Traces of the Sun — Chapter 9

Traces of the Sun Chapter 9 leans fully into psychological horror, and it is the chapter that has the fandom completely split on Gu Hyeon. The whiplash is real here. One moment he is flashing that disarming, almost playful smile, and the next his expression empties out into something cold and calculating. That rapid switch is not just a quirk anymore, it feels deliberate, a tool he uses to keep Yiseon off balance. For many readers, this is where Hyeon crosses from morally grey love interest into outright manipulator territory, using coercion and veiled threats to tighten his grip on a man who is already barely holding himself together. On Yiseon’s side, the chapter deepens his tragedy rather than moving him toward recovery. We see him trapped in that grotesque domestic life with the reanimated bodies of his former teammates, figures who should be memories but are instead a daily, rotting reminder of his survivor’s guilt. His restore ability, something the world would see as miraculous, is portrayed here as a curse. He cannot let them rest, and he cannot join them either. His numbness, confusion, and flickers of panic make his suicidal exhaustion painfully clear, and it reframes why Hyeon’s offer to kill the ghosts for him is so dangerously tempting. Plot-wise, Chapter 9 does not give easy answers about the contract or the Seven Wonders mission, but it cements the toxic codependency at the center of the story. Hyeon’s nullification is the only true death Yiseon can offer his friends, which gives Hyeon total leverage. Visually, the art sells the dread beautifully, with shadow-heavy panels, lingering close-ups on Hyeon’s shifting eyes, and the chilling stillness of the undead teammates looming in Yiseon’s home. It is uncomfortable, creepy, and strangely magnetic, leaving fans anxious, disturbed, and unable to look away.