Chapter 62.1

Chapter 62.1

Ara fell silent for a moment.

She was startled at herself for instinctively weighing two lives against each other. She felt guilty that a life lived for centuries could seem more precious than Suho’s, whom she had known far longer.

“I’m sorry.”

She would never willingly gamble Suho’s life.

But more than anything, she could not bring herself to throw Seok-kyung into that savage blaze again. She could not ask him to take that risk, to demand such an unreasonable sacrifice.

Originally, Suho and Seok-kyung had no connection. If not for her, they probably would never have been tangled up in this.

Ara swallowed and wet her dry throat. Her chest felt tight, and a fierce thirst sprang up.

“So what will happen to Suho?” she asked.

“If either way his life force is drained, he’ll die.”

Why did bad premonitions never fail?

“How long would that take?”

“Hard to say. At most… a month or two.”

That meant Suho could disappear before she even passed whatever test Seok-kyung had in mind.

Ara bit her lip so hard it went pale under her teeth.

Could she do anything to help Suho before that?

She felt ashamed of how bold and hypocritical it sounded, but still she clung to Seok-kyung like a lifeline.

“Is there no other way to save him?” she begged.

“What way?” he asked.

“That spirit, you said it seems to be after me. If it can be lured free from Suho’s body, and fully separated, then you could exorcise it.”

She left the rest unsaid, but Seok-kyung seemed to read the whole plan.

“Use me as bait, draw it out of Suho, then trap it…”

“Na Ara.”

His already tense expression twisted further, and his cold voice cut her off mid-sentence.

“Do you have, what, twelve lives to spare now?”

His tone was sharp and bitter, tangled with frustration, disbelief, and a faint trace of concern.

“For now, stay away from Yoon Suho. Don’t even go near him.”

Seok-kyung’s warning came with a face carved from ice.

Ara didn’t answer. Her bright eyes held his gaze for a long moment before dropping helplessly toward the floor.

“What,” he snapped.

Her reaction rubbed him the wrong way, no matter how hard he tried to stay calm.

“You said there’s nothing going on between you two. Then what’s this? Your stomach hurts just thinking about not seeing him?”

“What? No, it’s not that.”

Ara looked up again, her hands clasped tight, lips trembling.

“Most evil spirits… they’re not in their right mind, right? That’s why they became what they are.”

But the reason her thoughts were in turmoil had nothing to do with what Seok-kyung imagined.

She and Suho had only been close during school. After graduation, they hadn’t even stayed in touch. Seeing him again had simply been a nostalgic surprise, a brief warmth in an otherwise strange life. Not seeing him again wouldn’t break her heart.

“But if their target suddenly disappears,” she said quietly, “wouldn’t that spirit lose control?”

That was what she was really afraid of.

“It might hurt someone else, or destroy Suho even faster.”

Her worry was not for herself but for the chaos that spirit could unleash.

“If that happens, what am I supposed to do? Just save myself and let someone else suffer for it?”

“Life’s unfair,” Seok-kyung said flatly, letting out a tired sigh. His tone made it sound like her compassion was a luxury.

“Whatever the reason, you got a chance to get free of that thing’s grasp. Shouldn’t you be grateful?”

Ara couldn’t bring herself to answer.

“What, you planning to hand over your life because you can’t bear to see others hurt?”

She didn’t have that kind of courage.

“And do you really think that thing would stop its evil just because you gave yourself up?”

She didn’t think so.

The logical part of her knew it was foolish, useless self-sacrifice, naive interference. She could barely protect herself. How could she hope to save anyone else? And even if she offered herself, what were the odds that a soul-devouring monster would ever stop?

“But I can’t just sit back and watch,” she said finally.

That was Ara for who she was. Someone who couldn’t give up, even on the smallest chance.

“Na Ara.”

“I’ll look into it. Shamans, priests, monks, pastors, someone out there might know how to draw that spirit out.”

Seok-kyung stared at her, incredulous.