KTC | Chapter 39

“All these guys are my bodyguards. I’ll take you to the safest place on the island, just follow along.”

Park Seonhee hesitated for a moment before firmly deciding and nodding her head. It was when she climbed into the back seat of the car.

“Aren’t you going to stay there?!”

It seemed like a voice filled with anger, having been searching for her all this time, shook the quiet night. Seo Jihan turned around towards where the voice came from, oh well.

The bodyguards continued to worry about being possessed by evil spirits again, but it didn’t matter. The weak ones would drop off like last time, and even if someone tough got possessed, Choi Seonwoo would save them.

After all, he had a solid breakwater like Choi Seonwoo.

Seo Jihan smiled faintly as he watched the approaching man. He was just wondering how to find him when the guy seemed to be practically offering his neck to be killed, as if a legion of angels were sounding fanfares from all around.

You’re screwed, you bastard.

The man stopped his steps involuntarily, sensing the ominous atmosphere. Like an animal discovering a trap from afar, his eyes glinted red.

At that moment, Seo Jihan started running towards him, with two bodyguards closely following behind.

“What, what are you!”

Instinctively, he turned to run away, but Seo Jihan was slightly faster in reaching him. Barely catching the man by the scruff of his neck, Seo Jihan violently slammed him down. The man crumpled backwards, making a dying noise.

Seo Jihan climbed onto his body. With one hand, he pressed lightly on the neck, looking into the bulging red eyes. The pupils in both pairs of eyes dilated massively then shrunk to the size of needle points.

The man’s eyes filled with fear. Seo Jihan’s lips twisted in a sneer.

“What a filthy piece of shit.”

After finishing his assessment, Seo Jihan swung his fist without hesitation.

Thud!

His massive, bony fist struck the man’s cheek. A single blow caused the man’s mouth to burst open, spattering blood. The violence did not stop at one blow. Just as the man had frivolously beaten frail lives, Seo Jihan’s brutality was relentless and vicious.

The sound of flesh clashing violently and the man’s screams filled the air. Even as cries for help grew longer and then began to fade, in a place only sparsely dotted with fields, greenhouses, and no one to witness.

“Young Master Jihan, you’ll kill him at this rate.”

A bodyguard finally interjected, watching Seo Jihan with eyes sharp as ice. Excited as he seemed, his eyes were unexpectedly calm and still, sending shivers down the bodyguard’s spine.

“Can’t I kill him?”

“…Probably not?”

“Why not?”

After a moment of hesitation, the bodyguard replied in an ambiguous tone.

“The priest might get angry… maybe?”

Hearing that, the strength drained from Seo Jihan’s bloodied fist.

“That’s a pity. Having to breathe the same air as this trash.”

Seo Jihan mused, looking down at the man now reduced to a pulp, his face bloodied, only managing to tearfully trickle down his cheeks.

“It’s clear what he’ll blabber about when he comes to his senses, claiming he was possessed or something. But I know because I’ve seen it. Just like I was that kind of bastard originally, you were always that kind of bastard too.”

Seo Jihan spat the words out like venom and left the man lying there like trash. He dusted off his hands with a thud, thud, then coldly turned back and walked to the car parked nearby.

“There’s no room anyway, so just stuff this fucker in the trunk.”

Seo Jihan said as he got into the back seat. Park Seonhee looked a bit terrified, thinking they might be something like gangsters, but felt more relieved knowing that the potential murderer targeting her was now incapacitated.

“Team Leader Kim will be here soon.”

While Seo Jihan was rampaging, the bodyguard sitting in the driver’s seat quickly made contact. Kim Youngchan had said, “Don’t let Jihan kill him until I get there.”

“Whatever. Anyway, I’ll drop this lady off at the church and then head out again.”

“…Yes? Why?”

“Need to clean up the cat corpses. Check if any are still alive.”

Although Seo Jihan hadn’t caused Chairman Seo a headache over violence issues, he certainly wasn’t one to care about the welfare of stray animals either. The bodyguards had no choice but to agree, wondering if some sort of reformation had happened while living at the church.

Their reflection was merely that limited. They couldn’t recall the fact that a well-reformed person wouldn’t beat someone half to death, partly because they too were somewhat immersed in a world of violence.

“What are you going to do with that man?”

As the car started moving, the bodyguard seated uncomfortably in the back with Seo Jihan asked. Caught in the middle, Seo Jihan, looking annoyed just thinking about it, opened his mouth.

“Team Leader Kim will handle it. Either seal his lips in an agreement, blow things up to hand over to the police, or just bury it.”

“Mm, that makes sense. Team Leader Kim is an expert in those matters.”

“Can you find a boat to leave Yeongjong Island at this hour? Angela’s front legs seemed a bit hurt.”

“Buying a boat with money shouldn’t be too hard. More importantly, we should check if there’s a 24-hour animal hospital first.”

“Then please check on that.”

“Yes. …And, Young Master Jihan.”

“Yes?”

“What should we tell the priest…?”

“…”

“No matter how much that bastard deserves it, if we beat him up like that, he surely won’t just let it slide…”

“…I’ll think of something.”

“Yes.”

Lost in thought, Seo Jihan suddenly turned his head towards Park Seonhee.

“Ah, using this lady as an excuse should work.”

“…Yes?”

Caught off guard by his sudden remark, Park Seonhee looked at Seo Jihan with tense eyes. Seo Jihan smoothly moved his slightly blood-splattered face into a smile.

“If we had left that fucker alone, he might have really killed you today. I saved a person, so he can’t really chew me out, can he?”

His confident declaration was exactly what Park Seonhee had felt. The blood-red eyes seemed to gnaw at her brain. It felt as if she had dropped into the Arctic, her body beginning to tremble uncontrollably.

I really can’t stand this. Why did I forget how suffocating and infuriating formal exorcism rituals are!

Choi Seonwoo internally cursed words he couldn’t dare utter in the sacred hall, simmering down his bubbling anger.

The vestments he had worn with repentance had long been thrown beyond the salt boundaries, and the sweat-soaked stole clung to his body, pulling his exhausted frame towards the ground.

“Ah… Is it over?”

Having come to his senses, Goo Seungjun let out a deeply weary voice. Sitting up against the bed, waiting for him to wake, Choi Seonwoo swept his wet bangs back with one hand and stood up.

“Yes. We safely drove it away, so don’t worry. But I’ll check one more time just to be sure.”

Choi Seonwoo lifted Goo Seungjun’s eyelids to look deeply into his eyes, then untied the bonds on his hands and feet. The bindings had turned the skin on Goo Seunjun’s wrists and ankles red as the evil spirit had struggled.

“How’s your body feeling?”

“I don’t have much energy, but other than that… it’s not bad.”

Sitting up, Goo Seunjun started by freeing his wrists and then looked up at Choi Seonwoo. His sweat-covered face was pale, and his moist eyes were more haunted than usual.

“Why are your lips like that? Did I do that?”

Goo Seunjun asked, staring intently at the blood pooled in the creases of his lips.

“No. They’re usually like this, so don’t worry about it.”

“Well, that’s a relief. You’ve had a tough time.”

“Don’t mention it. After-sales service is a given.”

Choi Seonwoo joked, managing a weak smile. After grappling for over four hours, even the corners of his mouth felt weak. It seemed he’d have to raid the refrigerator, however clumsily, to stuff some late-night food into his stomach or he wouldn’t be able to sleep.

“I’m so hungry I could die. What about you, Mr. Goo?”

“I feel the same.”

“Then let’s quickly return to the priory residence and eat something.”

Choi Seonwoo extended his hand. Goo Seungjun reflexively took it, and Choi Seonwoo forcefully pulled him down to the ground to help him stand.

“Did the sister leave earlier?”

“Yes. It got too late, so as soon as the exorcism was over, I sent her off.”

It was already past 1 a.m. They planned to clean up the bed early the next morning. While Choi Seonwoo took care of his vestments and put them back in the vestry, Goo Seungjun had preemptively taken a broom and gathered the salt into a corner. After a preliminary clean-up, the two maintained a reasonably close distance as they walked down the central aisle.

“Our team members also have old evil spirits sealed within them like I did?”

Choi Seonwoo answered promptly to the sudden question.

“Yes.”

“Then wouldn’t it be better to deal with them beforehand like I did?”

“The evil spirits sealed in everyone’s abyss won’t corrode away unless a serious trigger is activated. Just like people can’t live without eating, evil spirits need to feed on the sins and the karma that follow a possessed person’s misdeeds to maintain their power. The evil spirits festering in Yunseul Village had been desperately seeking liberation, using High Shaman Yuksun’s divine power as a gateway, because if left alone, they would eventually disappear.”