Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: If You've Done Wrong, Accept the Punishment (2)
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“Yes?”
“Whatever punishment you deem fit, I’ll gladly accept it.”
“Yes?”
“Ah. I suppose I need to fix my attitude first. Starting with getting on my knees...”
Woo Do-gyeom straightened his deeply slouched back in his seat.
Unfortunately for Yeonwoo, the spacious car interior was more than ample for a sturdy adult man to kneel down.
“No, why are you suddenly doing this?!”
“Are you not taking the attitude of someone begging for punishment?”
“I’m going insane, seriously...”
It was good that Woo Do-gyeom had unexpectedly admitted his wrongdoing so readily. At least he’d been upgraded from non-recyclable trash to something separated for recycling.
That much was a relief. Earlier, he’d popped the lid off and charged ahead without looking back, but now that his head had cooled, reality was staring him in the face.
Yeonwoo didn’t care if things fell apart here and he stormed out...
‘But other people would.’
With that in mind, Woo Do-gyeom’s swift admission of fault was truly fortunate...
“If kneeling isn’t enough, then perhaps corporal punishment...”
Of course, his repentance wasn’t following any normal path either.
“What?! What kind of crazy talk is that?!”
“Ah. Not this?”
“Where the hell did you even hear something like that?!”
“I didn’t hear it—I saw it.”
“What did you see?”
“There was a movie about some religion where ascetics practiced self-flagellation. They stripped down and whipped their own backs with a horsehair scourge.”
“What movie was that...”
“It was in a film that Young Master Kwon personally sent over. Thriller genre. That scene wasn’t the main focus, but it left an impression.”
“...”
Yeonwoo couldn’t even guess what film it was.
“Enough. There’s absolutely no need for any corporal punishment.”
“Why not? Don’t you need something like that to vent your anger?”
Woo Do-gyeom hadn’t actually knelt, but he looked up at Yeonwoo from his lowered position.
Hoo.
Yeonwoo let out a long sigh.
“Fine. More importantly, if you really think you were wrong, take responsibility and clean up this mess.”
“That’ll do it?”
“Handle any unnecessary articles that pop up too.”
“Any specific compensation you want?”
“Just handle the cleanup properly.”
“I’ll need to compensate the staff separately too. Maybe a bonus payout...”
“Have you lost your mind?”
Yeonwoo recoiled at the words straight out of a ruthless corporate chairman’s playbook.
Which, to be fair, was exactly what he was.
“Just don’t tell those people what you did at all. That’ll be better compensation than money.”
The staff’s mental health was precious. Especially for sensitive types like Director Ji, who was as fragile as glass.
If they found out, they’d be shocked: ‘What?! Our investor used us as sacrificial lambs to promote our film?!’
Director Ji would plunge into a slump from then on.
‘That would be the worst.’
Better if they never knew about it at all.
“In the future, if you’re planning anything involving me or people around me, ask me first.”
“Ah. You want submission? Fine. I can submit like a soldier under orders anytime.”
“No... What kind of ridiculous...”
Now his head was starting to throb for entirely different reasons.
“I’ll make an effort. But perfectly obeying might be tough. Business is all about timing, after all.”
Woo Do-gyeom smiled reassuringly, tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“I’ll try to meet your standards as much as possible.”
Why didn’t that reassure him at all?
‘Can I trust him?’
The doubt crept in.
The guy was just too bizarre for comfort.
*
With Woo Do-gyeom’s assurances, the car’s atmosphere somehow settled.
“...But why’d you suddenly admit you were wrong?”
It was suspicious because the man who’d acted baffled no matter how many times asked had flipped like that out of nowhere.
“Hmm. Even I’m a bit puzzled. It was an incredibly unfamiliar sensation.”
Woo Do-gyeom suddenly stared straight into Yeonwoo’s eyes.
“The way you looked at me and spoke to me—it felt like my rationality crumbling bit by bit.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Yeonwoo had asked why he was doing something so out of character, only to get this weird response instead.
“Exactly what I said. Every time you glared at me like that, I felt something utterly new.”
It wasn’t just like—he’d been properly scolded.
“It’s so unfamiliar I don’t know how to describe it. Like I was gradually going mad. I clearly wanted one thing, but different words came out of my mouth. And strangely, it didn’t even feel wrong.”
His piercing gaze drew even closer.
“It’s the same now. This place is all stirred up for some reason.”
Woo Do-gyeom pressed firmly on his solar plexus.
“I even went to the hospital, but no diagnosis.”
“...”
Yeonwoo was at a loss for words.
Seriously? He went to the hospital for that?
Woo Do-gyeom even added more.
“Truth be told, I’m not one to trust hospitals much. As you know, my kids suffered terribly. But no hospital could find the cause.”
That was unavoidable.
Modern science’s pinnacle wasn’t ready to detect supernatural phenomena yet.
“Thinking back on it still grinds my teeth. You can’t even imagine how much those little ones endured. It was the first time I felt that helpless. My kids were clearly getting worse from the pain, and I couldn’t do a damn thing.”
Bad memories surfaced, making Woo Do-gyeom’s thick brows twitch.
“Anyway, even I did that—squeezed out time for an endoscopy and MRI, but my insides were spotless. Even the ECG was clean.”
He’d even gone to a reputable hospital for it.
At this point, Yeonwoo thought:
‘...This guy must’ve been seriously agonizing over it in his own way?’
But even his agonizing wasn’t normal.
Insides?
Even the word choice was refreshingly bizarre.
“Why the ECG?”
“Suspected arrhythmia.”
“...”
Yeah, this guy wasn’t normal.
“It was the first time I felt disappointment in myself too. Different from helplessness. So at first, I pondered this unfamiliar sensation. But I could define it surprisingly easily: hesitation about my own choices.”
“When did you feel that?”
“Just before. Right up to the moment I sensed your anger. I felt like a complete idiot. Never happened before.”
“Not even once?”
“Not even once.”
A crisp, unequivocal answer leaving no room for doubt.
“This applies only to you. Never felt it with anyone else. Oh, right. Did you maybe hypnotize me or something?”
“Like I’d do that?”
“Fair point. Cheap tricks like that wouldn’t work on me anyway. I wouldn’t believe in ghosts and such if it weren’t for my kids and you.”
Born with the Earth Spirit Lineage, it made sense.
Trivial ghosts would naturally stay away even if he did nothing, so he probably couldn’t see them even if he tried.
‘Tch. Lucky bastard.’
He really had it easy in that regard.
Enviable, even.
While one person’s life was a constant haunt of visible spirits, this guy could live a clean existence despite meddling in ghost-attracting business thanks to his lineage.
“Maybe it’s because I’ve lost weight...”
Woo Do-gyeom peered even more intently at Yeonwoo.
His gaze was now intense enough to lick every single hair follicle.
“Perhaps it’s the change in aura. I’ve always had a soft spot for you, but...”
‘Hm?’
Hold on.
‘Aura?’
One thing came to mind at that word.
‘Could it be from that stat I got on the island?’
The S-rank stat ‘Worship for the Forgotten God.’
He remembered the description: it made others ‘feel attracted in some form.’
‘But it wasn’t this dramatic with others?’
As Woo Do-gyeom said, he’d always been somewhat lenient with Yeonwoo.
No need to ask around—the expressions on the Cheongwang folks said it all.
Yeonwoo had a rough sense that Woo Do-gyeom tolerated a lot from him.
Even if the stat amplified that a bit, it wasn’t strange.
‘Others didn’t piss me off like Woo Do-gyeom, so no friction, no regrets or guilt... It’s not that weird he’s the only one reacting like this.’
Yeonwoo analyzed coolly.
Meanwhile, Woo Do-gyeom kept staring into his eyes.
“It’s strange for me to even talk about this. It could be a weakness.”
“Then don’t say it.”
“No. I feel like I have to tell you and beg forgiveness. It’s unfamiliar, but I must.”
Truthfully, a man like Woo Do-gyeom wasn’t the type to apologize or regret.
How often does someone born on a throne need to bow their head?
“Truly bizarre, isn’t it? Why only with you...”
It wasn’t odd for him to feel alienated by unfamiliar emotions, even under the stat’s strong influence.
Yeonwoo had no intention of explaining kindly.
‘Suffer a bit.’
He was fine keeping quiet if it meant torturing this unnaturally twisted man.
That was the plan.
If only Woo Do-gyeom hadn’t veered off strangely.
“Ah. I see.”
“...?”
Woo Do-gyeom suddenly looked enlightened.
“So this is...”
“Wait. Hey? Don’t say anything crazy.”
Yeonwoo cut in hastily.
A bad premonition told him the next word would be terrifying.
And as always, Yeonwoo’s bad feelings were spot on.
“I wasn’t done talking.”
Woo Do-gyeom muttered with a dissatisfied face.
“Do I have to hear it?”
“Aha. We understand each other without words. Not bad.”
Of course, he recovered quickly and spouted more nonsense.
“Just so you know, don’t you dare say that word in front of me. If you do, you’ll never see me again.”
As Yeonwoo spoke emphatically, Woo Do-gyeom gazed at him and murmured.
“Well, if you already know without me saying it, no need.”
“No... What the...”
I’m going insane.
Regardless, Woo Do-gyeom nodded, seemingly satisfied on his own.
“Hm. Not bad. But calling it crazy hurts a little. I agonized over it plenty. Right? Your heart flutters just looking, swayed against your will, compelled to yield. There’s only one thing that fits.”
“Absolutely not.”
“But the doctor said something similar.”
“...What doctor.”
What doctor would pick such insane words?
But Yeonwoo was speechless at Woo Do-gyeom’s next words.
“After the ECG ruled out arrhythmia, I went to psychiatry.”
“...”
“And got counseling. That’s where I heard it.”
“...”
Why could he so vividly picture the scene?