Exorcism Specialist Company: Ghost Soul Trading - Chapter 84

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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 84

After pressing the doorbell, I pointed subtly at the sticker affixed to the entrance door.

[Presbyterian Church of Korea Jinang Church]

Beside the entrance, a prayer typical of Protestant churches was printed on an A4 sheet and posted on the wall.
She appeared to be a devout Protestant believer.
“Who is it?”
A woman’s voice came from inside.
“Hello. We’re from the Presbyterian Welfare Foundation.”
I lied smoothly once again.
Tae-woo shrugged his shoulders and glanced at me with a wry expression.

*Ding-dong—*

*Creak—*
The door swung open to reveal a middle-aged woman with long, unkempt hair that hadn’t been washed in days, her eyes vacant and unfocused, wearing a stretched-out t-shirt.
Simultaneously, an overwhelmingly pungent smell of alcohol wafted out.
“….”
She simply stared at Tae-woo and me in turn with her vacant eyes, saying nothing.
Her gaze conveyed the question: ‘What brings you here?’
“We came after hearing from Jinang Church. We understand you’ve been struggling quite a bit. May we come inside for a moment?”
I clasped my hands together and spoke respectfully.
The woman then turned and walked inside, gesturing for us to follow.
We stepped into the house behind her.
Liquor bottles lay scattered throughout, and photographs of the woman and a male student were pinned to the shoe rack and walls.
*Ugh.*
Tae-woo covered his nose slightly against the acrid stench emanating from the house.
The ceiling and walls were covered extensively with mold.
Food waste was rotting away in the sink and one corner of the entrance hall.
It truly seemed like the dwelling of someone living a derelict existence.

[Jang Moon-ho, you can do it! Let’s just get through this year!]

Inside what appeared to be the room of the student who had taken their own life, a resolution written on A4 paper was taped beside the desk.
“You must be going through so much, aren’t you?”
After confirming the student’s name, I spoke with clasped hands and utmost respect.
The woman didn’t answer and simply collapsed onto the sofa.
Her gaze remained fixed blankly on the television.
As Tae-woo and I looked at the TV screen, old footage that appeared to have been recorded on a camcorder was playing.
It showed a young woman playing with a small child.
It seemed she was watching old footage of playing with Jang Moon-ho.
Tae-woo could feel her sorrow transmitting directly to him.
“Sigh.”
I let out a sorrowful sigh and quickly scanned the living room.
The living room was also filled with photographs of this woman and Jang Moon-ho.
Notably absent were any photographs of a husband, suggesting this was a single-mother household.
“I understand this must be incredibly difficult, but would you be able to tell us what happened?”
I asked in a respectful tone.
The woman then picked up a bottle of soju in front of her, took a few sips, and continued speaking.
As I had anticipated, the name of the student who had taken his own life was Jang Man-ho, a second-year student.
Second year, Class 1 of Jinang High School.
His grades were reasonably high—not quite good enough for the top universities, but certainly competitive enough to aim for schools within Seoul.
Though he had a somewhat timid personality, he was a considerate son who always showed a bright demeanor to support his mother, who worked alone to earn their living.
However, after entering his second year of high school, he became much darker.
What later came to light was that he had been subjected to school violence by some students starting in his second year.
Though the severity gradually intensified, Jang Moon-ho endured it silently so as not to burden his mother.
He apparently harbored hope that things might improve once he reached his third year and could avoid them.
But even in his third year, he ended up in the same class as his perpetrators, and when he reported the assault to his homeroom teacher, it was never properly addressed.
Ultimately, he made an extreme choice in the apartment.
“They say he was beaten so badly in the Apartment Emergency Stairs. Sigh. As a mother, I didn’t even know my child was suffering so much.”
She sobbed with her head bowed low.
‘School violence occurred in the Apartment Emergency Stairs. This means the people currently possessed are likely those who witnessed the violence but ignored it.’
Tae-woo touched his chin and looked at the photograph.
In that instant, Jang Man-ho’s eyes in the photograph suddenly turned toward Tae-woo.
Then tears of blood streamed down his face.
“I see such a thing occurred….”
I spoke quietly.
Tae-woo turned his head toward me, then looked back at the photograph—it had returned to its normal state.
“Our foundation is aware of your situation, and we will look into ways we can assist you.”
I spoke respectfully, then gestured to Tae-woo to leave.
We headed toward the entrance, but the woman made no effort to see us out.
Creak—
As we stepped back outside, fresh air greeted us both.
“The people currently possessed. They must be witnesses to the school violence, right?”
Tae-woo asked the moment I emerged.
“That seems quite likely.”
“Should we meet with all of them too?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary. Let’s head to the ninth floor.”
I shifted my steps toward the elevator.
Then I rode it straight up to the ninth floor.
Thump, thump, thump, thump—
The moment we stepped out of the elevator, we crossed the Corridor in quick strides.
As we drew closer to Unit 902, the stench of mold grew increasingly pungent.
Even along the Corridor railing, mysterious Wandering Spirits stood with their heads bent at grotesque ninety-degree angles, their mouths twisted upward in hideous grins.
The Wandering Spirits of various forms—young and old, male and female—let out snickering sounds as if anticipating something entertaining.
When Tae-woo reached for his blood-water blade, I shook my head.
“If we draw a sword here, we’ll just get reported by residents. Police involvement becomes a headache.”
“Can’t we cooperate with the police?”
“Even if the police arrested us, the higher-ups know about Guihon Trading, so we’d be released quickly. But not all officers know about our company, right? Once a report comes in, we’d be arrested on the spot and dragged to the police station—it becomes annoying.”
“Ah, I see.”
Tae-woo nodded.

Meanwhile, standing before Unit 902, I bit down hard on my lower lip as I felt the intense spectral energy emanating from within.
Tae-woo, too, confirmed through his Ghost Radar that the blue dot was glowing intensely, and he swallowed hard.
Moreover, black mold spread like capillaries around the frame of the Entrance Door to Unit 902.
At this rate, it would consume the entire surrounding Corridor.
“It seems to grow stronger with each possession.”
I pulled out a collapsible portable incense burner from my pocket, unfolded it, and placed it before the door.
Sssssss—
As I lit the incense, the mold that had been protruding from the Entrance Door was miraculously sucked back inside.
“Kim Chief. Play the LP. Not too loud.”
“Yes, understood!”
Tae-woo retrieved the LP player and started playing Mozart.

[Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 ‘Elvira Madigan’ Second Movement]

As a beautiful melody flowed through the air, I closed my eyes to savor the music before pressing the doorbell.
Tae-woo positioned himself behind me, his hand resting lightly on his waist so he could draw the Blood Crimson Blade at any moment.
Ding dong—
“Who is it?”
A man’s voice came from inside.
“We’ve come at Father Martino’s request.”
I answered.
The door opened, revealing a haggard middle-aged man and woman.
They appeared to be the parents of the girl in Unit 902.
“Ah. At that exorcist priest’s request.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“P-please, come in.”
The couple welcomed us quite warmly.
Yet their faces bore signs of profound exhaustion.
As Tae-woo stepped inside, he checked his radar.
Behind the firmly closed door, a brilliant blue light was emanating strongly.
“Is she in there?” I asked.
Tae-woo nodded.
I nodded in acknowledgment.
“Please, save our Hye-ji. What on earth is happening to her?”
The woman pleaded desperately.
I nodded and examined the family photograph hanging on the wall.
A cute girl with a bob cut wearing a one-piece dress was visible.
“What specific phenomena have you been experiencing?” I asked.
I continued my inquiry.
“She sticks to the walls, curses at us… she rummages through the refrigerator eating raw ingredients and raw meat indiscriminately. She even tries to throw herself out the window saying she wants to die.”
It was a textbook case of possession.
I exchanged a meaningful glance with Tae-woo before continuing.
“Has your daughter ever mentioned seeing someone on the stairs last spring or summer, or witnessing someone being struck?”
“…Hmm. I think something like that did happen. But we didn’t think much of it. We only mentioned it to the security guard and didn’t pay attention to it after that.”
The woman shrank back as she answered.
It seemed my suspicion was correct—the spirit was possessing the ‘witnesses.’
“Would it be alright if some of the furnishings in this house were damaged?” I asked.
I posed the question carefully.
When the man looked at me in surprise, I provided clarification.
“Things might get quite violent.”
“Ah, yes, well. As long as our Hye-ji gets better.”
“Understood. Please step outside and wait. Do not touch the incense I’ve set out or the LP player under any circumstances.”
“Y-yes, yes, yes, yes.”
“The child’s name is Hye-ji, correct?”
“Yes. It’s Lim Hye-ji.”
“Understood.”
Jiseok offered a faint smile before gesturing toward the exit.
The parents, unable to hide their worried expressions, kept their eyes fixed on Taeu and Jiseok as they hurried toward the door.

Ding—click.

The parents left and closed the entrance door behind them.
Jiseok gave Taeu a meaningful glance, then picked up the talisman card and fan.
Taeu also drew his blood-soaked sword and took a deep breath.
“Let’s go.”
Jiseok spoke those final words before opening the door.
That was the moment.
A bitter chill swept through the surroundings.
Simultaneously, the UI on Taeu’s smart glasses flickered momentarily, and the blue dot on the Ghost Radar disappeared.
Sssssss—
Lim Hye-ji’s room, which Jiseok and Taeu entered, was in complete disarray.
All the wardrobe doors hung open, and the wallpaper on the walls and ceiling was torn as if clawed by fingernails.
The nails themselves appeared to have been torn back, with bloodstains smeared across various surfaces.
And naturally, mold bloomed throughout the room.
On the desk lay a Bible and holy water, presumably placed by Father Martino, while on the bed lay Lim Hye-ji, her arms bound to the frame.
It resembled exactly the scenes I had witnessed in countless films.
“Who… are you? Who are you?”
Lim Hye-ji asked weakly, her eyes fixed on Jiseok and Taeu.
“Who are you… Where’s Mom? Dad?”
Her large eyes soon glistened with tears.
In that moment, Taeu’s resolve wavered.
After all, the blue dot had vanished from the radar.
He found himself wondering if the spirit had already fled.
“What’s the radar showing?”
“Nothing.”
Jiseok asked, and Taeu answered.
“Don’t let your guard down. It’s hiding deeper inside her. That’s why the radar can’t detect it.”
He said.
When Taeu’s eyes widened as he looked at him, Jiseok elaborated further.
“The radar is excellent, but I’ve also trained my intuition. With intuition, I can sense the spirit hiding inside her.”
At those words, Taeu concentrated his focus.
Then he felt a peculiar chill brush down his spine from the nape of his neck.
It meant there was an extraordinarily powerful spirit nearby.
“To draw out something that’s hiding, you use songs or scents that they favor.”
Jang Moon-ho murmured softly as he lit another incense stick in the corner of the room.
“Sir. What are you doing? What’s happening? Where are Mom and Dad?”
Lim Hye-ji spoke with an anxious voice.
But Jang Moon-ho gave no answer.

Whoosh—sssssss—

White smoke drifted gently from the incense.
And then, at last, the spirits began to respond.

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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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