Some time after Lim Hyomoon's lengthy discourse on the practical impact of college majors on career choices, he suddenly stood up.
"Oh, right! The drinks!"
He rushed to the vending machine, inserted a few bills, and then looked back at the table where Jaegyeom was sitting.
"Seven-seven, you want something to drink?"
"No, I'm good."
As Hyomoon pressed the buttons on the vending machine, cans of drinks fell out one after another. Finally completing his mission in the lounge, Lim Hyomoon placed the four cans of drinks he had on the table. Jaegyeom, who had been resting his chin in his hands, stared blankly at the four cans of drinks.
"Got a drought in your throat or something?"
Drought...? Wondering what he meant, Hyomoon made a puzzled face.
"What? How am I supposed to drink all these? The rest are for the seniors."
Jaegyeom muttered indifferently.
"Your seniors can't get their feet on the ground? Why do they make you do it?"
"No! I lost a bet on FriendsPang, that's why."
Hyomoon hastily waved his hands to clear any misunderstanding of malicious seniors exploiting the newcomer.
"FriendsPang? What's that..."
"Eh? You don't know FriendsPang?"
The game Lim Hyomoon mentioned was a popular smartphone game of the moment. It involved connecting identical characters in a line to score points, with the key being to achieve a high score.
Although it seemed like a simple game that could quickly become tiresome, it was perfect for killing time, integrated with phone messengers to compete with friends, hence its popularity. It stimulated a competitive spirit.
"How can you not know? Seven-seven -ah, are you really a teenager?"
When Jaegyeom glared menacingly, Hyomoon scratched his nose.
"Well... maybe you're too busy studying to know. Do teenagers these days not play these games? My peers are all into it. Once you get hooked, there's no turning back."
Lim Hyomoon, looking somewhat embarrassed, fiddled with his piercing then took out his phone.
"Wanna see how it's played?"
He quickly launched the app and pressed the start button for the game.
Ready! Go!
As the game began, a charming background music played Jaegyeom, who enjoyed games, instinctively leaned in like a heron to watch Hyomoon's gameplay. The game's rules appeared straightforward at first glance.
Hyomoon, claiming to demonstrate, played the game with a combativeness. Focused on the game, his lips puckered like a bird's beak, making a comical expression. However, despite his concentration, his skill was lackluster. As time mercilessly ticked away and the puzzles failed to stand out, Hyomoon's hands became increasingly jittery.
"...There, below, below."
Jaegyeom, having roughly grasped the game's rules, couldn't help but offer advice.
"Where, where? Where?"
"Right there, one row down."
"Where?! I can't see!"
Wasn't it just about connecting three identical shapes? It was clear as day, but even when told, Lim Hymoon couldn't see it. Frustrated, Jaegyeom eventually pushed his finger forward to move the block himself.
"Dumbass, it's right here!"
With a bang, the score shot up, and a cute voice announced, "Game Over!" The 60 seconds flew by in the blink of an eye. After a minute of struggle, Lim Hyomoon's score was 210,000 points.
"Kyaa! I should've just used the bomb instead of saving it!"
He writhed in regret, pulling at his blond hair.
"Man, you really suck at this. How many times do I need to show you before you find it?"
Jaegyeom chided him with a bored expression.
"It looks easy when you're watching from the side, but it's actually hard when you try it yourself. You try it."
Lim Hyomoon, feeling challenged, handed over the phone
"Let's see how well you do."
consoles I've annihilated up until now? This is like eating rice cakes lying down, a piece of cake...
Ready! Go!
As soon as the game started, Jaegyeom's face stiffened. Everything that seemed clear while watching became a jumbled mess. His hands moved hesitantly, contrary to his intent, as his heart raced.
Lim Hyomoon wore a victorious smile. It seemed like Jaegyeom barely moved any blocks before the game was over.
"Wh- what, it's over already?"
Jaegyeom tapped the screen in confusion.
70,000 points...
"..."
".."
Lim Hyomoon covered his mouth to hide his laughter at the meager score.
"Seven-seven, you really... like '7, don't you?"
He laughed heartily, gripping his stomach. It was a case of getting a taste of his own medicine, a practice of empathy. Jaegyeom's expression turned sour at the irritating sight.
That damn brat..!
"Hey. Again. That one doesn't count."
"Why! What do you mean it doesn't count! You need to graciously accept defeat, Seven-seven."
"I didn't even know how to play this properly. Teach me exactly how to do it and let's play again fairly. It's only fair if I fully understand it."
Jaegyeom glared at the bleached-haired man with wide eyes.
"Hurry up and start again."
"It's no fun just playing. I'll think about it if we make a bet."
"A bet? What kind of bet?"
"How about the person with the lower score treats the other to a movie?"
Jaegyeom grumbled, his competitive spirit provoked.
"Ah! Fine, got it. Just start it already."
It was quite natural for Jaegyeom to get hooked on the game. The reason he immersed himself in gaming was simple. While life may lack a clear purpose, games were filled with objectives. Achieving high scores to surpass past records and defeating boss monsters to advance to the next level represented significant progress that could be made from the confines of a room, the easiest form of accomplishment to obtain. During moments of gaming immersion, distracting thoughts vanished. He could escape the chain of thoughts pondering when this life began to go awry.
Ready, go!
As he and Lim Hyomoon tackled the jumbled puzzle together, Jaegyeom thought that not letting the 7212 bus pass him by this morning might have been okay after all.
It was that moment when he realized that there was no point in taking a different bus to work instead of the 7212 bus.
***
Jeongtak, have you ever heard of the Byeoksadan?
Yeah, that ghostly group commanded by Master Yeohye. I recently heard a fascinating story about the Byeoksadan. The leader of the sect is said to be a formidable evil spirit. According to rumors, the leader possesses a mystical ability to change their appearance at will.
Sometimes they appear as an old man with white hair, other times as a young adult, and they have even been known to take the form of a toddling baby. Of course, these are just rumors, and whether you believe them or not is up to you. But I believe it because I've heard stories.
Ah, but that's not the important part. The leader's appearance isn't what matters. After all, there's no clear information about who the leader is. But there is one particularity: whenever the leader of the Byeoksadan makes an appearance, they always wear a red cloak.
I'm not particularly interested in the leader.
However, I am somewhat curious about that cloak. I'm not sure what kind of magic is involved, but that red cloak is said to contain a very special power. Merely touching it can open closed ears and make blind eyes see. Even a mere human can experience this.
What do you think, Jeongtak? Isn't it fascinating?
"What, it's interesting, but... why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?"
Having listened intently to the lengthy tale, Seo Jeongtak blinked and snapped out of it. This caused Kim Seokcheol, who had been deeply engrossed in his storytelling, to lose his momentum.
"As always, you're as clueless as a dog's nose."
Kim Seokcheol grimaced and shook his head in disbelief while holding the steering wheel.
"Did you even listen to what I said? Touching the leader's red cloak opens your senses, makes your eyes open wide! Jeongtak, do you even understand what I'm talking about?"
Kim Seokcheol and Seo Jeongtak were currently driving through a rural area surrounded by fields. Two hours had passed since they departed, and Jeongtak was sitting in the passenger seat, cheerfully observing the scenery outside. Jeongtak seemed to be having trouble grasping the situation. Waiting for a response, Kim Seokcheol eventually tapped the steering wheel in frustration.
"We're heading to the headquarters of the Byeoksadan right now!"
At Kim Seokcheol's outburst, Seo Jeongtak's eyes widened in shock.
"What?! What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
Kim Seokcheol stroked his scruffy beard with a grave look.
"I got the information from a reliable source. It's about time we start our own temple, don't you think? Haven't we done enough up till now?"
Having suffered from an unknown illness for a long time, Kim Seokcheol visited a renowned shaman in the area a few years ago and underwent a ritual to be cured and entered the path of shamanism.
Even though he had received the calling, he was just a fledgling shaman. To become a full-fledged shaman, one must undergo an apprenticeship under the guidance of a spiritual parent. After dedicating oneself to prayer and study and reaching a certain level, like a baby bird leaving the nest, one would set up their own temple.
Age was irrelevant in this field, so Kim Seokcheol, who was already in his mid-forties when he received his calling, naturally started as an apprentice. His spiritual parent had several apprentices besides him, one of whom was Seo Jeongtak. Warm-hearted and affectionate, Seo Jeongtak referred to Kim Seokcheol as 'hyung' and closely followed him. Jeongtak was about the age of Kim Seokcheol's nephew.
The two became close mainly because they both lacked 'talent.' Naturally, every shaman dreams of standing on their own. While other apprentices were setting up their temples, Kim Seokcheol and Seo Jeongtak were showing poor results. As the years passed, the former became increasingly impatient.
"Jeongtak, listen. I heard that touching the leader's cloak makes you feel like all your senses are opened and you can hear the voices of the spirits as clearly as if they're speaking right beside you."
Seo Jeongtak finally realized what Kim Seokcheol was talking about.
"Hyung, don't tell me..."
Initially, he had followed the other man on a drive to get some fresh air.
"So you're saying we're going to touch the leader's cloak to gain spiritual power, is that it?"
Something felt off.
The car gradually made its way into a more secluded area, Hwagok-myeon, Juwang 2-ri. After passing a large stone monument serving as a landmark, they came across a bridge. Despite the creek under the bridge being completely dried up, there was still a fishy smell in the air. It was clearly not a place for a leisurely drive.
Eventually, Seo Jeongtak couldn't help but plead.
"Hyung! Turn the car around right now, are you crazy?"
But they were already nearing their destination.
"Who said anything about stealing the cloak? We're just going to meet and talk, maybe just touch it a bit. I was coming alone but thought of you and decided to bring you along, all for your sake."
"Hyung! Are you in your right mind? Do you really believe that? How do you know if it's true or not?"
"Even if it's just a rumor, what have we got to lose? How long are we going to live like this? Well, you're young, so what worries could you have, but for me, this is a lifeline."
As they argued, the car traveled on an unpaved road. The place where the car stopped was a mountain in the countryside not marked on any map. A wooden totem pole stood at the deserted entrance of the mountain, its sharp eyes seemingly glaring at Kim Seokcheol and Seo Jeongtak.
The latter leaned out of the car window to look up at the mountain.
It wasn't very tall but was fairly dense with trees. It was clear that it was a place untouched by human feet, isolated from the mountain range and standing alone in the wilderness. The mountain's spiritual energy felt eerily silent and heavy.
Undoubtedly, it was a mountain hiding something.
"Hyung. Please, let's just go back, okay? If we diligently offer prayers, the divine spirits will respond. What are you going to do if you mistakenly mess with malevolent spirits and end up possessed?
Especially since you said it's a formidable evil spirit..."
Eventually, Seo Jeongtak, on the verge of tears, grabbed the arm of Kim Seokcheol, who was holding the steering wheel. However, the man, indifferent to Jeongtak's plea, engaged the handbrake.
"How can we go back after coming all this way? Don't say such nonsensical things. If you're really that scared, Jeongtak, just stay in the car. 'll go alone and come back."
After finishing his words, Kim Seokcheol got out of the car. Seo Jeongtak, restless and unable to decide, eventually flung open the passenger door. He wasn't confident about climbing the mountain, but he couldn't let him go alone either.
"Ah, hyung! I'll come with you!"
He reluctantly followed Kim Seokcheol.