An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 75

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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 74
Part 1. Do Not Dismiss Dreams (2)
Ding.
“Manager Kang, are you awake?”
The text arrived at 2 PM.
Kang Hyung-seok, jolted from sleep, rubbed his eyes and picked up his phone.
“What is it?”
The sender was Shin Jung-ah.
This wasn’t the time to be sending messages.
Tap, tap-tap, tap.
“No, I’m not asleep.”
Ding.
“Can you talk?”
Kang Hyung-seok drew in his lower lip and exhaled a heavy sigh through his nose.
The premonition that something had begun was no mere feeling.
“Sigh.”
This is my fate, my destiny, my lot in life.
With that resignation, Kang Hyung-seok immediately pressed the call button.
“Yes, Manager.”
“Haha, sorry to bother you on your day off.”
Her awkward laughter and strained tone made the atmosphere feel equally awkward.
“What’s the matter?”
Kang Hyung-seok, already bracing himself for whatever had happened, spoke calmly, and after a moment’s hesitation, Shin Jung-ah continued.
“Well, how about we grab a coffee? My treat!”
“If you have something to say, please just say it. You didn’t call for no reason, did you?”
“Oh.”
“Is it serious?”
“Well… yes. Actually, it’s not my problem—it’s my friend’s…”
‘Ah, so it’s a friend’s problem.’
He thought she had no shame.
That’s why her voice sounded so hesitant.
Kang Hyung-seok shifted the phone to his other hand, his expression understanding.
“What’s going on?”
“Actually, a friend of mine just opened an office, and apparently there’s a ghost in it. My friend spent one night there and got pinned down by sleep paralysis. There were footprints in the glutinous rice flour scattered on the floor.”
“You prepared in advance?”
He asked because her words came pouring out so rapidly, but the answer that came back was completely off-topic.
“Yes, actually I was the one who scattered the glutinous rice flour before I left.”
“Hmm.”
Shin Jung-ah seemed to have even mimicked the sigh he’d given over the phone.
“Footprints in glutinous rice flour…”
With furrowed brows, I pressed my lips firmly together.
My thoughts grew heavier.
Glutinous rice flour possessed the power to ward off malevolent forces.
If it were a Malevolent Spirit, it wouldn’t dare approach—but if Shin Jung-ah’s words were true, that meant this wasn’t some amateur Malevolent Spirit.
(I’m sorry. It’s your day off….)
“No. It’s fine.”
(Sigh, phew.)
A sudden sigh escaped, followed by a long silence.
(You know, now that I’m saying it out loud, it feels rude.)
I let out a small laugh, and Shin Jung-ah continued in a gentler tone.
(I’ll just stop by a nearby Shamanic Temple and pick up a talisman. That would be better for you anyway, wouldn’t it?)
“Please don’t do that.”
The words came out reflexively.
(Huh? Why?)
“Don’t you remember? When you moved to the Apartment Complex before.”
(Oh.)
Shin Jung-ah seemed to recall what she’d said.
When she moved to the Apartment Complex, we witnessed something we’d rather forget.
It all happened because a Shaman serving Heo-ju had written a strange talisman and stuck it on the bathroom window.
Her apartment had become a den of Malevolent Spirits, and I had no desire to experience that again.
(But you, Manager Kang….)
“I’ll take a casual look myself. If it doesn’t seem serious, I’ll introduce you to a competent Shaman.”
(Really? You can do that?)
“Yes. That much isn’t difficult.”
(Thank you, Manager Kang! And that friend I mentioned—it’s good to know them. They opened a Law Office.)
My eyes widened in surprise.
“Really?”
(Yeah! It’s not bad, right? A Shamanism expert giving advice to a legal expert, and later, if something comes up for the Shamanism expert, the legal expert can consult them.)
I tapped the back of my phone with the hand holding it.
Not bad at all.
While my work at Daejeong Materials had been about transactions between companies, this felt like a transaction between people—between me and Shin Jung-ah.
And if that person was a legal expert, it felt like a rather solid business connection.
“That sounds good. And I mean it sincerely, not just making conversation.”
(Really? Do you have any legal matters you need advice on?)
“Not particularly, but it’s never a bad thing for Shamanism practitioners to befriend people in the legal field.”
(…Is there something strange about that?)
Suspicion colored Shin Jung-ah’s voice, as if she were thinking of something truly odd.
“No, it’s not like that. It’s just that we often face unexpected reports and complaints.”
(Huh? Why would you get reported?)
“For things like conducting rituals or trespassing on private property.”
This is always the problem.
Sometimes I have to perform a ritual in the middle of the night, and if the location is in a residential district, complaints are practically guaranteed to come in.
When that happens, the ritual gets interrupted, and in the worst cases, I end up having to go to the police station, where they ask, “Why would someone of your standing do such a thing in the middle of the night?”
At times like these, having a lawyer present is invaluable.
(Good. Then I’ll make sure to help you out properly. I’m asking for just this one favor.)
Kang Hyung-seok chuckled and nodded.
“Understood. Where should I go?”
(I’ll take a taxi and move to the area nearby! Don’t bring your car. We can just move together.)
“Understood.”
Beep.
After hanging up, Kang Hyung-seok began hastily getting dressed.
***
“Here it is.”
Following Shin Jung-ah’s guidance, I arrived at the Law Office and gazed up at the building for a moment.
A commercial district with a residential area directly behind it.
Nearby were numerous other companies and hospitals, making it a location with excellent positioning.
That’s precisely why I found it puzzling.
Humans embody yang energy, while victim spirits belong to yin energy.
This place should be brimming with yang energy—so why would something sinister have appeared here?
“Do you feel anything?”
Shin Jung-ah asked carefully, and I turned my gaze away, shaking my head.
“I don’t see anything, but there does seem to be something present.”
Shin Jung-ah’s face darkened as if it were her own matter.
Seeing this, I truly felt what it meant to have a precious friend.
“Is she a close friend?”
“We were classmates in high school.”
If a bond formed back then has endured until now, then she’s certainly a precious friend.
As I nodded silently, a woman descended the stairs from the office building.
“Jung-ah!”
“Oh… yes.”
Shin Jung-ah reflexively tried to respond warmly but spoke politely instead, and Lee Ha-yoon, finding it strange, widened her eyes upon seeing me.
“Oh, ah. Hello. You came together?”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Kang Hyung-seok.”
“Please come in.”
This person doesn’t believe in ghosts.
I discerned as much from Lee Ha-yoon’s reaction alone, and together with Shin Jung-ah, I climbed the stairs and entered the office.
“Would you like some tea?”
“Three coffees.”
Lee Ha-yoon winked at Shin Jung-ah while activating the capsule coffee machine.
In the meantime, I sat on the sofa and surveyed the interior of the office from various angles.
Clink.
Coffee was placed before him, and Lee Ha-yoon sat across from Kang Hyung-seok with eyes that mingled disbelief and anticipation.
“Well, I did hear an explanation.”
“Yes.”
“That you’re a junior colleague of Jung-ah’s at work…”
Kang Hyung-seok lifted the coffee cup and nodded slightly.
It was both an affirmation and an expression of gratitude for the coffee.
Lee Ha-yoon’s furrowed brow turned toward Shin Jung-ah, and Kang Hyung-seok spoke.
“I heard you signed the contract knowing there was a ghost.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“I heard it in the taxi. And that you experienced sleep paralysis this morning.”
“That’s… right?”
Lee Ha-yoon’s tone stemmed more from doubt about herself than distrust of Kang Hyung-seok.
Was what I saw really a ghost?
Could it have just been a simple dream?
Might the footprints have been ones I or Shin Jung-ah left and simply forgot about?
Such thoughts filled her mind, leaving her confused.
“I think I’ll need to see for myself to know the details.”
“But, well, I heard you can even see ghosts. Is that true?”
“Hey!”
Shin Jung-ah raised her voice sharply, while Lee Ha-yoon wore an expression wondering if she’d said something she shouldn’t have.
“It’s fine, Manager.”
“She’s being disrespectful to you.”
Kang Hyung-seok gave a brief smile and a nod, then met Lee Ha-yoon’s gaze.
“The ghost I saw isn’t here.”
“Oh, yes.”
As Lee Ha-yoon wondered if he’d somehow heard even that, Kang Hyung-seok glanced around the office and pointed to the section hidden behind the partition.
“Is that room the one?”
Lee Ha-yoon’s face stiffened in an instant.
It was the place she’d hidden as discreetly as possible with the partition and potted plants.
Completely undetectable to any outsider.
“No, how did you…”
“May I take a brief look?”
“Oh, yes, yes.”
Lee Ha-yoon stood with a bewildered expression, and Shin Jung-ah, rising alongside her, nudged Lee Ha-yoon’s ribs with her elbow.
See for yourself.
I really brought someone you can trust.
That was the gleam in Shin Jung-ah’s eyes.
Whoosh.
Kang Hyung-seok, who had moved behind the partition, placed his palm against the door.
With intense eyes, I stared at the door while Lee Ha-yoon and Shin Jung-ah watched.
Ssssshhh.
As I moved my hand across the door as if caressing it, Lee Ha-yoon’s face hardened with confusion.
‘What is he doing? He’s not even opening the door.’
I wasn’t unaware of what she was thinking.
But this was the right approach now.
This was a Victim Spirit skilled at hiding.
I had to approach slowly without giving it any unnecessary stimulus.
After confirming the presence inside from beyond the door, I pursed my lips and whistled softly.
“Whiiiiiii.”
It was right after Lee Ha-yoon’s eyes furrowed even deeper with bewilderment.
Having pinpointed the exact location through shamanic technique, I unhesitatingly threw the door open.
Creak!
At the same moment, Lee Ha-yoon and Shin Jung-ah’s gazes followed, but they saw nothing.
At least, that was what their eyes perceived.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything?”
It was the moment Shin Jung-ah, who had experienced similar situations a few times before, was about to step into the room.
I extended my hand to stop her and spoke with a serious expression.
“Manager, please stay outside.”
“…Why?”
Shin Jung-ah, sensing something was there, asked back, and I shook my head.
“You cannot go in.”
Shin Jung-ah was constitutionally vulnerable to spirits.
She could see things others couldn’t easily perceive, and she was greatly affected by them.
Her constitution made possession far too easy.
That’s why she couldn’t enter that room.
“W-what’s in there?”
Frightened by the serious atmosphere, Lee Ha-yoon asked in a trembling voice, and my gaze turned toward the ceiling.
“Yes, there is something.”
On the ceiling, a Victim Spirit clung like a spider.
Long black hair hung down, but the head was held in its hands rather than at its neck.
The head was blackened with decay, the eye sockets and lips shriveled, and the joints of its arms and legs were twisted and broken.
The Victim Spirit appeared to be waiting for someone to enter the room.
Keeping my gaze fixed on the Victim Spirit, I pulled out the Shaman’s Bell.

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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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