29
Chapter 29
Whirrrr—
The drill bores straight through the center of the forehead. Blood streams down from where the drill is lodged.
"No—!"
Choi Jae-min cried out, pushing away Lee Yeon-woo, whom he had been gripping tightly instead of the Chief. As Lee Yeon-woo staggered back, Choi Jae-min rushed forward, then suddenly froze.
Squish—
The lifeless Baek A-yun began to melt like a slime monster. Her facial features blurred like clay, turning into gray sludge that dripped onto the first-floor entrance floor.
The spinning drill, coated in sludge, came to a halt.
Choi Jae-min looked at the remains of what had been Baek A-yun on the floor with disbelief.
The red blood turned into clear water, and the gray clay gradually evaporated. It was evidence that, no matter how you looked at it, she wasn't human.
"It wasn't A-yun...? This, this is..."
While Choi Jae-min struggled to process this, the Chief raised the soju bottle to his face and clicked his tongue.
"Used too much. What a waste."
Maybe two glasses' worth. The bottle was filled up to a finger's length. A few drops would have sufficed, but his temper had driven him to pour it all out...
Lee Yeon-woo approached from behind the soju bottle, rubbing his arm where Choi Jae-min had gripped him too tightly in panic.
"Chief. Is it over?"
"The Demon of Sloth is finished. Now we just have the person who summoned it."
The Chief glanced at Lee Yeon-woo.
Lee Yeon-woo couldn't hide his anxiety. He stared at the vanishing gray clay as if it were strange for things to end like this, then spoke.
"The summoner is still out there... Oh, please."
"Why? Do you think something else is going to happen?"
"Everything we've been through so far has been like that, so I'm a bit on edge. I hope I'm just worrying for nothing..."
Lee Yeon-woo let out a deep sigh.
The Chief looked at Lee Yeon-woo before turning to call Choi Jae-min.
"Student! Stop staring at that and come over here."
"Huh? Oh, yes."
Choi Jae-min approached hesitantly, his eyes darting around. The Chief perched himself on the entrance railing and gestured with the drill.
"Do you know anything about her family situation or any potential issues? Like extreme academic stress?"
Usually, the method to summon the Demon of Sloth comes via text, and the content is so absurd that any ordinary person would just scoff and ignore it.
Those who actually click on such things are usually people pushed to their psychological limit.
That was why he was asking if the girl, Baek A-yun, had been harboring some kind of pain.
"Well..."
Choi Jae-min couldn't bring himself to answer. Answers flooded his mind, but they sank under a wave of doubt.
'She's better at studying than I am, but she's not an overachiever. And it wasn't like her parents pressured her to study... they both seemed like such nice people...'
They had been almost like childhood friends, living in the same apartment complex and attending the same school, grade, and class for quite some time. It had been over five years.
But in the end, Choi Jae-min bowed his head.
"I don't know... I'm sorry."
Choi Jae-min had lost his confidence from the moment he mistook the Demon of Sloth for the real Baek A-yun. He had been fooled, even though he thought he had looked carefully.
He couldn't help but doubt if he even knew the real Baek A-yun.
The Chief gave Choi Jae-min's drooping shoulder a firm smack with the handle of the drill.
"Why is that your fault? Anyway, on the surface, it seemed like nothing was wrong—"
"Chief."
It was Lee Yeon-woo calling. The Chief snapped his head around to look at him. Lee Yeon-woo was already gripping the drill tightly.
"What? What is it?"
"Someone's coming."
"Huh?"
He pointed somewhere with the hand that had recently been freed from its cast.
The sunset had faded, leaving the sky a deep indigo. A solitary figure was walking diligently along the sidewalk under the glowing streetlights. It was Baek A-yun.
Dressed casually and swinging a bulging eco-bag, Baek A-yun suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her gaze shifted between Choi Jae-min, the Chief, and Lee Yeon-woo before returning to Choi Jae-min.
"Jammin?"
Her voice was a mix of confusion and slight anxiety.
Choi Jae-min saw the usual text floating above Baek A-yun's head and screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Hey! What on earth did you do!"
All the worry, doubt, and hesitation he had felt all day poured out in a single shout. His voice echoed through the apartment complex.
***
"You, calm down. You there, student. You summoned a demon, didn't you?"
Moving faster than the agitated Choi Jae-min, the Chief stepped forward and questioned her. Baek A-yun flinched back and instinctively shook her head.
"O-Oh, no? How would I even summon a demon?"
"Don't lie. I already know everything. You know you messed up, right? Just be honest."
"Well... yes."
She looked down at her toes. She knew she was in the wrong without needing a detailed explanation. Choi Jae-min rushed over and shouted a question before she could even look up.
"Why would you do something like that! You almost—"
"...I wanted to see the show! I've never seen Lego-flavored Ice Cream, and today was the only chance!"
Choi Jae-min stood there with a vacant expression before letting out a long, relieved sigh.
"That's so like you..."
"Look! This is merch that's only sold at this performance!"
She pulled a Lego ice cream model out of her eco-bag and shook it enthusiastically. The lingering thrill and emotion of the show left her face glowing red like the sunset.
"The show was so amazing! As expected—"
"...."
"Wow."
The Chief and Lee Yeon-woo were speechless, completely baffled. Summoning a suspicious demon just to see a show? She really has no fear of Anomalies...
The Chief scratched his head with the tip of the drill and spoke in a relaxed tone.
"Student, you can die if you mess with things like that. You would have gone to Hell if we were just a little late."
"H-Hell? It didn't say anything about that."
"It wouldn't be a demon if it told you everything. Don't ever do that again."
Baek A-yun shrank back and gave a small nod. Just as she was about to ask a question out of curiosity, the Chief gripped the drill and soju bottle in one hand and held out his empty palm.
"Give me your phone. Pull up the text with the summoning method."
"Okay... it came as a text... one second."
She quickly shoved the Lego ice cream back into her eco-bag and tapped on her phone. A moment later, Baek A-yun handed it over.
Choi Jae-min and Lee Yeon-woo, unable to resist their curiosity, leaned in on either side of the Chief to peer at the small screen. There was a long text message.
[Do you hate school? Wish someone would do your homework for you? Wish someone would attend school in your place and take the scolding from your parents for you?
Or do you hate going to work? Wish someone would do your job, get yelled at by your boss, and earn money in your place?
The Demon Summoning System is just for people like you!
Here is how to summon a Doppelganger who will take over the moments you hate!
Just click the link to summon a Doppelganger, and they will take on your suffering!
Don't worry! There is no price to pay! You can simply enjoy the sweetest moments of your short life!
Link: 666.13.666]
The more they read, the more suspicious the text seemed, making them wonder why Baek A-yun would ever click it.
As the Chief thought that kids these days are impossible to understand and Choi Jae-min glared at Baek A-yun, Lee Yeon-woo instinctively looked away from the phone. He looked at the path Baek A-yun had walked. There were two people there. Two people who radiated a suspicious aura.
"It should be around here..."
A small-framed man muttered to himself. His face was pale and filled with a sense of lethargy.
And then.
Kekeke—
A tall man with bronze skin. He wore a tracksuit with a military jacket thrown over it. He was giggling while looking at his phone.
In the next moment, the small man looked at Baek A-yun and spoke.
"Ah. Found her."
***
The Chief slowly lowered the phone. Frowning, he looked at the small man and the tall man.
"...Who the hell are you?"
"Ah, are you with the company... I'm late... I moved so fast, too..."
The small-framed man muttered gloomily, slowly shifting his gaze from Baek A-yun to the Chief. His eyes were dull and inorganic, like a fish's, and his voice was just as dead.
"I'm a Devil Worshiper... I've come for the person who summoned the demon. If it's alright, could I just take the girl...?"
"Haha, not a chance."
"I'm not taking her to use as a sacrifice. I just want to educate her as a Devil Worshiper... so there's no reason for us to fight, right...?"
His dull eyes turned back toward Baek A-yun. They were eyes that desired the girl.
Choi Jae-min stepped forward diagonally, shielding the frightened Baek A-yun from that gaze. Choi Jae-min looked above the small man's head.
"Your parents—"
"Ah, immoral insults are a bit much... but yes, my parents are Devil Worshipers. And I'm just doing what I was taught."
"Uh..."
The words were spoken calmly. Choi Jae-min sputtered for a moment, then shifted his target to the tall man. Above the head of the man still giggling at his phone, it was blank. Empty.
Choi Jae-min whispered softly.
"That guy in the military jacket is an Anomaly. He has no parents."
"He's probably a demon. The question is, what kind of demon."
The Chief glanced down at the holy water and the drill in his hand. He already knew the traits of the Demon of Sloth. He had equipped himself with the minimum gear accordingly. Dealing with an Anomaly Entity of unknown identity...
While that loose tension flowed between them.
The small Devil Worshiper spoke.
"I don't want to fight, but I have no choice... Lord Demon, please."
"No."
"Ah, why again... I already gave you the phone."
The man called a demon answered half-heartedly while looking at the phone.
"What must you do to command a demon? You must speak the True Name first."
"Ugh, seriously... the name doesn't even mean anything..."
The name.
Knowing the name allows one to guess what kind of demon it is and what traits it possesses. Once guessed, it's easier to respond. The Chief and Lee Yeon-woo pricked up their ears so they wouldn't miss a single word.
The Devil Worshiper looked at them and blushed with embarrassment.
"I don't want to... Ah. I'll call him. Lee..."
Then, closing his eyes tight, he whispered softly.
"Lord Changing Names Is Too Much Fun... please take care of them quickly."
Kekeke—
The demon laughs. The demon points a finger at the Chief.
"You little... Accident!"
A flowerpot fell from the top floor of the apartment. The pot caught a sudden gust of wind, drawing a gentle curve through the air, and slammed directly into the Chief's head.
An absurd reality crashed down upon them.