From the movie theater onward, Sim Seowoo had been extraordinary—his ability to grasp Ghost Energy was uncommon.
Moreover, even though this was his first time entering a proper scene, he wasn’t nervous at all and instead analyzed the ghosts’ behavior to find clues. Just looking at his calm face, he seemed like a veteran who’d been to scenes at least dozens of times.
Do Seonhwa and Jin Gwangmin were impressed, but Cheon Yijae furrowed his brow.
“I told you to control your eyes, but you’re not listening to me again.”
Spiritual sight was an eye that became sharper the more it was used. He’d gone to the trouble of teaching him how not to see ghosts, but instead Seowoo followed the ghosts’ gazes—that is, he looked at the ghosts in such detail—and Yijae seemed annoyed by his actions, when just then the ghosts burst out in fury.
[How dare that human…!]
“How dare what.”
In an instant, Cheon Yijae’s voice lowered. He ground out the words in a voice honed much sharper than when interrogating the ghosts, then immediately reached out his hand and extinguished all the ghosts. The act of swallowing them with Jaegui was as violent as if tearing them to shreds.
After that, Cheon Yijae swept back the hair that had fallen forward and warned irritably.
“If you came to observe, stay put and keep your mouth shut. Don’t unnecessarily step forward.”
He spat out sharply and strode toward the east. Do Seonhwa sighed while watching his back rapidly moving away. She couldn’t understand Sojunim’s reaction at all.
“Even though the Guiin helped, why is he like that? What’s he so dissatisfied about?”
“There’s nothing in the world that pleases Sojunim, but he does seem to have gotten noticeably more irritable lately.”
Jin Gwangmin also agreed in a daze. Until they entered the mountain, he hadn’t said much, but now he’d started getting irritated again. Every time Seowoo did anything, he looked at him with eyes that showed disapproval and found fault with everything.
Do Seonhwa looked at Seowoo’s complexion worriedly and said.
“I’m sorry, Guiin. You must be uncomfortable with Sojunim constantly reacting so harshly. Even though his personality was originally foul—no, sharp—he never picked fights over every little thing like this…”
If even Do Seonhwa, who had become somewhat accustomed to Cheon Yijae after watching him for a long time, was flustered, how displeased must Seowoo be? His very existence harboring an evil spirit already made others feel intimidated, but with him openly sharpening his blade like this, even just watching from the sidelines made her flinch.
“Other Purifiers disliked him too, but they didn’t sharpen their blades to this extent…”
Perhaps since the higher-ups had completely assigned Seowoo as Sojunim’s exclusive Purifier, was he deliberately tormenting him more to drive him away? Do Seonhwa seriously pondered this, but Seowoo just calmly nodded.
“I should’ve brought more chocolate.”
“…What? What chocolate?”
At the unexpected answer, Do Seonhwa’s eyes widened, and Seowoo added an explanation.
“Ah, he got a bit quieter when he ate chocolate. So I was thinking I should give it to him when he acts sensitive from now on—”
“Whaaaat?! S-Sojunim ate something?!”
But before the words could even be completed, Jin Gwangmin startled. His eyes grew so large they seemed about to pop out, so Seowoo looked back at him in a daze. For some reason, Do Seonhwa was also frozen with her mouth agape.
“…Why? I gave it to him, but does he dislike sweets?”
For some reason he didn’t know, the information that you shouldn’t give chocolate to dogs suddenly floated into Seowoo’s mind. Of course, Cheon Yijae wasn’t a dog, but since people around him kept calling him a dog… The precaution came to mind out of nowhere and he became worried.
Was the successor of Heun not allowed to eat just any food? Chocolate allergy? Just as his stream of consciousness was branching out in all directions, Jin Gwangmin sighed and said,
“No, it’s just… he doesn’t eat food well. He truly abhors the act of eating.”
“To think that guy who hates even drinking anything ate chocolate…”
Do Seonhwa also murmured in astonishment, so Seowoo blinked slowly. He appropriately swallowed down the words, “I also fed him chamomile tea.” If he revealed that too, it seemed like they would scream again.
“Why does he hate the act of eating?”
“Because Sojunim’s ability is Aguidō. While it’s Jaegui that swallows ghosts, it affects the main body a bit too, so he naturally comes to avoid consumption as well. So he really eats almost nothing unless it’s the bare minimum for survival…”
Jin Gwangmin explained while continuously making “Huhhh—” sounds. Seowoo quietly sighed at the story that if he could consume all nutrients with a single capsule, he would be someone who’d finish his meals with that.
Come to think of it, last time at the movie theater, after Jaegui swallowed the Hyeong Akgui whole, Cheon Yijae had separately vomited out only the Hyungok. Did what Jaegui ate also go into his stomach? He understood why he abhorred the act of eating.
No wonder he grimaced when drinking tea as if drinking poison…
While surprised to realize the reason, he was also genuinely puzzled. If so, he didn’t have to eat it, so why? He had forcibly shoved the chocolate into his mouth, but he could have spit it out at any time. Looking at his personality, he didn’t seem the type to read others’ moods at all.
His feelings were a bit strange.
He felt confused about how to view Cheon Yijae’s behavior—getting irritated for all sorts of reasons, yet in that aspect being quiet, even acting quite docile. Should he say it felt like a young child showing that they weren’t a picky eater?
On the other hand, Cheon Yijae’s body suddenly came to mind. Even though he barely ate food, it was fascinating that he was tall with broad shoulders. Was it his natural build? Still, his waist was certainly very slender and he was overall lean and stretched out…
“Mm.”
Seowoo shook his head. Perhaps because he’d encountered bewildering information, his thoughts were flowing in a peculiar direction. Though it was a habit from the past, he felt a bit embarrassed as he reflected that the act of suddenly examining Cheon Yijae’s body was inappropriate.
He turned his gaze to the side and said,
“I’ll have to be careful from now on. Anyway, let’s hurry to the pavilion too. I need to see if my landlord grandfather and granddaughter are also there.”
Cheon Yijae had already moved far away, so Seowoo hurriedly followed after him. At the sudden change in attitude, Jin Gwangmin and Do Seonhwa seemed puzzled but soon nodded.
Do Seonhwa also informed Team 1 of the situation through the mother-of-pearl brooch pinned to her collar.
“It’s confirmed that Ghost Energy is densely gathered at the eastern pavilion, so let’s meet up there.”
That brooch looked like an ordinary accessory, but it was a communication device made by Heun to enable communication even in Guiyeok, she’d said. Since digital devices’ signals were a mess in Guiyeok, they needed a separate device infused with spiritual power, and she’d heard this was essential equipment for members dispatched to scenes.
Soon they reunited with Team 1 in front of the pavilion.
They were in disheveled clothing, perhaps having received contact while running around the mountain searching diligently. The Team 1 section leader at the front looked at Cheon Yijae with suspicious eyes.
“How on earth did you find it this quickly? Surely you didn’t catch ghosts and threaten them? I clearly said to be careful because it becomes dangerous if you stir up the Guiyeok…!”
“Isn’t the Guiyeok itself already a dangerous space? You said rescuing the hostages was the top priority.”
Cheon Yijae answered indifferently. It was a rebuttal that since the moment they entered the Guiyeok they were far from safe anyway, and ordinary people became more endangered the longer they stayed in a space filled with Ghost Energy, so wasn’t it better to find and protect them as quickly as possible by any means?
Im Gyuyong’s face reddened, but Do Seonhwa clapped her hands and broke the atmosphere.
“Now now, we don’t have time to waste like this. Let’s check that pavilion first before the Hyeong Akgui moves!”
The pavilion’s surroundings were thickly wrapped in pitch-black energy, making it difficult to see inside. Since it was clearly a space deliberately hidden, there was a high probability that the missing people were trapped there.
When Do Seonhwa stepped forward and spoke, Im Gyuyong’s face was somewhat dissatisfied, but he eventually stepped back a couple of steps. After that, the Team 1 Purifiers approached the pavilion and carefully examined the Ghost Energy, and Seowoo observed their actions.
He’d heard that Purifiers also purified curses laid over spaces, and it seemed this was exactly that kind of scene. A situation where they were finding a way to enter by purifying the space.
If they’d infiltrated using Cheon Yijae’s Ghost Energy when entering the Guiyeok a little while ago, this time they seemed to be approaching differently since they had to rescue people trapped inside. If they forcibly stirred it up, not only the intruders but also the people trapped inside could get hurt.
The Purifiers gathered and picked up brushes. Perhaps they used large brushes when purifying spaces—all of them gripped brush handles as thick as forearms with both hands and wrote the Chinese characters for purification (淨化) largely as if sweeping and wiping the air.
Then seureureu— white light flowed out along the golden bristles and began to scatter the Ghost Energy.
The Purifiers who noticed that the black fog was thinning, even if just very slightly, repeatedly moved their brushes. And when beads of sweat formed on their foreheads, the interior of the pavilion began to become visible.
Confirming the people lying in the round wooden pavilion, Do Seonhwa shouted cheerfully.
“The missing people are really here!”
