“Ponyo… Ponyo, Ponyo…”
Lee Youngshin sang along to the familiar melody with a confused face. The lively and cute song soon turned into a pitiful and melancholy song.
While waiting for Yoon Taehee, the time passed 6 pm. If he had been driving without stopping, he would have reached Seoul by now. Since they were in the middle of the mountain, it was getting dark much earlier.
Lee Youngshin looked up at the sky, sighing deeply. His eyes, who had lost his senses, suddenly lit up, and he stood up like a thunderbolt.
Rustle…
A faint presence was felt beyond the bushes. At last! As he ran through the thicket and went out to meet the awaited person, the sound gradually drew closer. Lee Youngshin cried out and opened his arms.
“Hey! Why did you only come now, I called so long…”
The face of Lee Youngshin, who was blurting out a welcome complaint, hardened. It was because the person who emerged from the bush was not Yoon Taehee, whom he had been waiting for forever, but a face as familiar as Yoon Taehee.
“Chief! Chief Lee!”
“Hehe, we are here!”
Four people in black suits appeared in front of Lee Youngshin. Their suits were dirty from the rough ride up the mountain. One of the people standing behind put the large luggage bag he was carrying on his back to the floor with a grunt.
“Uh? You, how did you guys get here?”
The four people in front of him were exorcists under Team 1 of the Ceremonial Instruments Department led by Lee Youngshin. Taken aback by the unexpected visit of his subordinates, he stepped back without even realizing it.
“Hehehe, were you surprised? That’s why we asked you to take us along too. Look, Chief. You insisted on going alone. I knew you would be in trouble like this.”
One of them huffed heavily and said proudly.
“We had been following you from afar because we were afraid we would get scolded if we got caught. However, no matter how much we waited at the foot of the mountain, you did not come down, so we came up to see if something had happened.”
Lee Youngshin was worried that the existence of the wild ginseng child would be discovered by the headquarters. It was nice to see the unexpected visit of team members, but at the same time, he was worried. The exorcists who saw Lee Youngshin’s firm expression opened their mouths as if they knew.
“Yes yes. Don’t worry, we’ve made something up well and left the headquarters. It was well taken care of. So we won’t get caught, trust us. Team 1 is all for one.”
The exorcists of the Team 1 of the Ceremonial Instruments Department joined in the adversity of their superiors in unison. Only then did Lee Youngshin, who was deeply moved, looked at the subordinates with tears in his eyes.
The team was known for their strong bonds with each other. The team was a team, different from other exorcists whose loyalty to Naryecheong came first.
The good thing was, the teamwork was good, if there was a bad thing, the whole team got along well and also messed up together. The evaluation of the team could be easily explained in one sentence: ‘a group of crazy people who have gone crazy for invention’.
In order to gather the materials needed for the things the department produced, one must first get permission from the upper management, but the Team 1 members just pushed ahead first. As a result, an incident in which the manager of the department, who was famous for being gentle, cursed at Team 1 saying, ‘Hey, you outlaw bastards, get out and die!’ was talked about forever.
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.
Ktf jawbrqtfgf klatlc atf afjw kjr ybecv ab vfqfcv bc ktb kjr atf mtlfo ktb ifv atf afjw, rb fnfgsbcf lc Kfjw 1 lctfglafv atf mtlfo’r jyregv fmmfcaglm afwqfgjwfca. Rbatlcu firf wjaafgfv ab atfw. Pa kjr jii jybea mgfjalcu rbwfatlcu cfk, oec, jcv mbbi, jcv atja kjr atflg vglnlcu obgmf. Mbg gfofgfcmf, atf ribujc bo Kfjw 1 atlr sfjg kjr vfmlvfv ab yf ‘Yeg ibnf obgfnfg♡’.
“Chief, at times like this, we need to stick together. Not just for anything else, but for the precious wild ginseng child. The wild ginseng child will become a treasure for our team in the future. We can do it if we all work together.”
Lee Youngshin burst into tears and ran towards his teammates. The team members hugged each other and began to wail. The five exorcists put their hands together as if they had made a promise.
“Oh, my love! Forever-!”
A booming chant echoed through the silent mountain. Surprised birds fluttered and flew away. Mesani, who had not even moved for several hours, opened one of his eyes furtively. At that, none of the five people noticed.
‘What are these people? Why is everyone wearing black, and what the hell are they doing…’, he was terrified. But he vowed to just hold on for a little longer. Jeongju would be coming. Mesani stole a look at the increased crowd with anxiety,
“What a spectacle.”
A low voice came from behind a tree on the other side. Startled, Mesani hurriedly closed his eyes. Surprisingly, the exorcists of the Ceremonial Instruments Department were also the same, so instead of crying and trembling, the five people’s eyes turned to one place at the same time.
Unlike the exorcists, who wore black suits and showed their faces clearly, the owner of the voice was wearing a dark gray suit and wearing a strange traditional mask on his face.
The man, who had been standing with his hands in his pockets and in a rather crooked posture, walked out slowly without a prior sign. Except for Lee Youngshin, the others held their breath. The traditional mask was a symbol of the Exorcism Department.
“Chief, who is that… ?”
Meanwhile, Lee Youngshin greeted him with a squeal and a shout and jumped out.
“Hey, Chief Yoon! It’s been a while since I called, why are you showing up only now!”
The faces of the other exorcists were filled with astonishment. They knew that the man was a member of the Exorcism Department seeing the mask, but they never imagined that it would be ‘Chief Yoon’. Chief Yoon was a person who was hard to meet even in the main office, and his name was very expensive.
“I was a bit lost because it was a nameless mountain.”
For someone who was lost, the suit was very immaculate.
“Ch- Chief Yoon, hello!”
The other exorcists scrambled to bow down. Lee Youngshin, who saw that, made an expression of disbelief. Look at these guys. Even though they were both chiefs, they were treated very differently.
Anyway, the exorcists were busy putting their direct superior on the back burner and stating their ranks and names that were not even asked for. Lee Youngshin pouted with a bulging face.
“Exorcist Shin Seoyoung, manager of the Team 1 of the Ceremonial Instruments Department…”
“I am also the manager, exorcist Park Suwon…”
Yoon Taehee lowered his head and said, “Yes, hello”, “Yes, hello” politely, but soon the repetitiveness seemed to get annoying so he waved just his hand and nodded his head languidly at the same time.
“I see you’re backed up by the headquarters. But why did you call me?”
Yoon Taehee, who finished the short exchange with the exorcists, spoke to Lee Youngshin in an indifferent tone. He must have misunderstood that Lee Youngshin, who had been alone until the call, was with the other exorcists.
“They didn’t officially apply to be here, they came secretly.”
“You mean they didn’t report to the situation room?”
Yoon Taehee asked curiously.
“What’s the use of reporting to the situation room.”
As the modern Naryecheong was a well-organized national institution, procedures were very important. Therefore, as a rule, it was first to report to the Naryecheong Situation Room.
However, the first person to be contacted about this incident was Lee Youngshin, the most senior member of the team. In response, Lee Youngshin praised the team member who discovered the ginseng child and asked them to keep the secret so that information would not be leaked to the outside.
“Why? If you officially report to the headquarters, your team’s incentives will be huge. Isn’t it an opportunity for the Team 1 members to be promoted?”
When Yoon Taehee spoke with a hint of laughter in his voice, Lee Youngshin shook his head with a determined face.
“We are not interested in incentives. Is money and a promotion so worth it? Right now, the biggest concern for our kids is what we can make with the ginseng child. If we talk to the headquarters, it’s obvious that he will be taken away, but who will give such a good thing away! The child is mine, no. It’s our team’s. Right, guys?”
When Lee Youngshin looked back at the exorcists, all four of them nodded strongly. Indeed, it was an attitude worthy of being called ‘outlaw bastards’. The bastards who had gone crazy with inventions and had given away all sorts of loyalty once again renewed their resolve.
“Only you and our teammates know about the child. No one knows, so I called you, Chief Yoon, please help me.”
As if Lee Youngshin was begging, he asked again. Yoon Taehee didn’t say anything of approval or rejection, he just put his hand to his nape. He got called and came, but… Lost in thought for a moment, he spoke in a voice that showed no enthusiasm.
“So, where is the child?”
Lee Youngshin answered, gesturing with his chin.
“There.”
“Where?”
“There!”
“I don’t see him…”
Other exorcists followed Yoon Taehee and looked around. As if frustrated, Lee Youngshin raised his finger and pointed it accurately.
“He’s right next to me! Here!”
Yoon Taehee moved his gaze in the direction of his finger with a puzzled expression. A few steps away stood a really young child. His face suddenly became strange.
… Why couldn’t they see?
Yoon Taehee tilted his head.
“Odd.”
He approached the young child sluggishly.
It was the same as the other exorcists who did not notice the existence of the wild ginseng child. The others who had been standing at a distance also gathered near the child as Lee Youngshin explained in detail the process of getting to this point.
“In other words, he is hardened and won’t budge.”
After hearing the explanation, Yoon Taehee briefly summarized it and stretched out his hand to lightly brush the child. As Lee Youngshin said, he was hardened. The boy was as hard as a stone, the young face with closed eyes was calm.
“Mhm. Even if I try to move it with my spiritual energy, it doesn’t work.”
“Chief, why don’t we all try, just in case?”
The exorcists clung to the child. It seemed that they were thinking of lifting him up by joining forces. Even though Lee Youngshin knew that he wouldn’t budge, no matter how much he tried, he decided to join now that the number of people increased.
Five people held on to the tiny body and squirmed, but only Yoon Taehee was an exception. After taking a few steps back, he just watched the scene with his arms crossed. Occasionally, he closed and opened his eyes, covered and removed his vision with his hands, and repeated actions of unknown intent.
“Step aside.”
Yoon Taehee, who was standing there silently, gestured for them to move away. The sweaty exorcists stepped back. Approaching the child, he knelt down on one of his knees. Then he looked around at the boy’s feet on the ground.
After staring at the child’s feet with a thoughtful expression, he then stood up. He waved his palm over his closed eyes as though he was checking whether he was awake or conscious.
“…”
Looking through his mask, Yoon Taehee’s eyes curved.
“Even a hundred people will not be able to move him.”
“What? What do you mean?”
Lee Youngshin asked with a puzzled face.
“He is connected to the mountain now.”
Yoon Taehee touched the boy’s hard cheek with his fingertips.
Lee Youngshin you are absolutely disgusting! ‘What you can make out of the ginseng child’ !?!?!! Murderer! Child killer!
Tbh I think whatever they mean by that doesnt involve his death judging by the way they seem to worship him and are aware of the fact that few are still in existence now thanks to times changing. I still hate that he took him though.
Thank you!
Tbh I think whatever they mean by that doesnt involve his death judging by the way they seem to worship him and are aware of the fact that few are still in existence now thanks to times changing. I still hate that he took him though.
Sry that was meant for above. Lol
Thanks u! ❤️