Chapter 3
First Tale
A Bolt from the Blue
Siha’s partner was Dokgo Kyung, but now Dokgo Kyung’s legs were barely able to support him, and Siha hadn’t managed to find a new partner to replace Kyung.
“But it was you who brought the client to me.”
“That was just to get the job accepted. I meant for you to find a partner and resolve it slowly.”
“It’s fine. I can handle it alone.”
At Siha’s words, Kyung narrowed his eyes.
“You… don’t have any money?”
It hit the mark, but Siha answered as calmly as possible.
“No, it’s not that. Even without you, I can handle this kind of thing on my own. I need to get used to working alone.”
Kyung didn’t believe him.
“If it’s a money problem, you could just tell me or our mother. Why are you trying to struggle alone?”
“It’s not like that…”
“I’ll send a million won to your account, so just accept it quietly.”
“Sister!”
Kyung pulled out his phone as if he really intended to transfer the money, and Siha panicked, trying to stop him.
“Don’t! You know I hate that the most, so why…!”
“You’re only twenty-one! Even though you’re an adult, you’re still a college student—there’s no shame in accepting family support!”
“Everyone else lives by working part-time jobs too!”
A brief, light struggle ensued between Kyung trying to send the transfer and Siha preventing it.
“I spoke with my father. I think you can come to our house now.”
It was Minjeong’s return that finally stopped Siha’s actions.
Minjeong watched the two with a puzzled expression, and Kyung quickly pressed the transfer button.
“All done! Money sent!”
“Sister!”
Siha raised his voice without realizing it, but Kyung cheerfully got up with his crutches.
“Shall we go?”
Leading Minjeong, Kyung left with Siha trailing behind, clearly displeased.
Because of his injured leg, Kyung couldn’t drive, so they left the car behind. Fortunately, Minjeong had her own car, and they headed to her house in it.
Minjeong’s house was nothing particularly special.
Kyung scanned the interior in a short time. It was an ordinary apartment, and the overall atmosphere wasn’t bad.
However, there was a dark energy emanating from the master bedroom…
“Dad, I’m home.”
Even with Minjeong’s greeting, her father didn’t emerge from the firmly closed bedroom door.
Minjeong knocked, but there was no answer.
“Excuse me, can we go in first?”
“Yes.”
Kyung’s words prompted Minjeong to cautiously open the bedroom door.
“Dad, I’m coming in.”
The bedroom was dark without the lights on, and a faint stench, like sewage, lingered.
It wasn’t overwhelmingly bad, but unpleasant enough. It was different from what people might call “bachelor smell.”
Minjeong’s father sat on the edge of the bed, muttering to himself. When he noticed their presence, he lifted his head and stared blankly at Minjeong and the others, utterly devoid of vitality.
In a hoarse voice, he spoke.
“You’re here.”
“Y-yes, I’m back.”
Minjeong greeted cautiously, and he lowered his head again, murmuring something.
“I should have died back then. I should have died. I should have died…”
Hearing this, Minjeong, fearing he might truly harm himself, stepped forward and knelt to meet his eye level.
“Dad, don’t. Please don’t say that. It’s okay. Why would you have to die? Right? Why would you have to die?”
At Minjeong’s tearful voice, the man looked at her again, blankly but recognizing her at least.
“Everything I do goes wrong. Nothing works out! Even what I’ve built gets taken away… They want me to die. They’re telling me to die…”
He began striking his chest and crying, and Minjeong shook her head violently, crying too.
“No, no! That can happen sometimes in life. You’ve done nothing wrong! Don’t die! Don’t talk about dying! If you weren’t here, what would Mom and I do?”
“I don’t want to live like this… I don’t want to live like this.”
“It’s not your fault, Dad. It’s not your fault…”
Ignoring Siha and Kyung, Minjeong wept uncontrollably.
The man paused hitting his chest and asked Minjeong:
“Oh… really? You think it’s okay if I don’t die?”
“Yes! Of course!”
At her words, the man suddenly shivered, trembling violently and seizing up. His face and eyes turned red. Minjeong was terrified, but didn’t step back.
“Then those bastards should have died! Those bastards! I should have killed them! They deceived me! Betrayed me! Those worthless bastards…!”
He then noticed the strangers in his house and glared at Siha and Kyung.
“You two? You came to mock me too?”
“Sir, what are you saying?”
Kyung spoke gently, but the man shouted even more violently.
“Don’t lie! You worthless fools!”
He shoved Minjeong aside and stormed past Siha and Kyung into the room. They let him go without intervening.
He headed straight to the kitchen, grabbing a kitchen knife from the knife block.
“Dad!”
Minjeong ran after him, pale as a sheet.
“Die! Die! Die!”
“Dad! Dad, stop! What are you going to do with that knife?”
“Die! The bitches who came to mock me! I’ll kill them!”
Minjeong couldn’t intervene recklessly as he waved the knife with both hands. Any rash move could have serious consequences.
From a few steps back, tears streaming, Kyung finally stepped forward.
“Sir, sir. Calm down first.”
The man glared at Kyung with eyes wide open.
“You’re a bit excited right now. Please put the knife down and let’s talk?”
“Shut up! You pigs! You’re all the same as those bastards who deceived me! I’ll kill you with my own hands!”
“Oh dear, sir. We’re not here to mock you. It must be hard to calm down on your own. We’ll help you.”
Kyung’s voice had no trace of tension. The man lunged at Kyung with the knife.
“Get lost!”
“Such a harsh thing to say. I already took a deposit, so I can’t leave.”
“You die too!”
The man rushed Kyung, his voice oppressed by some invisible force. Minjeong screamed at the top of her lungs.
Siha silently moved beside the man, subtly striking his wrist to drop the knife, then twisting his elbow to subdue him.
Even so, given the man’s strength far exceeding an average adult male’s, Siha was pushed back slightly.
Just as Siha was about to fall, Kyung quickly affixed a talisman to the man.
Instantly, he collapsed, foaming at the mouth as if nothing had happened. Kyung removed the knife and other sharp objects far away.
“Dad!”
Minjeong shook him, but he was unconscious.
Panicked, she asked Kyung:
“Is it okay for him to be like this? It’s not wrong, is it?”
“He’s not wrong. We just subdued his energy with a talisman.”
“Does that mean it’s all over now?”
Relief crossed Minjeong’s face, but Siha shook his head.
“It’s temporary. The absorbed Eodukseoni hasn’t disappeared.”
“What? Then what do we do?”
“The Eodukseoni itself isn’t a big problem. We could remove it now, but…”
“But what?”
“The stronger the Eodukseoni, the more likely other malevolent spirits attached to it. If we remove it, they’ll definitely emerge. The question is what comes out…”
“What do we do then?”
“If it’s minor, it’s easy. If it’s tricky, we need preparation. That’s why we can’t just touch it. You can’t fight something unknown unprepared, or it’ll be disastrous. First, we need to identify the spirit.”
Minjeong’s expression darkened again, and Kyung asked for permission:
“Excuse me, but we need to inspect the house.”
He limped around, checking every corner.
Opening doors, Kyung found several long cases on the balcony where miscellaneous items were stored.
“What’s that?”
“Fishing rods. Dad used to enjoy fishing…”
“Hmm…”
Kyung stroked his chin and asked again:
“When was the last time your father went fishing?”
“About three months ago.”
“When did his symptoms worsen?”
“Also about three months ago.”
Minjeong immediately understood the situation.
“You think something attached to him at the fishing spot, right? What is it? Some water spirit?”
“Calm down first… I already told you it’s not a ghost, right? Water spirits can’t easily leave the water. They cling to humans to make them share the same fate. So it’s something else that possessed your father.”
“Then what is it?”
“Which fishing spot did he go to?”
“A reservoir.”
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s see… Since humans built it, it’s not native… and the smell is foul.”
Hearing Kyung’s summary, Siha spoke up:
“I’ll go check the reservoir.”
