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Jaha was a man who prided himself in many things; his boundless knowledge, his ability to strategize, and his level-headedness under stress were only a few of his countless talents. There was only one thing he couldn’t understand. It was impossible for the High Governor to tell when he first started feeling this way about the one known as the Ghost Demon King.
From the moment he opened his eyes to the ceiling of a stone cold coffin, to his destined encounter with the stone cold Seol Young, their souls had been intertwined. This much Jaha could gather. As two people whose fates were tied to the God of Cataclysm, their only choice had been to work together at the time.
But when had Jaha’s gaze begun to linger after the other turned away, when had he begun to tease him to fondly observe his temperamental reactions, when did he decide that he would always follow him even if it meant he was led straight into the depths of hell? Jaha didn’t know. His newly realized feelings for the former hwarang had caused the small seed of benign curiosity that was planted in his heart to fully bloom into flowering affections.
Jaha rolled an empty glass with his index finger, only the faint residue of liquid left at the bottom of the cup. In his new life, he had refrained from drinking in case he lost control of his demonic qi. But it didn’t take much for him to get drunk when the rare opportunity came. Resting his head in his hand, his face was flushed the slightest tinge of red as he stared out the window. Despite being a man of complex emotions, Jaha was hard to read. No one could tell what he was thinking, giving him an air of cool indifference.
Footsteps that were all too familiar in the hallway before his room broke his drunken trance. He turned to the door as he heard Seol Young enter.
“High Governor—“ Seol Young began, then paused as he noticed the half drunk bottle of wine and the empty glass in his hand. His face scrunched up in distaste.
“Why are you drinking in the middle of the day?”
“Can I not indulge in a moment of peace for once?” Jaha chuckled at his words. Seol Young rolled his eyes.
“Yet why is it that half the time, the one creating the troubles is yourself?”
“Says the number one enemy of the hwarangs.” He playfully winked at him. Seol Young ignored his teasing and walked over, noticing the scent of alcohol in the air and the redness of his cheeks.
“You’re already drunk. How unseemly.” He grabbed the wine bottle from next to him and poured himself a drink in the glass conveniently left out next to Jaha, as if the latter knew he’d come. Seol Young had spent many of his days drinking with his hyungs, so his tolerance was much better. Even then, his personality didn’t change that much if he did get drunk. Now that his alcohol ban was over, Seol Young could finally satiate his craving.
Jaha watched with half-lidded golden eyes as the alcohol left Seol Young’s glass and coated his lips and mouth. A small smile grew on his face. Seol Young noticed his gaze and glanced over at him with a pouting expression.
“What?”
“Nothing at all.” Jaha closed his eyes and basked in the fuzzy feeling of intoxication, much unlike the lonely nights spent in the coffin. How was it that such a stoic and frigid man, despised among the hwarangs, could bring such a feeling of warmth to a heart that had once stopped beating?
After having enough to quench his immediate thirst, Seol Young sat down on the floor next to Jaha. The moon could be seen in the daytime sky from the window of his room. They could both enjoy this feeling of calm after tirelessly working to fix the disasters unleashed by the God of Cataclysm. Jaha’s body slumped onto the table with exhaustion, the alcohol slowly draining away his consciousness. Seol Young let out a sigh as he saw this.
“Have you not been sleeping well?” He asked him. Jaha shook his head nestled between his folded arms.
“Hardly. But what does a dead man like me need to sleep for anyways? I slept for eight years.” Jaha laughed bitterly. Ever since he was reminded of the unforgettable scenes he experienced those eight years ago, reminded of the stench of blood from those killed by his hand, how could he sleep? Even if he had no choice, there was no chance that a lifetime's worth of guilt would ever escape him.
Seol Young stared at him silently, an unreadable expression on his face. After taking another sip of wine, Jaha heard him slowly stand up and move to sit next to him. He wanted to raise his head, but before he could react, he felt his shoulder being tugged, and his body fell limply like a wooden doll into Seol Young’s hold. He blinked as he found himself staring up into dark eyes, a gaze he felt he could be endlessly entangled in.
“Don’t sleep on the table, you’ll wake up stiff.” Seol Young huffed, but not without a trace of shyness on his face. Jaha stared in surprise with wide eyes. A few moments later, a smile creeped onto his face.
“Oh my, our Seol Young-rang has become quite fussy.” Jaha shifted his body to lay sideways, his head resting on Seol Young’s lap. Only giving a simple sigh in response, Seol Young continued to nurse his drink, not daring to take another look at Jaha in danger of being bullied again. Despite this, Jaha knew this was Seol Young’s way of showing concern for him. It was times like these that he wanted to wrap his arms around him and kiss him silly. But he couldn’t.
A comfortable silence fell on them, and Jaha closed his eyes. Between the body heat of Seol Young and the buzz of alcohol in his head, it didn’t take long for Jaha to doze off into a much needed rest. The last thought he had before falling sleep was how this man might be the only person he could ever leave himself so vulnerable to. How interesting.
By the time Jaha woke up, the daytime moon had long left and was replaced by a setting sun. The sky was painted with a purple sunset. He blinked groggily, rubbing his head into the thighs of the person who had surprisingly not left him. Jaha looked up with sleep hazed eyes, seeing Seol Young’s own pair closed in a meditative trance.
Feeling more alert, he quietly lifted his body up. Seol Young noticed his stirring and opened his eyes, meeting his gaze. Jaha almost felt a little embarrassed for being in such a state before the younger hwarang.
“Do you feel more rested?” Seol Young asked him without any hint of mockery. Jaha laughed half-heartedly.
“I guess you could say so. Seol Young-rang’s thighs aren’t exactly as soft as a pillow.”
“I see. Then maybe next time, I’ll suggest finding a more suitable place to sleep, and you’ll wake up a new person.” He looked away angrily.
You were the one who forced me to sleep on your lap, though, Jaha wanted to add, but decided against it in return for the act of kindness he had shared with him. As if a “next time” meant this was something that could happen again. The thought excited him.
“It’s night. We should get going.” Seol Young stood up briskly and dusted off his robe. Jaha quickly followed suit. The two had received a letter earlier that day from the Governor regarding a recent sighting of spiritual activity in a village nearby. A couple young men in the village went missing, and hadn’t returned. Though it wasn’t anything major, they couldn’t ignore any possible leads on the God of Cataclysm.
When they arrived, only a deathly silence could be observed in the village. Not a soul could be seen, alive or dead. Jaha had figured that the villagers were being cautious because of the ghosts, yet where were the supposed spirits? There was barely a trace of life, as if no one lived there at all.
Jaha scanned his surroundings. He looked over at Seol Young, who had a similar confused expression on his face.
“I thought the letter said this was a populated village. I don’t see anyone around.” Jaha spoke, breaking the silence.
“Yes. I doubt the Governor would have given us false information.” Seol Young replied. “Maybe the other hwarangs have already cleared this area?”
“Also unlikely. He wouldn’t have sent us here if he knew one of the troops was active near here.” Jaha shrugged, hands behind his back as he inspected various houses.
“Unless…” His voice trailed off as an alarming thought crossed his mind.
“Unless?”
As Seol Young spoke, a shadow crossed their vision and leaped into the center of the village. A figure began to form from the mass of dark energy, taking the shape of a young woman. She didn’t appear more than twenty, with a ragged black dress upon her. An eerie smile grew on her face.
“It seems the High Governor is smart and already suspects the letter to be forged. Too bad you noticed too late.” She giggled with a dangerous aura. The two tensed at her appearance, readying their hands on their swords.
“Then it appears this was a targeted attempt at leading us to this place. So? Now that you have us here, what is it that you want?” Jaha stepped forward to face the ghost without an ounce of fear. He appeared more annoyed than anything. The ghost shook her head.
“Patience, dear High Governor. It will make sense in due time.” She stepped backwards and disappeared into the fog.
“If you accept my terms, I will release the villagers unharmed.” Her voice echoed around them. Seol Young jolted in realization.
“She has them trapped in another space, like the people we met from the painting. No wonder this place seemed abandoned.” He muttered, relaxing his grip on Blue Rainbow as he felt her presence leave. Jaha crossed his arms.
“What could it be that she wants with us specifically? Ideally, we should investigate and see if there’s any troubling cases of deceased young women in this area.”
Seol Young nodded at his words.
“Yes, but should we really leave the villagers by themselves?” He looked down in deep thought.
“Go back and report to the Governor. Look for any information on this village. I’ll stay here and make sure she doesn’t try anything else.” Jaha told him. Seol Young furrowed his eyebrows in concern.
“What if that’s what she wants? Shouldn’t we stay together?” He protested. Seol Young recalled the time Jaha got injured protecting his Third-rang, Hyo Wol. Jaha had already suffered enough, and Seol Young felt a deep discomfort at seeing the proud man bleed before him. He expected a snarky reply from him, asking if that meant he didn’t believe in his own strength, yet the sight before him surprised him. Jaha only smiled softly.
“Go. I’ll be waiting for you here.” He spoke those simple words confidently. Seol Young’s heart skipped a beat, unable to oppose the sense of reliability and trust that emanated from him. Seol Young’s gaze lowered to the ground, unable to face him directly.
“…Alright.” He turned and dashed off, leaving an amused Jaha in the village clearing. Seol Young had gotten more rebellious, but it didn’t take much to make him obedient again. Jaha tucked that knowledge away in the back of his mind.
Though he was used to receiving the concern of others, being someone who was at the frontlines of danger often, something about the anxious expression of a man, who rarely conveyed any emotions outside of interacting with his hyungs, warmed him inside. Jaha was deeply inquisitive of the sides of Seol Young that were unknown to him. He wanted to tear him open, dissect him, understand every inner mechanism that made Seol Young so unique until there was nothing left to discover. For this reason alone, Jaha could spare a moment of teasing to express honest feelings, in favor of seeing his response.
Jaha waited alone in the deserted village. Not too long after Seol Young’s departure did the ghost appear again. Expecting this, Jaha crossed him arms and leaned against the side of a house.
“Was it me you were interested in, or Seol Young-rang? If it was him, I’ll have to ask you to wait. I sent him away for a while.” Jaha spoke nonchalantly. The ghost silently stared at him with an expressionless face.
“The demonic energy inside of you.” The female ghost began to confess. Jaha raised an eyebrow. “That’s what I want.”
“I’m afraid I can’t let you have that. I worked really hard to get it in there, you know?” He sneered. The ghost smiled.
“I suspected as much. I’ve been watching you for a long time. Hopefully your answer will change after a little coaxing.” She giggled without any ounce of anger at his blunt answer. Jaha frowned. This ghost didn’t seem very powerful, yet she spoke confidently like she had some easy way to convince Jaha to give up. He couldn’t fathom what kind of tricks she could possibly have up her sleeves.
Suddenly, a white light shot out towards Jaha. He jumped sideways, anticipating the attack. Drawing his sword, he slashed towards the ghost. The ghost disappeared for a moment, only to reappear next to him. He twisted his body to avoid the next strike, falling to the clearing in the middle. After exchanging a few blows, the ghost suddenly halted her attacks and grinned.
“I know I can’t defeat you like this, but one-on-one combat isn’t the only way.” As she spoke, an array appeared beneath Jaha’s feet. His eyes widened, and he attempted to push off the ground, but his feet were stuck in place. The array pulled his body to the ground, and he fell sideways, collapsing in the circle. He gritted his teeth and trembled, using all of his strength to try and escape the force that kept him fastened down. The female ghost let out a laugh.
“The High Governor is trapped! If only a capable hwarang would come save him.” She bellowed, and as if returning her call, a figure flew out from the trees nearby. Dodging the fast strike the newcomer threw towards her, she faced the two. Seol Young was standing poised near Jaha. He stole a quick glance at the man bound to the array.
“I was only gone for a bit, how did you manage to get yourself into trouble?” He sighed in exasperation. Jaha laughed bitterly.
“That’s my line!”
Seol Young exchanged blows with the ghost spirit and managed to damage a portion of her energy. Black fog rose off of her arm. She clicked her tongue in annoyance.
“No matter. I’ve achieved my goal.” The ghost fell back into hiding. “We’ll see if you can reason your way out of this one. Hehe.” Her devious laugh echoed as her soul dissipated once more. Seol Young sheathed his sword.
“I looked through some of the Governor’s records and found documentation of a young woman who died here fifteen years ago. She was beautiful, well-liked, and had many suitors. Her only flaw was her cruel personality.” Seol Young explained. “Sounds familiar.”
“…”
“Many had won her affections, but they all eventually mysteriously disappeared. After her third lover was gone without a trace, people had began to grow suspicious. The woman only cried and said she didn’t know what happened, and thought they found her unsightly and left her. She was so beautiful and good at acting that everyone was forced to believe her.”
“…”
“Eventually, the son of a rich merchant caught her attention. When the son disappeared, the merchant wouldn’t stand for this injustice. He used every resource he had to find out what happened to him. Then, they finally found him. And everyone else. But they were no longer alive, or should I say human.”
As Seol Young began to bring the story to a close, he noticed Jaha’s lack of response. He finally turned, glancing down in confusion. He saw Jaha lying motionless where the array once was.
“High Governor?” Seol Young reached over, but before he could even process it, a hand swatted him away. Jaha pulled himself to a kneeling position, his head drooping down.
“Don’t…touch me.” He growled, much unlike the friendly tone he spoke with earlier. Seol Young stared at him with wide eyes.
“High Governor?” He repeated. “Did the array do something to you?”
Jaha panted lightly, his hand digging into his thigh. He felt the thin ropes of restraint being pulled taut inside his body.
“That…I think it cursed me.” Sweat dripped from his forehead. He had never found himself in a predicament like this one before. The lack of control in the situation was enough to drive him insane. Dreadful, unspeakable thoughts began to cloud his head.
“Don’t move. Let me see if I can remove the curse.” Seol Young pulled out a few talismans from his robe and infused his qi into them. The talismans emitted a light blue glow from them and floated up, surrounding the struggling man. But before they could do anything, Jaha finally snapped and leaped forward onto Seol Young, pinning him to the ground. Seol Young was taken aback by the sudden movement and stared up at him with utter shock, a troubled face reflecting in his deep dark eyes.
Seol Young could feel Jaha’s heated breath tickling his cheeks. Sweat had formed on his face, which held an expression Seol Young had never seen on the High Governor before. It was as if he was holding on to the last remnants of self-control in him, as if he wanted to devour Seol Young whole right here. Seol Young felt a shudder run through his entire body.
“High Governor, what—“ He finally choked out, but was silenced by a hand over his mouth. Jaha hid his own face in the crook of his neck.
“Don’t say anything…don’t…” He mumbled with a voice full of pain. The distance had closed, leaving barely an inch of space between their bodies. Seol Young truly felt like prey beneath a predator at this moment. He wanted to squirm uncomfortably, but restrained himself from fear of making the situation worse.
“All mens’ rationale is bound by desire. Not even the most faithful monk can resist temptation.” A mocking voice resounded in the clearing, jolting the two from their own thoughts. The female ghost descended again with an arrogant expression.
“You discovered my story in record time, I must congratulate you. But you didn’t explain why. The first man I fell in love with, despite giving him my all, took advantage of me.” She sneered, but not without a trace of pain on her face.
“He betrayed me. So I let him experience what it was like to be led around like a dog on a leash, and made him my puppet. I also tested all the other men who were determined to court me. They all failed as well.” The woman cackled.
“If men can’t resist their disgusting beastly natures, then why not succumb to them for eternity?” As she spoke, eight shadows appeared around them. From what she had said, it was easy to infer these were many of the men she had killed and turned into living corpses. They had gray skin darkened with death and no trace of liveliness on their faces.
“Look at yourself, High Governor. Even a man like you is nothing more than a beast deep down.” The ghost laughed heartily, as if this was the most entertaining comedy show in the world. Jaha’s sharp canine punctured his lip in frustration.
“Shut up!” He yelled, a voice full of anger and resentment that Seol Young had only heard once before, when he was suffering the effects of the demonic qi in his body. The puppets all giggled around him. Seol Young was having trouble comprehending the weight of her words, staring up at Jaha with a bewildered expression.
“You know, the array would’ve had no effect if you truly were a disciplined man of your word, a man with no desire. It seems even the demonic energy couldn’t erase all human feelings from you.” The ghost circled Jaha, who still had Seol Young pinned down. Jaha’s heart beat rapidly in his chest, his body aflame with a feeling he didn’t want to put a name to.
“One word from me and I can have you act out that desire. So? What about our deal from earlier?” She bent down, closing in on the pair.
“Or are you alright with your beloved subordinate discovering all the unseemly thoughts you have about him?”
Seol Young’s eyes widened. Jaha’s face scrunched with immeasurable pain. After a passing moment of silence, Jaha finally spoke.
“…Seol Young-rang…” His voice was hoarse. “…Please stab me.”
This wasn’t how he wanted it to go. He didn’t want him to know at all, actually. He was content taking these feelings to his second grave. Jaha didn’t know if Seol Young truly understood what the ghost was implying, nor did he want to. But he couldn’t give up the demonic qi and let a second God of Cataclysm take over. He’d rather die once again.
Seol Young was silent throughout all of this, yet his head raced with thoughts. His face did not betray what he was thinking as an expert at keeping calm. He closed his eyes, and a certain man’s words returned to him.
Anyway, I cannot kill you. Now that this happened, I have no choice but to believe anything you saw. Even if you lead me to hell, I have no choice but to follow. Was this because I made the wrong choice?
Seol Young opened his eyes, a newfound determination flashing in them. He smiled, surprising both Jaha and the female ghost.
“I believe in the High Governor.” Seol Young spoke gently. “Whatever desires he may have, I know they don’t come from a bad place. I trust you.” He said those last words to Jaha directly, shaking him from his stupor. From the depths of anguish, a smile bloomed on his face.
“…Seol Young-rang never ceases to surprise me.”
Using this moment, Jaha launched his stored energy at the ghost spirit, catching her off guard. Seol Young jumped up as well, throwing a multitude of talismans that stuck to her body, including her mouth. She let out a muffled scream, and the puppets swarmed them. Jaha and Seol Young made quick work of them, as they had little spiritual energy to back them up. One by one, the corpses collapsed over the ground. Holding Dead Slayer to her neck, Jaha stood before the ghost with newfound confidence.
“Did you hear that? My Seol Young-rang trusts me.” He smirked deviously. Seol Young’s face grew red in embarrassment as he listened to his own words repeated. The ghost glared at them with eyes full of hatred. Seol Young clapped his hands together, and simultaneously, Jaha readied his sword.
“May you be reborn into a peaceful world.” Seol Young spoke, and as Jaha’s sword slashed it in two, the spirit of the ghost dissipated into a cloud of black smoke.
“And may you find true love in another life.”
A quiet gloom fell over the village. With the immediate danger passed, the two couldn’t make eye contact, unsure of what to say to each other after such an occurrence.
“High Governor…” Seol Young began, but was quickly shut down.
“The primary concern right now is finding the villagers. We’ll talk later.” He turned away, setting a brisk pace forward. Seol Young nodded quietly and chased after him.
After searching around, they found an area on a tree that had a distortion. Using his sword, Jaha cleaved the tree and it split open, revealing a hidden crack in space. The faces of terrified villagers appeared before them. They jumped in joy as they saw someone other than the female ghost come to their rescue.
Seol Young and Jaha helped the villagers return to their homes, and with faces of relief they wished them goodbye. As the case was resolved, the two finally headed back to Jaha’s mansion. Jaha did not bring up the events of earlier, but Seol Young knew that if he pressed him now, the other would only withdraw more. Therefore, he waited patiently until he was ready to speak about it.
The couple at the mansion greeted them upon their return. Seol Young followed Jaha silently up to his room, and once they arrived, Jaha stopped in the doorway.
“You can retire to the guest room. You worked hard today.” He spoke without looking back. Seol Young frowned.
“High Governor.”
“…”
“Don’t run away.”
Jaha flinched and hesitantly turned around to face him. He had a troubled expression, as if he ate food that was sour. Seol Young showed no positive or negative emotion on his face, only a look of determination to see this through. Jaha sighed in defeat.
“Fine. Come inside.”
The two men settled in Jaha’s room, returning to a similar routine as they had earlier that day, except this time, they kept a respectful distance from each other. Seol Young sat up properly on his knees, looking at Jaha with a serious expression. Jaha, on the other hand, only half-faced him, appearing torn. Finally, Jaha spoke.
“Do you despise me for it?” He asked. Seol Young’s eyes widened in surprise. He hadn’t expected him to start with a question like that.
“Despise you for what? High Governor, please say it clearly.” Seol Young responded. He hadn’t meant this to purposefully make him uncomfortable, but he knew it was a difficult request. Jaha sighed once again and hiked one knee up, resting his arm on it.
“Was the ghost spirit not clear enough for you? This sorry excuse for a High Governor has romantic affections for his subordinate.” He laughed bitterly with a hint of self-deprecation. Seol Young’s hard gaze softened. In the awkward silence, he gathered his thoughts for a moment before replying.
“And what makes you assume I would despise it?”
It was Jaha’s turn to be surprised. He finally looked over at him, and found Seol Young struggling to keep composed. A faint blush crept along his pale cheeks.
“You…” Jaha began, baffled. He honestly never expected Seol Young to be someone who thought of love; a man without a single romantic bone in his body, having his feelings returned for someone like him. Seol Young’s gaze drifted away, fixating on a very interesting corner of the table.
“High Governor. You may be difficult, annoying, incomprehensible, a madman—“
“Alright, I get it.”
“But.” Seol Young scooted closer to him, his cold eyes turning warm, warm enough to melt the most frigid ice in the dead of winter. “Despite it all, I like you too.”
Jaha swallowed nervously. He found this situation as one of the first moments in his life where no matter how much he knew, no matter how strategic he was, no matter how level-headed he could stay under pressure, he couldn’t stop the tender gaze of Seol Young from resuscitating his heart that was afraid to love again.
“Seol Young-rang.” Jaha called out his name softly. Seol Young returned his call by leaning into him, placing a gentle kiss upon his lips. Jaha kissed back, a hand sliding behind Seol Young’s head, stroking his hair delicately. In the deep darkness of night, in a hidden corner where the moon couldn’t reach, two lost souls intertwined.