KTC | Chapter 19

Seo Jihan’s lips were sealed shut by the soft hand of Choi Seonwoo, and his sunken eyes widened considerably.

“You can know whatever Brother knows, so watch your words. It won’t do any good for that person to delve into Brother’s past.”

“…Why do you need to use your hand when you can just say it?”

Seo Jihan removed Choi Seonwoo’s hand and furrowed his brow deeply. His cheekbones, now peach-colored, emitted a faint heat. Choi Seonwoo blinked in confusion before nodding.

“Ah, sorry. That was unnecessary physical contact.”

Choi Seonwoo readily admitted it and then lowered his voice.

“Let’s just pretend we know nothing.”

“…Alright.”

Seo Jihan grudgingly agreed, though his irritation was evident as he glared. Choi Seonwoo seemed oblivious to his mood, his mind preoccupied.

Throughout the lunch with a former believer, Choi Seonwoo was thinking about Lee Juhee.

Choi Seonwoo usually doesn’t scrutinize others readily. It’s not just a matter of respect, but also for his own mental health. He could easily avoid seeing someone’s past or true nature, but he couldn’t block out the malevolent entities clinging to them.

That’s how Choi Seonwoo knew at a glance that Lee Juhee was another survivor of the Unknown Cult Massacre.

This meant that no matter what fabricated stories Lee Juhee spun, he couldn’t completely dismiss her, much like with Seo Jihan.

Hmm… What a mess?

Choi Seonwoo smiled wryly to himself. Ideally, he would cut ties with anyone who greeted him with lies.

“What are you planning to do with her?”

As Seo Jihan asked this, slinging on a bag he had prepared earlier after brushing his teeth,

“I’m trying to be lenient.”

“Why bother? You’re too busy looking after me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not your exclusive nanny.”

Angela, the intelligent cat, was already inside the bag as Choi Seonwoo spoke. Seo Jihan looked slightly displeased, but didn’t object further.

As they finished preparing and stepped outside the priory residence, Lee Juhee stood still in the distance, her confusion seemingly organized but her overall demeanor one of lost direction.

Ah, this headache…

Choi Seonwoo pressed his throbbing forehead. He approached her first before she could come over.

“I’m moving to the Mission Church on Jangbong Island, so if you have something to say, follow me.”

“Ah… Okay.”

Lee Juhee responded dumbly, and as Choi Seonwoo began walking towards the parking area, she quickly followed. The prickly gaze of Seo Jihan, though uncomfortable, was not her immediate concern.

“Sorry about earlier. I had unavoidable circumstances.”

As Lee Juhee began to speak, Choi Seonwoo waved it off.

“We’ll talk in the car. I’m tight on schedule.”

Lee Juhee clammed up. The bodyguards, keeping a measured distance, followed them like a fan, which somehow gave her the chills.

These guys, they’d probably snap my arm if I step out of line.

Once they were safely in the car, away from being abruptly dismissed, the surroundings finally became clearer. It was obvious that the bodyguards were there for Seo Jihan, not Choi Seonwoo.

“Where should I sit?”

Lee Juhee asked as she got into the luxurious sedan’s back seat with Seo Jihan and Choi Seonwoo. Choi Seonwoo glanced at the passenger seat and scooted over to the left, then slapped the space he had vacated.

“Here.”

“Ah, it’s cramped. Why not tell her to take another car?”

Seo Jihan grumbled, but Choi Seonwoo ignored him, and Lee Juhee, with a face like steel, sat down beside him. The car started as soon as the door closed.

“First, I’ll explain why I gave you a fake business card.”

Without wasting any time, Lee Juhee cut straight to the point. Choi Seonwoo just nodded without replying.

“I am a field agent with the National Intelligence Service. My duties are classified under national security, so I must live under an assumed identity. I had no intention of deceiving you to the end, so I ask for your understanding.”

It was hard to understand why she had resorted to lies in the first place. Maybe hiding her identity had just become a habit.

“I know you are Priest Choi Seonwoo, but can I verify his identity as well? The matter I am about to discuss is rather sensitive.”

The situation was just as difficult for Lee Juhee. Carefully, she looked across at Seo Jihan and asked. When their eyes met, Seo Jihan spoke with a look of disdain.

“I’m just a jobless bum clinging to Priest Choi, why?”

Then Choi Seonwoo flicked Seo Jihan’s lips with his index and middle fingers, admonishing him.

“Can’t you speak nicely? Why do such ugly words come from such a pretty mouth?”

“Funny. I don’t even look in the mirror because I look like a mess, what’s there to pretty up my words?”

Visibly irritated for no apparent reason, Seo Jihan grumbled but seemed noticeably deflated. He looked out the car window and muttered barely audibly.

“I have no intention of introducing myself, so just think of me as Priest Choi’s parasite. My bodyguards are tight-lipped, so don’t worry.”

Choi Seonwoo sighed softly and turned to Lee Juhee.

“I’ll vouch for his identity, so just think of him as non-existent and go ahead with what you were saying.”

During the short drive to the pier, Lee Juhee spoke swiftly and clearly about the situation. It was not the kind of talk one should have in a place with many ears, but knowing that Seo Jihan was also stuck with Choi Seonwoo due to a similarly unfortunate and complicated fate made her trust him.

“Ah, so to summarize, you’re saying that a survivor of the Unknown Cult Massacre was pushed back into that village and returned with an evil spirit, right?”

Choi Seonwoo summarized without any hint of friendliness.

“That was a pretty stupid thing to do, wasn’t it?”

“……I thought it would be okay. I was sure we had moved on from that trauma after 10 years. I wouldn’t have gone there if I hadn’t been sure.”

Choi Seonwoo laughed incredulously but didn’t pile on any more blame.

“I’ll give you a response after the mass on Jangbong Island, just wait until then.”

With Choi Seonwoo’s decree, Lee Juhee shut her mouth. Afterward, Choi Seonwoo continued to mull things over, occasionally tapping the body of Angela nestled in his neck bag.

As the silence deepened, Seo Jihan’s gaze repeatedly stabbed at Lee Juhee. Lee Juhee, in turn, openly observed Seo Jihan. Even during the mass at the Mission Church on Jangbong Island and the conversations in the meeting room afterward, it was the same.

Seo Jihan, despite appearing younger than his actual age, was accustomed to commanding. Just from his habit of pressing others down with a forceful gaze, one could guess he had been raised in such an environment.

However, his gaze softened only when it landed on Choi Seonwoo. To put it dramatically, it resembled a wild, untrained dog looking at its owner. It was as if he was saying, ‘It’s too soon for me to submit to you, but you are the only one I follow,’ with that peculiar look.

“Lee Juhee, come here.”

After dismissing all the believers at the Mission Church, the meeting room was left with only Choi Seonwoo, Lee Juhee, Seo Jihan, and his bodyguards. At Choi Seonwoo’s call, Lee Juhee sat across from him.

“I’ll remove the evil spirit attached to your team member.”

He said it so casually that Lee Juhee could only blink dumbfoundedly.

“But, there’s a condition.”

The exorcism would proceed without witnesses. No form of surveillance or recording would be allowed. Only the possessed, Choi Seonwoo, and Seo Jihan would enter the room where the ritual was to be held. An additional restraint bed would be placed in the room.

That was the condition set by Choi Seonwoo.

Though leaving no witnesses made her uneasy, if he could indeed restore Goo Seungjun to normal as he promised, it wasn’t the time to be picky.

After getting initial approval from Go Changhyun over the phone, Lee Juhee secured non-disclosure agreements from the relevant parties before taking them to the psychiatric hospital where Goo Seungjun was admitted.

Goo Seungjun was confined to a bed in the National Intelligence Service’s secure ward, with his limbs restrained. Men in black suits guarded not just the room but the entire floor.