Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 077
Chapter Title: Evil Ghost Baek Dong-su (6)
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Seol-mi turned her head and greeted him with a smile.
"I remember you. Dong-su, right? You're the company president. What happened to Dong-su? He hasn't been in touch."
Seol-mi's voice trembled slightly, but her expression didn't change.
"He's fine. Healthy, too. There was a problem with a woman. A married one, apparently. Looks like they're together now. He hasn't been showing up at the company, and out of old ties, he asked me to deliver this to you."
The demon placed the holy water bottle Dong-su had entrusted to him into Seol-mi's hand.
"He said he got it from a church near the company. Dong-su has no intention of coming back to me or to you, Seol-mi. He wants to live his own life, so don't look for him, he said."
With that, the demon observed Seol-mi's expression.
Seol-mi seemed to feel his gaze and looked straight into his eyes.
She stared into the demon's eyes for so long that he wondered, 'Can she actually see?'
"That's a relief. Really, I'm so glad he's safe. Thank you for passing on the message. I heard from the convenience store lady. There was an accident at that crosswalk up ahead. I thought it was Dong-su, and it scared me. I'm so glad. Really."
Seol-mi's shoulders trembled as she bowed her head in gratitude.
Seeing her shaking shoulders, the demon had nothing more to say and stood up.
Na-rae was standing at the convenience store door, though he hadn't noticed her arrive.
The demon bowed in greeting, and she awkwardly returned it.
"If there's ever anything I can help with, feel free to contact me."
He handed his business card to Seol-mi, who was clutching the holy water bottle with both hands.
He turned, greeted Na-rae once more, and headed to the car.
After the demon left, Na-rae sat in the spot where he had been.
Seol-mi turned her head, lightly greeting her as if she knew who had sat down beside her.
Jong-pal asked the demon as he got into the car.
"Hyung-nim, heading to the company?"
As they pulled out, the demon posed an unexpected question to Jong-pal, who was asking for directions.
"Jong-pal, what do you think?"
Surprisingly, Jong-pal understood and replied.
"What do you mean, hyung-nim? About the evil spirit matter?"
"Yeah."
Jong-pal glanced at the demon, then looked ahead cautiously as he spoke.
"If I may be so bold, hyung-nim... we have no other path. Either we wrap things up and get out of this scene, or we get revenge on Ko-teol."
"Right, I see."
Jong-pal continued, staring straight ahead calmly.
"The problem is we're short on numbers, so we can't win. Our guys all know it. That's why we have to get revenge, but no one's talking about it. Everyone knows we'd lose a war with Ko-teol's crew, so no one speaks up."
His words were long-winded, and the point didn't quite sink in for the demon.
"What do you want to do?"
"If we clash with Ko-teol now, we're done. But if we don't, our pride takes a hit, and we're done anyway."
The word "done" carried a strange weight.
It wasn't a sharp answer, but the intent got through.
"Let's go to A-gwi's."
To wage war on Ko-teol's gang, they needed A-gwi, who had left the organization.
The demon called A-gwi.
"A-gwi? It's me."
A-gwi, quick with information, would know today was Dong-su's funeral.
—Yes, hyung-nim. Long time no see. Haha. Busy, huh? I'm nearby but haven't stopped by. What's up?
He bantered pointlessly, not even showing up at Dong-su's funeral hall.
"You at the office? If you're not busy, let's meet today."
—Busy or not, I'll make time. I'm not in a position to move right now. Come here?
He was telling Ma-gwi Bang Il-seok, whom he once served, to come to him directly.
Something unthinkable while Dong-su was alive.
—Where am I? On the way up Cheon-gye Mountain from the Yangjae-dong freight terminal. You've been before, hyung-nim, you know the place. You know that bosintang place, right?
A-gwi suggested bosintang even knowing they were coming from scattering Dong-su's ashes, but the demon needed him.
* * *
The road to the meeting spot past Cheon-gye Mountain was a two-lane round trip with little traffic.
At some point, the truck ahead slowed down, occasionally tapping the brakes.
Jong-pal, stuck behind it, started getting irritated.
"Man, why's that guy going so slow?"
He honked the horn as he spoke.
"Don't make a racket. Just go quietly."
The demon reined him in, sensing the irritation in Jong-pal's tone.
"Yes, hyung-nim."
Calming Jong-pal, the demon thought the truck ahead wasn't ordinary.
No traffic lights, no cars ahead of the truck.
No reason to slow down or brake.
Jong-pal also sensed something suspicious about the truck.
'Something's off. Better pass at the intersection ahead.'
He planned to overtake when they stopped at the signal.
As expected, the truck halted at the light.
Jong-pal crossed the center line and pulled in front of the truck.
'That'll piss him off.'
Thinking of the truck driver's annoyance made him feel good.
He checked the side mirror.
For whatever reason, the truck crept closer and rear-ended Jong-pal's car.
Clearly intentional.
"What the hell, you crazy bastard!"
Jong-pal reached for the door handle.
"Jong-pal! Stop it. Just go."
He wanted to avoid trouble today.
"Yes, hyung-nim."
Jong-pal held back his anger visibly.
To avoid a fight, he started the car despite the light not changing.
As the demon's car pulled away, the truck charged and hit them from behind.
Bang!
This impact was substantial.
Jong-pal grabbed his neck, stopping the car, and said to the demon.
"You okay, hyung-nim? Ah, that bastard."
Jong-pal went for the door again.
The car was stopped dead center in the intersection.
The demon felt a slight jolt but sensed danger in the truck driver's actions.
"Jong-pal, don't get out. Something's wrong with that truck."
As the demon spoke, the truck rammed them again from behind.
"Hey! You."
Jong-pal rolled down the window and yelled.
Before he finished, a dump truck suddenly appeared from the right lane, barreling toward them at full speed and slamming into the demon and Jong-pal's car.
Bang!
The dump truck shoved the car several meters, crumpling the front seats as it rolled over it.
A considerable time later.
An ambulance carrying the demon and Jong-pal sped toward Gangnam Hospital's ER.
Ma-gwi's gang members, alerted late, gathered at the hospital.
A-gwi was already there ahead of some men, explaining in front of the demon's OR.
"An accident on that quiet road? Doesn't make sense. It's Ko-teol's trap! The evil spirit thing too. That guy's lost it and struck first. Why the hell was Ma-gwi hyung-nim going there?"
A-gwi's voice rose in agitation.
"You all stick with me until Ma-gwi hyung-nim wakes up. We're family anyway, so we band together now."
He was the boss figure, uniting the group and quelling unrest.
Jong-pal had died instantly in the crash; the demon was in surgery.
Dong-su, who had gone to the company to meet the demon, heard about the accident and followed the men to the hospital.
'Can't tell. Did Ko-teol really need to go this far? Why was hyung-nim heading to Cheon-gye Mountain?'
Dong-su suspected it wasn't a simple accident, as A-gwi said.
But in a situation where everyone suspected Ko-teol, would he be so blatant?
'Even in death, unknowns remain unknown. The frustration's the same as when alive.'
If anything, there were more unknowns now, doubling the frustration.
'Boring. Why am I still lingering in this world?'
Feeling powerless, he stepped outside.
A tall woman smiled at Dong-su.
'Can she see me? Her actions seem like a living person. How?'
As the puzzled woman approached Dong-su.
Red-tinged hair, black suit, tall stature—Emel.
"Even as a ghost, it's not much different from being alive, right?"
She walked toward Dong-su, speaking with precise enunciation.
"Can you see me? Are you dead too?"
"I've never died. And I don't plan to."
Dong-su kept his distance, wary of Emel.
"How's it feel to have died? More powerless and pathetic, right? Hunger lingers, loneliness deepens. You know? Even dead, you'll feel pain like the living. Horrific, isn't it?"
Emel closed the gap Dong-su had opened and extended her hand.
"I'm Emel. Means 'terror' in Mongolian. Ah! Don't misunderstand. I'm not Mongolian. Never been. Nice to meet you, Dong-su."
Dong-su didn't take her hand and asked.
"How do you know me? What are you?"
"I saw you die. Once ahead, once behind. Saw that car roll over your twitching body again."
"Who... are you?"
"I was nearby looking for someone. Saw your death instead. I chased off the grim reaper who came for you. Wouldn't be fair to just go, right? A gangster like you, headed to hell. Hohoho."
Stunned by Emel's claim of driving off the reaper, Dong-su asked again.
"What are you?"
"So many questions. That's what happens when your abilities are lacking. Promise to help me, and I can give you power. I value promises and honor contracts."
Emel stood tall before Dong-su, a head taller than him.
"You can give me power?"
Dong-su sensed she wasn't human.
"Yes, I can. Not god-level, but transcendent to humans. Just say you'll help, and I'll give you power now. Hallucination abilities. Can't kill humans, but can plunge them into despair."
"Why give me power?"
"For millennia, I've mingled with humans, sharing my qi. They served me, satisfied. Well, exceptions exist..."
She shared qi with merchants and others needing power, making them serve her.
The only humans who took her qi for millennia without following were reporter Kim Byung-su and reporter Eun Na-rae.
"I'm a god. An evil god, but a god nonetheless. Gods don't lie. You seem resolute, and in need of my power. How about it? Will you help me?"
Dong-su asked Emel again.
"Shouldn't you tell me what I need to do first?"
"Just find a small knife. Find it, and I guarantee it'll be great for you too."
Emel's voice was soft and polite, but inspired no trust.