An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 76
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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 75
Part 1. Do Not Dismiss Dreams (3)
Clang! Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
The Shaman’s Bell rang out.
The Victim Spirit flinched and shrank back, while Lee Ha-yoon instinctively gripped Shin Jung-ah’s hand.
Then came the moment.
“Who are you?”
Hoping the spirit could understand, Kang Hyung-seok continued shaking the Shaman’s Bell.
“Please speak. Who are you, and why are you bound to this place?”
Kang Hyung-seok was drawing closer to the divine.
Because of this, the unique aura he emanated affected both the Victim Spirit and the living.
Lee Ha-yoon’s face showed she could barely breathe as she gripped Shin Jung-ah’s hand tighter, while Shin Jung-ah gently stroked her friend’s hand to comfort her.
And the Victim Spirit,
Rustle.
Moving like a spider, it extended the severed head it held toward Kang Hyung-seok.
Clang-clang-clang-clang.
“Can you not speak?”
The Victim Spirit gave no response.
“Then give me a signal in another way.”
Whoosh!
As the Victim Spirit shook the head it held, the hair fluttered like a curtain.
Simultaneously, the jaw fell open from the blackened, rotting head—a sight difficult to bear.
Clang-clang-clang!
“It does not appear you were bound here of your own will.”
Kang Hyung-seok continued, looking up at the Victim Spirit.
“Were you murdered?”
Now Lee Ha-yoon looked as though she might weep, and the Victim Spirit shook its head again.
Kang Hyung-seok held his breath as the hair swayed directly before his eyes, then opened his mouth.
“You are bound to this place because of resentment.”
Silence.
Kang Hyung-seok’s brow furrowed.
Those who are murdered carry resentment.
Even a single slap leaves bitterness behind—how deep must the resentment be when one’s very life is stolen?
Yet this Victim Spirit harbors no such resentment.
“Who killed you?”
It was then.
Something else began to appear around the Victim Spirit clinging to the ceiling.
“What is that?”
Shin Jung-ah cried out in alarm at whatever she sensed, and Lee Ha-yoon pressed herself against her.
Thud!
Kang Hyung-seok entered the sealed room without a word and shut the door behind him.
“W-wait, Manager Kang!”
Shin Jung-ah’s voice came from beyond the door, but Kang Hyung-seok’s gaze remained fixed on the ceiling.
Something spreading across the ceiling like a stain.
I didn’t know what it was, but one thing was certain—those two must never see it.
The aura emanating from it was far from ordinary.
The stain was gradually taking on a definite form.
“…That’s it.”
Kang Hyung-seok muttered as if exhaling.
“What killed you.”
Something religious.
A simple symbolic form that suggested as much.
And the silhouette of a Dark Religious Entity in lotus position.
I couldn’t discern its true nature, but like gazing upon a religious painting, an overwhelming pressure crashed down and strangled my breath.
Sway.
My hair rustled again.
Kang Hyung-seok swallowed hard and looked up at the ceiling, retrieving a broken ritual blade.
It was an object whose efficacy had expired, but I needed even this.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
Shaking the Shaman’s Bell, he raised the ritual blade and opened his mouth.
“Heavens and earth, divine spirits, Guardian Spirit, I beseech the dissolution of all defilement. The disciple making this plea is Lee Ha-yoon, who dwells in this place. I offer this ritual today in your honor—I humbly beseech your swift descent to cleanse all defilement.”
Perhaps because Lee Ha-yoon’s name had been invoked.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
“Manager Kang! What’s wrong? What’s happening?”
Shin Jung-ah began pounding on the door, but he focused on reciting the incantation.
“Defilement of heaven, defilement of earth, defilement of origin, defilement of dwelling, defilement of great division, defilement of middle gate, defilement of opening, defilement of beasts, defilement of metal and stone, defilement of water and fire, defilement of earth and wood, defilement of people and things.”
Clang-clang-clang!
I had to deal with that first.
That Victim Spirit had been murdered, yet harbored no resentment.
Not because it loved its killer, nor for any justifiable reason.
It had been slain by an entity so transcendent it dared not even harbor resentment.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
“Year, month, day, and hour—defilement of the four seasons dissolved. First month in Renyin, second month in Huangtian, third month in Tianla, fourth month in earthly decline, fifth month in water’s depths, sixth month—defilement of the ten kings.”
With each ring of the Shaman’s Bell and each swing of the ritual blade, the air grew lighter.
The Victim Spirit and the ceiling’s stain gradually faded.
“All metal, earth defilement, malevolent spirits, lesser spirits, vengeful spirits, and temporal spirits—bow before the Guardian Spirit and withdraw a thousand li hence to distant lands.”
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
I had driven out all defilement.
The aura that the Victim Spirit and ceiling stain had emitted also vanished.
Now breathing easily, Kang Hyung-seok spoke to Shin Jung-ah beyond the door.
“It’s fine.”
“Can I, can I open the door?”
Click.
The moment Kang Hyung-seok opened the door, Shin Jung-ah, who had been standing right behind it, flinched in surprise.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Could you bring me a chair?”
The request was directed at Lee Ha-yoon.
But she was completely frozen, so Shin Jung-ah brought the chair instead.
Thud.
Kang Hyung-seok placed the chair directly beneath where the Victim Spirit had been, removed his shoes, and climbed up.
“Why, why are you doing that?”
Lee Ha-yoon asked in a trembling voice, clearly terrified, and this time he answered kindly.
“There’s a bound Victim Spirit. I’m going to free it.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
Seeing her like this, she bore a subtle resemblance to Shin Jung-ah.
And the worst of the situation had already passed.
Kang Hyung-seok shook his head with a forced smile.
“You shouldn’t see ghosts. And if you have a screwdriver, I’d appreciate it.”
“Oh, yes!”
With the screwdriver Lee Ha-yoon brought, Kang Hyung-seok tapped the ceiling plywood lightly, then wedged the tip into a gap and twisted.
The plywood lifted, and he thrust his hand into the dark opening, rummaging around vigorously.
Then a pair of scissors, dark red with rust, clattered to the floor.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
Lee Ha-yoon cried out in shock and stumbled backward, colliding with Shin Jung-ah.
She relaxed momentarily upon realizing they were ordinary scissors, but then her face went rigid as she examined their shape.
“That, that, those scissors! I saw them in my dream!”
Of course she had.
Kang Hyung-seok picked up the scissors with an understanding expression.
Lee Ha-yoon immediately stepped backward behind Shin Jung-ah, and he retrieved A4 paper from the printer, wrapping the scissors carefully.
“I’ll take care of this.”
“Really, truly?”
It wasn’t something that should be left behind.
When Kang Hyung-seok nodded, Lee Ha-yoon gripped Shin Jung-ah’s shoulder and collapsed into a sitting position.
“Ahhhhh.”
The way she let out those groans bore a strange resemblance to Shin Jung-ah, and Kang Hyung-seok smiled wryly.
Then he met Shin Jung-ah’s gaze and gathered the Shaman’s Bell and the ritual knife.
“You did well to teach me that method.”
“Really?”
Kang Hyung-seok looked at Lee Ha-yoon, still sitting on the floor, and smiled wryly.
If Shin Jung-ah hadn’t taught him that method, things might have become considerably more difficult.
‘She probably wasn’t possessed, but the influence was significant.’
Sometimes people have Malevolent Spirits clinging to them.
The lives of such people are grueling.
Nothing goes right in what they do, the world seems to hate them, and despair visits without warning.
For someone who just opened an office, nothing is more fatal than this.
“Manager Kang, really… thank you so much. I’m grateful.”
“Yes.”
Lee Ha-yoon’s eyes suddenly widened as she looked up at Kang Hyung-seok.
“It’s… it’s all over, right?”
“Yes. You won’t experience sleep paralysis anymore.”
Gulp.
Lee Ha-yoon swallowed hard, her face still shadowed by lingering anxiety, while Kang Hyung-seok reassured her with a smile.
“Now you can simply live your life. Since I’ve cleansed the spiritual contamination, if you work hard, your office will flourish.”
Lee Ha-yoon’s eyes widened—she hadn’t expected those words.
“And you don’t need to mention anything to the House Owner.”
Lee Ha-yoon stood blank for a moment before belatedly grasping Kang Hyung-seok’s meaning, her eyes and mouth opening wide.
“Ah! Th-thank you so much.”
Lee Ha-yoon is certainly an intelligent person.
Her situation and Shin Jung-ah’s—both having contracted haunted properties—are remarkably similar.
Yet the difference is stark.
It comes down to whether the House Owner disclosed the haunting or not.
“As time passes, the House Owner might ask if there are ghosts. In that case, just say you hung a talisman, play up the complaints, and you can keep renting cheaply.”
Lee Ha-yoon had been informed of the haunting.
That’s why she contracted at a low price, but if the House Owner learns the problem is solved, his mind might change.
“That’s… fine, right?”
“You probably understand the legal aspects better than I do.”
In terms of conscience, it’s similar to renovating a dilapidated house at your own expense.
There’s no reason to pay extra now that it’s become livable.
“If your conscience troubles you, when you move to a larger place later, just mention that it seems fine now. That will be enough.”
“Th-thank you.”
Rustle.
As Kang Hyung-seok lifted the scissors wrapped in paper, Lee Ha-yoon flinched noticeably.
“You won’t experience sleep paralysis because of this anymore.”
Lee Ha-yoon’s face was on the verge of tears.
Just seeing those scissors had made her feel cursed.
“I’m sorry. Really….”
Lee Ha-yoon, who had briefly doubted Kang Hyung-seok, bowed her head deeply, while Shin Jung-ah let out an odd laugh and jabbed her in the ribs with her elbow.
“Get out of here. Come on.”
Lee Ha-yoon spoke quietly, then suddenly remembered something and pulled out her wallet.
She was about to pay the service fee.
But Kang Hyung-seok shook his head.
“Money isn’t necessary.”
“No, you came because of me.”
“Then I’d appreciate a business card instead of payment.”
Lee Ha-yoon looked visibly disappointed.
However, knowing what Kang Hyung-seok wanted, she wordlessly retrieved a business card from her wallet.
“Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you ever need my assistance.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Kang Hyung-seok produced his own business card, and they exchanged them.
Kang Hyung-seok, Section Chief at Daejeong Materials.
Upon seeing the name, title, and company printed on the card, Lee Ha-yoon looked like someone who had witnessed something unbelievable.
“Wait, how does a company employee do this kind of work?”
“My Guardian Spirit desires it.”
“Ah….”
Lee Ha-yoon was someone so disinterested in shamanism that she didn’t even believe in spirits. Yet she understood that if someone had received a spirit, they were far from ordinary.
Regarding Kang Hyung-seok with newfound respect, Lee Ha-yoon carefully placed his business card into her wallet like a precious treasure.
Then came the next moment.
“Well, now that we’re done, let’s all go grab some food.”
“What?”
“You’re paying.”
Lee Ha-yoon shot Shin Jung-ah a look of mock annoyance.
“I was already planning to anyway.”
“Unni, can I order something expensive?”
“Ugh, you’re so annoying! Oh, by the way, is there anything you particularly enjoy?”
The difference in how Lee Ha-yoon treated Shin Jung-ah and Kang Hyung-seok was as stark as fire and ice.
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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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