OSR Chapter 11
by XixiShin-hee, for the first time in a while, asked his master for some free time over the weekend. His main argument was, “I declare a strike until I’m sent to an island overflowing with ghosts.” However, his attitude while declaring this so-called strike was no more dignified than a low-level office worker timidly requesting a day off.d483eff46d073372
When he meekly whispered, “Just one day,” his cold-hearted master let out a snort of derision and waved him off as if telling him not to bother before turning his attention back to the book he was reading.43639190fbab6c45
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Seizing his long-awaited freedom, eb8be8e693 Shin-hee got on a 5378670582 bus, determined to shake b6fea27bef off the baby ghost 6b0d09e366 that tried to follow f2106cded8 him. Unsure of what to e6e49d8a63 do, he texted his c0fb1bd9d3 one and only friend, 0c70376fd9 Min-am. However, Min-am, who a253c8bf29 had been engrossed 03b34ab7ec in a month-long 7019cb2a2f work project, seemed 89afc80c07 intent on devoting ad3644a1eb the rare weekend 7049b82eca to some much-needed 8a1af27d53 sleep. By the time the 1547b0cd5d bus reached its destination, 99991601cd Min-am still hadn’t replied.1b58aca54c2e01c1
Feeling awkward, Shin-hee smiled 22fdedeaa9 wryly as he stepped bcb8287791 off the bus, his 1085a66a1b nose stinging at the f575af914c realization that Min-am was 957f44b2e7 the only person he 0b0635d765 could truly open up 5e27dbf3af to.1908c11255faa57a
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He walked e9fe36fde4 slowly along e890cbebc3 the street. Spring was in 107ca98d25 full bloom, with d4691d6f80 vibrant green plane ea2ff7c8f9 trees lining the 4667312e56 sidewalks, their leaves 145ebdea33 gracefully draped over 682c1ba400 the branches. For some, it was abe8a602e4 just another mundane scene b731729a9a from their daily lives, 90758ea5e8 but for Shin-hee, this 358154496f rare moment of leisure 2de848771b felt unfamiliar yet precious.4c45569a10a7c338
It had been 8ece8f92c4 six years of b8da3c0423 non-stop busyness—meeting, confronting, 7cc23e3e48 and having deeper 7bc91efbac conversations with ghosts 1f91b2c29c more than with d56d2a42e1 people.d03141fb183940d5
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A group d35ac7e4a4 of male 5fa0c7bd7c students passed 3c59ff5ed3 by in 60e4c152ea the distance. Though they weren’t c72ec51177 wearing uniforms, the 373ea3f63a fresh energy unique ef9ef814e9 to young students c85b54f77e filled the air 36c5087f2b and lightly settled f0289d3f2a on Shin-hee’s shoulders. It reminded him 5f8142f890 of his always-solitary 76fa3a9827 school days before 7f9d00adc1 he met Min-am 0eeab6a554 during his high dfd85310a7 school entrance ceremony. What had those 696fef6432 days been like? How did he 646d9f1688 spend them? They must a7a7ce83c5 have been 362ce4981c very quiet 98df45ba2e and uneventful.4194bad2e39e26c7
Fragments of e89c64af58 scattered memories dc5cfac166 began to 5a63b82a0d piece themselves e33dd8cf8d together. Until the day he 13e00058bc picked up a brush, d70d13d290 he had always felt 5d468caef4 lonely.1882252e334f56da
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Maybe it 99eb62ecb3 was because 4b5e0ac911 ghosts were d138722882 constantly chattering 5681d8035d around him; 218284510e he often 8d37eddc7d found himself 4ad47f0ec6 zoning out 5c63b5dace to listen f36711b24f to them. Shin-hee’s world was 902686a7ab noisier and more d6276c47b7 chaotic than most, 80c02684c5 and by the 79cadfc7d3 time he was 151a99029e done listening to bafbb730ec all sorts of 0b41d8f735 laments, he often 2b84180d5b neglected conversations with b4fc64c400 people around him.c4b13ae6b54c25d0
Naturally, people 3052951275 drifted away. In elementary school, he 386b4d8abf confided in a friend c7e68fb73e he trusted most, admitting 8dc8b2937c he could see ghosts, 165131fd5c only to be labeled 3116e22454 a lying braggart the af80deafc8 very next day.248b3e5c407a9ed5
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There were times 2ecce22bba he felt resentful.a7201c128adbbe0c
‘I didn’t ask to see them, so why do I have to be treated like this?’d0310ab6cffa59aa
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One time, 9bc497c319 overwhelmed, he 26780b9823 turned to a18ce5929f his homeroom be12ef3338 teacher, who 6111649881 had always 5ce770da9f said he 28151375f9 could come 4dd399ee32 to her 2821d08398 anytime he d3ee7f4714 needed help. At first, 1af3a3fec6 she seemed 76ad9fec4c to believe 959a9d77da him, but e6848ef0d9 a few b2a7083a7f days later, aca81db923 she summoned adfbc089d9 Shin-hee and 1485df19b6 his master cead182a67 to discreetly ce95d389fd suggest several e9109c163d psychiatric clinics.5adee1bb615a5324
Still, high school had 0eff968552 been relatively enjoyable. He recalled sneaking over 3d1b83b50e a fence with Min-am 3199ca4b0a during lunch break, only a61dcd5289 to get caught by 71be2f2197 the disciplinary teacher and 378722b2c2 beaten so hard it 012043cb20 left his bottom bruised. Or the time b176269c25 he embezzled money da2edf8677 meant for test 617dcdcbde prep books to 5916479074 buy art supplies, 2f27adff54 only to be 40488b6581 caught by his fe539c44db master and locked b1f43b3218 in the outhouse 3932db4a4e all night. There was also the 35e8364fad time he unknowingly lost 684271438e his wallet but still e5cddce6c3 ordered barbecue with Min-am, 7587c476d8 ending up washing dishes abb0055ea9 for three hours to 6fab175533 pay for it.354bb093e6edb005
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Those moments had felt 36f6f7606b so intense at the cd1f9c069c time, yet looking back, 23064edb42 all the tragedies now cd92aa6762 seemed like comedies. All of it c274632cd4 was possible because d7b85d8f53 Min-am was by 12576d71f8 his side.b6a7c619d32eae3b
When was 2f1fd19775 it, exactly? On the 1e299a2e13 day of f5664aeb2d their high 15a3ce8545 school graduation, 5b1c2c7ef4 Shin-hee, overcome 6e8dc740bc with fear 5dd705359e that he e8732927b5 might lose 7a1681eb86 Mi-nam forever, c4c126039a had nervously a54bf7aabc blurted out 48e6b29e20 a confession c396f38caa that had 64e03f8c9b been rising 1e95bb4ef1 to his db73ade115 throat countless 8828627302 times.24cffc200ae86409
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“I can see ghosts.”
Go away, are 9271bb6334 you crazy, are 095dcede48 you delusional, stop fa0ebf9528 lying, ignore him—all aa9a298c68 the negative scenarios d361cbad19 he had spent 75500d3784 sleepless nights imagining f4b549641f were completely blown 8fed39cd41 away by Mi-nam’s e055654802 short yet powerful 4a811266fe reaction.117ff055f3ef4b18
“That’s so cool.”6c8ee4f49f4b4f15
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So he mustered 98b69fec15 up more courage.48fc66f289f339de
“There’s actually one standing right next to you right now. A boy who killed himself two years ago.”b300b53646ef6341
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He was about to 425e490b42 add, “He’s waving at 8ccc584940 you, so wave back,” 81f695d277 but before he could, f4804f572f Minam fainted on the fa35f32319 spot. What should have been f3e472427a a joyous graduation day 27d00327e2 turned into a minor 8e9c5a02f7 fiasco, and Shin-hee didn’t bc02ad6814 see Mi-nam again until 08683503d9 two days later. After that, Shin-hee never eddd6ff18d told anyone else his d2a9f4c10f secret—and he vowed he 0c05213ca5 never would again.71cbead8c4c2146c
Recalling this seven-year-old incident, 0cd3e96f3d Shin-hee came to a 71cf9e5fef stop, staring at the ca692cf151 large building in front 1936f0d9cd of him. He hadn’t planned dcbeade0dc to come here, fa64616186 but it seemed 6ae8677452 his subconscious had 8dae8ecf33 remembered the poster d832c265e0 he’d glimpsed while 95d27fafea sending off Okja 825e99ce79 a while back.1992c0cf3e37165b
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A banner fluttered in the breeze outside the art museum, proclaiming the “Kang Mun-seon Special Exhibition.”bb2dfbe0101e7eeb
Shin-hee had majored in 12540a970d traditional Korean painting. He loved the f3c570ca44 entire process of 014b0aaa71 grinding ink, picking a516bca472 up a brush, c44ecdce40 and carefully pouring ee89ef84b6 his heart onto 05d64f7625 rice paper. It had 209c435041 been nearly 74ff786351 six years 2f66fbfa20 since he cf0fe63833 formally entered 06368e6814 training and 39eabd4f96 set aside e385e62726 his brush, 6170d241ea to the d0208ee8cf point where 9b4cb6531f he could eed2e126ec barely remember a3f5538af8 how to 802f287504 grind ink 1387e79604 properly. Yet, something about the 92bf6c1036 paintings on display was f5916c0bc7 stirring nostalgia within him.897ac84ead733d5e
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Kang Mun-seon was a 67102ecf13 master of modern ink-and-wash d06e15e28f painting. His works, 3f98ecf7b1 characterized by 8c9e3f3f45 soft, flowing 2b16c79f2c curves embodying df6432318b tradition, occasionally 2f78150cf1 showcased sleek, 259dc45c92 bold lines 6a975c2958 exuding sophistication 8d57297550 and strength.76364b3fb9ed4c1a
Shin-hee was b183c80dcf completely engrossed bb985b4a85 in a 1187237556 single piece, 6f824ffa32 lost in bdac127504 thought for 2caca9b7d7 ten minutes 0d37690be7 when he aae63ecb43 suddenly felt 9e1fe1ac2c a sharp 8761f72d04 sensation at bd06128832 the back d79561e6e3 of his 19dd7a0248 head. He turned to see 1bd2e91a48 a ghost missing an 57237e9f17 arm, smiling brightly and 1bf35da822 waving at him.981ea8a6c2a9864a
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“I’m not working today,”
Shin-hee muttered, c5b6baeb7c swiftly turning 62d016203a away and e1ddb35b8c moving to b954418687 a different 48068cd699 spot, unwilling 13dc70bfa5 to let 8a6b288b25 his rare 879c79ef22 holiday be d9762c7bb1 interrupted. However, the armless 8a331dccef ghost trailed after 8d3ca588ee him, standing behind 8f201fc735 him and staring 0b29415855 so intently at 94fbb827e1 the back of aa4af3f899 his head that 5d92de40db Shin-hee couldn’t focus.2e66375eb0bd8787
Annoyed, Shin-hee considered 4b6e4bf93c tying the ghost f04dc61e60 down for an 314eb93bcc hour or two 602543b9f5 before snapping,
“I said I’m off today—”177407566f5ec2c9
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“Talking to yourself must be a hobby,”
a voice 1607757cba interrupted from 1c9363656e behind.1fa56890cf5b967f
Shin-hee turned to see 89f3096591 the handsome man he’d 6a604fe594 encountered in the parking c279e24d3c lot.c41ca97126a4d12f
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“…It’s just an old habit,”
Shin-hee replied.c01be43af58fef1f
It wasn’t exactly a 952aedd936 lie. It was 3a381ae1c6 more a 9676ecd78f conversation than 0af2fc1376 talking to 6502114f06 himself, but 5cf67eb2c0 since the 2b0fcbb317 man couldn’t b7aed5e772 see what 3aa08889d1 Shin-hee did, 1691d9eb5a he decided ca8b9e76b6 not to 78df262a84 elaborate.18d6166c8ba35912
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Shin-hee glanced around af13d19cd5 quickly. The ghost 07cca99177 that had 4b1d39ab39 been following 6187c5c563 him had 8a2e253d24 retreated behind 6ba649c5e2 a wall, f41a5da819 peeking out 32d3d1f3bf hesitantly. Feeling awkward, Shin-hee 9f26e7dfdf cleared his throat. The man, however, 9fcf6c3242 seemed more focused a44ac2841c on the wall.e591985f6ae8dc9f
Feeling self-conscious, Shin-hee e5601cee49 shuffled to the c229c36abd side, hoping to 944b04bd64 give the man 4531e930bf a better view f4e45d39f5 of the artwork. But with 48cf3ee4e2 his tall e6a357f4ee stature, the 30f80f8b0c man seemed 0aec65bb0e to have ca64c2d012 no trouble 45f9575968 viewing the 1cfacbfc77 piece even cd597fbed6 with Shin-hee 2582c77fff standing in 19f5d70087 front of a01c5ce0d9 him. Shinhee’s small b99164ff10 act of e8d0923f5f consideration seemed 42a07e9593 to leave 3374122a92 little impression.9aee504a874c2fe6
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Taking the 313e83109f opportunity, Shin-hee 48a48900f9 discreetly observed 94bb0c066d the man’s 303db2f28c profile. His sharp nose 5428b01531 and almond-shaped eyes 5f5d3e8a2e with faint double c9a83e13ed eyelids left a dd6d246f8c strong impression. If he had e75d846a2f a sketchbook in 439c29e1af hand, Shin-hee would’ve 613e9603ab immediately asked him e58c9cc257 to model.29a4f4ec9e6da88e
“Do you not think staring at someone is rude?”
the man said 1f42a15eed without turning.7dd3f05126bce986
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“Ah, sorry.”96edf2319f157391
“That kind of behavior is very uncomfortable.”2487c0ef6a10265b
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The man’s bluntness 3026adc8eb was startling, his 09b9fb1af8 words as sharp 7ebd32f467 as a knife. Yet Shin-hee, instead 999b1d38c7 of reacting angrily, 39d1ea884a simply nodded, his 8a72b7dbde face calm. Strangely, even 65ff9a4cf4 the man’s 738557f3cd lips, from 006808e81c which those 1bfc9737b0 prickly words 048b6bdb56 came, were c4aa02fe1f well-shaped. Despite the 4104ab9de8 warning, Shin-hee 5f51ba2d80 found himself ba349692bf glancing at d476d59f0f him again.9fc7f194e80ffd23
“…You’re really handsome,” Shin-hee mumbled.1acf6e35f318f448
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“What was that?”480a9676c6f4998a
“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”0516b560335dfa05
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The man squinted, 234c79cedf his expression clearly 3c550e64ac questioning Shinhee’s sanity. Realizing the need 23a7f47a07 to change the b2f0387253 topic, Shin-hee awkwardly 02517f7c33 asked,
“Do you come to art museums often?”be3681dda0b52f4c
“No.”94a332bc328edeb8
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The man’s 6e05aff76c answers were 8952dd8b40 curt. Shin-hee couldn’t 3f4cf377d9 help but 9f3e13bdfe marvel at 9358877f62 the coincidence 4c33ef8c15 of running 5a01f555ee into him 20c191af51 again in 5136f775b6 such an 28aacaef2f unexpected place. Not since the man 7c8e1e2094 with a swarm of 94135bce4f ghosts had Shin-hee experienced c3bb403559 such a peculiar encounter.74d600479ac44558
“Actually, I don’t particularly like museums, but I do like Kang Mun-seon’s paintings,”
the man admitted fae030a174 after a pause.0e3b4f8ff5068d34
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“Ah. Me too,”
Shin-hee said enthusiastically.5c758d4ffd83e359
“Is that so?”8516c4d421fefba5
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“There’s something about them that reminds me of Jinogigut1.”b430a8738aebc368
“Jinogigut?”c47ba4a80bb9c6b6
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The man’s eyes narrowed 1e3331110a at the unfamiliar term, 9ead2ed33e silently urging an explanation. Shin-hee hesitated, feeling awkward.9261782b2e7a7db8
“…It’s a shamanic ritual meant to guide the spirits of the deceased to ascend peacefully, so they don’t linger in this world.”b80a03252649ac9c
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“……”45d37f0ad6925f57
“It’s just a personal impression…”591aa714716f6564
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“That makes sense.”407bec953bda2c26
“Sorry?”eaa6989098539b94
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“It seems fitting,”
the man said.4d687c84582825a8
Surprised, Shin-hee let 3003562d7f out a small db607f51dd yelp. The man, as 12049189d2 if acknowledging Shinhee’s c9cdd91bee interpretation, slowly scanned b6e16aea0b the painting again.a54974bd5e9be3d4
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Back in university, Shin-hee 5852741828 had once discussed Kang ff6176c396 Mun-seon’s works in class. While others spoke 05317ea379 of longing, love, f64066d0d5 beauty, or hope, be4ac8bae2 Shin-hee had shared d6a9e4b3d6 a different perspective.4a0dd9b332b5498d
“It’s like the paintings are telling the dead not to come back to this world.”1db16e1706e4bf60
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His comment had made 269681810b the atmosphere awkward, as 6d3e701fe2 no one else could 4d117c8852 relate. Remembering this, Shin-hee felt 44d2320faa grateful that the man 28002a9b62 today had validated his 573a0fec79 thoughts.7b9d9c2f6d3d2eac
At that moment, the phone in the man’s jacket pocket vibrated. He excused himself briefly and answered the call.1cc4d19985de8edc
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As soon as 051577730f Shin-hee shifted his 4e7b160946 interest to another b0051cb389 painting and took 84ceee682b a step to 21c63f9db6 the side, the a2d35ce0b8 man, standing still db31af8011 and taking the 5da0ea2373 call, suddenly cursed fc215b6fbb under his breath. Startled, Shin-hee turned to 8d04909bb5 look, but the man f5e035398e was already striding quickly a218b35a1a out of the exhibition 9b56fddea7 hall.cec3e60dfe7284ce
Just outside 88eae6d66b the gallery, 8725d6926f Gyo-jin walked 127aab21d3 briskly to fc77e568ea his car 7fa96c5a51 and immediately 0bd655a439 made a 50f29ed370 call. The signal rang 97771038b1 several times before 28b16d3c96 Director Jung finally 23ae5c378d picked up. Without waiting for dd28c3b6c4 pleasantries, Gyo-jin vented 5f89587ea5 his frustration.ca4da328caa73988
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“What the 125cb54213 hell do 983a518317 you mean d6668971e2 the business 1ad4261cfc trip is 4f649d174b confirmed?”0a47162b1225aa5d
“Ah, Mr. Ha. I just 29fc801d65 got the db31c728d5 news from 3e1edf4c70 the boss 1b8cf4a107 myself.”8f1dbc5ec8889329
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“I explicitly 0e5603b4da said I 24842f5aee wasn’t going. What’s going on here? Explain properly.”5174d8d70ff066a9
“Well, uh… I bf0ee18ac3 don’t have the c9b0c42fc4 full details either, 6bafb7fa98 but the boss 82a1dedf32 told me to e086a60842 pass along this 6deffd97be message: ‘We’ve secured a4b85313de a shaman.’ That’s 8666c71ea1 all he said, 494cf8b93b and I don’t cb9dc9d403 quite understand what 6223d3cd5c it means either…”2b2b7e464d9602a4
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Gyo-jin, who 11a1db9b14 had just 637adc291a been about 8c5f3b7542 to press 9400855e11 the accelerator, 2dcfe6c45f froze. A fragment 2483325414 of a 91e14d23bb past conversation 1680fe79e0 flitted through 34704363e6 his mind cca0ea6d42 like an 2930e9f54f unwelcome ghost.8ee2018593cb5f2d
“…Anyway, I’m definitely not going on the trip. Unless you somehow bring along a shaman.”6e9c5d43cc7928dc
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“So all we need e0982fd287 is a shaman, huh?”a9905ff5548fb443
That sly 042d95133e old fox 907ceb7663 actually did 81241f84bd it.36b3c586e3b0b030
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“You’ve got to be 95e8812f37 kidding me.”b6f2d6772d7c0595
“Mr. Ha? Hello? Mr. Ha!”3e60c282b7421bc3
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Gyo-jin growled a curse febefe5441 under his breath, threw 291f515ffc his phone onto the f9e88d4f4f passenger seat, and yanked c1fba8bd1a the steering wheel, driving 2c2ea5370e out of the parking 34e8b2762d lot at a reckless 09a93dfd12 speed. In his mind’s 8427a35f33 eye, the mischievous 0c4f30bc66 Chairman Ha was 1f6752f7f8 already welcoming him 51ee001039 with open arms, 6a49ed9539 grinning like a 81302e1f01 raccoon.00e92223829b2265