An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 307

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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 306
Part 5. The Dragon King Closed His Eyes (3)
Caw, caw.
It was the cry of a seagull that pulled Kang Hyung-seok from sleep.
As he opened his eyes with a groggy sensation, his gaze collided with a seagull perched on the windshield wiper. Startled, Kang Hyung-seok flinched, and the bird, equally alarmed, took flight into the distance.
“…What.”
Kang Hyung-seok rubbed his eyes and let out a small cough.
He had slept in the cold without turning on the heater, using a padded jacket as a blanket.
Every slight movement produced creaking sounds from various joints, and the inside of his nose felt stiff.
It felt as though he had just returned from extreme cold weather training. Kang Hyung-seok stepped out of the car.
The sunlight was warmer than expected, and the sun still lingered in the east. Checking his wristwatch, it read 9 a.m.
A reasonable time to move about.
Thump.
Kang Hyung-seok retrieved his bag from the passenger seat, took a deep breath as if exchanging the stale air within his body for fresh air, and began walking without direction.
It was not toward the Ritual Ground or the sea.
Toward where the sun lingered in the sky, as if guiding him.
Eastward.
‘This is not something people should tell me.’
The villagers were gripped by fear, and the Dragon King remained silent.
Ko Jun-yeol, the only one worth conversing with, was an entirely untrustworthy figure. I needed to make my request to something other than human.
Step, step.
As I walked, I spent considerable time checking the map on my phone.
I marked several locations that seemed promising and headed toward them.
It was a coastal village.
Going northeast would lead to Gyeongsang Province, and this place lived by fishing.
Then there should be a Golmaekki Shrine here.
‘Where are you? Where do you dwell?’
The “gol” in Golmaekki means village, and “maekki” means barrier.
Thus, Golmaekki is a guardian deity that blocks malevolent forces targeting the village and prays for abundant harvests and bountiful catches.
Like jangseung or soltae, it is one who watches over and protects the village.
The Spirit Shrine that enshrines Golmaekki is called the Golmaekki Shrine, and it was the place I sought.
Crunch.
Snow that appeared to have accumulated long ago swallowed my shoes.
My eyes narrowed as I looked down at the ground beneath my feet.
The village lay behind me, and the sea stretched out to my right.
Could this not be the place?
The thought arose because the snow had not been cleared.
If this were a place where a deity was enshrined, even if the young did not know, the elders would have cleared the snow. Yet the path leading up the hill was thick with accumulated snow.
Jingle.
Suddenly, the Shaman’s Bell rang.
Kang Hyung-seok glanced at the bag slung across his shoulder, then resumed walking after his brief pause.
Whatever it was, he decided he might as well go and see.
Crunch, crunch.
He trudged forward for quite some time, treading on snow that had frozen solid only at the surface.
In the distance, between the barren and desolate trees, a white brick structure of rectangular form came into view.
The outer wall was of recent construction.
Yet visible through the iron gate with its latticed bars was a traditional structure of remarkably ancient design.
It was Golmaekki Shrine.
Crunch, crunch.
For some reason, my feet felt heavy.
Strangely, unnaturally so.
Crunch, crunch.
Kang Hyung-seok silently crunched through the snow and climbed the hill path, coming to stand before the iron gate.
A chain was wound around it, but the lock hung open.
Creeeeak.
As I pushed the iron gate, red rust powder cascaded from the corroded hinges worn by sea spray, and the gate swung open.
And the Spirit Shrine revealed itself, though its architectural style differed somewhat from that of the East Coast region.
There was a small window-like door, and by opening it left and right, one could examine the interior.
Kang Hyung-seok unconsciously glanced back before grasping the wooden door.
Creak.
With the sound of age, the door opened, and the air trapped inside poured out first.
Then sunlight streamed in, illuminating the dim Spirit Shrine and revealing its existence to the world.
“…Hah.”
Kang Hyung-seok’s lips contorted.
His face stiffened, and the corners of his narrowed eyes trembled slightly.
Something cold pierced through even my thick coat and seemed to penetrate straight through my heart.
The Dragon King is a being who values order and rules.
Simply by examining the interior of Golmaekki Shrine, Kang Hyung-seok thought he understood why the Dragon King remained silent.
This was no natural phenomenon.
Someone was committing an act that should never be done.
Whoooosh!
Wind blew from behind Kang Hyung-seok, swept across the surroundings, and entered the Spirit Shrine.
A black rope, severed in half, trembled faintly in the wind as if weeping.
It was the sacred object enshrined in Golmaekki Shrine, a thing that symbolized the deity.
It had been desecrated.
***
Creak.
The door to Golmaekki Shrine swung open.
Ko Jun-yeol opened the door to the Old House.
It was a dwelling perched on elevated ground that overlooked the entire Village, its blue roof weathered and moss creeping sparsely across its walls—a structure that spoke of decades past.
“Please, come in.”
Ko Jun-yeol spoke with measured courtesy, turning to reveal Lee Geum-kyung and Shin Jung-ah standing behind him.
“We appreciate your hospitality.”
Shin Jung-ah offered a respectful greeting in the polished manner of her profession, then wheeled her luggage inside, while Lee Geum-kyung stood with hands clasped behind her back, conversing with Ko Jun-yeol.
“I apologize for arriving so abruptly.”
“Not at all, ma’am. I’ve already cleaned the place, so you should find everything quite comfortable.”
“What could possibly be uncomfortable about it?”
Lee Geum-kyung surveyed the interior, exhaling a rueful breath through her nose.
The layout consisted of a larger room and a smaller one, with the bathroom situated outside the main structure.
Yellow linoleum covered the floor, and while the wallpaper remained pristine, water stains marked the ceiling like faded bruises.
“Did you spend your childhood in this house as well?”
“Yes, though the memories aren’t particularly fond ones.”
“It’s never easy—having your path determined from birth.”
This was a Hereditary Shaman Tradition household.
It had belonged to the Shaman who once performed the Yongwang Ritual with Lee Geum-kyung, and it was where Ko Jun-yeol had lived with his mother.
“Have you finally made peace with it?”
“Yes. I’ve come to accept it at last.”
Lee Geum-kyung nodded solemnly.
The Hereditary Shaman Tradition passes down through family lines as a vocation.
This created a fundamental difference from the Possessed Shaman Tradition—most hereditary shamans maintained other occupations.
They pursued their regular work during ordinary times, only taking up shamanic duties when village rituals or spiritual ceremonies required their attention.
It was a life lived with one foot in each world.
Ko Jun-yeol had fled this house the moment he came of age, despising the destiny imposed upon him from birth, only returning after his mother’s death.
“I understand. Thank you for arranging this place for us.”
“My own home is toward the Village. It’s somewhat distant, but if you call, I’ll come whenever you need me.”
Lee Geum-kyung’s lips curved upward as she nodded in acknowledgment.
Ko Jun-yeol mirrored the gesture with a respectful bow, then trudged away toward the Village.
“It seems he’s found his own place to live.”
Shin Jung-ah spoke as she watched Ko Jun-yeol disappear into the distance, and Lee Geum-kyung responded in a low voice.
“Likely so.”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind. Just finish unpacking quickly, then we have work to do together.”
“Ah, yes. But what sort of work?”
There was no Ritual Ground prepared, and nothing appeared particularly unusual about the place.
Yet an inexplicable unease and dread settled over Shin Jung-ah, prompting her to ask cautiously, and Lee Geum-kyung shook her head before speaking.
“This place has gone unattended for far too long. We’ll need to perform a cleansing ritual and address the spiritual contamination.”
“Ah, yes.”
Shin Jung-ah answered in a hesitant voice, uncertain what a purification ritual entailed.
She moved to finish organizing the luggage, but Lee Geum-kyung’s gaze lifted toward the sky.
Beneath the same heavens, somewhere in this village.
From this place where the same sea was visible, she offered a prayer for Kang Hyung-seok’s safety as he moved elsewhere.
***
Ting-a-ling!
Kang Hyung-seok rang the Shaman’s Bell with reverence, his eyes fixed on the severed rope of the Golmaekki Shrine as he began to speak.
“With utmost sincerity, I offer this prayer of blessing, and may there be no impurities that human eyes have failed to perceive and purify.”
It was a purification chant.
An act to cleanse the desecrated Golmaekki Shrine of its spiritual pollution, and a ritual prayer to console Golmaekki, whose body had been violated.
“The impurities are not merely one or two.”
Ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling.
“The corpse-taint of the roads, the slaughter-taint of beasts and livestock, the taint of those with heads and those with tails, the taint of things that swim and fly.”
Kang Hyung-seok shook the Shaman’s Bell as he recited the purification chant.
May the divine wrath be appeased.
May the emotions defiled by human tongue and hand be calmed, and may you reveal to me what you have witnessed and endured.
Ting-a-ling.
His plea to the divine spirit ran so deep that the furrow between his brows deepened.
With his brows drawn tight, Kang Hyung-seok continued the purification chant, shaking the Shaman’s Bell with both hands.
“The scale-taint of seafood, the taint of blue, the taint of red, the taint of white, the taint of black.”
Then it happened.
Whoooosh!
A wind swept through, shaking the branches, lifting the accumulated snow into a whirlwind, and pushing the clouds to veil the sun.
As the shadows around him grew slightly lighter, Kang Hyung-seok stilled the Shaman’s Bell.
‘A divine wind.’
The wind that enveloped him felt damp, as though laden with tears.
“Tell me. Who desecrated your body?”
When only wind answered, Kang Hyung-seok shook the Shaman’s Bell to urge Golmaekki’s response.
Ting-a-ling-a-ling!
“Your disciple has come seeking answers—Golmaekki, please respond.”
Strangely, the howling wind sounded like someone’s sobbing.
“A spirit that harms human life dwells in this land, and the Dragon King remains silent—Golmaekki, speak of what you have seen, heard, and endured.”
Ting-a-ling-a-ling!
“Who, and for what purpose, desecrated Golmaekki’s body and obscured the Dragon King’s sight?”
Watching the rope sway faintly in the wind, Kang Hyung-seok demanded an answer with force in his voice.
“What has transpired in this village, and what is about to unfold?”
Then it came.
Aaaaauuuugh.
The sound of wind became a distinct cry.
I wasn’t hearing things.
The weeping of a young girl, estimated to be around fifteen years old, echoed distinctly in my ears.
Wooooong.
The siren vibrating in the wind sounded like a bell tolling.
Standing motionless, I traced the sounds and winds that enveloped me with my gaze.
Everything felt trivial, coincidental, like an auditory hallucination.
Yet it was a divine message.
The body was damaged, so this was the only way it could communicate.
Wooong. Wooong.
“…A bell’s toll.”
And the young girl’s weeping.
So it conjured a certain word.
“Emille.”
The legend of the Great King Seongdeok’s Bell.
Human sacrifice.
Watching the siren aimed toward the sea, I twisted one corner of my mouth.

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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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