Chapter 100
Translator: uly
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Lycanthrope (3)
Looking down through the shattered front window at Young Master Kangrim, who had plummeted from it, Emel said to Kwon Geon.
“What if you throw him out the window? We should’ve handled it quietly right here. Now you’ve gone and made a huge mess.”
Her words dripped with irritation.
Kwon Geon snapped the necks of the three low-rank reapers with ease as he replied.
“He lunged at me out of nowhere... This cramped country’s got CCTV everywhere. What a pain.”
His expression was full of embarrassment.
“Humans need a body to call it a crime... Luckily, reaper corpses vanish, so let’s get out of here first. Oh! And on the way out, snap that low-rank reaper’s neck down there too.”
Though irritated, Emel stayed calm in her response.
If the reapers’ bodies dissolved without a trace on the spot, the only evidence left would be the busted officetel window—no investigation would even start.
“No need to dodge the CCTV on the way down.”
Emel spoke as they left the reapers’ bodies—white smoke rising from them—behind in the officetel.
The reapers, stripped of their spiritual energy, would soon vanish completely.
As Emel said, if CCTV caught them leaving empty-handed, they wouldn’t even face corpse abandonment charges.
“I really liked this officetel. What a shame. Hong, have the management office fix that window later.”
Standing in front of the elevator, Emel said to Sang-in.
Repair just the front window, and with no fingerprints, the reapers’ existence would quietly fade away.
While Emel’s group waited for the elevator, a young man in a hoodie came running toward Young Master Kangrim, who lay on the asphalt dissolving into white smoke.
He was the direct messenger who had handed Seol-mi over to Judge Choi.
The direct messenger shook Young Master Kangrim’s body as he spoke, but Kangrim only spewed white smoke and continued to dissolve.
“No good. Let’s go. Those vicious ghouls who messed you up will be down any second.”
Thinking Emel’s group would come down soon, the direct messenger hoisted Young Master Kangrim onto his back.
“Judge Choi will arrive around dawn, so let’s hide for now. You can’t pass out on me.”
Wanting to get far from that vicious officetel, the direct messenger just ran off with Young Master Kangrim slung over his shoulder.
Emel’s group emerged from the elevator and out of the building, only to panic when they didn’t see Young Master Kangrim lying on the asphalt, billowing white smoke.
Kwon Geon, unable to make sense of it, asked Emel.
“He already dissolved and vanished?”
Emel grabbed Kwon Geon, who was scanning the surroundings and heading into the middle of the road to check.
She seemed extremely wary of the CCTV.
“Doesn’t look like he dissolved that quick. Let’s get out before things get noisy. Mr. Hong, bring the car around. Oh, and Mr. Kwon, you sent your guys to that place I mentioned, right?”
“They’ll storm it any minute now. Kim Byung-su the reporter... I met that guy in Cheorwon. He wrote an article about the Cheorwon werewolf that exposed our clan’s story. He won’t survive this time either—no follow-up article.”
* * *
Na-rae entered Seol-mi’s funeral hall and was startled to see Il-han and the motel owner sitting across from each other.
“You two know each other?”
Dong-su and the magpie followed behind her.
The motel owner grinned brightly at her question and replied.
“Ah, you know Reporter Eun? Reporter Kim asked me to meet him here, and this young man gave me yukgaejang and even offered a bottle of soju. Heh heh heh.”
“Here?”
“I was tailing that merchant guy and learned something weird. I contacted him, and he said to meet here.”
“The psychic researcher, Mr. Hong Sang-in?”
While the motel owner and Na-rae talked seriously, Il-han’s eyes widened, and he shot up from his seat.
Il-han’s demeanor turned downright menacing.
“What the hell have you been up to?”
Na-rae lightly answered his glaring question.
“Why? Something wrong?”
Dong-su and the magpie entered behind her into Seol-mi’s funeral hall, where her portrait sat.
Il-han pointed at Dong-su and barked at Na-rae.
“Baek Dong-su! Why’s the dead Baek Dong-su at a funeral home? And why’s he following you?”
Finally understanding why he was shocked, Na-rae scratched her head, at a loss for words.
The motel owner also looked stunned to see the dead Dong-su following Na-rae.
Having been close to Dong-su, he followed him in.
“Dong-su, are you dead?”
Dong-su’s eyes went wide at the voice calling him as he turned.
“Hyung-nim Samryong.”
Na-rae, with no good explanation for Il-han, followed the motel owner.
And worried Il-han followed her in too.
“Is this woman your wife?”
The magpie perched on Dong-su’s shoulder pointed at Seol-mi’s portrait with its wing and asked.
“Yeah, my wife.”
“Your wife still had life left, but she died. Why?”
The magpie pressed at Dong-su’s curt reply.
The motel owner and Il-han gaped at the talking magpie and looked to Na-rae, but she had no explanation either.
Stunned by the talk of Seol-mi still having life left, Dong-su asked the magpie.
“Magpie, what do you mean?”
The magpie explained patiently to Dong-su’s question.
“Your wife didn’t die after living out her allotted lifespan. She was killed by a demon or evil god. Sadly, she’ll soon enter hell and live there—as their underling.”
Dong-su bellowed in disbelief at the claim that Seol-mi would live in hell as a demon’s servant.
“Magpie, what are you talking about? Why would Seol-mi go to hell?”
Na-rae was equally shocked that sweet Seol-mi would end up in hell and asked.
“Hey, bird! Why’s Seol-mi going there?”
Unfazed by their questions, the magpie explained methodically.
“Those killed by demons or evil gods go to the hell of that demon or god’s domain. It’s an ironclad rule. Your wife was done in by a ghoul.”
“Emel?”
Dong-su and Na-rae both thought of Emel.
“Probably Hades’ hell. It’s the third day since she died, right? She’ll be at the gates of hell soon. What a shame! You got resurrection powers from the ghoul and could’ve saved her—but this woman too.”
Dong-su grew urgent hearing the magpie’s explanation.
“Where is that place? Magpie.”
* * *
Taxi driver Mr. Kim felt uneasy about something.
It was late at night, and the male passenger in his cab was acting strangely.
The man in the back seat kept glancing at the empty space to his left and talking to it.
He’d gotten in the back and immediately named his destination.
“Driver, Gangnam Hospital funeral home, please.”
“Sure.”
He started the car after replying, but the man didn’t look dressed for a funeral.
His black suit was ordinary, but the passionate red tie didn’t fit a funeral home at all.
Even if rushing to one, it felt off.
As the car pulled away, he kept chatting away at the empty space to his left like someone was sitting there. It was unnerving.
Knowing it was rude, Mr. Kim kept peeking at him in the rearview mirror.
The man continued talking to the empty space.
‘What’s with him? Creepy. Should’ve gone home early like my wife said...’
He quietly turned down the radio and focused on the man’s voice in the back.
“Ah, yes. Lady Yi-hwa. Traffic’s light, so we’ll be there soon. It’s late, so the funeral home area should be empty.”
It was Byung-su and Yi-hwa heading to Seol-mi’s funeral.
“Yes, we’ll check with the motel owner about who took the sword. Da-hee’s fine with Baekho there. That ghoul bitch Emel will probably show at the funeral to punish her traitor Dong-su.”
Mr. Kim was baffled as Byung-su muttered to himself.
‘He’s nuts, or possessed for sure.’
“Yes, she’ll definitely hit Seol-mi’s hall tonight. My friend the merchant—he’s got traitor vibes, but he’s loyal enough. He tipped me off secretly when he saw his chance. You can trust it.”
Sang-in had apparently secretly warned Byung-su about Emel’s ambush.
Mr. Kim regretted eavesdropping.
Now it felt even weirder and scarier.
Talking about Yi-hwa this and evil spirits that to someone invisible—the red-tie guy was clearly not right in the head.
‘Shouldn’t have listened in. He’s off his rocker.’
Watching closely in the rearview, he kept turning his head left for the conversation.
His serious, polite nods looked ominous.
‘That guy’s possessed? Or maybe he is the ghost?’
Suddenly, he recalled those late-night stories: pick up someone heading to a funeral home or isolated house, they vanish, and when you go to collect the fare, their face is in the portrait.
‘Crazy bastard... Wait, am I doing all this work for nothing and not even get the fare?’
The back-seat guy scared him, but so did losing the fare.
Mr. Kim mustered courage and spoke to the red-tie man.
“Uh, sir, you will pay the fare, right?”
“Pardon?”
The red-tie man responded with surprise, half question.
“N-not that I doubt you, sir. Just curious. No offense.”
Why was that?
Sweat beaded on Mr. Kim’s stammering forehead.
Must be a hot night.
Ignoring Mr. Kim’s tension, the red-tie man said with annoyance.
“What, you think we won’t pay? Want it upfront?”
‘He said “we.”’
“No, no, sorry.”
Mr. Kim glanced in the rearview and bowed his head in apology.
Even while apologizing, he kept watching the red-tie man.
The man muttered leftward again, then pulled out his wallet and handed Mr. Kim a 50,000-won bill.
“Lady Yi-hwa says don’t argue, just pay upfront. Here. What kind of taxi demands prepayment...? Heh heh.”
Clutching the bill from the red-tie man, Mr. Kim impulsively turned and bowed to the empty space on his left.
“Thank you, Lady Yi-hwa.”
As he thanked her, he thought skipping rest today had been the right call.
Amused by Mr. Kim’s sudden move, the red-tie man burst into honest laughter, muttered left again, then spoke to Mr. Kim.
“Lady Yi-hwa says your son’s heading to college this year, so no worries.”
It sounded like nonsense from a madman, but it was good news.
Mr. Kim bowed to the red-tie man’s left side again.
“Oh my! Thank you, Lady Yi-hwa. I’ll get you to the funeral home safe and sound.”
Mr. Kim felt good, even if he’d picked up what seemed like a possessed guy.