Chapter 40….
The Side Effects of Possession
“Brother… it’s me, Mansik.”
“Huh? No, that’s not right. You’re not my grandfather Mansik.”
“It’s me… Mansik. Changsik’s younger brother, Mansik……”
Chairman Yang had now become Mansik.
Mansik took slow steps toward Suhan… no, toward Changsik.
But the closer he came, the farther Changsik stepped back.
“No, you’re my little brother Mansik… Mom. Mom said she was waiting for you! She said when Mansik comes back, she’ll get some pork fat scraps and fry them up in kimchi stew.”
“Brother. Yeah, let’s go to Mom together……”
Mansik, with tears welling up in his eyes, stepped toward Changsik.
There was no way this could be a lie.
The poor…
The scraps of pork fat trimmed off and discarded at the butcher’s were the only greasy “luxury” they could ever taste.
Sometimes, when they managed to get some, they’d fry it up with old kimchi and eat together.
It wasn’t even meat—just mushy fat that melted in the mouth—but they still fought over every bite.
And when they chanced upon even a fingernail-sized piece of actual meat stuck to it, they felt indescribable happiness.
That flavor was one nobody could ever imitate.
Even if they cooked it the same way now, it wouldn’t taste the same.
The greatest luxury created by poverty.
But now, as a man who had long since become wealthy and full, Mansik could no longer taste it.
Just as he was taking a step back into those memories—suddenly, Changsik’s face turned red.
“Uh… huhk! Ughh! Mom! Mom! Mom! I can’t breathe!”
“B-Brother! What’s wrong? Brother, what’s happening?!”
He clutched his throat, covering his mouth, then collapsed to the floor convulsing like an epileptic.
“Brotheeer!”
Mansik rushed in panic, but Park Mansu was quicker, darting forward.
“Hey! Get him out! Idiot! Don’t hold it in, let him out already!”
“Kehuuhhk!”
“W-What’s going on?! What’s wrong with my brother?!”
Seeing Suhan thrashing on the floor in Mansu’s arms, Mansik was lost, unable to do anything.
At that moment, hearing the commotion, the secretary and bodyguards rushed in.
Damn.
Should I not have resisted?
It’s not like I did anything, but my whole body ached.
My throat felt scorched, and my body still reeked faintly of smoke.
“You coming back to your senses?”
First face I saw when I opened my eyes—Mansu.
And next… wait, what the hell?
“B-Brother?”
“Chairman. I’m not your brother.”
He just called me “Chairman” naturally.
I almost jumped.
I mean, how can I not be shocked when this old man suddenly calls me brother and clings to me?
“H-How… how did this happen? Where is my brother? Where did he go?”
“Unbelievable.”
Where’s his conscience?
Look at the state I’m in… Forget it. I should be understanding.
I saw him bawling his eyes and nose out earlier, a man in his seventies still desperately looking for his brother.
“M-My apologies.”
“Well, it’s fine.”
Honestly, I didn’t even have the energy to scold him anymore.
Him looking around nervously like that didn’t suit him at all.
He actually looked better being stubborn and commanding, like a proper chairman of a conglomerate.
“Why’d you resist?”
“Uh… you weren’t making much sense, so I held on a bit.”
“Crazy bastard.”
Mansu snapped at me with a sharp curse, his face stern.
It almost felt like a punch to the gut.
But oddly enough, it felt less like he was angry and more like he was worried.
So I just grumbled back.
“Why the hell are you swearing at me?”
“Because you’ll die if you keep that up. For real.”
“What?”
Now he was scaring me.
“You’ll die. Do you even know why I couldn’t handle that power?”
“Because your ‘vessel’ is the size of a soy sauce dish?”
“……”
Maybe I went too far?
Mansu sighed and explained.
“Yeah, part of it is because my vessel is that small. But there’s also times when, if the spirit’s will is stronger, I can’t break free by my own will. If that happens, I end up dying exactly the way the spirit died.”
“H-Huh? Even if it’s not something I actually experienced?”
“Don’t underestimate the damage spirits take. If one gets stabbed by a knife, your perfectly fine body gets pierced and gutted. If one hangs itself, your perfectly fine neck snaps in two. Got it?”
“Uh…”
Got it? Like hell I did.
I’d been underestimating him because of his nagging, but with that stern look, he suddenly seemed like a proper shaman.
And I could feel the genuine concern beneath the harsh words.
But still—
Grab!
“Gahk!”
I grabbed him by the collar.
“Why the hell are you only telling me this now?”
“W-Wait a second—!”
“You bastard! Why didn’t you say anything when it was that dangerous?!”
“B-Because… you’re different from me… You can pull out by your own will……”
What kind of excuse is that?
I threw my head back and slammed it forward.
Crack!
The satisfying thud of forehead on forehead—Mansu’s nose exploded in twin streams of blood as he went limp.
“You bastard… You left it out on purpose, didn’t you? Just so I wouldn’t refuse to help you!”
He was out cold in one blow.
I let him flop onto the bed I’d just risen from and turned to the old man.
“What a wicked fellow.”
Chairman Yang clicked his tongue at the unconscious Mansu.
He must have realized he still needed me if he wanted to see his brother again.
“You must’ve been busy in your younger years.”
“Huh? W-Well, I did live busily…”
“Yeah. Sticking to whichever side gave you an advantage.”
“Ahem. Let’s call it… good survival skills.”
With Mansu knocked out, the chairman and I began to talk.
“You actually believe me?”
“It’s hard not to, unless you somehow knew about my brother.”
“Well, since you believe me… to be frank, your brother’s not here anymore.”
“H-He vanished?”
“More like… he probably returned to where he was supposed to be. He called for his mother and disappeared quickly. Honestly, the fact he followed me here at all was unusual.”
The chairman grew restless, like he was about to run out and look for his brother right away.
“Tch. At your age, calling him just ‘Brother’ is ridiculous. At least say ‘Elder Brother.’”
“I-It just slipped out in that moment… Think about it. If I’d been calling him ‘brother’ my whole life, and then saw him again after decades, wouldn’t it be stranger to suddenly call him ‘elder brother’?”
My little jab calmed him down.
He seemed to understand that I was trying to steady him, and he looked at me more composedly.
“As I said earlier, the reason I resisted was because I couldn’t communicate properly with him.”
“It’s difficult.”
“But sometimes during possession, fragments of the spirit’s memories or experiences flow in. I wanted to see if I could catch a glimpse… but things went badly.”
“Hmm.”
He looked grave.
I figured it was better to be honest.
“See this? That shaman’s not a total fraud after all.”
I rolled up my sleeve.
Where my arm had been smooth before, it was now red and inflamed.
The chairman touched it and looked at me with wide eyes.
He must’ve felt the heat radiating from it.
It wasn’t a full burn, but it felt like I’d been scorched by fire.
Just like Mansu had said, I was affected.
“This is……”
“Looks like your brother died in a fire.”
“Ah……”
The chairman staggered, collapsing into a sofa.
He held his forehead, shaking his head in disbelief.
“So you didn’t know?”
“Back then… it seems he was recorded as a nameless drifter. If I’d looked more carefully, I might have realized we were related… I only received a belated report that he had died. That area didn’t keep proper residency records, you see……”
Listening to his bitter confession, I added:
“You’re probably right. When I was there, I saw plenty of spirits who died in the fire wandering about.”
“Really……”
“Spirits who die in fire often linger with resentment, appearing as they did when they died. It’s… not a pleasant sight.”
He flinched.
But I quickly reassured him.
“Your brother wasn’t like that. He looked fine. That’s partly why I let my guard down and didn’t realize I was being affected.”
“I-I see.”
“Well, we can wake that bastard up and ask him more.”
“Wake him?”
I clenched my fist.
“One good punch should do it.”
“Uh…”
“Wow. Look at that. He’s miraculously waking up.”
“Oww, my head……”
Mansu groaned, clutching his skull, blood still streaming from his nose.
I raised my fist again, ready to “treat” him.
“Sit up before I really punch you.”
“S-Sorry. I blacked out a bit.”
As expected.
Sitting bolt upright—better than any medicine.
“How much did you hear?”
“…From the part about the fire spirits.”
“When I saw him, he looked unharmed, even though he clearly died in the fire. Why’s that?”
“Could be he suffocated on smoke instead of burning. Or maybe his resentment outweighed the manner of death. But there might also be other factors at play.”
“Other factors?”
“Sometimes when a baby dies with its mother, they remain as mother-and-child spirits. That’s one type. But you said your guy looked old, right?”
“Yeah. Almost sixty.”
“Hmm. Could be that his spirit’s mental age froze younger, creating a similar bond… There are many possibilities. Needs more investigation.”
“He said he was going to find Mom. Then… if we go there, he might still be around, right?”
I glanced at the chairman.
His lips trembled as he said:
“Please… I beg you.”
He bowed his head, ashamed.
The next morning, after dawn, we went down to eat.
The previous night, it had grown late, and seeing my condition, the chairman hadn’t insisted we leave immediately.
As for Mansu’s nosebleed—well, since nothing was broken, it was fine.
A conglomerate was a conglomerate.
Even in this villa, they had a doctor on call.
“Huh?”
“Ahem.”
When I entered the dining hall, I was greeted by a full feast.
Lobster, sashimi, braised short ribs…
What country’s cuisine was this even?
The table was so packed there was no room left.
Definitely not the stingy old man from yesterday.
“Wow, this is……”
“Ahem. How is it? Yesterday’s meal was a bit lacking, wasn’t it?”
“You look like a nouveau riche.”
“……”
Oops. Maybe I got too casual with him after just one day.
But still—the spread looked like he’d gone all out, maybe to make amends.
Mansu, following behind, dropped his jaw as he sat down.
“Help yourselves.”
“Thanks for the food.”
With so many dishes, just tasting each one was enough to fill us.
When I worried about the waste, he said not to—staff would reheat and eat the leftovers.
After finishing our meal and tea, we hit the road again, spurred on by the chairman fidgeting like a puppy desperate to go out.
