Chapter 172
Chapter 172
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 172
Chapter Title: Jang Hyun-deok's Splendid Vacation
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While Kim Shin-hwa was on the phone with Tudor at that very moment.
Pouring rain.
Lightning. A darkened sky.
Floodwater rising to people's waists.
And pitch-black skyscrapers stretching toward the heavens, along with the dazzling neon lights pouring from them.
Roooar—
Jang Hyun-deok's Call Van pushes forward, slicing through the waves surging across the road.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
How many minutes? No, hours? He doesn't even know how long he's been screaming. He thought he had no strength left to scream, but another one bursts out.
His head throbs. His forehead burns hot from the cold that's been lingering for days. He can't think straight.
Bang bang bang bang!
Someone pounds on the roof of the car.
“Uwaaaaaah!!”
Jang Hyun-deok screams and glances at the rearview mirror. Uwaaaah! He shouldn't have looked!
People with demonic visages cling to his vehicle. Hands and faces plastered against the rear window, those mad eyes! Those eyes!
The people hanging on the car shout incoherently.
“Open up! Please! Open the door!”
“Take me with you! Please! Please!”
At first listen, it sounds like pleas for help, but their expressions and appearances make that impossible to believe. Don't open it! He'll die! He'll really die!
Jang Hyun-deok tries to shift gears again to pick up speed, but it's like driving through water. No matter how hard he floors the accelerator, the speed won't rise.
Bang bang bang bang!
“Stop pounding! You idiots! It's bulletproof glass!”
“Open it! Open it!”
“Kieeeek!!”
“Gyaaaah!”
But they don't stop. The maniacs' cries devolve into incomprehensible howls and shrieks. Uwaaah, save me!
Rumble—
Where is this place, anyway? With the floodwater up to people's waists, he can't gauge his position. Is this the road? Or the sidewalk? Or maybe...
Roooar!!
“Uwaaaaaah!”
A sudden wave erupts from the side, shoving him to the left. The car tilts in an instant. It's going to flip!
Inside the tipping Call Van, Jang Hyun-deok suddenly has a thought.
'What the hell... how did it come to this?'
* * *
Two weeks ago.
“Do you have a bit of a fever?”
While driving the Call Van, Jang Hyun-deok touches his forehead. It's not a cold or flu, but he definitely feels a slight fever.
“Ah, could this be... that? Heh heh...”
Love fever.
That's the word that comes to mind. Just thinking of her quickens his heartbeat and flushes his face. He's never felt this way before in his life.
Right now, Jang Hyun-deok is heading from Ansan to Paju. Almost there. He'll get to see her today too, right?
On the passenger seat are gifts and letters from his little siblings.
The gifts aren't anything special. Crumpled paper crafts and scribbled drawings.
“Cute little punks.”
Jang Hyun-deok casually gathers them up and shoves them onto the dashboard.
Yeah, come to think of it, this is all thanks to you guys? Guess I should introduce her soon.
“Heh heh heh—”
Unable to hold back, Jang Hyun-deok starts grinning like an idiot. Lately, he's been... well, in that thing called a “fling” with a certain woman.
They haven't even known each other for a week yet.
He met her while shopping for presents for his siblings at the orphanage in Ansan.
“Are you looking for something?”
That was her first words to him. At first sight, he just thought she was pretty.
“Uh, I need a lot, see, 'cause I have a bunch of little siblings, but I don't know what kids would like? Uh?”
Jang Hyun-deok thought his own response sounded pretty lame. But she kindly answered.
“There are all sorts of age-appropriate toys these days. I'll help you pick some out.”
“Ah, uh, thanks.”
And that day.
Somehow, before he knew it, Jang Hyun-deok had become friendly with her.
She introduced herself as “Yeon.”
“Yeon?”
“Yes, that's what I go by.”
What an unusual name? A weird name? A pretty name. Ah, this'll do.
“Pretty name.”
A pseudonym, maybe? But who cares. This is Paju.
There are people who walk around in masks all the time. He accepted masks without issue, so a fake name is nothing.
Due to his line of work, the women Jang Hyun-deok meets are mostly as aggressive as Kim Shin-hwa, or as broken in personality as her, or as mentally off-kilter as her.
To put it nicely, they're heroines, but they're way too intimidating for him to relax around.
Compared to them, Yeon...
'She's human. This one's actually human.'
Paju, filled with monsters, death, madness, and desire.
To meet such a pure, pitiful, refined, innocent, and beautiful woman in this hellish city.
She always showed him a shy, introverted smile and listened attentively to his words.
“You're amazing!”
“So cool!”
“Could we... meet again?”
They exchanged numbers and chatted all night on messenger.
Still no word from Kim Shin-hwa.
'Guess I can play around a bit more.'
Yeon was very curious.
She was always studying something new, and like any Paju citizen, she had a keen interest in religion and mystical experiences.
“Wow, really? You were a fixer?”
When she heard that Jang Hyun-deok was a tough, impressive fixer active in Paju, she was genuinely amazed.
'Uh, that's not quite it.'
But it's not entirely unrelated to being a fixer, so maybe it's fine?
Yeon had such colorful reactions to his stories.
She marveled at how he'd had a chance to learn magic, squealed in delight at his tales of exploring Tan-hyeon full of the unknown and illusions, and was moved by how he'd slain terrifying monsters to save Paju's citizens.
'Heh heh, so she can't resist a rugged, mysterious man living on the edge of adventure and danger, huh?'
Today was a date day with her.
Yeon greeted him with a clean face free of makeup and neat attire.
“I missed you.”
“Uh...”
“Huh? What's wrong?”
“N-no, nothing.”
She was so pretty his mind went blank for a second.
His cheeks and forehead feel hot. Damn, his face must be red.
He starts the date with her, trying not to make a pathetic face.
“For some reason, you smell nice, Hyun-deok.”
“Ah, nice smell? Uh, cologne, I, uh, sprayed some earlier.”
Jang Hyun-deok flinches and steps back a bit. Is it because he doused himself in air freshener to cover the cigarette smell?
“Hmm—it's not cologne.”
Yeon leans her face toward his chest.
'Uwaaaah—'
Jang Hyun-deok's face turns beet red as he stumbles back.
Yeon lifts her head from around his chest and looks up at his face.
“It smells familiar somehow, and intriguing. Really nice.”
“Y-y-yeah, I guess.”
He can't meet her eyes and averts his gaze. Yeon continues.
“What do you do on weekends, Hyun-deok?”
“Hmm, well, stamina training and mental cultivation are important, so reading, and uh, exercise.”
“Wow, really? That's impressive. What kind of exercise do you like?”
What exercise? Jang Hyun-deok doesn't do exercise.
On days he doesn't have time to visit the Ansan orphanage, he just lies at home watching endless short, stimulating videos for about 30 seconds each.
“Uh, uh, well, you see—”
He recalls something a BJ said in a video he watched recently.
'A sport that appeals to the opposite sex? Tennis, obviously.'
“—Tennis?”
“Wow, really? I love tennis too!”
Yeon beams with joy. Nailed it. The answer to everything is on the internet. Before Jang Hyun-deok can say more, Yeon speaks.
“Then, would you like to join the tennis group I'm in?”
“Huh? Tennis group??”
He doesn't know how to play tennis. No interest. And meeting people is a hassle.
Gathering like some popular crowd on a free weekend to play tennis? Ridiculous—
“What do you think? Not interested?”
Yeon looks at him with sparkling eyes.
“Ah, of course. I've always wanted to join a group like that. I'm kind of an in-sider, after all.”
* * *
One week ago.
Did he overdo it at that tennis group or whatever?
His forehead is hot. Not quite a high fever, but definitely running a temperature. Not a cold or flu—why is this happening?
“Grrr—cough, sniff, sniff.”
The small, wrinkled fixer in the back seat makes eerie noises. Jang Hyun-deok sighs inwardly at the bizarre sight.
'Ha, why are all my regulars like this?'
Still no contact from Kim Shin-hwa.
Lately, he hasn't taken many clients besides her, but he's not under exclusive contract with her.
She just pays so generously and calls irregularly, so he cut back on regular business.
That's why he still picks up old regulars sometimes.
Today is one of those days.
“I smell it. You've got malignance on you.”
“Huh?”
The fixer in the back pulls something from his grubby bag, sounding annoyed.
A small pouch of pills.
'Ew. Why eat that in my car?'
It's Nirvana, the mental enhancer that unhinged fixers take. Night Owl swallows the dry pill and blinks a few times.
“Ahem, hem, ahem.”
A strange glint enters Night Owl's hazy eyes.
Then he pulls out a mask from his bag and puts it on backward. A filter-equipped mask that clings tight to his face—more like a gas mask than a regular mask.
'Black mage? No, exorcist? Ahh—miss that wizard.'
This guy's a regular, but Jang Hyun-deok can't refuse him out of fear of a curse. His fixer name is Night Owl, a veteran from the Great Collapse.
In some ways, more ominous than Kim Shin-hwa, more terrifying too.
“Sip—huff—.”
The gas mask makes Night Owl's breathing even scarier.
“Sip—huff—it's divine fever.”
“Huh? Who's that?”
Who the hell is Shin-yeol?
“Shaman sickness.”
Or witch illness (Schamanen-krankheit), as it's also called.
Jang Hyun-deok knows the term.
“Isn't that the illness shamans get?”
“Sip—huff—opposite. Sip—huff—it's what hits before or after a shaman receives a god.”
“But what does that have to do with me?”
“Sip—huff—you've got shaman sickness.”
What bullshit?
But Jang Hyun-deok is a pro in this business. He flashes a business smile to brush off the nonsense.
“Ah, yeah. Got it.”
“Sip—huff—for ten million won, I'll introduce you to someone to perform the rite.”
“No thanks. I'm good.”
By now, the smile fades from Jang Hyun-deok's face.
Jeez, not even 'Do you know the way?' What kind of scam is this?
'Does he think I'm some fool who'd fall for a cult's cheap tricks?'
Classic cult tactic. Lure you in with an introduction, then lock you up for brainwashing and threats.
This guy's gone full hallucination, nonsense, drugs, and now cults. Rock bottom.
Drop him off this time and never pick him up again.
“Here we are. Get out, please.”
“Sip—huff—even if you ignore the shaman sickness, you should remove the malignance.”
“Yeah, yeah. I have a temple I go to. I'll make a donation and consult Buddha.”
“Sip—huff—.”
Night Owl tilts his head and stares at Jang Hyun-deok.
Madman's unfocused eyes. He stares uncomfortably long, then nods shortly.
Then he pulls something creepy-looking from his pocket.
'That...'
A big rat.
Jang Hyun-deok freaks out and nearly screams, but realizes it's a doll and shuts his mouth. A rat doll missing its left arm, stuffing leaking out.
Night Owl wraps the rat doll in his collar and whispers to it, like having a secret chat.
“You think it's best not to interfere, right? Yeah, you're right. Scary, so scary. Terrifying.”
Jang Hyun-deok freezes with a stiff expression, unable to voice his disgust.
Ahh—why are all my regulars like this?
Night Owl gets out of the car.
Jang Hyun-deok doesn't drive off right away and buries his head on the steering wheel for a moment.
“Ah, this fucking sucks.”
Maybe just quit for real and go exclusive with the wizard? Think she'll agree to a salary contract?
Work hard under her and escape this insane town.
No, emigrate altogether. How much more to save to take the siblings too?
“Tch. But when's the wizard coming back?”
How long can he rest?
The wizard's great in every way, but her schedule's too unpredictable.
It never mattered before, but now it does.
Because of Yeon.
“Heh heh heh heh—”
He's meeting her for dinner tonight.
His face reflects in the rearview mirror. Stringy, faded blond hair, piercings dangling from his ears. And that dopey, grinning face.
'Hmm, handsome.'
Handsome, sure, but his forehead and cheeks are flushed.
“Jeez. Such a handsome face—maybe some BB cream?”
Today isn't just any date. It's a bit more important.
Yeon said she wants to introduce him to her friends.
“Uh, friends from the same church, right?”
Still plenty of time.
Swing by home, change clothes? Put something on his face.
'Man, she goes to church.'
Totally different from the others he's met. Nothing like the bizarre fixers obsessed with heresies, shamanism, cults, or baseless black magic.
How can someone be so perfectly picture-perfect?
“Haha, maybe I should start going to church too?”
Which church did she say?
Jang Hyun-deok drives while lost in thought.
“Hmm, Hwang-something. Hwangjin Church? Hwangmin Church? Hwangrin Church?”
What was it?