It must have been a long time for him.

The last time he had seen him was well over five or six years ago.

Seo Kangrim looked at him while breathing in the thick scent of blood that filled the air.

“I wouldn’t say it’s been that long. We ran into each other at the Education Facility, after all.”

At those words, Kang Dohyun’s eyes flickered with brief surprise before his lips twisted into a sneer.

The place where the two had recently met was the Snake’s Room.

When Seomun Yongnyeo had come looking for him, the Death Messenger accompanying her had been Kang Dohyun.

Even with his face concealed, the unmistakable aura and hostility radiating from him had allowed Seo Kangrim to identify him immediately.

“If you recognized me, why didn’t you say anything?”

“It wasn’t exactly the ideal situation for exchanging pleasantries.”

Even now, the circumstances hardly seemed suited for greetings.

In his previous life, their reunion had been at least somewhat warmer.

When the Day of Awakening arrived, many people discovered their abilities, but there were those who had awakened even before that.

Clergymen closely tied to the divine, shamans, or those connected to them.

Kang Dohyun’s case was one of pre-awakening—someone who had awakened before the Day of Awakening.

The Bureau would scout these early awakeners and turn them into Death Messengers.

Seo Kangrim glanced at Kang Dohyun and asked,

“Did the Bureau assign you to tail me? Or did you come on your own initiative?”

“That’s what you ask first. I thought you’d ask about Mother.”

“……Is the teacher doing well?”

“Mother is dead.”

His teacher, Seo Hwakyung, was dead.

Seo Kangrim couldn’t hide the bitterness that welled up inside him.

‘So the teacher really has passed away.’

In his previous life, she had already been dead years before the Day of Awakening arrived.

He knew this fact, yet Seo Kangrim asked the question once more.

“How did she die?”

“Suicide. She left nothing but a note behind.”

“Why didn’t you invite me to the funeral?”

“Why would I invite you? You’re the one who walked out of the house on your own accord.”

Kang Dohyun was looking at Seo Kangrim as if he were a stranger—no, an enemy.

There had once been a time when Seo Kangrim and Kang Dohyun were as close as brothers.

Young Seo Kangrim had entered Seo Hwakyung’s household as her disciple and spent his childhood there.

Together with Kang Dohyun, her only family and sole son.

They were close in age, and the neighborhood children had been ostracizing Kang Dohyun.

Because he was a shaman’s son.

So in a way, it was only natural that the two would grow close.

They became friends, brothers, family.

But that was a long time ago.

“Mother’s suicide note—”

-Kkwang!

Kang Dohyun seized Seo Kangrim by the collar in an instant and shoved him back.

Rage was surging across his once-composed face.

“Do you think you have the right to call her Mother?”

Every time Seo Kangrim referred to Seo Hwakyung as Mother, he would react with that same fury.

That was likely the root of Kang Dohyun’s resentment toward him.

There are broadly two types of shaman.

One is the hereditary shaman, who inherits the shamanic calling through ancestral lineage.

The other is the spirit-possessed shaman, like Seo Kangrim, who becomes a shaman through Divine Descent.

Even when the children called Kang Dohyun a shaman’s son and shunned him, he had admired his mother.

He had wanted to become a shaman like her, but Seo Hwakyung had refused to pass the tradition down to him.

She knew all too well how painful a life as a shaman could be.

Unable to give up, Kang Dohyun had tried to become a spirit-possessed shaman instead, but he lacked spirit gift.

No gods came to visit someone without spirit gift.

And not long after, Seo Kangrim had entered Seo Hwakyung’s household.

In the relationship of master and disciple, spiritual mother and god’s child.

Kang Dohyun had devoted himself to training, seeking Seo Hwakyung’s recognition, but no clear results had come of it.

His yearning for talent soon twisted into jealousy directed at Seo Kangrim.

Seo Kangrim, who possessed extraordinary spirit gift unlike himself.

Seo Kangrim, whom powerful gods sought out on their own.

Seo Kangrim, who received his mother’s sympathy and affection.

[“Why does Mother cherish you more than her own biological son?”]

[“Why does Divine Descent come to you, but not to me?”]

[“Why don’t you accept the Divine Descent? I wish it had come to me instead……!”]

To Seo Kangrim, Divine Descent had been a misfortune and a living hell, but to Kang Dohyun, it was the opposite.

He had yearned for the very hell Seo Kangrim endured.

He had wept through the night and shed blood, seeking the gods that Seo Kangrim wanted to cast away.

Seo Kangrim had believed that his very existence was the source of Kang Dohyun’s misery.

That was why, after leaving Seo Hwakyung’s home, he had cut off all contact with them.

He had thought that if he disappeared, Kang Dohyun would finally be happy.

His prediction had proven wrong.

Kang Dohyun, still gripping Seo Kangrim by the collar, spoke.

“Why aren’t you fighting back? You could easily shake me off.”

“…….”

“Are you going easy on me?”

“I don’t want to fight.”

Something about those words must have struck a nerve, because Kang Dohyun’s brow furrowed even deeper.

He released Seo Kangrim as if tossing him aside.

“Don’t underestimate me. I’m not who I used to be. A god has descended upon me too.”

“…….”

“Even if you don’t want to fight now, we will fight someday.”

Leaving only those words behind, he put his mask back on and vanished into the darkness.

The acrid stench of blood still lingered in the air.

Han Cheol, who had been holding his breath, cautiously spoke up.

【That guy…… what’s his deal? Seems like he’s some kind of sworn brother of yours.】

“He seems to think of me as a complete stranger, though.”

【Tsk, tsk. An older brother’s jealousy caused all this trouble. You two should get along—your dead mother would rest easier that way.】

Get along, huh.

That would be nice, but right now, the prospect felt impossibly far off.

In his previous life, Seo Kangrim and Kang Dohyun’s relationship had mended quickly.

Ironically, the reason was that Seo Kangrim had been weak.

Even after completing the training program, seeing Seo Kangrim still so pitifully weak, Kang Dohyun hadn’t mocked him or felt satisfied—he had been furious.

[“Why are you so weak? You received Divine Descent!”]

[“If you’re this weak, then what does that make me after all those years of hating you?”]

[“You’re supposed to be stronger than me! You’re supposed to be!”]

Just when it seemed he would only rage, he had joined the Flying Tiger Sect, claiming he couldn’t stand by and watch a weak Seo Kangrim fend for himself.

Before he knew it, they had returned to their old relationship, close as brothers.

[“I can’t just stand by and watch you be this pathetic! At the very least, you need to be as strong as I am!”]

In his previous life, being weak had been what allowed him to repair the relationship, but this time around, circumstances were different.

That was why he had anticipated Kang Dohyun wouldn’t welcome him.

Han Cheol, who had been observing the situation, quietly offered some comfort.

【Well, time will sort it out. Once you both get older…….】

“I can’t wait that long.”

Seo Kangrim needed to join hands with Kang Dohyun as soon as possible.

One of the things he needed right now was information-gathering capability.

To confirm the whereabouts of Baekyoung and Yoo Harang, he absolutely needed the Bureau’s intelligence network.

To achieve that, he had to recruit Kang Dohyun, who was a Death Messenger.

He pondered for a moment, then looked up at the sky.

‘Whenever we fought, the teacher would always step in to mediate.’

Even now, it felt as though Seo Hwakyung might burst out at any moment, scolding them for brawling like children.

But Seo Hwakyung was dead, and the sky remained silent.

A bitter wind swept through the graveyard.

* * *

“Come in.”

After Seomun Yongnyeo granted permission, the office door opened.

The person who entered was Kang Dohyun.

She looked up at him briefly from her office chair.

“Did you meet with Seo Kangrim?”

“Yes.”

“Is he going to join our team?”

A dart spun between her fingers.

With a look that suggested she might fling it at him at any moment.

Kang Dohyun answered impassively.

“No. He declined.”

“Reason?”

“He said he had other matters to attend to. He wasn’t specific about it.”

Seomun Yongnyeo let out a short breath and set the dart down on her desk.

She spoke with a note of regret.

“I had hoped knowing you were acquainted with Seo Kangrim would give us an edge, but I suppose that was expecting too much.”

Sending Kang Dohyun to Seo Kangrim had been Seomun Yongnyeo’s idea.

Upon hearing that the two had known each other in the past, she had dispatched Kang Dohyun this time to try persuading him.

“I told you, didn’t I? We weren’t particularly close.”

“Is that so? That’s odd. When you ran into each other in the Demon Realm, it seemed like Seo Kangrim recognized you.”

“…….”

Kang Dohyun stiffened his expression and offered no reply.

He was clearly displeased with this situation on multiple levels.

Seomun Yongnyeo surely knew that as well, yet she continued speaking without so much as minding it.

“Anything else to report? What was Seo Kangrim doing?”

“He was hunting demon beasts.”

He had clearly seen Seo Kangrim visiting Han Cheol’s smithy and excavating a grave, yet he lied.

He had encountered demon beasts, so it wasn’t an outright deception.

Seomun Yongnyeo studied him quietly before speaking.

“He said he had other matters to attend to, and the best he could do was hunt demon beasts?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…….”

Seomun Yongnyeo’s chair creaked as it spun a full rotation.

She stared into space for a moment, lost in thought, before opening her mouth.

“Meet with Seo Kangrim one more time and try again.”

“Again……?”

“Yes. They say even three visits to a thatched cottage can move a man’s heart, don’t they?”

Seomun Yongnyeo smiled pleasantly.

It was a smile whose intent and depth were impossible to read.

She pulled up a message window and began composing something.

“Though given the current circumstances, another proposal would likely be refused as well.”

After hitting the compose button and pressing send, the message window vanished before her eyes.

She spoke with an unruffled expression, as though she had merely sent out an invitation.

“I’ve submitted a Demon Realm conquest request to Seo Kangrim. You’ll be accompanying him on it.”

“…….”

“If you fight alongside each other and tackle the Demon Realm together, surely Seo Kangrim will lower his guard a bit, won’t he?”

“What if Seo Kangrim doesn’t accept the request?”

“Then we’ll have to think of another approach.”

Kang Dohyun’s expression was frozen in what appeared to be mild discomfort.

Seomun Yongnyeo rose from her seat and stepped closer to him.

A gentle hand patted his shoulder.

“It seems Death Messenger Kang Dohyun isn’t too pleased about Seo Kangrim joining us?”

“Not at all.”

“There’s no need for unnecessary lies.”

At those words, Kang Dohyun couldn’t even muster a rebuttal and simply bit his lip.

Seomun Yongnyeo watched him and laughed soundlessly.

“Then I’ll leave it in your hands, Death Messenger Kang Dohyun. I absolutely must have Seo Kangrim, you see.”

* * *

Seo Kangrim stood before a building cordoned off with yellow tape stretched like police lines.

There was still some time left before the designated hour.

He was reviewing a message he had already read several times over.

‘To think Seomun Yongnyeo would request a Demon Realm conquest.’

The Bureau submitting requests to hunters was a common enough occurrence.

That was only natural, given that many matters exceeded what the Bureau’s own personnel could handle.

So he hadn’t been particularly surprised when he received the request, but having Kang Dohyun assigned as his companion was unexpected.

‘Is there something else behind this beyond the Demon Realm conquest?’

If she knew that he and Kang Dohyun were acquainted, she might be using that connection to scout him.

Harboring that vague suspicion, Seo Kangrim had nevertheless accepted.

‘I was trying to figure out how to draw Kang Dohyun out, and Seomun Yongnyeo went and set the stage for me.’

If Seomun Yongnyeo intended to use him, he planned to turn that opportunity to his own advantage.

Just then, Seo Kangrim heard footsteps and raised his head.

“Ah, Mr. Seo Kangrim. You’re here early.”

A Death Messenger in black attire and a mask stood there.

But there wasn’t one—there were two.

One was Kang Dohyun, standing with a reluctant expression.

And the other, despite her impassive face, radiated unmistakable warmth.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Seo Kangrim.”

Ahn Nabi extended her hand to Seo Kangrim as if genuinely delighted to see him.

Her eyes sparkled with a joy that words could scarcely capture.