Season one, chapter eight

"The little moments matter"

IT WAS ALREADY nighttime, with the sun having set and the moon appearing. The Starry Night brought a sense of peace to Thea, as she admired how the stars continued to shine regardless of the circumstances. She questioned whether she could achieve the same, if she would ever be capable of letting go of her past. Will she ever experience joy once more?

Throughout the entire journey, she remained completely silent, which caused concern among the group because Thea was known for constantly wearing a smile, regardless of the circumstances, just like a star. However, her face displayed no emotion at this particular moment, and her eyes were filled with agony, longing for the solace of closing them and obtaining some rest.

"Mun, don't try to do anything on your own" cautioned Ms. Chu as she shifted her gaze towards him from her position "You may end up getting hurt and losing the host. Brace yourself. It's totally different from that kid's dad"

"Today is your field training" Mo-tak informed as he stared attentively at the road ahead of him

"Don't do anything. What did I tell you?" Thea inquired for the first time. Despite not bothering to glance at him, she clandestinely held the same level of concern for him as the rest of the group

"That once I get on the field, I may end up dying or killing someone" Mun responded, directing his eyes towards the side of her face as he anticipated Thea's gaze meeting his. However, all he received in response was a nod from her "But I practiced my control a lot"

"Listen to Thea" Mo-tak and Ms. Chu reprimanded him in unison

"Okay" Mun expressed his disappointment, which made Thea glance at him with a hint of pity in her eyes

Thea released a breath and softly tapped Mun's shoulder. Instantly, he raised his head and bashfully grinned at her as her touch reached him. Nonetheless, Thea didn't acknowledge his smile as she concentrated on gazing out the window, with no inclination to glance back at the boy.

She was unable to meet his gaze, as all she could see was SuHo's countenance.

Thea was the final person to disembark from the car upon reaching their destination, exerting enough force to close the door before joining the group a few meters behind.

She was not feeling well enough to put on a smile and pretend that everything was fine, as deep down her thoughts were in utter chaos.

"This is it. He tread upon this territory" Hana remarked as she examined the surroundings they found themselves in

"That means he's out of our territory now. How do we find him?" Mo-tak inquired, considering that he was no longer within their jurisdiction. Thea cautiously advanced, maintaining a considerable distance from her fellow team members

"We have to, even if that means going through every house" Hana glanced sideways and put her hand on her forehead, attempting to shield her eyes from the glare of the streetlights

"Of course, we should. He ran after a kid with a weapon" Ms. Chu remembered as she walked by the two adolescents who were currently positioned side by side

"I'm sure they were acquainted. And a close acquaintance. She wanted to eat dinner with him. She wasn't wary of him" Hana started to clarify while Thea casually slipped her hands into the pocket of her red hoodie

"The man is about 180 cm tall, wearing a checkered shirt. The girl, a Gyeongjin Junior High uniform. Any other leads?" Mo-tak remarked as he moved around in a circular motion

"No. we just know they went this way" Hana responded, unaware of the man's whereabouts as they had already arrived too late

"Man, this is a huge area. We won't find them until tomorrow" Mo-tak grumbled, expressing his frustration with a deep sigh

Mun approached Hana and asked, "What's the weapon that the evil spirit had?"

"A chisel" She answered without glancing at him, completely absorbed in searching for any clue pointing to the evil spirit that could literally be anywhere around them

Mo-tak raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her, repeating her words, "A chisel?"

"What's a chisel?" Mun asked, looking perplexed with a frown on his face

Ms. Chu, positioned beside him, answered, "It's used to break stones" before she spun around as Mun retrieved his cellphone from his trousers

"Sinwang Stonemasonry" Mun captured the group's attention by reciting the content of his phone in a loud voice "There's a stonemasonry company" Curiosity piqued, the group gathered around to get a clearer view of the information on his phone

They wasted no time in returning to the car and driving towards their new location. Mun once again came to the rescue, ensuring the success of the mission. One wonders how they would manage without him.

As soon as Mo-tak abruptly stopped the car in the middle of the entrance, Thea quickly opened the car door. Following that, she walked hastily, with the rest of the group following closely behind her.

"Ms. Chu, block off the entrance with the car" Mo-tak motioned for the woman to halt her steps

"Okay, I will" she confirmed before reentering the vehicle while the group of four hurriedly made their way towards the vast area

There were numerous sizeable barriers encircling the area, so many in number that Thea plugged her ears upon the sound of a machine due to its excessively high volume, rendering it extremely challenging for the group to hear each other.

"I can't hear a thing because of that machine"Hana expressed her frustration, placing her hand behind her ear in an attempt to locate the source of the disturbance

"It's all right. Mun, be on standby right here. Call if anything happens" Mo-tak clarified before gesturing for the girls to separate and go in different directions

Thea meticulously examined every corner of the shelves, despite everything appearing perfectly fine and no abnormalities present.

"Hey, he's right here. Hurry up and come over" Mun urgently communicated through the earbud, instantly notifying the entire group

"Mun!" Mo-tak cried out with surprise when Thea suddenly sprinted in an unfamiliar direction at top speed, desperately searching for the teenager who they had left there as a backup, only to discover he had vanished upon arrival

Thea inquired, "Where, Mun?" as she searched all around, unable to spot his familiar presence in the darkness that had suddenly become frightening, knowing fully well that the boy could be facing serious harm

"In the warehouse! The big one on the right side!" He answered promptly, Thea muttered in frustration as she was unaware of the warehouse's location

"The warehouse?" Hana, equally bewildered as Thea, inquired about the location of the place that none of the three individuals were familiar with

"Where's the warehouse?" Mo-tak inquired, as the trio scurried in all directions in their quest to find it

With every minute that went by, Thea's desperation grew, causing her to become increasingly anxious. As she ran frantically, she couldn't ignore the fear that crept over her, feeling the ground beneath her feet alter its composition.

"Mun, you aren't hurt, are you?" Ms. Chu asked anxiously, but Mun did not respond. This lack of response caused Thea to stop walking, worried about Mun's well-being

"Why won't you say anything? Will you please answer her!?" Thea pleaded earnestly for a response, feeling anxious about the silence. Her teammates were taken aback by her rare display of desperation, as she had never shown such concern for someone before

"You" Hana whispered softly to herself "Darn it"

When Thea spotted Hana a short distance away, heading towards the warehouse, she momentarily paused. Without any hesitation, Thea immediately chased after her. At the same time, she observed an ominous figure fleeing from the scene with the young girl on its shoulders.

Before stepping into the warehouse, Thea uttered another curse. Observing the boy sitting on the ground, his face filled with confusion, she rushed towards him. Showing concern on her face, she swiftly took hold of his shoulders while kneeling before him.

"Are you okay? Pull yourself together!" Thea cried out, increasing her volume as she jostled him by the shoulders to elicit a response. She breathed a sigh of relief when the boy looked into her eyes; it was as if a tremendous burden had been lifted from her shoulders

"We told you to be on standby" Hana reprimanded as she approached the individuals lying unconscious on the floor, just before Mo-tak appeared "That way" she gestured, indicating a direction

Mo-tak anxiously looked at Mun while he reversed direction and headed towards the location that Hana had indicated.

"He took the girl with him" Mun whispered while Thea stood up and approached Hana to assist her with the unconscious individuals lying on the filth-covered floor after ensuring that Mun was genuinely unharmed and devoid of any unfortunate circumstances

"Just sit right there" Hana instructed him, while the two girls went around to verify if the individuals were still alive.

"She might die" Mun contended as he rose from the ground.

"Ms. Chu, we need you here quickly. The victims are in critical condition" Hana began to mention as Mun proceeded towards the departure area

"Hey! Hey!" Thea cried out as she observed him completely disregarding every word Hana had said, walking past them without acknowledging them "Darn it"

"Mo-tak, Mun just went after you" Hana cautioned him "We'll join you once Ms. Chu comes"

Thea impatiently bit her lower lip, desiring to swiftly turn around and follow both men. However, listening to their conversation through the device was not very helpful.

"Hana! Thea!" Ms. Chu shouted while approaching both girls after a short while "You two need to go"

Thea was the first to dash out of the warehouse, full of worry, upon hearing those words. In that moment, she believed she would annihilate everything in her path if anyone attempted to separate her from Mun. Strangely, this notion didn't frighten her. What is the reason behind her strong attachment to him?

"Mo-tak, you need to hurry" Mun urged, causing Thea to groan in agony as her legs nearly gave out from the intensity of her running speed.

She sprinted at full speed, with Hana closely following, equally determined. Eventually, she caught sight of Mo-tak amidst the darkness, shouldering a heavy rock to prevent it from crushing the unconscious little girl on the ground. Thea wasted no time and swiftly raised her hands in the air while running, utilizing her psychokinetic abilities to grasp the rock and relieve Mo-tak of its burden. Mo-tak sighed with relief upon realizing the presence of the two girls.

Hana smoothly glided across the floor and picked up the rock to assist the pair. However, Thea's expression turned into a grimace as she experienced discomfort due to the additional burden, causing her face to turn red from the effort she was exerting.

Hana struggled to announce, "The territory is here" as vibrant lights swiftly enveloped the location

Thea witnessed Mun successfully remove the evil spirit from himself and then engage in combat with him. Mun delivered a powerful kick to the spirit's face, causing it to fall to the ground. At the same time, Thea experienced a sudden surge of energy flowing through her body, prompting her to extend her arms and hurl the large rock to a distant location.

Afterwards, she dropped to the ground and noticed a thick substance flowing from her nose. Feebly, she looked up while Mun ruthlessly struck the evil spirit with his fist.

She had the desire to shout at him and instruct him to cease, but she found herself unable to verbalize her thoughts. Exhaustion had taken over her body as she had expended all her energy by pushing her psychokinetic abilities to their limits.

"What are you doing, you punk? Stop that!" Mo-tak intervened to halt him. Mun attempted to shove Mo-tak aside, but instead, he ended up falling to the floor

"Mun, no!" cried Ms. Chu, sprinting as quickly as possible

"You can't kill him!" Mo-tak angrily reprimanded, objecting to Mun's rising from the ground with labored breaths

The group observed the man lying on the floor, struggling to breathe due to blood in his throat, indicating that he might have passed away. Mo-tak examined his pulse by bending down, while Thea approached the trio with effort and positioned herself next to Mun.

"You. Come here" Mo-tak called Mun over with a grave demeanor, pointing at him

"Why?" Mun stammered, his voice trembling "Is he dead?" He inquired, his voice filled with evident dread

Thea took a trembling breath, filled with fear that they had, for the very first time, successfully vanquished an evil spirit.

"What happened?" Ms. Chu asked with a worried expression on her face

"Mun got him" And after uttering those words, they all breathed a sigh of relief "You almost killed him, punk"

Mun collapsed to the floor, nearly in tears. Thea displayed a faint smile and gently stroked his head with tenderness. Communication was needless as they exchanged glances and shared beaming smiles.

"Mun, since you caught him, you can summon them to Yung" stated Ms. Chu, while the entire group gathered around the motionless figure of the evil spirit, which was propped against a partially demolished wall

"So there's an evil spirit in this man" Mun stated with utmost seriousness and without diverting his intense gaze from the man in front of him

"Yes, you saw it last time"

"What will happen to him now?" Mun, filled with curiosity, looked up at Ms

"The shell, his body, will stay here and be punished by the law. You just need to summon the evil spirit in him" Ms. Chu clarified, releasing a weary breath "And the souls of the people that the evil spirit are. How many souls are being held captive?"

"Two" Mo-tak, in agreement, nodded his head as a response

"I saw them too. They lived in my neighborhood. The couple who went missing on a hiking trail" Mun elucidated, while Mo-tak further affirmed his understanding by nodding

"It must've been shocking"

"He killed them. I saw him do it" Mun's eyes welled up with tears as Ms. Chu softly comforted him by gently tapping his shoulder, urging him to stop sobbing "What do I do now?"

"It's similar to how you get to Yung. Put this jerk's hand on his chest, and put your right hand over his" Mun followed Mo-tak's instructions "Escort them properly on their way to the afterlife"

Mun acknowledged him by a nod and then shut his eyes, causing his hand to emit a radiant glow. The man's head started to twitch involuntarily, transitioning between different expressions for a brief moment, until the evil spirit's eyes opened. Mun tightly shut his eyes again, and they both collapsed onto the ground as soon as they arrived at Yung.

In the meantime, within the warehouse, Mo-tak carried the still unconscious boy on his back. It was taking more time than usual for the boy to regain consciousness. Thea occasionally glanced at the boy, fully aware of the harsh scolding he would receive from Mo-tak once he woke up. This reminded her of her own experiences as a novice in the group, the numerous occasions when she made mistakes and put the team at risk. However, she acknowledged that those experiences ultimately contributed to her growth and development. Therefore, she had no doubt that Mun would undergo a similar transformation.

"Oh, man. Is this little punk playing cards in Yung? Why won't he come back?" Mo-tak grumbled with a furrowed brow, exhausted from carrying the teenager on his shoulders

"Okay. Let's say that guy was about to hurt this family. Then the dad ended up saving his family dramatically. Let's go with that" Ms. Chu clarified, expressing her approval as she nodded

"How should we lay them out?" Hana asked ready to help the eldest

"Come this way. Over here. Give me a hand" Thus, both girls initiated aiding the oldest individual without expressing any discontent

"Are you back? You're heavy. Get off me" Mo-tak exclaimed upon Mun's awakening. Instantly, he removed Mun from his back, causing him to stumble due to his groggy state

"I'm sorry" Mun expressed his regret abruptly with a remorseful face

"For what?"

"I couldn't control my emotions back there" Mun confessed with regret

"Do you know what happens when the host dies?" Mun shook his head in response "Not only does the evil spirit vanish, the souls it had can't go to the afterlife, and they vanish forever. And you'd go to prison for homicide. It makes you angry. You saw his atrocious murder, so of course, you got angry. But that's our job. You need to learn to control your anger and sadness. Okay?"

"Okay" Mun replied with an expression of innocence, reminiscent of a young child who has been scolded by his father, only to have Mo-tak lightly tap him on the arm as a playful gesture

"It's fine. Great work"

The paramedics positioned the victims onto stretchers and then carefully loaded them into the ambulance, while Thea closely observed their every move with her eyes.

Her mind was filled with unexpected memories.

"Mom..." Said a 14-year-old Thea crawling on the ground covered in blood "Dad... Jun-Seo..." But neither of them responded

They were drenched in blood and the state of the house was disordered. The final sound she perceived was the noise of the ambulance just before a gunshot reverberated in the room, leading to her loss of consciousness.

Thea recalled the memory vividly, shutting her eyes tightly as if it had occurred only a day prior. It evoked within her a mix of sorrow, remorse, and frustration. On occasion, she yearned to obliterate her past and relish her current existence without being burdened by her past experiences.

And it's a gift he always presented to her whenever he was in her presence, in a remarkable manner he brings her a sense of calmness and her turmoil diminishes partially, how does he achieve that?

Thea found herself unable to resist stealing a few furtive glances at the dark-haired young man hiding next to her. His irresistible charm momentarily made her oblivious to her surroundings until she snapped back to reality.

"It's not that he became a bad guy because of the evil spirit. Evil spirits only go into people who are already wicked" Ms. Chu clarified in a hushed tone, ensuring they wouldn't be detected by the police or implicated as suspects

"There's a frequency to bloodthirstiness. Evil spirits look for that sound to find a host" Hana spoke solemnly

"I see"

"Team one, let's move out. Everything is over. Let's go!" A commanding officer declared with enough volume for all to hear. This brought a sense of sentimental joy to Mun as he reminisced

"My mom and dad were police officers too" Mun commented to the group making them all turn their heads towards him in amazement and curiosity

"Really?"

"Yes. They worked at Nambu Police Agency. For the Intellectual Crime Squad" Mun responded, a subtle grin forming on his face as he reminisced about his parents

"What's your dad's name?" Mo-tak inquired with curiosity, demonstrating his interest by raising one eyebrow

"His name is Mr. So Gwon" Mun replied with a voice filled with pride

"So Gwon" Mo-tak repeated the name as if it had sparked recognition "His name is So Gwon?"

"Yes. Why?" Mun asked with curiosity, raising an eyebrow in his direction

"Mun, that was such a proper way to share your father's name. Who taught you so well?" Ms. Chu praised, her face beaming with a smile

"My grandfather" Mun proudly replied

The ambulances and officials started to depart, the sound of the ambulance sirens could be heard from a considerable distance, their tasks there were completed, ultimately everything went smoothly.

As they all rose from their hiding spot, Ms. Chu suggested, "We're done here. Let's have some rice soup on our way back"

"We have to stop by somewhere" Mun announced, catching the attention of all the members simultaneously

What was more significant than postponing the nourishment their stomachs were desiring?

Author's note;

Just a few announces, I can't believe season 2 has come to an end, I really wanted to cry at the end of episode 12, I wasn't ready for the end to come, and I just want to say that Mun looked so damn fine with the new hairstyle 😭

IM CRYING INTERNALLY RIGHT NOW 🥹 I'm going crazy, his English accent is so cute omg, I can't, I'm so in love with him y'all 😮‍💨

Anyways, don't hesitate to leave your opinions about the second season finale on the comments. See y'all on the next chapter! <33

This chapter was edited: 1/12/24 ☑️