Do Seonhwa answered awkwardly. Since the atmosphere had become somewhat stiff due to the conversation with Team 1’s section leader when they entered the Guiyeok a little while ago, she was worried that Seowoo might feel uncomfortable for no reason. Since this was his first time observing a scene, she wanted to get off on the right foot…
However, at Do Seonhwa’s embarrassed explanation, Cheon Yijae smiled crookedly.
“Oh really? If you were concerned about that, hurry up and ‘prepare.'”
“What? D-don’t tell me you’re going to do that…?!”
“Yeah. Don’t waste time wandering around mountain paths.”
In an instant, Do Seonhwa’s face turned white. Even though he’d only said ‘prepare,’ she seemed to immediately sense what he was referring to. Her complexion paled as if terrified.
Do Seonhwa sent him a desperate look asking him to reconsider, but Cheon Yijae only nodded.
“Hurry up. Didn’t you say you were concerned about the Guiin?”
“Ah, really… After how I was raised in my family, to make me do something like this. To me, who was treated so preciously like gold and jade…”
“That’s unfortunate. I’ve never been treated that way, so I don’t understand your grievance.”
“…Yes, I’ll do it.”
Do Seonhwa, who had been on the verge of tears until just a moment ago, straightened her posture. Jin Gwangmin giggled quietly, then received her gaze and closed his mouth with a “Hup.” He sneakily hid behind Seowoo and avoided her piercing glare.
“Thinking about when Director Do was a young lady, it really is unimaginable…”
At Jin Gwangmin’s murmur, Seowoo grew curious. What on earth did she have to do for their reactions to be like this? He soon followed Do Seonhwa with his eyes as she headed alone toward a flat rock on the mountain.
Cheon Yijae stood crookedly with his arms crossed a couple steps away from the rock. His gaze seemed to be watching Do Seonhwa’s actions, and she looked back at him anxiously before finally sighing and stretching her left hand straight forward.
Then she pulled out a hairpin that had been stuck in her half-twisted hair, soon closed her eyes tightly, and—
Chwaaak!
She cut her palm. It wasn’t a deep stab, but it was enough for blood to flow. From the wound that spread like a crack on her white palm, red fresh blood oozed out and drip, the moment a single drop fell to the ground, something strange occurred.
Hwiiiing— A gust of wind swept between the trees.
Originally, a cool breeze blew from time to time, but this time it came with a considerably damper and more sinister force. Not only that, but the other side of the ground shook with a kugugugu, and he could feel that vibration rapidly approaching.
Something was coming.
At the same time Seowoo looked down the mountain, dark blue human shadows burst out from between the dense trees. Those with a pallor like corpses rushed forward with only their eyes reddened.
[There! That human!]
Ghosts. And not just one—five or six of them swarmed, and their gazes were fixed on Do Seonhwa standing on the rock. Harboring blatant hostility, they flew at her one after another while making bizarre sounds.
[Aah, how long we’ve searched for that blood…!]
[The peach scent is overwhelming!]
“Kyaaaah, Cheon Yijae!”
The moment Do Seonhwa screamed and crouched down, Cheon Yijae, who had been standing leisurely behind her, reached out his hand. It was a relaxed attitude completely out of harmony with the urgent situation, but the red spirit body shot from his fingertips kwadeuk! bit into the ghosts.
It was an instant. It seemed like merely a gust of wind had passed by, but the ghosts were each rolling on the ground with their limbs torn off. It didn’t even take a few seconds for Jaegui to subdue all of them.
As he stared at the astonishing scene in a daze, Jin Gwangmin explained.
“Ghosts are sensitive to Director Do’s blood. So even if just one drop spills, they come running like that.”
“Why? Does drinking that blood make them stronger?”
“It’s because of revenge. The Do family has been hunting ghosts for a very long time, so there are many who hold grudges against that bloodline and want retaliation.”
So Do Seonhwa’s family is quite special. Seowoo nodded while examining the ghosts crying out in pain. Then that meant Cheon Yijae deliberately used Do Seonhwa’s blood to summon ghosts…
“Hey. Where did you hide the people?”
Just then, Cheon Yijae grabbed one ghost by the scruff and questioned it.
‘Aha, so the purpose was interrogation.’
He didn’t know if the gentle word ‘interrogation’ could be attached to that act, but it was certainly a beneficial action since there was no need to wander around the mountain to find the hostages.
[Do you think I’ll answer that obediently…!]
“You won’t. That’s why I don’t plan to ask obediently either.”
Kwadeuk! In an instant, Jaegui tore off and devoured the ghost’s opposite arm.
‘…It’s okay to call it a beneficial action, right?’
While he was troubled, Jin Gwangmin murmured quietly beside him, “We’re lucky he’s on our side…” Seowoo agreed somewhat.
[Ugh, aaaaaah! You, you atrocious bastard! We gathered under ‘that person’s’ will. As those who serve that person who will expand our world, we won’t crumble from just this kind of pain…!]
“What’s that supposed to mean. Someone might think you’re some great martyr. In reality, you’re just trash who kidnapped ordinary people. Can this be called a great cause?”
[You couldn’t understand…!]
“Ah, you’re noisy. Next.”
Cheon Yijae tossed the ghost aside. He threw it far away, finding it annoying that it kept yapping, and Jaegui chased after the flying ghost and tore it all to pieces and swallowed it. It was a scene just like feeding prey to a hungry ghost.
At Cheon Yijae’s gaze searching for the next subject to interrogate, the ghosts struggled in terror.
[We, we have to go to Guiju-nim! To the one who will hide us…]
“Recently, there are a lot of bastards calling evil spirits who opened Guiyeok ‘Guiju.’ Anyway, those who possess Hyungok are all insane and do weird concept acts.”
Cheon Yijae shook his head as if fed up. Like someone who found the ghosts’ desperate struggles with all their might merely annoying, he trampled on the back of the ghost struggling the most and said,
“Do it in moderation and answer now, won’t you? If you answer quickly, I’ll kill you quickly.”
[Th-that’s not a good thing at all!]
“Then should I kill you slowly?”
[…!]
As if it became terrifying just to imagine, the ghost trembled padeudеuk. Just then, the red Jaegui also opened its mouth wide—gaping in front of it to show the sharp teeth densely packed from its palate to its throat.
Beyond Jaegui’s throat was dark like an abyss, and fear dwelled in the eyes of the ghost facing that darkness close to emptiness. A dread surged that it wouldn’t simply die from being bitten and torn apart, but would wander the chains of hell for eternity.
Cheon Yijae looked down at the ghost indifferently while commanding such a terrifying Jaegui. Rather, that indifferent attitude seemed to make his atmosphere even more eerie. The ghosts looked at each other and trembled.
Seowoo was starting to feel the ghosts were even pitiful, then soon recalled the fact that they had kidnapped ordinary people and put away his sympathy. Meanwhile, his gaze suddenly turned to the opposite side. It was because the ghosts struggling while caught by Cheon Yijae occasionally looked somewhere.
If they had each looked at different places, he would have missed it, but their gazes gathered in one spot. Seowoo confirmed where the ghosts were looking and soon discovered dark energy rippling at a pavilion located far to the east.
At first, he thought it was faint smoke, but when he narrowed his brow slightly, it became more vivid. It was energy similar to what he’d encountered at the movie theater in the past.
Ghost Energy.
Was that place also an exit from the Guiyeok like before? But in this current situation, if it was a space thickly surrounded by Ghost Energy, he thought it might be a place where hostages were hidden rather than an exit.
Seowoo quietly informed Jin Gwangmin.
“There seems to be a lot of Ghost Energy pooled at that pavilion over there—could that be where the hostages are being held?”
At the cautious speculation, Jin Gwangmin immediately turned his head and rolled his thumbs and index fingers into circles like glasses and brought them to his eyes. Perhaps it was an action to draw up his own spiritual power, as he soon startled.
“Huk, how on earth did you figure that out?”
“As expected of our Guiin! To even read the flow of Ghost Energy…!”
Do Seonhwa also exclaimed in admiration from over there. It was a situation similar to a spot-the-difference game where someone points out what’s strange and only then do you notice that part—that is, finding the incongruous part only after receiving a hint.
Guiju (귀주/鬼主) – “Ghost Lord/Master” – Title evil spirits use for powerful ghosts who opened Guiyeok
