An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 21

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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 21
Part 7. Please, Manager Kang! (2)
Whoooosh.
Danyang, North Chungcheong Province.
What a magnificent place.
The natural scenery was so exceptional that it frequently appeared in domestic travel guides, and the harmony between nature and civilization was truly remarkable.
“Wow.”
Namgoong Min-ah, who had been gazing at the bridge spanning the crystalline river from inside the car, let out a gasp of wonder.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Even though it’s been a while since I’ve seen it, it’s still breathtaking.”
Kang Hyung-seok’s eyes, which had grown stiff from the long drive, widened slightly.
“A while?”
“Huh? You didn’t know?”
Since the road was straight and there were no other cars, Kang Hyung-seok briefly turned his head toward Namgoong Min-ah before turning back.
Her eyes, which had met his gaze, were clearly filled with surprise.
“Danyang is actually my hometown.”
“I… didn’t know that.”
With her perfect Seoul dialect, I had never imagined her hometown could be anywhere else.
“Ah! Right, Manager Kang, you never saw my resume.”
Having found the reason for Kang Hyung-seok’s surprise and come to terms with it, Namgoong Min-ah chuckled playfully.
“You didn’t know because I speak Seoul dialect so well, right?”
“Honestly, that’s true.”
“I moved when I was young. Third grade of elementary school?”
Kang Hyung-seok nodded as if he understood.
If that were the case, it certainly made sense that her speech pattern was that way.
“By the way, would you mind if I told you a scary story?”
“Out of the blue?”
“You haven’t told any scary stories yet.”
The drive to North Chungcheong hadn’t been boring.
Namgoong Min-ah had talked more than most radio hosts, and there were the chocolates she kept suddenly offering whenever things grew quiet.
Kang Hyung-seok glanced at the time.
There was still some time before we’d arrive.
And it seemed that letting Namgoong Min-ah chatter away would help ease the tension.
“Go ahead.”
“Do you happen to know about Bunshinsaba?”
At the unexpected mention, Kang Hyung-seok blinked before letting out a hollow laugh.
“Our age difference isn’t that big.”
“Huh, so you’ve done it a lot too?”
For a moment, Kang Hyung-seok’s brow furrowed.
Since my spiritual sight had opened from such a young age, I had never been able to participate in games related to ghosts like Bunshinsaba.
I couldn’t do it precisely.
I feared the Malevolent Spirits gathering around children who muttered Bunshinsaba, Bunshinsaba while holding pencils over paper.
“No.”
“You know, you did that really well back then? You were so bold that even the teachers acknowledged it.”
Kang Hyung-seok moved his lips as if something were caught between his teeth, swallowing his words.
‘That can’t be right.’
Childhood memories must have been distorted.
Bunshinsaba isn’t a proper spirit-channeling technique.
And Namgoong Min-ah doesn’t seem to possess any spiritual gift.
Her intuition doesn’t appear particularly sharp either.
She seemed ordinary or even below average compared to others, so it was hard to believe that Namgoong Min-ah had divined something through a game like Bunshinsaba.
“Isn’t it fascinating? But do you know why that happened?”
“No.”
“Well, sir.”
Namgoong Min-ah lowered her voice as if confessing some grand secret, setting the atmosphere.
“The friend I did it with. Well, she apparently had a spiritual gift.”
Kang Hyung-seok nodded silently with an expression that said “I thought so.”
Certainly, if that were the case, everything made sense.
Even without receiving a spirit, one with a spiritual gift could divine another’s past.
That didn’t mean it was good.
That student probably endured a period just as difficult as Kang Hyung-seok’s.
Uncontrolled power, the spiritual eyes that see ghosts.
It was suffering that even others could scarcely empathize with—a living hell.
“That friend—do you still keep in touch?”
“No. We lost contact when I transferred schools.”
Kang Hyung-seok nodded with a bitter expression.
Certainly, it was a common occurrence in childhood.
It wasn’t an era when even elementary school students carried mobile phones like they do now.
“But I still remember her name! Yoon Bo-mi—she was such a kind girl….”
“You never know. If she still lives in Danyang, you might run into her.”
“Do you think so?”
Namgoong Min-ah chuckled and fixed her gaze out the window.
As if searching among the passersby for an old friend.
She probably was, in fact.
‘The remaining distance….’
Now six kilometers.
Far if you thought about it one way, close if you thought about it another.
Kang Hyung-seok glanced at Namgoong Min-ah for a moment.
Since she was looking out the window, her face wasn’t visible, but through the back of her head, she seemed to be feeling longing and memories.
Fortunately, no tension appeared anywhere.
***
“Oh my! Welcome, welcome!”
The Old Man waved his hand upon spotting Kang Hyung-seok’s car in the sprawling Garlic Field.
Since the path ran directly beside the field with no asphalt paving, Kang Hyung-seok—driving slowly—leaned his head out the window before even bringing the car to a complete stop.
“Hello, sir!”
“Over there, park it over there!”
Speaking in a loud voice lest the engine noise drown him out, Kang Hyung-seok steered the car into a quiet clearing and parked.
“Come on. Let’s go together.”
“Yes, yes!”
As Kang Hyung-seok unfastened his seatbelt, he glanced at Namgoong Min-ah and offered her a gentle smile.
“Don’t be nervous. You understand?”
“Yes.”
With Namgoong Min-ah’s tension eased, Kang Hyung-seok stepped forward to greet the farm owner.
Ha Jang-seo.
Though only in his early sixties, his skin was weathered and wrinkled from years of fieldwork under the sun—so much so that he could easily pass for his seventies.
“How have you been? How’s the work going?”
“Oh, the moment you arrive, you’re already asking. Sometimes you remind me of an inspector.”
“An inspector? I would never presume to do that with you, sir.”
“Just joking around. Ha ha ha.”
As a long-standing business partner, Kang Hyung-seok and Ha Jang-seo were comfortable with each other.
“But who is this young lady?”
“She’s our new recruit.”
Kang Hyung-seok stepped aside entirely, ceding the space to her.
Namgoong Min-ah then bowed deeply with a motion she had clearly practiced many times, and withdrew a business card from her wallet, presenting it with both hands.
“I’m Namgoong Min-ah! It’s a pleasure to meet you!”
“Oh, spirited and lovely too.”
Ha Jang-seo accepted Namgoong Min-ah’s card and merely stroked it with his rough fingers.
A strange unease washed over me like an ebbing tide.
‘What’s this? He didn’t act like this before.’
When I had first met Ha Jang-seo long ago, he had promptly retrieved his own business card in return.
But now Ha Jang-seo seemed to be deliberating whether to produce his card at all.
“She’s my assistant. You’ll be seeing her often from now on.”
“Is that so?”
Even after saying this, Ha Jang-seo continued to fidget with Namgoong Min-ah’s card.
Namgoong Min-ah, reading the awkward atmosphere, began to worry whether she had made some mistake.
“Have you eaten yet? If not, shall we go together?”
Kang Hyung-seok gestured toward his car with a bright voice.
“Eat?”
With the conversation’s direction shifted, the awkward tension dissipated.
“Yes. There’s a place nearby that makes excellent steamed dried pollack, remember? Your favorite spot.”
When Kang Hyung-seok spoke with such warmth and even cracked a joke, an awkward smile flickered across Ha Jang-seo’s lips.
“Yes, let’s do that. Shall we go grab some food?”
Ha Jang-seo stood up to gather his belongings.
At that moment, Namgoong Min-ah immediately looked toward Kang Hyung-seok, but he simply shook his head, signaling her not to worry.
Vroooom.
The restaurant wasn’t far away.
Just five minutes by car from the Garlic Field.
Yet the drive felt considerably longer than that.
The awkward atmosphere Ha Jang-seo had created while fidgeting with his business card hadn’t dissipated.
“Boss, one large order of dried pollack, please. And some dumplings too.”
Kang Hyung-seok asked Ha Jang-seo if he should order a bottle of soju, but the response was a shake of his head.
Something was definitely off.
“You must be thinking about your health these days. You used to always have a drink with your meal before.”
“Ah, well…”
Sensing that Ha Jang-seo had something on his mind, Kang Hyung-seok gave Namgoong Min-ah, who sat beside him, a subtle look telling her to stay quiet.
“Please, speak freely.”
“Ugh, this is… sigh.”
Ha Jang-seo scratched his head and laughed bitterly.
Then he uttered words that were completely unexpected—words that shouldn’t have been spoken.
“I’m thinking of quitting farming after this year.”
“…What?”
The deal couldn’t fall through.
Those were the words I had spoken to Namgoong Min-ah.
As she widened her eyes and swallowed hard enough to make an audible gulp, Ha Jang-seo fidgeted with the napkin he had placed under his spoon.
“My body isn’t what it used to be. The hospital says it’s probably just aging.”
Kang Hyung-seok’s gaze unconsciously dropped to Ha Jang-seo’s hands.
Ah, why didn’t I notice this sooner?
The way his fingers trembled like those of an anxious man.
“Is it quite serious?”
Ha Jang-seo laughed bitterly and rolled up his sleeve.
His forearm was covered with red blotches that resembled burn marks.
They looked far more serious than heat rash or a simple rash.
“It’s not just this. It’s affecting my whole body.”
“…But you still seem quite vigorous. And before, you said you’d farm for a thousand years.”
Sensing the mood growing too heavy, Kang Hyung-seok deliberately brightened his voice before speaking.
“I’d like to think that way, but life doesn’t always go as we wish.”
As Ha Jang-seo lifted his water glass with trembling hands and took a sip, the dried pollack stew arrived.
The distinctive aroma of dried pollack, perfectly desiccated and chewy, coated in a vibrant red sauce.
Just by its appearance alone, you could tell this was a restaurant worth visiting.
Clink, clink.
Still, the oddly heavy atmosphere that permeated the meal was undoubtedly due to Ha Jang-seo’s announcement that he would quit working the fields.
“It’s truly a shame. Coming here with you was my greatest joy.”
Kang Hyung-seok continued speaking softly as the meal proceeded in careful silence.
“Would you reconsider it just once more?”
Ha Jang-seo set down his chopsticks and shook his head firmly.
“I’m sorry.”
“If you could tell me the exact symptoms, I could also help you find a good hospital.”
“You would…?”
“I also have extensive connections through my work, and my department head would be willing to help investigate as well.”
“Sigh, this is embarrassing.”
“There’s no reason for it to be.”
Ha Jang-seo sighed repeatedly, then leaned back heavily in his chair as if he had lost his appetite.
More than half his rice remained uneaten, a clear sign his body was indeed unwell.
“The symptoms themselves aren’t really anything serious, but that’s what’s driving me mad.”
Ha Jang-seo crossed his arms, staring down at the table with an expression suggesting he wished the water glass contained alcohol instead.
“I can’t sleep well, my hair stands on end, my limbs go numb, and sometimes my legs give out and I collapse.”
Hearing the symptoms, I understood why the doctor had diagnosed him with age-related decline.
Rather than any specific ailment, it felt like a general loss of vitality.
Just as Namgoong Min-ah watched Ha Jang-seo with pity, afraid to misspeak, I silently ran my tongue across my teeth.
I recognized these symptoms.
“…Sir.”
“Hmm?”
“Have you perhaps acquired any new items recently?”
Both Namgoong Min-ah and Ha Jang-seo looked at me with confusion.
“You used to have a hobby of collecting antiques from the market. It just suddenly occurred to me.”
“No, I’ve been too busy lately and unwell, so I haven’t been able to do that….”
I drank a cup of water under Ha Jang-seo’s questioning gaze before speaking.
“I heard somewhere before. Something about people buying used items by mistake and catching diseases or bacteria from them.”
“Really? Does that happen?”
“Yes. Based on your symptoms, it doesn’t seem to be anything surgical.”
I had said it as a casual deflection, but it carried more persuasiveness than expected.
“It’s not quite the same comparison, but I once knew a friend who bought used shoes secondhand and suffered greatly because of it.”
“Hmm.”
Ha Jang-seo rubbed his chin thoughtfully, considering the possibility.
In the brief silence that followed, the remaining dried pollack stew hardened visibly.
Staring down at the pollack, I fell deep into thought.
‘Possession, bad luck, or perhaps spiritual contamination? Any of these could be it.’
These were symptoms commonly seen in those who had touched something malevolent or were connected to those who had.
Please let it be one of those.
If it were, there would be something I could do about it.

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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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