Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 081
Chapter Title: Releasing the Curse (2)
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Whoosh! The flammable thinner ignited wildly the moment it touched the embers, bursting into fierce flames. At the same time, the burning barriers let out their final death throes.
[Keeeeek!]
[Kiaaak!]
The chilling, ear-piercing shrieks like wails from hell made everyone flinch and huddle their shoulders. One by one, they burned away, scattering black ashes into the air. Strangely, the ashes traced vague human shapes before slowly dissipating into the void.
*I figured as much, but this thing's even nastier than I thought.*
A few talismans might not have even scratched it. He'd even performed a sword dance—more like precise swordplay than a festive blade dance, but still. And then purified it with fire.
Just as the stubborn curse's thread, woven from countless lost lives, was about to vanish completely.
"Chairman!"
Someone burst into the house in a panic.
At that exact moment, "Hngh?!"
His breath suddenly caught in his throat. The soaring flames shrank as if doused with water. The final shadow of ash that had been fading into the air sharpened back into focus.
Yeonwoo, who had been staring at it, clutched his chest.
"Cough!"
His blocked airway burst open, and something slid down his throat.
[Yeonwoo!]
"Oh my god, Mr. Yeonwoo!"
His mouth tasted metallic. Wiping his wet lips absentmindedly, Yeonwoo froze.
His hand was smeared with bright red blood.
***
"Kang Yeonwoo-ssi. What happened? Are you okay?"
"I'm f...fine... Urp!"
A sudden surge of nausea bent Yeonwoo forward.
What he vomited this time was, again, bright red blood.
[Aigoo! Yeonwoo! That's why I told you not to do it! Breaking a curse that big could backfire on you!]
"Shut... up...... Quiet......"
He knew without the terrified Child Spirit flapping around wildly, chattering nonstop.
His guts felt twisted like tangled intestines, his insides aching madly, hot and fishy bile constantly rising in his throat.
*Damn it. I sealed off all the return paths, so what the hell?*
He hadn't anticipated this backlash.
Was the Child Spirit right? Had he been too reckless?
No way he'd die pointlessly like this, right?
Just as that thought crossed his mind.
"Um, Ch-Chairman... I have something to... report......"
"Can't you see I'm busy with your own two eyes?"
Grrrr. The man flinched at the fierce glare and savage growl.
He was the one who had rushed in right as the final step was completing.
*Hold on. Could it be?*
A flash of insight hit Yeonwoo, and he called out to Woo Do-gyeom.
"Woo Do-gyeom-ssi. Wait a second."
"Hold on. We're heading to the hospital right now."
"No, that guy... where did he come from......"
No sooner had Yeonwoo spoken than Woo Do-gyeom strode over and grabbed the man by the collar.
"You bastard. Where'd you slink in from? Speak quick."
"Fr-from the garage side......"
Crushed by the murderous glare, the man stammered.
"Th-there... the salt... just checking......"
It felt like someone was churning his guts with a hand inside him. His barely upheld waist buckled.
"Really, you just won't let me take my eyes off you."
A steady hand supported him.
The gentle energy touching his body seemed to ease his churning stomach a bit.
"Give him here. We need to get to the hospital."
"Why don't you shut up if you don't know anything? Being near me is better for him right now."
Kwon Sung-hyun was spot on.
His pure spiritual power was perfect for calming the violent energy rampaging inside Yeonwoo's body.
Woo Do-gyeom would only make it worse. His constitution was the utter opposite of what Yeonwoo needed in his current shaken state.
......"Fine. Tell them to check the salt first."
Woo Do-gyeom quickly issued orders to his men.
One came running back breathless with a report.
"The salt at the garage entrance had collapsed. We fixed it right away."
Just as he'd suspected.
A hole in the perfect barrier.
*Of all times.*
What kind of bullshit happened at the very last second?
Fixing the salt seemed to help; his throbbing headache eased a little.
"We need to burn those completely."
The gap must have prompted their desperate final struggle to force their way back in.
But now it was over.
"Light it up. I'll burn the rest... Ugh!"
Yeonwoo, trying to stand with support, staggered again.
"See? This is why I can't just leave you alone, Mr. Yeonwoo."
A firm hand steadied him again and tossed the ember in his place.
Thinner poured everywhere reignited the blaze.
[Keeeeeek—!]
The stubborn human-shaped ash circling the air finally vanished with a grotesque screech.
And at that moment.
-Ding!
[You have perfectly fulfilled the client's request!]
[Congratulations! You have acquired additional acquirable ability points as a reward.]
[Reward: Poker Face][S+]
[New usable function available......]
The long-awaited notification appeared.
The request was complete.
***
"Ugh...... I'm dying."
Request complete or not.
Perhaps from the relief washing over him with the alert sound.
He never imagined he'd black out right there.
When Yeonwoo opened his eyes again, he thought:
Request complete or not, he was dying.
The culprit who made him cough blood and collapse was none other than Woo Do-gyeom's subordinate.
*I thought some shady bastard did it on purpose.*
Turned out, the guy had rushed in with urgent news that Woo Do-gyeom's older brother had suddenly collapsed.
Woo Do-gyeom's expression as the sweating subordinate stammered about a suspected heart attack came to mind.
[My brother collapsed?]
Woo Do-gyeom had said it with a strangely sly smile.
His lips twisted up, eyes narrowing dangerously.
No worry or concern anywhere.
Just undisguised disgust and indelible contempt.
[What impeccable timing.]
The brother was a drug addict, already at high risk for heart failure.
But as Woo Do-gyeom said, the timing was too perfect.
*And it fits the profile I predicted exactly.*
Close to Woo Do-gyeom, able to roam the house freely.
Close enough to give private birthday gifts to the kids.
If it was blood kin, family, it fit perfectly.
Anyway.
That's why Yeonwoo had opened his eyes in a hospital bed.
It was spacious, pristine, like a solo hotel suite—unlike any hospital he knew.
But the IV in his hand and the beeping ECG monitor confirmed it was a hospital.
"Can't even claim this as work injury."
No matter how you sliced it, he'd collapsed and been rushed here......
*Crazy.*
Mental exhaustion outweighed the physical fatigue.
What was it? A bit embarrassing, in crude terms?
He'd stepped up confidently, only to spew blood and drop.
Good thing it happened right before resolution, or......
[See? Don't go acting on half-baked knowledge! What can you do with superficial dabbling? Get home quick, study properly, and stay behind me!]
He could hear it on autoplay without being there.
Shuddering at the thought, the door burst open.
"Mr. Yeonwoo? You're awake already? How's your... Oh no, you're shaking! Hold on. I'll call the nurse right now."
Kwon Sung-hyun, who must have slipped in unnoticed, rushed over and checked Yeonwoo everywhere.
Then, misinterpreting something, he frantically hit the nurse call button.
"No, it's not that......"
"The problem is you don't take care of yourself, Mr. Yeonwoo. Don't say you're fine again. I won't believe your lies anymore."
"When did I ever lie......"
He felt unjustly accused.
"You said Woo Do-gyeon's thing was no big deal."
"It wasn't, really."
Except for that last X-Man moment.
But hold on. He called him Woo Do-gyeon, not Woo Do-gyeom?
"No big deal and you cough up blood? Do you know how much blood you vomited, Mr. Yeonwoo?"
"That was just a momentary snag."
"I heard everything from Dongja-ssi. You almost got hit by backlash. He said if you didn't have that much power, it would've been disastrous."
......
You were the culprit, Child Spirit.
No wonder Kwon Sung-hyun knew about the backlash.
"Well...... it's all resolved now, so I'm fine."
"No. You're not fine. How can you be after vomiting that much blood? You lost so much you needed a transfusion!"
Yeonwoo glanced up at Kwon Sung-hyun's face.
The usually soft, smiling features were rigidly set.
No point denying it; he wouldn't buy it.
"Hoo......"
He sighed in frustration.
Kwon Sung-hyun interpreted it as weakness and draped a jacket over him.
"Shaking like this and still claiming you're okay...... Really, Mr. Yeonwoo. You need to take care of your body first. Got it? Cover up with this at least. The fever meds will help with the chills. I'll have them bring more blankets just in case."
Right on cue, white-coated staff flooded in.
"Patient, are you conscious?"
"Any discomfort?"
"ECG and pulse normal, but blood pressure's a bit low."
The medical team busily checked him over.
"He's been shivering with chills. Can you check?"
A thermometer jabbed into his ear at Kwon Sung-hyun's request.
"37.8 degrees. Slight fever."
"Fever meds?"
"Preparing now."
As meds were prescribed quickly, some drew blood from Yeonwoo.
"Hemoglobin results soon; we'll let you know."
Once the doctors left, Yeonwoo asked.
"Hemo... what?"
"You said you were anemic, Mr. Yeonwoo. That's why the transfusion. Need to check if levels stabilized."
"If stable, can I leave?"
No matter what, this was ten years' worth of teasing material.
But.
"Leave? Go where?"
Kwon Sung-hyun reacted like he'd heard nonsense.
"I'm not that sick; shouldn't I discharge?"
"No, Mr. Yeonwoo. You're a patient. Doctors decide discharge. And clearly, you're not normal. Face so pale and gaunt—how is that okay?"
Well, yeah, blood loss would pale him out.
"That's nothing a bowl of blood sausage soup won't fix......"
"What era do you think this is, Mr. Yeonwoo?"
Felt like he was getting scolded.
"We did that a lot back then......"
When Yeonwoo was still young and impressionable.
During blood ritual training, he'd draw too much in excitement until dizzy. Happened a few times.
His mother, Lady Kang Yeonhwa, would tsk her tongue, buy blood sausage herself, and boil a big pot.
One full bowl and he'd bounce back.
"Maybe back then, but not now. How have you been treating your body, Mr. Yeonwoo?"
Kwon Sung-hyun let out a deep sigh.
Somehow, Yeonwoo felt like the massive wrongdoer.
*Why do I feel scolded......?*
Like he'd thrown an absurd tantrum, vibe-wise.
"Don't even mention discharge. Got it? You need rest, Mr. Yeonwoo."
"I'm really fine......"
"You'd just hole up in the studio if discharged anyway, right?"
"There are still some clips left......"
"See? Since you won't look after yourself, I have to."
......?
Wasn't he the one who put Yeonwoo in the spotlight for that?
"You keep getting dragged into incidents, so I kept you visible on purpose, but even that didn't work."
......
So he did it intentionally?