Soul fire

He had clearly told him to go to the car and wait, but Mesani was nowhere to be found. Jeongju's face paled. How could he disappear in such a place with so many humans? His excitement plummeted in an instant.

Jeongju looked around with a confused gaze. However, no matter how much he looked around, he couldn't see a single hair of Mesani's head. It was an unexpected situation. His fingertips trembled. Did he lose his way? Jeongju put his mask on tightly and started running around the hospital.

Between parked cars, flower beds, and under trees that cast great shade, he looked everywhere he could be, but Mesani was nowhere to be found. In an instant, dizziness circulated. Jeongju smacked himself on the head, catching his rough breath.

"You have to be calm, you have to be calm."

The patients who were strolling in front of the hospital, pushing IVs, glanced at Jeongju. He started running again. This time it was outside the hospital, just in case. Standing on the side of the main road beyond the front gate, Jeongju looked around left and right. At that time, the figure of passers-by gathered in a circle from a few meters away caught my eye. As soon as he saw the scene, His instincts kicked in. It was a sense of crisis.

Pedestrians surrounded the center in layers and were looking at something.

"Oh goodness. What happened?"

"Uh, is that a cat?"

"Oh my god. It must hurt."

Jeongju broke through the crowd with urgency. As he squeezed through the gap, he finally saw a familiar figure from behind. It was a child wearing a large hoodie that was several times his size. The child was squatting, looking down at the floor where there was a cat lying on the floor covered in blood. Unconscious and limp, the cat was a horrible sight to behold

"Me- Mesani...!"

It was when Jeongju's lips opened and closed,

"Oh my. Oh my."

"Child, leave it alone."

"Little boy! Don't touch it!"

-in case, you didn't go for laser--

-Guys! Love all your ideas, really.

Jeongju, who was about to call Mesani, sucked in a breath. It was because Mesani raised his hand over the body of the fallen cat as if he was determined. At the same time, a white halo of light emanated from his small palm. The passers-by who tried to stop Mesani widened their eyes.

The pure white light emitted from Mesani's hand became countless grains. The small grains tightly adhered to the tattered skin of the cat. The wound that had been bleeding began to heal in an instant.

Passers-by gasped and covered their mouths at the sight, which was hard to believe even after seeing it with their own two eyes.

"Oh- Oh my God..."

"What just happened? Omg. Amazing."

The wound disappeared in an instant. The cat, who had been lying down as if passed out, opened its eyes. Before he knew it, Mesani's small hand was covered in blood. The cat, who had been blinking, jumped up while the passers-by backed away and shouted. It was only then that Jeongju, who had been as frozen as a statue, broke through the passersby and hurriedly jumped for Mesan.

Jeongju grabbed him by the back of his head and lifted him up.

Startled, Mesani's eyes widened and looked up at him as he roughly pulled the hood that Mesani was wearing over him. A large hood covered all of Mesani's small face. Muffled exclamations could be heard from passers-by.

Jeongju ran away carrying Mesani.

***

It was evening when they got back home.

After opening the front door, they tiredly took off their shoes.

Jeongju sighed in relief when he saw Jaegyeom's Converse sneakers rolling around the shoe cabinet. He was worried that he might have gone somewhere else, but fortunately, it seemed that he came home.

"Jae- Jaegyeom. I'm home."

"My lord, 'm back..."

The lights were on inside the house, and there was a loud sound coming out of the TV. It was clear that someone was there, but there was no sign of the greetings sent by Jeongju and Mesani being returned. While Mesani noticed the cold atmosphere, Jeongju headed to the living room and cast his gaze to one place.

"..."

Jaegyeom was sitting with his back on the sofa as usual, watching TV. He was eating something, a large bowl in his hand. He kept his eyes fixed on the TV and quietly moved his spoon. His blood-stained mouth made noise as he chewed food. The bowl was filled with only white rice.

"You're eating? Why are you eating plain rice with no side dishes?"

Jeongju spoke in a casual tone to Jaegyeom, who didn't even look at him. It was as if nothing had happened, not much different from usual. Jaegyeom also had the same expression as usual. But, there were no words. Jaegyeom was treating Jeongju and Mesani as air. It seemed like it would be difficult to move things on like water.

Jeongju finally let out a deep sigh and sat down in front of Jaegyeom.

"Jaegyeom-ah."

"..."

"Jaegyeom-ah."

"Move. I can't see."

Jeongju deliberately sat with his back to the TV screen. Even though Jaegyeom curtly retorted, he did not move away. Then Jaegyeom moved his gaze to his bowl of rice without saying anything and quietly ate the rice. Meanwhile, Mesani was watching the two of them with a worried expression. It was just as Jeongju had told him in the car on the way home. Now, it was clear that the lord was angry.

Jeongju had been ranting the entire drive.

'Mesan-ah. I'm really going crazy because of you two. Your lord is like that, and you are also too, don't you guys have any sense of caution?'

1- I'm sorry, I just... The cat looked like it was in pain...'

'Do you not know Jaegyeom's temper? Just wait till he finds out that you did that in the middle of the street. He won't let it go like this! ! really can't live because my heart trembles because of you two. I'm worried that Jaegyeom might be angry right now!'

Yes? W- What do you mean my lord is angry...'

He asked why, but Jeongju just kept quiet, ignoring him with a cold expression.

"... I'm sorry."

It's because of Jeongju.

Jeongju, who had been looking at Jaegyeom silently, apologized with a sullen face. Even so, Jaegyeom ate quietly. Jeongju watched Jaegyeom's eyes and cleared his throat. At the same time, fox ears popped out of Jeongju's head; he deliberately drooped his ears. It was a deadly strategy to arouse Jaegyeom's pity so that he looked pitiful.

"No. It's fine."

As if the strategy had worked, Jaegyeom put down the rice bowl he was holding. When they made eye contact for the first time in a while, a color suddenly turned over Jeongju's face.

"No, Jaegyeom. What I said earlier was harsh..."

"You said that if I go to school for a month, my wish will be granted."

"Uh? Oh yeah..."

Yeah, consider me your plug, amigo.

Jaegyeom opened his mouth in the same way as usual.

"I will tell you now. I want Mesani sent back to his hometown, and you will never appear before me again."

A heavy silence filled the large living room.

"..."

Jeongju doubted his ears and widened his eyes. He stared at Jaegyeom with shaking eyes and stiffly turned his head. Mesani, who met his gaze, also had the same expression as him.

"Jaegyeom, you... what are you talking about now?"

"Keep your promise. There are two weeks left."

"M- My lord!"

Then, Mesan, who had never made a loud noise before, yelled.

"That! What do you mean?!"

Jaegyeom raised his eyes and looked at Mesani. Mesani's face was turning red as he struggled to hold back his tears that were welling up and sobbed. Jeongju, who had been stunned for a moment, gripped Jaegyeom's wrist. He raised the corners of his mouth and spoke calmly.

"Jae-Jaegyeom. Why all of a sudden? I said that earlier because I was so agitated. I'm just worried about you... in case something happened... So I said that. In the past, breaking a bone wasn't a big deal, but it's different in today's world, so..."

"I know. I know what you mean. You're right."

Jaegyeom nodded.

"I just... want you to live normally like the other kids since you decided to go to school. Even just for a little while. That's why. I also dislike people like Lee Juyeol, I do! Of course he must have done something wrong, but Jaegyeom. That kind of guy is that kind of guy, and you're not going to go to school for a million years anyway!

You're stronger than him, so if you close one eye just once and endure it, the issue can pass quietly. If something like this happens in the future, I'll solve it like this time, so there's no..."

"Hey."

Jaegyeom had been listening in silence and cut off his words abruptly.

"You really are like a human."

Jeongju, who had been blabbering, shut his mouth.

".."

"You've become a real human being."

"... Jaegyeom-ah."

"I'm sick of living like this now."

Jaegyeom stared out the window with a calm gaze. Mesani opened his mouth with tears dripping down his face as he approached. He held back his sobs until his shoulders shook.

"My lord. I'm not going anywhere. I will always be by your side."

"Jaegyeom-ah. I just wanted you to hang out with people again, to be happy and joyful like before, so that's why. I just wanted to see it."

"..."

At the pleas of the two, Jaegyeom clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

"Hey... I'm begging you please... Don't say that it's because of me, that it's for me. Actually I did it for you."

Jaegyeom got up from his seat, picked up his rice bowl, and headed to the kitchen without a word.

"If it's really for me, why don't you listen to what I want?"

He poured the cooled rice down the sink.

"Kill me, please "