An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 105
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 104
Part 4. Get Out of There Right Now (1)
The schedule with Chae Young-sik was set immediately.
It would be two days later, after work hours, and Lee Ha-yoon and Shin Jung-ah would travel together in Kang Hyung-seok’s car.
So it ended up being sometime after the usual quitting time.
Vrrrroooom.
As the car sped down the expressway, Kang Hyung-seok glanced through the rearview mirror at Lee Ha-yoon in the back seat.
“Has everyone finished work on your end?”
“Yes. We’re messaging now, and she says she’s alone.”
“That’s good.”
Chae Young-sik was on night duty today, apparently.
Since he practically lived at the company, it would look extremely suspicious if anyone else were there.
“There aren’t any security cameras or anything like that?”
“Just a moment.”
Lee Ha-yoon’s thumbs flew across her phone screen with startling speed, typing out a message before sending it.
“There’s one security guard, but she told him that friends were coming over to visit.”
“That’s fortunate.”
Kang Hyung-seok exhaled slowly and refocused on driving.
Throughout this exchange, Shin Jung-ah sat in the passenger seat with a contemplative expression, her eyes carrying an unsettling glint of foreboding.
“Manager, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, really. I just have a strange feeling.”
Since he was driving, Kang Hyung-seok couldn’t linger on Shin Jung-ah’s profile for long. Instead, he cast a quick glance before turning his attention back to the road.
‘Is it because of the possession last time?’
Perhaps his intuition had sharpened.
Or perhaps he had awakened to something.
Shin Jung-ah seemed to be sensing the same thing.
‘Arriving at your destination shortly.’
As they drew closer to their destination, his mouth grew inexplicably dry, and a dull ache bloomed behind his eyes—this ominous sensation.
Crunch, grind!
The moment Kang Hyung-seok stepped out of the car after parking, he surveyed the surroundings.
About 300 meters away stood a massive structure that appeared to be a factory, and nearby, scattered around the container housing, were several buildings that looked like warehouses.
Kang Hyung-seok’s gaze swept across the Mountain visible beyond.
‘The way it wraps around this place…’
The arrangement of the Mountain was so deliberate that it felt as though the factory had been built here on purpose.
Kang Hyung-seok’s brow furrowed, and Lee Ha-yoon called Chae Young-sik.
“Hey, Young-sik! Yeah, yeah. We’re here.”
(I’ll be right out.)
The surroundings were so quiet that Chae Young-sik’s voice was audible even without the speaker on.
Soon after, the container door opened, and Chae Young-sik emerged wearing slippers.
“Hello. I apologize for the late hour. And I’m sorry for canceling on you last time.”
“I’m Kang Hyung-seok from Daejeong Materials. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Kang Hyung-seok offered his greeting with eyes that said there was no need for apologies, but Chae Young-sik responded with an awkward smile, his expression tinged with embarrassment.
Ah, this man truly possessed a gentle nature.
To such a degree did Chae Young-sik carry an air of gentleness and softness throughout his entire being—so different from Shin Jung-ah and Lee Ha-yoon.
“Please, come in. You haven’t had dinner yet, have you? I’ve ordered some food. Let’s eat together.”
“Thank you. Then I’ll take you up on that.”
Kang Hyung-seok bowed his head slightly and began to move with him, but Chae Young-sik turned back and waved his hand in greeting to Shin Jung-ah and Lee Ha-yoon.
The door swung open.
As Chae Young-sik opened it, the unmistakable scent of a bachelor’s dwelling wafted out—so typical it was almost clichéd.
Despite the pungent aroma of fried chicken permeating the air, one could tell he hadn’t been living here for merely a day or two.
Rustle, rustle.
While Chae Young-sik unwrapped the bag of chicken, Kang Hyung-seok surveyed the interior thoroughly before speaking.
“You understand why I’ve come, don’t you?”
At that moment, Chae Young-sik’s hands froze, and his head lifted.
“Yes. I do.”
“This guy is seriously no joke.”
Lee Ha-yoon interjected into the conversation as if she’d been waiting for this very moment, while Shin Jung-ah wore an expression of disdain.
Yet it seemed less a matter of intuition than simple displeasure at the stench that had seeped into the container housing.
The meal proceeded in an awkward atmosphere.
There was the matter of the unfamiliar Kang Hyung-seok joining a gathering of friends, and the fact that his arrival boded nothing good.
Still, they were Korean.
The power of a good meal could not be ignored.
“Hey, don’t you have any salt?”
“You should’ve brought tissues.”
“You have no sense. Why didn’t you bring forks?”
“Is this what you came here for?”
Shin Jung-ah, Lee Ha-yoon, and Chae Young-sik bickered amongst themselves as they ate the chicken, and only after their bellies were sufficiently full did the mood shift.
“By the way, I heard you’re quite knowledgeable in these matters.”
Chae Young-sik spoke hesitantly, watching Kang Hyung-seok like a cautious hamster.
“Please, have some more.”
“No, thank you. I’ve had enough.”
Kang Hyung-seok glanced at Shin Jung-ah and Lee Ha-yoon, and both wore identical expressions.
So Kang Hyung-seok pressed his lips together firmly before opening his mouth to speak.
“The location has poor energy.”
“Pardon?”
“You mentioned having frequent nightmares, but from what I can see, it’s not a spirit affliction. However, if you continue to stay here, you will experience something unfortunate.”
Perhaps it was because his words were more direct than anticipated.
Not only Chae Young-sik but the other two as well stiffened, their faces betraying shock.
“Something… unfortunate, you say?”
“Two days ago, you had a nightmare. Yesterday, you slept peacefully.”
Chae Young-sik reflexively gasped, his eyes snapping wide open.
“How could you possibly know that?”
“I can sense it.”
Kang Hyung-seok rolled his tongue inside his mouth.
What lingered on my tongue was not the taste of chicken.
It was bitterness.
The unpleasant energy dwelling in this space transmitted itself through all five senses.
“If you sleep here tonight, you will certainly suffer nightmares. Your body will grow even more gaunt. Go somewhere else.”
Chae Young-sik swallowed dryly, yet his gaze remained fixed firmly upon Kang Hyung-seok.
Shin Jung-ah and Lee Ha-yoon felt the same way.
The words Kang Hyung-seok spoke, his low voice.
The atmosphere emanating from his very being.
All of it overwhelmed the space itself, leaving the three unable to tear their attention from him.
“Is it… truly that dangerous?”
That must be it.
The way Chae Young-sik addressed Kang Hyung-seok had become respectful.
“Yes. To be honest, this is not good. Submit your resignation as soon as the sun rises. Your departure must not extend beyond this month.”
Kang Hyung-seok spoke in a grave voice.
A voice without hesitation, without doubt.
He had not shaken the Shaman’s Bell, nor had he wielded the divine blade.
Yet having drawn closer to the divine, his sharpened intuition was telling him.
That this place must be abandoned.
“This place devours people.”
“Ah, no, Hyung-seok.”
Lee Ha-yoon, flustered, interjected into the conversation, but Kang Hyung-seok turned his gaze toward Shin Jung-ah.
“Director, do you not find this place unpleasant as well?”
Immediately after, Lee Ha-yoon and Chae Young-sik’s eyes shifted toward Shin Jung-ah.
The Shaman was seeking agreement from an ordinary friend.
The situation felt strange and bewildering, her words catching in her throat, but Shin Jung-ah nodded heavily.
“I… feel it too.”
Kang Hyung-seok exhaled a thin sigh and nodded.
“Yes, that’s right. The terrain itself, and the way the structure was built—it wraps around this container housing. This was clearly done with deliberate intent.”
Kang Hyung-seok fell silent, as though he had said all there was to say.
Then Chae Young-sik’s lips trembled slightly as he swallowed dryly, his eyes quivering.
“That’s… impossible right now.”
“Hey! This is no time to be stubborn.”
Lee Ha-yoon raised her voice, but Chae Young-sik continued to stare at Kang Hyung-seok.
“Working in society is like that. I can’t just resign suddenly, and if I leave, there’s no one to cover the night shift.”
“Wasn’t it the Company that suggested the night shift in the first place?”
Chae Young-sik flinched, though he was not flustered.
There was no way an employee would suggest taking the night shift first.
“Yes.”
“Your name is Young-sik, correct?”
Chae Young-sik’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and I took a sip of the carbonated drink before me, then spoke.
“Don’t worry about the Company. Think it over tonight, and it would be better for you to resign tomorrow, if anything.”
Chae Young-sik’s lips pressed firmly shut, as if heavy thoughts weighed upon him.
I could roughly guess what he was thinking.
How to explain it to the Company, what excuse to give his parents, and so on.
His head must be splitting with pain.
And the fact that he was agonizing over such matters proved that Chae Young-sik was an upright person—which was precisely why the Company had assigned him the night shift.
Cruel as it was, docile and kindhearted people were easy prey for exploitation.
“…I’ll tell the Company tomorrow.”
“Yes. You’ve made the right decision.”
I nodded vigorously and smiled, Chae Young-sik forced an awkward grin despite his furrowed brow, and Shin Jung-ah and Lee Ha-yoon exhaled sighs of relief.
“Then we should be heading out. Is there anything else?”
I asked Shin Jung-ah and Lee Ha-yoon, and they shook their heads.
“We should get going too. It’s getting late.”
“R-right. You need to go to work tomorrow too, Hyung-seok.”
I nodded and reached for the trash scattered on the ground.
Since Chae Young-sik had bought us dinner, I figured I’d at least dispose of the garbage on the way out.
But Chae Young-sik stopped me in alarm, so I had no choice but to stand up empty-handed.
“Right. This is fate, after all…”
Just before getting into the car, I pulled out a neat business card from my card case.
I handed it to Chae Young-sik, and he, though flustered, retrieved his own card and handed it over.
“If anything comes up, contact me.”
“Thank you. Really.”
“Do your best tomorrow.”
“Yes, yes.”
I nodded firmly and climbed into the car.
I started the engine and drove out of the Factory, but I felt the Security Guard’s gaze clinging to me unusually persistently.
“Phew! It’s all over, right?”
“Hey, but what was that earlier?”
“What?”
Shin Jung-ah turned to Lee Ha-yoon in the back seat.
“That thing you said earlier, about feeling strange.”
“Oh, no, no.”
“You’ve got something too…?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
I listened to Shin Jung-ah and Lee Ha-yoon bickering back and forth, a slight smile tugging at my lips.
I dropped the two of them off near their respective homes and drove alone down the quiet road toward my Rental House.
It was then.
Vroom—
Confirming that no vehicle followed behind him, he eased off the accelerator and reached for his phone resting on the dashboard.
He scrolled through his contacts, dialed Shin Yoseph, and placed the phone back in its holder.
Ring, ring, ring—
(What are you doing at this hour? How rude.)
The moment the call connected, Kang Hyung-seok accelerated.
“I need a favor.”
(What kind of favor?)
“I’m going to send you a business card. Can you look into that company for me?”
(What’s this about?)
He likely knew that Kang Hyung-seok wouldn’t make such a call without reason.
Shin Yoseph, who had been grumbling, asked in a serious tone, and Kang Hyung-seok pressed his lower lip against his upper teeth before speaking.
“It looks like a place conducting human sacrifice.”
A ritual of offering people to a deity.
It seemed that was precisely where such a ceremony was underway.
“Look into it. Find out what happened there, and what the representative and executives do.”
This matter was far from trivial.
A sharp premonition, like a piercing awl, stabbed at his heart with terrifying clarity.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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