An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 275
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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 274
Part 2. The Past Devours the Present (1)
Vrooooom.
The car fell into heavy silence as we drove toward the factory.
Though I’d eaten some light snacks to quiet my hunger, conversation had dried up long ago.
Because I knew.
We were heading toward a place where people had died.
Thirty-two of them, no less—and no one could predict what we’d witness there or what we’d encounter.
“Over here!”
Lee Jung-woon was waiting in front of the factory, waving his hand, and I eased off the accelerator.
Click.
“I apologize for being late.”
As I stepped out of the car, Lee Jung-woon rushed forward with a trembling face and grasped my hand first.
“No, no. Thank you for coming. Thank you so much for coming.”
It had only been a few days since we’d last seen each other.
Yet Lee Jung-woon’s mental anguish was evident—his cheeks had hollowed noticeably.
“What about the employee?”
Lee Jung-woon’s gaze shifted to Shin Jung-ah, and he smiled bitterly, shaking his head.
“They’ve all left. Said they couldn’t possibly work in a place like this.”
“I see.”
“We should look on the bright side. At least we can investigate freely now.”
Despite what must have been turmoil inside, Lee Jung-woon forced his lips upward.
“But this person here…”
Lee Jung-woon glanced at Shin Yoseph, who wore a mask, then bowed slightly.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Shin Yoseph spoke curtly, then shifted his gaze to me.
The message was clear: shouldn’t we separate Lee Jung-woon from this place?
“Factory Owner, would you have a moment?”
I led Lee Jung-woon away from the factory.
Though unintended, he sensed the gravity of the moment—his face had grown rigid.
“Is something… wrong? Bad news?”
His voice carried the desperate hope that I wouldn’t give up, and I smiled wryly.
“No, nothing like that.”
“Oh…”
“You look exhausted. I think it would be best if you rested while we handle things here.”
“No, no! You came because of me, so I should…”
I appreciated Lee Jung-woon’s gratitude.
But the risk of unforeseen complications far outweighed any benefit from his presence.
“I’m grateful for your feelings. But I’m worried about you.”
“Still…”
“We’re planning to perform a ritual to release the Victim Spirit.”
Lee Jung-woon flinched in surprise and looked at me, then I continued after surveying the Factory.
“People with weakened bodies can be affected by such entities.”
“….”
“Of course, what we’re about to do isn’t particularly serious or dangerous, but I’m concerned it might take a toll on your health, Factory Owner.”
Understanding my meaning, Lee Jung-woon twisted his face into a smile.
“I understand.”
“I’ll call you once we’re done. Why don’t you go relax at a sauna?”
Lee Jung-woon pressed his lips firmly together and squeezed his eyes shut.
Then he exhaled a trembling sigh deeply and nodded heavily.
“Thank you. Truly, truly thank you.”
“We haven’t done anything yet. Just head inside for now.”
Lee Jung-woon bowed to me several times in gratitude, then pulled the Factory keys from his pocket and handed them over.
After that, he kept glancing back at me as he climbed into his car.
Vroom.
Lee Jung-woon’s car, headlights blazing, disappeared into the darkness.
I watched until his car vanished from sight, then turned around. I headed toward where Shin Jung-ah and Shin Yoseph were, and soon spotted the salt scattered across the ground.
“Did you see him off properly?”
“I told him to rest at a sauna.”
Shin Yoseph, holding a bag of salt, nodded, and from a distance I heard Shin Jung-ah’s voice calling out, “I’ve finished spreading it!”
“Where should I spread more?”
“Spread it widely around your car.”
Shin Yoseph turned his head as he was about to head toward Shin Jung-ah.
“Not the Container Housing or the Warehouse?”
The salt was meant to block any potential approach by Malevolent Spirits.
I didn’t immediately understand why I’d told him to spread it around my car instead of the Warehouse or the Container Housing that served as an office.
“Both of those have issues. We need at least one safe space.”
Shin Yoseph exhaled his breath, which was turning white in the cold, and answered while watching Shin Jung-ah peering over from the distance.
Indeed, there was a need to pay attention to safety, just as I’d said.
“Your car is more expensive than mine, anyway.”
“Shut up.”
“How hurtful.”
The atmosphere was heavy because the task at hand was grave.
Disliking that, the two of us exchanged jokes before beginning to spread the salt.
Whoooosh.
We poured salt continuously around Shin Yoseph’s car, making sure not to miss even the windows.
“Shin Manager, we’ve finished spreading the salt.”
“Ah….”
Shin Jung-ah shifted her gaze toward me.
Her eyes asked what she should do next.
“Let’s proceed as planned. You need to handle the important task, after all.”
“…Understood.”
Shin Jung-ah nodded, her face tense, and approached the car that Shin Yoseph was opening for her.
Just as she was about to get in.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ve been running around so much with Kang Manager.”
Even without any special abilities, I’m accustomed to this kind of work.
And I understand that there are things only I can do.
Shin Jung-ah forced a smile, her trembling hand gripping the passenger door handle.
“Have a safe trip. Call if anything comes up.”
“Kang Manager will call you right away.”
“Yes.”
Click.
Shin Yoseph closed the car door and retrieved their equipment from the trunk.
Holy water, a silver cross, and an incense burner containing myrrh.
What Kang Hyung-seok pulled out was a bag containing the Shaman’s Bell and a ritual knife.
The two men, each equipped with their tools, left Shin Jung-ah behind and made their way toward the Factory.
Thud, thud.
Something felt wrong.
Perhaps because I knew this was a place where people had died.
Even now, nothing appeared before my eyes, yet the thought that thirty-two tangled Victim Spirits were hiding somewhere within this Factory building refused to leave my mind.
Click.
After unlocking the padlock, I turned my gaze toward Shin Yoseph.
It was a signal to split up and search the vast Factory, and Shin Yoseph headed toward the area with the Shower Room.
I looked upward.
‘The bodies had been on the ceiling.’
I would start there.
Thud, thud.
Making footsteps in the dim Factory, I pulled a lantern from my bag.
It was a good piece of equipment, but I adjusted the brightness to only barely illuminate what lay ahead.
There was no benefit in provoking ferocious Victim Spirits.
‘Where are you? Where are you hiding?’
I had confirmed the location where the incident occurred through the internet.
However, due to the remodeling that had taken place, the Factory’s interior looked quite different from what I had seen online.
Still, I could make out the general location, but I couldn’t see any space that would allow access to the ceiling.
Thud, thud.
As I walked, shining the light upward, I narrowed my brows and stopped.
A square hole in the ceiling had been covered with plywood.
Whether it had been made for lighting or electrical maintenance, I finally spotted a hole that could lead up to the ceiling.
Screeeech!
Kang Hyung-seok dragged the ladder over and leaned it against the wall.
Then, with the lantern clenched between my teeth, I hoisted myself onto the metal ladder.
Creeeeak.
The groan of the old metal ladder felt as though it were trying to bar my way.
***
Tap, tap.
Shin Yoseph, walking through the dark corridor with the sound of dress shoes echoing, came to a halt.
Then, exhaling carefully, I turned my head toward the direction from which the sound had come.
Drip.
The sound of water droplets falling echoed through the space.
‘The bathroom? No, the shower room.’
Shin Yoseph had also investigated the Odaeyang incident.
So I knew.
The shower room was directly beneath where the victims had ascended.
Since the water pipes wouldn’t have been relocated, even with remodeling, the shower room’s location would remain unchanged.
Click.
As I opened the censer and lit the myrrh, smoke began to spread outward.
Dispersing the sacred-infused smoke throughout the space, I slowly made my way toward the shower room where the sound of dripping water originated.
“Lord Jesus Christ, just as You prayed to the Father on the night before Your sacrifice, and as You and the Father are one, so too do we who believe in You desire to become one.”
Odaeyang is a cult.
Its founder was Park Soon-ja.
She had been initiated into Jehovah’s Witnesses before joining the Christian Gospel Baptist Church, known as the Salvation Sect.
This meant its foundation was rooted in Christianity.
“Though we have received baptism through the same faith and serve the same Lord, we remain divided and fail to fulfill the Lord’s will.”
Though it was a cult, the victims’ faith had been grounded in Christianity.
Hoping that their very souls might be saved and blessed, Shin Yoseph gradually approached the shower room.
“Now we pray with one heart, desiring to become one. Help us, we beseech You, to cast aside hatred and distrust, to love one another in truth, and to form a single community.”
Drip.
What greeted Shin Yoseph upon arriving at the shower room was the water dripping from the showerhead.
Click.
After shutting off the faucet, I held the censer aloft and waited for the smoke to fill the shower room completely before opening the bottle containing holy water.
Then I sprinkled the holy water across the walls.
It was at that moment.
“…Damn it.”
Shin Yoseph groaned, my lips contorting.
In the shower room filled with pristine white smoke, black marks were appearing one by one on the walls where the holy water had touched.
Handprints.
Surveying the shower room as dozens of handprints rapidly filled the space, Shin Yoseph’s brow furrowed fiercely.
‘This won’t be easy.’
A phenomenon this vivid was not something one encountered easily.
It was at that moment when Shin Yoseph traced the sign of the cross, staring at the black handprints.
Screeeech.
The shut-off valve suddenly released, and the showerhead began pouring water.
Whoooosh! Screeeech, whoooosh!
One by one, the showerheads cascaded their contents like the simultaneous tears of dozens weeping at once.
Watching the torrent rapidly drenching the shower room floor, he muttered a silent curse.
Even without light, his eyes had adapted to the darkness enough to see.
Whoooosh!
What poured from the showerheads was not water.
It was blood—vivid crimson blood.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!
Even as this happened, the black handprints spread rapidly across the walls, encircling him.
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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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