KTC | Chapter 33

“You never planned to leave anyway, did you?”

“That’s true. But there’s a difference between sticking around because I want to and sticking around with your permission.”

“You just want my permission to make yourself feel better.”

Choi Seonwoo looked at him as if he were a child throwing a tantrum for a toy he would soon tire of.

“Alright. I’ll give you my permission. Don’t take Elder Nam’s words too seriously.”

Seo Jihan chuckled and sighed.

“Aren’t you scared? That powerful shaman, Nam Sang, confirmed that I’d devour you.”

“The future isn’t an irreversible realm. Each small decision creates a butterfly effect, constantly changing the future’s course. When I decided to take care of you, I considered various possibilities. But none included a scenario where I couldn’t handle you and fell apart.”

“Our priest is pretty confident.”

“Why? Would you prefer it if I were scared?”

“Well, not really.”

Not really indeed.

Hmm, Choi Seonwoo stood up from his chair. He turned the soju bottle upside down in the sink, flushing out the remaining alcohol with hot water.

“If there ever comes a day when I regret deciding to take care of you, it won’t be because of you.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means I hope you’ll be a good person so I don’t regret saving you.”

After ensuring the smell of alcohol was gone, Choi Seonwoo turned back.

“I brought you here not just to save your life but your soul as well. So please, lead a different life from your grandfather’s. That’s all I ask of you.”

Having said his piece, Choi Seonwoo left the kitchen without looking back. As he was climbing the stairs, rapid footsteps caught up with him. Before he could turn around, an arm reached out and spun him back.

“Why do you speak like that?”

Seo Jihan’s face was faintly distorted as he questioned. Before Choi Seonwoo could fully process the meaning of the question, he found himself looking at Seo Jihan anew.

Only by standing one step down was Seo Jihan at eye level. The disparity in their shoulder and chest widths was palpable.

“You used to be so small, almost burying yourself in my arms, but you’ve grown well over the past ten years. Your muscles have developed just as you wished, and now you fully look like an adult.”

“You talk as if you’re rushing to make me independent again.”

…Ah.

Realizing why Seo Jihan had hurried after him, Choi Seonwoo couldn’t help but laugh quietly.

“Why are you acting like a puppy with separation anxiety?”

“It might as well turn into separation death syndrome at this rate. I mean, wouldn’t that be unsurprising? So give me a clear answer. You’re not going to suddenly leave me one day, right? You said you’d stay by my side.”

Seo Jihan seemed to always interpret everything in a way that favored him. Choi Seonwoo gently patted his shoulder.

“Brother, think about it again. I said I would stay until all the spirits clinging to you are gone. Until then.”

“And after that?”

“What are you asking? Then we go our separate ways.”

Seo Jihan’s face turned cold at the blunt response. The words Choi Seonwoo uttered without hesitation sliced through the budding sentiments.

It wasn’t just about setting boundaries; he meant it sincerely. How could he say it so easily? But then, they really had no binding ties.

What should I do to stop such words?

Just as that thought crossed his mind, a sudden headache overwhelmed him. It wasn’t just a poking pain, but as if someone was wringing his head in their hands. There seemed to be a faint clicking noise near his ears.

“No. How dare they in front of me.”

As Seo Jihan twisted his face in pain, trying to discern the source of the noise, all the agony and auditory hallucinations vanished as if they were a lie. He gasped for air and blinked rapidly as Choi Seonwoo’s cool hands were around his head as if performing a blessing.

“Brother, snap out of it. What kind of dark thoughts did you have to provoke these spirits to act so brazenly in front of me?”

Seo Jihan, feeling both annoyed and relieved, spoke up.

“I was thinking about how to keep you by my side forever.”

…That’s quite chilling.

Despite the dissonance in his thoughts, the hands massaging the sweaty scalp were soothing. Choi Seonwoo felt a twinge of self-reproach, realizing he would never be able to remain detached if Seo Jihan continued to behave so shamelessly.

Is this also karma?

Choi Seonwoo smiled heavily and drew his thumbs down the tense lines by Seo Jihan’s eyes.

“For your own good, you can’t do that. Unlike me, you need to live in the sunlight.”

“Are you about to say something nonsensical again?”

“I am destined to wander in the dark and guide lost souls to the light. That means I am to remain forever in the shadows.”

Seo Jihan forcefully swatted Choi Seonwoo’s hands away. The face that turned back to him was boiling with anger.

“You make it sound noble, like you’re pushing me out into the sunlight while you keep rolling in the gutter.”

No, not the gutter…

“Listen, priest. If you’re going to stay there, I might as well roll in the mud with you. No, before that.”

Caught in a turbulent phase of youthful defiance, Seo Jihan was making a declaration rather than merely throwing a tantrum.

“Wait and see. One day, I’ll be the one to save you.”

It was almost like a declaration of war.

Crash!

A man’s eyes widened in fury as he swept the memorial service table clean with one violent motion. The modestly prepared ritual foods rolled across the floor, plates and all.

“Ah, what am I to do! Did I ask to become like this?”

His wife, heavily pregnant and in her final month, screamed and scrambled backwards as the village chief, his father, angrily rose from his seat.

“This son of mine! Flipping the table in front of your father!”

The chief swung his hand without hesitation. However, the man caught the hand mid-air and pushed it away forcefully, sending his father tumbling over the broken dishes and spilled food.

“Father!”

The woman cried out in despair. The chief trembled, his hands shaking as he waved them dismissively.

“Ah, my child. Stay back. You might get hurt.”

“Oh, father. Honey…! Honey, why are you doing this, really!”

The woman was furious. However, the raging inferno in the eyes of Kim Hoseok, the chief’s son, revealed nothing but endless fury. His face was pale and ghastly, like a patient suffering from addiction, and his eyes blazed with an eerie light, instilling a primal fear in his father, who had always been a strict man, forcing him to remain silent.

Who exactly is this? Is this really my son?

Sending him to a good university in Seoul and securing a job at a large company had been the chief’s pride. His future daughter-in-law’s premarital pregnancy was a minor flaw, but in today’s world, it was not considered a significant blemish. However, his son, who had abruptly left a good job to return home penniless, seemed like a completely different person.

“The shamans say they can’t cure it! I’ve thrown all my earnings into those rituals, but it’s no use! Damn it, who would want to be stuck in this backwater island?”

Kim Hoseok, after nearly pinning his father down, stormed out of the house, still seething with unresolved anger. His wife’s wailing followed him like a shadow, but he didn’t look back.

Prowling outside the house like an animal with its fur bristled, he frantically searched his pockets. He couldn’t find the cigarette pack he was looking for; only a few crumpled bills and coins jangled emptily.

“Damn it.”

On this small island, it was difficult to find even a supermarket unless it was near a cluster of guest houses. Near his father’s fish farm, it was mostly fields and paddies, and to buy a pack of cigarettes, he had to walk all the way down to the pier. Annoyed, Kim Hoseok quickened his pace.

It was still too early for tourists, so most shops were closed, and the golden rice paddies lay quiet and deserted. Even the nearest supermarket was shuttered. After spewing a string of curses, he realized he had no choice but to head further down towards the pier.

Fortunately, the supermarket near the pier was open. Even early in the morning, it was a necessary stop for anyone coming to or leaving the island. Positioned on the only road in and out, not only the supermarket but also the breakfast diners had lifted their shutters early.