Love's Thrashing
The day after that absurd incident exploded. After school. Wang Jayeon headed to the family estate with a heavy heart.
His older brothers and sisters were already waiting in the main house courtyard. The moment they saw him, they didn't even try to hide their sneers and blatant jeering.
"Ugh, our superstar's here."
"Can't hide your roots. Look at the trouble he causes every single day."
"A seat won by luck never lasts long anyway."
Anger flared up inside Wang Jayeon. These were mere ordinary people, not even Awakened. But he couldn't cause a scene at the family home. After all, he was the one who had caused the accident. Besides, they were nothing more than dogs or pigs who weren't allowed to step inside from the courtyard.
"You came."
The eldest son, Wang Ja-geon, greeted him from the living room. His face was filled with unconcealed criticism.
Wang Jayeon found his much older eldest brother uncomfortable to deal with, but he forced himself to stay calm. He stepped into his father's study.
Behind him, the eldest son's tongue-clicking voice followed. "Tsk."
Thick smoke curled through the study. A man sat arrogantly in a chair with his legs propped on the desk, puffing on a fat cigar. It was Wang Ji-seok, chairman of the Jewang Group.
"Jayeon, your father is deeply disappointed."
"......"
Wang Jayeon squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head. He had prepared so many words, yet not a single one would come out. The only thing he managed to squeeze through his teeth was this.
"I had Eunbyeol ask Grandfather to handle the public opinion situation. As for Ha Namjin, I'll take care of it myself, so please don't worry too much."
"Tsk. That's not what disappoints me. I wanted you to be that kind of guy. The one who made that bold declaration there should have been you, not Ha Namjin."
"......"
"I thought I taught you that you must always be the protagonist of the scene. Good or bad doesn't matter. In this world, the ones who draw attention are the winners. You lost to Ha Namjin."
Wang Ji-seok, chairman of Jewang, closed his eyes. He could overlook his children causing problems and accidents, but he could not tolerate losers. A child's defeat was his own defeat. Wang Ji-seok hated losing more than anyone else in the world.
"Wang Jayeon, you take after your mother and always back down at the critical moment. Get out. And tell your eldest brother to come in."
"......"
Wang Jayeon ground his teeth so hard they nearly cracked. Only one child was ever allowed into the father's study. How much contempt and humiliation had he endured just to stand here? Yet if the eldest son reclaimed this spot, it meant their father Wang Ji-seok's heart was already turning away from him.
Wang Jayeon left the study, left the living room, and walked out of the courtyard. Mocking laughter from his siblings followed him, but he ignored it.
He, Wang Jayeon, was the Protagonist. This time, he would prove it.
'Ha Namjin, you think you're the only one who can do insane shit? I know how to go all out too. I'll fuck you over in a way you never even imagined.'
He was busy cooking up methods with that exact mindset when—
Vrrrrrr.
His phone began vibrating wildly.
Soon his eldest brother came sprinting out of the courtyard barefoot, yelling at the top of his lungs.
"Hey! Wang Jayeon! Check the internet! Look at the internet right now!"
The internet? The moment Wang Jayeon opened the browser with a sinking feeling, he saw it.
Team Leftover-Free Day's Exorcism Broadcast
"...What the fuck is this now?"
Wang Jayeon tensed up, wondering what kind of nonsense Ha Namjin was pulling this time. His heart pounded like a drum, but for some reason he couldn't tear his eyes away from the screen.
"It's me, you bastards. Haters, pay attention. I am the one and only Bread Pitt Ha Namjin. The reason I'm starting this emergency broadcast is—"
The location where Ha Namjin was streaming looked familiar. The road and nearby buildings instantly told Wang Jayeon what they were targeting. He broke into a desperate sprint.
"Ha Namjin, you crazy son of a bitch!"
"Okay. Everything's set up."
Model girl Jeon Somi had announced the emergency live stream. Thanks to her large MeTube following, over a thousand viewers flooded in the moment it started.
Bread-dang, who had been side-eyeing her with a look that said "Can we really trust this girl...", froze like a raccoon caught raiding the kitchen the second the broadcast went live.
Changsik and Deoksoon were just as nervous in front of the camera.
Jeon Somi, operating the camera, hissed at them.
"Hey! Say something! We're live!"
"Oh, right. Ahem. It's me, you bastards. Haters, pay attention. I am the one and only Bread Pitt Ha Namjin. The reason I'm starting this emergency broadcast is exactly what the title says."
What the hell? Fifty bucks? That's like ten packs of ramen! Just thinking about it made his tailbone tingle with excitement.
"Jin Eunbyeol's chest was an A cup."
Ding!
Fifty dollars deposited!
Fuck, making money was this easy?!
Missions kept pouring in after that.
Fuck, the money was raining down...! Capitalism is the best!
While his mind was lost in capitalist bliss, Jeon Somi shouted.
"Hey! We've passed ten thousand viewers! Time to get to the main topic!"
"Oh, right. The main topic."
The sudden flood of attention had completely short-circuited his brain. Anyway, there was only one thing he needed to do.
"I'm going to play a video now. The title is '6', so enjoy it. Kids, watch with your parents. Elderly and weak-hearted viewers, watch at your own risk."
Click.
Deoksoon, who was surprisingly good with computers, streamed the video in real time.
"Tell me your name!"
"Tell me your name!"
"What is your name!"
"Your name!"
"Kikikik-."
It was only about three minutes long, but everyone seemed shocked in their own ways. Even Changsik looked stunned.
"My friend, are you sure this method is correct?"
"Trust me. As you just saw, there's something incredibly nasty possessing Jin Eunbyeol's body. Some kind of devil or ghost. The men in the video failed to exorcise it. They're all dead now."
"R-really?"
Bread-dang asked, flustered. I answered quietly.
"It's bullshit."
Who knows if they're dead or alive. But claiming they died from a curse sounds more believable, so we'll go with that.
"Jin Eunbyeol was a Satan-possessed bitch. When fortune-tellers, congressmen, and ministers all suck up to a girl like this, of course the country goes to shit. So now we're going to perform an exorcism."
We stood in front of Jin Eunbyeol's private villa. The iron gate looked sturdy, but that was fine.
"Open sesame!"
BAM!
I kicked the iron gate with all my strength. The whole thing flew off its hinges.
Despite the noisy chat, the empty villa gave off an incredibly eerie atmosphere. It was completely different from yesterday when it had been full of people.
"...My friend, look at that!"
Changsik pointed at the villa roof. Countless crows were perched there, staring at us with pitch-black eyes. The sight instantly reminded one of a famous haunted house or abandoned building.
"Current time is 7 p.m."
A little late for dinner. Since summer was approaching, the sun set late and the sky was still a dim, golden twilight. The villa standing beneath it looked especially black, making Deoksoon, Changsik, and Bread-dang keep hesitating and slowing down.
The chilly, spine-tingling atmosphere seemed to be coming through the camera too.
Creak. Creeeeaaak—.
Then the villa's front door opened outward by itself. There was no one inside.
"Expensive houses really are something."
Marveling at the high-end automatic features, I strode inside without hesitation. The others followed hesitantly. The interior had multiple floors and was unnaturally dark.
Jin Eunbyeol was somewhere in here. From what I heard, she hadn't taken a single step outside the villa since yesterday.
I was looking around to figure out where she might be when—
Click.
The lights on the third floor turned on. It felt like an invitation. We climbed the stairs and headed to the third floor. At the end of a long hallway, a lit room had its door wide open.
I walked straight in without hesitation.
"Namjin! Wait for me!"
"Do not leave me behind!"
The room was spacious. It had a bed, a vanity, and a wardrobe arranged neatly. The strange part was the numerous crosses hanging on the walls.
Jin Eunbyeol was sitting at the vanity, combing her hair. She didn't even acknowledge that I'd entered.
"Hey, Jin Eunbyeol."
"━──."
Even when I called her, Jin Eunbyeol just kept combing her hair in front of the mirror. Her movements grew rougher and rougher. More and more hair tangled in the comb, yet she didn't stop.
"Jin Eunbyeol."
I called her again. But she just kept muttering to herself while staring into the mirror.
Perfect. Even better.
"Found an opening!"
I grabbed a fistful of her hair and slammed her to the floor. Jin Eunbyeol screamed as she crashed down.
Thud. Crash!
"Kyaaaaaaaack! You crazy bastardrrrr!"
Her reaction was sharp and venomous. Truly fitting for a Satan-possessed woman. But compared to the tantrums I usually got from Seo Gaeul, this was child's play. In some ways, it was almost refreshing.
"Kuhahaha! The best feeling in the world is getting cursed out by an ill-mannered woman!"
I took out the chains I'd brought and tied Jin Eunbyeol tightly to the bed. My original plan had been to drag her back to my basement, but there didn't seem to be any need for that now.
Changsik, who had been standing there in a daze like he was possessed by something, finally gathered his courage and shouted.
"W-what is your name!"
"...Kikikikik-."
Jin Eunbyeol laughed viciously. She clearly had no intention of answering. But that was fine. I hadn't come here to hear her name anyway.
I pulled out the Whip of Love that I always kept in my bag. Then I smacked the soles of her feet.
"Ungahot!"
Jin Eunbyeol let out a bizarre scream and jumped up. Her eyes showed she had no idea what had just happened to her.
Even the world's most viciously ill-tempered Seo Gaeul had found the Whip of Love painful. There was no way Jin Eunbyeol could endure it.
"Hehehe, you don't have to tell me your name. From now on, your name is Dae-sik."
In truth, exorcism had never been my goal. I was going to make Jin Eunbyeol confess everything she knew. Right here, in front of the live broadcast camera.