Chapter 29: Affection (6).

Just look at me.

As befitting a large church, there were several buildings.

The most prominent building in front of me was the grand cathedral.

Behind it, three buildings called education centers were attached, followed by a mission center and a welfare center.

As grand in scale as they were, now long ruined, only a bleak and dark atmosphere lingered.

“I think we can go to the 5th floor of the grand cathedral.”

Kim Dae-geom, carrying a greatsword on his back, said as he took the lead. His name is strange, so I should shorten it and call him Mr. Kim.

“Ah, you said there’s a rift on the 5th floor? It’s my first time seeing one.”

“This humble one has never seen one either. I’m looking forward to it.”

The trio seemed full of enthusiasm.

Behind them, Chayeon, and finally Sira, followed, hunching over and looking around cautiously.

Since the building had been without electricity for a long time, the elevator was naturally out of service.

After finding the emergency stairs and climbing to the 5th floor, we followed the hallway, passing the choir room, nursery, infant room, and administrative office, finally reaching the grand cathedral at the end.

Usually, shouldn’t the place for worship be separated from these other facilities?

“Ah! There are other cathedrals from the 1st to 4th floors too.”

Ah answered Chayeon’s question.

Apparently, he used to frequent this church with his parents when he was young.

The interior of the grand cathedral resembled a huge lecture hall spreading out in an arch from the center. The podium in the middle was at the lowest point, and the structure gradually rose as it got further from the entrance. Chayeon, who had never been involved with church, was secretly surprised by the larger-than-expected interior.

When I looked down, I could see six men and women on the podium, each absorbed in something.

Some were installing equipment I had never seen before, while others were drawing geometric patterns on the floor with an unknown white powder, surrounding the center.

Next to them, someone was attaching talismans everywhere.

What should I say? It’s a hybrid.

And in the middle of it all, behind the podium, I saw something strange that I couldn’t just pass by.

Floating in the air, it felt like a bloody mass that had been ripped vertically, literally tearing the space.

The space was throbbing as if a pulse was beating from within, where the red and white flesh protruded.

It’s grotesque.

It was the rift I had only heard about.

A passage to the demon world that only Ineungnyeokja can see.

“Ah, are you the students who were supposed to come today?”

The person directing the group in the center discovered Chayeon and his group and strode up to them.

He was a man with sturdy shoulders and a dignified impression.

If the five people gathered at the entrance all gave off an amateurish vibe – although I couldn’t understand why even Sira gave off that impression – this man felt like a true professional.

That reliable-looking professional walked up the stairs, looked over the group, and then widened his eyes.

“…Bae, Baekgumiho-nim!?”

Where did the dignified voice from just a moment ago go? He suddenly made a sound like a deflated balloon.

Hoda-dak.

With movements best described as such, the man hurriedly climbed the stairs and bowed, almost bending his waist 120 degrees.

“Bae, Baekgumiho-nim! W-What brings you here!?”

Is this man the same person who had such a commanding presence just now?

What is with that servile smile?

He has the expression of a treacherous subject from a historical drama.

“Ah, th-that….”

Terrified by the man who had aggressively shoved his face close, Sira hid tightly behind Chayeon’s back with an expression as if she was about to cry.

Thanks to her, I was in agony.

Not Chayeon, but Heukgu.

“Seo, surely…?”

The man, looking over each person one by one, widened his eyes as if he couldn’t believe it.

Next to him, Mr. Go explained with a triumphant expression for some reason.

“This humble one has come to take on the escort mission today! Along with Baekgumiho, Jin Sira-nim!”

“Bae, Baekgumiho Jin Sira-nim?”

The man repeated Sira’s name as if he was hearing it for the first time.

“No! How can! Baekgumiho-nim escorting such a small rift sealing! No, no, this is just a student’s experiential learning, not an escort! Bringing Baekgumiho-nim to a place like this is unacceptable!”

The man waved his hands, sweating profusely.

Sensing something strange in the man’s atmosphere, the others who were working also began to come up to them one by one.

Their reactions were almost the same.

“Oh my! Baekgumiho-nim!?”

“Ah, no. Why is Baekgumiho-nim here?”

“It’s an honor!”

“Heuk! Save meee……!”

As more people gathered, Sira clung to Chayeon even more and hid.

She was almost hugging him now.

“Excuse me, so what are we supposed to do? And could you please back away a little, it’s stuffy.”

Chayeon, unable to watch any longer, stepped in to mediate.

“Do work? How could we dare to make Baekgumiho-nim’s group, even though you are students, do such menial tasks!”

“We came here to do an assignment…….”

“No! It can’t be! We can’t show such inferior chores to Baekgumiho-nim’s group! Follow me! I’ll escort you!”

The man, after instructing his colleagues to hurry up and do their work because he was escorting Baekgumiho-nim, hurriedly led Chayeon and the others out of the door.

Am I imagining things, or is he chasing us out rather than escorting us?

The man took the group to the first education center in the back building.

“I’m sorry. It seems that there is no intact place because the building has already been abandoned. This is the cleanest room. I wish I could escort you to a better place, but…”

They were led to the inner part of the preparation room on the first floor.

It was definitely a bit dusty, but it looked better than other places.

“I’m really sorry! We should have prepared in advance.”

The man consistently maintained that posture and handed out bottled water to the five students.

It seemed like they had prepared it for themselves to drink while working, but what were they going to do if they gave it all away like this?

It was incredibly burdensome.

“Th-thank you…………..”

Sira bowed her head the whole time and expressed her gratitude.

“No, no! We are really sorry. Actually, I wanted to tell you that you could go back, but I couldn’t do that until you completed your mission. We will finish the work as soon as possible! Please, rest comfortably! Then!”

The man spewed out words like a machine gun and quickly left the room.

Silence descended.

Ah broke the quiet atmosphere first.

“We have nothing to do now…?”

“Th-that’s right. As expected of Baekgumiho-nim!”

Mr. Go seemed happy about something.

He seemed pleased that he would get to slack off.

“It’s good to get a free ride.”

Actually, that was the same for Chayeon too.

As soon as he unknowingly spoke his thoughts out loud, the trio’s gaze gathered on him.

“That’s right. As expected of Chayeon-nim.”

“This humble one already knew that Chayeon-nim would say something like that.”

“Ah! Chayeon-nim, you think the same as me!”

What is with these guys?

It feels bad.

“Haa…! I was nervous.”

Sira, sitting next to Chayeon, released all the strength in her body and slumped in her seat.

“I’m glad that I don’t have to face a demon…”

“Glad? By any chance, are you afraid of demons, Sira-nim?”

“W-What are you saying! Baekgumiho Sira-nim being afraid of demons! What nonsense!”

“Ah! That’s right!”

Mr. Kim asked with a puzzled expression, but the person in question was silent, while the others were making a fuss.

“Th-that, th-that’s….”

Sira, once again flustered and not knowing what to do, as the trio became noisy.

But soon,

“Yes, that’s right.”

She readily admitted.

At those words, the trio was startled and began to bombard her with questions.

“You’re afraid of demons? Even someone like Sira-nim is like that.”

“H-how surprising, this is! This humble one thought that someone like Sira-nim would not be afraid of any demon and would defeat them!”

“Ah! Perhaps the demons that Sira-nim is afraid of are special class or royalty class? Indeed! What does a royalty-class demon feel like?”

“Save meee!” Hoeeeeeng!

To the trio’s pouring words, Sira clung to Chayeon’s arm like before.

Along with Sira’s cry of ‘Save me,’ it felt like I could hear an inner voice asking to be saved.

“Hey, everyone, calm down a little…”

Chayeon reached out his arm to try to stop the trio, but then he heard a sniffing sound from the side.

“Huh?”

Sniff-ha, sniff-ha.

She was smelling something.

Sira was smelling Chayeon.

Like last time, with her nose buried in him.

Sss-eup-

She inhaled deeply,

Haaa-

And exhaled deeply.

“Hey.”

“…Ah, Heek! S-sorryoo! I did it without realizing it!”

Only then did Sira realize that Chayeon was staring intently at her, and she fell off his arm.

As he stared intently, Sira avoided his eyes, trembling, and then began to speak.

“Th-that’s……………… the person I’m looking for, should I say. To be precise, my friend is looking for… well, a similar smell……………”

I couldn’t help but feel nervous at those words. No matter how I heard it, that ‘friend’ was Baekgumiho Shinryeong, and ‘looking for’ was Heukgumiho.

“・・・You distinguish people by smell?”

“Ah, no! Th-that’s………

・, Yes, that’s right, but…

Ah, but it doesn’t mean that Chayeon-ssi is that person………………”

Mumble-

“It’s just that I’m so curious…. Right now that person is said to be abroad…………. But Chayeon-ssi has a similar smell, so just-

“

That’s why I’m so curious….”

Sira continued with her unique drawing way of speaking.

“It’s the first timeoo. A person with a smell so similar to Heukgumiho.”

Ah, she said it.

At Sira’s statement, the trio, who had been watching their conversation, poured their attention once again.

“Indeed, Sira-nim came to find Heukgumiho-nim.” Heukgumiho!?

“Ah! If that’s the case, I understand! We were wondering why Sira-nim suddenly came back to Jindal!”

“Yes, neee…. But when I came back, I heard that Heukgumiho had gone far away now………….”

Watching Sira’s deflated appearance, Chayeon finally understood the situation.

The unidentified another Heukgumiho that exists in Jindal, which he had forgotten for a while.

Because everyone thinks of that person as Heukgumiho and believes it without a doubt, Chayeon was able to hide his Shinryeong.

Even Seohee doesn’t know that Chayeon is Heukgumiho.

And Sira seemed to know it that way as well.

Chayeon smells like Heukgumiho.

But the real Heukgumiho exists separately.

So Chayeon was a mysterious human who smelled like Heukgumiho.

<<Is that how it is.>>

Heukgu opened his mouth for the first time in a while, following Chayeon’s thoughts.

Still, he was gathering his energy.

“Ah! But why does Chayeon-nim smell like Heukgumiho-nim?”

Ah asked with innocent eyes as he put his finger on his chin as if passing by.

At those words, people’s gazes gathered.

“…Uh….”

What should I say?

“Th-that’s why I’m wondering toooo…………. Why is that…?”

I could feel Sira staring intently at me.

My throat was getting dry without realizing it.

I was unknowingly turning the cap of the bottled water.

Glug.

“Uh, that’s…”

Glug.

“I received a fox Shinryeong, and,”

Glug.

“Well, it turns out it’s a child of Heukgumiho, or something like that….”

<<……!>>

Chayeon, surprised by Heukgu’s surprised look, shut his mouth.

Suddenly, I turned to the side,

It was empty.

Empty eyes were staring intently at Chayeon.

“A child of Heukgumiho!?”

“So, Soin! This is the first time I’ve heard such a story!”

Mr. Kim and Mr. Go, who were in front of me, also reacted in surprise.

What is it?

The two in front of me were still reacting normally.

Sira’s reaction was unusual.

“Th, tha…….”

“Heu heu, Eek?

Ah, that’s, I see…. If that’s the case, I think it can be explainedooo…..”

But just for a moment, Sira returned to her timid self and trailed off.

What was that just now?

Glug.

Ah.

When I came to my senses, I had already emptied two bottles of water.

Once I realized it, I felt the urge to pee.

That’s a good thing.

“I’m going to the bathroom.”

Chayeon said as if spitting it out and quickly left the preparation room.

Twitch

“Team leader, deployment complete.”

“Team leader, the barrier is complete.”

“Team leader, sealing preparations are all set.”

“We will now begin the sealing…………, huh? What’s that?”

Twitch

“Team leader! Something’s wrong! The rift, the rift…!?”

Twitch.