KTC | Chapter 50

“I’ve always thought that creative works involving the CIA or the National Intelligence Service were quite unrealistic, but now I see that’s not necessarily the case.”

Choi Seonwoo sat opposite Goo Seungjun in a small office. Although he had come as Seo Jihan’s temporary guardian, he wasn’t permitted to view the interrogation process. Nevertheless, he had a rough idea of how things were progressing.

A long, rectangular tape recorder lay in the center of the small table between them. Goo Seungjun had placed it there after getting Choi Seonwoo’s consent.

Having become entangled with the SU Team twice, Choi Seonwoo couldn’t be entirely free either. However, given his status as an American priest and the perception among other SU Team members and Go Changhyun that he was a spiritualist akin to High Shaman Yuksun, surveillance on him was limited.

Goo Seungjun and Choi Seonwoo just looked at each other, the former thinking he’d rather be on another life-threatening mission than dealing with this bureaucratic mess.

I was managing an operation smoothly, why drag me into this mess?

Goo Seungjun cursed internally.

It must have been considered a potentially dangerous operation to transport someone suspected of being the Ghost King, and he was never absent from such perilous fields, but this time he really didn’t appreciate being involved.

“What happens if Jihan decides he doesn’t want to live like you all and resists till the end?”

“Nothing would change, I suppose.”

Choi Seonwoo looked up at him, puzzled by the ambiguous statement.

“Being marked by the National Intelligence Service is more tiring than you think. Jihan will eventually realize that living like us is comparatively easier.”

Choi Seonwoo fiddled aimlessly with his interlocked fingers, casting a somewhat gloomy expression. He couldn’t shake off the thought that somehow this situation was his fault. Guilt and self-reproach weighed heavily on him like a dense fog.

“Not all our team members lead satisfying lives, but that’s true for employees everywhere,” Goo Seungjun interjected, noticing Choi Seonwoo’s discomfort.

“High Shaman Yuksun used to say the only way to peacefully handle malevolent spirits is by not feeding them. Essentially, accumulating virtue is the only solution. While the SU Team does get involved in national security missions due to being part of the NIS, owing to the team’s nature, we often resolve cold cases. Especially in cases of suspected serial crimes, our team is usually the first to be deployed. The last impressions in a victim’s eyes fade with time, so capturing them quickly is crucial. Thanks to that, South Korea’s serial killer capture rate is nearly perfect.”

Choi Seonwoo surveyed his surroundings silently as he listened. Despite having tainted his hands with vile deeds at a young age, Goo Seungjun carried no visible spirits of malice. He clearly had been diligently resolving his karma.

“I understand what you’re saying.”

Choi Seonwoo spoke.

“However, I still don’t think it was right to show only one path to those kids barely rescued from such horrors.”

“That’s not unusual for orphans.”

“Yes, that’s what I’m pointing out.”

“…Yes?”

“If I were a family member of yours, Goo Seungjun, I wouldn’t have let you be dragged into a life you didn’t want. Regardless of whether you’re satisfied with your life now, it was because you had no one beside you in the past that this sinister group could easily manipulate you. I’m just angry because I can see that so clearly.”

Choi Seonwoo rubbed his face with both hands, the fatigue apparent. Goo Seungjun blinked dumbly, watching him.

“If we release Jihan into the world now, not only he but others would be at risk. He possesses all the qualities that malevolent spirits covet: a strong body, a soul still retaining some innocence, sufficient to whet any demon’s appetite, and yet he carries a mountain of karma and has glimpsed into the abyss of pure evil.”

Even though Goo Seungjun was not thinking clearly, he almost pressed the recorder button, anticipating words that could be detrimental to both Choi Seonwoo and Seo Jihan.

However, Choi Seonwoo caught his wrist in mid-air. The strength of his grip startled Goo Seungjun, who saw a resolute expression on Choi Seonwoo’s face.

“Jihan still needs me. If he leaves now, he will forever lose the chance to live as a human. I can assure you of this as an exorcist priest recognized by the Vatican. You cannot take him without my consent. I will do whatever it takes to stop you.”

A simple priest usually wouldn’t stand much chance against a scheming national agency, but in Goo Seungjun’s mind, a strange calculation began. Imagining a balance scale with him and the NIS on one side and Choi Seonwoo on the other, oddly, neither side seemed to collapse. In fact, Choi Seonwoo’s side seemed heavier.

It was truly strange.

Then a faint vibration occurred somewhere. Choi Seonwoo released Goo Seungjun’s wrist and pulled out his phone from his pocket. As he checked the screen, a vivid blue aura flared up in his eyes.

Simultaneously, a sparkle lit up Goo Seungjun’s eyes as well. An instinctual shiver ran down his spine, like the first time he had ridden a roller coaster, thrilling and terrifying, stimulating his nerves intensely.

“Don’t take my words lightly. Even if it’s just an advisory interrogation, your actions today have continuously crossed the line.”

That seemed to be all Choi Seonwoo had to say as he quickly left the office with his phone, saying, “Talk to me, Natasha.” The name echoed vaguely in the air.

Goo Seungjun turned off the recorder and sat contemplatively for a moment before rolling up his shirt sleeves. His hairs were still standing on end. He brushed his skin with his hand and stared at the door through which Choi Seonwoo had exited, muttering almost inadvertently.

“That guy, I’m kind of envious.”

It was a simple sentiment from Goo Seungjun, who had never had a family. He wondered if having someone like Choi Seonwoo in his life would have made a difference.

Considering how strongly the priest had reacted, this recruitment operation wouldn’t be easy.

“The things you say put others at risk if I leave. That’s quite threatening.” Even if he doubted it was a bluff, Go Changhyun, knowing that a single powerful demon could cause a genocide, couldn’t afford to take a ‘what if’ gamble.

The loud bang snapped Goo Seungjun out of his reverie as he stiffly straightened up and swiftly turned around. The noise had come from a door slamming into a cabinet and then swinging halfway closed. Choi Seonwoo reentered quickly and held out his hand to Goo Seungjun.

“Pen and paper.”

“Uh, yes?”

“Pen and paper!”

Although it was demanding for a request, there was no time to argue. The pale face and light-eyed fury flaring like flames were tumultuously aggressive.

Goo Seungjun hurried, uncharacteristically fumbling, and brought a whole set of memo pads from beside the office phone.

“I need larger paper, like A4 size.”

Goo Seungjun opened a cabinet. As soon as he found a stack of fresh A4 papers, Choi Seonwoo, without permission, grabbed a bunch of papers and a stamp pad, then left the office again, heading towards the parking lot.

He had seen it. The culprit’s face before wearing the mask was clearly visible in the eyes of a child in a recent photo, despite the previous ones only offering shadows due to the mask.

The cunning whispers of malevolent spirits punctured his ears like ice picks. Normally dormant, they chose this moment to agitate his depths.

“O King. It’s simple.”

“Mark those who defy your peace with death and let the Ghost King’s flesh descend.”

“They will see hell alive and suffer more excruciatingly than anyone else.”

“Just like us, long ago.”

Choi Seonwoo pressed his temples with the hand holding the pen. Bloodshot eyes fixed on an indistinct point in the air. He murmured quietly.

“If you don’t want to die a second time, let’s all be quiet.”

The spirits suddenly stopped their noise and receded.

As he walked into the parking lot, Choi Seonwoo calmed his excessive excitement with deep breaths before resuming his pace. Soon, a familiar sedan came into view.

“Father!”

A man, anxiously watching the time from the driver’s seat, hurried out to greet him.

“Chairman Seo and Jihan…?”

Choi Seonwoo shook his head in response to the man’s inquiry.

“It’s going to take a bit longer. I’ll stay in the car for a while.”

“Very well.”