Chapter 58
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Monster Tale Specialist Office: Mangnyang Cat (7)
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The office staff were each standing at their assigned positions.
Sia was positioned at the outermost point to close off the space the moment the mangnyang arrived, while Woli stood just outside the circle in preparation for any unexpected situations.
The remaining two were in the middle, ready to respond to the situation as it unfolded.
Four people were watching over him. Yet inside the circle, he was alone. A restless feeling stirred in his chest.
He thought he had mentally prepared himself, and he had to some extent, but that didn't make the anxiety disappear.
It would be fine until the mangnyang appeared. Siwoo carefully scanned his surroundings. He needed to do something to soothe his nerves.
Nothing had appeared yet. The smoke was just gradually thickening. It wasn't a acrid smell, but something artificial, like fruity incense.
The smoke was coming from the two candlesticks beside him. It was impossible for such small candles to produce this much smoke. It was so bizarre that Siwoo muttered to himself without realizing it.
"Weird...."
Siwoo muttered absentmindedly, then startled himself and covered his mouth.
He had been told not to say a single word after the mangnyang appeared. He needed to be careful from now on.
Siwoo fiddled with the glass marble in his pocket.
With this, and with these people here, it would be okay. The mangnyang wouldn't be able to approach him, Siwoo tried to reassure himself.
The windows had been closed at some point. Now, there was only one open entrance left. Sia fanned the smoke outward through the open door.
Ding-a-ling. A bell rang out. Sia had a metal bell strapped to her arm instead of her usual cloth one. As she fanned, the sound naturally spread and grew louder with each overlap.
"Is this the summoning ritual?"
"Yeah."
Seol-i asked Taeju quietly. Taeju nodded.
Bell sounds carry farther to non-human entities. And smoke mixed with fragrance draws even more attention. It lures non-human things in, like scattering bait in fishing.
"Could I do something like this someday?"
Taeju thought for a moment at Seol-i's question before shaking his head.
"Probably not. The materials and quantities vary wildly depending on what you're summoning and what you want to avoid, so it'd be tough for us."
Besides, what Seol-i needed to do was different from the start, so there was no need to teach her. But there wasn't time to explain that.
"The mangnyang will show up soon."
"...I know."
"Your sister can summon mangnyang too, but it's not easy to spot them. That's why you have to tell us."
If what Sia was doing was scattering bait and casting a net, then Seol-i's job was like watching inside to see if any fish were caught.
"You have to confirm a mangnyang has entered before closing the door. That's why your role is crucial."
That was why Sia was by the door. The moment Seol-i signaled, the door would close, completing the barrier.
"And then we catch it?"
"If possible."
Of course, they couldn't hold it for long. Mangnyang hid in places that were neither light nor shadow.
Expecting to capture it with just this level of barrier was greedy.
But they could definitely startle and confuse it. In fact, that alone would be enough.
"But even if we don't catch it, it's fine. Mangnyang are cowardly. They're beings rooted in hiding, after all. So this should make it retreat."
However, to startle the opponent, timing was key. Whether capturing it outright or scaring it off massively, hitting them at their most relaxed moment was most effective—that much was obvious.
"So we're aiming for a very brief opening."
Taeju told Seol-i to speak up immediately if she saw anything. Seol-i nodded with a resolute expression.
Methodologically akin to fishing, it meant they had to wait.
There were no clocks here, and only darkness reflected in the windows. The only way to gauge time was the slowly melting candles.
It would normally be a boring wait, but no one here felt bored. Tension hung in the air instead.
How much time passed? Only when the candles had shortened by a few centimeters did Seol-i react for the first time.
"It's here."
At those words, Sia slammed the door shut. A loud bang echoed, and the already dim room became a completely sealed space.
"Which side?"
Taeju asked in a low voice. Seol-i pointed in the direction with her finger.
Taeju examined the direction Seol-i indicated closely. Suddenly, something that hadn't been visible before came into view.
"Yeah. It's definitely there."
It was unmistakably horrific in form.
An old man's head was attached to the body of a beast slightly larger than a cat. The body was covered in short fur with a dark yellow hue. Its claws blended seamlessly with its paws but were incredibly sharp.
It wasn't exactly a cat, but no other animal came to mind for comparison.
A predator's maw, albeit a bit small. The horror lay in the fact that only the head was that of an old man.
The old man's face stared at Seol-i expressionlessly. It wasn't an expression a living thing could make. No human could wear such emotionless blankness. It was like the face of a corpse.
"That's... the mangnyang...."
Seol-i stared at it, entranced. She couldn't tear her eyes away. Noticing her state, Taeju quickly tapped her shoulder. Seol-i snapped back to reality.
While Seol-i had been momentarily dazed, Sia unstrapped the bell from her wrist and hurled it straight at the mangnyang. The mangnyang dodged hastily, bristling its fur. It looked like a startled cat. But its expression remained unchanged. That was the creepiest part.
Siwoo tensed up greatly but showed no other reaction yet. Woli kept the mangnyang in sight while glancing at Siwoo's condition.
Faced with multiple strangers who clearly knew it was coming and were waiting, the mangnyang showed wariness. The fact that not a single one panicked at the sight of it heightened its caution.
The mangnyang hesitated, as if pondering something.
"Its mimicry isn't as complete as expected."
Sia muttered softly. If it was adept at bewitching people, she thought it could mimic human expressions too, but it remained blank-faced.
Its mimicry was lower quality than Sia had anticipated. But ordinary mangnyang wouldn't be like this.
What was different? That was a question for later. Sia prepared to use her next method.
But the mangnyang spoke first—an event no one in the room had anticipated.
No, they knew it could speak, but they hadn't foreseen the impact it would have.
"Where are you?"
The mangnyang did nothing grandiose. It simply spoke in an old man's voice.
"What...?"
Ignoring Taeju's startled shout, the mangnyang spoke again.
"Where are you? Seongho?"
A sudden ominous feeling hit Taeju, and he whipped around. Sure enough, Siwoo's face was contorted.
It was clearly fear, but more than that.
Seeing that expression, Taeju instinctively knew things had gone terribly wrong.
And Siwoo, as if bewitched, opened his mouth.
"I'm sorry...."
It was a tiny sound, not even a proper reply, but it was a reaction to the mangnyang's words.
He had answered a question he absolutely shouldn't have.
For the first time, the mangnyang cracked an awkward, eerie smile.
The mangnyang now knew where Siwoo was. The barrier could no longer serve its purpose. Siwoo had made eye contact with the mangnyang.
"Oh no...."
Siwoo seemed too shocked to even breathe. Even in his panic, that struck Taeju as odd.
It was a shocking sight, of course. A human head attached to a beast—and if it was someone he knew, even more so.
But even accounting for everything, Siwoo's reaction was excessively intense.
Reacting with such shock that he didn't even know what he was saying was not what they had expected.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
From the moment their eyes met, Siwoo just trembled violently, and after hearing the voice, he repeated the same words like a broken recorder.
It was a clear misjudgment. They had seen him act mature and composed, so both Taeju and Sia thought he could handle it.
"Get a grip!"
Woli couldn't enter the circle and just stamped her feet, shouting. She was positioned outside to block anything from entering, not to prevent collapse from within.
Taeju gritted his teeth. This was his fault. He knew Siwoo was hiding something, but he had miscalculated the risk, deeming it manageable.
The problem hadn't been the mangnyang. It certainly had strange powers and was a bewitching entity, but what it had done now wasn't some magical force shattering Siwoo's mind.
It had simply prodded an existing weakness, causing him to crumble from within.
"You're there, huh...?"
The mangnyang said in the old man's voice. It was as if it could now clearly see inside the circle. Woli drew the knife she had prepared just in case.
But defying the barrier, the mangnyang didn't charge. It merely met Siwoo's eyes, smirked, and wagged its tail in place.
The sight was more repulsive than cute.
Woli couldn't leave her position. So she independently hurled the knife at the mangnyang. The pitch-black blade flew straight.
But the mangnyang let it pass through like a shadow. With a thud, the knife embedded in the concrete wall.
Yet it wasn't entirely useless. Startled by the bang, Siwoo dropped the glass ball.
"Pop!"
The moment the marble shattered, a flash erupted. Caught off guard by the unexpected light and bang, the mangnyang shrieked in alarm and vanished.
The barrier shattered too, billowing smoke.
The moment it broke, Woli rushed in to check on Siwoo, while the others scanned the surroundings in case the mangnyang lingered.
But nothing remained.
Despite Sia having closed the door, the mangnyang had escaped without issue.
In one sense, it was fortunate. But the operation was a complete failure.
The mangnyang had confirmed Siwoo's presence and fled, and Siwoo's condition had worsened.
All they gained was learning Siwoo had a weakness.
The mangnyang was gone, but Siwoo was still shuddering. He groaned, drenched in cold sweat.
"What a mess."
Taeju wasn't the only one with a grim expression. Sia's face was hardened too.
It was the worst.
And to top it off, Siwoo's father was due to arrive soon. Taeju didn't have nerves thick enough to face him like this without shame.