An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 113

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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 112
Part 6. He Was Hiding (1)
*Ding-dong.*
The Shaman’s Bell chimed.
In that same moment, the dark and chilly night road ahead suddenly felt peaceful and serene.
*Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.*
The Shaman’s Bell rang not for me, but for the others.
Perhaps it was because we were in a rural area.
There were many Victim Spirits here. In this region.
*Whoosh.*
Kang Hyung-seok shook the Shaman’s Bell vigorously, as if brushing away dust from the ritual dagger he held in his right hand.
*Ding-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong.*
The sight was so spiritually potent that Shin Jung-ah unconsciously swallowed hard.
This was the first time she had seen Kang Hyung-seok wielding a ritual dagger.
Spiritual power, mystical presence, inner cultivation, accumulated force.
She had no words to describe the heavy aura emanating from him, yet paradoxically, the air around them grew progressively lighter.
*Step, step.*
Kang Hyung-seok moved forward, his lips rounded as if whistling.
*Wheeeee.*
It was a secret technique.
A shaman’s hidden method for finding even concealed Victim Spirits.
With the Shaman’s Bell and ritual dagger—sacred instruments—added to this, no Victim Spirit could hide its form before me.
*Ding-dong.*
After considerable time had passed, Kang Hyung-seok stopped ringing the Shaman’s Bell.
“Is it finished?”
Shin Jung-ah asked carefully while surveying the surroundings, and Kang Hyung-seok tucked the Shaman’s Bell into his pocket.
“Yes. I’ve sent away the minor Victim Spirits.”
There was always the possibility something could go wrong.
Only Kang Hyung-seok could take preventive measures to eliminate such risks.
That’s why Shin Yoseph had sent him ahead first.
“Let’s go. We need to finish quickly and collect the reward.”
“Ah? Right.”
Shin Jung-ah suddenly remembered and drew closer, while Kang Hyung-seok quickened his pace toward their destination.
The night breeze was quite cool.
Yet it didn’t feel unpleasant or damp.
It was simply a refreshing air that seemed to wish only good things would happen—the kind of breeze that enveloped both Kang Hyung-seok and Shin Jung-ah.
*Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.*
With each step, the Shaman’s Bell in my pocket chimed, which meant the closer we drew to our destination, the greater the number of Victim Spirits.
*Swish.*
When the lantern illuminated the structure, a typical rural Abandoned Building came into view.
When was the last time someone had lived here?
Five years? Perhaps even longer.
Shattered windows, a single-story building, a roof tiled with traditional clay.
The exterior walls were built of brick, with a bulging protrusion on one side that suggested an addition had been made.
*Whoooosh.*
Kang Hyung-seok walked along the building’s outer wall, whistling softly.
Victim Spirits exist everywhere.
Those bound to a single location are sometimes called earthbound spirits, but this place had Victim Spirits without any such entities.
“It’s not a Haunted House. Just an ordinary Abandoned Building.”
“Phew.”
Shin Jung-ah’s tension eased as she brushed her chest, then looked at Kang Hyung-seok with admiration.
“So we just take some photos and leave, right?”
“Just a moment.”
Kang Hyung-seok sent a text to Shin Yoseph.
It was a message warning him to be careful since there were Victim Spirits present, even if nothing stood out.
There was no reply, but he hadn’t expected one anyway since Shin Yoseph would be with the others.
*Tap, tap-tap.*
Kang Hyung-seok pulled out a piece of meat he’d secretly brought in his pocket and placed it on the ground.
Then, with both hands joined together, he bowed respectfully toward the Victim Spirits huddled together in the Abandoned Building.
“My friends and I shall visit with proper courtesy, so please do not be displeased and grant us your permission.”
Victim Spirits were once living beings.
This Abandoned Building was their dwelling, their space.
“If you do not grant permission, we shall leave. If you do grant it, I promise we shall commit no discourtesy.”
There was no response.
Yet Kang Hyung-seok maintained his respectful demeanor steadily.
Then it happened.
*Ding-dong.*
The Shaman’s Bell in his possession rang out.
“Thank you.”
Kang Hyung-seok bowed once more to the Victim Spirits before straightening, but all his eyes could see was the dim interior of the Abandoned Building.
The Victim Spirits had granted permission and even cleared a path for him.
Was it really necessary to go this far?
The gaze that Shin Jung-ah directed at him seemed to be asking precisely that.
She was thinking that a Shaman of Kang Hyung-seok’s caliber could surely proceed without seeking consent.
In truth, that was so.
But the reason he didn’t was because it was equally important to demonstrate conduct befitting his station.
“Let’s take the photos quickly and leave.”
“Yeah, okay!”
“Just so you know, you shouldn’t carelessly imitate what I just did.”
“Right, I won’t.”
It’s the act of speaking to a Victim Spirit.
If someone without spiritual sight or unable to distinguish between Malevolent Spirits and ordinary Victim Spirits carelessly mimics this, they might draw the attention of a Malevolent Spirit.
When that happens, life becomes exhausting.
In any case, Kang Hyung-seok and Shin Jung-ah entered the Abandoned Building without hesitation.
‘Perhaps it’s because this isn’t a Haunted House. It’s less frightening than I expected.’
As Shin Jung-ah looked around, Kang Hyung-seok pressed deeper inside without pause.
Then he opened the innermost door, quickly snapped a photo with his phone, and returned.
“Let’s go.”
“Already?”
“It’s all done.”
It’s merely a simple courage test—nothing surprising about it, and it’s more of a game that shouldn’t even exist.
“Manager Kang, is there any chance we could take a shortcut?”
“We’d have to cut across private property. That’s a bit….”
“Manager Kang, you’re far too rigid.”
Though Shin Jung-ah spoke with reluctance, she promptly followed behind Kang Hyung-seok.
They were walking along the main road when it happened.
“Oh? Manager Kang!”
Namgoong Min-ah, coming from the opposite direction, spotted them and waved her hand.
Kang Hyung-seok, seeing Lee Jin-pyung and Shin Yoseph standing beside her, raised one eyebrow and spoke.
“What? Why are you already here?”
“The Manager told us to finish quickly and sent us ahead.”
It wasn’t even that late.
Still, feeling Gwak Young-ho’s concern for safety, Kang Hyung-seok nodded in understanding.
“I see.”
“But if you’re here, that means you’ve already taken the photos and come back?”
“Yes. There’s a room in the innermost section. Since it’s dark, the door might be hard to spot, so search carefully.”
“Oh, okay.”
Namgoong Min-ah nodded vigorously, and Lee Jin-pyung made a note of what Kang Hyung-seok had said on his phone.
In the meantime, my eyes met Shin Yoseph’s, and his impression was different from the others.
He gave off the feeling of a teacher escorting kindergarteners on a field trip.
“Manager Kang, is there anything we should be careful about?”
Shin Yoseph posed a pointed question.
Shin Jung-ah, now knowing his true identity, observed his reaction carefully, while Kang Hyung-seok responded with the attitude one reserves for an important client.
“From what I’ve seen, there’s nothing you need to worry about particularly.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Since residential areas are closer than expected, you should be fine as long as you don’t make loud noises.”
“Got it. Thanks for your hard work.”
Shin Yoseph tapped Kang Hyung-seok’s forearm—something that might have seemed presumptuous to an outsider.
Yet, knowing the truth, it could be interpreted as a gesture meaning ‘You’ve really gone through a lot.’
“Then we’ll head in first.”
“Yes.”
Shin Yoseph waved and moved away, while the rapid footsteps presumed to be Namgoong Min-ah and Lee Jin-pyung’s “uh, uh” sounds echoed from a distance.
“Should we pick up the pace a bit?”
At Shin Jung-ah’s suggestion, I let out a laugh like I was exhaling.
Then I quickened my stride, walking almost at a jog.
The night breeze was truly wonderful, and since I’d already traveled this path once before, the return journey felt even shorter.
That’s why I didn’t know.
What awaited at the end of this road.
“Manager?”
Shin Jung-ah arrived at the Pension and looked around while catching her breath lightly, but no response came.
“What is this. We need to time it.”
Shin Jung-ah frowned and pulled out her phone to call Gwak Young-ho. But no matter how long the signal stretched, the call wouldn’t connect.
“He’s not answering?”
“…Apparently not.”
Shin Jung-ah and I stood in silence, rubbing our molars with our tongues or touching the corners of our eyes.
I shouldn’t think like this.
But the thought that something bad had happened kept flooding my mind no matter what.
“I’ll check the back of the Pension. Manager, could you check by the car?”
“Got it. If anything happens, contact me right away.”
“I’ll also ask the Pension Owner.”
“I’ll handle that!”
I headed toward the back of the Pension the moment I separated from Shin Jung-ah.
I turned on my lantern, but only darkness was illuminated—Gwak Young-ho was nowhere to be seen.
Damn it, this courage experience we were trying to build some memories with.
This wasn’t supposed to lead to something like this.
*Ring ring ring!*
“Hello? Manager, he’s not in the back. What did the Pension Owner say?”
(I’m asking now. Hold on, I’ll put her on.)
After a brief pause, a woman’s voice with a deeper tone than Shin Jung-ah’s came through.
(Yes, hello?)
“The person who made the Pension reservation. Did you happen to see them?”
(He went outside while calling earlier.)
“What?”
A fleeting glimmer of hope.
(I don’t know the details. When I asked earlier, he said something had happened to Manager Kang, and his face turned pale as he ran off.)
And then came the despair that followed.
(Try contacting Manager Kang. It seemed like such an urgent matter that I couldn’t stop him. I couldn’t.)
“…I understand.”
That Manager Kang is me.
Since the person in question didn’t know, I had no idea how to process this.
(Hello?)
“Yes.”
Shin Jung-ah’s voice came through once the Pension Owner had handed back the phone.
(Oh, what do I do? I should call the police, right? And what do I tell the Company? What am I supposed to do?)
Her voice trembled with panic.
Kang Hyung-seok drew a deep breath and spoke in a measured tone.
“Calm yourself, Manager. Let’s handle this one step at a time.”
I was confused too.
But pacing back and forth wouldn’t accomplish anything.
I couldn’t see what was visible, couldn’t find what could be found.
(Ah, understood.)
“Yes. I’ll meet you at the Terrace in front of the Pension.”
Kang Hyung-seok hung up and let out a thin groan, his jaw clenched tight.
‘Where did this all go wrong?’
From what the Pension Owner had said, Gwak Young-ho seemed to be under some kind of spell.
‘Under what exactly….’
There shouldn’t have been any problems.
The Abandoned Building wasn’t a Haunted House, and I’d even offered meat and alcohol to the Victim Spirits in this area.
Since there wasn’t any particularly harsh spiritual energy around, the thick Mist felt suffocating.
*Thud, thud.*
Kang Hyung-seok walked toward the Terrace, his face heavy with thought.
“Manager Kang!”
Shin Jung-ah called out to him, her face twisted with terror.
Even someone like Shin Jung-ah, who’d seen plenty of horrors, wore such an expression—I understood perfectly.
A Company employee, of all people, and at the workshop no less—it had to happen to Gwak Young-ho.
Beyond the glass window, the Pension Owner—who also ran a Cafe—watched anxiously as Kang Hyung-seok gripped and released a lantern.
“Did you find anything out? Manager, what do we do?”
“Just a moment. Let’s organize this first.”
Kang Hyung-seok forced a smile at Shin Jung-ah, then turned his gaze toward the darkness.
His expression hardened—not from deep thought.
He’d spotted a faint light.
‘Wait….’
The flickering flame near the Parking Lot in front of the Pension resembled a Dokkaebi fire.
Like a firefly, yet with an illusory quality.
“Shouldn’t we call the police? Manager….”
Raising his hand to silence Shin Jung-ah’s stream of words, he stared at the light and pulled out the Shaman’s Bell.
Then, keeping his hand lowered so the Pension Owner wouldn’t see, he shook it near his knee.
*Jingle.*
The light’s movement stopped.
Then it began moving slowly, pointing in a single direction.
It was the same Valley I had seen during the day.
‘The Valley? Does that mean Manager Gwak Young-ho went in that direction…?’
*Whoosh.*
The light now moved with greater intensity.
As if urging me forward.
Clenching my teeth, I tucked the Shaman’s Bell into my pocket and turned to face Shin Jung-ah.
“Let’s be cautious about reporting this.”
“…What?”
“I think I’ve figured out the direction. Let’s search for him ourselves first, and if that doesn’t work, we can report it then.”
Shin Jung-ah couldn’t understand.
If I’d already determined the direction, finding him should be easier.
“The methods for finding someone possessed and someone missing are completely different. If he’s truly possessed, causing a commotion would do nothing but harm.”
Kang Hyung-seok answered in a low, resolute voice, reading the light in her eyes.
Only then did Shin Jung-ah nod, her lips trembling slightly.
Perhaps because of Kang Hyung-seok’s confident expression, the anxiety that had gripped her seemed to fade somewhat.
‘Thank you.’
Kang Hyung-seok turned his gaze back toward the light, but there was nothing to see anymore.
Still, I seemed to understand what that light was and what intention lay behind its guidance, so I expressed my gratitude by pressing my palms together.
It was the Victim Spirit who had consumed the meat and alcohol I had set down on the Terrace.
It was repaying that kindness.
“Huff, huff. We won, didn’t we?”
“Take it slowly.”
“Manager Lee, you’re going too slow!”
Voices of people echoed from a distance.
They were the ones who had gone out for the courage test.
Kang Hyung-seok turned his head toward the source of the sound and fixed his gaze on Shin Yoseph.

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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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