An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 214

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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 214
Part 3. A Time Like Hell (3)
Splash.
As an adult, I poured water drawn from the well into a jar with an expressionless face.
Five years since I came to this household.
Sufficient time.
Enough to strip away every emotion from a person’s life entirely.
“You!”
My mother-in-law, who had never once called me daughter-in-law, shrieked with a voice sharp as a blade.
For a moment, a flicker of life returned to my eyes.
It was not because of my mother-in-law.
It was because of the young son I held in my arms.
“Yes, Mother.”
I answered, and my mother-in-law looked at me as though I were vermin, then pointed to the firmly closed paper door.
She meant for me to tend to my husband.
“Yes.”
I bowed and entered, carrying the freshly laundered cloth and a basin of water.
Then, as always, I approached my husband lying there and pulled back his blanket.
Creak, squelch.
As I wiped away the discharge from my husband’s body with the water-soaked cloth, I froze.
‘He’s dead.’
My husband’s body was cold.
Like the man who could not speak, he had died quietly.
I gazed down at my husband’s corpse with emotionless eyes.
I felt no sorrow.
This marriage had never been my choice, and from the moment I was bound to this man, every instant of my life became hell.
Yet I felt no liberation either.
Only the sensation that a single piece of filth clinging to my life had finally fallen away.
‘Why leave now?’
If you were going to depart so meaninglessly, you could have gone even a little sooner.
You devoured my childhood, my youth, and now you leave? What more could you possibly want?
Because of you, my entire life has been torment.
Whoosh.
I stared at my husband for a long while, then rose to my feet.
Then, still holding the wet cloth, I spoke calmly to my mother-in-law.
That my husband had died.
Crash!
My mother-in-law came rushing in like a tumbling stone, clutched her cold son to her chest, and began wailing like a beast.
Throughout it all, I simply watched them with vacant eyes.
“You wretched creature! How can you shed not a single tear when your husband is dead!”
Thwack! Crack! Thwack!
Even when struck savagely later with a laundry beater, Jin-i could not cry.
She didn’t know why, but in hindsight, it seemed she had forgotten how to weep.
‘No….’
Kang Hyung-seok shook his head briefly as he watched Jin-i collapse.
He was in a state of possession.
Because of this, her thoughts and feelings were vivid to him.
Simultaneously, as a third party, he could even sense emotions she herself was unaware of.
‘Suppressed hatred….’
Jin-i had been continuously oppressed.
By circumstance and by her era.
They say that if you bind a young elephant’s ankle with a thin chain, even when it grows to adulthood, it cannot break free.
Even possessing the strength to snap the chain, it becomes resigned under the weight of relentless oppression.
It was not merely her Possessed Husband’s existence that had chained Jin-i.
“That bitch deserves to die. The woman who seduced my son.”
Her Mother-in-law, who with a three-inch tongue could crumble one’s resolve, was another link in that chain.
Sssssss.
The surroundings began to shift.
Kang Hyung-seok, already aware of the knot firmly lodged within Jin-i’s heart, felt his mouth go dry.
‘The last image I saw of Jin-i and the Vengeful Spirit bore a striking resemblance.’
Now the decisive reason for her transformation into a Vengeful Spirit was preparing to unfold before his eyes.
Creak.
It was late at night.
The Mother-in-law, having opened the door to another house, hurried inside lest anyone see her.
Even her discarded shoes she clutched to her breast, fearful of observation, before bowing deeply with utmost propriety.
The man was well-built and wore a traditional horsehair hat.
He was an Administrator.
“My lord, thank you for making time for this.”
The Mother-in-law spoke with profound deference, while the younger man’s lips curved into a smile brimming with avarice.
“I’ve heard the matter. You’ve made a difficult decision, then?”
“Yes, yes.”
“It won’t be easy. As you know, there are so many false Yeolnyeo, and the scrutiny is rigorous.”
“Of course. I understand, sir.”
The Mother-in-law continued without meeting his gaze.
“I have thought it all through. If you would simply say the word that she is a Yeolnyeo later, that alone would suffice for me.”
“Heh heh.”
“It is all for your sake, my lord, as noble as heaven itself. Once the Yeolnyeo-gak is erected, it will bring great honor to our province.”
Even with her head bowed, Kang Hyung-seok could discern her expression.
It was a lie.
All of it was a blatant, shameless lie.
‘For the sake of others?’
A person like that could never smile that way.
“I’ll do what I can within my means.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“However, there must be no complications afterward.”
“Even if the heavens collapse, I will ensure no harm comes to you.”
“I understand. We’ll meet again later.”
“Thank you.”
The Afflicted Man left first, and the Mother-in-law remained motionless with her head bowed. Only after a long while did she put on her shoes and step outside.
Countless stars and a pale moon shone brightly.
Thanks to the light, I could see her expression vividly.
The demonic expression of the Mother-in-law as she walked home with bouncing shoulders.
Kang Hyung-seok could see it all too clearly.
Thud! Thud!
In the changed scene, the first thing I saw was Jin-i being beaten.
“Ugh! Uuugh!”
The cloth covering her mouth was the same one used to wipe away her husband’s blood.
Thud! Crack! Crack!
The Strong Men beating her arms and legs with clubs were people the Mother-in-law had summoned.
Rip! Tear!
The brutal hands tearing her clothes were acting on the Mother-in-law’s orders.
“Huff, huff!”
The Strong Men turned to the Mother-in-law as they watched Jin-i trembling violently.
Their eyes asked if they should end her life now, but the Mother-in-law was not yet satisfied.
“Becoming a Yeolnyeo these days is not so easy.”
The Mother-in-law approached Jin-i.
In the deep night, in the forest far from the house, as the Mother-in-law with gleaming eyes drew near, Jin-i twisted her body and tried to escape.
Grab!
“Ugh!”
But her hair was seized.
Crack!
“Uuuuugh!”
As if to crush all hope, the club fell upon her broken leg, and a scream tore from Jin-i’s mouth, muffled by the cloth.
“This is all for your own good, child.”
“Ugh, uuuu!”
“If you’re recognized as a Yeolnyeo, your child’s future will flourish, and our family’s fortune will bloom. As a mother yourself, you should be willing to bear this much, shouldn’t you?”
Jin-i’s shoulders trembled violently.
Then the Mother-in-law reached out and removed the cloth that had gagged her mouth.
“Mother, please, save me, save me…!”
Jin-i’s mouth was seized by the Strong Men.
My jaw was forced open, and the Mother-in-law’s fingers and sinister face drew closer.
“No matter what horrors you endured, you preserved your chastity. Only then can you become a true Yeolnyeo, you wretched thing.”
The Mother-in-law shoved her hand into Jin-i’s mouth and seized her tongue, pulling it forward.
Then she withdrew a silver-handled blade, and the Strong Men’s faces contorted as they anticipated what was to come.
“Heeack! Eeeack!”
Jin-i, her tongue gripped at its tip, thrashed violently, her tear-filled eyes brimming with desperation.
“Hold tight! That way it will sever cleanly in one stroke!”
“Eeeack!”
Though the Strong Men held Jin-i’s arms and face, she struggled harder, yet she could not stop the Mother-in-law’s hand.
The blade drew ever closer to Jin-i’s tongue.
And then,
Squelch!
“Uuuaaahhh!”
Blood mixed with saliva sprayed from Jin-i’s screaming mouth.
The shriek was so piercing it seemed it might summon others nearby.
Thud!
The Mother-in-law hastily seized a stone the size of a fist.
Then she began striking Jin-i’s mouth with brutal force.
Crack! Smack! Smack!
The jaw hung loose, and shattered teeth scattered forth.
“Uuugh!”
“Ughh.”
“Ohhh.”
Even the Strong Men holding her arms turned away, unable to bear the sight, yet the Mother-in-law did not cease.
Crack! Smack! Smack!
The Mother-in-law continued striking with the stone until Jin-i’s breath ceased, then wiped the blood spattered across her face.
With eyes gleaming with fervor, she asked,
“Is this enough to make her a Yeolnyeo?”
A child wed to a sickly man at such a tender age.
A chastity that refused remarriage even after her husband’s death.
A tragic tale of resistance unto death, even when that chastity was threatened.
Thus Jin-i became a Yeolnyeo against her will.
The surroundings returned to daylight.
Rustle!
The Provincial Inspector unfurled the royal decree bearing the King’s command, and the Mother-in-law and Administrator remained prostrate before him, heads bowed.
“It is rare to find a woman so steadfast in preserving her chastity. She remained faithful even after her husband’s death, and when faced with the harshest trials, she did not bend her virtue—such moral excellence is as if bestowed by Heaven itself.”
The Provincial Inspector’s solemn voice resonated through the air.
The Mother-in-law’s head bowed even deeper, and the words she had dreamed of night after night now flowed from the Provincial Inspector’s lips.
“Therefore, by the authority of the realm, I bestow upon Jin-i the title of Yeolnyeo, and grant the Yeolnyeo-gak to commemorate her eternal virtue.”
The Yeolnyeo-gak was erected.
Clean and majestic in a way that bore no comparison to when it had first emerged from the earth.
The pillars were crimson red.
As if suggesting they had been erected with blood itself.
Kang Hyung-seok unconsciously brought his hand to his mouth.
Nausea threatened to rise within me.
My stomach twisted, and countless thoughts flooded my mind.
‘Is this right?’
The Mother-in-law and the Administrator lived happily.
How could they not be happy when the Yeolnyeo they had dreamed of had finally appeared?
Heaven is indifferent.
Cruel and merciless.
As Kang Hyung-seok thought this, the surroundings shifted and everything flowed past as if being rapidly replayed.
An epidemic spreading through the County.
Testimonies of people seeing Jin-i at the Yeolnyeo-gak.
Repeated mysterious deaths.
A Shaman performing a ritual at the Yeolnyeo-gak.
‘…You.’
Jin-i had not been saved.
She became a Vengeful Spirit, took the Mother-in-law and the Administrator, and still her resentment remained, spreading its influence across the entire County.
People began leaving the County one by one.
Those who were finally leaving decided to bury the Yeolnyeo-gak.
This Yeolnyeo-gak was erected with blood.
The rumors had already spread so thoroughly that they did not hesitate in their actions.
Thud!
They removed the roof beam inscription, took down the plaque bearing the name Yeolnyeo-gak, and shovels cast earth upon it.
May it never appear in this land again.
With fervent hope, they buried the Yeolnyeo-gak beneath the soil as if erasing it from the world.
Shhhhh.
The quiet Empty Lot and the heavy night air.
The vision faded and reality returned.
-Woof woof.
Baekseol barked with concern as she looked at Kang Hyung-seok, and the Shaman’s Bell in my hand chimed with a resonant sound.
And Kang Hyung-seok gazed toward where the Yeolnyeo-gak stood, his eyes hollow and deep with emotion.
“Now I understand all of your resentment.”
He continued slowly, his voice strained and hoarse.
“I will help you.”
A path to salvation became visible.

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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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