Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Cats Distinguish Between Favors and Grudges (6)
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A car came rushing with its horn blaring and screeched to a halt in front of Na-rae.
The headlights were blinding.
Three men got out of the car.
The man in the driver's seat didn't get out.
Na-rae grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her along.
"You... can you run?"
The girl flashed a bright smile at Na-rae, who was asking out of concern.
"I can run, but I don't need to. One of those guys... I know him."
Na-rae eyed her suspiciously at those words, but the girl seemed unperturbed.
Dong-jin's voice rang out from within the headlight beams.
"Reporter Eun! You okay?"
Dong-jin rushed over and checked Na-rae for any injuries.
Byung-su and the old man's silhouettes also emerged in the headlight glow.
In their haste, they couldn't risk drunk driving, so they'd called a designated driver and ridden in Byung-su's car.
"Grandpa, how've you been? You'd probably get here faster running, but you came by car?"
The girl greeted the old man first, as if they were acquainted.
The old man approached her and patted her head.
"Yellow-haired kid? I can run faster than a car, but I get winded. So what brings you here?"
"The cats around this neighborhood warned me this sister was in danger, so I came. We were gonna surround the evil spirits with the cats near her place and catch 'em, but then you showed up outta nowhere and they all bolted."
The young foreign girl spoke so clearly and articulately.
The old man scratched his head at her scolding and offered a lame excuse.
"No, Kim Sebang and Park Sebang were kickin' up a fuss about it bein' urgent, so we hurried over... I had no idea you were layin' a formation here to nab those pests. If I'd known, why'd I trek all the way to Seoul, campin' out rough to hunt 'em down? Anyway, those things never quit, so they'll be back."
"Oh, they'll come alright. But they won't pop up in some alley nice and easy to catch like this time. Anyway, nothin' more tonight, so I'm headin' out."
The girl pouted in response to the old man, but turned to Na-rae with a smile and a wave.
"Sister, take care of yourself. If you get nightmares or sleep paralysis, come out to the yard. The cats'll guard your apartment complex."
It was peculiar advice.
Na-rae figured her for a cute but kinda weird kid and replied in kind.
"Yeah, got it. You gonna be okay walkin' home alone at night, little miss? Lemme walk you."
The girl shook her head instead of answering and trotted lightly back the way she'd come.
"Hey, missy! Don't fret too much over that kid. She ain't an evil ghost or nothin', but she ain't human either. Don't get too chummy."
"Not human?"
Na-rae gasped in surprise at the old man's words.
She hadn't sensed even a whiff of spiritual energy.
"Not human, but not a bad kid. That's how you think of her."
The flustered old man brushed it off vaguely.
"Gotta send the driver back, so let's head to Reporter Eun's place first."
Byung-su cut the conversation short; they couldn't stand around on the street forever.
It was a pragmatic call.
* * *
Escorted home by Byung-su and Dong-jin, Na-rae mulled over the old man's words in the shower.
Not long ago, the kitten evil spirit from that Chungnam mountain lodge story had come after her, sending its minions to track her down and find her home.
A few days back, the kitten she'd buried had repaid the favor by rallying the local cats to chase off those minions—and they were still patrolling her apartment complex.
The old man had said that girl she'd just met, Rosen, wasn't human either.
Those women huddled under the streetlamp were the mountain lodge cat spirits—but it was hard to buy the whole story.
'So many cats involved? Too tangled up; I don't get it at all. Truth's supposed to be simple. Team leader and Park senior bought what grandpa said, though. What now? Ah, my head hurts. Ugh! So frustrating!'
It was past two in the morning when she finished her shower.
Her parents seemed fast asleep.
Her younger brother Su-yong, a year her junior, had turned in early too; his door was shut.
Su-yong's room was right by the entryway.
Na-rae used the little room between the kitchen and bathroom.
She shut her door and stood before the mirror, drying her hair.
A cool breeze blew in through the open window at her back, refreshing her.
The window was big, letting in plenty of air.
After drying off and sitting on the bed, it was past two-thirty.
She switched off the light and settled in to sleep when...
Knock knock knock.
The night was dead silent, so she heard it crystal clear.
Knock knock knock.
The sound came at steady intervals, paused, then resumed.
It sounded like someone knocking on the front door.
Knock knock knock.
Definitely a knock on the front door—Na-rae sat up and listened intently.
Deep into the night, and no doorbell? That was weird.
Everyone was home, and no one would visit at this hour.
Something off about it.
Knock knock knock.
Curiosity getting the better of her, Na-rae stepped out, flicked on the living room light.
The knocking persisted all the way to the entryway.
Knock knock knock.
It wasn't loud at all.
She crept quietly to the door and pressed her ear against it.
Knock knock knock.
The sensor light flicked on as she reached the door.
'Who's knocking instead of ringing the bell?'
Curious about whoever it was, she asked cautiously,
"Who is it?"
The knocking didn't stop.
Knock knock knock.
Pretty irritating sound.
To check for spiritual energy, she pressed right up against the door.
That's when the door to the next room flew open, and her brother Su-yong bellowed,
"Who is it! Knocking in the dead of night—what do you want!"
The noise had woken him, putting him on edge.
Su-yong flung open the front door.
He gripped a baseball bat; clearly, he'd been wary of the knocker too.
No one out there.
But the sensor lights on the stairs leading down to the first floor were on—someone had probably just bolted quietly.
"Nobody here. Must've been some prankster who took off."
Su-yong shut the door and told Na-rae.
She'd peeked out too, so she nodded and headed back to her room.
As she slipped inside, she heard his door click shut.
Na-rae closed her door and climbed back into bed.
It was a little past three.
She listened in the dark room for a bit, but no more knocking.
Probably just some prankster, like Su-yong said.
She shut her eyes and drifted off easily; it had been an exhausting day.
Knock knock knock.
The knocking started up again.
Irked by the grating noise, Na-rae sat up and listened.
Knock knock knock.
This wasn't the front steel door.
It was her wooden room door being knocked.
Knock knock knock.
'Something slipped in when I opened the front door.'
She quietly scanned the room.
No lights on; nothing handy for a weapon in the dark.
She tiptoed to the door and pressed her ear against it.
Knock knock knock.
The vibrations from the knocks buzzed against her face.
She held her breath to avoid giving away that she was awake, focusing on the sound.
Steady rhythm on the door.
No breathing from the other side.
Su-yong or her parents probably wouldn't hear it.
Na-rae glanced at the doorknob.
Of course it wasn't locked.
'If I lock it now, it'll know I'm up. What to do?'
Even as she hesitated, the knocking kept its beat.
Whatever it was just knocked quietly—no trying the knob.
As she reached out to lock it, the rhythm stopped.
She pressed her ear to the door again.
Knock knock knock.
The knocking resumed on beat.
The spot touching her face felt oddly cold.
Spiritual energy.
'Something's out there. Not human.'
She still couldn't handle qi properly and sometimes missed spiritual energy, but up close like this? Crystal clear.
"Who is it!"
Su-yong's shout rang out then.
Thank goodness—he'd heard it too.
Na-rae swiftly locked the door and yelled,
"Su-yong! Someone's at my door!"
She heard him come running.
"What? Nobody here? Sis, there's no one! Open up. Huh, what's this?"
The voice outside was definitely her brother Su-yong.
Relieved, Na-rae turned on the light and cracked the door open.
Su-yong stood there with his bat.
The living room blazed bright, which was comforting.
Stepping out, something about Su-yong's expression struck her as off.
His downcast eyes trembled violently.
Na-rae followed his gaze and crouched down.
A red handprint stained her door.
Right at the spot where she'd pressed her face from inside.
Something had pressed right up to peer in.
"Sis, that blood? Dunno what it was, but seems gone now."
Na-rae nodded and started to stand when Su-yong grinned.
"But sis, what if you open the door like that? Coulda been me not me."
His eyes gleamed unnaturally bright.
The bat in his hand looked seriously menacing.
Na-rae eased to her feet and kicked him square in the gut.
"You little punk! Already scared outta my mind, and you gotta mess around? You need a beating!"
No spiritual energy on Su-yong, obviously.
He'd just been goofing cluelessly—but Na-rae wasn't letting it slide.
"My bad! Mercy! Sis! I messed up!"
She stomped on the doubled-over Su-yong.
He begged piteously, but she kept at it mercilessly.
"Weak sauce. Die! Die! Just die already!"
To him, she must've looked like a demon.
After thoroughly stomping him, Na-rae searched every corner of the house.
Thankfully, no spiritual energy anywhere.
* * *
Maybe because of last night's ruckus, Na-rae slept in later than usual.
Su-yong had nagged about feeling uneasy and insisted they switch rooms, so that's where she'd woken up.
Even with all his pranks, he looked out for his big sis.
Na-rae headed to the bathroom for a quick wash and brush-up.
Breakfast was already set in the kitchen.
"Why're you comin' from there?"
Her dad asked from the table.
Na-rae shuffled toward the bathroom without glancing his way.
"Had my reasons."
"What reasons?"
He pressed, but she shut the door with a curt,
"Just did."
By the time she emerged, Su-yong was at the table scarfing down food.
He always ate first, brushing later.
"Man, last night's dream was no joke."
Mouth stuffed full, he said.
Na-rae grimaced at his manners.
"Ugh, gross! Finish eating first!"
Undeterred, he chomped away.
"No, Dad. Switched rooms with Sis last night. Got sleep paralysis."
Dad replied without looking up.
"Dream tax is just education tax. Unemployed bum like you ain't payin' taxes—what dreams? Skip church, demon gotcha. Go like your sis."
Su-yong stayed defiant despite the ribbing.
"Two women with gouged-out eyes climbed on me goin' 'Where's that bitch? Where?' Super scary."
"You two-timin'? Live right. What's an unemployed slacker doin' datin'..."
Na-rae cut in on Dad's scolding.
"So what'd you say?"