Whisper Chapter 26

I don’t know what kind of glory she expects to gain by being so greedy, but since Kim Yeon-mi had no power, she had no choice but to follow her sister’s words. In Yeon-mi’s opinion, the money she was earning now was already a fortune.  

 

Kim Jin-mi was a shaman who mainly performed exorcism rituals, and the price of a single ritual was beyond imagination.  

 

Yeon-mi couldn’t understand why people would spend so much money on rituals, but in the end, she was able to live off them as well. Moreover, Jin-mi had a spiritual daughter, yet she still desired another successor, which Yeon-mi found incomprehensible.  

 

“If you’re going to talk like that, get out.”  

 

“I was wrong. I’m fine as I am now, and besides, there’s Yeon-ju.”  

 

“You don’t understand. They are on a whole different level from us. A spiritual daughter? Hah! A fake is still a fake, no matter how it’s made.”    

 

Kim Jin-mi retorted sharply. She, too, had started as a spiritual daughter and became a shaman. The shaman she had served was a fraud, someone with an incredible talent for deceiving people—almost like a cult leader.  

 

Kim Jin-mi considered herself half a fraud as well. It was her complex, and it made her yearn for something real.  

 

“Even Assemblyman Im treats me differently from that elder.”  

 

She hated that. Even when they were both being used, the attitude toward them was different.  

 

Since ancient times, those in Sausan (禗祐山) had always commanded the deference of the powerful. Under Heo Gwiryeon’s generation, that influence gradually diminished, but that was due to Heo Gwiryeon’s own will. She must have spent a long time preparing to sever that lineage.  

 

Heo Gwiryeon might think it’s all coming to an end now, but that can’t be allowed. How could she let something so great be cut off?  

 

The thought of possessing it made Kim Jin-mi let out a laugh through her lips. Her face twisted grotesquely as she smiled with an eerie glint in her eyes.  

 

***  

 

  

 

Back in elementary school, she had been ostracized and subjected to small acts of bullying. It was a rural school with a small number of students, so everyone knew about Lee Heewoo’s circumstances.  

 

Yet, there was no one to take Heewoo’s side. That exhausted her. Even when she was treated unfairly, other children had their mothers, fathers, and grandmothers to stand up for them—but Heewoo was always alone. Overcome with loneliness, she often cried on her way back to the shrine.  

 

Even in those moments, she resented the ghosts she could see, and she cried even harder.  

 

That loneliness built up and hardened in her chest—until she met Cha Gyeol, and everything burst like a floodgate.  

 

‘Take your damn brat and go to the hospital together. Who the hell do you think you’re screeching at? Fucking hell, you gonna make me take responsibility for your kid getting scared?’  

 

Those words made Heewoo cry even more bitterly than when she had been sobbing alone out of sheer loneliness.  

 

She buried her face against Cha Gyeol’s shoulder as he suddenly lifted her into his arms, holding her as if cradling a child.  

 

‘Little Miss, you must have been so sad without your mom. It’s okay. Cry all you want.’  

 

  

 

His words felt like they saw right through her heart. When she lifted her tear-filled eyes to look at him, he simply responded,  

 

‘Yeah, I know. I’ve been without a mom, too.’  

 

He answered as if it were nothing, gently stroking Heewoo’s back. Now that she thought about it, she knew so little about him.  

 

Leaning one arm on the back of her seat, she quietly watched as Cha Gyeol tilted his glass.  

 

He was listening to Jang Pal-yong and Park Sae-min, but when he turned his head and met her gaze, he looked at her indifferently before turning away again.  

 

Cha Gyeol had been carrying Heewoo toward the office when he ran into Jang Pal-yong and Park Sae-min. Changing his destination, he took her to a nearby bar they frequented.  

 

The owner, who was preparing to open, didn’t seem surprised—as if this kind of situation happened often—and got things ready for them.  

 

Heewoo shifted her gaze back to her phone screen. But honestly, even though she could access a whole different world with a simple touch, she preferred looking at Cha Gyeol a little more.  

 

Still, Jang Pal-yong and Park Sae-min seemed to have something to talk about, and Heewoo was good at making herself invisible when needed. She could sit still without being a disturbance.  

 

“This is weird, right?”  

 

Jang Pal-yong leaned in excessively, whispering conspiratorially.  

 

Park Sae-min, who had been struggling to keep himself from glancing back and forth between Cha Gyeol and Heewoo, finally managed to restrain himself.  

 

The three of them often came here during early hours when there were no other customers, leaving just as the bar started getting busy. Cha Gyeol wasn’t fond of people, Jang Pal-yong preferred watching dramas at home, and Park Sae-min liked having shorter working hours.    

 

“You’re the weirdest one, Pal-yong.”    

 

At the dry response, Jang Pal-yong clicked his tongue and took a sip of his drink. Well, it wasn’t like Cha Gyeol ever reacted properly to anything anyway.  

 

“But still, isn’t there something about Heewoo? You know, that thing—”  

 

“Hey, Jang Pal-yong. That’s not the kind of thing you say when two people are dating.”  

 

Clack!  

 

The sound of a glass slamming onto the table made Jang Pal-yong and Park Sae-min immediately shut their mouths. A chilling air spread through the space. The two men only rolled their eyes at each other before awkwardly turning their heads, like malfunctioning robots.  

 

“Interesting.”  

 

Unlike the upward curve of his lips, Park Sae-min’s posture became more respectful under the fierce gaze.  

 

Damn that Jang. I shouldn’t have trusted his words. But what I saw outside earlier was clearly the image of a couple in a relationship.  

 

Park Sae-min recalled the sight of Cha Gyeol carrying Lee Heewoo earlier. He had lived long enough to experience the kind of shock that rendered one speechless. He tried to call Jang Pal-yong, who hadn’t seen the scene because he was looking elsewhere, but after calling “Jang” several times without response, he got frustrated and just smacked his arm. When Jang Pal-yong finally saw what was happening, he dropped the jacket he had been holding.  

 

‘T-That… Wow. Wow. This is insane. Absolutely insane.’    

 

The gazes of the surrounding people were all drawn to them, but true to his nature, Cha Gyeol didn’t care in the slightest and acted as if the two of them were the only ones in the world. 

 

‘…Respect for you, boss.’    

 

Because going crazy like that wasn’t an easy thing to do.  

 

“Are you two not dating? Who’s dating whom?”    

 

With his voice lowered in a soft but firm tone, Cha Gyeol asked, looking at Jang Pal-yong with a smirk.  

 

“…Aren’t you? If that’s not dating, then what is? Then what exactly does it take to be dating?”  

 

Jang Pal-yong asked as if he were genuinely curious. Park Sae-min also nodded along vigorously in agreement.   

 

“Well, it’s not like Pal-yong has ever been in a proper relationship.”    

 

At Cha Gyeol’s remark, Jang Pal-yong huffed and flared his nostrils in protest. Park Sae-min, absentmindedly nodding along, then tilted his head. If carrying someone so tenderly in public, as if cradling something precious, wasn’t dating… then what was it?  

 

But Park Sae-min wisely chose to keep his curiosity to himself. Whether they were dating or not, that was their business. It wasn’t his love life, after all.   

 

“Fine, do whatever you want. Anyway, I’ve told you everything. You can either take your shot or not.”  

 

Jang Pal-yong, who had been reaching for some fruit from the side dishes, suddenly blinked in surprise.  

 

He had been so caught up in their conversation that he had forgotten they weren’t alone. When he quickly turned his head toward Cha Gyeol, he saw Lee Heewoo sitting quietly, looking at her phone. As if she were separated from the world by an invisible barrier, she remained undisturbed, as if she heard nothing.  

 

“What are you looking at?”  

 

Cha Gyeol suddenly blurted out, perhaps noticing that they had been staring too intently.  

 

Even now, you’re saying it’s not what it looks like? Damn, anyone would think she was your own child.  

 

“Heewoo, you’re really good at acting like you’re not there.”  

 

“Hm, it’s a skill. Don’t mind her.”  

 

Did I mishear that? Why did that sound like he was proud of it?  

 

Jang Pal-yong glanced at Park Sae-min with a questioning look, and Park Sae-min’s expression wavered.  

 

Hey… just asking, but… did the boss actually give birth to her?  

 

Damn it.  

 

Jang Pal-yong and Park Sae-min both grabbed their drinks at the same time and took a large swig.  

 

When Cha Gyeol rose from his seat, Lee Heewoo finally lifted her head.  

 

“Sir?”  

 

“I’m going to the restroom.”  

 

Lee Heewoo nodded and watched him move with her eyes.  

 

Her gaze followed him as if he were an exile being sent away to some distant land. It felt inappropriate to say this about someone with that face, but… Cha Gyeol and Lee Heewoo were being absurd—so absurd it was ridiculous.  

 

“Heewoo, instead of juice, how about a drink? You’ve had alcohol before, right?”    

 

Jang Pal-yong, who usually tried to speak in standard Korean but always ended up with an odd dialect, asked.  

 

Lee Heewoo stared at the bottle of alcohol. Jang Pal-yong grinned and shook a new cup.  

 

She stared at the new cup, the bottle, and then at the empty space above them before she hesitated and held out both hands.  

 

“Give it to me.”  

 

“Damn, that bastard Cha just drinks on his own and doesn’t care about anyone else.”  

 

With Cha Gyeol off to the restroom, the three left behind quietly began crafting their own coffins.  

 

***  

 

After going to the restroom, smoking a cigarette, and answering a call, Cha Gyeol returned to a peculiar scene.  

 

Jang Pal-yong and Park Sae-min were watching Lee Heewoo with expressions like proud grandfathers enjoying their grandchild’s adorable antics.  

 

Meanwhile, the “grandchild” in question, Lee Heewoo, was gesturing enthusiastically, clearly having a blast.  

 

None of them noticed Cha Gyeol approaching. It was only when he was practically right beside them that they realized he was there.  

 

While Jang Pal-yong and Park Sae-min immediately shut their mouths upon seeing his face, Lee Heewoo continued to smile.  

 

“Oh, look, he is back!”