The Youngest Master wants to be exorcised! chapter 13

Hyunsoo couldn’t easily answer. His desire to be exorcised remained unchanged. However, he was concerned about D Team.

The members of D Team that Hyunsoo knew were overwhelmingly strong and had faced the deaths of many comrades in the field.

Though the death of a team member with whom they had lived for six years was exceptional, he believed they could overcome it. But…

‘Don’t you think about us at all, hyung?’

Kim Yoon’s tearful question lingered in his mind. Even in death, he couldn’t rest and ended up in someone else’s body.

In his rush to escape this supernatural situation, he hadn’t fully considered D Team’s feelings.

Hyunsoo’s death was sudden, with no time to prepare mentally. At the funeral, Hyunsoo saw his team members crying for the first time.

They had always pretended to cry, but this time, they couldn’t even wipe their tears away.

When Minchan, who was the most mature among them, offered his final respects during the placement of the urn, Hyunsoo felt his heart tremble.

‘Hyung, thank you for all your hard work. Now, rest well. Eat what you want, sleep a lot, and don’t work anymore… just do whatever you want. Okay?’

Hyunsoo ignored Minchan’s trembling hand, knowing he couldn’t hold it anymore. He wanted to rest now.

However, the problem was that Hyunsoo meant more to D Team than he had thought. To them, Park Hyunsoo was a reliable pillar in any situation, an ally who would support them no matter what.

‘Their waves were a mess.’

Both Minchan, whom Hyunsoo met before entering the basic training center, and Yoon, who appeared as a practice subject, had chaotic waves.

Jiwon’s condition was likely no different.

“I’m…”

Hyunsoo glanced at Jaeyoon, who was still looking down. He couldn’t understand the intention behind the question. What did Jaehee’s family think right now?

“Jaehee is a precious child to our family.”

Hyunsoo nodded. Even someone oblivious could see that Jaehee was loved dearly by his family, unlike Hyunsoo, who was abandoned at an orphanage.

“…We will never give up on Jaehee.”

“Of course. I will help too.”

When Hyunsoo responded, Jaeyoon slowly lifted his head. He then spoke to Hyunsoo, who was sitting on the bed.

“Can you promise me one thing?”

“What is it…”

“That you will stay in Jaehee’s body until Jaehee returns.”

Hyunsoo blinked slowly.

“I know it’s an unreasonable request. Asking someone who wants to be exorcised to stay longer… but…”

Jaeyoon took a deep breath. His breaths were visibly trembling.

“We can’t bear the thought of another spirit entering Jaehee’s body and potentially harming him.”

“….”

“Please, protect our Jaehee. Until we find him, please. We will do whatever it takes to find him. So, please…”

Tears fell from Jaeyoon’s eyes as he trailed off. Hyunsoo got up from the bed, pulled out a tissue, and handed it to him.

Jaeyoon took the tissue and wiped his tears in silence. His jaw trembled slightly.

It seemed like they preferred to keep a cooperative spirit in Jaehee’s body while searching for Jaehee’s soul.

At least Park Hyunsoo hadn’t harmed Jaehee’s body.

In fact, he was doing the mandatory service in his stead and desired to be exorcised. The family had no other choice.

“Until we confirm Jaehee’s whereabouts, please.”

Jaeyoon bowed his head again. Hyunsoo lightly clenched his fist.

“If that is your wish, I’ll do it.”

“Thank you… Park Hyunsoo.”

Hyunsoo’s eyes widened. It was the first time Jaehee’s family directly called him Park Hyunsoo.

Though he couldn’t be sure, he imagined their turmoil.

Their family member might be dead, and someone else was pretending to be their brother.

They had to call their brother by someone else’s name.

“I’m sorry.”

Hyunsoo felt compelled to apologize, although he didn’t quite understand why. He felt like he was suffocating under the weight of this inexplicable guilt.

As Jaeyoon watched Hyunsoo, who had his head bowed low, he hesitated before speaking in a low voice.

“The last shaman who visited said something like this.”

“……”

“He said that having Park Hyunsoo inside Jaehee’s body should be considered a blessing.”

Hyunsoo frowned.

“At first, I was quite offended. Naturally, I was angry.”

“I understand. It’s a very rude comment to Jaehee’s family.”

“But when I thought about what could happen if someone other than Park Hyunsoo entered Jaehee’s body, I could understand the shaman’s words a bit.”

Hyunsoo lifted his head and looked at Jaeyoon. When their eyes met, Jaeyoon gave a faint smile.

“So, you don’t need to apologize. It’s not something that happened because you wanted it to.”

No one understood Hyunsoo’s feelings of guilt better than Jaeyoon.

After all, Hyunsoo had sought out shamans to be exorcised, and when the truth came out, he had secluded himself in his room out of consideration for the family.

Whenever a shaman arrived, he would come out of his room with a hopeful expression, only to return with a darkened face when the exorcism was unsuccessful.

Even when he had to enter the basic training institute in Jaehee’s place, he was concerned about Jaehee’s reputation.

With such a considerate personality, Jaeyoon felt he could trust Hyunsoo with his precious sibling’s body. Bowing his head deeply, Jaeyoon spoke in a respectful voice.

“Please take care of our Jaehee for the time being.”

“…Yes. Don’t worry.”

Strangely, Hyunsoo felt a layer of his guilt peel away.

***

At Jaeyoon’s request, Hyunsoo decided to stay in Jaehee’s body for a while, until Jaehee’s whereabouts were discovered.

Perhaps because the request was formal, the guilt he had felt living as Jaehee significantly diminished. It felt like being promoted from an illegal tenant to a legitimate one.

‘What a tangled mess. Is this a pretzel?’

Hyunsoo sighed as he worked on his assignment. The training was nearing its end.

During this time, Jaehee had achieved excellent results in both written and practical exams, enough to graduate at the top of the basic training course.

The members of D Team seemed busier than ever, with their survival reports becoming less frequent. It was quicker to find their names in the news.

‘Tell them to go easy on my team!’

Since he couldn’t be there to take care of them, his frustration grew. Even after everything settled, it would be hard to meet them because of their busy schedules.

“Wow. Did you get some private tutoring or something?”

Sejoon grumbled after checking the exam results. Hyunsoo smiled, looking at Jaehee’s name at the top.

“Look at that smug smile.”

Sejoon was about to tease him when someone called out.

“Jaehee, Professor Hwang wants to see you in the second consultation room.”

“Consultation room? Okay, thanks.”

Nodding, Hyunsoo walked over. He exchanged greetings with fellow trainees in the hallway and entered the consultation room where the professor was waiting.

The professor welcomed him warmly and offered a cup of dark red tea. Taking a sip out of politeness, Hyunsoo grimaced at the taste.

‘What is this? It tastes like red beans…?’

As he pondered the unusual taste, he tried to guess why the professor had called him.

“Trainee Lee Jaehee achieved the highest score among this year’s basic trainees.”

“It’s all thanks to the excellent guidance from the professors.”

“Hmm. Anyway, about that…”

The professor handed him a document from the desk. Hyunsoo politely took it and read the top, his eyes widening.

“This is…”

“A request from the Central Center. You know Special D Team, right? You met them during your guiding practice.”

The document was a request to recruit ‘Lee Jaehee’ as a dedicated guide for the main part of Special D Team. Normally, the Center assigned postings to trainees without their input.

But this was a request from the Central Center. They weren’t forcing it, meaning the trainee’s decision was important.

Even the name of the Central Center’s director was on the document, a sign of high importance. This raised many questions.

‘D Team doesn’t usually take in new guides.’

Special D Team was the frontline attack team known for its extreme efficiency.

Even the sub-team members supporting the main part, which included Minchan, Jiwon, Yoon, and Hyunsoo, had at least three years of experience.

‘No matter how short-handed they are, it doesn’t make sense to send a rookie. Especially since Jaeyoon mentioned he informed the Center. For this request to still come through means Jaehee’s family is aware of it too. Otherwise, the director wouldn’t…’

Then it hit him.

‘Wait, the director?’

The Central Center’s director was Jung Minchan’s uncle.

So, this request was likely influenced by D Team.

‘Those guys told me to take it easy, and now this…’

Hyunsoo sighed deeply.

“It’s just a request. Your decision is most important, so think it over carefully.”

“Well, the reply deadline is today.”

“That’s true, but…”

This was almost like being told to choose the predetermined answer. Hyunsoo set the document down and smiled.

Rather than worrying about what trouble the troublemakers might get into, he preferred to be with them and keep an eye on things.

Honestly, he didn’t want to be stuck doing menial tasks as a trainee, nor did he want to be on the front lines where monsters roamed.

Since Jaeyoon had entrusted Jaehee’s body to him, it was better to be with familiar and comfortable people.

Watching over them while also relaxing with those who knew his true identity sounded perfect.

Additionally, SY, which started intervening after Jaehee’s guiding shock incident, was likely aware of this request. If they knew, they would have blocked it beforehand.

“I’ll go to D Team.”

Hyunsoo smiled as he answered.

The professor, pleased with his quick decision, smiled back. Hyunsoo thought to himself.

‘It’s time to whip these guys into shape. Especially you, Kim Yoon. I’ll make sure you’re well-disciplined.’

Hyunsoo smiled darkly as he drank the red bean tea in front of him.