Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Heaven Sent 3
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Kang Ibi stepped into the snack bar and casually glanced around the interior. Since it was in the same building and on the same floor, the layout was identical to the shrine she'd just been in.
"Would you like to order?"
Ibi, who had been standing there for a moment, approached the counter upon hearing that. She picked out some safe options like tteokbokki and fried snacks, then headed back to the shrine.
As she opened the door, the eerie scene sent a chill down her spine for no good reason. She'd boasted that she was fine, but she couldn't help the goosebumps creeping up on her.
But after everything she'd been through lately, she couldn't let something like this get to her. She steeled her gaze and boldly stepped inside.
"Oppa. I got something to eat. Dig in."
No response. She rolled her eyes around to check. Haewon was slumped against the wall, fast asleep.
Well, looking at him, he was zombie-level exhausted—could've dropped dead right then and no one would bat an eye. Ibi leaned back against the wall herself and rolled her eyes lazily.
She considered eating some of the food she'd brought, but chowing down alone in this empty, hollow atmosphere where she'd bought it to share with him didn't sound fun at all.
She sat there blankly, staring up at the ceiling. She had no idea how she'd gotten tangled up in something like this. Unlike with the Guest, this time she'd stuck her nose in of her own accord. Still, she had a foreboding feeling that her life from here on out would be completely different from before.
Come to think of it, this shrine had the same structure as the snack bar, but it seemed a bit smaller. Maybe because all sorts of junk was scattered around.
Random thoughts started drifting through her mind. Before long, her eyelids grew heavy. She hadn't realized how tired she was. In no time, she drifted off into a deep sleep.
When she opened her eyes and stretched, a blanket she hadn't noticed before tumbled down. It had a faint musty smell.
"Huh?"
When she looked up, Ibi instinctively shrank back a little. For a split second, she'd forgotten where she'd fallen asleep. Waking up in a shrine thick with ominous energy was enough to startle anyone.
"All that tough talk, but you were scared after all, huh?"
Looking toward the voice, Haewon was gazing at her with a soft expression.
He still looked worn out, but he'd at least washed up—his eyes were cleaner now. There was even a bandage on his forehead from who-knows-where.
Realizing she'd conked out right there in the shrine, Ibi felt instantly sheepish. Way to lose my cool.
She cleared her throat a couple of times and spoke up.
"Oppa, you feeling better now?"
"Better... I wouldn't go that far."
Haewon furrowed his brow slightly and tilted his head.
"My head's a bit clearer, at least. Thanks."
"No problem. Well..."
She started to downplay it but trailed off. On second thought, it really was thanks to her.
"Can I eat this? You got it for me, right?"
"Oh, yeah!"
The two portions of street food she'd gone out of her way to buy yesterday had gone completely cold overnight. Ibi pulled a face. Should've eaten it while it was hot.
"No microwave here?"
"Haha... Might've been one back in the day."
Meaning there wasn't now. In the end, they sat on the floor and picked at the exploded tteokbokki and stale fritters.
No windows in the shrine, so there was no telling what time it was. Probably morning, roughly.
"So, you're really gonna help me out?"
Ibi nodded nonchalantly.
"It's life or death. Can't just sit this one out."
"Just so you know, we could turn this place upside down and still not find what I'm after."
Ibi, mid-bite of the tasteless tteokbokki, tilted her chin up.
"Then why are you hanging around here?"
"It's the only lead I've got right now."
Ibi fell silent for a bit. Then she shrugged once. Meaning nothing was gonna change.
They finished their meal roughly. No time to waste—they got right to it.
Whatever it took, find proof that the engagement was bogus. That's all.
Not that she knew how, or if such a thing even existed.
Still beats doing nothing.
As soon as Ibi started in on the task, her head began to ache.
At first, she figured a space smaller than 100 square feet wouldn't take long. But she quickly learned that carefully inspecting years of accumulated junk and knickknacks one by one was no easy feat.
Not that it was all that surprising, really. The basement at Flower Mugwort Tea House wasn't much bigger, yet it was piled high with endless stuff.
In the end, fed up, Ibi decided to start with some organizing.
Haewon, who'd been ransacking the place like a detective hunting movie clues—and who'd contributed a fair share to the mess—looked baffled by the instruction.
But Ibi figured no amount of time would yield results in this chaos.
Despite his sharp nature, Haewon clearly had no knack for tidying. Directing him around like this, Ibi even felt like she was bossing around a farmhand.
It was well past lunchtime by the time the sorting wrapped up. They ordered jjajangmyeon from the Chinese place in the same strip mall, ate, and dove back in.
"Feels like I'm helping you move or something."
Haewon chuckled softly at Ibi's words, amused.
The morning's work had already drained her, but they didn't have the luxury of slacking. Now that the shrine finally had some semblance of order, they dug through it over and over.
"My mom used to write in her diary every single day without fail. If we find it, maybe it'll tell us something."
Ibi nodded as she rummaged through the back of a worn mother-of-pearl dresser. Dust puffed up, making her cough.
Time passed, and evening came. But there were no real breakthroughs. Ibi was disappointed. Not as much as Haewon, though.
At some point, Haewon had grown quiet. Glancing back, he seemed spaced out, lost in a daze.
When he noticed Ibi looking, his forced grin was heartbreaking.
"Head home. It's late."
"Oppa..."
"You're beat too. You told me to rest up, right? Go home, sleep it off, and come back tomorrow. Got it?"
"..."
She worried about leaving him alone, but he wasn't wrong. After crashing here unintentionally last night, her body felt stiff all over.
In the end, she did as he said. Went home, showered, and hit the bed.
Just a little while ago, she couldn't have imagined throwing herself into someone else's mess like this. But even if they hadn't known each other long, it wasn't easy to just walk away after seeing someone suffer like that right in front of her.
The next day, Ibi woke up and headed to Flower Mugwort Tea House first. The moment she saw Aerin, she asked if she could take the day off.
Aerin didn't seem surprised and said it was fine. She'd already guessed it was about Haewon.
By then, Ibi had some hopes up. In her eyes, Aerin was just as enigmatic as Nati. Even if not on his level, maybe she could expect some help from her?
But without Ibi even bringing it up, Aerin shook her head.
"I can't help."
Ibi deflated instantly. Aerin gave her a small, apologetic smile.
"If Nati says there's nothing he can do, then there's truly nothing I can do either. Sorry."
"But you let me help Oppa. Why's that okay?"
"No need for me to stop you from flailing around, is there?"
"..."
She still didn't get it. This Ghost Bridge Society she'd unwittingly gotten involved with.
Whether these people were truly good. Whether she could trust them.
For now, she grabbed Mina, who'd just come out to the shop, and headed back to the shrine. Surprisingly, Mina followed without complaint.
From that time at the temple too—despite her claims, she wasn't as heartless as she let on. She even proved helpful at the shrine.
"Rummage, rummage."
"Rustle, rustle."
"Bust, bust."
Though some parts were annoying.
And that day, just as the sun was nearly setting, they finally struck gold.
"Found it. I remember. It's definitely Mom's diary."
A sinister-looking box from deep inside. Inside were several worn leather-bound notebooks. Hard-earned success at last.
Ibi brightened and quickly picked one to flip open.
She frowned right away. The content was one thing, but it was crammed with ominous diagrams, directional notes, and geometric figures that looked straight out of a nightmare.
Some pages even had grotesquely detailed sketches of what might be ghosts or yokai—repulsive just to look at.
"Watas hiwa Nihonjin."
Mina flipped through them indifferently, apparently unmoved and not understanding much anyway.
Haewon, on the other hand, changed completely the moment he saw the diaries. He rapidly paged through one, tossed it, grabbed the next—clearly knowing exactly what he was hunting for.
"...Found it."
Finally, Haewon yanked a page wide open and jabbed the center with his finger.
There, it read:
...My son has never made a true and eternal vow of love to any woman. It would be the perfect offering to that great soul who desires a pure heart untouched by defilement...