. No, it was closer to certainty beyond speculation.
‘Will he keep avoiding me during the entire investigation…’
In fact, Sim Seowoo was also flustered since he hadn’t known he’d meet Cheon Yijae again like this, but he worried that if he continued to obviously avoid him, the others might notice suspicious points about “that day.”
“Geez, that personality is really unpredictable.”
“When was he ever understandable?”
Mm, contrary to that worry, Do Seonhwa and Jin Gwangmin seemed to accept it familiarly…
Jin Gwangmin shrugged and said.
“Anyway, we’re going out suddenly, but it’s an extremely relaxed mission so don’t worry! Except for the point that it takes some time to go back and forth since it’s far away, there’s nothing particularly difficult.”
“Well, there’s been talk recently that the scenery is gradually changing…”
“…The scenery is changing? Is someone living in that village?”
At Do Seonhwa’s words, Sim Seowoo tilted his head. Since they’d said it was a place that became ruins when the Hyungsin awakened, he’d thought no one would be living there, but had there been changes over the hundreds of years? Would Heun leave that as is?
When he asked curiously, Do Seonhwa and Jin Gwangmin’s eyes widened roundly. They had expressions that freshly recalled that Sim Seowoo was a new member who knew nothing about this industry and had entered after living like an ordinary person until just a few weeks ago.
Soon they laughed huhu and exclaimed.
“It would be better to go see this in person!”
“This time even Seowoo-nim will be quite surprised!”
***
When they arrived at Gwiraechon, it was pitch-dark night.
Though they’d departed at midday, it took a long time to travel. They had to cross winding mountain roads several times and also ran for a long time on rough unpaved roads. Going into the deep mountains where no human presence could be found at all, Sim Seowoo was surprised that such a place existed in Korea.
The place they finally arrived at just looked like a desolate clearing.
Though it was hundreds of years ago, if people had gathered and lived there, at least traces should remain, but this place was a vast empty field where nothing could be found. To the point of doubting whether people had really lived here.
The scenery with thickets grown up to the waist scattered in disarray was eerie.
“…I can’t see anything, are we searching here?”
Sim Seowoo’s question was ambiguous. What should they find in this clearing, and was it right to investigate at such a dark time?
Jin Gwangmin nodded while giggling.
“Yep. Now we’ll enter through the entrance. We deliberately came to match the Hour of the Ox.”
“May our Team 5 determine the direction?”
Team 5’s leader Kim Myeongyeon asked cautiously, and Do Seonhwa answered brightly, “Of course!” Sim Seowoo realized they hadn’t completely arrived at Gwiraechon yet and followed Team 5’s members for now. Following the leader’s instructions, they busily looked around and entered into the thicket.
However, the more he silently moved, he couldn’t guess at all where this “entrance” was supposed to be. No matter how much he looked around, there were only thickets, and he couldn’t see any kind of structure in the first place.
But Team 5’s members stood in the middle of the thicket and exclaimed.
“It’s here!”
“Yes, that’s right! You found it quickly even though it’s your first time?”
“It’s thanks to Director-nim accompanying us. They say you won’t lose your way if you’re with the Daoist family.”
“Oh, what are you saying? It’s Team 5’s effort!”
When Do Seonhwa clapped her hands clap clap clap, Team 5’s members were shyly delighted. Sim Seowoo watched the heartwarming scene with a bewildered feeling. Should he ask what they’d found, or should he marvel at Team 5’s atmosphere that was completely different from Team 1?
“If you’re not going to keep wasting time here, let’s hurry and enter.”
Just then, Cheon Yijae, who was in the back, tossed out a remark thud. At the indifferent tone, Team 5’s members immediately flinched and quickly took out yellow paper and brushes from their pockets.
And while they busily drew spell formations, Jin Gwangmin laughed huhuhuh while wearing his bag forward. Turning the turtle-like bag upside down, he took out several large garments from inside.
“Originally, robes are essential items when infiltrating, aren’t they? Concept, no, TPO is important!”
The clothes Jin Gwangmin held out were long black robes that would cover from head to toe. The hood was also deep, so if worn pulled down, it seemed like it could hide half the face. Do Seonhwa evaluated that he’d made another strange thing but gladly received the robe.
“The friend I saw in my dream always wore a black robe too! It has a gloomy, no, concealment attribute so it’s good for hiding? They wandered all over the country wearing clothes like this.”
“Hiya, you’re really consistent. Right, whoever they are, they’re someone with good fashion sense.”
“No, it was a cat. A black cat with purple eyes.”
“I shouldn’t have responded…”
At Do Seonhwa’s words, Jin Gwangmin shook his head as if sick of it, and Sim Seowoo tactfully took and put on a robe. Judging from their conversation, it seemed concealment was really needed to infiltrate Gwiraechon.
However, though Team 5’s members also gratefully received Jin Gwangmin’s robes, only Cheon Yijae didn’t receive it. In the first place, Jin Gwangmin held out not a robe but a gat with a veil, and Cheon Yijae raised an eyebrow slightly before receiving and wearing it.
Was just covering his face like that enough for him?
While he glanced at him curiously, Team 5’s members dropped the talismans they’d made earlier onto the ground. Only when those talismans faintly shone golden did Do Seonhwa turn to Sim Seowoo with a bright smile.
“From now on, we’re going to enter the ghosts’ festival grounds.”
“…Pardon? A festival?”
“Yep. Gwiraechon is the village where the Hyungsin awakened, right? For humans it’s just a place where terrible disaster descended, but…!”
Jin Gwangmin also, as if he’d been waiting for this moment, pointed ahead with both hands and said. Sparkle— The talismans’ golden light shone strongly for an instant then went out, but… the surroundings were no longer dark.
A space shining like a festival plaza could be seen beyond.
“For ghosts, it’s like a holy land.”
Gat (갓) – Traditional Korean hat with veil
