Eun Seonmyeong, who came over to the main building, frowned. Having done something unfitting, it felt like hives were breaking out all over his body. The reason he gave money to Shim Iyul wasn’t anything special. As it approached the end of December, the curse naturally started its attack, and Shim Iyul removed the White Fox’s yogi according to the conditions when they made the alliance. Then his body immediately became comfortable, and conversely, he could see Shim Iyul’s face becoming uncomfortable. That had bothered him a bit.
The moment he felt the Imugi’s curse end this morning, he recalled Shim Iyul, who had extracted the White Fox’s yogi and whose complexion had turned pale as if having indigestion. At the same time, he also remembered what he’d said before.
“Though it’s the same yogi, it’s not mine so it’s just uncomfortable.”
He didn’t know why he thought of Shim Iyul the moment the curse ended.
Thinking about it, this alliance was one-sidedly advantageous to Eun Seonmyeong. For Eun Seonmyeong, he just had to endure the discomfort of being with a yosu, and there was nothing to lose. But Shim Iyul was different. He had to accept the loss of his body becoming uncomfortable, even if briefly, while removing the White Fox’s yogi. Upon realizing that, he somehow felt like a wicked hunter exploiting a naive fox, making him needlessly uncomfortable. So he’d handed over one bill, telling him to buy several cups of the Einspänner he slurped every day.
If he gave too much, the impudent fox might get strange ideas, so just exactly 50,000 won like an adult giving a child allowance. It was when he unconsciously raised the corners of his mouth in amusement, recalling Shim Iyul’s dumbfounded expression.
“Hey, you haven’t gone crazy, have you? Did the curse take over your brain or something?”
Shim Iyul, who had followed, asked worriedly while placing the back of his hand on Eun Seonmyeong’s forehead. Eun Seonmyeong swatted away the hand of Shim Iyul, who muttered “You don’t have a fever. Should I call the shaman to perform an exorcism ritual or something?”
“Hanseong isn’t a shaman who performs exorcism rituals, and the money I gave…… let’s just say it’s New Year’s allowance.”
“New Year’s allowance…… That’s right. It’s January, so it’s the new year. Humans do exchange New Year’s greetings when the year changes, and give and receive money or gifts.”
“Generally speaking.”
Though he’d used the new year as an excuse, Eun Seonmyeong had never really exchanged gifts just because it was the new year. When his mother was alive, he’d received new clothes as Seollal gifts, but there was nothing after she passed away. His father wasn’t someone who carefully remembered holidays or birthdays, and Han Seolju’s father had a personality several times more taciturn than his son.
“But the allowance is only a measly 50,000 won? I spotted early on that you were petty, but this is too much. At my age, I should receive at least 5 million won.”
Eun Seonmyeong looked down at Shim Iyul, whose spirits were not just high but soaring, and regretted it. Maybe his judgment had been clouded briefly by the curse, as the fox said. Who cares if he becomes a hunter exploiting a fox—why had he worried about it? Hunters exist to kill yosu, so exploiting them is practically gentlemanly.
“500 what. Even 5,000 won is too good for you. Give it back.”
“You’re going to take back a measly 50,000 won? How petty.”
“As you said, I’m a petty guy, so give it back, won’t you? While I’m asking nicely.”
“They say if you give something then take it back, your thing rusts. Ah…… yours is probably already rusty. From not using it at your age.”
Shim Iyul, who never declined a chance to provoke, narrowed his eyes and glanced at Eun Seonmyeong’s lower half.
“I guess you need to experience it firsthand with your body to know that running your mouth carelessly will lead to big trouble.”
It was when Eun Seonmyeong, frowning, reached toward Shim Iyul, who had finished preparing to flee.
“Are you there?”
At the same time as a voice was heard from outside the gate, someone entered. Eun Seonmyeong’s expression, who had turned his head, became fierce. It was Kim Intaek.
“You’re here? CEO Eun.”
Kim Intaek approached Eun Seonmyeong while smiling as if good-natured. Eun Seonmyeong let out an obvious sigh and asked in an irritated tone.
“What brings you here?”
“What brings me. I came to make a request.”
“I clearly told you I refuse.”
“I heard. I even came before and got stood up.”
He was talking about the day he’d gone down to Sokcho with Shim Iyul. Kim Intaek laughed while making a pointed remark, and Eun Seonmyeong scoffed.
“You must have lost your touch since stepping down from active duty. You can’t seem to understand what refusal means.”
“CEO Eun, don’t be like that and please help me out. He’s someone I have quite deep ties with. You refused so much that I went to find other shamans, but there was no effect whatsoever.”
“Are there only one or two shamans in Korea? Look for more.”
“Why would I waste effort when I have the best exorcist like you nearby? And it doesn’t seem like something a shaman can handle.”
“I’m busy. As the Commissioner said, I’m such an excellent exorcist that work has piled up.”
“CEO Eun! No, Seonmyeong. Considering the relationship between your father and me, shouldn’t you not be like this?”
Kim Intaek finally brought up the connection with his father. This time too, Eun Seonmyeong laughed mockingly.
“You speak as if you had tremendous ties with my father. I don’t think I saw the Commissioner at the funeral?”
“I was busy then. But I sent plenty of condolence money, didn’t I?”
He had sent plenty of money through his secretary. That’s why three years ago, Eun Seonmyeong accepted Kim Intaek’s request instead of refusing it. He’d vowed not to accept any requests from humans to whom he owed any sense of obligation other than that.
“I should have repaid that debt. Three years ago.”
“You should speak properly. You should say you couldn’t repay it because you failed.”
“……”
It wasn’t wrong. When Eun Seonmyeong firmly shut his mouth, Kim Intaek’s gaze, who smiled leisurely like a victor, turned to Shim Iyul, who was standing blankly. He admired looking at Shim Iyul with his sullen expression. Even to Kim Intaek’s eyes, who had seen countless beauties, it was exceptional beauty.
“Who is this person……”
Eun Seonmyeong, who moved his body to block Kim Intaek’s view, spoke delinquently in a crooked posture.
“Let’s just talk about the main point.”
“Will you accept the request?”
“I’ll decide after hearing it.”
Eun Seonmyeong replied perfunctorily. He still had no intention of accepting. He planned to say that after hearing it, it still wouldn’t do.
“It would be better to hear that directly from the concerned family. I told them to come here. They should be arriving soon.”
Eun Seonmyeong let out an empty laugh. To even call the client—it seemed he came fully determined today.
It was when Kim Intaek took out his phone as if to make a call. The sound of a car stopping was heard, and soon an elderly man dressed in an expensive suit entered.
“This seems to be the place…… Commissioner Kim.”
“Chairman Lee, you found it well.”
Eun Seonmyeong’s face twisted frighteningly when he saw the elderly man called Chairman Lee. It was a familiar face.
***
Humans reject what is different. Eun Seonmyeong realized this fact from a young age. From the moment he left his mother’s womb and came into the world, Eun Seonmyeong, who could see ghosts, was different from ordinary humans. When young, he didn’t know how to skillfully hide his ability. Since ghosts were visible before his eyes, he looked at them and talked to them, and such behavior made those around him uncomfortable. As he grew up, he learned to hide it, but the rumor ‘the guy possessed by ghosts’ that stuck to him like a label rarely disappeared. Since they’d settled in one neighborhood for a long time, the rumors continued for a long time.
Eun Seonmyeong was still okay. He could just ignore those who rejected him, and if they picked a fight, he just had to fight back. With a personality that paid back one hit with two, he fought at the drop of a hat so there were rarely days his injuries healed, but it didn’t matter.
Han Seolju was ordinary without tools, and above all, his size was extraordinary so no one could treat him carelessly. The problem was Ban Hanseong. Seeing ghosts, and being someone ghosts felt close to, he was closer to ghosts than people. Ban Hanseong had difficulty making friends with people and was even more rejected by his peers. It was relatively okay when Han Seolju, who was the same age, or Eun Seonmyeong, who was two years older, was around, but they were both often absent following their parents.
Since they were short-lived for generations, his father wanted to teach Eun Seonmyeong everything as soon as possible. Naturally, he often skipped school, and Han Seolju, who hadn’t wanted to leave Eun Seonmyeong’s side since childhood, was also absent along with him. When the two weren’t there, Ban Hanseong was alone.
‘My friends—ghosts, Seonmyeong hyung, and Seolju are enough. Besides, it’s not them avoiding me but me avoiding them,’ Ban Hanseong, who acted tough, had problems in the fall when he was 14 years old. Eun Seonmyeong, who attended the same middle school, was in 9th grade.
There was a guy who transferred in during the awkward period of 9th grade fall. It was the day Eun Seonmyeong left early after first period to follow his father. That day was also the rare day Han Seolju, who was blessed with only health, was absent due to illness, and Eun Seonmyeong couldn’t contact Ban Hanseong in time, hurrying to leave early at his father’s urging.
Ban Hanseong, who had come to Eun Seonmyeong’s class at lunchtime saying let’s go eat, seemed to have seen the transfer student. It would have been good if he’d just ignored it, but Ban Hanseong couldn’t pretend not to see the ghost clinging to the transfer student’s back and ended up speaking to him.
“Huh? Did that hyung bully you to death?”
Students who knew what kind of person Ban Hanseong was whispered and distanced themselves from the transfer student at first, but it didn’t take long for the atmosphere to reverse. The transfer student was the child of a fairly famous entrepreneur and knew how to use money and power. Using what he had to control the school, what he did was target and bully Ban Hanseong. Since Ban Hanseong was already being rejected, it probably wasn’t too difficult to make him the entire school’s outcast.
Even after graduating middle school, the transfer student covertly bullied Ban Hanseong by moving junior students. Though Han Seolju, who frequently skipped school and whose class was separated when he became a 2nd year, had limits in protecting Ban Hanseong alone, above all, on days when Han Seolju attended school, they didn’t touch him. So Eun Seonmyeong and Han Seolju didn’t know exactly how severe the bullying was. Ban Hanseong also didn’t tell them every detail. As his absences increased and they belatedly discovered bruises on his body and interrogated him, he denied it, saying it was nothing.
Ban Hanseong, who deceived Eun Seonmyeong and Han Seolju’s eyes, endured alone with difficulty. He endured even when his parents passed away all at once in an accident in the winter of his 2nd year of middle school. He smiled toughly in front of Eun Seonmyeong and Han Seolju, pretending bullying was nothing, and made efforts to somehow meet the minimum attendance days, saying he should at least graduate middle school. If Ban Hanseong’s classmates, who received orders from the transfer student, hadn’t pushed him off the rooftop in the spring of his 3rd year of middle school, he would have received the diploma he’d yearned for.
Fortunately, he wasn’t badly hurt thanks to Chwiweol and Taeho’s help. But perhaps the shock was great—Ban Hanseong immediately dropped out after being discharged from the hospital and began staying holed up at home. At first, he said he’d rolled down the stairs alone, so they thought that was the case. They found it strange when he asked why he needed a diploma when he’d live as the Eun family’s bongshin anyway, but believed it for now. When Eun Seonmyeong belatedly learned the whole story, he went straight to find the transfer student’s school. Literally with his eyes rolled back, without considering anything, he beat him nearly to death in front of the school gate. And naturally, he was dragged to the police station.
The bastard of a father who appeared huffing, bringing a lawyer, saying he was the transfer student’s parent, was that person, and the transfer student’s name was Lee Seonghun.
