Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Dokkaebi Den Mountain Lodge (11)
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The next morning, Byung-su, the virgin ghost Yi-hwa, the dokkaebi, and a mix of humans and other immortal beings gathered on the bridge leading to the upper village, all staring at one spot.
They seemed to be discussing how to seal the red-clothed evil spirit.
"My dad knows all about the lodge, so we don't need to catch that evil bitch and ask her. She lived there. If we can take her out, just do it."
Yi-hwa nodded at the dokkaebi's explanation.
"No sealing talisman, so perfect. You guard the bridge with the water ghosts, Dokkaebi, and I'll go with Reporter Kim."
Yi-hwa suggested heading to the upper village.
Byung-su, who knew her abilities well, nodded in agreement.
The dokkaebi blinked its big eyes worriedly.
"You two okay alone? Want me to come?"
"No need. We'll destroy the evil spirit and be back. Wait here."
Yi-hwa's attitude was calm, as if she'd already caught it.
She didn't seem to care about the dokkaebi's concern.
'This little virgin ghost has some guts. She even beat me at ssireum wrestling...'
The dokkaebi, already humbled by losing to her the day before, agreed to the plan.
* * *
Finding the red-clothed evil spirit was easier than expected.
As soon as they entered the upper village, a sinister aura pulled strongly toward one spot.
A foul, fishy stench hung thick in the air there.
The local earth-bound spirits had all hidden at Yi-hwa's arrival, impossible to spot.
Byung-su and Yi-hwa stopped in front of the house where Byung-su and Baekho had previously faced the red-clothed evil spirit.
The front gate stood wide open.
The red-clothed evil spirit was there, soaking the courtyard in blood, gripping a massive sword.
"I'll go in, grab her by the collar, and drag her out. You handle her, Yi-hwa."
Byung-su glanced at the evil spirit, then spoke to Yi-hwa.
"Let's begin."
Not waiting for her reply, he ripped the iron gate off its hinges with his bare hands and charged forward.
"Whoa! Why swing the gate at me like that?"
Yi-hwa asked in a tone that wasn't particularly startled.
"Carve some useful talismans on this gate."
Without hesitation at Byung-su's sudden request, Yi-hwa pulled out the silver hairpin holding her hair up.
Her silky hair cascaded down as the silver pin transformed into a gleaming sword, and she etched fire demon talismans onto the iron gate Byung-su held up.
"Baekho uses family secrets for his talismans. I can only mimic fire demon ones. Same for him. Thunder barriers and sealing talismans? Only his youngest sister, Da-hee, can draw those. Shame, but use this."
He wasn't adept with the imugi's front paw yet, so he'd asked her to do it.
Yi-hwa, rich in spiritual energy, carved the fire demon talismans swiftly with her sword.
She outdid Baekho there, though she couldn't handle the energy-burning ones herself.
Ignored despite standing right there, the evil spirit gnashed its teeth in fury.
"You idiots want to die so bad! I'll cleave your body from your head right now!"
Ignoring the evil spirit's roar, Byung-su shook the gate like a shield and advanced.
"Hey, red-clothed bitch! No time, let's make this quick. I'm coming in—bring it! Oh, Japanese, right? Konnichiwa, okage desu ka? Sayonara, shobu desu."
Enraged by Byung-su's taunt, the evil spirit leaped into the air, slashing down with its massive sword.
Byung-su didn't back down, raising the iron gate overhead and smashing into the flying evil spirit.
Bang!
The massive sword clashed against the iron gate with a thunderous boom.
The fire demon talismans on the gate erupted in blue flames, engulfing the evil spirit.
Byung-su kept going, focusing his left arm to slam the gate down relentlessly, battering the evil spirit from midair to the courtyard ground.
The evil spirit's sword, wrapped in blue flames, lost its spiritual energy and vanished.
Byung-su tossed the gate aside and grabbed the tumbling evil spirit by the collar.
Blue flames ignited on the subdued evil spirit's body from Byung-su's immense strength.
With Emel's and the dokkaebi's energies merging into the imugi's front paw, the evil spirit thrashed wildly but could only be dragged along.
Yi-hwa spoke calmly as Byung-su hauled it right to her.
"Exterminate."
With her short command, the slender sword flashed silver, severing the evil spirit's head.
Having used up all sealing talismans back at the lodge, she'd opted for simple extermination instead.
* * *
While Byung-su's group went to catch the red-clothed evil spirit, Na-rae and Baekho stayed at the hospital, looked after by Dong-jin.
Lying in her hospital bed, Na-rae gazed out the window and muttered.
"Stuck in this damn town for days. Mom must be worried sick."
She'd come down Monday and stayed through Wednesday morning—enough to feel cooped up.
Oblivious Dong-jin poured her a drink and said something sure to get him chewed out.
"Reporter Eun, at least it's not too bad. Doc says the fat on your chest cushioned it—just a bone crack. Baekho's beat to hell, can't even lie down."
Either way, as Dong-jin said, her shoulder blade was cracked and ribs nicked, but she was better off than Baekho, who couldn't lie flat.
"Sunbae, that's sexual harassment. Wanna get chained up?"
Even in the hospital, Na-rae fired back with her usual fire.
"Sunbae, quit yapping and go get that calendar or diary from the lodge manager grandpa! Something's off. Dokkaebi said it was a Japanese guy—why write in Korean? Hurry to the village and grab it!"
At Na-rae's bark, Dong-jin slunk out sheepishly.
Baekho wheeled over from the next room, peeking in.
"Reporter Park, handle discharge papers too when you go. My recovery's good—almost healed. Reporter Eun's healing fast too."
Baekho, who'd seemed like he'd be laid up forever, was recovering almost as quickly as Na-rae.
"What possessed me? A talisman exorcist charging an evil spirit without prep talismans. Ugh, my back."
Dong-jin left Baekho lamenting and headed out.
His face looked oddly bright.
* * *
Everyone except Na-rae and Baekho at the hospital gathered on the benches outside the corner store.
The dokkaebi, sitting on the bench with the calendar Dong-jin had gotten from the lodge manager, spoke up.
"Kim, manager, why'd you bring that? Nothing's written on it. My dad always read it—I know. Man, these folks get shit done."
He was praising Yi-hwa for exterminating the red-clothed evil spirit in one stroke.
It was a thick daily calendar, one page per day.
As the dokkaebi said, only blood smudges stained it—no notes from the lodge manager.
Yi-hwa nodded as if it made sense, then addressed Dong-jin.
"Reporter Park, you arrived late, so you read it. What'd it say?"
"Grandpa said there were notes? You can't see them?"
At Dong-jin's flustered reply, Yi-hwa pointed at him and told Byung-su.
"Reporter Kim, get Reporter Park a ghost-repelling charm for his pillow. Petty ghosts will swarm him when he sleeps."
Byung-su nodded.
"Residual thoughts projected onto the calendar. What about the lodge manager?"
"Well... With dokkaebi and stray ghosts everywhere here, he should be fine."
Dong-jin's face paled as Yi-hwa and Byung-su talked ghosts right in front of him.
Byung-su, flipping through the calendar, looked at Yi-hwa.
He could see the notes too.
"Yi-hwa, I see notes here too. Guess I need a ghost-repelling charm for my pillow. Hate nightmare haunts."
Yi-hwa chuckled dryly.
"You see it too, Reporter Kim? Why flip through it? Tsk tsk. Bad luck. Handle your own charm—I'm asking this dokkaebi for my wish."
She wanted her reward for beating the dokkaebi at ssireum.
"Dokkaebi Kim, manager, I won last night. Grant my wish."
"Sure, what is it? Name it."
The dokkaebi agreed readily, so Yi-hwa pondered.
"Lemme think. What'd be good? Hmm, that weird thing on Reporter Kim Byung-su's arm—wanna remove it?"
She pitied Byung-su with the grotesque imugi paw attached.
Byung-su waved it off.
"Thanks, but no."
"Really? Then what?"
As Yi-hwa mulled, the dokkaebi suggested.
"Fertilize your field with dung for good crops?"
"Nah, no field."
"Rain for your rice paddy then?"
"No paddy either."
Their bland banter made Byung-su chuckle as he headed inside, telling Dong-jin.
"Reporter Park, turn in early. We'll discharge tomorrow morning and take Baekho and Reporter Eun back to Seoul."
After waving to Byung-su, Dong-jin jumped into Yi-hwa and the dokkaebi's chat.
"Turn the calendar's residual thoughts into readable text. Reporter Eun would love it."
Yi-hwa nodded, agreeing it'd be good to show Na-rae.
Byung-su, pausing at the door, burst into honest laughter at the absurdity.
Dong-jin beamed, thrilled at the clear notes.
Watching him, Byung-su wondered if Na-rae would like the wish he'd asked of the dokkaebi.
* * *
"Reporter Eun, you're not seriously turning this into an article, right?"
Cho-seon had Na-rae pinned like a rat.
"Normal people hang with Kim Byung-su and end up like him? Wild. Contagious or what?"
Na-rae had been getting an earful for an hour since recounting the lodge ordeal to Cho-seon.
"Sent you for fact-checking, and you play exorcist with that psycho—no, Byung-su? Ugh! Why? Young folks going nuts like that psycho—no, Byung-su. Sigh."
She mixed "psycho" and "Byung-su" freely.
"Get out. Bring real news, not novel crap. Stay sharp! Ugh, aging me."
Na-rae, speechless and bathed in scolding, felt stress boiling over.
"Reporter Eun, what'd the gukjang say? Good job? This scoop's huge—she must love it."
Back in the office, clueless Dong-jin stirred the pot.
"Should've asked the dokkaebi for lotto wins for us all! Not some dumb calendar. Argh."
Quick-witted Byung-su slipped an iced coffee into Na-rae's hand.
"Wrap up the article first. I'll ask editing to run it under your byline, nice and flashy. If it goes out, reactions will explode. We're rumor wire at heart—Gukjang Kim's too picky. Finish up and let's clock out early! I'll snag you a ghost-repelling charm."