Honbul: Flame of the Soul Chapter 264

When he opened his eyes, he saw a pure white ceiling.

Jaegyeom had woken up in a hospital. His vision still blurred, he looked around, then blinked and stared up at the white ceiling. A voice ca from beside him.

“Seventy-Seven!”

At the sound, Jaegyeom turned his head.

“You’re finally awake?”

Im Hyomun was lying in the bed next to his, one arm in a cast. Jaegyeom rembered crossing swords with the Leader, but nothing after that. For so reason, his head ached. He grabbed his throbbing head and asked,

“What happened?”

Jaegyeom and Im Hyomun had been admitted to a hospital affiliated with headquarters.

According to Im Hyomun, Byeoksadan’s attack had ended the previous night with the Gongju branch and the surrounding forest burned almost completely to the ground, leaving dozens injured. The only silver lining was that no one had died. The fire damage was so severe that extinguishing it had been difficult, and Naja had been dispatched to the site to speed up cleanup.

Because Byeoksadan had announced in advance that they would destroy the Gongju branch, the Office of Narye had made thorough preparations for the attack. Fortunately—or perhaps not—the damage was not as catastrophic as expected. The prevailing view was that they had staged the incident to demonstrate their influence and make an example of the branch. The injured Naja had been transferred either to the hospital affiliated with the Purification Unit or to headquarters treatnt rooms, depending on the severity of their injuries.

Jaegyeom and Im Hyomun had been found a few hours later, during a search of the area by Naja. They were discovered not far from the branch site. The Naja who found two unconscious probationary Naja who were not on the deploynt roster imdiately transported them to the hospital.

Im Hyomun had apparently been carrying the unconscious Jaegyeom on his back to escape when he inhaled smoke from the fire and soon lost consciousness himself. When he collapsed, he tumbled down a slope and was injured. Jaegyeom had escaped with only minor bruises, but Im Hyomun had unfortunately fractured his right arm.

Because both of them had inhaled smoke from the fire, they were supposed to remain hospitalized for a day or two to rest and stabilize.

Jaegyeom listened to Im Hyomun’s story in silence. In truth, there was sothing else he wanted to know more than anything. He had wanted to ask from the mont he opened his eyes.

He wanted to know whether Yoon Taehee was safe.

Just then, as if reading his mind, Im Hyomun said brightly,

“Your team is all safe too.”

The tension drained from Jaegyeom the mont he heard that. Thankfully, it seed Yoon Taehee was safe as well.

Still, it bothered him that there had been no word from Yoon Taehee, even though Taehee must already know that Jaegyeom had disobeyed him, secretly followed him to Gongju, and ended up in a treatnt room. Jaegyeom was looking around for his phone when—

“Oh? They’re talking about us on the news.”

Im Hyomun, who had settled onto Jaegyeom’s bed and was fiddling with the TV remote as if he owned the room, suddenly brightened. He sprang up, then imdiately winced.

“Ugh!”

He bent over, apparently hit by a stab of pain in his arm.

[...And now, our next story. A fire of unknown origin broke out on a mountain in Gongju early this morning, burning fifteen hundred square ters of forest before being extinguished two hours later. Police and fire authorities believe the blaze began with flammable materials discarded by a hiker and are investigating the exact cause. Fortunately, there have been no reported casualties or property damage...]

While fiddling with his phone, Jaegyeom discreetly studied Im Hyomun’s expression.

Im Hyomun looked calm, as though nothing had happened.

But for so reason, Jaegyeom felt uneasy.

He had no mory of anything after crossing swords with the Leader. The calamity god’s energy had already been unstable under the influence of the Buddhist power. He was worried he might have done sothing suspicious.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“You... have anything to say to ?”

Jaegyeom forced himself to sound casual.

Im Hyomun, who had been watching TV, slowly turned his head and stared at him. After a long mont, he opened his mouth.

“There was actually sothing I wanted to ask.”

Jaegyeom swallowed dryly without realizing it.

“Wh-what?”

Im Hyomun spoke with a serious expression.

“Did you learn swordsmanship too?”

“......”

Jaegyeom, who had been tense for a mont, dropped his head.

“Tell . Did you or didn’t you?”

“Fine. Let’s say I did.”

“Really? No wonder. Was it Haidong Gumdo? Daehan Gumdo?”

To Jaegyeom’s imnse relief, Im Hyomun did not seem to suspect anything else.

The calamity god’s seal was undone, and his condition yesterday had been especially unstable. Anything could have happened at any mont. But judging from Im Hyomun’s reaction, nothing suspicious seed to have occurred. For now, Jaegyeom decided he could breathe a little easier.

Still, there were a few more things he wanted to ask, just in case.

But he never got the chance to keep talking with Im Hyomun. As soon as Jaegyeom regained consciousness, word must have been sent out, because the Naja in charge of the field investigation ca to his hospital room and began questioning him about everything that had happened the previous day.

After that, everything beca a blur.

It seed they had co after hearing that he had not only faced Byeoksadan head-on, but had even crossed swords with their Leader.

“I was so surprised. No, seriously, listen to this.”

Before Jaegyeom could say a word, Im Hyomun launched into his own grand tale of the previous day’s heroics.

“This guy was so carsick he could barely think straight, but the second he grabbed a sword, his eyes completely changed!”

This was exactly why Jaegyeom had not wanted him involved.

Im Hyomun was as noisy as ever today. Still, it was a relief that he was safe and had not been seriously injured.

After the Naja who had co for the investigation left, a nurse ca by. Im Hyomun, who had been sitting beside Jaegyeom and chattering nonstop, was called away by the nurse for a mont.

The next visitors arrived in the anti.

They were the mbers of Team 1.

They had rushed over as soon as they heard Jaegyeom had woken up. Surrounded by his teammates, Jaegyeom had to endure a long scolding.

“What on earth were you thinking, going all the way there?”

Kang Ibin, in particular, scolded him fiercely. She had been furious ever since she heard that Jaegyeom had secretly followed them. Jaegyeom could not say anything back and only fidgeted.

“What would you have done if sothing had happened to you?”

Aside from Pyo Jiho suffering minor burns at the scene, every mber of the team was safe. After taking turns scolding Jaegyeom until he was almost in tears, the team finally left.

Alone in the hospital room, Jaegyeom collapsed back onto the bed.

His mind was a ss.

In any case, it was a relief that Yoon Taehee had not been hurt. He did think he had been a little reckless, but it could not be helped.

When Jaegyeom had thrust at the Leader’s side, he had been certain.

He was not concluding that it was Hwirim. But the question of why the Leader could wield Hwirim’s sword energy had arisen, and for the first ti, Jaegyeom had beco intensely interested in the Leader.

Yesterday, Jaegyeom had seized the opening. He could have aid for a more decisive, fatal strike.

But there were two reasons he had not.

In that mont, he had hesitated.

Should he act for Yoon Taehee’s revenge, or for his own death?

In the matter of Yoon Taehee’s revenge, Byeoksadan was an obvious and unwelco intruder. Yoon Taehee had dismissed the possibility, saying it would never happen, but Jaegyeom thought differently. If Byeoksadan and Yoon Taehee ultimately shared the sa goal, they would eventually beco an obstacle. To prepare for any possible outco, it would be better to nip a dangerous bud before it could grow.

That ant it would have been best to finish off the Leader then and there.

But Jaegyeom could not do it.

No.

He did not do it.

Because while Byeoksadan was an unwelco intruder obstructing Yoon Taehee’s revenge, they were also Jaegyeom’s final fallback. If Yoon Taehee failed to keep his promise and dying beca impossible, Jaegyeom would have no choice but to go to them and ask to be sealed. For the sake of that possible future, it would be troubleso to show unnecessary hostility or inflict too much harm.

The fact that, in the final mont of his confrontation with the Leader, he had not stabbed properly but only let the tip of his sword graze the Leader’s side could be called the product of that conflict.

It was the result of a mont’s hesitation.

But what had happened to the Leader he saw yesterday...?

He remained lost in thought for a long ti.

“Jaegyeom? Are you in there?”

Then, at so point, there was a knock on the door.

“It’s Han Juyoung.”

Jaegyeom flinched and sat up. He tensed at Han Juyoung’s unexpected visit. He °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° could not figure out why she had co.

Had he been caught for sothing?

His expression hardened as he stared at the hospital room door and answered. The door opened, and Han Juyoung appeared.

When their eyes t, Han Juyoung gave him a gentle smile.

“Are you feeling a little better?”

Jaegyeom lowered his gaze and nodded.

“Is walking difficult? Any trouble moving?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“That’s a relief.”

Han Juyoung nodded, then added, as if she had been waiting for that answer.

“A summons ca from above.”

“...What?”

A summons?

Jaegyeom lifted his head and looked at Han Juyoung.

“The director wishes to see you, Jaegyeom.”