As night deepened, the two of them set off toward the school. By then, Mu-ryeong’s mother had still not returned from the annex. Hwan-young, dressed in comfortable clothes instead of his school uniform, didn’t speak until they reached the wall, where he slowly opened his mouth."...You should have woken me up," Hwan-young said."Huh?" Mu-ryeong replied, looking at him in confusion. He, too, was dressed in casual athletic wear, and he responded with a nonchalant tone, squinting his eyes and rolling his gaze."Why wake you? It’s better if you sleep."When Mu-ryeong had seen Hwan-young fall asleep earlier, he immediately grabbed a blanket and covered him, making sure to adjust his posture so that he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. He also tucked a cushion under his head and removed Seolgi from his lap, all while Hwan-young’s eyes briefly fluttered open, and their gazes met.‘......’‘......’In that moment, Mu-ryeong felt a small pang of guilt. It seemed like Hwan-young was about to wake up. Knowing Hwan-young’s personality, he probably wouldn’t want to sleep. In those few seconds, Mu-ryeong had no idea what thoughts had crossed Hwan-young’s mind.‘...Ah.’Fortunately, Hwan-young closed his eyes again, shifting into a more comfortable position, cradling Seolgi and resting his head against the cushion. In a slow, relaxed tone, he muttered:‘So it was you...’Mu-ryeong wasn’t sure why he felt a flutter in his chest at those words. Perhaps it was because Hwan-young’s expression seemed at ease, or maybe it was because it seemed like he was relieved to know it was Mu-ryeong there with him.Either way, Hwan-young drifted back to sleep, and Mu-ryeong, sitting on the sofa, dozed off as well. After Seolgi fell asleep in his arms, neither of them woke up until the sky began to darken. The peaceful atmosphere lingered, with only the faint reddish glow of the sunset streaming through the living room window."I got some sleep, too," Mu-ryeong muttered, shrugging his shoulders and loosening his ankles. He then jumped up, grabbing the top of the wall. Like a wild animal, he swiftly scaled the wall and, reaching the top, slid his fingers through the wire fence, leaning back to peer down below."We look like a pair of thieves," Mu-ryeong said with a grin, mischief in his eyes. The pale moonlight seemed to settle into his disheveled hair.Hwan-young, watching his friend, turned his body toward the wall. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he could have sworn he saw Hwan-young’s ears turn a little red.After scaling the wall, they received spiritual energy in the backyard once more. This time, they held the position for exactly one minute. As Mu-ryeong maintained the posture, Hwan-young seemed to want to say something but then quickly closed his mouth when their eyes met.They made their way to the main building, where their classroom was located. The locked door was easily opened by a goblin summoned by Mu-ryeong. In exchange, Mu-ryeong tossed a ten-won coin into the air, and as the goblin hovered, Hwan-young remarked softly."This goblin of yours..."The flame-like goblin, which had been buzzing around, came to a stop in mid-air. As Hwan-young glanced at it, the fireball darted close to his face, making him squint slightly."I told you I’m keeping it hidden. What do you even use it for?" Hwan-young asked."Ah... it’s supposed to be with a grim reaper," Mu-ryeong explained.The blue flame grew larger and then shrank back. Clearly, it didn’t like being referred to as "something to be used." Mu-ryeong gently nudged the goblin away from Hwan-young with his spiritual energy."A grim reaper always has a goblin with them."Every grim reaper had a goblin assigned to them to assist with guiding souls. It was a strict rule—one goblin for one reaper, and it never changed."But if something happens to the reaper, the goblin is left alone," Mu-ryeong continued.The flame rose above Mu-ryeong’s head, and he pointed to the flame that had settled on his crown."The ones left behind are the ones who became like this."These were all goblins who had lost their masters. According to the rules, they should have been extinguished, and they weren’t supposed to be capable of expressing their will freely. If Mu-ryeong hadn’t saved them by chance, they likely wouldn’t even exist anymore."Like stray dogs," Hwan-young remarked."Well, it’s kind of the same," Mu-ryeong replied.The flame transformed into a small puppy shape. Its body was short and plump, much like Seolgi’s early days. As the little flame stood on Mu-ryeong’s head, it opened its tiny mouth boldly."What are you doing up ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) there?" Mu-ryeong asked with a chuckle, his eyes narrowing. He smiled so widely that deep dimples appeared in his cheeks.The flame quickly returned to its original form, and for its playful antics, it earned another ten-won coin from Mu-ryeong.The two of them made their way to Class 2-3. After Mu-ryeong opened the door and entered, he handed the goblin over to Hwan-young. The flame floated above Hwan-young’s head, settling there."I’m going to step out for a bit. You two wait here," Mu-ryeong said."Wait here? What about you?" Hwan-young asked."I just need to take care of something. I’ll be right back," Mu-ryeong replied before turning to leave. He paused for a moment, then turned back and gave Hwan-young a serious look."Don’t wander off. Wait here, okay?"Instead of answering, the goblin wobbled in the air, as if in agreement. Mu-ryeong smiled brightly at the sight.Hwan-young gave him a reluctant look but sat down near a desk by the door without any further complaint."…Hurry back," Hwan-young muttered under his breath."Yeah, don’t worry."Mu-ryeong said as he pulled a few ten-won coins from his pocket. The goblin eagerly zoomed toward them, but when Hwan-young clenched his fist around the coins, the goblin couldn’t snatch them away. Mu-ryeong smiled at the goblin’s defeated, blinking expression.This translation is the intellectual property of ."If it doesn’t listen, just give it a coin.""Like a dog treat or something?""Well, it’s not wrong."Mu-ryeong chuckled lightly, pulling on the door handle. The door, which had been halfway closed, swung wide open.Without looking back, Mu-ryeong walked out into the hallway and, as soon as he closed the door behind him, wiped the smile from his face."...."The usual gentle expression was replaced by a blank one. Even in the dark, his bright eyes were sharp with focus. Slowly crossing the hallway, Mu-ryeong extended his right hand. A soft whistle escaped his lips, and another flame appeared in the air."Go to the classroom and lock the door so Hwan-young can’t get out."He murmured the command to the flame, which, after receiving a coin, vanished into the air. Mu-ryeong continued walking, his steps quickening as he began to draw spiritual energy from deep within his abdomen.‘This should be enough.’It was Hwan-young’s energy. He had collected it over the past week, and just earlier in the backyard, he had gathered even more, carefully storing it inside himself. Layering his own energy over it, Mu-ryeong was preparing to deceive any evil spirits into thinking Hwan-young was still inside the safe confines of his body.The plan was flawless. The talismans were all in place, and Hwan-young was securely locked away. The goblin Mu-ryeong had assigned to him was instructed to keep him occupied and ensure he couldn’t leave.Mu-ryeong leapt up two stairs at a time, heading toward the upper floor—just like the last time he’d gone to capture Hwan-young. Reaching the rooftop door, he whistled once more to summon another flame."Please."The flame fluttered, quickly unlocking the door. It was the same lock Mu-ryeong had broken before, which had been replaced with a new one at school. He had probably been able to open it just like this back then, but his desperation had led him to break it down instead.The eerie sound of the metal door creaking open filled the air. The hot summer breeze rushed in, and in contrast, a chilling premonition brushed against Mu-ryeong’s neck. As he stepped onto the roof, he glanced around, taking in the surroundings."I should’ve put up this fence sooner... Right?"The flame swayed up and down. The railing where Hwan-young had once sat was now surrounded by a tall, sturdy wire fence for safety. Mu-ryeong could easily jump over it, but for an average student, it would be nearly impossible to attempt. Even if they managed to climb, the sharp barbed wire that wrapped around the top would make it far too dangerous.Mu-ryeong slowly turned his gaze upward, to the full moon that hung in the sky. The massive moon seemed unnaturally close tonight. If he stared at it long enough, it felt as though it might pull him in. After a moment, Mu-ryeong shifted his focus to the long shadow stretching across the ground beneath him."Good thing the shadow’s long."The flame floated behind Mu-ryeong, swelling up to three times its size. With the combined light of the moon and the flame, the shadow on the ground grew long enough to stretch as if an evil spirit could emerge from it."Ha..."Mu-ryeong slowly closed his eyes. The world turned pitch black, and the air around him grew more vivid.At that moment, he thought of the saddest thing he had ever experienced: the moment his beloved father passed away. It was the first time he had felt death so personally, the first time he had truly understood the feeling of losing someone.‘As much as I can...’The pain of death came from the realization that you could never see that person again. Even knowing that the afterlife existed, the despair of knowing you couldn’t share the same time again was inevitable. No matter how optimistic Mu-ryeong had learned to be, when his father had first passed, he had been consumed by that brief, overwhelming sadness.‘As much as I can, I want to feel sorrow...’His mood slowly began to dip. A wave of melancholy seeped into the energy that surrounded him, and the air grew heavier. Normally, Mu-ryeong would never let his energy fall into such despair, but today, it called out to the dark, inviting evil spirits.‘To bring him out...’Hwan-young had said it. Lately, Hwan-hee had stopped coming to find him. The younger brother who had always met him after school was no longer appearing. The reason Hwan-young had not shown his face, even though Mu-ryeong had not buried his energy, seemed obvious.‘It’s not because Hwan-young’s energy scared him...’It was because Hwan-young himself hadn’t been feeling down enough for Hwan-hee to appear. The spirit of his younger brother had been unable to leave, not because of fear, but because Hwan-young’s emotional state hadn’t reached a low point yet.To summon Hwan-hee, Hwan-young himself had to fall into despair.Mu-ryeong realized that on the night he had planned for the full moon. Just like the day of his younger brother’s death, the moment he had first encountered an evil spirit and contracted for the job. Hwan-young would have to be overtaken by grief once again.And at the same time, Mu-ryeong made a decision. If that wasn’t possible, then he would summon the evil spirits in Hwan-young’s place, wearing his face as a disguise.

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