Chapter 34 …
Clink—metal bells chimed in the wind. The sound wasn’t clear, which gave it an ominous edge…
Haje quietly watched the black sedan parked still in front of the villa.
Before long, the window slowly rolled down, and the man inside, who had been staring intently at Haje, stepped out of the car.
He wore a neat suit and pitch-black sunglasses. His hair was immaculately groomed.
Was he a model? His tall, handsome appearance looked almost unreal.
“…Are you, perhaps, Kwon Haje?”
In that instant, something struck the back of Haje’s head with a thud.
Even the breeze felt strange. The density of the air dropped, and everything around him seemed to blur.
No—what was blurring wasn’t his vision. It was reality itself.
The sound of a gong pierced his ears.
As the drumbeat that seemed to vibrate through his chest made his head spin, Haje suddenly raised his face.
Crowds of people passed by—some in pure white robes, others in multicolored clothes offering prayers.
And at the very end, a young child sat quietly, staring at him.
Those eyes, gazing at him amid the throng, were no different from his own.
Which meant—that child, like him, was destined to walk the path of becoming a disciple of the gods.
“…Kwon Haje.”
Did the child just see him? No—that was impossible. This was a fragment of memory shown to him through a spiritual vision.
But in that fleeting moment, the child called his name while looking at him. And then, another face overlapped with the child’s.
Haewon Doryeong, Ryu Jiheon. The moment that name crossed his mind, his breath tightened sharply.
Thump, thump, thump—the drumbeat grew louder and closer.
「Child!」
His grandmother’s cry snapped him back to reality. He gasped, breath ragged, and his legs gave out, dropping him to the ground.
Everyone around him moved in slow motion, leaving lingering afterimages, but only the child’s face remained vividly seared into his mind.
No—what stayed even clearer was not just the child’s face.
“That village.”
The place he had just seen in the vision was unmistakably—
“…Cheonggye Valley.”
It was the same place that kept appearing in his dreams, the same place that kept connecting to the incidents unfolding around him.
It was that village, without a doubt.
“…Don’t tell me, even that person is involved?”
Haje shook his head several times, trying to shake off the haze between vision and reality, and drew in a deep breath.
Only then did he realize—someone had called his name.
He slowly turned his head toward the man standing before the villa. Normally, if someone collapsed when called, one would rush over to check on them. But this man only gazed at him steadily, as though nothing had happened, as though he had foreseen it all.
As Haje drew in a short breath, the man’s lips curled into a faint smile.
“Are you alright?”
Before he realized it, the man had come closer. Haje, still dazed, forced a nod, though his fingertips were ice cold.
Trying to ground himself, he pushed against the ground and lifted his body halfway, looking up at the man from one knee.
“Yes, I’m fine. I just… felt dizzy all of a sudden.”
“Yes, that much was clear.”
What a strange man.
His pitch-black sunglasses hid his eyes, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking—unnerving, to say the least.
“You awakened faster than I expected.”
The remark was oddly unsettling.
There was no mistaking it now—this man was walking the same path as him.
Though others might not sense it, Haje could clearly feel the faint trace of incense on him, along with the subtle aura of a shaman.
“…What?”
“…Nothing.”
Startled, Haje asked, but the man merely shrugged and shook his head, offering no explanation.
It was the first time they’d met—so why had his grandmother shown him that vision?
The clang of gongs, the pounding of drums, a fleeting shamanic ritual…
Even the conversation felt oddly familiar. To call it strange would be an understatement.
“…Who are you?”
Finally managing to get to his feet, Haje asked cautiously.
The man kept a brief silence before bowing politely.
“Hello, Mr. Kwon Haje. Or should I say, Byulsang Doryeong?”
“……”
“I am Haewon Doryeong, Ryu Jiheon.”
It felt like a blow to the head.
That man he had seen in the vision—was Haewon Doryeong this person?
Come to think of it, aside from the sunglasses, his features did resemble the one in the video.
Narrowing his eyes, Haje studied his face closely—until Jiheon’s bright smile came into view.
‘Could this be the guest for today?’
The thought barely formed when a bell rang softly in his mind.
It sounded like an affirmation.
The completely unexpected appearance of this man left Haje speechless.
“…Did you come looking for me?”
“No, not exactly. I’m not that shady. It’s just—my grandfather kept insisting I head this way. I figured he wanted to show me something.”
When Jiheon lowered his sunglasses, his refined features came into full view.
His first impression was composed. His skin glowed as if touched by light, his eyes slanted gracefully, his nose smooth and straight. Nothing seemed exaggerated, yet his features were striking.
His brown hair, slicked back with pomade, gave him a soft air. Dressed in a fine shirt, he looked more like the director of an art gallery than a shaman.
Overall, his appearance was gentle. And yet—even as he smiled, it didn’t feel like a real smile.
His gaze on Haje pierced like a blade. Behind the softness lingered only a chill.
“To think I’d find such a great harvest.”
The words carried such an eerie undertone that Haje instinctively stepped back.
“I only had business nearby and happened to pass through. No need to worry.”
“…No, that doesn’t sound quite right.”
After all, he too had received a vision warning that someone would come.
As he hesitated, facing Jiheon, the sound of footsteps descending the stairs reached them from behind.
“Kwon Haje!”
At the familiar voice, Haje turned his head. Do-hyun was bounding down from the third floor, two steps at a time.
His hurried strides and ragged breaths carried an unmistakable sense of alarm.
“…Gong Dohyun?”
By the time he reached the first floor, sunlight streamed across his sharply defined features. Sweat dampened the black T-shirt stretched across his broad shoulders.
“What’s going on?”
“What do you mean, what’s going on? I was just… talking with this person.”
Haje gestured faintly toward Jiheon. Following his hand, Dohyun turned his head and narrowed his brows.
Then his expression shifted. The usual hints of mischief or languid speech were gone.
Holding his breath before letting it out slowly, Dohyun studied Jiheon intently, as if trying to read his aura in an instant.
“…Who are you?”
Dohyun’s brows twitched as he asked. His voice was low and firm, as though meant to break the other’s composure.
But Jiheon remained calm. He smiled a beat too late and slowly met Dohyun’s gaze.
“I am Haewon Doryeong, Ryu Jiheon. I don’t know if that name means anything to you.”
“Yes. I know who you are.”
The reply was short. But the way the muscles in Dohyun’s throat tightened spoke volumes.
He didn’t want to know—so strongly that even Haje could sense it. The tension was unbearable.
“Haha, I’m honored you know me. A pleasure. And you are…?”
Jiheon tilted his head slightly, still smiling.
But Dohyun didn’t so much as blink. His glare was sharp and unwavering.
“Neither honored, nor pleased. I’m Gong Dohyun. I live next door to Mr. Kwon Haje.”
“You seem like one of us.”
“I don’t see why I owe you an answer.”
Their words were sharp, their gazes unyielding. Even though Haje stood between them, it felt suffocating.
He wanted to say something—anything—to break the tense silence, but no words came.
“That aside, why did you come running down like that?”
As if humming to himself, Jiheon glanced briefly at Haje, then shifted his gaze back to Dohyun.
His voice carried a teasing note, as though deliberately trying to provoke.
“Seeing you rush down like that… were you worried about being with Haje?”
