HLFH | Chapter 18

“I was curious if you guys were doing well, but the door won’t open. Is it broken?”

Click, click.

The doorknob kept turning.

The grating sound of metal clashing sent shivers down my spine. Kim Juwon mumbled quickly, “Ah, I’ll open it. I’ll open it,” as he put strength into his hands. Why is he in such a rush today? Kim Juwon chuckled, wondering if the person needed to use the bathroom.

Well, the East Wing was such an old building that it was worn out and corroded in places. That’s why he had to fix the front door a bit when he came in earlier. He definitely oiled it…

Pause.

‘Did I?’

His hand lost strength on its own. The hand holding the doorknob slipped down.

“Juwon? The door won’t open. Can you try opening it?”

Come to think of it, something was strange. Kim Juwon recalled Lee Gyeonghak, who had been teasing him with a bottle of alcohol.

—’Afraid the teachers might catch us.’

Usually, when someone says that… doesn’t it mean they’ve hidden their location from the teachers?

The smile on Kim Juwon’s face quickly froze.

“The door… won’t open?”

Click, click.

“Yeah, it seems so.”

“Really…?”

Kim Juwon’s response slowed down. Beyond the frosted glass of the front door, a black shadow swayed.

Kim Juwon spoke, looking at the strange shadow.

“Ah, Ssaem. Perfect timing. I was going to buy some alcohol, but I don’t have my ID.”

Then, a voice with a hint of laughter came from the other side, which had paused for a moment.

“Alcohol? We can go buy it together, what’s the problem? But first, open the door!”

<Drinking and singing are strictly prohibited in Bonryeong, and alcohol is only used for rituals.>

“Juwon?”

“Juwon.”

“Open the door.”

“You have to open it to let me in.”

“Open it.”

“The master said to open it!”

Click.

Click, click.

Click, click. Click, click.

Click, click. Click, click.

Click, click. Click, click.

Bang, bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang, bang!

Bang, bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang, bang!

Bang, bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang, bang!

The door shook violently as if it would break.

“Juwon, Juwon. Open? Open the door. Open it. Juwon, Juwon? Juju, open it.”

Thud, thud, thud… The movement gradually stopped.

Heeheehee!

Heehee!

A creepy laugh was heard.

At that moment, the neck of the black shadow stretched long.

As expected… it wasn’t a person.

Just as Kim Juwon was fiddling with the talisman in his pocket.

“It opened?”

The door, opened?

A message flashed through Kim Juwon’s mind.

| [Don’t get confused between the front and back door]

…Damn, the back door!

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

“Are we really in a setting where we can’t hurt ‘precious people‘?”

“How much more seriously can we fight?”

Lee Gyeonghak and Ahn Seomyeong, crouched behind a wide table they were using as a shield, caught their breath.

All they’d wanted was some pork belly and a drink…

Lee Gyeonghak let out a hollow laugh and pressed harder against his side, where blood was steadily oozing out.

“Hey, Seomyeong.” His voice trembled.

“If I go first, make sure to bury me with that jerk.”

“Self-service.”

Ahn Seomyeong cut him off sharply.

The “jerk” they were talking about was none other than Kim Juwon.

To be precise, ‘possessed‘ Kim Juwon.

“What the… Argh!”

Another attack came flying.

Currently, [East Wing] was a disaster zone. All exits were blocked, and all the kids were either seriously injured or cursed.

“Hyung, you said the signal works.”

“Huff, huff, no… it works, then it doesn’t.”

Lee Gyeonghak pointed near the window.

“Maybe over there… ugh.”

“Let’s go.”

“What?!”

“I’ll be the bait, so go and,”

“No! I’m bleeding like crazy, and you want me to crawl over there?!”

“Oh, that side?”

Lee Gyeonghak and Ahn Seomyeong looked at each other like they were seeing a demon. Hyung, are you serious? You too! They soon lowered their voices and started bickering.

“Then are we all going to die here? Get a grip. We have no way to solve this on our own! Contacting the master is our only hope.”

“What if the master can’t help?”

“They’ll bring someone else! Hyung, we don’t have time for this!”

Ahn Seomyeong scolded him with a frustrated look.

“Ah, seriously… Ah! I’m going crazy! Seriously! Kim Juwon! Why did you get possessed when you never did before!”

“You know Juwon hyung is holding out.”

“I know! That’s why I’m more frustrated!”

Lee Gyeonghak, full of frustration, peeked at Kim Juwon. His eyes were filled with worry he couldn’t hide.

‘That jerk can’t hold out much longer.’

That’s right. The ‘Jishin’ claiming to be inside Kim Juwon’s body was actually not a difficult opponent. Aside from its nasty personality, it was just a stray ghost that stayed in one place, cursing or slightly injuring passersby. Even the curse’s intensity was weak enough to be easily lifted.

But why?

That thing could even possess. And the curse’s intensity was strong.

The kids affected by it first vomited, then convulsed. In severe cases, their faces turned purple.

For a mere Jishin ghost… it was an unbelievable power. How long had it harbored such resentment!

The only silver lining was that Kim Juwon was actively offering his body to prevent it from possessing others.

If he hadn’t offered his body, several kids would have already been on their way to the afterlife.

In fact, only someone like Kim Juwon could endure it.

When possessed by an evil spirit with strong resentment, one loses their ‘self’ the moment their body is taken. Not only that, but as time passes, the bones decay, and the skin necrotizes, leading to a slow death.

In other words, they become a living corpse.

Even if freed with the help of an exorcist, there would be significant aftereffects.

So even Kim Juwon was reaching his limit.

He was barely maintaining his self against a spirit that exceeded the category of a mere Jishin ghost. His body had long been taken over.

The Jishin ghost thoroughly mocked Kim Juwon.

He staggered like a puppet on strings, bleeding from every hole—eyes, nose, mouth. The more his handsome face twisted in pain, the more his lips curled upwards. A man laughing while shedding bloody tears was a grotesque sight.

Kim Juwon, who was more sincere about ‘his people’ than anyone else, must have been tormented by the fact that he was hurting his friends with his own hands. The Jishin ghost must have been enjoying reading those inner thoughts.

If someone really died… Kim Juwon might become irreparably broken. So, as soon as possible… someone needed to find help.

“Hyung, when I signal, go.”

“Ugh, I feel like I’m going to pee myself.”

“One… two… now!!”

Ahn Seomyeong was the first to dash out from behind the table, shouting, “Hey!” to draw the Jishin ghost’s attention. Then Lee Gyeonghak shot towards the distant window.

‘Please work, damn it, please work!’

With slippery hands, he barely managed to find [Master] and send an SOS signal…

Ah, thankfully, the signal was caught.

“Hyung!”

“Gasp!”

Bang!

Before he could even press send, an attack came flying.

He narrowly escaped with his life, but his phone was smashed. Wow, I haven’t even finished paying for that. Lee Gyeonghak trembled as he looked at the approaching Jishin ghost. His legs gave out in fear, and he collapsed.

“Hey, hey… Juwon, can’t you muster a bit more strength?”

“Huff, gasp… ugh, run… ha, ugh, hee… heehee.”

“Get a grip, man!”

Just before the first victim was about to be claimed.

—Creak.

Surprisingly, footsteps were heard from the stairs below.

“…?”

The Jishin ghost stopped moving.

—Creak, creak.

It wasn’t a mistake. Someone was coming up?

The Jishin ghost shook its head left and right, its face full of question marks.

It was only natural. Currently, [East Wing] was sealed with a curse, blocking all doors.

But someone broke through the seal?

As everyone’s gaze focused on one spot, the person who appeared before them was Ki Jaeeon, holding a cheap doll in one hand.

“Ah…”

Ahn Seomyeong suddenly remembered the text he had sent before coming here. Unlike the half-hearted message he sent to Kim Juwon, he had carefully written each word with sincerity. Yes, the message he sent after deliberately leaving a doll in front of Ki Jaeeon’s room…

[Hyung, it’s Seomyeong. Come anytime if you’re hungry. We’re at the East Wing.]

[(Emoticon)]

[Oh, and if you see my talisman, please bring it. I can’t find it, haha.]

“Text…”

Ahn Seomyeong’s lips moved slightly.

There was another surprised person.

“Ki Jaeeon?!”

Woohoo!! We’re saved!! Unlike Lee Gyeonghak, who shouted with joy, Ahn Seomyeong felt darkness closing in. The image of him having a fit at the sight of the Infernal Demon was still vivid.

Of course, it was Ki Jaeeon who eventually exorcised the Infernal Demon.

‘There’s no time to hesitate. If he has another seizure… No. No. I have to trust the exorcist.’

Ahn Seomyeong quickly shook off his doubts. There’s no turning back now.

‘I have no choice but to pin my hopes.’

After all, at this point, there was no one else to rely on but Ki Jaeeon. If he didn’t do his part, the only outcome left was a one-way ticket to the afterlife.

‘Let’s believe.’

Ahn Seomyeong looked at Ki Jaeeon, sweating coldly.

‘Even if it’s just for a moment.’

If he could just stop the Jishin ghost’s movement… they could send an SOS signal outside in that gap.

So now, all they could do was pray.

That he was indeed the real talisman.