The Night Of The Untraced Chapter 10

There exists something called “Gwimae”. It’s a manifestation of life itself, born from nature, the embodiment of life inherent in nature. It encompasses beings like goblins and spirits, transcendent entities beyond comparison with humans. Souls can achieve both annihilation and enlightenment, but for Gwimae, nothing was possible once they were born. There was no going back, so they couldn’t be enlightened, and since they weren’t entities to resist, they couldn’t be annihilated.

So, what’s the problem with these Gwimae? If only they could be left alone, but unfortunately, they exerted negative influences on other living beings. An evil energy, thick with anger, inexplicably made others’ hearts sick.

It was okay if someone alive encountered them. A sickened heart could be cured. But for souls that had already lost their shells, it was a problem.

The expression for a soul that couldn’t follow the Lion (messenger) and got lost on the road, when staying too long in the afterlife, they gradually lost what they had. First, they lost reason and thought, then memory, and finally, if they lost their mind, they became irreversibly wicked spirits. The energy of Gwimae exacerbated this process.

However, where there’s harm, there’s also protection. Those who protect humans from spiritual beings are called exorcists, and the organization they belong to is called the Exorcists’ Association.

Exorcists are divided into two categories: those who extinguish evil spirits and those who track down and seal Gwimae.

And the latter is none other than Kim Muheun, the Gwimae hunter.

“So?”

“Just trust me.”

His gentle smile was truly trustworthy. I almost found myself nodding without realizing it.

Seungjoo, with his stiffened neck about to move, asked with a disgusted expression, “Are you saying we’ll encounter Gwimae again?”

After encountering the unknown wild boar earlier, Seungjoo fainted in Muheun’s arms. When he regained consciousness, it was late at night, and Muheun was sitting next to him on the bed as if nothing had happened. Fortunately, neither of them was naked this time, but that wasn’t the important part.

“What the hell happened?”

Muheun explained that the wild boar was a Gwimae and the scent Seungjoo had smelled was the energy of Gwimae. He said he had sealed the Gwimae safely and brought the fainted Seungjoo to his officetel because he thought his parents would be shocked.

After explaining the danger of Gwimae and the connection to exorcists in detail, Muheun finally revealed what he was going to do.

“Probably.”

“… ”

From ghosts to now Gwimae, Seungjoo couldn’t believe he was seeing such things. If such words came out of Kim Muheun’s mouth, it meant there was a high probability it was true. It meant a creature as rare as a Gwimae, which most exorcists never see in their lifetime.

“But… you sealed it earlier, didn’t you?”

“I did. That wild boar we saw earlier.”

Wasn’t that the end of it? Surely there wouldn’t be several Gwimae in one town, would there?

“You look like you don’t understand.”

Muheun, speaking slowly, momentarily closed his mouth. Hmm, he seemed to be wondering whether it was better to explain or not.

Then Muheun calmly continued.

“You probably guessed, but, for example… let’s say Seungjoo, you’re a scentless flower. A flower that’s so precious everyone wants it.”

“… ”

It was like he was about to vomit the lunch he had earlier. What, what flower? Muheun noticed Seungjoo’s thoughts and let out a thin laugh.

“Let’s just say hypothetically. On the contrary, Gwimae is a bee.”

“…So?”

Seungjoo responded with a dignified attitude. His tone was impure, but Muheun didn’t care at all. Muheun’s bird-like pupils looked straight at Seungjoo.

“But my energy transferred to you, didn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“And you developed a scent that wasn’t there before.”

It seems that they are indeed siblings, but Muheun had a quite different appearance from Muryeong. Not only in looks but also in voice. Sometimes his chilly features felt threatening enough to seem cold.

“So what will the bees do? Crave the flowers?”

This time, instead of answering, he nodded his head. In fact, the question Muheun posed wasn’t one that required an answer.

“Capturing one bee won’t be the end of it. Other bees also hover around, just waiting for a gap to attack when they catch the scent of flowers.”

“So, what you’re saying…”

“Means that a swarm of bees will gather around Seungjoo.”

Initially, it seemed like a whimsical metaphor, but the moment I heard the term “swarm,” shivers ran down my spine.

“Why me, of all people, and why flowers?” Seungjoo didn’t ask, just closed his mouth without speaking. ‘Why me, of all people.’ If he knew the reason, his sister and brother wouldn’t have lost their lives.

“Well, in the end, it’s all speculation. Or shall I put it this way. Do you know how hell lures insects?”

“I do. It lures them with scents.”

“Yes, exactly.” Muheun closed his eyes gracefully as if confirming the correct answer. The words that followed, despite the sweet smile, sounded rather chilling.

“The scent is the hell.”

“…”

Now, perhaps this side is the insect. It was certainly better than being a flower, yet strangely, I didn’t feel quite good. The fact that I almost threw myself into that mouth, on the contrary, was spine-chilling and uncomfortable.

“Very few people, even among exorcists, can detect the aura emitted by hell. Only my mother and I can do it in our family. That’s why we’re hell hunters.”

Hell hunters were a type of exorcist, but not all exorcists could be hell hunters. It was because only a few people could track the aura of hell, only a few were not possessed by hell, and only a few could create a perfect barrier using talismans.

“But Seungjoo, you felt the hell.”

“…”

“Even hyung couldn’t feel it from that distance.”

His sunken eyes felt serious. Even though I didn’t know, it seemed like he had been on the path for quite a while. Due to the haze of consciousness, it wasn’t certain, but from the middle onwards, he even felt breathless.

“Normally, it would take about three days for the aura of hell to become stronger. The Association would recognize it around that time too. So, I wondered. Why, how did you realize it, Seungjoo?”

With that, Muheun cautiously wrapped his hand around Seungjoo’s wrist. It was a slow enough pace not to startle, but the moment his bare skin touched, I unconsciously straightened my back.

“How does it feel?”

“…Why is your hand so cold?”

It was similar to when I touched the talisman. The slightly colder body temperature made it feel as if a breeze was blowing. When Muheun covered my eyes or pulled me into his embrace, I felt the same sensation.

“My hand is always the same.”

Muheun said so, releasing Seungjoo’s wrist. Seungjoo, unknowingly, touched that part where warmth lingered. Muheun opened his mouth as he glanced at that moment.

“Perhaps… it’s because you’re an empty vessel.”

“An empty vessel?”

“Yes, you’re supposed to be a body that naturally ignites spirits, but you were born empty, so instinctively you crave others’ spirits. That’s why you’re more sensitive to the aura of hell.”

It was a phrase that seemed understandable yet incomprehensible. Seungjoo had never felt anything from birth until now if it was about spirits. Despite being close to so many siblings next door, who must have had plenty of spirits.

“Anyway, it was strange from the start. The day you got drunk…”

“…”

“No, let’s talk about this later.”

Seungjoo, who was about to jump up momentarily, managed to regain composure. I hoped it wouldn’t happen again later. Whether Muheun knew or not, he let out a laugh like a released arrow.

“Anyway, up until now, you haven’t absorbed enough spirits to awaken, so you didn’t know, but temporarily, when the spirits were awakened, your senses activated too. Like giving water to someone who didn’t even know they were thirsty.”

“Ah…”

If that’s the case, I understand vaguely. So, in the end, isn’t it about realizing an unknown thirst and trying to quench it? The aura that Gwimae possesses is also a kind of spirit, and that seems to be what the body desired.

“…Then what do we do?”

Suddenly, a sense of urgency arose. Considering Muheun’s words, wasn’t it implying that my senses had already been activated? Gwimae itself would probably take care of it, but I couldn’t rely solely on Muheun’s help in the future.

“It’s okay. When Yeong-an closes again, your senses will be blocked too.”

Surprisingly, Muheun came up with a clear solution. If that was the case, why did he scare me so much until now?

“Oh, well. Then it’s not such a serious problem.”

Seungjoo breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed his tense shoulders. Since he had originally asked only to trust him until Yeong-an closed again, wasn’t that enough? Moreover, even if I had Muheun’s spirit, it wasn’t really mine.

“You say it’s better if it were a living person rather than a spirit. Since I don’t have a spirit anyway, then when Yeong-an closes, wouldn’t Gwimae just pass through like that ghost did?”

“Ah… Seungjoo, it would be great if it were that simple.”

However, instead of immediately affirming, Muheun let out a soft sigh. He even gave a wistful glance, speaking in a mysterious tone.

“Gwimae eats souls.”

“…”

Ghosts come out during the day too. It felt as if the voice that had been saying that could be heard. Whether Seungjoo contemplated or not, Muheun didn’t miss the chance to make a playful expression.

“Literal eating. Om nom.”

It was a behavior similar to scaring a child. As soon as Seungjoo stiffened his expression after knocking his front teeth together, Muheun made a grim expression. It was as if Seungjoo looked like a five-year-old at the moment, that’s what it meant.

Seeing Seungjoo like that, Muheun expressed his regret with a disappointed look.

“You’re not scared. You would have cried when you were young if I did this.”

“Would I have cried?”

Seungjoo didn’t cry even when he was five. … Probably.

“Well, anyway, Gwimae is picky about what it eats… ”

Why could I hear the omitted part? It was as if it meant ‘you’re not just anything’. As Seungjoo lowered his eyes with a serious expression, Muheun belatedly softened his voice.

“So, from now on, if something seems strange, tell me right away. Don’t just brush it off as nothing.”

“Uh, yeah…”

“Even if it’s a misconception, it’s OK, got it?”

Only then did I realize. He had been scaring me all along just to say this. Because I had brushed off the strange smell as nothing at first.