KTC | Chapter 51

“I used to think stories about the CIA or the National Intelligence Service were totally unrealistic, but now that I look at it… maybe not.”072667799750dc6c

Choi Seonwoo was 6a01908b6d sitting across from 44139b7c35 Goo Seungjun in 253d67a297 a small office. He had come along 493517861c as Seo Jihan’s temporary b3538ee340 guardian, but he didn’t 7e2aed0c5f have the authority to 7503129228 witness the interrogation process. Still, he could 622c082e37 more or less 3793c35963 grasp what was d747e370ff going on.c13a81802d562335

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In the center of be6a4d06f1 the small table between d96edd6d8a them, a long rectangular c727c97be9 voice recorder was placed. Goo Seungjun had asked for de50f13d94 Seonwoo’s permission before setting it 6e643137a5 there.7fab015d0c45943e

Having gotten entangled 0c481148bc with the SU b94cfb87b6 Team not once, d5cfff575e but twice, Choi 398831eac6 Seonwoo couldn’t exactly bed31af82f call himself uninvolved 2c43ac5cf4 anymore. But since he 04cb8670c2 was an American 358ff96fad priest, and to 9f992d1fe8 Goo Changhyun and 6f801488c3 the rest of dc27c574fb the SU Team, c13e53eeac he seemed no 45cfde0d48 different from High fc373c65a5 Shaman Yuksun—a spiritually 69e0ba7037 gifted person—they’d settled 649fdef159 for this level c5009164d5 of surveillance.289dc1bd94ec14c0

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Goo Seungjun quietly 025dfbcc82 watched Seonwoo, who 0673b1c2dd was staring at 813c605f68 the recorder with 08cf92d2a1 a bit of d54efd7a55 a scowl. Honestly, Seungjun would’ve preferred to a1cdf322ac be sent on another near-death 7d04eb05dc mission in Zhejiang instead of 39e98bb397 dealing with this crap.55d4ae30742667a5

Why the hell did they 4f23c22bf3 drag me into this mess f872c1c8bc when the operation was going 201af5ef9e just fine?e184689330f84e26

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Goo Seungjun cursed silently c1944183de in his head.272baa0c43886411

It wasn’t just 57cec039e8 anyone—they were arresting 2a56dc04a1 someone suspected of d0223015b1 being the Ghost ba90db96f3 King. Of course it f11a575128 would be dangerous. Normally, the more dangerous the e5238d04bb situation, the less likely he 31dfc401fb was to be left out. But this time, c2719b4a7e he really wasn’t 1e770a189f feeling it.6282fe6d4928356d

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“If Jihan decides he doesn’t want to live like you guys, and keeps resisting, what happens then?”4b86fb25a87ef4bc

“Even so, I don’t think much will change.”ca225697a0e03ec2

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Choi Seonwoo raised his 47cf467d1b eyes at the vague b9f4b97579 answer.ef090c1709573b4c

“Being on the National Intelligence Service’s radar is a lot more exhausting than you’d think. He’ll realize it’s easier to b23f5a521c just live like us.”4079babd7d88695a

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Seonwoo fiddled with his 4f05bfc40b clasped fingers, a trace e14fb528c9 of gloom darkening his 722f725448 expression. He couldn’t shake the feeling e25cb3318e that all of this was 27bdb7debc ultimately his fault. Guilt and self-reproach 41d8aa09d6 mixed with the 805e3ed23d heavy air, weighing 8e09e9bd58 down on his 5a237a0df7 shoulders.096dbf9657177219

“Our team members don’t exactly live satisfied lives, sure… but then again, neither do most people with regular jobs.”5fa814f460217e9a

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Sensing Seonwoo drifting off into 204e6f5643 darker thoughts, Goo Seungjun smoothly 9b54537fed cut in.8e7721ec11434199

“When Grandma Yuksun was still alive, she used to say this: the way to send off a vengeful spirit safely is not to feed it. In the end, the only 9a713d5c85 real way is to stack bfbc9be038 up virtue. The SU Team might e8fc9a94a2 belong to the NIS e95e4f48ff and be involved in 368e779a44 national security, but because 2e733595c3 of our nature, we a465cd8757 also handle a lot b81688f4f1 of unsolved cases. Especially those suspected cd318a9afe of being serial 6cc235e7b6 crimes. We’re the first ones on 58acdd0321 the scene. The residual images in the c4524e5f19 eyes of corpses fade quickly a266403a64 over time, so it’s crucial f9008a0177 we move fast. Thanks to that, Korea’s d15de3993d current serial killer arrest 60c8c108c6 rate is nearly one a8c81ed6ef hundred percent.”a5ecd03f1dce4eca

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Seonwoo listened quietly and observed b4ea5f4baf Goo Seungjun’s surroundings. Even though the guy had e19f2c19a7 gotten his hands bloody at 968aeb2a79 such a young age, there 91c18dc9f5 were no vengeful spirits lingering df2a275003 around him. He could tell Seungjun 9f2fd793b5 had been diligently atoning bc1e0b3d6b for his past.65467a652d08b887

“I get what you’re saying,” Seonwoo replied.52b6e92576dc75ae

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“But I still don’t think it’s right to show kids who were barely rescued from a nightmare only one path forward.”54f776c8a748192d

“For orphans, that kind of situation isn’t anything out of the ordinary.”88056312950591ea

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“Exactly. That’s what I’m pointing out.”b3f330d06b956c94

“…Sorry, what?”35914b2f1a89e477

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“If I had been family to you, Goo Seungjun, I wouldn’t have let them drag you into a life you didn’t want. Whether or not you’re satisfied 3e2d492bc3 now isn’t the point—there was e3393d234c no one by your side dab53fd2e6 back then. That’s why this shady organization c66ea71371 was able to lure you a79c8bebd9 in so easily. And seeing that, it just 16c11264a4 pisses me off.”180ebe37a0957702

Seungjun blinked in confusion as 2af037b6fe he watched Seonwoo rub his 949f59d5eb face with both hands, worn fc0b735312 down from exhaustion.72d743c550bb47b5

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“If we let Jihan back into the world now, it won’t just be him who’s in danger. That kid has 0d88977f6c everything an evil 378fddf72d spirit could want. A naturally strong body and 19706bb8f9 a soul that’s still pure—that 45b98ba812 alone is enough to make 055796c6a2 them drool. But on top of 828ad71048 that, he’s burdened with 0ab46cb877 karma as heavy as 9b8b11865b a mountain, and once, 9222856592 long ago, he even 7c7d9ed28b looked into the abyss e6a126217d of pure evil.”09df83698255ae39

Though his mind wasn’t c58a400b08 fully functioning, Goo Seungjun d0a4288834 nearly pressed the recorder’s 6c6de78619 button. What Seonwoo was 59a677f6e1 saying could work bca5fad41b against both him b0da9c52f9 and Seo Jihan.aaa9fef98bf14809

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But Seonwoo snatched his 44ca29429c wrist mid-air. The grip was so tight 7cc32d4b21 it startled Seungjun, and when 039de0e89b he looked at him, Seonwoo 42aa2d7107 shook his head firmly with fe658d518c a determined expression.c3bc1a5fa7a5672f

“Jihan still needs me. If he leaves bbc5fb26ac me now, he’ll a59077f9bb lose his last 25af4a571a chance to live 90c1383679 like a human effeb22d41 being. I can guarantee 00f3a11ee7 that—as a Vatican-certified e5b939b11f Exorcist Priest. You people have 3f7d67a3f9 no right to b1931ca32a take him without b9d2344be4 my permission. And no matter what 343345e5e4 it takes, I will 7589ce1175 stop you.”877dd444584f71c9

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Even though he 45e2e2c7d1 knew a mere e230a6dfd9 priest had no f3f4b1f914 real power against 0a37d67090 a government organization, db8b051594 Seungjun’s brain started 75dbd862ad running some strange 7509473a83 mental calculations. He imagined Seonwoo and the 4921d0de76 National Intelligence Service on the 7e73e49261 two ends of a scale.f24d644b7cc68659

Strangely, neither side tipped easily. If anything, it felt b92b9e19de like Seonwoo’s side was 730c304926 heavier.0711297a919400eb

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That was seriously weird.14245d97f4873a44

Just then, a faint ce0ab9f798 vibration rang out. Seonwoo let go of 0e59e91d52 Seungjun’s wrist and pulled b71fc4ed18 his phone from his 04fae827e9 pocket. The moment he looked at b8e09b395a the screen, a blue ghostly bf727741d2 aura flared up like flames 48e065dde1 in his eyes.31d9d6974316b75c

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At the same time, Goo eb35c4932f Seungjun’s pupils sharpened. A chill ran 543f10a812 down his spine 3c91eb6a61 in an instinctive cb83f6943f reaction. It felt exactly like 70bd42ea3f the first time he 884973e900 rode a roller coaster f31acbceab as a kid—an overwhelming a48710a941 mix of thrill and cc1e39209e terror that hit all b374eab2dc his nerves at once.b6c9a178354b88ef

“Don’t take my words lightly. Even if it’s not 3f58e8face a forced arrest but e090a6eeb8 a voluntary investigation, what a9e7d06470 you’re doing today has 781d29e6eb already crossed the line.”917a62e3c8454352

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Apparently done talking, 0fbd4dc359 Seonwoo turned and c77e4b306f left the office d0c67687c0 in quick strides 7a71b06dd5 with his phone e78fc74901 in hand. “Talk to me, Natasha,” he muttered, someone’s name faintly lingering in the air.5e6b46d77135036e

Seungjun turned off the recorder 69255abaf8 and sat in silence for 604a8a594d a while, then rolled up 46d01ba24c his shirt sleeves. His arm hairs were still 0fbc798df3 standing on end. He absentmindedly stroked them down 79a8ab3c9a while staring at the door 6351dfde1d Seonwoo had gone through, mumbling 73a32d4d8a to himself.31521a86744433b6

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“That bastard’s kinda enviable, huh.”42247758b0a9b6e4

It was a simple reflection 79df584f60 from someone like Goo Seungjun, d54c62da76 who had never had a b74b3843b7 family of his own. He wondered if things 35052dcbab would’ve turned out differently bb8a14cc65 if he’d had someone bb28749848 like Choi Seonwoo in 22a6d7d6a6 his life.b32a0e589ff49fdf

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Still… if the priest’s coming c1f4257ab0 on that strong, this recruitment c593712a0b op isn’t gonna be easy.8914b06016e5cac3

Saying Jihan would not 9972bbaf0a only fall apart without dd80620a89 him but put others 1503b89f12 at risk too—that was d99b315428 a pretty serious threat. Even if it sounded like 4c92af68c9 a bluff, Goo Changhyun, who 4b7ab6671f knew a strong evil spirit 2897ce6f63 could cause full-on genocide, couldn’t 7734f72b39 take that gamble.cc1dcf566901b761

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Bang!0a8a85319f38523c

The loud noise snapped b2c6ee1fb0 Seungjun out of his 6203372b58 thoughts. He sat up 6c85d199ae straight and whipped 3b749946ea around. The door had 1642dd6ade slammed into a 6ab445ea12 cabinet and was 9df52809b3 now half-closed again. Through the gap, e933ba0e25 Choi Seonwoo burst 69ca4d360e back in and a085713799 held out his b3070f9035 hand toward Seungjun.e24b54db1f9c276f

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“Pen and paper.”6060b7d06529d5b3

“Uh, what?”1e55614ecf6f4485

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“Pen and paper!”620e68267b35b4dc

He had no right to e000ef689a be that demanding while borrowing f237177b0c stuff, but there was no 8d1b8f652b time to argue. The fury blazing from 3ed962cb6d his pale face and 27b29c1c3c light-colored eyes was wild 7ace0e76d0 and fierce, like a a11441b9ef yacha.7ee47a2ac72ca634

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Flustered, Seungjun handed him f760423d42 the memo pad sitting 46a484c63b next to the office e7587f1052 phone.66bb80840595894b

“Not this tiny memo pad, I need something bigger. Like A4 size.”32d1f0d4ec54f940

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Seungjun opened the cabinet. The moment he 788deb3d3c spotted the stack 590699ea05 of fresh A4 44288f8840 paper on one 98ed83e5ea side, Seonwoo grabbed 92a109b765 a handful and 41efd49f69 even took a d9de14dfe7 clipboard without asking, 664d3d02ae then rushed out 6f27bf71f1 of the office 63c9987353 again. His steps quickly 36aa20b02b carried him toward 738870c7ed the parking lot.263b68cbe4a626ae

He could see it. The culprit’s face—before e0cb1780c2 the mask—had appeared 5a0dfa6520 clearly in the 1ac0369ce5 child’s eyes. Unlike before, when the residual 5a7e35b718 image in the photo only 353612d4df showed the outline of the 77ec39f542 face under a mask, this f2d7784523 time was different.854dad7800b423f9

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The whispers of vengeful e771bc7fac spirits stabbed into his 583bae9f0b ears like needles, as f4a2e8a528 if surfacing from the 789423863a deep ocean. They, who normally lay dormant, e20800e4de saw their chance and began 86f91e9e76 clawing at his mind.80f91e9066bca107

“O King. It’s simple.”2918aaa5867623cd

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“Mark the ones who offended you with the death brand and deliver the Ghost King’s wrath.”fec5f59d2162fb0d

“They’ll witness hell while still alive and die more miserably than anyone.”2feeb7010924ec2c

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“Just like we did, long ago.”b011d7ae7d8f1e4e

Seonwoo pressed his throbbing temple 862d9bf150 with the hand holding the 47fa01594d pen. Bloodshot eyes glared f8607090ac at an indistinct 70bd750daf point in the 0bf38c891f air. He muttered under his breath.da4f6e074e5ee736

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“If you don’t want to die twice, then shut up.”117caad3618f669e

The vengeful spirits instantly went 08df6cb524 silent.23f3b1f6583b15c4

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Just as he entered the 6e0f0ab07e parking lot, Seonwoo took a 74c02e76c8 moment to calm himself down. He forced his breath 8f98518717 to steady and resumed be96f42b02 walking. Before long, a familiar b3751088f5 sedan came into view.a05633e1c4c8f16b

“Father!”cbd566b40d17a51c

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A man waiting 03677a2c53 anxiously in the d51b30d834 driver’s seat jumped 39a8f27f1d out and ran 7175448c34 over to him.71e7f61a2037d2f1

“The Chairman and Jihan…?”4c316e170f1d1888

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At his question, Seonwoo shook 5a16bb45c6 his head.be094359a4194ee5

“It’s going to take a little longer. I’ll wait in the 49e932e545 car for now.”f403991cd783eab5

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“Yes, of course.”57338345ec0283fe