An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 250

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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 249
Part 1. You Can Feel Pain Too? (1)
Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp.
Kang Hyung-seok’s eyes opened to the sound of autumn sparrows, and the bright light streaming through the window sent a splitting ache through his skull.
The bed and blankets were drenched in sweat, yet his mouth felt parched as a desert.
I should have seen this coming.
The cough that wouldn’t stop since yesterday had felt like a bad omen.
‘I’m finished.’
I had caught a fever.
Kang Hyung-seok instinctively realized he’d be late for the office and struggled to reach for his phone.
‘This is really bad.’
Ten missed calls.
Eight were from Gwak Young-ho, and the remaining two were from Shin Jung-ah and Lee Jin-pyung.
Ring.
The incoming call seemed to announce “You’re in serious trouble now,” and Kang Hyung-seok answered it in his already compromised state.
Click.
“Yes, Manager.”
(Kang Manager!)
“I apologize.”
(No, what’s going on? You’re suddenly late when you never are. Where are you? Is something wrong?)
Intellectually, I knew I should say I was just leaving.
But instead of answering, Kang Hyung-seok forced his upper body upright, swallowing down a groan of pain that threatened to escape.
“I’m not feeling well. I actually just woke up.”
(What?)
(What’s wrong, Manager?)
Shin Jung-ah’s voice came through behind Gwak Young-ho’s.
(Kang Manager is sick?)
(Pardon? Kang Manager? Is it an accident?)
(An, an accident? Wait, wait. K, Kang Manager, can you hear me?)
“Yes.”
(What’s going on? Tell me!)
Gwak Young-ho didn’t give me a chance to speak, his words tumbling out rapidly, and Kang Hyung-seok swallowed hard through his raw throat.
Then he parted his lips as if taking a deep breath.
“I think I just have a fever.”
(A fever? Ugh, seriously!)
“I’ll come in as soon as I’m ready. I’m sorry.”
(Manager! What are you saying?)
(We’re on a call right now. It’s not an accident—just a fever.)
(Oh? Kang Manager has a fever?)
This time even Namgoong Min-ah chimed in, making the call feel even more overwhelming.
Kang Hyung-seok leaned his head against the wall and unconsciously pulled over a blanket to cover himself when Gwak Young-ho’s voice came through.
(Manager Kang, are you doing poorly?)
“It’s nothing to worry about.”
(Nothing to worry about? Your voice sounds seriously troubled right now. The hospital? Medicine?)
“There’s no medicine. I’ll try to go to the hospital this afternoon.”
(Sigh…)
Gwak Young-ho exhaled a sigh deep enough to shake the earth, then continued speaking in a measured yet forceful tone.
(Manager Kang, listen carefully.)
“Yes.”
(Don’t think about anything—just rest today.)
“Yes?”
(I’ll handle things upstairs, and I’ll report your sick leave as coming in late, so go to the hospital first.)
“No, sir, I couldn’t—”
(You recovering as quickly as possible is what helps me.)
It’s rare for words to strike so deeply.
As Kang Hyung-seok’s parched lips trembled, Gwak Young-ho’s words continued steadily.
(When did you start feeling sick? Don’t tell me taking a half-day last Friday was because of this?)
He had taken a half-day last Friday afternoon.
At the time, Gwak Young-ho had told him to rest well.
There was regret in his current tone—the sound of someone wishing they had noticed earlier.
“It’s related, yes. To that.”
(You fool! Goodness.)
“I apologize, sir.”
(You live alone? This is driving me crazy. Is there no one around to care for you?)
“No, well, the hospital will handle it.”
(Should I go check on you, sir?)
This time Lee Jin-pyung chimed in as well, making it even harder to follow the conversation with his already throbbing head.
(Wait, let me assess the situation first.)
(Yes.)
(Manager Kang, you must be having trouble even speaking—just rest. Get plenty of rest and go to the hospital this afternoon. Or go right now if you prefer.)
“Understood.”
(Call immediately if anything happens. If you don’t recover, take a few days off this time! I’ll stop by once work is done!)
“You don’t need to come, sir.”
He meant it to be reassuring.
But his voice came out hoarse, and Gwak Young-ho’s sympathetic sigh returned.
(Manager Kang is resting today?)
(He’s sick.)
(Oh… this is the first time I’ve seen Manager Kang take time off for being sick.)
Thinking the call had ended, the quiet conversation between Gwak Young-ho and Namgoong Min-ah drifted through.
(I’m losing my mind—someone who never gets sick is suddenly ill. Shin Manager, do you know what’s happening with Manager Kang’s work today?)
(Will you handle it, sir?)
(Urgent matters need to be dealt with.)
He didn’t seem to have lost his mind entirely.
Convinced the call had already disconnected, Kang Hyung-seok hung up first.
Chirp, chirp, chirp.
Sparrows chattered noisily outside, and sunlight streaming through the window blazed so brightly it stung the eyes.
‘He must be in worse shape than I thought.’
That’s how office workers were.
Even with fevers exceeding 38 degrees, the moment they step outside the company, vitality surges back—yet despite receiving permission to rest, not only did his strength drain away, but his consciousness itself seemed to blur.
Thump.
Kang Hyung-seok collapsed sideways, cold sweat drenching his skin as he gasped for breath.
Then, as if consciousness itself were slipping away, he plunged into deep sleep.
***
Bzzzzzzt!
It was his phone’s vibration that pulled him back to consciousness.
Kang Hyung-seok opened his hazy eyes, grabbed his phone, and immediately groaned upon seeing Shin Yoseph’s name.
Shin Yoseph wasn’t the type to call without reason.
Something must have happened, but unfortunately, in my current state, accompanying him was utterly impossible.
Click.
The moment Kang Hyung-seok answered the call, he was about to speak.
(You’re sick?)
Shin Yoseph spoke more to confirm the facts than out of concern, and Kang Hyung-seok frowned as he checked the wall clock—2 PM.
“What’s going on?”
(Wow, your voice is completely shot.)
“Stop it. What’s the matter?”
(Your company’s Shin Manager contacted me. You’re sick?)
“What?”
(It seems he was checking whether I could help… So how bad is it?)
“Yeah, I’m dying.”
(Geez…)
“What?”
(I just realized you actually know what it’s like to be sick.)
Does this kid even understand what it means to be full?
Why does some charity commercial tagline keep coming to mind?
“…Want me dead?”
(I can’t do that—I have things to finish before I die. You didn’t move, right?)
“Why?”
(Go to the hospital. I’ll send someone.)
“I can go on my own.”
(A guy living alone—and if you could’ve gone, you’d have done it this morning.)
It wasn’t wrong, but Kang Hyung-seok couldn’t even respond, wiping his cold, sweat-drenched forehead.
(I know a hospital with a good doctor. Take this opportunity to get a comprehensive checkup and stay admitted for proper rest.)
“It’s just a cold. Why would I need to be hospitalized for something like this?”
(That’s for the doctor to decide. Anyway, just pack your phone, underwear, and a charger. I’ll have everything else prepared for you.)
“Hey.”
(I’m sending someone now.)
Click.
The call ended abruptly.
Kang Hyung-seok groaned on the bed and muttered every curse under his breath.
I understood the concern behind it.
But hospitalization seemed excessive.
Since I didn’t know when the car Shin Yoseph sent would arrive, and I needed to wash up before going to the hospital anyway, I got out of bed.
I grabbed the wall and made my way to the bathroom, showered, packed a few essentials, and left the house.
Whoooosh.
As I rode in the car driven by Secretary Jo to the hospital, I felt my head growing heavy.
It was a place even someone like me, who rarely visited hospitals, knew well.
It was the most famous hospital in the area, and it was the kind of place you occasionally saw on the news.
Not in a bad way, but in a good way.
News about business agreements with renowned overseas hospitals or symposiums being held there.
“Couldn’t we just go back?”
“That’s not possible.”
Secretary Jo, who had parked the car in the spacious, well-maintained hospital parking lot, shook his head while looking at Kang Hyung-seok in the back seat with a sympathetic gaze.
“And it seems you really do need to go to the hospital.”
“…Understood.”
He was someone who moved according to Shin Yoseph’s wishes.
Knowing it was pointless to argue with such a person, I checked in, underwent a simple examination, and was immediately admitted.
‘That lunatic.’
Don’t be fooled by Shin Yoseph’s neat appearance or his position.
That man was genuinely insane in his own quiet way.
That was my first thought upon seeing the hospital room.
Even an eight-bed ward would have been more than enough, but the VIP room Shin Yoseph had arranged was so luxurious it was impossible to tell whether it was a hospital room or a hotel suite.
“The Director has taken great care of you.”
Secretary Jo’s calm voice, unaware of my true feelings, only made my head more complicated.
“Yes, thank you.”
“I’ll convey your gratitude to the Director.”
“…Yes.”
“Then please rest comfortably. The Director hopes you recover as soon as possible.”
“…Yes.”
Secretary Jo withdrew, and I lay down on the spacious, plush bed, trying to suppress my turbulent feelings.
It wasn’t easy.
Lying in a spacious hospital room on an unfamiliar bed in patient garb—it was an odd situation.
Still, it was a rare opportunity to rest, and since such experiences were difficult to come by, I did my best to find comfort in the circumstances.
Knock, knock.
Yet the door chimed incessantly, with doctors and nurses arriving at all hours, making even that difficult.
Moreover, no matter how exclusive the VIP room was, hospitals and medical examinations carried their own oppressive weight.
“Say, there’s nothing serious, is there?”
I asked the doctor cautiously between the endless tests, and received the answer that results would come later.
Now, the unease in my heart weighed heavier than any physical ailment.
“There are no more tests for today. We’ll inform you as soon as the results come in.”
The Nurse spoke politely and left the room.
Outside, the evening hour had grown dim with the rush of people heading home.
I was eating the meal brought to my bedside, idly scraping my spoon, when it happened.
Ding.
In an unfamiliar environment, a call from someone you know is always welcome.
Recognizing that the caller was Shin Jung-ah, I pressed the answer button.
“Yes, Manager.”
(I heard you went to the hospital and even got admitted.)
“Yes, yes.”
(Your voice is definitely better than before!)
“This is driving me crazy. In every way.”
(The Department Head is incredibly worried.)
“Is someone with you?”
(No, everyone’s left work. I’m heading home myself.)
The sound of traffic hummed faintly beneath her voice—she must have been walking toward the subway station.
(Take this chance to rest. It’s obvious something happened again.)
“Well, something did happen.”
(That’s exactly why you get sick! What did the hospital say?)
“The test results will come later.”
(I hope it’s nothing serious. When can you be discharged?)
“Tomorrow might be difficult.”
I wasn’t sure of the details, but I suspected that hospitalization typically meant at least three days.
And since my condition still showed no signs of improving, I honestly thought I’d need to stay at least two or three more days.
(This might sound crazy, but hear me out.)
“Yes?”
(When I heard you went to the hospital, it made me think… you know?)
I had a sense of what she was getting at.
I rubbed my aching forehead and shook my head.
“I did bring something just in case. Salt, among other things.”
(Oh, um, okay.)
“I’m planning to sprinkle some around the room before bed.”
It’s a hospital.
The sick, the dying, the dead.
A place where ghosts are inevitable.
With Kang Hyung-seok in such a location, I worried something might go wrong, but this time health issues made it difficult to do anything about it.
(Ah, nothing will happen.)
“Of course.”
(Right. What could possibly happen?)
Kang Hyung-seok laughed awkwardly, recalling a similar conversation he’d once had with Shin Jung-ah.
As the call ended, the Doctor entered the hospital room and delivered the diagnosis.
Exhaustion had brought both a body ache and shingles simultaneously.

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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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