An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 156

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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 155
Part 5. Who Is the Head of the Snake (4)
The silence stretched on.
The air hung heavy, thick enough to feel its weight.
It was a dangerous accusation indeed.
That someone—and a seasoned Shaman at that, Hong Kyung-soo—was targeting me.
“What made you think so?”
At Lee Geum-kyung’s question, I shifted my gaze to the teacup and answered.
“I have no clear reason to be certain.”
Call it intuition, if you will.
Yet when I recalled the Guardian Spirit’s words and my direct encounter with Hong Kyung-soo, there was undeniably something eerie and unsettling about him.
“I suspect that Hong Kyung-soo may have been the one who sent Changgwi after me.”
Chung-geum’s eyes and fingertips trembled visibly.
She understood the weight of it.
I became a Shaman because I picked up the Shaman’s Bell to protect myself from the pursuing Changgwi.
Looking back now, there’s something odd about it all.
As if someone had deliberately sent Changgwi after me.
“If that is your belief, I won’t deny it.”
“Teacher?”
Chung-geum, who rarely interjected in conversation, spoke without thinking, then quickly covered her mouth.
But Lee Geum-kyung shook her head heavily and met my gaze.
“Hong has long been an outcast. Many don’t even acknowledge him as a true Shaman.”
A Shaman in black robes.
One who deals in flesh and curses.
Because of this, he could be seen as someone who abandoned the Shaman’s calling.
“Yet his skill is considerable, and he has helped people on occasion. Once, I saw something in Hong’s eyes.”
“…What was it?”
Lee Geum-kyung’s expression became subtly guarded.
A response that said she would not speak of it.
Yet through her eyes, I could discern something of what she felt.
‘She sensed something.’
What was Hong Kyung-soo’s true purpose?
What did he truly want that made Lee Geum-kyung remember him with such troubled eyes?
“If your Guardian Spirit was correct in calling Hong Kyung-soo the head of the snake…”
Lee Geum-kyung moistened her lips with the cooling tea and continued in a grave voice.
“Speak of it to no one.”
“Pardon?”
“Night words are heard by rats, and day words by birds.”
It was then.
Lee Geum-kyung’s eyes shifted toward the paper-covered door.
I cautiously shifted my gaze in that direction and saw a silhouette beyond the paper door.
Small and thin—a shadow.
From its form, it was the Raven.
“….”
“It’s not even daytime, and yet it schemes.”
Lee Geum-kyung murmured softly, dabbing a few drops of tea water on her fingertips before flicking it toward the door.
Splash splash splash!
The Raven took flight, casting a massive shadow against the paper door, and I drew in a sharp breath through my nose.
For just a moment—the briefest instant—the Raven’s shadow seemed wrong.
Like a human face, almost….
“Don’t even think it.”
Lee Geum-kyung spoke in a low voice and exhaled a heavy sigh.
“Whatever his intentions, I too am protecting you.”
“…Pardon?”
“It means you are not protected by the Guardian Spirit alone.”
I had nearly become a divine son.
Lee Geum-kyung had nearly become a divine mother.
Though the connection had never been forged, that did not mean Lee Geum-kyung could simply turn away from me.
“Hong the Shaman—I have him in my grip, so he cannot reveal himself openly.”
I swallowed dryly.
The beasts I had seen thus far came to mind.
Mostly ravens, and they had always appeared whenever I faced something dangerous.
Yet they had never revealed themselves directly.
“…I understand.”
I had much I wanted to say, but I forced it down.
‘I must not speak of it.’
That thought filled my mind completely.
And Lee Geum-kyung and the Guardian Spirit were protecting me.
“Hmm.”
Lee Geum-kyung released a low groan that made her vocal cords vibrate, her serene eyes fixed upon me.
“It must feel awkward. You must be troubled.”
I raised the corners of my mouth in a bitter smile and nodded, while Lee Geum-kyung cast her gaze toward the paper-covered door.
Then she bent one knee and rested her elbow upon it.
“In the end, he is one who blames his own talent. I too have my thoughts, so for now, focus on your own path.”
“My path… what do you mean?”
Surely she was not speaking of my work at the company.
“Live as a Shaman among people.”
“Ah.”
“Live as a divine proxy. Act according to what you believe is right.”
Lee Geum-kyung shifted her gaze from the door to me and smiled faintly, though the atmosphere remained as heavy as the droop of her eyes.
However, Lee Geum-kyung’s smile soothed the heavy atmosphere, if only slightly.
“Only then will your Guardian Spirit be willing to protect you wholeheartedly.”
A shaman and their spirit are bound by a powerful covenant.
But if the shaman fails to serve the spirit, neglecting offerings and prayers, that bond weakens.
Kang Hyung-seok’s prayers existed in his actions, in his deeds.
“I understand.”
Kang Hyung-seok answered in a low voice.
It was heavy with the weight of reaffirming his purpose.
***
I hadn’t known.
(Hey, hyung.)
I really hadn’t known.
(Yes? I promise I won’t cause you any trouble.)
I never expected Yoon Sang to ask me to do a broadcast that very night.
“Yoon Sang….”
(I’m not doing this for entertainment! I’m not taking this lightly!)
“Sigh—!”
I sat up from the bed, covering my face with my palm.
“You know I hate broadcasting.”
(I know!)
And yet he was doing this?
My frustration surged, but Yoon Sang’s next words came clinging to me persistently.
(You know how much I respect you. And these are people who need your help. Of course I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.)
“What?”
(I’ll protect your identity fiercely!)
“No, not that.”
I got out of bed and held the phone closer to my ear.
“What do you mean, people need my help?”
Normally I would have felt uncomfortable, but I wouldn’t have asked so directly.
But I had spoken with Lee Geum-kyung earlier that day.
Her words about helping people still lingered in my heart like sediment, making it hard to dismiss.
(Well, actually I started receiving tips not too long ago.)
Yoon Sang chose his words carefully, afraid of offending me.
(There are quite a lot of them, actually. People asking if there are ghosts in their homes.)
“…What?”
I raised an eyebrow and asked, and Yoon Sang’s voice came rushing out like an arrow.
(Some of the tips looked dangerous to me. People having constant nightmares wondering if there’s a Malevolent Spirit in their home, experiencing strange phenomena.)
I found myself thinking of Shin Jung-ah.
She had suffered because of her home from the very first meeting.
I could still vividly see how terrified she had been.
‘Damn it, but is this really the right call?’
Of all things, it had to be a broadcast.
I knew Yoon Sang wasn’t a bad person.
But I had reservations about broadcasting, so it was difficult to agree outright.
And there was also the question of whether it was appropriate to reveal the teaching of living as a Shaman among people in this manner.
(Hyung-nim, there’s someone who really wants to get a consultation from you.)
“…You’re not lying, are you?”
(Of course not! How could I ever lie to you, hyung-nim!)
“Sigh.”
(I know you’re hesitating a lot, but please think of it as just helping out once, not my broadcast. And your face and voice won’t be revealed at all.)
That much, at least, put my mind at ease.
But I still wasn’t certain.
(Um, couldn’t you think of my broadcast as a means of connecting with people who desperately need help…?)
Yoon Sang’s earnest voice pierced clearly into my heart.
“Sigh, tsk.”
(If it’s uncomfortable for you, I’m sorry. I won’t bother you anymore, hyung-nim.)
I exhaled silently through my nose and opened my mouth.
“Alright.”
(Huh? Huh? Really, hyung-nim?)
It’s about connecting people to people.
Those words moved my heart.
The broadcast wasn’t the goal—it was the means.
“But how are you going to handle my personal safety?”
(That’ll be thorough! It’ll be conducted through voice chat. And thank you. Really, thank you so much, hyung-nim!)
It’s complicated.
This whole internet broadcasting thing.
I rubbed my forehead and got up from the bed, then pressed the light switch.
Click.
The room brightened with the lights on, and I returned to the bed and sat down.
“I don’t quite understand—how exactly are you planning to do this?”
(It’s simple, hyung-nim. I’ll set up a room, and when you come in and speak, voice modulation will be applied immediately. Of course, your face won’t be revealed.)
I imagined myself sitting in front of a laptop wearing a headset.
I think I understand now.
How it would all work.
“Then how do you see the viewer’s house?”
(Of course the viewer shows it with their camera. You just need to watch the screen and tell me whether there’s something there or not.)
Now I understood completely.
“You put a lot of thought into this?”
(Hyung-nim, if waves are the ocean’s business, then broadcasting is mine. This much is basic.)
An excited voice.
So it was a phone call, and my expression was drawn as if Yoon Sang were standing right in front of me.
“I’ve never done anything like this before, so I can’t guarantee whether it’ll work or not.”
(It doesn’t matter. It’s fine, hyung.)
I drew a deep breath between his words.
I’d received quite a bit of help from Yoon Sang over time.
Just last time with Rokurokuби, he’d prioritized me over the broadcast and helped.
I should extend a hand to someone like that.
(I’m really grateful, hyung.)
“Got it. This Friday night works for me, so let’s do it then.”
(Yes!)
His voice was so loud that I pulled the phone away from my ear and squinted.
(Hyung! I’m really, really grateful. The viewers have been pestering me so much just to confirm your existence.)
“That’s enough. It’s late, so let’s end the call here.”
(Hyung, is there anything you’d like to eat?)
“Sleep.”
I peeled off the overly clingy Yoon Sang and hung up the phone.
My forehead was hot, as if I’d been worrying too much.
“Phew!”
I turned off the light switch and returned to bed to sleep.
***
“So you agreed to broadcast together?”
On the Daejeong Materials Rooftop, I sipped my coffee and gazed into the distance.
“Yes. I’m sorry. It was hard to refuse.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Why are you laughing?”
For some reason, Shin Jung-ah was holding back laughter as if she found it hilarious.
“No, I just can’t imagine it.”
“Is that strange…?”
“I always wondered if a day like this would come. It’s not strange at all.”
Pat, pat!
Shin Jung-ah patted my back as if to cheer me on, and each time, my awkward smile became even more awkward.
“I agreed to help someone, but I’m still not confident about it.”
“Does the Guardian Spirit have anything to say?”
“No.”
Shin Jung-ah looked around me as if surprised.
But even so, without spiritual sight, she couldn’t possibly see the Guardian Spirit.
“Then it should be fine.”
“Is that so?”
“Anyway, it’s a decision you made, Manager Kang. You’re helping because you’ve received help from him. And you said it’s just a one-time thing, right?”
I nodded silently and sipped my coffee.
“Yes. Yoon Sang isn’t the type to cause me trouble either.”
“Then that settles it.”
Kang Hyung-seok still regarded Shin Jung-ah with eyes full of doubt.
Perhaps it was because this wasn’t his own affair.
The corners of his firmly pressed lips trembled slightly, and his eyes were creased from suppressing laughter.
“…Still, I can’t be sure. You could get entangled in this situation too, Manager.”
“Puhaha! That’s impossible.”
At Shin Jung-ah’s refreshing laughter, Kang Hyung-seok sipped his coffee without protest.
Then he glanced at his wristwatch—quitting time wasn’t far off.
It meant I’d soon have to appear on Yoon Sang’s broadcast, even if only as a voice.

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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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