"Like a fragile flame in the hands of fate, we burn with forbidden desire."
Tokyo had always been a city of contradictions. Its neon-lit streets, crowded with the pulse of life, held both the promise of new beginnings and the remnants of long-forgotten regrets. No one knew this better than Park Jay, the world's most powerful sorcerer. Sitting on the rooftop of Jujutsu High School, he took off his blindfold, allowing his eyes to scan the cityscape beneath him. The wind tousled his white hair but he couldn't care less. Not when his thoughts were consumed by the haunting specter of Shim Jake. Not when the last time they confronted each other still lingered in Jay's mind like an open wound.
The betrayal, the pain, and the bitter taste of lost friendship replayed in vivid detail, and Jay hated how each memory haunted the corridors of his consciousness.
His gaze fell upon the distant horizon, where the city lights blended with the darkness, much like the blurred lines between the love and hatred that had once intertwined their fates. Just when he was about to stand up and leave the rooftop, the soft rustling of fabric reached his ears. "Sunghoon. You can come out of hiding."
"I wasn't hiding." The man stepped fully into the dim light, his features catching the faint glow from the city below. His presence was quiet, like a whisper, but it was also enough to draw Jay's attention fully. After all, he was the one who had seen him at his strongest and weakest moments alike. A humorless chuckle escaped his lips. "You look like you're going through a breakup."
His lips curled into a wry smile. "Breakups are supposed to be easier, aren't they? Clean breaks, no lingering threats trying to destroy the world." He himself knew the irony of his words, the bitter truth hidden behind his attempt at humor. "I couldn't kill him."
The power Park Jay had could destroy mountains and reshape the very fabric of reality, but there was one limit to that strength – his heart. Not being able to kill Shim Jake was his only mistake, one that might haunt him for eternity. Nine years had passed since that fateful day, and yet the wounds were as fresh as if time had stood still. He could still see Jake's face, how his once ally's eyes had darkened, the spark of humanity dimming as the curse took hold. He could still remember how he desperately shouted to stop him from crossing that irreversible line, and how, even though the words were meant to save Jake, they fell on deaf ears.
Sunghoon sighed, his gaze fixed on the city lights flickering like distant stars. "There are fates worse than death, and perhaps he's facing one of them. I'm pretty sure nine years haven't been easy on him either."
Jay's eyes remained locked on the horizon, the first rays of sunlight breaking through the night. "Maybe." That was all he could muster – a single, unsteady word. Maybe Jake had faced his own demons, his own struggles, but Jay couldn't find it in himself to fully empathize. The wounds ran too deep, the betrayal too profound. "Let's wake up the students. We've got a long day ahead." With that, he stood up and gently tapped Sunghoon's shoulder before leaving the rooftop. Maybe that was the only way he knew how to cope—to bury it beneath the weight of responsibilities.
The students at Jujutsu High School were unaware of the history of their teacher. When Jungwon, a first-year student at Jujutsu High School, strolled outside to the courtyard for practice, Sunoo and Niki were already waiting. "Why didn't you wait for me? You traitors." He pouted in mock betrayal, running his fingers through his messy hair. He could never resist the opportunity to tease his two friends.
Niki just shook his head in disbelief while Sunoo rolled his eyes. "We're not traitors. We just didn't want to witness your sappy goodbyes to that cursed doll collection of yours again."
"I've told you before, they're action figures, not dolls!" Their banter echoed through the courtyard when Park Jay appeared from nowhere, making them startle for a moment. His smirk adorned his face, and he leaned casually against the courtyard wall, his blindfold once again covering his eyes.
"Eh?" He raised an eyebrow, his blindfold shifting slightly. "Morning, brats. Are you guys ready for today's mission? We've got a Class 1 curse on the loose. Be ready in ten minutes, take longer and I'll make you run laps around the entire school. Got it?" Sunoo and Niki were out of sight while Jungwon scratched the back of his neck and frowned. "Jungwon, use this. It will help you locate curses more efficiently."
Looking down at the small talisman he caught, Jungwon raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Why are you helping me, sensei? Are you trying to make up for something?
Jay's smirk faltered for a moment, and a flicker of something unreadable passed through his blindfolded eyes. "I'm just making sure you survive long enough to become a grade 1 sorcerer. Can't have my favorite students dying on me, can I?" He ruffled Jungwon's hair, earning a half-hearted protest from the boy. It was really not like Jay to be serious, especially not about matters involving sentiment. But the shadow of his past lingered, and sometimes, he regretted not being able to see the shadow behind someone's smile and so often, even his own.
"Something's up with Jay sensei, don't you think? He's not... normal. He even gave me this talisman thingy. I mean, he usually just tells us to figure things out on our own," Jungwon whispered to Sunoo and Niki as they made their way to the mission site.
Sunoo shrugged. "Jay sensei always acts weird. I don't think he has a normal bone in his body." The trio knew their teacher wasn't the regular type and they were grateful he wasn't some sort of old and ugly cliché instructor. If anything, he was like a tornado of chaos and charisma rolled into one. Yet, Niki could still feel the subtle unease his teacher radiated.
Upon arriving at the site, Sunoo twirled his hammer and glanced toward the cursed presence lingering nearby. "Let's get this over with. I want to finish in time for dinner."
"Oh yeah, I want to eat some of those dumplings from that place near the school." At the mention of dumplings, Park Jay, the greatest sorcerer of their time, appeared beside them in a flash.
"If you succeed on the mission, you'll have to buy me some of those dumplings, too," He interrupted with a sly grin, his hands tucked casually into his pockets. Before Jungwon could complain about how it was such an unfair offer, he pulled down his blindfold with a playful wink. "Don't ask me to save you if you're ever on the verge of becoming a curse snack, though. I'll be taking a nap over there." And without warning, he vanished into thin air, leaving the trio to face the remaining curses on their own.
"Okay, here we go. Niki, you take the left flank. Jungwon, cover the right. I'll go straight through the center," Sunoo commanded as they approached the cursed spot." And so they did, Sunoo swinging his hammer and dispatching curses, Niki showcasing his innate control over shikigami and Jungwon, fueled by the power of Sukuna, displaying raw strength that crushed curses beneath his fists.
Park Jay observed from a distance, his keen eyes following their every move. Leaning against a nearby tree, he crossed his arms and allowed a small smile to play on his lips. "Not bad, not bad at all," he muttered to himself. The trio were starting to get the hang of handling curses and that was enough to celebrate with dumplings. If no one died, of course.
But the smile on his face faded at the familiar scent that used to comfort him like an old friend. The scent of cursed energy, twisted and malevolent, made his heart ache. He knew that scent all too well, and it brought back memories that he had tried so hard to bury. From the shadows emerged a figure, clad in dark robes, his features obscured by the hood. Jay's breath hitched as he recognized the silhouette, even before the hood fell back to reveal Shim Jake's face.
"Shim," Jay uttered his name like a curse as if he had summoned a demon from his past. As if the mere sight of Jake reopened wounds that had never truly healed. Those eyes that used to make his heart skip a beat were now tainted with darkness. They weren't the eyes that made Jay lose himself in laughter anymore and it was enough to make the realization sting like an open wound. The happiness he felt when he was around Jake was so loud he wasn't able to hear his best friend's silence become louder and louder.
Jake's lips curled into a twisted smile, the same smile that had once been Jay's favorite sight in the world. "Long time no see, Park."
