Honbul: Flame of the Soul Chapter 83

“Seriously. What a pathetic show.”

Hwang Seungsu patted down the places the bleached-haired examinee’s hands had touched, as if dust had gotten on him. Then he seed to look down at the bleached-haired examinee for a while with pitying eyes before turning his gaze to Jaegyeom with a smile.

“Thank you, Jaegyeom.”

Hwang Seungsu clearly thought Jaegyeom, who had to be another recomndation candidate, had taken his side.

“What shitty luck on the first day, honestly. It’s always the people with nothing who co charging in with an inferiority complex. They don’t even know to be grateful when you treat them decently...”

Right? Hwang Seungsu was turning to the other recomndation candidates nearby and playing it off shalessly when one of them shot back with a serious expression.

“Hey, Hwang Seungsu. What kind of thing is that to say?”

It was Kim Semin, who had finished introducing himself earlier.

Now that Kim Semin had stepped in, Hwang Seungsu narrowed his eyes at him with a look that said, What is this now?

“Let’s keep this reasonable. What, are you trying to split everyone into sides and start a fight? What exactly are you so unhappy about? Why are you so desperate to pick a fight with the people from the apprentice track?”

At that, Hwang Seungsu gave a snort of laughter and latched onto his wording.

“Pick a fight? How is this picking a fight? I’m just looking at the objective facts. Honestly, I don’t even understand why we took the first exam with apprentices. We were selected separately, and we’ve already been filtered once. Are we the sa as those people?”

For a mont, Kim Semin was speechless.

Because it was absurd.

The standard for passing had been fair, and even if their backgrounds were different, everyone here had t the proper requirents. That was why they were here.

There were plenty of apprentices who had passed with scores similar to the recomndation candidates, or even better than theirs. But Hwang Seungsu had not shown so overwhelming ability like Jaegyeom. He had passed with perfectly average skill, yet he was busy looking down on others.

Kim Semin spoke in a cold voice.

“That must be the only thing you have to boast about, Hwang Seungsu.”

With those words, Kim Semin turned his back on him and joined the group worrying over the bleached-haired examinee.

The other recomndation candidates, however, only stood still and watched the situation. They had been conscious all along of the fact that Hwang Seungsu’s older brother was an active senior Naja in the Exorcism Unit.

There was a reason Hwang Seungsu could hold himself so arrogantly.

Senior Naja was a fairly high rank. One more promotion, and he would be chief Naja. And if he belonged to the Exorcism Unit on top of that, his power and status were considerable. Thinking of the future, it was better to build that connection in advance.

The Exorcism Unit was the core of the Office of Narye. Among the recomndation candidates, Hwang Seungsu was the only one who had said he had been nominated by an Exorcism Unit Naja.

“Haha, I guess you haven’t spent much ti in society, Semin...”

Hwang Seungsu’s gaze, leaking derision, touched Jaegyeom.

When their eyes t, he chuckled. Then, without anyone asking, he began giving advice.

“Jaegyeom. You’re still young, so you probably don’t know yet, but the most important thing in society is connections. Connections. People stay with their own kind, right? You don’t need to mingle with people like that. Everyone plays in water that suits their level.”

Jaegyeom picked at his ear with a bored face.

“You’re a recomndation candidate too, Jaegyeom, aren’t you? A gold pass in our sa cohort—wow, what an honor. Oh, where are you aiming for? You’re talented, so if you’re aiming for the Exorcism Unit, tell . I’ll put in a good word with my brother.”

Hwang Seungsu continued with an affable smile.

“By the way, who recomnded you? It’s okay if I speak casually, right?”

Hwang Seungsu spoke warmly and put a hand on Jaegyeom’s shoulder.

At that, Jaegyeom furrowed his brow at once and smacked the hand off his shoulder.

“Don’t cling to .”

The people nearby widened their eyes and stared at Jaegyeom.

The bleached-haired examinee, who had taken off his sock and was checking his toes, also lifted his head in surprise.

The smile vanished completely from Hwang Seungsu’s face.

Jaegyeom glared and added coldly.

“I have no intention of playing in shit water, so get lost.”

A silence settled over the conference room for a while.

“......”

“......”

“......”

After a long mont, Hwang Seungsu let out a hollow laugh.

“Haha. You two really are a pair.”

His voice sounded fairly calm, but his face had flushed slightly.

“As expected of soone so impressive that he got a gold pass. You really are different.”

Hwang Seungsu sneered coldly and ca closer.

Jaegyeom had stepped in to stop the commotion, but it had only provoked Hwang Seungsu’s temper even further. Hwang Seungsu’s air was much more vicious than when he had been dealing with the bleached-haired examinee.

Jaegyeom answered in a bored tone.

“Hey. I absolutely have to beco a Naja. I don’t want to ruin it here, so I’m asking you—don’t get in the way of soone else’s life. Just sit down and shut up.”

The successful candidates blinked in confusion.

It was startling to see a boy with such a young face argue back without hesitation. The bleached-haired examinee stared at Jaegyeom with wide eyes.

“I don’t know how impressive your brother is, but didn’t he tell you not to run your mouth? My backer told to stay quiet.”

Jaegyeom, sighing, muttered indifferently.

Jaegyeom’s backer, sitting in the darkness, was watching the current situation with great interest. Chin propped on one hand, he was looking at only one person with eyes that said he was having the ti of his life.

“Oh, my. Your backer must be pretty worthless if he can’t even clean up afterward for you. You even got the gold pass, and he still made you watch yourself. How frustrating for you.”

Hwang Seungsu laughed as if trying to provoke him.

It looked as if he were desperate to crush Jaegyeom sohow.

Because Hwang Seungsu kept latching onto every little thing he said, Jaegyeom beca more and more annoyed.

“You’ve been whining about the gold pass at the end of every sentence.”

Jaegyeom looked crookedly up at Hwang Seungsu.

“Do you, perhaps, have so kind of inferiority complex?”

At that instant, Hwang Seungsu’s face went rigid.

SMACK!

In the end, Hwang Seungsu failed to control his anger and struck Jaegyeom across the head. At the sudden blow, Jaegyeom’s upper body swayed sharply.

As if ti had stopped, the entire conference room froze.

“Ah, fuck...”

Jaegyeom, still frozen in place, clutched his head.

There had been fairly strong ghostly force carried in Hwang Seungsu’s hand. A heavy pain followed in the head that had been struck without warning. It was not just numb—it stung.

“You crazy bastard!”

The bleached-haired examinee shot to his feet and shoved Hwang Seungsu hard by the shoulder.

“Hey, Hwang Seungsu! Are you out of your mind?”

Apprentice or recomndation candidate, the successful candidates rushed to surround Jaegyeom.

“You even put ghostly force into it. Are you sane?”

“What are you doing to soone so much younger than you?”

“Jaegyeom, are you okay? Oh, what do we do?”

Jaegyeom sharpened a blade in his heart while first swallowing down the dull ache.

Ah, that fucking bastard... You’re dead...

That was when a sudden BANG ca from the back.

Everyone’s gazes turned that way at once.

Because only the front of the conference room had its lights on, it was dark and hard to see clearly, but soone was sitting in the very last row. It seed that, while seated, the person had kicked the table; the tables set at regular intervals had been shoved one after another.

The flustered successful candidates exchanged glances.

“Dogfighting on the first day, is it?”

Yoon Taehee, who had been sitting with his legs crossed, rose lightly.

Each ti he stepped forward, the heels of his shoes struck the floor with a steady click, click. When he reached the lit area, Yoon Taehee stopped walking.

The bleached-haired examinee and Hwang Seungsu, who had been facing off, hurriedly widened the distance between them.

The other successful candidates who had been surrounding Jaegyeom also retreated while watching the mood.

The successful candidates did not know who Yoon Taehee was.

If he had been wearing a mask, they would at least have realized he belonged to the Exorcism Unit. But unlike usual, Yoon Taehee was not wearing a mask, and his bare face was fully exposed.

Wearing a tight black shirt and dress pants, with neither jacket nor tie, Yoon Taehee looked over the successful candidates.

“Don’t you know? Love your cohort, love your country. Why are you all fighting?”

At the playful words, the successful candidates’ faces filled with dismay.

We’re screwed...

Since when had he been here? Since when had he been watching?

Judging by the formal clothes, he was definitely a senior Naja. There was a high chance he was the Naja who had co to conduct orientation.

“Hello. First of all, congratulations on passing the first exam.”

The senior Naja offered his greeting belatedly.

The successful candidates, who had been standing there awkwardly and watching the situation, imdiately bowed their heads and answered, “H-hello, sir.”

In that gap, Yoon Taehee smiled and looked at his junior.

“......”

Jaegyeom, who had only belatedly discovered Yoon Taehee, opened his eyes wide.

He said he would not return until nightti, so why are you here...

When Jaegyeom seed about to part his lips and say sothing, Yoon Taehee quickly sent him a look.

It seed to an, Don’t act like you know .

Jaegyeom stared hard at Yoon Taehee.

Now that he thought about it, it had been several days since he had seen him. Perhaps because it had been so long, Yoon Taehee looked unfamiliar.

Looking more closely, Jaegyeom saw that, unlike usual, his bangs were pushed up...

Jaegyeom felt strangely excited.

As if he were glad to see him.

Jaegyeom’s gaze touched Yoon Taehee’s right hand.

The half-cast on his hand was gone. It was thanks to the care he had received from the Purification Unit while going in and out of the treatnt room after his return to work. His broken finger and the wounds left on his body had already nearly healed.

Then Yoon Taehee, who had been silent for a mont, opened his mouth.

“Hwang Seungsu?”

Hwang Seungsu, standing there with a tense face, clasped his hands together.

Here it cos.

The successful candidates, who had ultimately been dragged into this exactly as feared, darkened as if waiting for punishnt. Since they had shown this ugly ss on the very first day...

The senior Naja had had a proper smile hanging on his face from the mont they first saw him. Yet there was so inexplicable pressure about him, and the mood in the conference room was like thin ice.

“You said your older brother is a Naja in the Exorcism Unit.”

Yoon Taehee spoke while loosely perching on the table.

At that, Hwang Seungsu flinched and lifted his head.

He had naturally thought Yoon Taehee would ask why they were fighting, what had happened, or take issue with the situation from a mont ago.

Instead, Yoon Taehee asked the question as if it were nothing.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Excuse , but what’s your brother’s na?”

“Hwang. Hwang Hyeonsu.”

“Ah, Senior Naja Hwang from Team 3...”

Yoon Taehee nodded as if he understood.

At that, Hwang Seungsu, who had been keeping his gaze politely lowered, gulped.

Does he know my brother...?

“He’s capable. His skills are outstanding too.”

He was lucky.

Hwang Seungsu’s face brightened visibly.

If this person knew his brother and knew what sort of man he was, that ant he was connected to Hwang Seungsu too. In that case, the situation might be resolved more easily than he expected. Sudden relief ca over him.

Then Yoon Taehee added with a smile.

“I was wondering what you were trusting in to run your mouth like that. I suppose you had reason.”

Huh?

Hwang Seungsu snapped his head up.

“Hwang Seungsu.”

“Y-yes?”

Yoon Taehee swept his index finger over the table as if brushing away dust, then opened his mouth in a low voice.

“You said the most important thing in society is connections.”

At the abrupt words, Hwang Seungsu looked flustered.

They were the sa words Hwang Seungsu had ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) given Jaegyeom as advice earlier.

“Connections are important, of course. But more important than that...”

Yoon Taehee raised his index finger and tapped lightly near his own eye.

“Is reading the room. Reading the room. Understand? You need to be good at that...”

Yoon Taehee trailed off and looked into Hwang Seungsu’s eyes.

“To tell whether you’re allowed to crawl up or not.”

To Hwang Seungsu, the words only sounded baffling.

From a seat so distance away, Jaegyeom rubbed his head and narrowed his eyes at Yoon Taehee.

Feeling his gaze, Yoon Taehee turned his head and looked at Jaegyeom.

The smile gradually vanished from Yoon Taehee’s face.

“He hates it when people crawl up at him. Our lord does...”