An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 303

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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 302
Part 4. The Shaman’s Work (2)
Drip, drip, drip.
The next day arrived.
Gwak Young-ho, who had arrived first, was brewing coffee in the Break Room with the door left open, and when Kang Hyung-seok entered the office shortly after, he raised his voice.
“Oh! Manager Kang is here!”
“Good morning, sir.”
“Want some coffee? And did you see the news?”
“What news?”
Kang Hyung-seok set his bag down at his desk, and Gwak Young-ho found an article on his phone and showed it to him.
“I was watching the morning news and this popped up. Unbelievable.”
When Kang Hyung-seok looked at the phone screen, it was a story he hadn’t seen before, yet the content felt familiar.
It was about the Aunt.
The article laid out everything—how she had taken the child from the Biological Mother, abused her while fraudulently claiming insurance benefits, and ultimately took her own life.
“Ghosts don’t do anything. They don’t catch people like this.”
“That’s true.”
“Geez. I searched online just to be sure, and people these days are fast. Her personal information has already been dug up and her face is all over the internet.”
Learning this new detail, Kang Hyung-seok’s brow furrowed.
Drip, drip, drip.
The coffee extraction finished, and Gwak Young-ho removed his cup, inserted a fresh one, and pressed the button for an Americano.
“The court sentenced her to twelve or thirteen years, but the way things are going now, it looks like even after she’s released, she won’t be able to live in peace. These days, people who do personal broadcasts stick to her relentlessly, updating her whereabouts and all that.”
“Yes. Those kinds of things happen quite often.”
“Of course, it’s not entirely a good thing, but I wish those people understood too. How cruel suffering truly is.”
Gwak Young-ho sipped his coffee with the expression of someone lost in thought.
Then, startled by the coffee being hotter than expected, he opened his mouth, and Kang Hyung-seok quickly fetched cold water from the water cooler and handed it to him.
“Thanks. Man, I wish everyone in the world was like you, Manager Kang.”
“No, what are you saying, sir?”
“I’m grateful for your heart.”
With a somber expression, Gwak Young-ho drank the water and handed the finished coffee to Kang Hyung-seok, then spoke.
“Anyway, how are things these days? Any new places worth developing?”
“I suppose I’ll need to get out and scout around a bit.”
“Take your time. Take your time. Rushing things only makes them fall apart.”
Gwak Young-ho laughed heartily, making clear his words were sincere, and took a sip of coffee.
“Phew! Besides, Shinjin Construction has already placed an order with us. Thanks to that, our team’s performance this quarter isn’t something we’d be ashamed of anywhere.”
“I’m aware.”
“Always work with peace of mind. I’ve got your back.”
Gwak Young-ho gave Kang Hyung-seok’s shoulder a light tap.
Then, checking if he had cigarettes in his pocket, he left the Break Room, while Kang Hyung-seok silently looked down at the coffee in his hand.
In the end, I’m just a company employee.
No matter how much I comfort the Biological Mother who lost her child, or how much I resolve the grudges of those who died unjustly, I remain bound to this company.
‘Performance, performance.’
I needed to find new clients.
Since I couldn’t rely on Shinjin Construction forever, I pondered the matter seriously.
It was then.
“What are you doing?”
Shin Jung-ah slipped in without a sound and spoke to me, and I nearly spilled my coffee in surprise.
“Geez, are you okay? That was quite the prank.”
“No, I didn’t spill it. I’m fine.”
“Is something troubling you? A man who can see ghosts without flinching gets startled by this.”
I laughed bitterly and wiped the coffee from my fingers.
“It’s the performance targets, what else.”
“Want me to look into it for you?”
“No, you must be busy too, Chief. I’m fine.”
I took a sip of coffee, and Shin Jung-ah gazed at me with concern as she began extracting a fresh cup.
“You know a lot of people, don’t you? Why not reach out to them this time.”
“Reach out?”
“Getting introductions is always best. You know that.”
That’s true.
I sipped my coffee and thought carefully through the people I knew.
Family came to mind first, but unfortunately, they weren’t the sort who could introduce me to clients.
‘Someone with a wide network, influence, and the ability to introduce potential clients.’
As I pondered this, I heard Shin Jung-ah make a satisfied sound—”Ahhh”—after taking a sip of her coffee.
But I had no time to think it strange.
A figure had suddenly come to mind.
***
Vroom.
After finishing lunch at the Company Cafeteria, Kang Hyung-seok drove straight toward Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.
‘There’s really no one else but her.’
Lee Geum-kyung.
Lee Geum-kyung, known as the Great Shaman, had been Kang Hyung-seok’s mentor, and she had once introduced him to a client called Samgol.
It was an old connection, but embarrassingly, it had been a long time since he’d visited her.
So on the way to Lee Geum-kyung’s Shrine, Kang Hyung-seok hurriedly stopped by a branded bakery to buy various types of yokan, and he also purchased a generous amount of sweet pastries that her disciple Chung-geum would enjoy.
Though his wallet grew lighter, his heart felt somewhat relieved in return—if that could be called consolation.
Whoosh.
After driving for a while and arriving at Lee Geum-kyung’s Shrine nestled in the mountains, he found only a quiet empty lot, contrary to his expectations.
Thud.
Stepping out of the car, Kang Hyung-seok cast a puzzled glance and walked toward the shrine.
Then he noticed shoes placed in front of the shrine, and just as he furrowed his brow in further confusion, Chung-geum emerged from another building.
“Oh? Isn’t this Young Master?”
“It’s been a while. How have you been?”
“I’ve been well. And you, Young Master?”
It was probably just his imagination that Chung-geum’s gaze seemed fixed on the bread bag in Kang Hyung-seok’s hand.
“Oh, I’m still managing as usual.”
“Sigh, you must be working hard.”
Despite his rare visit, Chung-geum’s face showed complete understanding.
“Actually, this morning the Master was talking about you.”
“The Master?”
“Yes. She said you appeared in her dream last night.”
Before even seeing her face, his true intentions were already exposed, making the bread bag in his hand feel suddenly heavy.
Kang Hyung-seok laughed awkwardly, and Chung-geum lifted the corners of her mouth in response.
“Don’t worry about it. She’s the Master, after all.”
“That’s true.”
As an experienced shaman, it would be no surprise if she already knew of Kang Hyung-seok’s visit.
Kang Hyung-seok gazed at Lee Geum-kyung’s Shrine with drooping eyes, and Chung-geum gestured toward the shrine with her palm as if urging him to go inside.
Step, step.
Just as Kang Hyung-seok stood before the shrine entrance.
A voice from inside suddenly seized his ankles.
She was on a call.
As Kang Hyung-seok hesitated whether to leave, hearing Lee Geum-kyung’s rarely-heard, measured voice, the call ended.
And the door opened.
Creak.
“Why are you standing outside in the cold?”
“Master, it’s been a long time.”
“Tsk tsk, come inside.”
Lee Geum-kyung clicked her tongue as she looked at the large bread bag, as heavy with apology as it was with contents.
As Kang Hyung-seok stepped inside, Chung-geum followed behind him, carrying a teapot and teacups.
“How is your health?”
“I’m doing well.”
“You must have sustained injuries and fallen ill.”
Kang Hyung-seok exhaled softly and offered a faint smile, then nodded heavily.
“I’m fine now.”
“The path you walk is not an easy one.”
“It’s something I’ve prepared myself for.”
Kang Hyung-seok answered calmly, opening a bread bag and retrieving the yokan that Lee Geum-kyung favored.
He offered it with both hands, and Lee Geum-kyung accepted it, setting it down beside her knee.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Poor fellow.”
“Ha ha.”
“Chung-geum, would you pour the tea?”
“Yes.”
Chung-geum poured tea with a greenish hue into the cups and set one before Lee Geum-kyung and one before Kang Hyung-seok.
The fragrance of the tea, unlike coffee, had the effect of calming the mind.
Kang Hyung-seok carefully lifted the teacup and took a sip, savoring it, while Lee Geum-kyung retrieved the yokan and placed it before him.
Then she rubbed the space between her eyebrows before speaking.
“I’m sorry, but I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Yes?”
It was Kang Hyung-seok who had come to ask for a favor.
Yet now Lee Geum-kyung was the one saying she had a request.
Kang Hyung-seok met her gaze, but her eyes revealed neither thought nor intention.
“As you know, there are places where I perform the Yongwang Ritual.”
“Yes. You go there often. I’m aware of it.”
It was a ritual performed to ask the Dragon King for the peace and abundance of the village.
It was an ancient custom and ritual, with records dating back to the Silla Dynasty’s Sahae and Sadok Rituals, and the Goryeo Dynasty’s Sahae-Sadok and Sea Spirit Rituals.
Though typically led by the hereditary shamans of that region, Lee Geum-kyung, a possessed shaman, also participated at times.
The boundary between hereditary shamans and possessed shamans was not always sharp as a knife’s edge, but the greatest reason was that human lives hung in the balance during such ritual ceremonies.
Therefore, depending on the circumstances, possessed shamans like Lee Geum-kyung would participate.
“I think I need to attend this time as well, and I would like you to accompany me.”
“…Are you speaking to me?”
“It won’t be a bad thing for you either.”
Lee Geum-kyung raised one knee and rested her elbow upon it.
She offered a gentle smile, though one could discern it was a smile meant to conceal her true feelings.
It was not a matter of forcing Kang Hyung-seok to go at all costs.
Knowing what troubled him, she wanted to help resolve that burden as well.
“Thank you.”
Lee Geum-kyung’s heart, wishing to ease his mind by providing what he sought, was like that of a grandmother.
So Kang Hyung-seok answered with the feeling of a grandson, and Lee Geum-kyung’s head nodded heavily.
“I’ll speak favorably to the Local Dignitary. If that doesn’t work, I’ll handle it separately, so don’t worry.”
“May I ask the reason for your accompaniment?”
Something weighed on my mind.
It was Lee Geum-kyung’s voice from the phone call I’d overheard outside the door.
Her tone had been so subdued and heavy with concern that I couldn’t dismiss the feeling that something was gravely amiss.
“Hmm.”
Lee Geum-kyung fell silent in thought for a moment, then opened her mouth while meeting Kang Hyung-seok’s gaze.
“I didn’t participate in the Dragon King Ritual from the beginning.”
“I see.”
“Yet I came to participate because the Dragon King refuses to hear my plea.”
Kang Hyung-seok’s eyes narrowed.
It was like a shamanic ritual seeking aid from a deity, but that deity remained silent.
The premonition that something had gone terribly wrong sent an ominous chill through him.
“Then….”
“I need you to turn the Dragon King’s heart toward us.”
It was an unexpectedly enormous request.
In the suddenly heavy atmosphere, Chung-geum’s eyes darted about nervously, while Kang Hyung-seok slowly nodded his head in response.
“I’ll try.”
At that, Lee Geum-kyung closed both eyes and gave a small, deliberate nod.
It seemed both like she was impressed by Kang Hyung-seok’s growth, and like she was sorry for pushing him into treacherous waters.

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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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