The Dancing, Laughing Shaman Ghost #2
It was a brawl that exploded in an instant. Somehow I ended up getting the shit kicked out of me too, and my nose burst open. Ah, fuck, it hurts like hell.
“What the hell are you doing! Beat the shit out of Yang Ju-hui! Hit her! Pound her into the ground!!!”
Yang Ju-hui fought insanely well, even from my perspective. No exaggeration—she could have taken three of them by herself without breaking a sweat. It wasn’t technique so much as the fact that she had completely lost her mind, and that made her strength terrifying.
“You biiiiiiiiiiiiitch!!!”
I seriously wondered if her Quirk, Boiling Blood, had released some kind of limiter in the human brain, boosting her raw power. Had a flaw I thought was purely negative actually held that kind of potential? At this rate, Yang Ju-hui might actually be able to solo all five of them.
But in the end, the sheer weight of numbers overwhelmed her and she was subdued. That was because the combat ability of both me and the vice president, Jeong Seok, was so pathetic it might as well have been zero.
“Let go! Let me go! You fucking bastards!”
“This crazy bitch— She focused every single punch on my face. Ow… it hurts so bad… You goddamn girl. You’re really dead today. Let’s drag this bitch over to where her brothers are. All of them!”
Bong Ji-yeon’s face was swollen like a balloon from Yang Ju-hui’s fists, and she looked furious. If things kept going like this, I had no idea what kind of nightmare would be waiting for Ju-hui and the rest of us. I didn’t know who these “brothers” she kept mentioning were, but it was obvious that if we got taken there we wouldn’t be coming back in one piece. We might even get stripped naked, panties and all, and have photos taken.
“Hoo—”
I weighed my options and finally made a decision. It was the most textbook, old-fashioned, and lame move possible, but…
“Police officer!!!! Over here!!!! Right here!!!! There’s a huge fight happening!!!! Here!!!! In this alley!!!! Ack!!!! Fuck, somebody help!!!! Aaaaaack!!!! Aaaaaaaaaaack!!!!”
Thanks to my new trait Breath Holding, my lung capacity had grown a little, and my voice rang out like a siren. The police part was a lie, but I’d made enough noise that the neighbors would come running, and that would have to end the situation.
“…This fucker. Has this kid lost his mind? You think the cops will actually show up just because you yell for them? Why is his voice so loud?”
“Wait, Dong-ho. There was a police car in front of the school earlier. They might be patrolling nearby.”
“Ugh, shit.”
Thudthudthudthud—.
Bong Ji-yeon’s Class C gang must have remembered the police car parked by the school gate, because they finally turned tail and ran. Yang Ju-hui screamed “You fucking bastards!” after them and looked ready to give chase.
“Hey! Don’t run! Don’t you dare run away!”
“Ju-hui! Stop! Stop!”
I tried to hold her back, but it wasn’t easy. With her blood boiling, she really was like an enraged bull. My strength alone wasn’t enough, so I had to call for backup.
“Hey! Jeong Seok! Help me hold her!”
“…Uh, okay.”
Even with two guys hanging off each arm, Yang Ju-hui refused to calm down. Jeong Seok and I pulled with everything we had, but we were the ones getting dragged along the ground.
“Let go! Let me go! I’m going to kill that bitch Bong Ji-yeon!”
This crazy girl! She had completely lost it! I’d heard that restraining a maniac required several grown men working together, and it looked like that was true. Before anything worse happened, I needed to treat her Quirk first. If the enraged Yang Ju-hui turned her fists on me in a fit of rage, I was actually going to die.
“Status window.”
Healing Station ◀ Click to Open
Consuming 100P to treat Quirk.
Quirk Boiling Blood has been treated.
About five minutes later, Yang Ju-hui collapsed onto the ground as if she had run out of steam. Jeong Seok and I, hit by a wave of belated exhaustion, sat down right where we were. One problem solved, at least.
“Hey, Ha Yeong-won. Did you actually call the police? Are they coming here?”
Vice president Jeong Seok asked while straightening his disheveled clothes. He looked more scared about the fake police report than he had when surrounded by the Class C kids.
“That was a lie.”
“…….”
Jeong Seok looked visibly relieved. Technically we were the victims here, so I didn’t see any reason we couldn’t have called the police. I was curious.
“Hey, Jeong Seok. I heard your dad’s a prosecutor. Can’t he do something about bullying like this? Those Class C bastards are definitely going to try and get revenge and make our lives hell—”
“—Who told you that?”
Jeong Seok’s expression hardened. When I flinched, he let out a long sigh and stood up.
“Never mind. The only person who knows is Jeong So-jin, so it must have been her. I have to go to hagwon now, so I’m leaving first. Keep who my dad is a secret. Seriously. And wipe the blood off your face.”
Jeong Seok picked up his bag from the ground, pulled out a pack of tissues, handed me one, and walked off without another word. Was he embarrassed of his father? If my dad were a prosecutor, I’d be bragging about it everywhere. For some reason he was trying to hide his father’s existence… Jeong Seok was more interesting than I’d thought.
He seemed like perfect material to join the “Ha Yeong-won Pirate Crew” I was planning to make. We also shared the common experience of being bullied by delinquents. Since we had so much in common, we might actually become close.
…More importantly, why wouldn’t my nosebleed stop? It just kept pouring out.
Yang Ju-hui, who had been watching, spoke up.
“Why did someone who can’t even fight try to jump in?”
I didn’t jump in. They were the ones who attacked me one-sidedly. I’d almost had my pants and underwear stripped off when Yang Ju-hui showed up at the perfect moment and saved me. Before I could say any of that, she held out her hand.
“My house is nearby. Want to come over? I’ll at least give you something to change into.”
Yang Ju-hui’s house? …The one with that aunt who had come to school looking for her?
Wearing a shirt covered in dried blood did feel gross. On the way to her apartment, Yang Ju-hui asked me,
“How did you know the vice president’s dad is a prosecutor? Are you really in contact with Jeong So-jin? She’s a pathological liar. You’d be better off not talking to her if you can help it.”
The conversation felt strangely familiar. She didn’t seem to remember, though.
# # #
Cheonmun-dong near Yeonggwang High was a rundown, shabby neighborhood. Everywhere you looked there were scary alleys, utility poles buried under illegally dumped trash, and houses that were mostly over thirty years old. The villa I lived in was one of them, and so was the apartment where Yang Ju-hui lived.
Hwangryong Apartment.
Despite the grand name, it was a crumbling wreck. In front of every building, old grandmothers were drying chili peppers or sitting beside utility poles with walker-like strollers, selling vegetables.
“Ehh… ehhhh…”
I even saw an auntie taking a walk while holding the hand of a young man who looked like he had trouble moving. Even the dogs out for walks looked miserable. Just being here made my own life feel like it was being dyed in gloomy shades of gray.
“Our Yeong-won, what are you doing? Hurry up and come up. There’s no elevator.”
Hwangryong Apartment didn’t even have an elevator. Yang Ju-hui’s place was on the fourth floor, but every handrail on the stairs had a rusty bicycle chained to it, making passage difficult. What made it even worse was that Yang Ju-hui’s skirt was so short as she climbed the stairs ahead of me that if I tried even a little, I’d probably see what was underneath.
This naughty girl. She was clearly trying to make me have another wet dream by showing me her panties. Who did she think was watching?
“……”
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you coming up? Are you scared I’ll eat you alive in my house?”
“No. The stairs are just a little slippery. Sigh. It’s hard to climb.”
We arrived at room 402. The iron door without a digital lock was covered in stickers from Chinese restaurants, chicken places—every delivery service imaginable. The one that caught my eye the most was the sticker that read Yeonggwang Church.
“Is your mom home?”
“No. Mom has Monday evening service today, so she’ll be back late.”
“Monday service?”
Didn’t people usually only go to church on Sundays? Click—.
Yang Ju-hui opened the door and went inside. The place was tiny, maybe twenty pyeong at most, and I expected a strange smell but… it actually smelled nice. A high school girl’s house. Not just any high school girl—the house of an SR Girls’ High student named Yang Ju-hui.
If the boys who used to like her saw me now, they’d probably have a seizure. I felt a strange sense of superiority over those nameless boys as I looked around.
There were photos of a young Yang Ju-hui in her taekwondo uniform, and family pictures with her mom, dad, and what looked like an older sister. So she had an older sister.
…More importantly, wasn’t that the cutter knife she took from me? My pencil case was here too, along with the ballpoint pen and scissors I’d lent her. This girl had basically set up house using my stuff.
“Come here.”
She brought some cotton and stuffed it into my nose. She looked surprisingly used to doing it.
“…Does our house look unlivable?”
She asked as I sat down roughly on the yellow linoleum floor. I felt a little guilty but answered casually.
“My place is about the same. We even get cockroaches.”
“Our place has ants, so no cockroaches.”
Really? I’d rather have ants than cockroaches at my house. I never thought I’d be jealous of an ant-infested home. But… aside from the lack of cockroaches, there wasn’t much to envy. No computer, no TV. I was genuinely curious what Yang Ju-hui usually did to pass the time.
What really made me uncomfortable were the crookedly wallpapered walls covered with phrases like “Eternal life is believing in the one true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.” It was genuinely depressing.
Clunk—.
Then I heard the front door handle turning.
“Huh…?”
“Mom…!?”
I was startled, but Yang Ju-hui was even more panicked.
“She’s already back? Hey! Ha Yeong-won! If my mom talks to you, say you go to church no matter what!”
“Uh… okay…”
Clunk—.
The door opened and a woman came in. She was wearing a white dress and had a gentle expression. She was pretty enough to be called a beauty. Was this the same woman who had come to school last time?
The woman stopped when she saw me and Yang Ju-hui.
“Ju-hui. Who is this?”
“Oh. He’s my friend. His nose started bleeding so I brought him here.”
“Really? You brought a friend home? That’s rare. I just stopped by for a moment. What’s your friend’s name?”
“Hello, ma’am. My name is Ha Yeong-won.”
“Ha Yeong-won. My, that name has a lot of circles in it. More importantly, do you attend church? You need faith in your heart to receive blessings. You have to go to church, be saved, and go to heaven. Would you like to hear the Word?”
Aha! So that’s why Yang Ju-hui told me to say I went to church. She was afraid the conversation would drag on. When I glanced at her face, she looked extremely embarrassed and couldn’t sit still.
It must be pretty embarrassing when you’re a sensitive first-year in high school and your mom tries to evangelize your friends. I told Yang Ju-hui’s mother,
“Oh, don’t worry. I do attend church.”
“Really? Then do you know who wrote First Peter?”
What? A sudden test?
“First Peter… um… Peter, right?”
“Ho ho ho, was that too easy? Then recite John 3:16. Anyone who goes to church couldn’t possibly not know that verse.”
“……”
She was coming in really strong all of a sudden. I got nervous. Even though Yang Ju-hui’s mother was smiling with her mouth, her eyes weren’t smiling at all. So that fierce look in Ju-hui’s eyes must have come from her mother.
“Um… since it’s the Gospel of John… John wrote it…?”
“No. Not who wrote it. Recite John 3:16. This is easy—don’t you know it? Anyone who attends church should know this.”
Soon Yang Ju-hui stepped in.
“Mom, that’s, he’s…”
“Yang Ju-hui. Stay quiet. Did I ask you?”
The mood had turned sour. This was getting difficult. What would happen if I couldn’t answer here? Would the woman suddenly go crazy, grab my head and scream “How dare you lie to an adult!!!!!”?
What should I do? Should I just make something up? Suddenly I remembered what Teacher Kang Haneul had said. Adults can see through children’s lies.
When the ticking of the living room clock sounded especially loud, I squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them. Lying would probably just cause more trouble. I should tell the truth.
“John 3:16 is, ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ Right? You’re a deaconess, correct?”
“Oh my! You know it! Our Ju-hui has finally made a friend who believes! That’s right! I’m Kim Yeo-ok, a deaconess at Yeonggwang Church. My, you’re handsome too. And you look so smart! Were you born into the faith?”
“Yes. My father ran a church in Seoul.”
“Really? Which church? What’s the name? I know most of the big churches in Seoul. Ju-hui, why didn’t you tell me you became friends with a pastor’s son!”
The way the deaconess looked at me completely changed. Maybe I should have just lied. The conversation was getting longer and more annoying.
“If you have time, come to our Yeonggwang Church this Sunday! The head pastor’s sermons are full of grace. Have you heard of Pastor Cheon Ae-soo? He’s incredibly famous across the country for his healing gifts!”
“Ah… healing gifts? Like when you lay hands on someone and pray and their illness is cured?”
Most people who talk about healing gifts are cults…
“He even drives out demons. Both Ju-hui and I originally came from a long line of shaman families, so we were supposed to become mudangs. We received the divine illness, but Pastor Cheon drove out all our ancestral spirits. Completely! Now if we can just find Do-hui…”
“Mom. Stop.”
Yang Ju-hui cut in as if trying to cover her mother’s mouth. But the deaconess wouldn’t be stopped.
“We can find your sister! Yang Do-hui! Pastor Cheon said so! He said Yang Do-hui was taken by filthy ancestral ghosts! Taken by the devil, Satan, evil spirits! Aaaaaaaaack!!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!”
The deaconess suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs, her eyes rolling back as she thrashed like she was having a seizure.
Whoa, shit…! My potential future mother-in-law’s condition was seriously bad! The feeling was so insane I felt like doing a breakdance just to cope.
Crash—!
At that moment, a framed family photo that had been hanging quietly on the wall fell and shattered. I was genuinely startled, but the deaconess looked like she was about to faint from shock.
“An-ancestor ghost! It’s an ancestor ghost! The shaman ghost has come! The shaman ghost! The shrine guardian mudang ghost from the family’s ancestral shrine is here! Hiiii! Begone, you wretch! The blood of Cheon Ae-soo! The precious blood of Cheon Ae-soo! Begone! Get out of here!”
Thump—.
Yang Ju-hui collapsed onto the floor. Then she began to cry like someone who had reached her limit.
“Where the hell are there real ghosts! Please just stop! Please! It’s just an old nail that finally gave out and the frame fell! I’m so embarrassed because of you, Mom, I can’t even live like this!”
…….
…….
No, Ju-hui. Your mother might actually be right. The reason I couldn’t say that was—
Because a woman wearing shaman robes with her pitch-black hair hanging loose was hanging upside-down from the ceiling, staring at me with eyes like shattered glass and smiling.
“Uwaaack, fuck! Whoa, fuck! Gyaaaaaaaaaah! Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”