Back then, Grandmother had asked again with a grave expression.
“Is everything alright after the midpoint?”
The Shaman gazed directly at Siyun with her Spirit Eyes and spoke in a low voice.
“You don’t need to worry about that until after you’ve safely made it through the middle. Child, you need to be more wary of people than you are of ghosts.”
Not understanding, he asked why, and the Shaman added in a serious tone.
“Have you ever heard the saying, ‘People are scarier than ghosts’? After decades of doing this work, what I’ve come to realize is….”
A flicker of sorrow crossed the Shaman’s eyes, but only for a moment. She then warned him with firm resolve.
“The truly frightening things aren’t the spirits. They can’t harm us that easily. But people are different. Especially a person who harbors a ghost within them — they are the most terrifying of all. On the off chance you ever meet someone like that, don’t hesitate. Run.”
Siyun pouted. It was frustrating to be told to just run without any further explanation, but the Shaman paid him no mind.
“Don’t take my words lightly. Listen carefully. If you don’t….”
A flash passed through the Shaman’s eyes. A chill ran down Siyun’s spine in an instant. He hunched his shoulders, startled with fear.
“You will be captured by it, and it will drain your energy for the rest of your life.”
“…….”
Siyun’s eyelids trembled faintly, then slowly opened. An unfamiliar ceiling came into his blurry vision.
“Wh…. cough….”
His voice wouldn’t come out properly. He tried to sit up, but the pain that split through his head made him flinch.
“Ugh.”
He groaned, clutching his head. His entire body ached, but his throat hurt the most. Even swallowing caused pain. His mind was foggy.
He tried to focus, blinking slowly. As his vision gradually sharpened, an unfamiliar space came into view.
“Ah….”
His temples throbbed sharply. Siyun pressed his hands to his head and tried to piece together his memories. But his mind was tangled.
What happened?
As he searched through the haze, memories began surfacing in fragments. Jinwoong appearing suddenly at the workshop, the look in Jinwoong’s eyes as he was possessed by a ghost, and then….
The events of the night before burst forward like shards, clenching around Siyun’s heart. The moment he became aware of the terror of nearly dying, he couldn’t breathe.
“Hah… hah—”
He grabbed his throat with both hands and gasped for air. His body trembled like an aspen tree.
“Hnngh….”
His heart pounded frantically against his chest. Air caught in his throat and wouldn’t go down. His entire body had seized up as if frozen — and only then did the reality of still being alive wash over him. With each breath he drew in, it felt as though his lungs were being squeezed, and his ragged breathing became tangled with trembling.
The terror of nearly dying and the relief of having survived crashed over him all at once. Siyun curled in on himself for a long while, trying to calm the shaking. Then tears broke loose.
He didn’t know how long he sobbed. Gradually, his senses returned.
Only then did Siyun slowly look around him.
Where is this…?
It was only at that moment that he truly took stock of himself. The unfamiliar interior was one thing, but he was also lying there wearing clothes he had never seen before.
A faint scent mingled with the unfamiliar air drifted past the tip of his nose. He had no idea where this place was, or why he had woken up here. His heart was still beating erratically, and the tension throughout his body refused to ease. His mind was in chaos, and a strange unease slowly seeped in. Siyun took a moment to steady his breathing, feeling as though he’d been dropped into the center of a world entirely unknown to him.
The trembling in his body and his ragged breathing hadn’t fully subsided, but Siyun pushed himself to sit up. He gripped the edge of the bed sheet with both hands and took several slow, deep breaths until his heart calmed.
“Hah!”
A short gasp slipped past his lips. He tried to get out of bed, but his body felt impossibly heavy. The back of his head throbbed too.
Without thinking, Siyun raised his hand and felt the sore spot — and drew in a sharp breath in surprise. His fingertips grazed something round and swollen. It hurt when he touched it.
This time Siyun moved very slowly. The room was so large that the walk to the door felt endless. He barely made it to the door and hesitated for a moment.
What if I open it and… something terrifying jumps out?
He reached for the handle with wavering hands and turned it. The door opened, and Siyun flinched. But outside, it was unexpectedly quiet.
The first thing he saw was a long corridor stretching ahead. Paintings that looked expensive hung on the walls at even intervals, and soft lighting illuminated the works, giving the space the feel of a gallery.
Walking along the corridor, an open space came into view at the far end. It was the living room. High ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, a panoramic view of the cityscape. Luxurious leather sofas and a marble table — the interior was lavish throughout.
When he turned his gaze to the window, all of Seoul spread out below him. Under any other circumstances, it would have been a sight worth marveling at.
“Do you like it?”
“Ah!”
Gyohyun had been standing right behind him — when he’d gotten there, Siyun had no idea. Even seeing a ghost had never startled him this badly.
The color drained from Siyun’s face.
At the same time, a scene flashed through his mind. The man who had appeared at the most desperate moment. And that man asked in a composed voice.
“You look like you need help. Shall I?”
And now, just like yesterday, that man watched Siyun with the same unhurried ease.
Siyun stared at Gyohyun standing before him and felt confusion wash over him. Why is this man here, and where exactly is this place?
Siyun stepped back quickly, but stopped before long. There was nowhere left to retreat.
That was the moment. Gyohyun reached out a hand as he asked.
“Are you hurt any—”
“Hah!”
Siyun squeezed his eyes shut in alarm. His legs locked up — the thought of running didn’t even cross his mind. It felt as though cold air was rising all the way to his throat. His heart pounded violently, and trembling spread all the way to his fingertips. But contrary to his fears, Gyohyun’s hand didn’t touch him. The few seconds he stood with his eyes shut, tangled in fear and tension, felt endlessly long to Siyun.
“Did I startle you?”
He was still trembling when a gentle voice reached him.
Siyun cautiously opened the eyes he had squeezed shut. And once again, a strangled sound escaped him.
Gyohyun asked.
“Are you alright?”
Siyun looked at him with wary eyes.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you’d be that startled.”
Siyun flinched.
“Lee… Gyohyun?”
In that instant, the surroundings seemed to blur and ripple. He couldn’t tell whether any of this was real or a dream — the boundary had gone hazy. Meeting his eyes only made his head spin more.
Gyohyun’s eyes curved into a gentle expression. Siyun flinched again. An incomprehensible confusion surged through him. He couldn’t make any sense of why this man was here, or where here even was.
“How are you feeling?”
An unfamiliar space, unfamiliar air, and Gyohyun standing right in front of him. Everything swirled together and his heart beat out of rhythm. But the strangest thing was the man himself.
Siyun didn’t know how to respond — his lips moved but nothing came out.
Gyohyun’s lips curved up ever so slightly.
He appeared utterly at ease, in stark contrast to Siyun’s anxiety. His expression said as much, and his outfit did too — instead of the stiff suits Siyun had always seen him in, he wore a grey knit sweater with comfortable slacks, and his hair was different as well, his bangs falling naturally across his forehead rather than styled as usual.
“The doctor said you’d be aching all over for a while. Especially the back of your head….”
