“I should be heading out now.”
As Gyohyun rose to his feet, Grandfather looked up at him and asked.
“Why? Stay and have dinner before you go.”
“I’d like to, but something urgent just came to mind.”
“Then off you go.”
Grandfather waved his hand, urging him to leave quickly. Gyohyun gave a respectful nod and stepped out of the study.
Standing in front of the study was a young man who looked to be in his late twenties. The moment he saw Gyohyun, he gave a quick bow.
“You’re here.”
“Yes.”
Seo Juhyeong. He was Chief Manager Seo’s nephew. Like Chief Manager Seo, he was one of Gyohyun’s people.
The two of them, however, handled different things. While Chief Manager Seo oversaw all company affairs, Seo Juhyeong moved solely for Gyohyun.
For several years now, Seo Juhyeong had been searching for those whose Spirit Eyes were open — believing that among them, a Purifier might be found.
The fact that he said nothing meant he had come up empty-handed again. Gyohyun gave Seo Juhyeong’s shoulder a light pat — the young man had cast his eyes downward as if apologizing — and then strode off with long, purposeful steps.
“Where are you going?”
Seo Juhyeong asked, falling into step behind him.
Gyohyun pulled on his leather gloves as he answered simply.
“Cheongnang.”
* * *
The moment he saw it, he knew. It was that dream again.
A black dog and a white dog faced each other, growling.
Then the black dog lunged suddenly at the white dog and sank its teeth into its throat. The white dog whimpered and struggled, but it was no use. As the black dog’s fangs drove deeper, the white dog’s cries grew fainter and fainter. And at last, the white dog went limp.
The black dog lifted its head. Red blood dripped from its mouth.
The black dog’s body began to twist and warp. Its fur gave way to scales, and its legs were pulled back into its body. Its neck stretched grotesquely, contorting into the shape of a snake.
Now a massive black serpent, it gazed down at the white dog’s carcass. Then it opened its jaws wide.
Gulp. It swallowed it whole. The white dog’s body was pushed down into the serpent’s belly, forming a swollen lump along its length.
The serpent raised its head.
With the white dog gone, there was nothing left in the field but the serpent and Siyun.
He tried to run, but his legs wouldn’t move as fast as he willed them to. Two eyes — one black, one blue — stared at him with unblinking intensity. A chill crawled up his spine.
In that time, the serpent flicked its tongue and slowly began to approach. Before he knew it, it was right in front of him. Up close, the serpent was larger than he had imagined. As Siyun stood frozen by its overwhelming size, the serpent split its jaws wide open.
Jingle. A faint sound of a bell drifted through.
“Aah!”
Siyun jolted awake with a scream. His entire body was drenched in cold sweat. His throat felt like it was being squeezed shut, and he clutched at his neck with both hands. He couldn’t breathe — it felt exactly as though he had truly been bitten by a snake. He gasped for air and shot upright.
“Hoo, hoo….”
His heart was pounding like mad. It had happened before, but the dream had been even more vivid tonight. When he looked up, the world around him was pitch dark — the sun must have set.
Siyun forced himself to calm the panic clawing at his chest and slowly looked around. Through the dim haze of his vision, the familiar interior of the workshop came into view. And then — his own figure lying on the floor.
Why am I lying down?
Siyun stared at himself sprawled out on the floor in bewilderment and pushed himself up.
“Ugh!”
His head throbbed sharply. The back of his skull hurt worst of all — when he reached back to feel it, there was a slight bump, as though he’d gotten a bruise.
“What….”
Before he could even finish the murmur, his throat began to ache too. Why is this happening? As Siyun tilted his head in confusion, memories slowly began to surface.
He had gone to the market to buy supplies, and when he got back, Jinwoong was waiting in front of the workshop. And then….
“Ah!”
The moment he reached for the memory, a sharp breath burst from his lips.
“Huh—!”
A horrifying memory came rushing back.
Jinwoong — who would normally have been talking nonstop — had been unusually quiet. Feeling something was off, Siyun had gone over to him, and found him standing in one corner of the workshop, muttering quietly to himself in a low murmur. Startled by the strange sight, he’d tapped him on the shoulder.
“Kim Jinwoong, what’s wrong with you?”
At Siyun’s voice, Jinwoong had turned around slowly. And in that instant, the image of an unfamiliar man’s face had overlapped with his.
“K-Kim Jinwoong.”
He had called his name in a trembling voice, but all that came back was a grotesque laugh.
Sensing something was deeply wrong, Siyun had been about to step back — but Jinwoong had lunged at him like lightning. Cold hands wrapped around his throat. The shock barely had time to register before Siyun tried to wrench free of the hands gripping his neck. But they were impossibly strong — no match for him.
“You’re the one who told me to come in!”
“Kkh… ugh….”
He couldn’t breathe.
“Die! Die!”
The voice pouring out of Jinwoong’s face grew more and more distorted. It sounded like several people speaking at once. That meant whatever had gotten into him wasn’t just one thing.
“Kkk, ugh.”
The grip tightened further. His struggles slowed. The strength drained from his body, his arms and legs going limp.
Not long after, Siyun’s consciousness was swallowed by complete darkness.
And he didn’t know how much time had passed after that.
“Ugh!”
The moment the memories came back, Siyun scrambled to his feet. He was staggering, barely managing to right himself — and that was when he saw it. A large figure slumped in the corner of the workshop. Jinwoong. The color drained from Siyun’s face.
He turned toward the door — then stopped. Jinwoong wasn’t moving at all. He hesitated, but in the end, Siyun made his way over.
Crouching down, he could see that Jinwoong had lost consciousness.
“Jinwoong.”
He called softly. No answer. Siyun’s heart hammered. He quickly held his hand under Jinwoong’s nose. Warm breath — thank goodness.
“Kim Jinwoong.”
He moved a little closer and gently shook his shoulder.
“Hey, Kim Jinwoong! Wake up!”
Just then, Jinwoong’s eyelids trembled slightly and slowly opened.
“Mmm….”
Siyun called his name, relief rushing through him. Jinwoong gradually pulled himself upright and shook his head.
“Ugh. My head.”
Jinwoong pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a pained groan. Siyun watched tensely. Then, once fully conscious, Jinwoong shook his head and spoke.
“What.”
He looked around as if nothing quite made sense, and then his face scrunched into a hard frown.
“Why am I on the floor?”
It was Jinwoong’s voice — completely, unmistakably his own. Deep inside, Siyun exhaled with relief.
“Cha Siyun?”
Jinwoong’s eyes went wide.
“Why do you look like that?”
Jinwoong was one thing, but Siyun was hardly in better shape himself. His hair was a mess, and vivid red marks were stamped clearly across his neck.
