The Priest's Prayer and the Toad's Howl
The pressure around his throat began to ease. "Lord, have mercy. Our Lord God, almighty and eternal ruler of all ages... You who created all things and transform all things according to Your will. You turned the flames of the fiery furnace in Babylon, burning seven times hotter, into dew, and saved and protected Your three holy children."
Was that a verse from the Bible? As the choking grip loosened further, the resonant prayer grew clearer, echoing through the room. "Cough! Cough!" Yongha struggled to expel a dry, hacking cough. Then came the sound of footsteps—crunch… crunch…—as if someone were walking across shattered glass.
Yongha, still clutching his throat and coughing violently, turned his head with great effort. There, framed within the broken living room window, stood a young priest.
"Physician of souls, O Lord who are the salvation of all who seek You, I beseech You: drive out every power of the devil, every act and activity of Satan. Banish the influence of evil, every curse, every malicious gaze cast upon Your servant. Protect him from all wickedness committed against him…"
As the prayer continued, the priest’s eyes gleamed with light. Astonishingly, Heejin glared at him and began to growl like a beast, a low, guttural rumble rising from her throat. Finally, she released Yongha with a furious shove and began retreating step by step into the shadows, as though seeking shelter in the darkness.
When the long prayer finally ended, the young priest fixed his gaze on Heejin, who remained hidden in the gloom with only her yellow eyes glowing, and spoke to Yongha.
"Can you stand on your own?"
"Y-yeah… I think so…"
"Then take your wife and hide inside a room. No matter what happens, do not come out. Not until I say it’s safe. Understand?"
"But—"
"Go, now!"
Startled by the young priest’s commanding tone, Yongha nodded quickly. He lifted his still-unconscious wife into his arms, half-dragging her as he carried her into the master bedroom and shut the door behind them.
Meanwhile, Heejin had slunk toward the kitchen. She crouched low, body contorted like a true beast, emitting savage snarls. The kitchen where she hid seemed swallowed by an unnaturally thick darkness.
That was when it happened.
Suddenly, a woman appeared beside the priest—no, beside Hwan. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with pure white skin and a seductive smile. She wore a long trench coat and oversized sunglasses. Every item on her body was an expensive designer brand.
It was Miho.
Miho let out a soft nasal hum as she observed Heejin crouching low in the shadows. Then she clicked her tongue in disapproval.
"A greedy toad has claimed a human body? And it’s even carrying a child."
"A toad… Could it be the one I’m looking for?" Hwan asked.
Miho shook her head.
"Unfortunately, no. Compared to what we’re after, this is nothing but a pathetic, low-grade demon."
"I see…" Disappointment colored Hwan’s voice.
Regrettably, the entity possessing Heejin—or more precisely, the thing wrapped around her soul—was not the one Hwan sought. It was not the gwoeyi that had devoured the villagers’ heads and abducted his mother. Once again, a dead end. Whatever it was, it refused to show itself.
At that moment, a wary voice rang out from the darkness.
"What are you… Why is a fox… consorting with something that is neither one thing nor the other?"
Heejin spoke with clear hostility. But neither Hwan nor Miho felt any obligation to answer. They simply ignored her.
"What should we do?" Hwan asked Miho.
She maintained her indifferent expression, shrugging lightly.
"Killing it would be the easiest solution."
But Hwan shook his head.
"I don’t want to do that. This person hasn’t done anything wrong. The one who sinned is the toad inside her."
"Hmm… Then this will get rather troublesome. Do you think prayer can drive it out?"
"I don’t know. But I have to try. I can’t bring myself to kill an innocent person."
"You always choose the difficult path, kid."
Heejin shrieked again, this time with clear irritation.
"You bastards! How dare you ignore me!"
She seemed deeply offended that the two were conversing as if she weren’t there. Her thunderous roar shook the entire house. And that wasn’t all. With a sharp whoosh, objects from the kitchen began flying toward them. One of the kitchen knives grazed Hwan’s cheek.
A thin red line appeared on his face, and droplets of blood began to fall—drip… drip…
Hwan frowned.
"Still… it’s not as strong as that eumma we saw last time…"
"Yeah, it does seem a little stronger than that one. Either way, this won’t be easy. Well… killing it would be simple, though…"
He had no desire for indiscriminate killing. As Miho said, the fault lay with the monster that had stolen this body. The woman whose flesh had been taken was innocent.
Hwan reached into his coat and pulled out a yellow rectangular talisman. The moment he produced it, Heejin lowered her body even further, eyes narrowing with clear wariness.
"Something as trivial as that talisman won’t be enough. You can’t even use them properly anyway."
"It might still help a little," Hwan replied.
He knew it himself. The power he could wield wasn’t anything special. He hadn’t even made the talismans. They were simply ones he had received from a monk who performed similar work. All he could do was borrow the power sealed within them for a short time.
If there was anything unique about him, it was his prayers. Since beginning this life, Hwan had come to believe in God more fervently than anyone else—and to follow Him. Perhaps because of that, a special power now dwelled within his prayers.
He still refused to forget that he had once dreamed of becoming a theologian. Even though his body had become this, even though the Fox Bead had become his heart and brought him back to life as a half-human, half-yokai, he had not abandoned his faith.
At least for now, he believed those prayers and talismans would be of help.
Then it happened.
Heejin flattened herself against the floor. Her grotesquely swollen belly pressed down so hard it looked painful. She truly resembled a toad now. Even her eyes had become exactly like a toad’s. She no longer looked human at all.
Yet Hwan could sense it. Deep inside, he could see the original soul weeping bitterly. Within those grotesquely transformed pupils, a sorrowful soul was crying.
"I’ll return her myself."
The flattened Heejin suddenly kicked off the ground and launched herself forward. In an instant she was upon Hwan, claws extended.
"Kyaaaak!"
She let out a bloodcurdling screech and reached for him with both hands. Her fingernails had grown razor-sharp, glinting like polished blades. Hwan twisted his body to dodge. At the same time, he hurled the talisman clutched in his hand.
The fluttering paper seemed to gain a special power mid-flight and shot toward the woman. But Heejin nimbly leaped aside, avoiding it, then clung to the ceiling.
In that instant, the ceiling light burst with a loud pop, plunging the entire area into pitch darkness.
Hwan clicked his tongue and pulled out another talisman. Beside him, Miho watched the bizarre fight with an amused smile, clearly entertained.
"It really would be so much easier if you just killed her," she added.
Of course, Miho made no move to help him.
Meanwhile, Heejin began crawling rapidly across the ceiling. She no longer looked like a toad—she looked like a spider. Using some strange power, she once again sent objects flying toward Hwan.
With a sharp whistle, a kitchen knife hurtled toward the back of his head. Hwan barely tilted his head to avoid it. But then plates, pots, and pans came flying at him in rapid succession. He had no choice but to leap aside, deflecting them with his hands and feet.
The living room filled with the chaotic sounds of shattering glass and crashing metal. Even the large television flew toward him on its own, slamming into him.
"Ugh…"
The moment Hwan was knocked down by the television, Heejin seized the opportunity. She leaped onto his body, straddling him as she let out a guttural, beastly roar. Her yellow eyes burned brighter than ever. From her wide-open mouth came a foul stench, and her tongue—long and sticky like that of an amphibian—lashed out, wrapping around his throat and squeezing.
The strength in that grip was monstrous. Far too powerful to belong to such a frail woman’s body. Hwan grimaced.
"Guh…"
A low groan escaped his lips. His face was gradually turning pale. With great effort, he freed one of his pinned hands and grabbed her head.
By then, another talisman was clutched in his palm. A strange power erupted from it like an explosion.
Hssssss!
The instant the talisman touched Heejin’s forehead, thick black smoke began to billow out, as though something were burning away.