An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 44

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 43
Part 6. You Should Meet Our Parents Too (3)
Ding!
It was after I finished eating and completed all the dishes.
Lying in the Storage Room that was currently in use, Kang Hyung-seok checked his phone for a message.
“Did you tell your parents?”
‘He seemed fine in the car.’
It appeared they didn’t want to stir up unnecessary worry about an issue that couldn’t be resolved through conversation at the time.
Tap, tap-tap, tap-tap.
“Yes, I told them.”
“What did they say?”
“They were understanding. They said if I was fine with it, then it was fine with them.”
“That’s a relief!”
Kang Hyung-seok let out a quiet laugh at the message, complete with an emoji.
“Did you have good luck with work, sir?”
“Yeah. I’m planning to stop by a few other places tomorrow. Since I’ve come this far, I should hand out some business cards.”
That was when it happened.
“Seok! Your uncle’s here!”
At Park Jung-im’s call, Kang Hyung-seok pocketed his phone and headed to the Living Room.
Park Ji-hoon, an uncle he hadn’t seen in a long time, was untying the straps of his walker in front of the shoe rack.
“It’s been a while, Uncle.”
“Ah, Hyung-seok’s here.”
Park Ji-hoon, five years younger than Kang Doo-seok, smiled with a sun-darkened face that made his teeth gleam particularly white.
“You’re blessed with good fortune. How perfectly you arrive on the day I get my hands on such fine liquor.”
Kang Hyung-seok’s gaze shifted to the earthenware jar placed beside Park Ji-hoon.
The brown jar, slightly smaller than a basketball, didn’t have an ordinary feel to it.
This was because of the thick paper serving as a lid and the brown twine wrapped around it.
“Where did you get the liquor from?”
“You know your uncle works in construction, right? One of the workers there gave it to me. He said his father made it himself.”
“Ah, yes.”
Kang Hyung-seok answered without taking his eyes off the bottle.
It was difficult to pinpoint exactly what it was.
The energy emanating from that bottle.
“Hey, is that actually drinkable?”
“He wouldn’t have given me something inedible, brother.”
Despite Kang Doo-seok’s doubtful expression, Park Ji-hoon spoke with unwavering confidence.
“Sister! Get me a ladle!”
“Come in and open it!”
As Park Jung-im, who was setting up the liquor table inside, raised her voice, Park Ji-hoon came in with a grumble.
Slosh, slosh.
The sound of liquor sloshing inside the earthenware jar had followed them from the Entrance into the Living Room.
“But how do you even open this thing?”
The jar didn’t look particularly clean, which was likely the reason.
Park Ji-hoon sat on the Living Room floor rather than at the dining table, with Kang Doo-seok sitting across from him.
Kang Hyung-seok spoke to Park Ji-hoon, who was scratching at the brown twine with his fingernail—tick, tick.
“Uncle, I don’t think you should open that.”
“Huh? Why?”
“It doesn’t seem like ordinary liquor.”
That was when Kang Doo-seok and Park Jung-im’s expressions changed—everyone except Park Ji-hoon.
They both knew that Kang Hyung-seok had received a spirit.
Receiving a spirit alone was enough to become a Shaman.
They would never forget the words Lee Geum-kyung had spoken about young Kang Hyung-seok—not even at the moment of death.
And now this Kang Hyung-seok was warning against opening the lid.
“Honey, there’s beer inside, right?”
“Yes, there is.”
“Good, let’s drink that instead. Brother-in-law, don’t open that either—just have some beer.”
“Come on, just a moment, brother.”
Tick, tick!
As Park Ji-hoon’s fingernail scraped the twine, Kang Doo-seok and Kang Hyung-seok exchanged glances.
Then it happened.
“Got it!”
Park Ji-hoon unwound the twine.
Then, before anyone could stop him, he peeled away the paper.
“Ugh!”
At the same moment, Park Ji-hoon pinched his nose and turned his head away.
Before anyone could even ask why, Kang Doo-seok, who was closest, reacted similarly, and soon Kang Hyung-seok did the same.
A pungent alcohol smell.
And an even more pungent stench beneath it.
“Hey! I told you not to open it!”
“It’s just strong liquor. That person was the same way. The first impression is rough, but the taste is good, he said.”
“Ugh, honey! Open the window over there. I’ll get the balcony.”
Kang Hyung-seok couldn’t stay still either and opened the Bathroom window.
As the wind rushed in and carried the stench away, it became bearable enough not to grimace.
Then Kang Doo-seok and Park Ji-hoon approached the jar and peered inside.
“Why is the color like this?”
“It looks like grain liquor.”
“You don’t even know what kind of liquor it is?”
“I just received it, so I took it.”
“Let’s not drink this and just throw it away. That would be better.”
“Come on, brother… Hey, Hyung-seok. You’re the one saying strange things, and now brother’s acting like this.”
Sparks flew toward Kang Hyung-seok, and all he could do was side with Kang Doo-seok.
“I think it would be better to follow your father’s advice. Looking at the color and smell, it doesn’t seem safe to drink.”
“Hey!”
Park Ji-hoon’s voice carried a note of disappointment, and Park Jung-im joined in.
“Listen to Hyung-seok! Alcohol isn’t good for your body anyway!”
“Not you too, sister….”
“Are you going to listen or not?”
Fire flashed in Park Jung-im’s eyes.
At that, Park Ji-hoon abandoned his greed and smacked his lips with a disgruntled expression.
“Fine, fine. I won’t drink it. But at least let me find out what kind of liquor it is.”
“Just throw it away!”
“No, it’s a gift. I need to know what kind of liquor it is so I can at least pretend I drank it properly.”
He had a point.
Kang Doo-seok sent a questioning look, and Kang Hyung-seok nodded silently with his lips pressed together.
‘The bell hasn’t rung.’
The Shaman’s Bell was in the storage room.
But if the bell had rung, I would have heard it, and that hadn’t happened yet.
It meant there was no major danger.
However, that didn’t mean it was safe to drink that liquor.
The moment the liquor touched his tongue or was poured into a cup, the Shaman’s Bell might ring out as if shattering.
“Sigh, here.”
Park Jung-im pulled out an old ladle from the corner of a drawer, and Park Ji-hoon plunged it deep into the liquor barrel.
Scrape, scrape, scrape.
As the ladle’s edge scraped the bottom of the barrel, the acrid smell grew stronger.
At the same time, murky foam bubbled up, and Kang Doo-seok wrinkled his nose and pulled his head back.
“Ugh!”
“It’s definitely spoiled.”
“It was supposed to be medicinal liquor. Medicinal liquor.”
Park Ji-hoon continued stirring the barrel with a reluctant expression.
He hoped that if he found any medicinal herbs, his disappointment might ease a little.
But what the ladle stirred up and drew to the surface wasn’t medicinal herbs.
“Wait, what is that?”
Kang Doo-seok suddenly noticed something that appeared and then sank back into the liquor’s surface.
“Hold on.”
Park Ji-hoon, realizing it wasn’t something ordinary, spoke quietly and carefully stirred the ladle.
And soon he found it and lifted it out with the ladle.
Animal fur.
A clump of jet-black hair that looked almost like human hair at first glance.
Drip, drip, drip.
The sound of liquor droplets falling from the fur echoed through the living room.
What exactly did you bring back?
Kang Doo-seok’s eyes posed the question, but Park Ji-hoon couldn’t answer.
***
Rustle, rustle.
Returning home after a long time, Lee Geum-kyung removed her shaman’s robes first.
Her hair was neat, but her face bore no makeup.
Thus the exhaustion she couldn’t conceal showed through with painful clarity.
“Teacher, are you alright?”
Chung-geum, who had taken the robes, asked with concern, and Lee Geum-kyung answered in a hoarse voice.
“The work was quite demanding. I’m tired today, so don’t accept any clients unless it’s urgent.”
It was essentially telling her not to let anyone in.
But when Chung-geum didn’t respond, Lee Geum-kyung’s gaze naturally turned toward her.
“Is there someone?”
“…Yes.”
Lee Geum-kyung stopped undressing and sighed. Then, retying the knot she had loosened, she spoke.
“Contact them and tell them to come quickly. If they have difficulty moving, I’ll go to them.”
“They said a guardian would bring them.”
“Possession or affliction?”
Lee Geum-kyung’s question wasn’t simple.
It was to discern the urgent client’s symptoms and their intention in visiting the Shamanic Temple, while simultaneously gauging Chung-geum’s interpretation.
Knowing this well, Chung-geum rolled her eyes in thought before speaking.
“Gu-poison.”
Lee Geum-kyung’s hands, which had been adjusting her robes, stopped, and her lips pressed white before she opened them again.
“What are the symptoms?”
“In my assessment, it resembled Shamanic Curse.”
“Oh no.”
A sigh escaped Lee Geum-kyung’s lips.
Shamanic Curse is also called Solitude.
Venomous creatures are gathered in a large vessel, causing them to intoxicate one another.
The final survivor concentrates all that venom within itself, and it is potent enough to kill a person.
It is a type of gu-poison, and its method is particularly malicious.
“A ritual may be necessary.”
“Should I contact the Dharma Masters?”
“If it truly is Shamanic Curse, we’ll need at least five skilled practitioners. Don’t call them hastily—just prepare for now.”
“Understood.”
Perhaps Chung-geum would need to participate in the ritual as well.
Given how potent and dangerous it was, Chung-geum hurried to begin preparations.
She swept the Courtyard to dispel spiritual contamination, scattered salt and glutinous rice flour densely around the Shamanic Temple, and called nearby shamans to seek their understanding.
“This is Chung-geum. How have you been?”
“Yes, yes, what’s the matter?”
“The thing is, a guest was supposed to arrive, and I may need to perform a ritual urgently.”
(Is it because of the Shamans?)
“Yes, that’s correct.”
(Oh dear, we need to perform a ritual too….)
“I apologize, but if it’s not urgent, could you postpone it? If a ritual turns out not to be necessary, I’ll contact you right away.”
(What on earth is going on?)
“It’s a curse.”
A heavy sigh from the Shaman came through the phone.
(There’s no helping it. I’ll reschedule, so please contact me as soon as you’ve decided.)
“I apologize, and thank you again.”
(And please give my regards to the Master.)
“Yes.”
Five calls in total.
Fortunately, not a single Shaman refused.
The danger of a curse was significant, and Lee Geum-kyung’s standing and reputation were equally formidable.
Vroom!
The sound of a car entering the Courtyard drew Chung-geum’s attention.
It had arrived.
Chung-geum, now dressed in ritual robes, hurried into the Courtyard, and the middle-aged man in the driver’s seat pulled a person from the back seat and covered them with a blanket.
In that instant, a foul, metallic stench permeated the air.
“M-Master….”
“Follow me.”
Before the man could finish speaking, Chung-geum guided him to Lee Geum-kyung’s quarters.
“You wait outside.”
Lee Geum-kyung, who had already set up the altar, dismissed the guardian.
Chung-geum and Lee Geum-kyung, and the person in need.
Three people remained in the Sealed Room as the door closed.
Whoosh!
Lee Geum-kyung fanned the air before the Afflicted Man’s face as if pushing away the stench.
“How long has this been happening?”
“Ughhhh.”
The Afflicted Man, clutching the blanket tightly, hung his head and let out a groan of anguish.
Whatever he had endured, his voice carried a murky, putrid resonance.
Yet Chung-geum remained perfectly still, watching him, while Lee Geum-kyung fixed the man with a piercing gaze.
“Chung-geum.”
“Yes.”
“You read it correctly. Contact the Dharma Masters.”
The Afflicted Man had not yet uttered a single word.
And yet Lee Geum-kyung saw through everything about him.
“I won’t say you should have come sooner. But you shouldn’t have been so eager to eat what others offered you.”
“Hng… uhhh, uhhh.”
“It’s pitiful. Even if it’s not your fault, you’re the one suffering in this state.”
“Ugh, hnngh! Uhhhhgh.”
The Afflicted Man sobbed like a child beneath the blanket draped over him.
At the sight, Lee Geum-kyung clicked her tongue and turned her gaze toward Chung-geum.
“Remove that first.”
“Yes.”
Chung-geum swallowed dryly and attempted to pull the blanket from the Afflicted Man. But he gripped it firmly, refusing.
“It’s alright. I’m doing this to help you—what is there to fear?”
“Uhhh, hnngh.”
Seeing the strength drain from the man’s hands, Chung-geum pulled the blanket away.
And though she knew she shouldn’t, she held her breath for a moment.
The blanket had concealed far more than mere appearance.
Drip, drop, drip.
Like alcohol dripping from hair, thick droplets of blood fell from the man’s mouth, nose, and eyes.
“P-please, save me. Please save me.”
Seeing the man’s labored speech, Chung-geum swallowed dryly without thinking.
His mouth was twisted grotesquely, as if mimicking a cat’s.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————