An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 169

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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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Episode 168
Part 3. As the Sea Mist Rolls In (2)
Thud.
The moment Kang Hyung-seok and Kim Jae-sik stepped out of the car, the villagers’ eyes converged upon them.
No one spoke, yet their gazes bristled with caution.
I understood.
People were dying, and a False Shaman was making a spectacle of himself, desperate to do something—anything.
Outsiders would hardly be welcomed here.
“Forgive the intrusion. Allow me to introduce myself.”
As Kim Jae-sik presented his business card to the gathered villagers, Kang Hyung-seok surveyed them methodically.
‘A Child Spirit, an Old Man, a Middle-aged Man.’
No young men.
But there was a young woman.
She wore brown clothes that looked as though they’d been purchased from a market stall, and when their eyes met, she held his gaze without flinching for a long moment.
Then, her brow furrowed slightly, and she slipped away among the other villagers.
‘I was too forward.’
Just as Kang Hyung-seok was trying to dismiss the woman who had left an oddly lingering impression, something happened.
“Yes, yes, I understand.”
A Middle-aged Man who appeared to be the Youth Leader cut Kim Jae-sik off abruptly.
“The timing couldn’t be worse. Please leave.”
“Ah, no, but still….”
“I understand you’re a researcher, but we’re in no position to entertain visitors right now—not with the village in this state.”
The shorter the Youth Leader’s words became, the more distress spread across Kim Jae-sik’s face.
“Surely there must be some way?”
“People are dying. This isn’t a game, is it!”
The Youth Leader turned and raised his voice, and several villagers nodded in agreement.
Such occurrences were rare.
Precisely because they were so rare, the villagers’ minds were too unsettled, and even Kim Jae-sik could find no words to counter them.
Should we simply leave?
That was the look Kim Jae-sik cast toward Kang Hyung-seok.
Ding.
The sound of the Shaman’s Bell ringing from the bag left in the car came through with crystalline clarity, as if it were right beside them.
Kang Hyung-seok’s head snapped toward the vehicle.
And so he was the first to spot the car approaching from the distance.
Vroom.
The car’s silhouette was familiar.
As though he’d seen it somewhere before.
Screech!
The car came to a stop near Kang Hyung-seok, and the moment the villagers’ and Kim Jae-sik’s attention shifted toward it, a man with his hair tied back climbed out from the driver’s seat.
“Good heavens—who is this?”
The man’s face creased with wrinkles as he displayed exaggerated delight.
“Dong-gwan! What brings you here?”
It was Hong Kyung-soo.
“Do you know him?”
Kim Jae-sik asked quietly, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Hong Kyung-soo.
Of all people, it had to be Hong Kyung-soo.
The Shaman who devours flesh.
The person Lee Geum-kyung had called dangerous.
Perhaps the serpent’s head that the Guardian Spirit had warned me about.
Thud, thud.
He approached with casual indifference.
“What’s with that dark expression? It’s been so long.”
Damn it.
I clenched my teeth to hide my reaction, then greeted Hong Kyung-soo with a smile.
“It’s been a while. I hope you’ve been well?”
“Me? Same old, same old every day. How about you, sir? You’ve been well?”
“Yes. I’m in good health.”
“Health is everything. Everything.”
I couldn’t afford to arouse Hong Kyung-soo’s suspicion.
I couldn’t let him know that I’d discovered how dangerous he truly was.
I couldn’t reveal my heart to someone who was concealing his own intentions even now.
That’s when it happened.
“And who are you!”
One of the villagers suddenly shouted at Hong Kyung-soo.
“What, you….”
Hong Kyung-soo’s eyes flared immediately, and the person who had shouted flinched, averting their gaze in panic.
“Wait, just a moment!”
Then an elderly man hurried over and positioned himself in front of Hong Kyung-soo.
“Oh my, oh my. Thank you so much for coming all this way.”
When the Old Man respectfully offered his handshake with both hands and Hong Kyung-soo accepted it with one, not only the villagers but even Kim Jae-sik began to look bewildered.
“Who exactly is that person?”
To Kim Jae-sik’s question, I lowered my voice and answered.
“A Shaman.”
Then I looked at Kim Jae-sik and shook my head.
A warning—don’t get close to him, he’s dangerous.
The message was understood, and Kim Jae-sik immediately distanced himself from me, disappearing into the crowd of other people.
“What’s all this commotion? What’s everyone gathered here for?”
Hong Kyung-soo spoke in his characteristic accent, a peculiar blend of provincial dialects, and an awkward smile crossed the Old Man’s lips.
“As I mentioned before, the atmosphere has felt a bit unsettling…. Ah, come now. Why aren’t you greeting him?”
“Why would the Village Chief say such a thing!”
The Youth Leader spoke on behalf of the group, and the Old Man called the Village Chief glared with fierce eyes.
“I told you before! We’ve brought in a skilled Shaman!”
“…Ah, yes!”
Kang Hyung-seok quickly scanned the villagers.
No one showed disrespect toward Hong Kyung-soo as a Shaman.
They all gazed at Hong Kyung-soo with eyes of unwavering trust, as though beholding a savior.
‘How ironic. Truly.’
A Shaman who harms people was being treated as a dignitary in a village where people were dying.
Conversely, perhaps it was precisely because he was such a person that the Village Chief had summoned Hong Kyung-soo.
In this field, it would be difficult to find an expert as skilled as Hong Kyung-soo.
“Come now, pay your respects! Quickly!”
As all the villagers bowed their heads, Hong Kyung-soo looked at Kang Hyung-seok and shook his head with an embarrassed expression.
Then he pulled a cigarette from his pocket and opened his mouth.
“But what’s all this about? From a distance, it looked as chaotic as a marketplace from the start.”
“Well, it’s…”
The Youth Leader, flustered, shifted his gaze toward Kang Hyung-seok and raised a finger.
“Those people… what? One of them went somewhere. Anyway, they suddenly said they had something to investigate….”
Hong Kyung-soo nodded as if he understood and lit his cigarette, while the Youth Leader added with an awkward smile.
“It’s nothing serious. I’ll send them out shortly, so please don’t worry.”
At that moment, Hong Kyung-soo’s eyes narrowed.
“Send them out?”
“Pardon?”
“Psh! Didn’t you hear what I said earlier? What did I call this person?”
Hong Kyung-soo glared at the Youth Leader, who was older than him, and took a drag from his cigarette.
“A fellow practitioner, that’s what. A Shamanic Practitioner like me.”
“That, well, I, I didn’t know.”
“Damn fool.”
Hong Kyung-soo held the cigarette between his lips and, keeping his hand in his pocket, surveyed all the villagers.
A Shaman’s gaze is terrifying.
Not merely because of dealings with the divine.
It comes from dealing with people, and thus from understanding them well.
“You lot speak rather harshly, don’t you.”
The Youth Leader’s lips trembled uncertainly, but he could not bring himself to speak.
Even when the Village Chief gave him a warning glance, he remained silent.
“Fellow practitioner, these people spoke without knowing better, so don’t take it to heart.”
Kang Hyung-seok shook his head, as if avoiding eye contact.
“Heh, that expression though.”
Hong Kyung-soo clicked his tongue and released a deep sigh.
“Seems your feelings are quite hurt. Let it go, fellow practitioner. What would these people know? Hmm?”
Then he lightly tapped Kang Hyung-seok’s shoulder and, looking at the villagers, took another drag from his cigarette.
“Fate is truly fleeting and unpredictable. And those fools don’t even understand that. So don’t burden yourself too much with this, Dong-gwan.”
Hong Kyung-soo gestured for the Village Chief to approach, cigarette dangling from his lips.
Then it came.
“Listen here, Village Chief. It was a few months ago when you called me, wasn’t it? Two months?”
“Yes, yes. That’s correct.”
The Village Chief nodded vigorously, and Hong Kyung-soo exhaled smoke while shifting his gaze toward Kang Hyung-seok.
Kang Hyung-seok forced the corners of his mouth upward, donning a salesman’s smile.
“Indeed. What an extraordinary coincidence.”
“Well, it’s nice to see you, but this is awkward. Really awkward.”
“What do you mean?”
“There are two Shamans. Two. This is a headache. A real mess.”
Kang Hyung-seok rubbed his teeth with his tongue, gauging Hong Kyung-soo’s reaction.
He’d said it was coincidence, but he didn’t truly believe it.
‘What’s his intention?’
Hong Kyung-soo was emphasizing that this meeting was coincidental.
Was it really?
The odds of it being otherwise were far greater.
Then what could his intention be?
Kang Hyung-seok clenched his molars, concealing both expression and true thoughts.
“I’ll step back from this.”
At Hong Kyung-soo’s sudden words, Kang Hyung-seok’s eyebrows twitched.
“No, wait—where are you going?”
The Village Chief grabbed Hong Kyung-soo’s arm in surprise, but he continued calmly, eyes on Kang Hyung-seok.
“Frankly, you don’t need two knives to slaughter one ox. I’ll leave, and Dong-gwan stays. That’s the cleanest solution, isn’t it?”
“B-but Park Su!”
“Let go.”
Hong Kyung-soo shook off the Village Chief’s arm, pulling out a fresh cigarette as if suffocating.
Then, watching the bewildered faces and the resentful glances directed at Kang Hyung-seok, he lit his cigarette.
“You wretches, where do you get off looking at people like that!”
His thunderous rebuke snapped everyone’s attention to him instantly.
“Do you know who this man is? He’s a great Shaman—a supreme Shamanic Practitioner you and your children won’t see again even when you’re old and dying! A supreme Shamanic Practitioner!”
Shamanic Practitioner is the term for a male Shaman.
Hong Kyung-soo emphasized the words, pointing at Kang Hyung-seok with his finger, veins bulging in his neck.
“Know your place! A far greater Shamanic Practitioner than someone like me is willing to stay in this village! And you’re about to squander a golden opportunity like a pile of dung with your pathetic judgment!”
The villagers fell silent, unable to speak against Hong Kyung-soo’s excessive fury.
Then several of them turned their gazes toward Kang Hyung-seok.
Their eyes were far gentler than before.
If someone of Hong Kyung-soo’s stature was saying this as he departed, perhaps there was hope after all—that’s what their eyes conveyed.
“Ah, really. Tsk.”
Hong Kyung-soo drew on his cigarette and lowered his voice far more than before.
“Listen to me carefully.”
Having reclaimed everyone’s attention, Hong Kyung-soo continued, his eyes gleaming with intensity.
“Consider everything he says to be above my words, and do whatever he commands. Unless you wish to share a coffin with the person beside you on the same day and hour.”
Hong Kyung-soo delivered his chilling warning, his gaze—now devoid of malice—turning toward Kang Hyung-seok.
Then, without another word, he climbed into his car, leaving the crowd behind.
‘What on earth is he thinking….’
If there was intent behind this, he couldn’t simply leave.
If there had been intent, it would only be to confirm Kang Hyung-seok’s existence with his own eyes.
Yet even that had been scheduled two months prior, so the timing didn’t align.
‘Could he have timed it perfectly?’
Until Kang Hyung-seok arrived in this village.
To create a natural encounter.
Had Hong Kyung-soo been waiting all this time?
As this thought crystallized, I could only watch Hong Kyung-soo intently as he settled into his vehicle.
Vroom!
Hong Kyung-soo fastened his seatbelt, then lowered the window and cast his gaze toward me.
“Then I’ll be going, so please handle the cleanup well.”
“….”
“Remember this. This time, Dong-gwan is the magpie, pheasant, and swallow of Chiaksan Mountain.”
Before I could even ask what he meant.
“Oh right, what I agreed to receive is two million. Two million. Dong-gwan gets every last penny of it. You said you’d prepare it in cash, so don’t worry about taxes.”
Hong Kyung-soo held up two fingers toward the Village Chief and pointed at me.
It was his way of instructing that the money he was owed be paid directly to me.
Vroom!
And with that, Hong Kyung-soo departed.
Watching him vanish without the slightest hesitation, I found myself unknowingly releasing my clenched fist.
Whether from the weather or some other reason, beads of cold sweat had pooled in the lines of my palm.

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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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