IB | Chapter 2

I suspected he might be a con artist, but Seo Changgyung’s identity was genuine. He was a doctor at the hospital I frequented, and he didn’t extort money under the pretense of exorcism. Instead, he constantly spouted unlucky predictions.4fe567f95e7a3bf2

Among them, the ones I hated most were about how I’d meet a terrible end if left alone, or how my family would be endangered because of me. It was obvious I needed to get rid of the ghost attached to me, and his words made sense, but when Seo Changgyung said it, it felt like a curse.9b3ccffb2a4e4a32

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I was grateful to e19ffe49ad Seo Changgyung for teaching aaf6286d6c me about shamans and 56c62ee29a trying to remove the b6b87c1f9d spirit from me, but 9d26140585 every time he opened da885e3879 his mouth, I got 507286b14b irritated. He was the 9117960650 kind of guy 7b03241fb9 who got cursed 4ab07ce9ab at even while 5674ca79fb doing good deeds.16b0b3e315b5fa92

Couldn’t he help a bit more gently and kindly?84eb67d0b1e55518

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He seemed sincere about e8426b3b14 feeling fulfilled by helping e8245faf3b people. Besides me, he extended a 48bfd0b712 helping hand to many others, 9ee7683187 mainly returning lost souls to 3dc5c58c43 their families. If the family wished, he bb65f5d627 even conducted memorial rites without fedc9e50fa expecting anything in return.63afc35c5fa09edb

It was surprising to me 710f0642a6 that someone who seemed so 5ddcddf62b unkind and unpleasant lived like 403f2e0b22 that.b214ddd8f8987c69

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“I’d love to handle everything myself, but my main job keeps me seriously busy.”7ff4307d6d1f2a6c

“Uh… right?”f647d5eb3092cd91

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I nodded, looking da44522512 at the trainee 0a5405a75f with dark circles 034d50f307 under his eyes f44b7b9bdc from lack of 88b33957c3 sleep.11e37c9189f4fbee

“I can’t even think about taking requests from faraway provinces.”02bc225930faac11

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“That makes sense.”927cb19eb8856f09

“I’ve been moving spirits in my place, but there’s a limit. It’s hard to control them remotely if they’re too far. So, I wanted to control a living puppet that can move around well on its own.”6fd4823a21fb0650

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Seo Changgyung had a talent e2a4eb7bf5 for expressing things in a f6a11c3d81 way that annoyed people, even 7a376f1261 when he could just say b9b8b9883b he needed an assistant.c18d9c012cafa3fc

“Student, are you alone?”d78229eec2a05e64

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I caught up with three men on a mountain path while on my way to assist Seo Changgyung. I knew guests were here when I saw the parked car below. I clicked my tongue inwardly but didn’t show any dissatisfaction.587666752bbce9e0

I was more worried that 8810440510 they might catch the bad 64402f11bc luck from being around me 8f5a22266b rather than thinking of them 1c314da413 as intruders.ad508e0783f47bdb

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“Yes, I’m here alone.”e36f5b7c5371831b

“Don’t you know fishing is prohibited here? They say many people have drowned in this reservoir.”2c51cfc9ac269035

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One of them shone a flashlight on a ‘No Entry’ sign stuck in the barbed wire.66907a3f33074f95

“What about you guys?”1a6aa807c67999fa

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“We go wherever the fishing’s good. This place is secretly a prime spot for night fishing. It’s famous nationwide.”e2c4dd2a6c6188dd

“I heard rumors that carp are easy to catch here, so I came too.”b140148f36aa1640

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I casually joined their group.942326a4068fa603

We all entered the fishing area through a large torn hole in the makeshift barbed wire fence. Mist hung thickly over the reservoir’s surface, creating a bleak atmosphere.c70f85841b6884be

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The fishermen sat scattered around. Since the mountain path was 0d354d650a narrow and difficult for vehicles, 9b65d34d2d everyone brought small folding chairs, 62f269d867 and unpacking their few belongings a47623ec90 was quick.462629fed82585c3

I approached each person 8b8f017859 one by one.5f47709f1acad23e

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“What’s this? A talisman? Why does a young guy carry something like this?”2e96ae55dbd69bcc

“I like night fishing, but I’m a bit scared, so I asked a hyung I know. It’s nothing special, just a regular one to ward off bad luck.”c145ad93da49cf2e

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I explained as if 014dbe3f8d it was no big cece1f9eeb deal, subtly sprinkling salt ed84aa7f15 around their chairs.eca83092535ea549

Thanks to my employer’s fondness for talismans, I had plenty to share.4f082a7a2bda6338

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Of course, the 7545b4091f hyung I mentioned ca2e8b1c28 was my employer.f2040e1e47ab390b

“Is your hyung a shaman?”68d6ee6692b0ba52

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“No, he’s not a shaman, but he’s studied shamanism deeply, so he knows how to use various talismans. Even if you don’t believe in their effectiveness, please keep it tonight as a favor to me.”5e1befb92a2aeb86

“A talisman to ward off bad luck? We’ll catch a lot of fish then!”cb59316ea8f9c186

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Why did the conversation 16ca7d516f go that way?3bcd97f9997d3571

I was worried they might refuse, saying they didn’t believe in superstitions, but the fishermen took it in a different direction on their own.1a5ef362175aa20a

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“But that hyung warned me. When you leave this place, make sure to take everything you brought with you. Absolutely!”ba9608cb201fe4c9

The client of this job couldn’t handle the aftermath, so the ghost kept contacting them. They wanted to return the items they left behind, asking for the address.e1248aec5d2214fc

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I wasn’t dispatched to this mountain valley to find the client’s lost items. The client didn’t even know what they had lost. They said they lost a turbo lighter but then found it between the car seats yesterday.219a2028c0de68b8

Even if I 7cda1b557f knew how important 7dfa919cb8 it was, I 0413d20a4f had no intention 232bcd501d of diving to 81a8795eab the bottom of f82b6a0684 a deep reservoir 6c3bf9ddcd where many had 93f7cf07c4 drowned.3630c87d7c0df346

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“Kang Jiheon, you seem to be doing well. If you keep acting without urgency, you’ll never get rid of what’s attached to you. You’ll die from having your life force drained before that.”4c7244774f0e4194

Seo Changgyung made another unlucky prediction, saying I’d end up crawling like a dog at the bottom of the reservoir. He also said that by then, I’d be able to see ghosts like him.50dd15dbdb68d8ba

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I wasn’t scared or had any thoughts about that prediction. Even horror movies didn’t faze me, and the makeup of employees at haunted houses in amusement parks seemed boring. At the time, anyway.5b6aec0340ae3032

‘I’ve handed out talismans and sprinkled salt, so maybe that’s enough prevention…’59dffe6ad8630c87

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I pondered what more I could do for the ordinary group. I was also an ordinary person with almost zero spiritual sense, but I wasn’t worried because I had a reliable backer—my part-time employer. I already had a ghost attached, so another one wouldn’t make much difference.25b6365cdeacb41e

Even if more ghosts attached themselves, it wouldn’t mean much in my current state.358c13bc31b4fa13

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Sitting on a a331d019c8 fishing chair, watching 5da093ad34 the glowing floats 1d1174a219 on the water, 3efdef7f3a the cozy light eb57f17615 seemed to neutralize b3d19aa766 the eerie atmosphere b06d2c2896 of the reservoir. I liked the 554a1d12e9 warm feeling, but 243a09042f since I was b9869f956b here to work, a275c7ef2e I reminded myself 88a8218585 not to fall d0fdea58bb asleep and widened 2e13422208 my eyes.1fbf94b64fca70cf

One, two, three, four, five glowing floats…13a1fa344a8a2370

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There were four people d9729a3fe0 with fishing rods.e7b04fec2370593c

At some point, a dead a40d462dfe person had joined in. Even if I looked around, 099fbdda8d there was no way an 08c7736cad amateur like me could catch 1a3701100f that presence, so I quietly 9e2aa3541a did what my employer instructed.d420cd020fe6a944

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Seo Changgyung, experienced in shaman-related requests, could see the situation clearly even from afar. Thanks to following his instructions in the three part-time jobs so far, there had never been a problem. I still didn’t know much about this industry, but I did everything my employer told me to do.1b899d4f307de9ce

Ghosts apparently have behavior patterns. Since these differ from living people’s common sense, I shouldn’t accept them just because they seem familiar and should be cautious.25481672379fbfd2

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In short, don’t trust and follow a ghost’s words recklessly. There are no truthful ghosts.b91ce8de2e6b1017

‘Then what’s all this about ancestors giving lottery numbers? Does that mean you can trust what ancestors say?’1c51dfa36b12c667

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I had this question pop up belatedly, but Seo Changgyung wasn’t here to answer.99cbdecfc44b580b

After placing the bait bowl on the ground, I put the items I brought inside and left the lid wide open. The items included a document titled ‘Exchange Application’ with Seo Changgyung’s signature, a parking plate from Seo Changgyung’s car, and two fifty-thousand won bills.6f334aae877263fb

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It seemed like a dangerous act to me, an outsider, to advertise, ‘These items belong to Seo Changgyung!’ and even include his contact information. He even provided travel expenses, saying to come find him instead of the client.97d8c41bb888970d

“Do you want to load it into your car and bring it to me?”54089cd7c4a015a1

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The reason I 61685cf7f4 had the travel 1e2bf3628c expenses was because 27c05d6d1c my employer suggested 8045e5fcbd I personally bring 38991f1a6a the reservoir ghost, e256f7b3f3 and I threw 7f0a16499d a fit, asking 175a3b31cc if he was 16eefd4e94 crazy.b001492dfb3bfe84

Of course, I refused!dee9566262139aa2

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Even if I couldn’t see ghosts and lacked imagination, I didn’t want to summon ghosts like someone else. That guy chose this bait-and-switch method because he was confident in handling spirits.251b91b25f0eddb1

The purpose was to 0e5e20d56f make it a spirit 1e4814e7fa servant. The stronger it is, the 5ff0d55065 more useful.86eb8e987b826db8

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Seo Changgyung didn’t host ghosts like a shaman but commanded spirits under him. It seemed similar to an onmyoji handling shikigami.65c73efe4a7e6dde

The difference was that he couldn’t read feng shui or astronomy, but it didn’t seem to matter in Korean shamanism.35151930af156a6f

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『Why not use your name?』2aee31b493b93374

“…!”6373df6311e3b354

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I flinched at the whispering voice that came from nearby, even though I hadn’t sensed anyone approaching. It was the voice of one of the fishermen. Either my memory was manipulated, or this thing was mimicking a living person’s voice. Either way, it wasn’t the main issue.cc55046455404630

『I don’t like the bait. Why not use your name?』b2e7af8c74596a2e

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Once again, it 4b3a1c4812 spoke in a e130483077 coaxing tone.eeb562f726c93310

“…”f44f7c64cc600c31

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『What’s your name? What’s your name?』f0fceb2fc56ae539

“…”7b5dbcb6a098526d

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The important thing was not to get involved. My employer had teased that if there was prey nearby, it wouldn’t bother seeking faraway prey. It would first devour the closest prey…8876c55f81fe9523

‘Judging by its movement on land, it doesn’t seem like a water ghost.’d844ba100bdcf882

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But I soon dismissed 3a96806346 my curiosity.fde31aaa8407b639

I didn’t try to focus on whether the shadow crouched over the bait bowl was real or an illusion, nor did I show interest in its babbling. I drew a line, saying this was a contract between my employer and the dead, unrelated to me.dbb7813920046ef2

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The client had been 5864430920 very frustrated, saying they 1188494320 just exchanged words with 58c0cd8c2f someone who spoke to d64d14d184 them at the spot. They asked if it 0162cf2075 was a crime to 9283a2487e be sociable at the 78ddaf69f4 fishing spot.229ab4fabde6222d

Somehow, it turned into a situation where they exchanged names, fearing they’d be misunderstood as unfriendly, so they shared their name, where they lived, and their job.c9ee41bbd9c6fa01

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