An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 4

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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 4
Part 2. Walk the Right Path (1)
Just because I’ve been through a harrowing ordeal doesn’t mean I can skip work.
Even if I only slept three hours, I still have to go to the office.
That’s what it means to be a salaryman.
Splash!
After washing my face with hot water, I shifted my gaze to the mirror fogged with steam.
I then raised my wet hands and placed them in front of the mirror.
Wipe.
Kang Hyung-seok wiped the mirror with a tense expression, then lowered his face in relief.
What reflected in the mirror was only that.
Unlike before, there was no ghost with blood smeared across its face, nor any malevolent spirit with eyes looking in different directions.
‘A spirit has taken residence in me.’
One who receives a household guardian spirit is protected by that spirit.
Seeing that malevolent spirits no longer cling to me like before, yesterday’s events were definitely real.
‘I still have no idea what this actually is.’
Kang Hyung-seok rubbed the three distinct dots remaining on his palm and shook his head.
“Let me just go to work first.”
I need to earn money.
Utilities, insurance premiums, savings accounts, rent, credit card bills, phone bills, and so on.
There are far too many reasons why I need to earn money.
I dragged my exhausted body toward the office.
“Good morning.”
I greeted them with a less-than-cheerful voice and brought back a strong cup of coffee from the break room.
“Manager Kang, you look tired.”
Namgoong Min-ah, the intern at the desk next to mine, suddenly struck up a conversation.
Fresh-faced, having just graduated from university, with eyes untainted by the grit of society.
She was the kind of person who embodied youth from head to toe.
“I came home quite late yesterday.”
After dropping off Noh Su-chul, I arrived home at 4 a.m.
Being chased by Changgwi in the dead of night and running all the way up the mountain, I felt the physical exhaustion.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“That must be so hard on you, Manager. Should I go buy you some fatigue recovery drink? I can be back in no time.”
Namgoong Min-ah fumbled to stuff her phone into her pocket.
If I didn’t stop her, she looked ready to actually dash to the convenience store in front of the office, so I shook my head as I dissuaded her.
“That’s fine. Work is about to start anyway. Where are you going?”
“Still, those dark circles are no joke.”
“I can sleep in my car during lunch. You don’t need to worry.”
“But sleep is better when you rest in a comfortable place….”
“I’m comfortable enough. It’s fine.”
Kang Hyung-seok spoke with deliberate restraint.
This was the only way to temper Namgoong Min-ah’s enthusiasm.
“Understood.”
As she put away her phone with a dejected expression, Kang Hyung-seok added quietly, “Thank you for worrying about me.”
He immediately shifted his gaze back to the monitor, catching a glimpse of Namgoong Min-ah smiling brightly beside him.
‘I envy her.’
The fact that she possessed such innocence.
Click-click.
Opening his mailbox by moving the mouse, he methodically created a task list with practiced efficiency.
It was a ritual he performed before work—it reduced mistakes and boosted productivity.
But why hadn’t Noh Su-chul arrived yet when work was about to start?
That was the moment Kang Hyung-seok checked the time on the taskbar.
“Kang!”
An irritated voice suddenly rang out from the direction of the door.
“Is Kang here? Kang!”
“Yes?”
Kang Hyung-seok furrowed his brow and stood up, while a well-built man standing by the door gestured at him.
“Come here! Quickly!”
With all eyes in the office on him, Kang Hyung-seok walked toward the man.
It was Jo Tae-sik, the director of the HR and General Affairs Department.
Since Jo Tae-sik wouldn’t normally summon him this way, Kang Hyung-seok wanted to know the reason—but Gwak Young-ho asked the question for him.
The door opened.
“What’s the matter?”
“Oh, you’re here?”
Jo Tae-sik, emerging from the break room, received Gwak Young-ho’s gaze with an awkward expression and his lips twitched.
“Well, you know. You’ve heard, haven’t you? About Noh… the team leader.”
“Noh Su-chul? No, I haven’t.”
“Ah, you haven’t heard then.”
“What is this about?”
Gwak Young-ho was at least three years older than Jo Tae-sik.
And he had been with the company far longer.
Jo Tae-sik smacked his lips and glanced around before pointing upward while looking at Kang Hyung-seok.
“Kang, could you get some coffee for the rooftop? Yes? And Director, you should come along too.”
Jo Tae-sik spoke with a much gentler tone than before, and Gwak Young-ho’s eyes conveyed a silent request.
“Yes, understood.”
Kang Hyung-seok poured instant coffee into two paper cups and headed toward the emergency stairwell.
Both Jo Tae-sik and Gwak Young-ho were waiting for him, so they were able to go up to the rooftop smoking area together.
The door opened.
“Goodness, you really haven’t heard?”
“What do you mean?”
Jo Tae-sik furrowed his brow and lit a cigarette.
“He contacted me out of the blue just now. Said he’s resigning and asked me to send his personal belongings by courier.”
“What? Resigning?”
Gwak Young-ho, his direct supervisor, looked equally blindsided, his face flooding with bewilderment.
“Look, he just sent this text without any notice or explanation. Can you believe it?”
“…A text message?”
“If he’d called, I wouldn’t be this shocked.”
Jo Tae-sik took several drags from his cigarette before showing his phone.
From where I was standing, I could catch a glimpse of it too.
「I’m resigning. Please send my belongings by courier.」
“This isn’t like Noh Su-chul at all….”
“I tried calling, but he won’t pick up.”
Even an intern like Namgoong Min-ah wouldn’t resign this way.
“Phew! Kang Hyung-seok, you went on a business trip with Noh Su-chul yesterday. Did you hear anything unusual?”
Jo Tae-sik and Gwak Young-ho.
Both their gazes fixed on me.
“Well….”
“Come on, don’t drag it out. Tell us honestly.”
Jo Tae-sik’s voice suddenly rose.
I exhaled quietly through my nose and answered carefully.
“I saw something strange on the way back.”
“…What?”
I knew this would happen.
That’s why it was so hard to explain.
How could I convince them that I’d been chased by Changgwi?
Still, I conveyed the facts in a way that Jo Tae-sik and Gwak Young-ho could accept.
“Noh Su-chul was quite shocked. I think that’s the reason.”
Gwak Young-ho and Jo Tae-sik.
Both their faces went blank.
Then Jo Tae-sik’s face flushed crimson in an instant, and he clenched his jaw.
“Don’t joke around!”
“Wait, Director. I don’t think raising your voice at Kang Hyung-seok is appropriate.”
Gwak Young-ho hastily intervened, and Jo Tae-sik apologized while exhaling sharply between gritted teeth.
“Are you serious? Is that really the reason?”
“From what I saw, that’s all I can say.”
“Can you take responsibility for what you’re saying?”
“Yes.”
Jo Tae-sik, who had been glaring at me menacingly, let out a hollow laugh.
It was a reason that was hard to believe and harder still to want to believe, yet I didn’t seem to be lying.
That’s why I felt like I was going to lose my mind completely.
“No, not even a kid. A crazy bastard.”
Jo Tae-sik muttered as if groaning, and this time Gwak Young-ho didn’t stop him either.
It wasn’t entirely directed at Kang Hyung-seok, and besides, Gwak Young-ho’s expression showed he agreed.
A full-grown adult had announced his resignation as if he’d seen hallucinations.
Even the easygoing Gwak Young-ho lit a cigarette with an expression that said he couldn’t contain his anger, while Jo Tae-sik kept muttering curses under his breath.
It was then.
“There might be another reason, so I’ll look into it as well.”
“Yes. I appreciate it. And Director.”
Jo Tae-sik continued speaking, his anger still not subsided.
“Just in case. If the reason Kang mentioned is correct, please let me know. If Noh brings up unemployment benefits or anything like that, we need to decide how the company will handle it.”
“…Yes.”
“Ugh, seriously. Ugh!”
Jo Tae-sik and Gwak Young-ho sat in silence for a while before lighting fresh cigarettes and continuing their conversation.
“For now, I understand. Just have his belongings packed later. We’ll send him off during lunch.”
“Yes. And will you hire another person?”
“Of course. I’ll post the job opening right away once I get approval from the representative.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Sigh, so many people are suffering because of this strange guy.”
It was before Jo Tae-sik, who had quickly stubbed out his cigarette, headed down through the emergency exit.
Tap.
With a hand full of thoughts, he touched Kang Hyung-seok and glanced sideways at Gwak Young-ho.
“Yes, go on in.”
I was already planning to take good care of Gwak Young-ho anyway.
As Jo Tae-sik opened the door and went down, Gwak Young-ho pulled out a fresh cigarette.
“Phew! Good grief. At least say something.”
Clearly upset, Gwak Young-ho exhaled cigarette smoke like a sigh.
“Kang.”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry. For nothing.”
Taken aback by the unexpected apology, Kang Hyung-seok looked at him with surprised eyes.
“What do you mean, sir?”
“It’s not like you did anything wrong, but Jo went after you first for no reason. Sigh.”
“No, sir.”
Kang Hyung-seok smiled to show it was fine.
Gwak Young-ho had often spoken to him like this before.
In the early days after joining, even though Noh Su-chul could be rough, he’d buy me drinks and encourage me to work hard since there was much to learn.
After that, he seemed to have even called Noh Su-chul aside and scolded him for treating subordinates that way, but each time Noh Su-chul would retaliate.
“But is something wrong? You don’t look well.”
“It’s nothing. I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“So, what time did you get home yesterday?”
“It was dawn by the time I arrived.”
“What? Ah, well, that place does tend to keep people late.”
Gwak Young-ho tapped the ash from his cigarette into the ashtray and continued speaking while looking at my face.
“Just work this morning and then head out. I’ll process it as a half-day leave.”
“Pardon? No, sir. There are documents I need to send to our clients, and there’s also material requested from the business trip yesterday that needs handling.”
“I’ll take care of it. Just share the files with me.”
“No, Director.”
Gwak Young-ho waved his hand dismissively.
“It’s fine. We’re already short one person, and if you collapse too, that’ll be even more of a headache.”
I expressed my gratitude and bewilderment through my eyes and expression.
“Thank you, Director.”
“Don’t worry about Noh Su-chul. If he calls, contact me right away. Got it?”
“Yes. I’ll do that.”
Thump.
Gwak Young-ho gave my shoulder a firm pat and headed down the emergency stairs.
I was the one who received the request to look after things.
Yet here I was, the one being looked after, watching the door with an embarrassed expression before heading down the stairs.
Clack-clack, clack.
Back at my desk, I typed rapidly on the keyboard.
I had intended to finish all remaining work by noon, but time was running short.
Still, I managed to handle all the urgent matters, so I was ready to leave work with peace of mind.
“Manager Kang, have you heard the rumor?”
“Pardon? What rumor?”
“Well, apparently Manager Noh resigned.”
Rumors really do spread fast at the company.
I looked at Namgoong Min-ah for a moment, then laughed hollowly.
“That’s what I was called in for this morning.”
“Really?”
“Your voice is quite loud.”
Namgoong Min-ah closed her mouth and glanced around with wide eyes. Then she lowered her voice and spoke again.
“That’s good news, Manager Kang. Isn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Manager Noh leaving. He was always so harsh to you.”
Sigh, really.
Being too innocent as a working adult might not be such a good thing.
I shook my head and spoke quietly.
“You shouldn’t say things like that. If other people hear it, they’ll think poorly of you.”
“I’m s-sorry.”
“It’s fine. Oh right, I’m taking a half-day today. I’ve finished all the major work, so there’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“Half day off?”
“Yes. So if anything comes up, make sure to text me. Don’t just suffer in silence, alright?”
Namgoong Min-ah’s face suddenly brightened with emotion.
“I wish everyone in the world was like you, Kang.”
“I’ve been an intern before, so I understand.”
Internship life is harsh.
Even though I had gotten in through a professor’s recommendation, I too had experienced the trials of being an intern.
“It’s lunchtime. I’ll head out first. Enjoy your meal.”
“Yes!”
Kang Hyung-seok turned off his monitor, gathered his personal belongings into his bag, and wedged his tumbler into the dedicated storage compartment on the side of his bag.
Then he informed his colleagues that he was leaving early and stepped into the elevator.
“Where are you headed?”
Someone asked him this, and Kang Hyung-seok offered an awkward smile.
“Nowhere special. I don’t even know where I’m going.”
“Come on, go get some fresh air. You’ve got the afternoon off anyway.”
“Enjoy your meal.”
Everyone exited at the floor where the company cafeteria was located.
But Kang Hyung-seok had to descend all the way to the underground parking lot, so he found himself alone in the elevator.
Moments later, he gazed at the three dots imprinted on his palm.
They were unmistakably emanating a mystical aura.
He pressed his lips firmly together and exhaled through his nose.
“I need to visit the shaman.”
Lee Geum-kyung—the shaman who had performed the spirit-pressing ritual for me.
The events I had experienced, the shaman’s bell.
She was the only person who could explain these three dots on my palm.
Ding.
As the doors slid open, Kang Hyung-seok made his way toward his car.

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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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