Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Evil Spirit Baek Dong-su (2)
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There was a small bottle next to the ashtray.
Na-rae felt like her heart was about to burst.
('Where the hell did that guy come in from? Where are those creepy women?')
The man shifted his gaze away from Na-rae, picked up the small bottle from the table, and headed toward the hallway.
Thud. Thud.
The man's footsteps echoed unusually loudly.
But there was no sound of the door opening.
Before long, his footsteps came from the hallway outside the front door, gradually fading into the distance.
('He's gone! He must be gone!')
Na-rae shot to her feet in a hurry.
Her body felt rigid; it wouldn't budge an inch.
She tried lifting her head to look around.
But her neck wouldn't move either.
She focused her mind and tried wiggling her fingers.
She couldn't lift her hand, but her fingers twitched.
('It's sleep paralysis!')
She wanted to believe it was just sleep paralysis, not reality.
The thought eased her fear a little.
She needed to wake up fast, she thought.
She couldn't go through another nightmare.
But then it occurred to Na-rae that maybe it wasn't a nightmare after all.
"Ugh! Ack! Hiya!"
She let out a scream-like shout and tried to sit up, but her body wouldn't move.
('Let's roll over.')
She couldn't sit up, but rolling sideways seemed possible.
"Uwaaah! Hiya! Heiy! Let's go!"
She yelled again and rolled her body to the side.
Her body moved.
Thud!
"Ow!"
Na-rae tumbled off the bed.
('The paralysis is broken!')
Her head hurt from hitting the floor, but she didn't care.
As soon as her body obeyed her, she dashed downstairs to the first floor and flicked on the lights.
Then she ran to the hallway and checked the front door lock.
It was locked.
Na-rae hooked the safety chain.
She turned on all the lights in the bathroom too and sank onto the sofa.
Unconsciously, she pulled a cigarette from the pack on the table and lit up.
There were no other kinds of cigarettes in the ashtray besides hers.
"Ah, it was just a dream."
She let out a sigh of relief.
In that moment, something in the ashtray caught Na-rae's eye among the butts.
It was a butt with the filter chewed by teeth.
At the end of the filter, there was some red smudge—blood? Lipstick? She couldn't tell.
Na-rae never chewed the filter when she smoked.
And she never got lipstick on her cigarettes, especially not red lipstick.
She hadn't worn any today.
She held up the cigarette she'd been smoking and examined it closely.
Nothing on it.
('Was it not a dream?')
It had clearly been sleep paralysis, but now she was confused.
She couldn't tell where the dream ended and reality began.
It felt like the man from her dream had smoked her cigarette.
"No sleeping tonight. Should I get a DNA test on this?"
Na-rae carefully picked up the chewed butt with some tissue and placed it on the table.
As she touched it, she felt a faint warmth.
('It was smoked recently. Do ghosts even have DNA?')
She thought of Il-han, who worked at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Major Crimes Unit.
"I'll call Il-han tomorrow. Knowing that guy, he's probably already out of the hospital."
Na-rae sat on the sofa, watching dawn break through the wide glass window.
The city's morning began as the sun rose between the buildings.
The structures bathed in the rising sunlight gleamed brilliantly, like the golden city of El Dorado.
('Can I sleep now?')
As sunlight streamed in from her feet to her face, the tension finally drained from her body, and she lay down on the sofa.
When Na-rae woke up, it was already afternoon.
('I wonder if the team leader and Park senior are okay?')
Na-rae hurriedly texted Dong-jin.
[Senior, everything okay?]
Dong-jin wasn't the type to use KakaoTalk, and neither was Na-rae.
Some avoided it out of fear of no replies; others because of too many messages.
It was Saturday, so he was probably sleeping in; the reply would be late.
Na-rae dialed someone on her phone.
After three rings, they picked up.
—What's up?
The other person skipped even "hello."
It was Na-rae's police academy classmate, Lieutenant Yoon Il-han.
"It's your noona. Come over to my place today."
—Crazy! Noona what? Your place? Where? You moved to Gwanghwamun?
('This guy's language skills are a total disaster. How does he never get past three words?')
"Yeah, Gwanghwamun! I have something to show you."
Na-rae spoke softly.
—I'm working. I'm in Gwanghwamun right now too.
Il-han replied half-heartedly, doing whatever he was doing.
"Figured you were out of the hospital already. Classic cop. Anyway! Come after work. I'll buy you food. And drinks. I went through something scary and want to talk it over."
She was the desperate one, so she kept her tone as gentle as possible.
—No car today. Gotta walk. Scared? Just get married.
Still half-hearted.
"It's like a five-minute walk from the police station to Anguk Station! Run over! And what, you get married every time you have sleep paralysis?"
—Just paralysis? Fine, 7. I'll call from downstairs.
Na-rae yelled, and suddenly hunger hit her.
Come to think of it, she hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday.
She quickly washed her face and threw on a baggy blue tracksuit top and bottom before heading out.
The first floor of the officetel had shops, making meals easy.
('Blood sausage soup? Or bone hangover stew?')
Once outside, Na-rae pondered her queasy stomach and settled on spicy bone hangover stew.
The bone stew place was past the convenience store on the right side of the building.
Seol-mi was sitting in a Parasol chair outside the convenience store.
Same outfit as last night, no makeup.
('How come some look pretty even without makeup, and others... just don't?')
Na-rae was going to pass by unnoticed since Seol-mi wouldn't see her, but she ducked into the store for cigarettes instead.
"Auntie, was there a car accident at that crosswalk?"
Na-rae pointed at the crosswalk.
"Huh? You didn't come for smokes yesterday. Where were you? There was a traffic accident Thursday night, they say. Don't know if it was a guy or girl, but instant death. Most folks here jaywalk, so be careful, missy."
The uncle must have been minding the store at night and missed it.
"Instant death?"
"Yeah, drunk driving and speeding, probably. Coming back from drinks in that alley over there. Thursday night, I heard a lot of screeching brakes from speeders..."
The road from the food alley past the officetel was usually quiet, no traffic.
Always clear, so speeders occasionally barreled through.
"Do you know that lady by any chance?"
Na-rae pointed, but Seol-mi was gone from the Parasol spot.
"Huh, she's gone. You mean the blind lady? Pretty one with those nice eyes?"
"Yeah, that one. Always with her husband, right? They seemed so close. He always dressed sharp in suits, real refined-looking guy. Haven't seen him since yesterday. You know them?"
"No, just liked her vibe."
"Yeah, good vibe. Polite too. But you wouldn't run into her much without the husband. She doesn't go out alone, seems like. Shame she's blind, such a pretty thing."
Na-rae paid for her smokes and left.
The white spray-painted pedestrian figure on the crosswalk came to mind, and her chest tightened for some reason.
Seol-mi was suddenly standing at the crosswalk.
Na-rae approached and greeted her.
"Hello?"
She desperately hoped for a "hello" back—proof she was okay.
"Oh, hello. Na-rae-ssi."
Seol-mi smiled brightly and greeted her back.
"Did your husband come home?"
Na-rae asked cautiously, relieved by the bright expression.
"No. No word. I'm worried."
The reply was dark, despite the smile.
('Then why the bright face? You're confusing me.')
"He'd have called if something happened. Have you eaten?"
"No. Na-rae-ssi, heading out for food? Enjoy."
She bowed again.
"Haven't eaten? Come with me. Great bone hangover stew just around the corner."
Na-rae took Seol-mi's hand—ignoring her polite refusal that it'd be a bother—and led her into the restaurant.
When the food arrived, Na-rae realized she'd been thoughtless.
Bone stew looked way too messy for someone blind like Seol-mi.
"Hold on, Seol-mi-ssi."
Na-rae pulled Seol-mi's stone pot over, deboned the meat, and slid it back.
('What does it feel like, not seeing anything?')
After eating, Na-rae and Seol-mi sat at the convenience store Parasol chairs, sipping vending machine coffee.
No acquaintances around, so it was their first time chatting like this in front of the officetel.
Even sociable Na-rae felt awkward with someone she'd just met yesterday, despite managing the meal.
Na-rae wondered: if it weren't Seol-mi? If Seol-mi could see, would she approach easier?
Watching Seol-mi chat brightly and animatedly, she realized it was because it was Seol-mi.
"Anywhere else to reach out?"
"We have no one."
Seol-mi answered Na-rae's question.
"Ah..."
"It's fine. I'm used to being alone. But now with Dong-su-ssi, I'm not."
Throughout the talk, Seol-mi kept a bright expression.
What she was saying, smiling so brightly, wasn't bright at all.
* * *
My husband Dong-su and I have no family.
Ten years ago, I lost my mom, dad, and little brother in a car accident.
I'd gotten into Goguryeo University's visual design program, and we were out celebrating.
That day, my brother died in my place.
He shielded me.
My brother Jin-ho was a high school freshman then.
I lost my sight when the car exploded, but everyone said we were lucky to survive.
I'd be dead without my brother.
On diagnosis day, the doctor said this:
You won't hurt or die; it's just your eyes don't work.
So I asked:
"Can I still study at university? My parents and brother Jin-ho were so happy about my acceptance."
The doctor said I could if I tried hard.
Then he asked what I'd major in.
I told him visual design, and he went silent.
After that, I lived alone.
I met Dong-su five years ago.
I'd gone near Seolleung Station to meet a high school friend, but she had something urgent and couldn't make it.
It was pouring rain, hard to tell empty taxis from occupied ones.
Can't call one.
Can't describe nearby buildings, and even if it comes, hard to find it.
Easier to flag one passing by.
In Seoul, you can kinda tell taxis from regular cars up close.
The unique color of Seoul taxis...
Ah, I'm not totally blind; I can make out light, colors, shapes.
I thought it was empty and got in at the crosswalk, but someone was in back.
I apologized and tried to get out, but that passenger was Dong-su-ssi.
He told the driver to drop me off first.
I felt terrible, but I couldn't refuse his kindness.
It was the first gentle voice I'd heard in ages.
A few days later, I went back to that coffee shop near Seolleung Station to meet my friend again, and there was Dong-su-ssi.