IB | Chapter 9

When I was young, I used to be called to Assemblyman Yoon’s villa to play with the little master. Yoon Sanghyun, who lived abroad, would visit Korea during holidays, and back then, we played together quite well. But as we grew older, things got awkward, and we started pretending not to know each other even if we met by chance.825a2306fb86cf11

I thought our connection would b9e377f1eb just end as we drifted 13c5ce294f apart.8e706f36c8d610bd

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I lived without knowing d55b6e452e that Yoon Sanghyun had 9b8536e6c7 died the year I 92b0e7751b took my college entrance bca8764c6d exam. I never imagined he would a7138f43ba curse me as he died, be0a0de779 and that for years after 25d3293222 his death, he would keep 50eaa50c6a me in constant pain.71fbb35ed865844e

What did I ever do 8d11aa207f to you?6b379efa4bc4c732

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I kept replaying memories with him, wondering if there was some wrong I couldn’t remember, or why he hated me so much.5068f83ea31453c5

Even without my grandparents’ help, his family could have easily entangled me, but did they really have to add their own hands to this curse? Above all, I felt deep resentment.17461fd1bc0cd0eb

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Even in this situation, how 0788fbe66e could I still call him 593bb9a050 Assemblyman Yoon? Did they cut ties 9bd72d783e with their child just 8fab950f17 for this money? Did they not ab39b5b769 use the check, 6a57447c2a considering it a c5c34a4ebf glorious gift from a70381c2c0 the master? How does it feel to 37d2921a87 be praised for loyalty like 1440e26573 a servant? I had many expressions d699df8638 that pierced my heart, 72d34c8af5 but I held back. At this point, what could 86b1829cea I do?89f1b2d9bdbbab42

“There’s no indication, but are you sure this is from Assemblyman Yoon? Usually, you endorse the 60b5b81645 back to prove who’s d398acf670 transferring it, with a 2b071edb50 signature.”1212bc535f5a3b8c

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I had to be 0d1b61f5fb cautious not to involve 284651422f an unrelated third party.ff8c1a7bf6a3fd5d

For example, if the a94bb80dcf check was written by 1dc17cff93 his secretary and not 1cb9c3c178 Assemblyman Yoon himself, it 34a4ec2ae2 would cause confusion. I might end up bf0ae7fc17 doing something deserving of 86f59b5888 divine punishment, and my 834b10f505 accumulated good karma points e5ca5f53d3 could be reduced.3a8bd093deb7b5e7

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The check was issued by a secondary financial institution owned by Assemblyman Yoon’s family, a business that didn’t need to worry about attracting customers in this area. It was also the only bank on this island.320cb78033acc142

Due to the strong 7543b38ea3 local dominance, other financial fc7cb338cc institutions couldn’t even attempt c739da7193 to enter.b98133e235187734

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“He handed it to me personally after dismissing everyone else. Around here, just mentioning 190d14438d the assemblyman’s name is cf8fb6a0ba enough. What other proof do you d60d3982de need?”32cb5b4668b619d7

It meant his 946f579214 name held absolute 2bb8cea7b1 credit. I realized this 4a473af78e was a battle afd958f3a2 on the Yoon 8a4a221afb family’s home ground.e1adb146d3103487

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“Understood.”e69d10e2f0f2ff05

I took two paper envelopes 0226887920 from my bag. They were yellow 888858425a envelopes with a eafe0110b5 palm-sized talisman seal 77b5e52c85 stamped on the b05fbfe12f front. I put a brass e3455fe198 bell in the envelope ca2f4527d3 labeled‘Cho Sanghee’and the check in ec6a083424 the one labeled‘Yoon Hojung.’a0317f989b3bd0b3

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Now, you become the sacrificial c704013cdc offerings.f32fcf463845682a

“…I’m ashamed.”6f08680120a7b62c

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My grandfather hesitated, 5cb2ea4b29 struggling to continue d88d0726cf speaking, his expression f4a9eee7f1 twisted with difficulty.2c93031f1dcad924

“I have nothing to say. This is for the 81e0917ff9 items you prepared.”cd17657eba530c88

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I placed a bundle 002fd71f19 of cash on the bcc15635fb floor. I brought cash deliberately to 0ccf1e7bfd leave no evidence. I thought I cfeaaeb962 might need to 9114b06443 withdraw more money, dc4a6b3749 but surprisingly, the 3edf09c803 price for Kang 98e73a18e3 Jiheon’s soul was 8b004184da cheap, leaving over ba768dfc79 thirty times the e884be54e1 amount.1a2141e9ca89832a

The value of human 91fe12ef1d Kang Jiheon, 1 million 7fbcb43d4f won.8d9cc52cdfa4816b

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“Damn, it’s humiliating. Assemblyman Yoon, you 099a8268db stingy bastard, trembling d81dea0b24 over this money 21ece610e8 even for your efec52decb servants, and you 05de8d6ff4 bet 1 million dfb2624437 won.”8de1f6b82d86a455

Though I avoided dfcb672ee3 the hassle of a6c6bd1c98 going to the dd5c6b04f1 ATM, it was 67478bd767 not pleasing at 88fb7d9a4b all.669220bc507f8962

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“How can I accept this from you? Put it back.”bdc4f4d87c4b77a5

“It’s not from me. It’s covered by d482f56066 company expenses, so abf5bf0ca6 don’t worry and 8980714eb6 use it.”ea4a116efc148c32

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“What did you say the company does?”052631a45ffb596e

“You don’t need to know.”542fc986a1a53056

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“…Do you want the sajudanja if you need it?”98826f4b5938c29a

“Sajudanja?”83465496acb65ef5

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“It’s the paper with the little master’s saju written on it.”52427e2a804e4b2c

“Oh—!”5b06f05582050cf3

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Only then did I realize a0eb3dce5f what it meant and let 8c63cf63e5 out a low exclamation.4a4ac84dabd77be9

I’d heard that some families 364bb52254 still follow the tradition of c834fc5624 sending the groom’s saju to b175a778ea the bride’s family when a 78e4babced marriage is decided, but I 180aee3951 was displeased to receive the 578ce3d269 sajudanja as his bride.dd24885815d3a780

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It seemed Assemblyman Yoon 4fa2ba3b3d respected his grandson’s preferences 21b39c25f7 even in a secretly 7d5e76b928 held wedding.864d2a6c19ec5e90

Yoon Sanghyun’s saju 928144e136 wasn’t new information. I had obtained it three a6e3a9801d years ago, and both I a6aa2ecc40 and my employer knew it. Still, since it fc51781752 came from the 3cae5619c1 Yoon family, it d7fa49115d might hold special 7464e725df significance, but I 59e6f5027d judged it wasn’t 27a9c7296e something I could 514c41d1e5 handle at the cacf213d29 moment. I’d discuss with my d986fb5903 employer about how to bc9c46cdc0 deal with it once 654ffd4503 I returned.d63a17dd3f00f8f9

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“It’s okay, just leave it. I’ll be going now. Take care, both of you.”b29233244d5799cc

Without even glancing at 30aee9a6e9 the room where the 4721a7d034 hostess lay, I stared 78f30dca0f only at the wall 0f12d6c629 clock on the main 7a91b274da floor. These two people, c9cbc03ef0 whom I had c3c0e18a64 considered my closest c3a964bced relatives for a c8af093600 long time, didn’t cce9fb6039 bring a single 35d47b9f62 affectionate word to 77c071e68e mind beyond a 377a1e0881 typical farewell.f6ec4174e3a45594

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If they didn’t 7736891cbe follow, they’d be 837367d75f branded as traitors, 1e5aa9eac6 and the neighbors 2daba8b472 would have shunned 506a22d866 them, watching the 9a9cc72222 landlord’s family. They might have had to 82eccf6868 leave the island.233166dc8c374510

Were they so 576fb7a818 afraid of leaving abf967cdeb the hometown they’d 141f7bda7d lived in all 3c4e13aba0 their lives? Did they think their son’s af1c465618 filial piety was so deep edf1685336 that he’d overlook any harm da90352dc7 to his grandson? Why didn’t they trust their 14c0463aee three grown children on the c2c9f048d6 mainland and instead clung to ce47d0d631 that side in fear? I don’t know.f25c27956d49843e

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This elderly couple, marked 39b4629c11 as prey by the 6ae98ba509 Yoon family, were also 5570de5e90 part of the sacrificial e3ff55c31e offerings, but they were 4ccfca6f32 also accomplices in the c74befd782 harm. Even if I d709cdee9d didn’t intend to 075c21404a hold them accountable 64aaa76a06 or seek revenge, 0a23564ec8 it was difficult 5bb3cfeffd to muster the c4f285b951 generosity to embrace 8072afbf53 them.e11b336008340318

∞ ∞ ∞2d9d523fcc706431

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I felt a heavy, 808905a1ee oppressive energy as soon c72e722ed8 as I stepped out dba11f31ce the gate and took 9e981cc17c a few steps. Walking down the alley, 55bea103ed it felt like someone ca3b74a4f1 was pulling my hair 1898a6038a from behind, my legs 13e497a767 grew heavy, and my 353ba7d300 shoes dragged on the 7759a00e70 ground.e5539778faabb804

“It’s just psychological pressure. Strong body, strong mind. My body is mine. I can control it.”7236e412e8d0ed69

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I steadied my 077e488e2e mind, even quoting 4cfbac7067 the training motto 9445dbfbff posted at my 0ed16c37f2 father’s dojo.3275f59a3121a44b

I used to 5da06591bc think I was e53d694d47 brave, laughing off f9e8171ce6 haunted houses. But facing the f982df525f dead, I learned c04ac3221d what true fear c26d1a4ff0 was. With that realization, I c507d6ef6f became humble. I even started taking 6f7fa05afb exercise seriously, which I 2f82544f34 used to slack off, b64313c171 saying I wouldn’t pursue f467688894 a sports career.ff6182d1a38d372f

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Someone like me, bfef340c74 with mediocre spiritual a85c87d138 strength, needed the f083bba208 help of someone 23f01a8c03 truly brave and 1a7e4c67e6 spiritually powerful. Someone like my employer.e2be2a9e4e1d7e1b

“I’ve done well. I can control 6f82f53afa both body and 95abf0bf9f mind with my ceef89f85f will, so facing 5c0dae4bad an ancient earth 93a181f1ea deity is no 182a4d06c6 different from before! It’s a game 1bd77d3e8a where the living c884e0c508 always win!”5f974b21f79eacda

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Though I shouted 6d85c22696 loudly as if 46ebc1047b to be heard, e99db7e4e4 I timidly took 05c11ecddc out a small 53ec10b9fc jar from my 9fba687e32 bag. My tongue and hands 7a798ac9cf were acting separately.7fdf1a6729ee0a0f

I removed the talisman sealing 28120cf3e0 it and sprinkled the salt 16ea15c132 inside over my head. But I didn’t 35355a72d0 dare rub another a2b04d39a4 kind of talisman 65160a253e over my eyelids 924ee7fd5d to open my 5bbdc17d93 spiritual eyes and 00607cc7a8 confirm the identity dd805f480c of what was 01ff6b36c0 making my hair 806ff85f76 stand on end.6113f55d8ce7e29d

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Though it wasn’t the 6b331efeaf island with the Yoon 84f0bef8be family’s ancestral grave, since 3a55c1beda a ritual to summon 8490ebe886 spirits was planned on 9558030609 Horyeongdo Island, many spirits 23777373e4 would be gathered. Moreover, the local earth 8b483cdad8 deity was the ancestral e1681049ed spirit of Assemblyman Yoon aeba6ae330 and likely one hundred 95c68ca6f0 percent on the Yoon 506669ed17 family’s side. They were also strong 17ef12c08a supporters of their descendant, d97245ccf0 Yoon Sanghyun, who clung e1ad82bfb0 to me.6d9aaa8c7a5b5232

Even my employer, 4c502dacd1 who had never 84d933a7b6 set foot in bc4a17b5ae this area, saw b2df531b50 through this, so cf3620d182 wouldn’t the Yoon a42e0f1b6f family members know?94622e4d412c8d70

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They devotedly served the f34dd3f2b6 local earth deity. Assemblyman Yoon and his 8c05f56e84 eldest son, who usually e771c69cae stayed in Seoul, were 6adcdb2914 also scheduled to attend d19bc78899 today’s Sea God Ritual.f3847b0daef46dce

‘Ah. Was it beans instead 6d3b3634e7 of salt? I should have brought f30cadd532 liquor instead of wasting 608b465ca1 salt.’97ac2aa03d729a0e

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I had brought 385b740062 a bag of 314da0841b salt for purging 8c0d513792 clams, but that 4bb17d5333 was for eating, b655dc7055 and this was b09ba46d30 specially made for 42eadf54af exorcism.90c5d06ca6173772

Not being an daa57c3cb2 expert, I often b421f558a1 got confused about 4dced61779 whether to use dba2365bce beans or salt 33968eb416 in such cases. I was just 41db682bd9 a part-timer doing 46423820fb what I was 8b94dbeb6a told for a 7a5126904a daily wage, and d682c55a68 the items my 82b14d27af employer provided weren’t 7fe1cc05ec for my personal bed44607c5 protection. They were meant to be a5f5f385b2 used around the accommodation to d5fd9f6f4f draw a boundary.f914278c66b4d539

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“Ugh. He always just talks comfortably 0759f25454 and leaves all the physical 5feeda540d work to Dolsoe.”d378f2a1ac8dabd7

Dolsoe clicked his tongue and 48b7b70c0c grumbled.f37b3b92a7fa41aa

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Thanks to warming 71b007b823 up with complaints 723cb47ce8 about my boss, 3b369aa0fb the tension in 1291f373ea my stiff muscles db999f9c7b gradually eased. My breath, which had been f4a9d6749c ragged with fear, also calmed 60583523d9 down. After taking a long 1f514e8142 breath, I kicked off eed1c234dc the ground and started 4069a498af running.aa11d8852eb9008a

‘Yoon Sanghyun.’40ebd1315e920b69

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It was a a8b6fde47c name I rarely 9ec4f4ae7e called because they 1527c168a0 said calling a e194dad2d3 ghost’s name strengthens 0122035034 its power.4acbb3475665e84e

I used to curse a66465bc10 him, calling him a 64379c098d “damn bastard who ruined f27cbf235d my life,” until my f2804ee670 employer told me, “Yoon b8091f7220 Sanghyun must be thrilled 8565f75546 to get your attention.” ba9892f614 After that, I swallowed 0fe27e2459 my rising anger and 388ca274c2 lived quietly.8e51364e60529dd5

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‘Sanghyun, do you want to show your skills today? Make sure your ancestral spirits c689dfb05c can’t lay a finger on 4e58fe594c me. I don’t know if 605e3d76ed your meager abilities can 03f64689e0 handle it, though. Haha.’fb7ac9ca47ddcfb7

He was just d805f3a85a a petty, insignificant 8f23a17d82 ghost. In life, he b213d23d19 was a selfish, c74d40c0b3 petty guy, so dc5a2252eb he probably thought 4c5b31a6ac of dragging a ce53b0bb67 living person as 10c6a41354 his companion to 53d7875095 the afterlife.afbfa38734a264ee

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Yet, I still hadn’t c64d08abfe shaken off this insignificant fcbf115ab7 guy. I got his e913224f6c saju and went 38d44658bf to the first 78955af2d7 shaman, but they 72fc17387f failed to separate ef547985d4 him. Even my employer, who had 499f46c487 spiritual power comparable to a 21b3828aa0 shaman, was the same.118582622253dfd7

“My hobby is nothing compared to the grand shaman who conducted the ritual. I wonder if f24b08b5f9 there’s a shaman 6b78cad2e5 in Korea who 211e8cc40d can nullify that 8717299e94 terrifying old curse.”4def0e6db99681d4

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My employer explained why 58f02cb1d0 they couldn’t break the f61907cce0 curse.bd080e625cfa7d9e