An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 287

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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 286
Part 6. I Don’t Think I Can Keep a Dog (1)
Snow fell without a sound.
Though there was no light, my pupils, adapted to the darkness, could make out the Dog Spirit, and Baekseol, her fur bristling along her spine, stood her ground against the Dog Spirit—a creature far larger than herself—without so much as a bark.
If you have something to say, speak it.
I will take pity on you.
But if you attempt to harm human lives, I will not show you mercy either.
Woof.
Kang Hyung-seok, gripping the Shaman’s Bell, looked down at the Dog Spirit from the wooden floor, and moments later, the door to the room where the women slept cracked open slightly, and Shin Jung-ah emerged wearing a padded jacket.
As Shin Jung-ah stood before the door, the Dog Spirit’s eyes darted about restlessly, fixing upon the presences on the wooden floor.
And when the snowfall grew fiercer, drawing a curtain between them,
Crackle.
The Dog Spirit lowered its body, pressing its head downward.
A movement to attack.
But when Baekseol growled low, the Dog Spirit hesitated.
This was the moment.
“How many did you harm?”
Kang Hyung-seok’s voice seized the Dog Spirit’s attention.
“How many people did you hurt, and how many animals did you kill?”
The Dog Spirit opened its mouth wide as if it had something to say.
Its fangs were bared, and its mouth gaped open, crimson as if it had swallowed fire, yet no sound emerged.
“How long has it been since you died?”
The Dog Spirit’s mouth closed.
Suddenly, Shin Jung-ah felt as though this moment were not reality.
Was it because of the swirling snow?
Or was it the darkness, thick as a painting?
Or was it the peculiar atmosphere that Kang Hyung-seok, in a state of possession, emanated?
Though she could not discern the precise reason, she knew with certainty that they had reached the threshold of resolution.
Squeeze.
When the electronic cigarette, clenched in her grip to soothe her anxious and tense heart, felt damp, Kang Hyung-seok’s voice continued.
“Your master….”
-Grrrrrowwwl!
The Dog Spirit’s cry of rage thundered like thunder itself.
Kang Hyung-seok, his words momentarily cut short, glanced briefly at Baekseol, then continued speaking toward the Dog Spirit.
“A pathetic person who abandoned you.”
The Dog Spirit’s mouth closed, and its pupils dilated.
“The bond between animal and human is not a light thing, yet one cannot call a person who forsakes it a master.”
But know this.
Not all people are the same.
Not all people abandon their dogs.
“This is not a place for you to come, and there is no one here for you to harm.”
Baekseol was the proof of that.
-Woof, woof, woof!
The Dog Spirit’s gaze fixed upon Baekseol, who barked with fierce intensity.
In this place, the Dog Spirit had witnessed countless dogs abandoned.
I had seen far too many dogs grow to hate their owners, grow wounded by them.
And so the existence of Baekseol—dead yet still baring her fangs to protect her master—was utterly strange to me, belonging to a realm I could scarcely comprehend.
“Do not accumulate karmic debt.”
-Grrrrr.
“If other things hold value to you, then cherish yourself as well.”
The Dog Spirit’s growl ceased.
Then it hesitated, backing away step by step.
From the Dog Spirit at this distance, I sensed no murderous intent.
Instead, a different emotion radiated so intensely it could not be obscured even by the fierce falling snow.
Sorrow.
“I buried the corpse of an abandoned dog.”
Though the Dog Spirit appeared hazy through the cascading white snow, Kang Hyung-seok continued to speak to it.
“It was a dog that died from cold and hunger. Your final moments would not have been so different from that dog’s.”
The Dog Spirit’s pupils writhed like bubbles roiling in boiling water.
Kang Hyung-seok’s words were indeed true.
The Dog Spirit was not a single spirit entity.
It was a congregation of Victim Spirits of abandoned and lonely dogs, drawn together and fused by a singular purpose, and though their causes of death varied, each was equally sorrowful.
One had died on the street.
Another had been struck by a car.
Yet another had died of illness, and another had its head crushed by a stone thrown by a human.
Some had starved in the cold.
Shhhhh.
The Dog Spirit looked up at the sky pouring white snow as if in resentment, then began to howl like a wolf.
What was the meaning of that cry?
Was it resentment toward the heavens?
Or was it sorrow for itself, unable to become like Baekseol?
Arooooo, arooooo, arooooo.
“Spirit of this day, what binds your resentment and what binds your sorrow. Let resentment become sorrow and sorrow become resentment.”
It was the Haewon Sutra.
A sacred chant to console the soul and soothe the sorrow.
Though the Dog Spirit was a Vengeful Spirit that harmed animals and people, its origin was unmistakably rooted in profound sorrow and anguish.
Release that anguish.
“In daylight, embrace yang energy and become a bird, peering through the front door, wandering in dreams and within the heart—when the soul departs, know it has gone, and when the spirit leaves, perceive its departure.”
Tears flow forth, and sighs tumble endlessly.
Contemplating the affairs of the world, all becomes murky and desolate.
“When I was born into this world, I was born at the same time as others, and I should have been no different from them.”
At that moment, the Dog Spirit’s head lowered and it let out a low, wolf-like growl.
A foul stench suddenly flooded the space, causing Shin Jung-ah to flinch, but Kang Hyung-seok understood why the Dog Spirit was displaying such an attitude.
The wound was too deep.
The resentment was too great.
Because of that, it couldn’t even accept the hand extended toward it with an easy heart.
“Go.”
When Kang Hyung-seok stopped reciting the incantation and spoke to the Dog Spirit, Shin Jung-ah turned to him with a startled expression.
Her eyes asked if it would be alright, but Kang Hyung-seok kept his gaze fixed solely on the Dog Spirit as he opened his mouth.
“If you’re not ready, then go. Leave freely wherever you wish to go.”
However, Kang Hyung-seok conveyed a clear resolve through his eyes to the Dog Spirit that stared at him.
That no matter where you go, I will find you.
That I won’t let you be alone.
-Woof!
The Dog Spirit barked loudly and retreated backward.
The snow grew even more intense, and in an instant, the Dog Spirit vanished from sight.
And when even the foul stench disappeared, Shin Jung-ah, her tension released, leaned her shoulder against the wall and breathed heavily through her nose.
“I-it’s not all over yet, is it, Kang Manager?”
Shin Jung-ah knew that was a vain hope.
Kang Hyung-seok, turning his gaze toward her, smiled bitterly and nodded.
Then, gazing at the white snow that formed a stark contrast with the deep darkness outside the courtyard, he opened his mouth.
“Now we must search for it.”
“Sigh…”
“It’s an animal spirit wounded by humans. In life, no one came looking for it, so shouldn’t someone search for it even after death?”
If that could resolve the Dog Spirit’s resentment, I could do it a hundred times, a thousand times over.
-Bark bark bark!
Kang Hyung-seok shook his head at Baekseol, who barked as if to say she would follow him too.
“You must stay here.”
Lee Jin-pyung, Baekseol’s owner, had not abandoned her.
So the place where Baekseol belonged was here, where Lee Jin-pyung slept.
-Whimper.
Baekseol whined and collapsed onto the floor, and Shin Jung-ah bit her lip before letting out a heavy sigh.
“Come with me.”
“What?”
“How will you find it alone? I’ll help too, so let’s go together.”
Kang Hyung-seok regarded Shin Jung-ah silently for a moment.
Then he answered by nodding.
“It will be difficult.”
“When has it ever not been difficult?”
“Let’s go.”
Kang Hyung-seok chuckled deeply and slipped on the shoes placed beneath the wooden floor.
Then he walked toward the car, but from behind came the sound of Baekseol barking.
It seemed as though she were wishing him a safe journey, so Kang Hyung-seok turned back and nodded once before getting into the car.
***
The engine rumbled softly.
Kang Hyung-seok drove slowly.
It was 1 a.m.
Street lamps were scattered sparsely, and their dim glow made the darkness so complete it bore no comparison to the city—everything beyond the headlights was consumed by shadow.
The falling snow made it impossible to see even a foot ahead, and the accumulating drifts gripped the tires, preventing any increase in speed.
I found this comforting.
We were searching for traces of the Dog Spirit that had vanished.
A soft click.
Without being asked, Shin Jung-ah removed the wooden bracelet from her wrist and placed it in the cup holder, then set down the Ancestral Mountain Protection Talisman she always carried beside it, and drew in a deep breath.
Then she looked beyond the passenger window and opened her mouth.
“Open the window.”
“Yes.”
The window descended with a soft whine.
Winter air—crisp and vivid—rushed through the opening.
Snowflakes drifted in and clung to the padded jacket, soon becoming tiny droplets under the heater’s warmth.
All the while, Shin Jung-ah kept her eyes closed, breathing only through her nose.
She was tracking the scent of the spirit.
The engine rumbled on.
Kang Hyung-seok slowed further to avoid disturbing her concentration, following the road with careful precision.
They drove on like this for some time.
Shin Jung-ah opened her eyes and spoke.
“I found it.”
“Which direction?”
“Stop the car.”
Kang Hyung-seok pressed the brake and brought the car to a complete halt.
Snow clung to the windshield, but he did not activate the wipers, waiting instead for Shin Jung-ah to speak again.
After a moment, having inhaled deeply for some time, she raised her finger and pointed in a single direction.
“It’s that way.”
“It’s the Mountain.”
The place where I first encountered the Dog Spirit.
And where we had planned to sledding.
The scent of the Dog Spirit was drifting from that location.
The engine rumbled forward.
Inside the car as it drove toward the Mountain, no words passed between them.
It was not merely exhaustion.
Both Kang Hyung-seok and Shin Jung-ah needed time to compose themselves for the sake of resolving the Dog Spirit’s resentment.
When Kang Hyung-seok arrived at the mountain, he pulled the car onto the shoulder and stepped out with Shin Jung-ah.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
After exchanging only brief words, they began climbing the mountain.
They passed a hill path that looked perfect for sledding, and each time Shin Jung-ah paused to catch a scent and changed direction, the Shaman’s Bell chimed.
Eventually, they stopped at a point deep within the mountain.
Thump, thump.
Kang Hyung-seok brushed away the snow piled thickly on his shoulders and surveyed the surroundings.
It was truly a desolate and lonely place.
Not because densely grown trees blocked the view like a barrier.
Rather, the terrain itself caused the air to swirl and eddy instead of flowing smoothly.
Crack.
I picked up a thick branch from the ground and snapped it in half.
Then I began striking the earth, but the frozen ground, saturated with moisture, refused to yield easily.
“Give me one too.”
When Kang Hyung-seok handed over the branch he’d broken in half, Shin Jung-ah began digging at the earth from the opposite side.
Whoooosh!
A driving snow squall swept over them.
My fingers, frozen bright red, felt as though they might snap off.
Conversely, my palms, scraped raw by the branch, burned as if I were clutching hot coals.
Thud! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Yet the two of them continued digging at the earth in silence.
How much time had passed like this?
When beads of sweat dripped from my brow, white breath poured from my lips like smoke, and earth mixed with snow accumulated beside my shoes, Kang Hyung-seok and Shin Jung-ah stopped simultaneously.
“…This is the place.”
Kang Hyung-seok nodded silently.
There, buried in the earth, were bones of varying sizes.
The sheer number—easily twenty or more—left me speechless.

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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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