A plump body lay convulsing on the floor. Frothy foam bubbled out from between his purple-tinged lips. His small pupils had rolled back, seeing things that weren’t there.
“Ugh, guh…”
Ji Hyun-ho, sprawled casually on someone else’s couch, looked down at the fallen Ha Sung-joo with indifferent eyes.
The process of breaking someone’s mind had to be meticulous and precise. If the group that drove Lee Ye-jin to her death had all been in Jeju Island, he would have spent a long time thoroughly destroying every corner of their minds.
One by one. With great care.
But he was in Seoul now and only had five days left.
Even though he had been granted a month’s reprieve by the vengeful spirit, he had told Tae-eun they would only spend a week in Seoul because he knew the efficacy of his bone powder wouldn’t last that long.
As he predicted, leaving his domain and working to ruin the minds of eight people simultaneously every day consumed a lot of energy. One of them had to be made an example of, kneeling before Tae-eun, which made the nightly process even more challenging.
If he hadn’t ingested the bones, she might have already noticed how exhausted he was.
Ji Hyun-ho got up and kicked Ha Sung-joo’s stomach. With a thud, the flabby body flopped like a freshly caught fish. But Ha Sung-joo remained trapped in another world, seeing the hallucinated Lee Ye-jin his unconscious mind had conjured.
“Please, no, please…”
Thus, Ji Hyun-ho’s violence was meaningless. Though Ha Sung-joo might later wake up to find bruises and feel a dull pain, he couldn’t perceive the physical pain right now.
Thud! Thud! The kicks, once aimed at his stomach, moved lower, trampling his pathetic genitals. The kicks were so fierce that it wouldn’t have been surprising if one of his testicles burst.
This wasn’t part of the deal with the vengeful spirit. It was simply Ji Hyun-ho venting his anger.
He held a personal grudge against the man who had driven Song Tae-eun to the edge. His current chaotic emotions only added to it.
“Do you love me?”
His mind was entirely consumed by one woman. Knowing only how to take others’ sanity, he was at a loss when it came to his own emotions being devoured.
“I like you.”
Her bitter voice echoed in his ears. Displeased, he grabbed Ha Sung-joo by the scruff of his neck and swung his fist. Using his fists directly was not typical behavior for someone who controlled spirits.
Ha Sung-joo’s skin, which had been pale from lack of sunlight, began to turn a deep, bruised red. His lips split, and blood flowed from his nose. Even between his legs, the color darkened.
“Ha…”
After catching his breath, Ji Hyun-ho checked the time and straightened his clothes. He had left Tae-eun alone for too long. Leaving a shadow behind to keep an eye on Ha Sung-joo, he exited the apartment.
When he returned to the hotel, the woman who had eagerly awaited him on the first night was nowhere to be seen. He felt a mix of relief and growing anxiety.
Unlike in Hajung-ri, he couldn’t attach a shadow to her here. Just keeping an eye on the employees of Daesung Semiconductors took a significant amount of energy. He needed a spacious and cozy room to keep her safe.
He could hear Tae-eun’s steady breathing from upstairs. Without making a sound, he went up to the bedroom to check on her. She was curled up, facing away from him.
“Song Tae-eun.”
Knowing she was asleep, he still called her name softly. She didn’t stir, her face buried deeply in the pillow. He approached silently and gazed at her sleeping face.
“Damn it…”
Even in the dim room, the tear tracks on her cheeks were clearly visible. Her face was red from being wiped roughly with a tissue, and her thick eyelashes were clumped together, still wet.
Ji Hyun-ho raked his fingers through his disheveled hair and slumped to the floor. Seeing a woman cry because of him used to give him a sense of satisfaction, but now it only made heat rise from deep within him.
He wished Ha Sung-joo were here. He would have unleashed all his misdirected anger on that bastard, ensuring he never opened his eyes again.
But the arrows of blame he held kept stabbing himself. The reason she was crying was entirely his fault, he thought bitterly. It was because he had ignored her.
“Do you like me?”
Hyun-ho’s eyes gleamed brightly in the darkness, hungrily devouring Tae-eun’s face.
Was he hoping to hear the same words in return? Would that make her stay by his side, never thinking of leaving for Seoul again, living in their small village, believing only in his sweet whispers until death?
If that was what it took, he could do it.
Though he couldn’t fully understand the emotion, he could mimic it, just like he mimicked other human behaviors. If saying “I like you” now and then could keep her by his side, he was willing to move his tongue.
“Ji Hyun-ho will disappear along with Song Tae-eun when her life ends.”
The proposal Yoon Jung-hee had made on their first day in Seoul had greatly appealed to him.
He had endured so many years that even the reason for his existence as a vengeful spirit had faded. Spending the final moments of that time with Song Tae-eun seemed like the perfect end.
So, his new goal became to end this endless existence after she died. If he could spend the remaining decades with her, he would say whatever was necessary.
“…I like you.”
Hyun-ho’s deep voice echoed softly. Tae-eun’s eyelids twitched in response.
Watching her slowly awaken, he spoke again.
“I like you, Noona.”
Tae-eun slowly opened her eyes and looked at him with clear, bright pupils. For a moment, a powerful grip tightened around his heart. As they silently exchanged glances, his heart twisted painfully and beat anxiously.
No matter the lie, his physical reactions had always been consistent. But today, his body seemed to rebel fiercely. Even his fingers twitched, forcing him to clench his fist tightly.
“I like you.”
But he repeated the confession with a calm face.
Tae-eun stared at him blankly before closing her eyes again. She soon resumed her soft, even breathing, as if she had only briefly woken up in her sleep.
Hyun-ho exhaled the breath he had been holding, slowly and repeatedly. His unfamiliar heartbeat gradually returned to its regular rhythm. The tension left his hands, which had turned white from gripping so hard.
Yet, he couldn’t get up. Like a castaway sending out a distress signal and waiting for a response, he sat there, staring at Tae-eun.
Somehow, he felt he could understand why she had cried.
***
The three-hour musical had been incredibly enjoyable. Though she had grown used to the quiet life in Hajung-ri and felt drained by the constant crowds in Seoul, the city definitely had a lot of fun things to offer.
“I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Okay, I’ll wait here.”
So, Tae-eun found herself smiling naturally at Hyun-ho. After hearing his confession in her sleep and then having breakfast with him, she hadn’t been able to meet his eyes. But after watching the exciting musical, she felt closer to him again.
She was absorbed in searching for reviews of the musical on her phone as she approached the long line in front of the bathroom.
That’s why she didn’t notice someone staggering toward her.
“Assistant Manager Song Tae-eun?”
Startled, Tae-eun looked up to see a young woman staring at her as if she had seen a ghost. It was Park Min-seo, an assistant manager from her old team.
Recognizing her former colleague, who held many bad memories, Tae-eun’s expression hardened. She forced herself to maintain eye contact and greeted her stiffly.
“Hello, Assistant Manager.”
But, just as she had often done while they worked together, Min-seo didn’t return the greeting. The painful memories of being ostracized for two years began to resurface.
Tae-eun clenched her teeth and turned away. She had fought hard to escape that pit, and she couldn’t let herself be dragged back in. Her mother had pulled her out, her father had prepared a clean and warm room for her, and Dodam had welcomed her back to her hometown.
So, she was someone who needed to start anew, not someone who should be entangled in the past.
As she exited the secluded hallway where the bathroom was located, she saw Hyun-ho, towering above the crowd. Yes, now she had a wonderful boyfriend who made her heart race.
So, she couldn’t cry.
“Assistant Manager!”
A shout from behind made Tae-eun stop in her tracks and turn around. Park Min-seo, pale as a ghost, ran towards her and grabbed her arm.
“Noona.”
Sensing something was wrong, Hyun-ho hurried over and pulled Tae-eun into his embrace. However, Park Min-seo’s grip was fierce and unrelenting.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Hyun-ho growled in a low voice, forcibly prying Park Min-seo’s hand off Tae-eun. While Tae-eun stood there in shock, he rolled up her sleeve to inspect the reddened arm.
“Assistant Manager, I’m sorry!”
Park Min-seo suddenly dropped to her knees, begging with her hands clasped together. Tae-eun, taken aback, stepped back, but Min-seo crawled over and grabbed her ankle.
“I’m really sorry, Assistant Manager. Please forgive me.”
People around them began to murmur, some even taking out their phones to snap pictures. Tae-eun, flustered, looked back and forth between the rigid Hyun-ho and the pleading Min-seo.
“Why are you doing this? Please stand up.”
She tried to pry Min-seo’s hands off her ankle, but Min-seo, her face ashen, reached for Tae-eun’s shoes.
“Please stop. Why are you doing this?”
“Aagh!”
Suddenly, Hyun-ho stomped on Min-seo’s hand. Tae-eun looked up at him in shock as he shielded her from view, blocking her from the scene. His deep voice cut through the tension.
“What exactly did you do wrong?”
🍉🍉🍉
