An Office Worker Is Good At Exorcism - Chapter 83
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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 82
Part 3. Why Must You Be So Cruel? (3)
Yoon Sang first saw Kang Hyung-seok at the Bus Stop.
Two people had gotten off the bus.
An Old Man and a young man carrying luggage.
That was Yoon Sang, and the moment he spotted Kang Hyung-seok, his heart nearly leapt from his chest.
Yet he couldn’t immediately acknowledge him because Kang Hyung-seok had started talking to the Old Man right away.
“Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this moment? Really. Wow! Hyung-nim, how are we meeting here again!”
Thump.
Yoon Sang approached as though bewitched by a fox, but Kang Hyung-seok retreated just as far.
“Who are you?”
“Hyung-nim, you really don’t remember me?”
“I don’t.”
Understanding even his strong wariness, Yoon Sang began his introduction with a somewhat calmer expression.
“You remember the Osan Abandoned Warehouse before, right?”
“…What?”
“Back then, you guided a spirit to the afterlife in that warehouse. I was standing in front of the warehouse at the time.”
Kang Hyung-seok searched his memory and finally recalled Yoon Sang.
But contrary to Yoon Sang’s expectations, he frowned.
“Get lost.”
“Ah, no, Hyung-nim!”
The moment Kang Hyung-seok turned away, Yoon Sang rushed forward and blocked his path.
“W-Hyung-nim, why are you telling me to leave the moment you see me? What did I do wrong?”
“Don’t talk to me. Go.”
Kang Hyung-seok pushed Yoon Sang’s shoulder with the back of his hand and moved toward the car.
To be frank, I dislike people like Yoon Sang.
I had no intention of becoming close, nor any desire to build a good relationship.
“No, Hyung-nim. Wait, just a moment!”
Yoon Sang, his complexion drained pale, clung to me persistently.
“Please listen to what I have to say. I’ve wanted to see you so badly. I wanted to apologize for what happened before.”
Woof, woof, woof!
When the distant sound of a dog barking echoed faintly, Kang Hyung-seok stopped walking.
Then he stared directly at Yoon Sang’s face.
“I hate people like you.”
Those who exploit Vengeful Spirits and ghosts, those who prey on people who’ve suffered calamity to line their own pockets.
It was my honest impression of Shamanism broadcasters.
“Why, why? What did I do wrong?”
“Because you’re the type who turns other people’s suffering into entertainment and solicits donations.”
“Ah, no! I’m not like that! Hyung-nim.”
Yoon Sang spoke louder than intended, overwhelmed by his sense of injustice, then looked around in surprise.
He scratched his head vigorously, his face taking on the pitiful expression of a dog caught in the rain.
“Brother, you don’t know me? I’ve never caused a single controversy while doing Internet Broadcasting.”
“And yet you’re lurking around the Osan Abandoned Warehouse?”
“I just quietly film and leave, that’s all. I don’t do anything to invite spiritual contamination inside. I clean up after myself and even bow respectfully when I leave. Seriously!”
Yoon Sang appealed to his innocence with his entire body.
So Kang Hyung-seok merely glared at him sharply, and after Yoon Sang glanced around once more to ensure he wasn’t causing trouble to those nearby, he opened his mouth.
“Brother, you’re someone who’s received a divine calling, aren’t you?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“You are, though. I saw you carrying the Seven-Star Lamp all the way to Chilseong High School that day.”
I understood.
Why Yoon Sang was being so persistent.
For someone in Internet Broadcasting related to Shamanism, a Shaman makes excellent material.
“Brother, look at me with your spiritual sight. If I were someone who went around doing strange things, wouldn’t something cling to me?”
Yoon Sang spread both arms wide to his sides, his face tense.
Go ahead and examine every corner.
Feeling such boldness in his words, Kang Hyung-seok stared at Yoon Sang for a moment longer before letting out a sigh.
“If you’re lying, this won’t be fun.”
Then he began examining him with his spiritual sight.
A man who showed no respect in the Haunted House.
A man who brought something with him.
Victim Spirits never leave such people alone.
I naturally expected Yoon Sang to be covered in such Victim Spirits, but there was nothing particularly noticeable.
“See? There’s nothing, right? Surely there isn’t…?”
Kang Hyung-seok rounded his lips and began to whistle.
“Whiiiiiii—”
Yoon Sang squeezed his eyes shut and trembled at his fingertips, while Kang Hyung-seok made a wide circle around that area.
“Is… is there something, brother…?”
“Why are you so afraid when I told you to look?”
“Huh?”
Kang Hyung-seok rubbed his stiff lips and spoke in a tone where his anger had subsided.
“There’s no Malevolent Spirit.”
“Phew…”
For someone told to examine himself directly, Yoon Sang collapsed with the tension draining from his face.
“Why did you come to this Village?”
Kang Hyung-seok’s voice had clearly grown quieter.
Yoon Sang only has a Guardian Spirit.
Though he hadn’t completely opened his heart, it was clear evidence that Yoon Sang was different from other broadcasters.
“I was looking for you, brother, but I wasn’t chasing you. Really.”
“Out of all the Shamans in the world, why me…?”
“I’ll be honest with you, brother.”
Yoon Sang made his desire to stay in Kang Hyung-seok’s good graces evident in his expression as he continued.
“I’d like to share a room with you, hyung.”
“Get out.”
“Oh, no, not now. Let’s get closer first, and then later—much, much later. Besides, I can provide you with information and be helpful to you, right?”
What a clingy bastard.
It was after Kang Hyung-seok cast a reluctant glance his way.
“I just came here looking for broadcast material. But then you’re right here doing all this, hyung. I guess this is fate, hyung.”
“Talking about fate. If you came because of a Shaman, then stay quiet. Don’t go poking around with your camera.”
“Huh? A Shaman?”
Kang Hyung-seok raised one eyebrow.
Yoon Sang appeared completely bewildered by what Kang Hyung-seok had said.
“I did come based on a tip, but it’s not a Shaman.”
“Then what?”
“A goblin fire.”
A goblin fire?
The unexpected word suddenly caught in my throat like a splinter.
“I’m telling the truth. I’ll show you.”
Yoon Sang quickly pulled out his phone from his pocket to prove he wasn’t lying.
Then he played a video and showed it to Kang Hyung-seok.
“See that red light at the three o’clock position on the screen?”
Kang Hyung-seok gave a look that demanded silence and focused on the phone.
It was exactly as Yoon Sang had said.
A village appeared on the right side, apparently filmed from a distance, and at an abnormally high position, a shimmering red light was visible.
“…This is a goblin fire?”
I had never seen a goblin fire before either.
I only knew such a thing existed.
And I only knew that there was an interpretation suggesting it was a natural phenomenon caused by phosphorus from corpses.
Yet the goblin fire in the video had something bizarre about it that couldn’t be explained by such a natural phenomenon.
“Look. This was initially known as the Gangneung UFO, but someone zoomed in and said it was a fireball.”
Yoon Sang spoke with confidence.
Immediately after, the goblin fire in the video shot upward into the air, then danced merrily as it flew rapidly to the left side of the screen at high speed.
Slightly below the mountain peak.
As the light disappeared as if being sucked into it, Yoon Sang took his phone back.
“What do you think, hyung? Does it look like a goblin fire to you?”
I didn’t know.
Yet Kang Hyung-seok, feeling something unsettling, silently shifted his gaze toward the Mountain.
The Mountain from the video.
The Mountain that had swallowed the goblin fire.
That Mountain loomed over me in the darkness, its ghostly silhouette bearing down like a specter.
***
“Wait a moment, hyung.”
Footsteps echoed steadily.
“Come with me! Why are you walking so fast?”
Kang Hyung-seok turned his head to look down at Yoon Sang, who was fifty meters below him.
“Just go. This isn’t a place for you to follow.”
Yoon Sang shook his head, breathing heavily.
The guy was tough.
Watching him chase after Kang Hyung-seok while lugging two massive bags filled with broadcasting equipment was proof of that.
“Hyung, are you heading up to investigate the will-o’-the-wisps?”
Kang Hyung-seok didn’t answer and resumed climbing the Mountain.
Behind him, Yoon Sang let out a strained cry and started chasing again, but he kept his gaze fixed forward.
‘There’s something here.’
A Shaman driven mad.
A Guardian Spirit mocking the Shaman.
Will-o’-the-wisps.
A premonition stabbed at his chest—these three things couldn’t possibly be completely unrelated.
Jingle, jingle, jingle.
The Shaman’s Bell in the bag slung across his back chimed faintly, as if confirming his intuition was correct.
“H-Hyung, would you like some water?”
Behind him, Yoon Sang’s voice came out barely alive.
“You must be thirsty. I brought water too.”
Ah, this guy really was something else.
Kang Hyung-seok stopped walking, wondering what kind of person would do such a thing, and looked back at Yoon Sang.
They weren’t far from their destination anyway.
“Huff, huff, huff.”
Yoon Sang unscrewed the cap of a water bottle while breathing heavily and handed it over. As Kang Hyung-seok took it, Yoon Sang pulled out a fresh bottle for himself.
“Hyung, but what about that Shaman earlier?”
“There’s a Shaman in the Village whose mind has become unstable.”
“You came up here because you suspected the will-o’-the-wisps and the Shaman might be connected, right?”
Yoon Sang’s eyes sparkled so brightly they were visible even in the darkness—he thought this would make great broadcast material.
“Yes.”
“I know about that. Divine Punishment!”
“No, that’s not it.”
Kang Hyung-seok answered coldly enough to embarrass Yoon Sang, who had spoken with such confidence.
Divine Punishment is the wrath of the divine inflicted upon a Shaman who has erred.
But what he had witnessed was one-sided tyranny from the divine.
He couldn’t dare call it punishment bestowed upon the Shaman, who was the victim.
“I’m sorry.”
Only after reading the atmosphere did Yoon Sang apologize and gauge Kang Hyung-seok’s reaction.
“Are you really going to follow me?”
“Of course, hyung!”
Kang Hyung-seok met Yoon Sang’s gaze, then exhaled a sigh toward the ground.
“From here on, be careful with everything. We’re almost at our destination. If we’re unlucky, we’ll incur divine retribution.”
At the mention of divine retribution, tension spread across Yoon Sang’s face.
He clearly understood.
How terrifying divine retribution truly was.
It was punishment inflicted by spiritual entities, and when divine retribution took root deeply, one would be ensnared by terrible illness or calamity.
Death itself would be preferable.
“Let’s go.”
Kang Hyung-seok moved forward again, and Yoon Sang hurriedly gathered his belongings.
The chirping of grass insects pierced the ears, and with only the sound of their footsteps audible, the two climbed the Mountain in silence.
The time was 2:30 AM.
Clouds scattered finely by the wind obscured the moon, and the mountain breeze billowed at their collars.
The feeling was ominous.
Kang Hyung-seok felt his body and face growing rigid with tension.
Could it really be a goblin’s flame?
Did goblins actually exist?
Was I walking toward a goblin’s cave?
Crunch.
Kang Hyung-seok stopped in his tracks.
Yoon Sang, who had been following behind, halted two paces away, exhaling breath that had turned white with cold.
“Huff…”
Kang Hyung-seok’s breath too had frozen.
This hadn’t happened until just moments ago.
Staring at the Cave ahead, he moistened his parched lips.
‘This is it.’
Where the goblin’s flame had vanished.
Where the spirit that tormented the Shaman existed.
Flap flap flap!
A sudden sound from behind captured the attention of both Yoon Sang and Kang Hyung-seok.
“A R-Raven, hyung.”
Kang Hyung-seok frowned as he observed the Raven perched on a branch, looking down at him.
The Raven symbolized yin energy.
It was no benevolent creature.
Yoon Sang, lacking spiritual sensitivity, looked at Kang Hyung-seok with a pallid face, while Kang Hyung-seok stared at the Raven, his breath freezing white.
Then he covered his eyes with his palms.
‘I cannot look. I must not be enchanted.’
Enchantment begins through the eyes.
With his vision blocked by his hands, Kang Hyung-seok focused solely on his other senses, waiting for the Raven to disappear.
Flap flap!
The Raven disappeared between the trees, and I lowered the hand that had shielded my eyes.
It had only been a moment.
Yet even in that brief span, exhaustion was etched clearly around my eyes as if my very vitality had been drained away.
“Hyung-seok….”
Yoon Sang spoke to me with evident concern, but I simply shook my head in response.
Then I turned my body toward the Cave.
Now I had to enter that Cave.
To aid the Shaman who had lost his mind.
To entrust the Running Iron to the Blacksmith.
Watching the desolate energy seep out from the Cave like a rising tide, I clenched and unclenched my damp fists.
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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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