“That doesn't explain why you went off the radar and we couldn’t detect you,” Jongin stated in muted panic.

“The haechi hid me to… Protect me I believe,” Chinsun explained slowly, taking her time to ponder and choose the most appropriate wording. “Hiding my presence so that the berserk haechi could not detect me and absorb my spiritual energy. It seemed to have used up its energy to attack my shield so, it needed to recharge.”

Silence ensued, weighing down on the four individuals. The late morning sun filtered through the curtains, tickling Baekhyun in his blind eye.

“What is this haechi exactly?”

Jongin and Chinsun stared at Jongdae in disbelief. Even Baekhyun gaped at his best friend, incredulous at how ignorant he was.

“What? I mean, I know that it’s those weird lion like statues that fancy old buildings and temples have, but, in the current context, what is a haechi?” Jongdae frowned in offence at being misunderstood.

Baekhyun sighed heavily, raising his hand to his forehead for an extra dramatic touch. He then patted Jongdae’s shoulder, giving him an almost pitiful smirk.

“You my dear friend, have clearly not been studying hard enough,” Baekhyun exhaled. “As for for the haechi in this specific context…”

The words faded as Baekhyun turned expectantly towards Chinsun, knowing full well that Jongin would not be the one to offer any sort of explanation. Seeing that Baekhyun was sleazily pushing the responsibility onto Chinsun, the two cousins rolled their eyes in synchronisation.

Chinsun giggled softly, enjoying these moments of mundane hilarity that could only be found in the presence of these people so dear to her. Infected by Baekhyun and Jongdae’s earlier dramatics, Chinsun cleared loudly, and then combed her hands through her imaginary beard, imitating the actions of well-versed scholars of ancient times.

“Haechi are guardians who uphold justice. They are venerated symbols of protection and ward off harm and evil intentions. Most importantly they always come in pairs; one guarding each side of the gate,” Chinsun spoke with an air of gravitas, though she had to bite the inside of her cheek so as to not break out of character. “As for the haechi statues I encountered… It is likely that due to years, or more likely centuries, of neglect, one of the statues became overwhelmed with evil energy, feeling wronged for being forgotten and thus went berserk. The one that protected me instead, remained at its station, not forgetting its duty.”

“Wait, so are all statues of mystical creatures alive? Like can they call suddenly flare up and go berserk? Can I actually offend a dol hareubang when I make fun of its weird apperance?” Jongdae questioned, a growing curiosity bubbling inside of him.

“Of course not,” Jongin snorted. “Otherwise we’d be running around exorcising spirits that turned evil due to neglect and disrespect left and right.”

“A statue can become sentient and form its own spirit only if they are greatly revered,” Chinsun quickly interjected. “The strong reaction of the haechi I encountered means that they were formally viewed as extremely important, and were taken care of with great care. However, seeing as the whole place is sealed off inside the mountain, god knows how long those haechi have been neglected for.”

“So where did the berserk haechi go?” Jongdae shot out yet another question impatiently.

“And what kind of damage can it cause?” Chinsun bit her thumb, her brows etched together in sombre worry.

Yet again, a pregnant silence took over. This time, neither Chinsun nor Jongin could offer an answer. Finally, Chinsun clapped her hands together, promptly jumping off the bed.

“Who fancies a trip to the archive? After breakfast that is of course.”

Needless to say, three heads nodded in unison. Soon four p