“Ah, crazy, I almost shit myself at this age.”
Lee Youngshin wiped the water from his hands and let out a sigh of relief. Even if it was a little late, it could have been a big deal. A satisfied smile spread across Lee Youngshin’s face as he confidently came out of the bathroom after fighting a battle. Peace had finally come. Belatedly, the smell of food at the rest area wafted into his nose.
If the stomach was empty, it should be filled up.
“I wonder what our child likes?”
Lee Youngshin hummed the melody of Ponyo that he had grown accustomed to, and walked around the snack corner of the rest area. Since they stopped at a rest stop, he was thinking of buying something simple. Lee Youngshin, who had been thinking for a while in front of various menus, finally returned to the car with buttered potatoes and two hot bars of fish cake on a stick.
He saw the child’s figure through the car window. His head was down, he wondered if he was sleeping. Lee Youngshin tried to pull the driver’s door handle without thinking, but muttered, “Oops!” and put his palm on the car body. Then the door opened easily.
“Child, I am here. Have you been waiting?”
Lee Youngshin sat in the driver’s seat and shook the wrapping paper containing the food. An appetizing smell filled the closed car. The child, who had been lowering his head, raised his head slightly. Rummaging through the buttered potatoes, Lee Youngshin put the one that looked the best on a disposable fork and handed it to Mesani.
“Tada, if you come to the rest area, you must buy their potato… C- Child! What’s wrong?!”
As soon as Lee Youngshin saw the tear-stained face, he was so shocked that he almost dropped the potato. He hurriedly put down the potato and immediately tried to wipe away the child’s tears, but the child avoided his touch and turned his head away. Lee Youngshin asked with a depressed face,
“Child, why are you crying? Yes? What happen?”
“Sob…”
“Is it because you’re scared because you’re alone? Hm?”
“I- It’s nothing…”
Mesani answered with a trembling voice.
“What is nothing! Tell me, okay?”
“I- It’s just that I’m not feeling well, D- Don’t mind it. Sob.”
Lee Youngshin’s face suddenly became serious.
“Not feeling well? Where are you sick?”
“It’s just, m- my head hurts and I- I’m dizzy.”
“Your head? Why is your head suddenly dizzy?”
“Mountain…”
Mesani whimpered and replied in a small voice.
“I guess it’s because I moved away from the mountain…”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Mountain?”
Off Tbecurtlc jrxfv ktja tf wfjca ys atja.
“Mbg wf, lo P rajs jkjs ogbw atf wbecajlc obg j ibcu alwf, ws ragfcuat ufar kfjx…”
Zfrjcl’r kbgvr wjvf Off Tbecurtlc’r fsfr rtjgqfc ja rbwf qblca. Pa kjr j ojma atja Off Tbecurtlc jirb xcfk atgbeut tlr lcnfralujalbc. Dea, tf tjv bcis yffc jkjs ogbw atf wbecajlc obg tjio j vjs?
“What do you mean? Please tell me more.”
Mesan said weakly.
“And if the spirit of the mountain runs out, I will die…”
Die? Lee Youngshin was startled. That was something he didn’t know.
“So, I have to get the energy of the mountain in advance and stock up on it, but I- I didn’t think I was going to travel this far today, I hadn’t thought about it, s- so, I gathered the energy as usual, but, I’m so far away from the mountain…”
Mesan could barely finish his sentence. His eyes narrowed as he struggled to speak. Just when Lee Youngshin was wiggling his eyebrows with a strange expression, Mesani exclaimed ‘ah!’ and grabbed his head. Startled, Lee Youngshin let out a loud voice.
“Child, are you okay?”
Mesani’s eyelids trembled.
“Young… shin-nim… If, before I even met my lord in Se- Seoul, I’ll run out of energy…”
The thin voice sounded too weak. It was as if he was leaving a last will before his death. Lee Youngshin, who had been quietly listening to the story, was suddenly frightened. He cut off Mesan-i’s words, which could have been his will.
“That won’t happen. Do not worry.”
After saying that, Lee Youngshin calmly started the car.
“We just have to go to the nearby mountain, right?”
***
‘I’ll give you time, so think carefully.’
With those words, Yoon Taehee left the bookstore that was in shambles.
Jaegyeom, nailed to the spot, watched the sturdy back walk away. As much as he wanted to finish him off, unfortunately, there were many eyes watching. The bookstore turned upside down was a spectacle, and as time passed, more and more people peeked inside.
The sense of helplessness that seeped into his bones was so heavy that Jaegyeom was only able to take a step forward after a long time. He thought he had nothing more to lose. Jaegyeom felt miserable for the first time in a long time. He thought this was the bottom, but there was actually more below.
After leaving the bookstore, Jaegyeom walked like a deflated balloon.
He wanted to protect Jeongju’s life. He wished he could live as a ‘normal celebrity’ forever. Yoon Taehee seemed to think that Jeongju was simply a gwijae. That was fortunate. But that in and of itself was also unfortunate. It wasn’t the worst, but it was about that bad. Just enough to destroy a peaceful life.
‘When I say be careful, I mean it. That field is littered with exorcists.’
‘If they knew that the current famous celebrity was a gwijae, they would definitely try to use it somehow.’
‘Look at it like this, I have a pretty high rank. If it’s me, I can protect you.’
It was absurd to think that Yoon Taehee, not anyone else, could protect Jeongju. His words were that he would use his powers inside Naryecheong. That was definitely beyond Jaegyeom’s ability. What Jaegyeom himself could do was not to protect him, but to ‘make sure he didn’t destroy it’. That too he could do only when he became an exorcist himself.
I’m going to be an exorcist… ?
On the bus heading to his house, Jaegyeom got motion sickness for the first time.
His mind was confused. He got off the bus and trudged along with his head down. As he passed the hole-in-the-wall store where he and Mesani bought ice cream before, the pavement cut off. Jaegyeom, who was going up the bumpy mountain road, raised his head at some point.
“…”
He stopped walking, seeing a familiar gate at the end of the mountain road. At that moment, a strange sensation ran down Jaegyeom’s spine. The orange door was wide open. Mesani climbed over the fence whenever he went out to drink at the foot of the mountain. Therefore, that door should not have been left open. The only ones who could open the barrier-locked door were himself and Jeongju.
Jaegyeom’s steps quickened. By the time he got close to the gate, he was practically running. Jaegyeom, who ran into the yard, hurriedly looked around. He didn’t feel any presence in the yard. Looking around with an anxious gaze, he immediately opened the front door. There was a painful feeling of foreboding.
“Mesan-ah!”
Just when he entered the house without even taking off his shoes, he paused. Seeing the scene unfolding before his eyes, Jaegyeom took a step back. The inside of the house was a mess. It looked like there had been a thief or something. Everything was turned upside down and furniture and utensils were strewn about.
“What…”
All strength drained from his body. His blood felt like it was gushing backwards.
Someone came into this house. Someone who had never been invited. Jaegyeom, who barely managed to enter the living room with wobbly legs, knelt on the floor. When he lowered his gaze, he could see countless shoe prints left on the floor. He couldn’t tell who it belonged to, but he was sure it wasn’t Mesani’s.
‘You, it looks like you went barefoot again’, he had chided him before.
“…”
Jaegyeom was speechless and lowered his head as if in silent meditation.
***
For a very long time, Jaegyeom was still on his knees. He then finally raised his head with an expressionless face as if nothing had happened. Today was a desolate day all day. And now, this was the calmest moment of that bleak day.
Exorcist, master, enemy, betrayal, threat, Yoon Taehee, Jeongju…
He no longer had any thoughts. He didn’t need them all. He didn’t want to think about anything anymore. He just had a clear mind. All thoughts became clear. The sunset streamed in from the living room window. Jaegyeom slowly got up.
“Where…”
They were eyes that flashed with spiritual energy.
***
Yoon Taehee, who was looking down at his phone after exiting the chaotic bookstore, raised one of his eyebrows crookedly. Annoyance was evident from the hand scrolling the screen with an expressionless face.
He wondered who the hell was calling so fervently. It was very spectacular; the call list was packed with one name. Lee Youngshin. Lee Youngshin. Lee Youngshin. Lee Youngshin…
Dozens of missed calls were recorded at a rate of once every three minutes. What the hell was going on? As he stared at the screen with an indifferent face, just in time, the vibration rang again. Yoon Taehee, who had been standing there obliviously, obediently held his cellphone to his ear.
— Hey, Yoon Taehee-!
At the same time as the phone was connected, a sharp roar flew out that made his back bone ring. Yoon Taehee reflexively turned his head away and put his phone away, and he muttered in an insensitive voice.
“Youngshin, I’m losing my eardrums.”
Lee Youngshin cried out in frustration.
— Why can’t I reach you!
“I was busy.”
Yoon Taehee replied lightly.
— You, where are you now? Uh?!
“Me? Where is this…”
Compared to Lee Youngshin, who spoke hastily with an agitated voice, Yoon Taehee was calm. He looked around him slowly with an apathetic face, and replied kindly.
“The street.”
— …
Lee Youngshin, who had been quiet for a moment, suddenly began to yell with strange sounds. He said something like a rapid-fire gun, but it was hard to understand what he was saying because it sounded like gibberish.
“Youngshin, slow down. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
— Uh-huhh, uh, it’s a huge problem, The child, it’s a huge problem…
Although Lee Youngshin usually had a lax side, he was a professional when it came to work as he was a senior. A few days ago, Lee Youngshin had been planning to bring the ginseng child. However, seeing how he lost his composure and was agitated, it seemed that things had gone wrong.
— I, I need your help, Chief Yoon. Where is this….
“What do you mean there’s a problem with the child?”
Yoon Taehee asked calmly at the crying voice.
— The child doesn’t move…
Yoon Taehee’s eyes narrowed.
What does Yoon Taehee mean ‘..I can protect you.’ Protect from what?
What does exorcist do?
just protect in general cuz Naryecheong is a big institution. and he’s in a relatively high and respected position
Thank you!
Thanx u💜