The Snake, the Flower, and the Tiger - Chapter 32

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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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Episode 32

‘There are too many people.’
As crowds grew denser, their energies tangled until Hee-seo began avoiding congested spaces. The headaches, she suspected, were a consequence of that.
Jo navigated through the throng with impressive precision and approached her. Sweat beaded on Jo’s forehead from the effort of searching.
“Miss, shall we head toward the front? Your table is prepared with the vice president.”
Hee-seo hesitated at the mention of sharing a table with Je-eon. He had designs on her, and if she returned to Korea tomorrow, tonight would be his last opportunity. Would she really squander such perfect timing?
In that moment, she recalled words Je-eon had spoken.

—Don’t worry.
—I won’t hurt you. So don’t be afraid of me.

Strangely, those words had not made her laugh then, and they didn’t now. Instead, her face had gone cold and rigid—so noticeably that Jo felt compelled to watch her carefully.
“Miss? Are you sure you’re feeling all right? Would you like to visit the restroom again?”
“The restroom is so fancy I nearly couldn’t find my way back. It’s nicer than my studio apartment. I’m fine, really—just show me the way. What’s the schedule for the rest of the evening?”
Hee-seo attempted a joke to ease Jo’s burden, but Jo’s complexion remained ashen. She steadied her breathing before answering.
“Ah, yes. The Grand Opening ceremony concludes at ten o’clock, and with the gala performance afterward, we’ll likely run past midnight. If you find it exhausting, I could mention it to the vice president and have you escorted back to the hotel early….”
“That’s not necessary.”
“But Miss, I’m a bit concerned. The energy here…. I’m worried something like what happened at the hotel before might occur.”
Was Jo’s visible strain rooted in fear? Perhaps that was exactly the image Je-eon desired. Hee-seo spoke with deliberate calm to reassure her.
“Don’t worry. Have you never watched a ghost movie? Spirits can’t act recklessly where human energy is strong. They always wait for the protagonist to be alone—that’s why. You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?”
Jo hesitated briefly, then nodded. Now that she heard it, Hee-seo’s logic seemed sound. She herself had once wondered why ghosts and demons were never discovered in the heart of Gangnam.
“Besides, how long have I been married? Barely a few hours, not even a day. If I slip away during the event, people will think it strange. Your father-in-law especially will wonder.”
At the mention of Kim Jong-hyup, Jo stopped trying to dissuade her. Hee-seo wove through the crowd to the front-row table and sat. Jo positioned herself nearby.
To onlookers, she appeared stationed there to answer Hee-seo’s call at any moment, but in truth, she was simply hiding behind her.
‘It’s natural to be afraid.’
Fear of spirits was an instinctive human reflex—the same mechanism by which beasts dread fire and humans dread darkness.
Fear of death. Paradoxically, it was also an affirmation of the will to live.
“Who is that man?”
“He’s probably preparing remarks with Han Do-yun, the department head.”
Hee-seo’s gaze fixed on the stage. As Jo said, she spotted Je-eon near it.
Before long, the light dimmed. Simultaneously, the orchestral music from one side of the banquet hall faded. The host took the microphone and introduced someone.
“Ladies and gentlemen, let me now present the principal architect of this monumental project. Park Sung-jun, CEO of Daejun Construction, which oversaw the entire operation here in Dubai!”
As spotlights swept across the audience, a middle-aged man took the stage with a bow. He was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man with a genial appearance. Hee-seo turned and whispered to Jo.
“Didn’t you say an accident occurred during construction and the person in charge changed to Choi Jin-wook?”
“Ah, yes, that’s correct. But the contractor couldn’t be easily replaced, so I believe only our company’s representative was changed.”
“Is that so? What kind of accident was it?”
“Well, I’m not entirely sure of the details…. I heard there was a fatal fall. When these things happen, the company keeps things quiet, so it’s hard to say who knows the full story. Should I look into it?”
“No, don’t bother.”
However sharp and keen the curse attached to Je-eon might be, it couldn’t kill someone from this distance while occupying its current vessel.
Hee-seo opened her shoulder bag and retrieved a handkerchief, which she handed to Jo. The woman’s cold sweat seemed pitiable—a sign of how tense she was.
“Go rinse your face and take a break. The restroom really is blindingly bright—any self-respecting spirit would flee. Don’t worry and just rest for a bit.”
Jo clutched the handkerchief as if moved, nodded, and quickly disappeared—so hastily that it seemed she feared Je-eon might emerge from the darkness at any moment. Watching her rabbit-like flight, Hee-seo exhaled softly.
As she sighed, the contractor’s speech drifted to her ears. He was nearly finished.
“……And so, for such a beautiful edifice, I believe even our humble sacrifice held great meaning. I look forward to continued partnership with the GM Group. Thank you all!”
Humble sacrifice. An odd word choice for a speech. He was likely referring to the worker who’d died during construction. Hee-seo shook her head slightly.
Through all her years, she had learned one immutable truth: only the dead are truly wronged.
‘The living believe all the deceased are voiceless.’
But they were mistaken. When grievance runs deep, even the dead speak. They speak, they curse, they leave traces, they bring harm. Even if the dead’s sorrow isn’t immediately visible, their curses descend through generations.
Yet a life already lost cannot be recovered. That was why only the unjustly dead deserved pity.
‘Investigating Je-eon alone isn’t enough. I’m just wasting time. Once I return safely to Korea, I need to look into Kim Jong-hyup. I have to end this business with the Kim family soon.’
No one had noticed the possession of Je-eon. The spirit that occupied his body had itself confessed to dwelling there for a very long time. Perhaps Je-eon’s descendants were paying the price for Kim Jong-hyup’s crimes.
There was evidence supporting that hypothesis.
‘Je-eon’s older brother, was it.’
Suddenly, the stage brightened. Under brilliant light, Je-eon emerged.
A man whom light suits better than darkness. Bizarre and beautiful—flower-like.
And his older brother, who bore him no resemblance. A blurred face buried in memory surfaced before her.
‘Stuck at home because she’s sick? That’s common enough. If her bloodline is cursed with spiritual misfortune, or worse, possessed by a vengeful spirit, she could drop dead without warning—nothing strange about that. Come to think of it, that man I met, Kim Je-seon, his energy was terribly faint.’
Bloodline was a term for genealogy and heritage passed through blood—a family’s lineage. Spiritual curses took many forms, and it was entirely possible for misfortune to afflict all the brothers in a family like this. The same held true if a malevolent spirit had worked its way into the bloodline.
Hee-seo fixed her gaze on Kim Je-eon standing on the stage. There before the dais, he gleamed like a creature shaped by the gods’ own hands. But what lay hidden beneath that radiance?
If she could identify what that thing was and drive it out, only then could she find her parents. Urgency quickened her heartbeat.
Just then, Je-eon’s gaze found her. For someone bathed in light to pick out a face in the darkness should have been difficult, yet he turned to look at her at once.
While Hee-seo remained lost in thought, his speech had already ended, and yet Je-eon seemed to have more to say. He leaned toward the microphone and spoke in a hushed, final voice.
“Today is an extraordinarily special moment for me. The most precious in the world. My wife, Lee Hee-seo, has honored me with her presence.”
Hee-seo’s eyes flickered for an instant. Je-eon smiled shyly, like a man in love, and continued.
“So even if much time passes and everything else fades away, I will never forget this night, this moment. I ask everyone here to bless the time my beloved wife and I have shared together. Thank you.”

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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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