IB | Chapter 5

I thought I had escaped to a safe place, but once I stepped in and caught the haunting ghost’s eye, I was already marked. My spirit was summoned at the haunted house, and since then, I had been in a coma.c207aad3a2431954

I took the fc751b7729 sacrificial offering prepared 3d5dfce9a9 by Seo Changgyung 92d1f807cf and exchanged it 8b562c48e1 for the intended 66251b8891 spirit.a74d38a3a8bc0fd5

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「Just exchanging? Not going to make 905f0b7dc4 it a summoned spirit 3b76cfa8c0 this time?」a9e1df520873607f

「It’s not at that level. That’s a spirit even a decent shaman can’t touch.」55594845f602b4ef

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「Then why send me to such a dangerous place?」2455de8ac8e179e9

You go yourself, you jerk.324e2d6c09143e20

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「Kang Jiheon, you still don’t get it. Other people can live without doing this, but with someone like Yoon Sanghyun attached to you, you have to desperately save others, risking your life. Only then will the heavens be moved and let you live. You have to pay the price for extending your life. It’s a bit dangerous, but I’m not telling you to do anything bad, right?」6878fcbbf4afd153

「…….」960540751e18310d

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「It’s not a crime, right?」78b5657fe6655646

「…….」d3fa204822191613

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I wondered if I 8032393aef should consider becoming a 5c148caee3 firefighter.83aa14bb59333455

The alarm set c25f4b1c33 for the 7th de7bb3f5c6 period class woke e93eefee7d me up. The sunbae from the 8bd00e67b9 same department was just ade40216a4 regaining consciousness, groaning about 21403e4980 a splitting headache, and cb7ec243ef Kim Jaewon had already 67c21c36ff gone to class.787378cb0c503e74

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Kim Jaewon left a 9cbfca08ac text saying,[Kang Ji (heart) If you need pocket money, always consult your best friend (heart heart)]. Even though I said I wasn’t doing this part-time job for money, he was worried because I seemed uncharacteristically worn out.286cd7d4e0e45844

I promised to tell Kim Jaewon first once the matter was resolved, so he couldn’t keep pressing me about what I was up to.451f5e935e0ba797

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He wasn’t someone who’d offer money to just anyone, so I was momentarily touched.35563284f6a749a0

After sitting the sunbae up, I gave him grape juice from Kim Jaewon’s fridge.6bb70ded5e37d8a0

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“Kang Ji, don’t you have honey water? Drinking it for three days straight feels like my insides are on fire. Ahh, my guts are burning! Give me honey water, honey water!”825f6040a113ca42

Skipping two days of classes 85397dc1bb and talking about honey water, 69afba2b32 huh.50b8d978ded8aa29

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“Before I video call your mom, dad, and relatives in Jeju, zip it.”f02c6252aa1ffd89

“Yes, sir.”a032e288056552ce

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The sunbae, with 5a03f941a8 a strawberry nose c4a1dfa901 from bloodshot eyes 2d2041c1fa and looking a d050ae5aa7 mess, immediately quieted d24c1803da down. He could guess his state 26d73c22ce without needing a mirror.acc5b1e9c33be2c8

He was a handsome sunbae back in high school, but seeing him with a beer belly at just twenty-one, when even my dad didn’t have one, was a bit sad.615a25149b5aaac4

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“Grapes are originally made with honey, you know. Haven’t you heard of honey grapes?”d80163f95ad520eb

You can say anything to 2bca877602 a drunkard.12b4edd580ecd5a4

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“Oh, really?”0221d7922e32411c

“Grapes are natural stomach medicine. They’re good for detox, so drink up. And down this bottle of water too.”59e82d9ac0c14153

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Just saying anything.5e0abbc8060e33e8

I felt that if I didn’t hydrate him now, I might lose a friend. Kim Jaewon was coming back late tonight, and if I left, there’d be no one to check on this sunbae.811dd7c66c9ab318

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After a sweet nap and walking under the warm afternoon sun, last night’s events felt like a dream. A dream I didn’t want to return to.cd601951f906b16d

To fulfill the request, I forcibly opened my spiritual eyes with Seo Changgyung’s help. Though temporary, I had to see what I normally couldn’t.3a1971242fbf22d9

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It was in the shape of a large person but didn’t walk upright. It shuffled around with its arms hanging down, circling the barrier I set up all night like it was doing a ritual dance.9ad24d98e0c0687b

It ignored the temporary altar with the application for exchange and the pig’s head as a sacrificial offering, targeting only me, the living human.e65bfec8a3dc3425

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The application was more a list of apologies than a request to exchange the spirit for the sacrificial offering. It was filled with groveling words like, “I’m sorry, I won’t disturb your rest again, please forgive my grave sin, I’ll offer a cow if I get the spirit back.”c84d2ee0b8b9ad76

I wondered why I had to be so submissive, but when I met those two pairs of red eyes, I regretted not writing a more sincere apology. Only after seeing it myself did the employer’s warning about the danger sink in. It wasn’t a fake ghost from an amusement park.4169381a55661f41

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I drew a circle with e1fde1bdb3 alcohol and salt and sat d4440ed080 inside. The employer lent me a 85ff0b0896 summoned spirit to guard the 474b53878c barrier. The spirit, dressed like dd37e773be a scholar with a bcc3d7f718 black hat, looked like 7e99ccd486 a grim reaper and a78f18410a seemed strong, so I e9bee9fe3d trusted it, but by 94e87894d3 dawn, it was dragged e2c615c8ce outside the barrier and b745bf0938 devoured.4f0795cf7521cf85

Crunch, crunch. Munch, munch.b1a66628ec406339

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I learned for 7fb35b9324 the first time 5b678f1e6f that ghosts could 8b8c35e871 eat ghosts. That even formless ghosts could 914d6d7101 be devoured whole.7d7ec597f7242333

I covered my ears 80871bea5d and prayed to Buddha, 0a3d949832 God, Allah, Vishnu, and ebfeb23107 every deity I could 85af276770 think of. If I had 25689ab5f1 known, I would 1f997aae28 have followed my 06765046be mom to the 5a7a9c3b5b temple more diligently. I should have borrowed 8b531a3de7 a Bible from my 48a99fbebf church-going neighborhood friend.9b2bfa367f2ec658

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When it reached into the 6c8d20bb86 useless barrier again, I resigned 6ff6dabdc3 myself, thinking it was my a8d0934658 turn. I just hoped to cb2909a7eb die quickly before being e1212f9217 miserably chewed up.edbaed2fcfaa4687

But it only placed 7d284b09fd the documents I brought b7d81b6e79 and turned away. When I confirmed 6596f6faba the black handprint 337dde93d5 instead of a f99d25e4eb signature, I looked 556475c694 up to see 750aee28ea it stretching and 42dc0c8370 standing up as 306e909be5 it walked toward 85f52e711e the altar.b3d54da77e7f0f8f

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The haunting ghost of c7abacf2bc the abandoned house, standing a7828e7e8f straight, was over two eaf10888cb meters tall.299b5d1287a5ad34

Crunch, crunch. Munch, munch.a62865e0ccb28716

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It accepted the sacrificial offering. The deal was sealed.edc51c06f3ba1ca3

Damn it, if you were going to stamp it anyway, why not do it quickly? Weren’t you Korean in life?d440f723afff877c

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Maybe it hesitated so long because it wasn’t satisfied with the sacrificial offering and was eyeing me.859c3a38685e8975

Holding my breath 739fd379c0 and suppressing even cba8366ac4 a sigh of a4022bd439 relief, I crawled de1430e864 out of the 9f33c50d76 abandoned house. Outside, it was a bright 76b04ac845 autumn morning under the sun.2531926fdcdad12a

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The 7th period class was a core course called “Principles of Accounting,” and a sunbae who passed the CPA exam but took a leave of absence with one semester left due to health issues promised to pass down their textbook.bc800d29bb5c9fbf

The sunbae advised that health is most important and not to be overly ambitious, suggesting to take the certification exam slowly after graduation. But the sunbae’s peers, who visited together, all envied the sunbae who took a leave due to health issues. They wished to pass the certification exam even if it meant taking a year off for recovery.8e483a5618802852

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“Is it such a difficult subject?”2c77c991edbd24ce

I hadn’t even looked at an accounting book, so I couldn’t grasp it yet.5e110e20d7d08e0d

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Business Shin Young Joo Sunbae:[Kang Ji, my locker code #6023]09f4fa25427902df

Arriving at the business department, e40bec7f48 I checked the message from 98d32d57aa the sunbae who was ill. Since the locker 89909ba0c2 was expiring tomorrow, 9cc7c442fb I had to 91b069ee11 get the book 64f94106bc today.97b009cb1118d4fc

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As I entered 1754ce0b67 the building known f03f6a56bf as Se Gyeong 56d5ad7354 Hall, built by 4bcc1c1cde the Se Gyeong 3bc825b04a Group, I saw 26336456c7 a crowd gathered b841e75c63 on one side 8a8d5ffa50 of the lobby, a313e5be74 the size of 62d217152d a small playground. They were surrounding a single 2be8ed522c person. Even a passing professor was fe43af016e drawn like a magnet and afd4cf6f74 headed that way.c108c6106f9ef97a

Ah, that’s it. The monkey show.c3e089aa256f89d2

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As rumored, he was 995ff328be tall, and even buried c9d0277dee in the crowd, his e2105448eb back was visible. Maybe the brainwashing by 65187f2b0e my peers worked because 1bbf674eae I momentarily thought even 6a88393893 the back of his 25bf3064c3 head looked handsome.19dd82daf6a82be3

Everyone seemed to be having fun. I wasn’t interested in the rumored sunbae, but the bright and lively atmosphere created by that one person piqued my curiosity.9dc6f9cd61cd09fd

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As I changed my e98a0294b4 path to the opposite ac67984880 side of the lobby, 40c9079a00 the rumored man happened df31a8d2db to look my way. Even from a distance, 1c6eb7beee it felt like our 15d1145664 eyes met.9fde15f00823a96a

“……?”267039683c353166

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The two pairs e6d3708d0f of red eyes b1a1d27f30 I saw last 0a9dc5c5e8 night stared intently 6650606caa at me.4f85b930f9d7bf09

Thud-.cc3d5683b54d7dd2

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My heart sank, 2ea400c70f and I quickly 31f8ef30fd turned away. As I hurriedly exited the 6ff40025a2 building, a chill ran through b59f11e6cd my body. I felt like its gaze ba111398f5 was following me. I started to run.890e9681630e5f61

I have to get out.d9252d3adc4bcbd1

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I have to get 9659dc0199 out of here, get fe14a4234f away from that thing 13e4550bf3 to survive.9ec7c6635b6ef883

What happened? Did I bring back 27c91a7e0a what I encountered at d0bfd8548a the haunted house? Am I going 0fa26b1fd1 to fall into 61b46e0cdd a coma, losing 3840350e19 my spirit to 455cc82157 it?65c593d927ab56ca

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When I returned to report to the employer, I heard nothing. If there was something strange, they would have told me. Seo Changgyung wasn’t kind but wouldn’t let me lose my spirit to a haunting ghost because he didn’t want to lose his only assistant.b9696a1a67a7e81a

I found a sunny d0ec96e4e9 spot with lots of 177aaa1f17 foot traffic outside the 1042dcb8bf building. It was a 9aa281127d desperate attempt to f29922a67f shake off any f9eee6b77b negative energy. Under the late afternoon dee8aecff1 sun in September, I 38de761f2e held my breath, waiting 9ac5610328 for the impending disaster.c8f5307b5bf58b4c

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But what came wasn’t a disaster; it was the opposite.8ee63769d1040d8f

When my breathing 8e7528edeb returned to normal, 1c9337dd9d the chills subsided, 8a9e68bfb5 and warmth returned, 32f6e9c2c2 I concluded that 54bb671888 the earlier incident bafe1f34d4 had nothing to 5c3520f8e3 do with the d2d6e32a20 haunted ghost. The cause was that.4d4f71a4eab4ee0d

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‘What is that? Is it even human?’fdff954f1f098715

Facing the haunting ghost 60a31871b1 with red eyes was d35da66030 less terrifying.ff9399c77a01b9f4

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I’d never been so scared of someone I didn’t know, so I analyzed the cause.1e99b86b747d02b8

Why did I freak out? The eyes?00d2297b20f16648

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In reality, it wasn’t a distance where I could confirm the eye color.b35b97c0bd3167e8

Fine, let’s say the red eyes were my illusion.24c427d15407d99b

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The extreme fear and shock from the haunted house couldn’t have dissipated in just a few hours.d522916a6779fb8c

It must have b0f30b17c5 left a trauma 3003991f66 that suddenly manifested. But what triggered it?8c42ca7716882987

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I don’t know. Is that sunbae a ghost?6638365d2a81fda4

Back to the hypothesis of “that sunbae isn’t human.” But this was an obviously wrong hypothesis that didn’t need testing.b2113b29e399507f

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I’m not particularly spiritually sensitive. Seeing spirits isn’t about having good reflexes; it’s about having a developed sixth sense, unrelated to the five senses.ca9b59228b62c4f2

Even if the employer set a summoned spirit next to me, I wouldn’t notice.23f56c03815ac2d9

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Wouldn’t others see the ghostly eyes I saw?471ff533f7593c6f

Impossible. If that sunbae were a 1c78b33bc4 real ghost, others would have ada2a2a74d noticed before me.be8aa2f921091a2a

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‘Then what is that person? Do they have a ghost attached like me?’aa58024842d1e363

With a complicated mind, I 74ecf56bf4 stared at the building I e7fd33e875 had fled from for a e4f85ee778 long time, thinking of the 214e5a7fd5 ominous figure lurking inside.e6c8639f0f1d9337

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