An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 196

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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 196
Part 5. We Must Not Become Entangled (2)
The engine hummed.
When the next day arrived and we headed toward our destination, Shin Jung-ah sat beside Kang Hyung-seok in the car.
My heart felt uneasy, yet the scenery was not unpleasant.
Hongcheon, Gangwon.
“I didn’t know a place like this existed.”
Shin Jung-ah murmured while gazing at the flowing trees and azure sky, and Kang Hyung-seok nodded in agreement.
The feeling was not good.
The engine hummed.
Though the lush trees drifting past and the clouds in the sky appeared peaceful at first glance, the spiritual energy was anything but.
‘What kind of cursed land is this…’
Kang Hyung-seok was not well-versed in geomancy.
However, he knew something of cursed grounds.
The energy of the mountain, the structure of the terrain, the essence of the land.
Everything visible before me was negative.
“Why do you look so serious?”
Shin Jung-ah, who had been resting her chin on her hand while gazing out the window, asked cautiously, and Kang Hyung-seok drew in his lower lip before speaking.
“The land’s energy is poor.”
“…What?”
Shin Jung-ah looked surprised, as if to say ‘but the scenery is so beautiful?’ and Kang Hyung-seok rubbed his canine tooth with his tongue before continuing.
“It’s strange. Normally, a place with such poor land energy should at least harbor many Malevolent Spirits.”
He shifted his gaze to the trees lining both sides of the road.
Willows.
Willows symbolize yin energy.
“Hmm.”
While yin energy is not inherently evil, the fact that even this seemed intentional troubled me further.
In any case, we were heading out to confirm whether this place was as strange as I feared.
“I will do my best to ensure nothing goes wrong.”
Kang Hyung-seok spoke with conviction, and Shin Jung-ah, who knew him better than anyone else at the company, nodded silently.
Then she clasped her hands together as if in prayer, seemingly hoping she would not witness anything terrible.
‘We are approaching the destination shortly.’
The gravel crunched.
Upon reaching the area with thick gravel, Kang Hyung-seok saw nearby buildings and items covered with blue tarps.
And beside them, jars stacked high.
“Is this where they produce funeral supplies? It’s quite traditional.”
“This is a place that makes burial shrouds too.”
Around the tarps, neatly folded and stacked paper boxes revealed what items had been delivered.
Ramie or hemp cloth.
Materials necessary for crafting proper burial shrouds.
The door swung open.
A white-haired man emerged from inside.
Shin Jung-ah’s face flickered with bewilderment.
“What? He looks quite kind.”
With an impression that even reminded me of a father-in-law, Kang Hyung-seok shared similar thoughts.
After stepping out of the car, they immediately bowed their heads to the man who appeared to be the Factory Owner.
“Hello. We’re from Daejeong Materials.”
“Thank you for coming such a long way. Let’s talk inside.”
Following the Factory Owner as he guided them to the office, Kang Hyung-seok and Shin Jung-ah examined their surroundings more carefully.
There were no other employees, and the kiln for firing cremation urns had gone cold.
“It seems like it was a day off?”
“Ah, I had some meetings piling up today, so I told the employees to take a break.”
“Meetings?”
“Yes. Actually, I’ve already reached out to other places as well. Let’s discuss the details inside.”
Apology flickered in the Factory Owner’s eyes as he opened the office door.
The door swung open.
The office was cramped and worn.
Kang Hyung-seok and Shin Jung-ah sat on a sofa near a cabinet that looked to be at least twenty years old.
Clink, clink.
The Factory Owner spoke while preparing jujube tea on top of a small refrigerator.
“You were surprised, weren’t you? The factory is closed today.”
“Not at all.”
Shin Jung-ah spoke in a hospitable tone and expression, and the Factory Owner laughed heartily while shaking his head.
Then he placed three cups of jujube tea on the table.
A table where files were arranged neatly.
“I prepared this. Please take a look.”
As the Factory Owner picked up his jujube tea, he handed over the file, and Kang Hyung-seok and Shin Jung-ah opened it with the same intention.
Financial statements and various supporting documents.
He was laying all his cards on the table from the start—it wasn’t a common occurrence.
“It seems you have quite a story.”
“Who doesn’t have a story?”
Though it was a faint smile, deep wrinkles formed on the Factory Owner’s face.
It resembled Gwak Young-ho so much that Shin Jung-ah’s lips pressed firmly together.
She flipped the page.
Shin Jung-ah began reviewing the documents, and the Factory Owner continued speaking while sipping his jujube tea.
“As you can see, I’ve aged considerably. I’m planning to hand over the business to someone I know.”
“The Factory Owner is changing?”
“Yes.”
So he really intends to open everything up.
Kang Hyung-seok glanced at the Factory Owner’s face for a moment, then picked up another document that Shin Jung-ah had left on the table.
However, I didn’t read it and focused on the conversation with the Factory Owner.
“As you know, when the contractor changes, it creates some difficulties for us. Would it be alright if I asked the reason?”
“As I just mentioned, maintaining the business has become beyond my capacity.”
The Factory Owner smiled bitterly and cupped the teacup containing jujube tea in both hands.
Without consciously realizing it, I found myself wondering if this teacup was also made at the same place where they crafted burial urns.
The surface finish and quality of the teacup were terrifyingly identical to that of the burial urns.
“I’ve worked honestly my entire life. You’ll understand when you see later, but there’s not a single strand of nylon in our burial garments.”
“Nylon?”
When an unfamiliar topic arose, Shin Jung-ah lifted her eyes from the documents and asked, and the Factory Owner nodded slowly.
“Sometimes unscrupulous people mix nylon into expensive burial garments.”
“Ah, the raw materials….”
“It’s an attempt to cut costs—a despicable practice. When the deceased is buried, the ramie decomposes quickly, leaving only the nylon behind.”
The Factory Owner’s brow furrowed as if describing something horrific.
“It ends up wrapped around the skeleton like a spider’s web. How uncomfortable it must be for the deceased.”
A certain image formed in Shin Jung-ah’s mind.
Blackened nylon threads wrapped around white bone like a spider’s web.
It was such a disturbing image that Shin Jung-ah unconsciously frowned.
“That’s why we never make burial garments carelessly.”
“Ah….”
Sincerity resonated in his voice.
Shin Jung-ah, who had wondered if this Factory Owner might be attempting fraud, felt a bitter taste in her mouth.
It was right after that.
“Who will be taking over the business?”
Kang Hyung-seok’s question captured both of their attention.
“You don’t need to worry. It’s someone I’ve known for a very long time. However, since they’ve never run a business before, I’m trying to prepare everything in advance.”
In that case, partnering with a place like Daejeong Materials made sense.
Since they handled distribution as well, I only needed to focus on production.
It meant not having to worry excessively about the business, and the convenience was significantly improved—not a bad choice.
But something nagged at me.
“I’m sorry, but could we take a look at the production facilities as well?”
The Factory Owner apparently hadn’t expected it to go this far.
His face stiffened, if only for a moment.
“…I understand.”
The Factory Owner spoke heavily and tried to rise by pushing his knees, while Shin Jung-ah reached for the jujube tea.
Tap.
Kang Hyung-seok, who touched her toes hidden beneath the table, shook his head so subtly the Factory Owner wouldn’t notice.
Don’t drink it.
The message was conveyed clearly, and Shin Jung-ah’s hand withdrew from the jujube tea.
‘Why?’
Shin Jung-ah’s questioning gaze followed, but Kang Hyung-seok slowly shook his head.
Though it was only brief, I had caught an odd smell emanating from the jujube tea.
‘A fishy stench.’
If it wasn’t a problem with the water, then something sorcerous might have been mixed into it.
Click!
The Factory Owner unlocked the door, and Kang Hyung-seok entered first.
Despite it being broad daylight, the factory interior felt deliberately dim.
“This is where we manufacture burial shrouds. The cremation urns are made outside.”
Click.
When the Factory Owner turned on the lights, the factory interior brightened.
Equipment for weaving ramie directly as raw material, chemical solution tanks, a materials warehouse set up on one side.
Kang Hyung-seok examined each section carefully, then pointed toward the warehouse.
“Would it be possible to see inside as well?”
The Factory Owner checked his wristwatch.
“Actually, someone else will be coming soon.”
“It’s just a formality. I only need a quick look.”
Kang Hyung-seok smiled with the air of someone thinking, ‘I’m in sales, so I know how to smile like this.’
A smile that makes a person seem likable while thoroughly concealing what lies beneath.
“…I understand. But this is extremely sensitive to humidity. You won’t be able to stay long.”
“Would it be possible to take photographs?”
“That’s fine.”
The Factory Owner opened the warehouse door, and the humming sound of a temperature and humidity control machine greeted us first.
The moment I stepped inside.
‘What is this.’
Talismans were visible on the wall.
The form of those talismans was unfamiliar.
They weren’t the shape of talismans used in this country. Yet I could sense what kind of efficacy those talismans possessed.
To the naked eye, it appeared to be an ordinary materials warehouse.
But what I perceived through spiritual sight was entirely different.
From ceiling to floor.
In every corner, without a single gap.
Victim Spirits were tangled together and stacked neatly upon one another.
‘Insane… what kind of place is this….’
Victim Spirits with their limbs intertwined like a hopelessly knotted ball of yarn were weeping tears of blood as they stared at me.
I couldn’t breathe.
A bitter taste rose all the way to my throat, but I had to suppress it.
The Factory Owner was standing right behind me.
‘I cannot let it show.’
Kang Hyung-seok deliberately avoided looking at the ceiling and pulled out his phone.
Then, with the Factory Owner watching, I entered the warehouse and activated the camera.
Click, click, click.
After photographing the stacked materials, I emerged from the warehouse with an unbothered expression.
“Thank you.”
“Is there anything else you might need?”
“Not at the moment. I’ll need to report to my superiors first. I’ll contact you again once we’ve made a decision internally.”
“Ah, yes, of course.”
Kang Hyung-seok accepted the Factory Owner’s business card and offered a respectful bow with a smile.
“Well, I’m sure you’re busy, so we’ll be heading back now.”
“I understand. Thank you again for coming all this way.”
“Not at all. I hope we get positive results. I hope you have a good rest of your day.”
Kang Hyung-seok bowed politely and climbed into the car with Shin Jung-ah.
Click!
The moment the door shut, Shin Jung-ah’s questioning gaze followed me.
“What’s wrong? Why are you in such a rush? Why didn’t you give him your card?”
“Let’s just go.”
Unlike when I’d spoken with the Factory Owner moments ago, my voice was low.
“Uh, okay.”
Shin Jung-ah fastened her seatbelt with a stiffened expression.
In the meantime, I turned the steering wheel and retraced our route, setting the navigation to the Company.
Vroooom.
Not enough to raise suspicion.
But as Shin Jung-ah watched me drive faster than usual, she furrowed her brows.
“What’s going on? Was there something in the warehouse?”
“Phew!”
I exhaled a heavy sigh and caught sight of the Factory Owner still watching me through the rearview mirror, then shook my head.
“We can’t contract with that place.”
“Why…?”
“The person seems nice enough, but it’s somewhere we shouldn’t get involved with.”
“…What was in the warehouse?”
“Yes.”
I answered heavily, recalling what I’d seen in the warehouse, then closed and opened my lips.
“I thought something was odd. The Victim Spirits around here—I wasn’t seeing them for some reason.”
“…I see.”
“They were all concentrated there.”
Just remembering it was horrifying.
The Victim Spirits tangled together in that cramped warehouse, stacked neatly upon one another.
“How long has that place been operating?”
“According to the documents… about twenty years…”
I swallowed hard.
‘That’s far too long.’
How many urns and cremated remains could have been produced in that place all this time?
And how many corpses had been placed in those urns and bone boxes?
Suppressing the strange retching that kept rising in his throat, Kang Hyung-seok glanced at the rearview mirror.
They had traveled quite a distance, yet for some reason, the Factory Owner continued to watch Kang Hyung-seok’s car.

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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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