Desperation (2)
“It was probably... a little over thirty million won.”
Jeong-in answered, squeezing her right thumb tightly.
“...Thirty million? For leaving things in that state? Wow... No, that's just too much.”
Hae-in was shocked too.
Even to her, it was clear the client had been thoroughly fleeced.
—Noel.
Asin, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, called out to him.
Noel looked at her.
—Hast thou also sensed the strangeness?
When Noel nodded, Asin stroked her chin.
—There is no way that god was unaware. This is an offense worthy of divine punishment, and yet they evaded it. This means they possess a scapegoat.
A scapegoat was a medium used to absorb all kinds of misfortune and curses in another's stead.
There had been similar practices in his original world as well.
Countless slaves were often sacrificed as offerings for certain spells.
—I suspect they might be using a living scapegoat.
‘...What a lunatic.’
Noel's expression hardened.
—It seems it was no mere coincidence that Jebi suddenly made that request of thee upon your meeting.
Asin seemed to view the situation with grave concern.
Did she feel that something was deeply wrong?
—Do not fret. Such atrocities have occurred throughout the centuries. They have always existed. In the end, all things flow according to the natural order.
Those who crossed the line would always pay the price.
This time would be no different.
—But what in heaven's name is that god doing?
Asin voiced her personal curiosity.
‘Who knows. Slacking off?’
It felt a bit silly to join in her indignation.
Hadn't Asin herself taught him that building virtue is incredibly difficult, while falling from grace takes only an instant?
Noel stopped his train of thought and looked back at Jeong-in with a pleasant smile.
“I don't charge that much, so don't worry. Just give me ten million won. I'll handle it right now. Oh, and if you want me to take care of that other thing as well, just add another three million. I'm giving you a package discount.”
“...Really?”
Jeong-in's eyes shifted.
Her face practically asked, Is that all?
It was a look very similar to the one Jang Yul had given him.
Moments like this made him wonder if he was undercharging.
When he glanced at Hae-in, her expression said he was charging a perfectly fair price.
“Of course. I don't know how it sounds to you, but I always keep my promises. If I don't, my deity might punish me.”
Noel pointed a hand toward Asin.
Asin's lips curled upward.
—True words, though they carry a hint of trickery.
Noel offered a faint smile at Asin's remark.
“I'll do both.”
Jeong-in did not hesitate any longer.
It might have seemed expensive, but once you experienced the horror, the money ceased to matter.
She didn't care how much it cost. Please.
Just please.
“Please... get rid of it. Please, erase it. Please... please, make it disappear from my life. I beg of you.”
That creepy thing.
That horrible thing.
That most disgusting thing in the world.
Squeezing her hands together, Jeong-in looked at Noel and forced a stiff, unnatural smile.
She was desperate.
So desperate she felt she might lose her mind.
“I will make sure it's completely taken care of. By the way, could you tell me where that shaman's shop is located?”
He sent Hae-in back first.
She had served her purpose as a shill, so there was no reason to keep her around now that the deal was struck.
Having learned the location of the shop, he dispatched Kkamang-i.
He strictly instructed the spirit not to enter the shop under any circumstances, but to linger nearby and listen to their conversations.
‘I wonder if that tiny bean will actually follow instructions.’
Thinking of Kkamang-i, Noel stopped at a suitable spot inside the park.
It looked neglected, as if rarely visited.
But what did that matter?
It was perfect.
“Ms. Kim Jeong-in.”
Noel called her name.
“Yes?”
Jeong-in, who had been following him, paused.
Her breathing was still ragged, as if she were still plagued by anxiety.
Before getting to work, Noel brought up a question he couldn't ask back at the cafe.
“About the curse. Since the one who cast it has already departed for the afterlife, I can't ask them directly. Could you tell me what happened?”
“...They went to the afterlife? Peacefully?”
Jeong-in's eyes, which had been trembling with anxiety just a moment ago, snapped wide open.
Far from fear, her gaze burned with a boiling rage.
“I don't know if it was peaceful. They have already vanished.”
“The bastard who cursed me... was my younger brother.”
Jeong-in stopped mid-sentence and let out a harsh, hollow laugh.
She seemed utterly dumbfounded by the absurdity of it all.
—What... what does she mean?
Asin gasped in surprise.
Her own brother.
“He was crazy about gambling...”
Jeong-in scratched her forehead with her fingernails.
As her scratching grew increasingly frantic, Noel debated whether he should stop her.
“If he was going to ruin our family, he should have just died quietly on his own! But because I wouldn't lend him money, he came to me with a knife and stabbed himself in the throat right in front of my eyes!”
She was practically screaming.
“His own throat...! Does that make any sense? What about me? What about what that did to me?!”
Noel did not hesitate. He stepped forward and grabbed her arm.
She didn't even seem to be breathing properly.
“Ms. Kim Jeong-in?”
“That lunatic... grabbed my ankle as he died and cursed me! He told me to die...! He wanted me to end up just like him, to feel that raw, vivid horror! How could he do that? Because of that bastard, my wedding was called off, I had to take out bank loans, max out everything. Even my tiny apartment, the one I saved every single penny to buy...”
“Ms. Kim Jeong-in, stop. Take a breath.”
As Noel spoke, Asin gently patted Jeong-in's back.
Only then did Jeong-in gasp for air.
She felt as though she were dying.
It felt like drowning in the deep sea.
—Shh, it is alright. How terribly thou hast suffered.
Perhaps comforted by Asin's touch, Jeong-in burst into tears.
She had lost everything.
She should never have lent her brother money in the first place.
“I know... I know how foolish I was.”
She had known better, but he was family.
The memories of growing up together, the familial affection—even though she knew it was wrong, those bonds had held her back.
She should have cut him off.
“...But I want to live too. I tried to end it because of the curse, but it hurt so much.”
Jeong-in wailed.
Dying was agony, living was torture, and she had no idea what to do.
She was out of her mind.
Or perhaps she was still not entirely sane.
Whether she succumbed to the curse or tried to avoid it, sleep eluded her.
“...Once this curse is gone, there is someone I must apologize to. No, someone I must spend the rest of my life apologizing to.”
Jeong-in mentioned someone through her tears.
‘It must be Ms. Dan A-rin.’
Noel already knew the answer.
But he feigned ignorance and asked.
“Who is it?”
“A colleague from work. She was so... so good to me, but I pushed her straight into the jaws of death.”
She was beyond saving.
Jeong-in laughed.
It was a laugh of pure self-derision.
“You are currently in no state to maintain your sanity, Ms. Kim Jeong-in.”
Noel made sure to tell her the cold, hard truth.
One only had to look at Jang Yul when he was plagued by the evil spirit to see how true that was.
Jang Yul, a man as sharp and cold as a blade, had clung to a complete stranger like him, begging for his life.
Seeing him now, it was impossible to imagine the state he had been in back then.
That was the nature of it.
Whether it was an evil spirit or a curse, being tormented by one inevitably shattered a person's sanity.
Because both forces desired nothing less than the complete destruction of their victim.
“You saw a chance to survive and grabbed it. I understand. But once you regain your senses, make sure you apologize properly. It's only natural that you should be prepared to spend the rest of your life making amends. And if you caused her any material harm, repay that as well.”
As Noel spoke, he shattered the mirror that held the curse.
Where else would the curse go now?
—It comes.
Asin reached out, and a sticky, filthy, dark-red mass was caught firmly in her grasp, like a fish taking bait.
—Shall I destroy it?
Noel shook his head at Asin's question.
Snap.
Noel snapped his fingers.
Something materialized in the empty air, and Jeong-in gasped in horror.
“Do you see it? This is the curse.”
He had used Materialization, but since it wasn't a ghost, it would probably only remain visible for about three seconds.
“Th-this... this is it?”
“Yes. The very curse that has been tormenting you.”
At Noel's words, Jeong-in stared at it again.
Though it vanished from sight after barely three seconds, her lips trembled violently.
It was formless and utterly hideous.
It was revolting.
Yet, it was smaller than she had imagined.
It was barely larger than a human hand.
“Erase it! Right now! Please, get rid of it!”
Jeong-in screamed, her jaw shaking with rage.
What even was that thing?
To think she had almost thrown her life away over a pathetic thing like that.
Hatred boiled deep within her.
“Of course.”
Noel replied, a shroud of black smoke rising from his palm.
He could see the countless threads binding the curse to Jeong-in.
Shaping the smoke into a blade, he severed them.
Slash.
Asin had already severed the karmic debt when she changed the target of her protection; cutting the connection of a mere curse was child's play.
When Noel opened his fist, the black smoke enveloped the curse.
“...Haa.”
Jeong-in let out a long, involuntary breath.
She didn't understand the mechanics of it, but she felt as though a heavy shackle had been unlocked.
Tears suddenly spilled from her eyes.
She felt on the verge of sobbing uncontrollably.
“Give me the talisman as well.”
Noel held out his hand, and Jeong-in handed over the talisman she had been clutching until the very end.
Opening the talisman pouch, he found strands of hair inside, just as expected.
When he showed it to her openly, Jeong-in stumbled back, lightheaded.
Noel quickly caught her in surprise, but Jeong-in held up a hand.
“I'm... I'm fine. Please get rid of that too. ...Please.”
“Certainly.”
Noel took the entire talisman pouch and offered it to the curse.
Crunch.
The curse began to devour the other curse.
—Noel...? What art thou doing?
Asin looked at Noel in surprise.
But Noel did not answer Asin immediately. Instead, he looked at Jeong-in.
“It's over. You can feel it, can't you?”
“...Yes.”
Jeong-in wept once more.
It was a sense of liberation she hadn't felt even when she had temporarily evaded the curse.
She was finally free.
Finally.
“I always make sure my clients get their money's worth.”
Noel picked up a stray pebble from the ground and infused it with a purple flame.
Since she had been exposed to the curse for so long, a purification was in order.
“See how the pebble is glowing purple?”
Noel pointed at the pebble and looked at Jeong-in.
Jeong-in wiped her tears and nodded.
“...Yes. It suddenly started glowing.”
“Keep it with you until the light fades. Once it goes out, just throw it away outside. It's just an ordinary pebble, after all.”
“How much... how much do I owe you for this?”
Noel hesitated for a moment at her question.
But he soon shook his head.
“Just take it. I like to make sure my jobs are done thoroughly.”
If he were to sell it as a talisman, he would at least have to make it look presentable.
Since it was just a pebble, his conscience wouldn't let him charge her for it.
As Jeong-in took the pebble Noel offered, a gentle warmth spread through her hand.
When that warmth seeped deep into her chest, tears welled up in her eyes of their own accord.
“Thank you. Thank you... so much.”
“You've been through a lot. I'll pray that only good things come your way from now on.”
“...Thank you.”
Jeong-in bowed deeply to Noel.
“Oh, and make sure you apologize to the person you mentioned.”
“Yes. I absolutely will.”
“There's no curse left to torment you, so don't harbor any more dark thoughts. Well then, I'll be off.”
“Could I... get your contact information?”
Jeong-in hurriedly held out her phone.
‘Ah, right. I should have asked first.’
Noel typed in his number, handed the phone back, and waved.
“Let me know if anything else comes up. I'm really leaving now.”
“Thank you.”
Noel turned around, leaving behind Jeong-in, who was still bowing with tear-filled eyes.
Just because the curse was gone didn't mean her reality would suddenly change.
Even so, her life would undoubtedly be much better than before.
Noel walked out of the park, leaving the sound of her weeping behind.
—Now, speak.
“I'm not planning anything bad. You know that, Asin.”
—I know. However, that thing is highly concerning.
Asin pointed to the curse Noel was holding like a balloon.
“Listen, and don't misunderstand.”
—I am listening.
“I'm not a busybody, nor do I have some deep affection or sense of charity for others. That's why I don't take jobs without getting paid. But once I take a job, I do it thoroughly, and I always keep my promises. Right?”
—...Well, that is close enough.
Asin trailed off slightly.
Even if Noel didn't act out of charity or affection, he still respected his clients.
It was close enough.
“Honestly, I don't care if people like Seo Hae-in run scams. Whether a fortune-telling is right or wrong is ultimately up to the person who chose to believe it. Besides, everyone knows fake shamans exist, right?”
Whether a shaman was real or fake was something the client had to discern for themselves.
Regrettably, that was just how it was.
If they didn't want to risk dealing with a fake, they always had the option of not seeking a reading at all.
“But this crossed the line. Someone almost died. What if something like this made the news? I absolutely detest being misunderstood.”
Noel narrowed his eyes.
Simply because an emperor had been killed by a necromancer, he had been hunted relentlessly until his death.
While such a thing wouldn't happen in this peaceful world, it still bothered him immensely.
“People like that never stop until they experience it themselves. There's a world of difference between experiencing how vicious a curse is firsthand and just hearing about it.”
—But would this not put thee in danger as well?
“This isn't a curse I made. I even fed it the hair to make it more precise. This is the shaman's own curse. What's wrong with turning what they created back on themselves?”
When Noel smirked, Asin finally let out a smile as well.
—A loophole?
“Exactly. Clever, right?”
—Indeed, well done.
Asin patted Noel's head.
If that was the case, there was absolutely no issue.
It was a flawless plan.
—While we are at it, why not demand a hefty sum? It seems highly unlikely anyone but thee could lift it.
Noel looked at Asin, quite surprised by her suggestion.
“Are you sure a deity like you should be saying that, Asin?”
—It is not a curse of thy own making, is it?
“That's my goddess.”
Noel chuckled.
He was going to squeeze them dry.
For every single penny.