Chapter 12
Hae-an, who had been searching through the large library as if tearing it apart, finally stopped in front of the place he had been desperately looking for.
<Religion & Humanities General Section>
It was a place completely unrelated to Kang Hae-an, a hardcore realist—but he walked in without hesitation.
“Baridegi… Princess Bari… Baridegi…”
Muttering with a serious expression, Hae-an paused. He immediately pulled out a thick book titled “History of Korean Shamanism – Baridegi Chapter.”
Without caring who was watching, he sat down on the library floor and began reading it carefully. As expected, just like the oral folktales he had heard as a child, it recorded that Princess Bari and Mu Jang-seung remained husband and wife until the end of their lives, ending in something like a happy ending.
But what? Not husband and wife, but enemies? Mu Jang-seung killed Bari’s entire family? And the reincarnation of that cruel underworld gatekeeper Mu Jang-seung is me, Kang Hae-an?
“Ha… if you’re going to scam people, at least get the history right!”
He slammed the book shut in anger. Other library visitors shot him sharp looks, disturbed by his outburst. Realizing his mistake, Hae-an quickly bowed his head and rubbed his pale face.
Even though he had vented in frustration, when he thought about it calmly, too many things were strange. Kim Bari’s existence—who does not age or die. Her tone, as if she knew everything about Kang Hae-an better than himself. And most importantly, those unbelievably vivid “memories”… that strange time slip to the Joseon era.
The more he thought, the deeper the problem became. Normally, he would find a solution immediately—but now his mind refused to work properly, which frustrated him.
“Do you have a severe headache? I can help you with that.”
A man approached him. Hae-an frowned and looked up at the polite voice.
“…Huh?”
He had assumed it was a librarian or another visitor—but he was wrong. Hae-an stared blankly at the unfamiliar man extending his hand.
He knew this face. He had definitely seen it somewhere. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be reacting like this.
“Mr. Kang Hae-an? We’ve met before, haven’t we?”
That damn woman. The fake shaman Kim Bari—this was the man she brought as her legal guardian when she first came to the police station as a witness.
Hae-an immediately recognized Dakjae. Dakjae smiled gently and grabbed his hand, helping him up.
And at that moment—an unbelievable scene unfolded.
A woman startled by a ringing phone digging through her bag, a man cleaning fog from his glasses with a cloth, a child begging his mother to buy a comic book, kids running around the library, employees pushing carts—
All of them… froze.
Time itself stopped, like a paused silent film.
“I simply paused the noisy humans so they wouldn’t disturb our conversation.”
Dakjae spoke calmly as Hae-an flinched.
“Don’t be so surprised. For a goblin like me, this level of sorcery is easy as eating rice cake while lying down.”
Another one. First a shaman claiming to be Princess Bari, and now a goblin.
Hae-an’s mind was spinning. He hit his own head out of frustration.
Damn it. Am I dreaming again? No. If this were a dream, his head wouldn’t hurt this much.
“By the way, your reaction is interesting.”
Dakjae picked up the Baridegi book Hae-an had left on the floor.
“You’ve already met a god in human form before, haven’t you? So my existence shouldn’t be surprising.”
“What did you say?”
“For example, that shaman Kim Bari, who is a god of Bari. And recently, the being who borrowed your body—he was the Jade Emperor.”
Dakjae smiled and placed the book back on the shelf.
Hae-an found Dakjae’s tone—like he knew everything—deeply irritating. Still, it made sense. He must be close to Kim Bari, so sharing information would be natural.
“No. That’s wrong.”
Dakjae shrugged as if he had already answered Hae-an’s thoughts.
“I don’t have casual conversations with Bari.”
“….”
“I’m a goblin, a creation of the Jade Emperor, so I only know things through him.”
Reading someone’s thoughts so casually—it felt like an abuse of divine power. Hae-an stood up, his mood dark, and shot Dakjae a hostile look.
Dakjae nodded as if expecting this.
“I know. You’re stubborn by nature, so this situation must feel ridiculous.”
“So why are you here? What do you want?”
Dakjae’s expression turned serious.
“From now on, I will ask you for something.”
Blue flames flickered in Dakjae’s eyes. Normally, a human would collapse under this pressure—but Hae-an was resisting it unknowingly.
As expected of Mu Jang-seung’s reincarnation.
Dakjae let out a dry laugh.
“Kim Bari. That woman’s sorrow and loneliness—do not ignore them any longer.”
At those words, Hae-an felt a strange emptiness in his chest, like something had been hollowed out. His eyes stung slightly, though he didn’t understand why.
But he didn’t show it.
“Devote yourself. Ask for forgiveness. And love her sincerely as her husband.”
Hae-an, listening silently, suddenly laughed in disbelief.
Ask for forgiveness? Love? On what basis?
Without his past-life memories, he could not connect himself to Kim Bari in any way.
Dakjae’s expression hardened.
“If even once again tears fall from Bari’s eyes because of you…”
His voice turned sharp.
“Then I will not forgive you.”
The smile on the goblin’s face at that moment was truly terrifying.
Meanwhile
“Hey, sis. You okay?”
Jomnye glanced at Bari and clicked her tongue.
Bari, grabbing her messy hair, shook her head.
Her reunion with Mu Jang-seung’s reincarnation should have been expected—but it wasn’t.
A flood of disgusting emotions hit her all at once.
“Jomnye, have you heard of PTSD?”
“Of course! I saw it on TV. PTSD.”
“You may look old, but your memory’s still sharp.”
“I’m trying hard so I don’t forget you and Dakjae, okay?”
Even joking didn’t help. Bari’s mood stayed ruined.
“I’m so pissed off!”
She slammed the divination table and stood up.
“It’s been so long since I divorced—no, was separated from—Mu Jang-seung, and yet I still have to hear nonsense about wife and remarriage?”
Jomnye smirked.
“So Hae-an rejected your proposal?”
“What proposal? Are you messing with me?”
“If you can’t avoid it, you might as well enjoy it.”
Bari glared at her.
“I showed him his past life and everything, and he still asks what I am. I feel like killing him.”
“Wait!”
Jomnye grabbed her hand in shock.
“You didn’t hit Hae-an, did you?”
“I told him if he hired a lawyer again, I’d burn all the luxury bags in the showroom.”
“Who did?”
“Who else? That old goblin Dakjae.”
Just then—
Without warning, Dakjae appeared and sat at the doorway.
“Who told you to talk about me when I’m not here?”
“Waaah! You scared me!”
Jomnye collapsed in shock.
Bari glanced at her lazily.
“You or him—both of you have never aged, so you don’t understand. Humans my age are supposed to die in their sleep!”
The young-faced Bari and Dakjae awkwardly smiled at the old woman’s outburst.
“Hey, Haetae. Where were you?”
Bari changed the subject.
“None of your business.”
Dakjae avoided her gaze.
