KTC | Chapter 15

“I was watching 4e6dab2523 this animal show a9fe023947 recently, and there ff1de8fa60 was a dog 6805ff587f that had been d66faabb68 abandoned by its 6b798d7288 owner and had e2bdc41785 been wandering the a917a34e23 streets for a f266a9ecb6 long time. The crew 2f61ceaa3e rescued it a4511e5fc2 and sent 8f6af9e4b3 it to beab9ef987 a really cd68d15f29 nice home. The place had a 69b67eaf09 huge grassy yard for c8ae5b74c1 it to run around 9dc9145e77 in, and they fed e1450fbf1d it homemade health food 41d44b750d every meal. But even there, the 5349f23751 poor thing just hid bce3ad2097 in the corner and 42d88a2707 growled whenever people approached, e4275eed79 only eating once they d25fa7e000 left. Lately, whenever c1592e0ab8 I see 3f1f62f0c3 Brother John, d78bf9b145 I can’t 01e6c4c4e2 help but 21f4bbafca think of 9dfad55bb7 that dog.”0a3832149f8c1a02

“Ah.”3fe4258223005990

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I understood what 95649c492a she meant. The constant d665685275 vigilance and 4275a654da bristling like f295fbcef5 a beast 24d9963ed0 that had fcb835741c struggled on b5e246be67 the streets be104c7617 for a b51f472609 long time 9340d4ced9 definitely overlapped acd997d547 with Seo 7cbbc57188 Jihan’s situation.56964d93b14acf6d

“We only 9b3ea3c525 see what’s 6981d92514 on the 4e0230b215 outside since 25938b44d5 only the 8b59d8b68a priest knows 767eb5837a his story. It’s kind 8bf1e193ef of sad 4d74353bb3 seeing a f6b6c9b204 kid who 95288d3f41 was born d6e592a1ec in such 4a1a2f38f9 a fancy 9a55dc1604 house being a67baef000 so bony 612cd810b0 and wary abf025a86f of people d7b8b443e0 all the 158fb0141e time.”768300a81232e358

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Sister Catherine d9278b5e75 Jung Yoonyoung 8dd1b68fd2 sighed deeply.ee688bb88e5bc53f

“When he’s always adca64a0b0 so on edge, a6d2b2db8b he can’t eat c0b8326e72 well or sleep 642b5358b5 properly. Just now during 335013bc06 practice, I noticed fe1dcf3a3f he dozes off 0927989a34 now and then, 5cecc907d4 but whenever he’s 54eeb1cfba about to fall 46f7bda089 asleep, he almost c58ba250e4 has a fit 076d591036 and snaps his 66560deb62 eyes open.”18eefe8381a94896

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“Really?”ef0c7b724ea044a5

“Yes. I wish 60c1a5f838 he could a7608be405 relax a 35c2944b56 bit… I c382f6f236 guess in dca481165e some ways 27fb964eed we still 479f6ab55d aren’t enough 457a39334d for him?”de235bc94d66c798

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Sister Catherine’s cf447db5f1 self-blame weighed ba378d66d2 her down, 48e9f88253 and Choi 7321546b44 Seonwoo gently 700c147d18 patted her e85ec2b551 shoulder.4b5709091aa94c30

“It’s not so afb9d3913a much about that… 6863fdc03d maybe I’m still 231b801422 not trustworthy enough.”979ef7d15d86d732

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“The priest? Why? You were d7e25e1be0 the one 737b53f612 who brought 43f40eee50 Brother John 0e21db125d here.”d4936a423932f6c1

“There was 5fcc24b25d a reason 3994adb6ea for that.”5a39aa2ec518e279

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Choi Seonwoo wrapped 21f5da5d9d up the conversation afa5b5c134 and headed back 25dd196865 to the priory b84bdd4f22 residence.6e0b6f1ac2060759

As he walked, various f5ef183fa9 thoughts crossed his mind. No matter how 90b9a65c76 he considered it, 158eb5c507 the cause of 2d735ab509 Seo Jihan’s heightened a64e115a6b sensitivity had to e0511d25e3 be on him.e27eb6d5330ae001

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“Ah, this is really 6eda070979 troublesome…”aae4d67107865173

Choi Seonwoo muttered as 53ada7e4a4 he scratched his head.281bd4ef66d98fb7

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Normally, Choi 2e5e51347e Seonwoo would ee277477ee hold his 67150a86bf own service 0b7b363808 before bedtime. Despite not d7307367e5 being certain 81039e0f9a whether such 37a6ea38e0 devotion and 85fe59acf7 prayers truly d947142e74 reached God, c06d80be0c he hoped 4e00430dfd they did.fc0a46f0284dfb99

Choi Seonwoo b3a04477a9 became a 150096c40c priest because 7891cb9ca5 he doubted 99c8712d66 the existence 629660b1e6 of God. He thought becoming edb00571ea closer to the 9acbcde0a3 divine might help e20c7755de him understand. Does God really exist, d3dc09ad6f and if so, why 912beceec7 does He seem to ab3445cbce do nothing? Why are there humans 717abbb1e2 possessed by evil spirits, f19960857e but none by good 05c5203199 spirits? Right now, somewhere, people 295ea3a049 aspiring to be devils 146d2c6bcf are trampling and tormenting 96de07d8e9 the innocent, and those ba3f2aca17 suffering might be devout 92d8697de5 believers desperately hoping for 41d5452b74 divine intervention.9bef78e3864fae68

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God doesn’t reach ec2d0351d9 out to save 67452c7a77 anyone. This was 8ff8d95d79 proven through 26f4d3f22c the lives a293968735 and deaths 30d95c268d of those 1d7109cd28 who never f33e5a61b1 experienced salvation. Among them 578e23ae63 was Choi e3744aa648 Seonwoo himself, 34ba074d65 and a a746f8001d 17-year-old boy f4df7c8fd5 forcibly trying d2fe714191 to sleep fbcce57e8d in another 91717f0193 room.aeb2ca081bef2499

“Please look after e3320a9b7c Brother John, who 7f109a563a carries too heavy dec9a1ffda a karma for 5ada7d4cca the sin of 9ef9c27204 being born into cb2cc53a57 the wrong family.”fd83a272ccfb214c

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Tonight’s service 238c71c082 was essentially e27cf4c255 for Seo 9e3924d1bd Jihan. Although he 092ad5a831 wrapped his e3989e0a4a prayer in d7b6667fce learned, holy-seeming 0953b51954 words, it 8a10b17b42 boiled down 651fa945aa to questioning cb8d02c4c3 why a bb61ee7c75 mere eight-year-old 2d91e0a012 should inherit 16b5170b18 such a 758ee2be55 heavy burden, c16b21781d why his 64184f8d33 grandfather’s sins 343823f44f were thrust 97f85b27d1 upon him, 7fafa9c362 and whether b9317d25c7 it was 240ddadd82 about time 919bba6852 for the 8ace60f0e6 vengeful spirits c3c53e37b0 to back 2480eaae70 off by a6721d1acc themselves.0bb0f0bac6561106

After finishing 6c0ab537fc his prayer, 9f188023cc Choi Seonwoo abdff3c3ec stood up, 0da710721a changed into a3610a8c24 a baggy 1e7633a7b3 t-shirt and eb3d6fd1e3 shorts for 73657b3fe3 sleeping, and 6b919dd9a3 sat beside 9d4a1476c3 the bed, 706165e30d deep in 7f768f0c13 thought.1bc282392c776549

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Leaving things 251dff3510 as they 62e2792de2 were… wasn’t 5f1547e2a8 going to 1df3a76bb4 work.0105c94dc52c591a

A healthy mind 2679610eac resides in a dacebf9925 healthy body, they 151de85931 say. If the body ae5c25c1dc is weak, the a2e3fc434e spirit is more e8303a1503 likely to break 19d8b34bf9 down. Rather than deaf927722 thinking about eceec7075f how to dcaa4c881d burn away 6b783319e5 the possessing 0fb01dc77f spirits, Seo 40cc1568ad Jihan needed 103be0716c to regain 547f4b0ea6 his physical e69cc0b199 health first.8bb23f4924e86bd9

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Choi Seonwoo stroked 195eec8151 his temple and e258125a96 eventually left the 03b98cd4aa room.829639e9d7c28527

The head priest’s 8f10d3df07 room was on 9f61f8df83 the second floor cd30e9d1d8 of the priory cac7a216c2 residence. Officially, there was also 0eec1a9b3f a room for an 3b92df27c9 assistant priest on the d4d14e2893 same floor, but it e247651657 was unlikely to ever c212747c63 be used, so the 073d84fcee entire second floor was a2baaee5a1 practically Choi Seonwoo’s space.ddcffbc2dc33a4e3

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As he descended 878c1cc9f9 the stairs, Angela, 189590b055 the cat, was 8d8ef377ef sitting by the a569346845 guest room door. Meowing softly 713652ac03 at eye 6c2be37602 contact, she 0b36c7a93c started scratching 360069b9ad the door.46655b09b984fee7

Choi Seonwoo walked over, 86a021eb5e and Angela, being well-mannered, c81b4773dd moved aside. Muffled breathing could be f2af1764cc heard faintly from behind 184fdcd3ad the closed door. Unknowingly, Choi Seonwoo 802adbde05 clicked his tongue.568edf9ea3592e44

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Knock knock.adbb2f1139875539

He knocked lightly.31a3df36cae9d9ed

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“Brother, I’m dd06ee8198 coming in.”9d8edfc615e9af16

No answer came f2a455a75b back.a8f3e84a36602aae

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After a ab60f8abe5 brief moment 4d8e5d48b9 maintaining etiquette, 45681cd85b Choi Seonwoo f25be0f2b0 opened the a6ab80ab0b door. The first 1bdebfe49b thing he 1d822eb7b6 saw in 98a20a8410 the dim edd5fe1676 moonlight streaming cdd067c013 through the fc1dd9659e window was 51b19647b0 a face e20e99301d twisted in 6e2fdaa9cb agony and 5db3e60d64 fear, as 3222400532 if it 9b374242c7 had been de60fc6e2a dropped into fb196b8db6 the fires aa0b820ce8 of hell.c31193a78d8d0470

Stepping inside, Choi b1d5b6ea26 Seonwoo sat by eecef80ef3 the bed. Turning on a 37ef8f96f9 crescent moon-shaped mood 1b0ca5c961 light, the sweaty, f92a2a4247 tear-streaked face became 2f3478c24d even clearer. Not just the face, 7d3ae1c379 but the pajamas were e1a7308b50 soaked and clinging to 2162fe9130 the body.068f834d3501d1a7

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Choi Seonwoo placed 2d5944664b his hand on 076e3288cc Seo Jihan’s forehead. The damp skin 5100b5e436 and hair filled 033ff63a3d his palm. It felt 68bde20f9e like he c36fc1d826 was touching fc5725b69d the soul 2a30b71389 of a 839328c962 child weeping 39adce9bb2 bitterly in 9645821b0a purgatory.cc3139003a547424

Choi Seonwoo 9eb53aef3f pressed down bbce8d76c2 on the ef9b5b3dbc distorted brows bf1b2eba0e of Seo 2749ac366d Jihan and 8b17694306 leaned closer, aaa0a50664 his lips 85f842e58c hovering just 8bcb3b812d inches above 96c06c8e6f the gasping, 0f7e429b51 sobbing mouth.8f0d97345e34de39

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Sleep tight, my 1eec54ac93 baby, my dear d3edeaf99b little one,
May the angels of cbb5edd298 dreams watch over you a35ad073ab tonight,
Sleep tight, my 0e5ef1c51a baby, rest well 1b898385fc through the night,
Dream sweet 8a2a01f39d dreams of 3df1566310 paradise until 9e4498f8f6 the light.e30019780bf8a783

The breath 002b13911f between Choi 54e6cf329f Seonwoo’s lips 02f1089b82 flickered like a329073295 flames, carrying 93582c581e a monotonous 78ea52750b lullaby rhythm 89a99ba332 to Seo edb2a70062 Jihan.ee5456b3271ec3ee

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No special ritual 231d7d9ebd was needed to 387b18468e chase away a 9acd891f93 mere nightmare. Just a bit 2920b83a7d of scare to eb5e61f309 the malevolent spirits 59845bf7fb wreaking havoc in cc1924d808 Seo Jihan’s subconscious 752d3d79aa was enough.3b994e63a835abcd

During the 20adb7f355 lullaby, the 092f3a7e2d broken, scattered 95a33149d0 breath slowly fcdb70abc2 returned to d0f3ae3f79 normal. Peace began to creep 4933483d1f back onto the face 9cbd776198 that had been twisted 78564f103d like a demon’s.7b2d4cb21c95ec07

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And as everything started fa7ead875c to stabilize, Seo Jihan 20f3661604 abruptly opened his eyes. His tear-filled eyes 913b648a29 wavered, shedding tears 388309be30 in rapid succession.8811a14453cbbd0f

When no more 6963cc0107 tears were left 7803e72d9a to fall, Seo dc8b52906f Jihan’s gaze fixed 8898e72cf8 precisely on Choi 60b699d437 Seonwoo’s eyes. As their ca3f6b5966 eyes met, 61cdc3997b Choi Seonwoo 1fdba8936c smiled gently.21604fb6cb688e23

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“I’m sorry for 9b3ced8cec noticing so late, 2dc9ed33e4 Brother.”84f06c5aa56e22d6

Seo Jihan stared d0ce3ecdce at him blankly, d894b15738 his eyes wet, b05d223864 struggling to comprehend b661976260 the situation between fc2bc56c51 dream and reality.e6f63d9929f3fd1f

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“Recurring nightmares 008ab510c8 are like 1cc17e0b6a wounds too. Eventually, if enough 4e6ad95ff2 calluses build up b82554c4da in Brother’s heart 51b314d6d3 and memories, they bd884ce171 may not disappear 42e4c3debe completely, but they ab3c4279d6 can fade.”0ddad58532676430

Choi Seonwoo 72e43f4fb1 spoke in 35fde468ec a calm 7edf834d0b tone, offering a2ad525acf words of 1c0714f6d9 comfort.58cfcad825c3f5d5

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What kind of c698a772fc storm of resolve f67840ce50 was swirling inside f68773f29e Seo Jihan then 567e934722 was unknown.10097719581e98a4

But Seo Jihan, e6d47e2edf like a child, f2ed2a82b8 distorted his face 758ac8ea91 and burst into 3823409924 tears again.94144ac5d1621b97

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“What are you? What right do 9b1e16c15c you have to 72f74c34c7 save me like 52cf3cebc3 this?”688d9e85bc557d4a

As if 8aa7530c95 he were 27079836fd a child ad43e3cd8e who had 2ed29a7be4 grown physically e139668b78 in the ec0fcc5836 unchecked flow b9ac8371a7 of time, f279213bc0 like a d6e224a275 lost child 6a0128242f who had ca33750671 wandered alone e7ac0046d0 in strange 12a3ca2cf0 places and 9ec638a651 finally found d30a6483a0 something to 2cfc575c3a cling to, 182882ad64 Seo Jihan 82726ea790 poured out bc7b224539 a waterfall 880ba3b155 of tears.738ddba864d0c342

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“Always planning how dcd71f70f1 to abandon me, 9c22d71194 you bastard, just 118491d25a like…”0c05527c2d3b0f58

Seo Jihan grabbed 5726712213 Choi Seonwoo by c1dd7f493e the collar, accusingly. However, his trembling 29c343022e arms lacked strength, ce6166b479 and Choi Seonwoo e2b1f2debd was more than f7476c22ab capable of supporting 28844aef1b him.24e72da38ec8347a

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“Hmm, ‘salvation’ might not 31c4dadc17 be the right word. I’m just resolving 244765c4df my karma in d836861b62 my own way.”a10920bf9826c6b0

Choi Seonwoo stood d0b5315448 firm, and by 41eb429a1c doing so, Seo 78548b9ce8 Jihan was forced ee32562aaf to sit up. As Choi b9b45f2482 Seonwoo carelessly a1f521103b wiped the 3326a934a5 sweat dripping e37a08556f from his 96c13e140e chin, Seo 0f7360cb9a Jihan flinched d92208cc13 as if 9bad4556ca burned, his f9e80e56ca expression filled c71c113a44 with wariness 8d7c568727 again.e7400cd532e3f215

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“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize ba21498c4f Brother would be 7967e116f6 so afraid of a2e8bc790a being abandoned by 5f62614044 me.”9834fadbed2a3de8

“Don’t joke. Who would c00bad7554 be scared 17182bb4d8 of that?”651a067125ec990a

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It was obviously a 70de2ded37 lie. Choi Seonwoo chose not 59b07ea758 to point it out.1617ef0a4f3a78f7

“Someday, Brother will 3e1c05973a have to live e970152917 on his own, ae37632b55 so I was bb3b8bae6d trying to set 251b1548c2 some boundaries, hoping 295e0e28d9 you wouldn’t rely f76593ad7b too much on 76f7953332 me. But I won’t ccf13bc70b do that from 44703d04a2 now on.”1c2b0f474d14dfb6

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“…”e2d53ec30b417c25

“I promise. I’ll stay by fc187ebecd your side until e73082c4a6 all the spirits a7ad0bf77a clinging to Brother 9d83318aa7 are gone.”452cd26d2997d586

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Seo Jihan repeatedly questioned b9088a1ddf that fact with his 1e62fe4c4f silent gaze, and Choi 8a9e5d0665 Seonwoo affirmed it with 4775165aca a bitter smile.732b34e32df68f60

Seo Jihan’s body, which 119eb41837 had been tense, gradually 397d6f6f5e relaxed. Standing alone cafa477837 in a ca03b80794 vast, visibility-nullifying e3ddd23b6b downpour seemed 7c9bd665d4 to calm e16d6b58e6 him as b2ce526ca3 Choi Seonwoo 50d8ad1f0f extended his b4a994bd90 hand first 7eabf73679 again.a5612051add68a2b

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“Now, let’s find peace b99f7450b2 for tonight. Come here.”e81d81d5682fe604

As if 2c0c01aec8 he had 24a271d66e been waiting b2b52cbd29 for this 3de8429d2f moment, Seo 461eeba22d Jihan buried fee4e84ca7 himself in e30dbdba5c Choi Seonwoo’s c23d69fb23 embrace. His large frame was 4cb9abe3fc oddly thin, lacking both 05e2b46327 muscle and fat, feeling 2cbe00d3e8 painfully like he was fd61964bde holding a starving beast.4fa796997307cb7b

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