A Familiar Scent
Penalty for committing a forbidden act: +10
Once this job was over, he needed to buy a lot of things.
He had to stock up the first and second floors, hire someone for the first floor, and pay for the interior renovations.
There were so many things to spend money on.
“But I'm going to return some of the money.”
—To whom do you refer?
Asin tilted her head.
“To Ms. Kim Jeong-in over there.”
Noel pointed backward with his thumb.
—Ah. Do you mean the money extorted from her by that shaman?
“Exactly.”
—You are truly kind-hearted.
Asin looked at him with fond approval once more.
“It's not because I'm kind. My gut tells me that if Ms. Kim Jeong-in doesn't get that money back, she'll die.”
The scent of death still lingered around Jeong-in.
The fact that it hadn't vanished even though everything seemed resolved meant there was still an underlying cause.
And honestly, hadn't he already heard what that cause was?
"Because of that bastard, my wedding was ruined, and I had to take out bank loans and everything. Even my tiny apartment, the one I saved up for by barely spending a penny..."
It's money. Always money.
She seemed to have taken out numerous loans to pay off her brother's gambling debts.
She must have scraped together every last penny she didn't even have to pay him.
“Besides, she gave me a chance to make some easy money, didn't she?”
That didn't mean he was going to return the consultation fee Jeong-in had paid him.
He just had to get back the money she had been swindled out of and return that to her.
“And there's another reason.”
Asin kept smiling warmly, waiting for his answer as if she already found him adorable.
“I don't want to be someone you or Kkamangi would be ashamed of. Since you trusted me enough to make a contract, I should at least maintain a minimum level of dignity.”
Even with a contract, it didn't mean they were entirely on his side.
The same went for Jinhon, who had signed a contract with such blatant motives.
—What does the reason matter when it comes to helping others? Even hypocrisy is better than malice. Let us make haste.
“Indeed. Hypocrisy is certainly better than malice.”
Noel strongly agreed.
Malice would sniff out a carefully hidden crust of bread and snatch it away right before your eyes, whereas hypocrisy might trample the bread underfoot, but at least it would leave the crumbs behind.
“Ah, wait a second.”
Noel pulled out his phone.
Hadn't he received a request from that family who served the Mountain God?
Hello, Mr. Hwang Ju-ho.
To give you the short version, the shaman isn't a complete fraud, but her skills aren't very good.
It's true that your friend paid her under the table to make the request. The shaman also threatened him.
However, it might be best not to let your friend know you found out. Just distance yourself from him slowly.
I have photos if you want them, so please take a look at this message and let me know later. 😊
Noel attached a round, smiling emoticon at the end.
Yeong-hyeon's memories told him that this was what people called "having tact."
Now, shall we go return this curse?
Did she really think she was the only one who knew how to transfer a curse?
Having two curses merged into one, she was in for a hell of a time.
“Ah, wait, one more thing.”
As he walked, Noel remembered one more person who must be waiting anxiously and made a call.
Dan A-rin had specifically asked him to call instead of texting.
“He—”
A-rin cut him off, asking urgently.
Just how long had she been waiting?
“Ah, yes, of course. If you go check, you'll see the mirror is probably shattered.”
A loud clatter echoed through the receiver, and Noel continued his leisurely stroll.
There was the sound of someone running, followed by a long, drawn-out breath.
After stammering out a few words, A-rin let out a ragged gasp.
Then another sharp intake of breath.
“Of course. I told you I always get the job done right. It'll be picked up on the next garbage collection day. You'll never have to look at it again. Great, right?”
He heard a quiet sniffle.
“Are you crying?”
A-rin was still sniffling.
He figured he should probably pretend not to notice.
“Though, we might end up seeing each other again.”
He still had business with her Guardian Deity, Jebi.
He planned to squeeze a few more useful blessings out of her, just like last time.
“You can think of it that way. At any rate, sleep well tonight.”
He seemed to be referring to Jeong-in's matter.
“Extorting? Someone might misunderstand if they heard you say that.”
“Of course. I always resolve things through reasonable persuasion.”
Noel wore a smile that anyone would mistake for pure innocence.
Noel stepped off the bus.
The shaman who had consulted Kim Jeong-in about her curse—only to offer her dark magic as a "solution"—was named Kim Na-han.
The moment Noel arrived near her shrine, Kkamangi popped out.
It acted as if it was going to leap into Noel's arms, but the moment he reached out, it veered off toward Asin instead.
...Ha. That little furball.
As Noel stared, Kkamangi stretched out its front paw and placed it on his hand.
When it looked up at him with wide, round eyes, Noel felt his rising irritation instantly melt away.
Those eyes are a cheat code. A total cheat code.
—Noel, are you going to give me Churu when we get home?
“I said I would.”
—Yay!
Kkamangi perked its tail straight up and wagged it happily.
Leaning its hind legs against Asin, it placed its other front paw onto Noel's palm.
He had no idea why it was doing this.
—I asked around!
“And? What did they say? Nothing happened?”
Noel asked, glancing around.
Most passersby paid him no mind, assuming he was just talking on wireless earbuds.
—Yeah, they said she's gone crazy.
—Crazy? What do you mean by that? Who has gone mad?
Asin's eyes widened.
Who had gone mad?
A god?
Or the shaman?
—The shaman! They said she wasn't always like this. She suddenly changed and started using weird things. Everyone said they don't even want to go near her.
—By "weird things," do you mean dark magic?
—Yes! They said she used to be kind to other human ghosts. But now she won't even look at them, and she does really bad things.
In short, she had originally been a well-reputed shaman—and a real one, not a fraud.
But at some point, she had suddenly changed, acting as if she couldn't care less about her reputation.
Why?
The most crucial piece of information was missing.
“Did they say why?”
—She has a biological child and an adopted child.
Kkamangi kneaded Noel's palm enthusiastically as it spoke.
“...Wait a minute.”
—Huh?
Kkamangi looked up and tilted its head.
“Tell me those 'bad things' don't involve doing something to the adopted child.”
At Noel's question, Asin also looked on, hoping it wasn't what she thought.
—...How did you know?
Kkamangi froze, its paws stopping mid-knead, and twisted its head to look at its own body.
It wasn't like there was anything written on it.
—Is... is that truly the reason?
Asin asked in a heavy voice.
What had she just said to Noel a moment ago?
She had mentioned the word "scapegoat."
If those bad deeds involved using a child as a scapegoat, how utterly monstrous.
Though not born of one's own flesh, an adopted child was still a child embraced by the heart.
How could anyone use such a child as a scapegoat to ward off misfortune?
—I think the biological child is sick. It's a rare disease, so they need a lot of money for surgery.
“Ah. So she resorted to dark magic and whatever else she could find just to save her biological child?”
—Yeah.
Noel was dumbfounded by Kkamangi's response.
Even if she couldn't treat them equally, this was going far too cross the line.
Yeah, returning what she did right back to her is definitely the correct move.
Before entering the shrine, Noel turned his head.
With a puff of black smoke, Jinhon materialized.
“...”
When Noel froze in surprise, Jinhon flusteredly waved his hands.
“Oh, my! Sir, it's me. Jinhon, your eternal ally.”
“Is this a coincidence? Or did you do this on purpose?”
Noel's eyes narrowed.
It felt like Jinhon was always lurking wherever trouble was about to brew.
“I swear, it is purely a coincidence. But... what is that? I thought it was a balloon, but isn't that a curse?”
Jinhon shifted his gaze to the curse Noel was holding.
“Want it?”
“You're joking, right?”
When Jinhon offered an amiable smile, Noel smiled back.
“Of course. There's someone else who needs to receive this. Besides, curses don't work on you anyway.”
Jinhon gasped, placing a hand over his chest in genuine shock.
How did he know that?
You're already serving a punishment worse than any curse. How could a curse possibly affect you?
Working even after death.
It was, in fact, the most horrific curse of all.
—Enough idle chatter. Explain yourself.
As Asin showed her displeasure, Jinhon quickly raised both hands in surrender.
“Great Guardian Deity. I truly ran into you by chance. How could I ever dare lie in your presence? I actually arrived here quite a bit earlier.”
—For what purpose have you come?
“One of my subordinates reported that impure energy was seething in this area. If that was all, I would have gone straight to see Sir Noel. But the details that followed were far more critical.”
Jinhon was remarkably serious.
The usual playful smile was completely gone, replaced by a solemn expression.
“When my subordinate peeked inside the shrine, they apparently witnessed the shaman suppressing a deity.”
—Absurd.
Asin immediately dismissed Jinhon's words.
Suppressing a deity.
While it wasn't entirely impossible—as there had been cases where hundreds of shamans gathered to seal a maddened god—it was practically unheard of for a single individual.
“Indeed. I also asked him if he had lost his mind or had a drink at some shaman's house. But he insisted it was true. He said the deity seemed so suppressed that he was too terrified to even go near. How could I not come investigate? Frankly, I judged that the shaman had crossed a major line.”
Suppressing a deity isn't actually impossible, though.
Noel thought casually.
The "gods" they referred to were ultimately just high-tier spirits, not actual divine beings.
It was only difficult because of their physical-like manifestations, but since they were spirits at their core, suppressing them was entirely doable with enough effort.
However, Noel didn't let on that he knew, merely pretending to look grave.
Why bother mentioning Necromancy, a power that shouldn't even exist in this world?
It was better to let them think he was just uniquely talented.
“If you suppress a deity, doesn't that trigger a Divine Punishment?”
Noel asked casually, prompted by a sudden curiosity.
“Of course it does. Heaven never overlooks such transgressions. Why else do you think we are here?”
Jinhon shook his head, a somewhat chilling smile playing on his lips.
“Because someone is about to die.”
“Exactly. Of course, there is no one inside who is scheduled to die immediately. It's just that someone's death date was suddenly pulled forward drastically, which is why my subordinate went to investigate. How could we mere reapers truly comprehend the will of Heaven?”
Having finished, Jinhon looked at him as if asking if he understood.
It was a bit awkward trying to explain while omitting forbidden secrets, but surely Noel would catch his drift.
—...What is he talking about?
Kkamangi's eyes glazed over.
It was too complicated.
“Ah.”
But when Noel let out an understanding sound, Kkamangi immediately looked up at him.
“Let's say there's someone whose death date in the Register of the Dead is still far off. By the way, the Register is like an old ledger where everyone's death dates are written.”
—Yeah.
“And no one except a Grim Reaper can look at it.”
—Why?
“That's just how it is. And don't even think about saying you want to become a Grim Reaper.”
—...Gasp.
Caught red-handed, Kkamangi sucked in a breath and froze.
“Anyway, even though they had plenty of life left according to the Register, if a hospital suddenly says they're going to die, wouldn't you get desperate?”
—Everyone dies once they're born.
At that remark, Noel placed his cast-bound arm over Kkamangi's mouth.
Kkamangi narrowed its eyes.
“So, out of desperation, they did all sorts of things that Heaven hates just to save them. Heaven wouldn't look too kindly on that, right?”
—Right.
“So Heaven went, 'Oh, really?' and pulled their death date way forward. I'm guessing that's the punishment Heaven handed down.”
Noel subtly glanced at Jinhon for confirmation, but Jinhon merely stared back.
Recognizing this silent refusal as a clear sign that he couldn't answer, Noel nodded in understanding.
“So, to sum it up, she dug her own grave. Is that it?”
“Yes. Exactly. Let me repeat, Heaven is always watching.”
Jinhon pointed a finger upward and smiled warmly.
Hearing that made Noel feel strangely uncomfortable.
It almost sounded like a warning not to accept certain things.
“Let's count this job as you giving me updates on how my brother is doing later. Through some loophole, of course. A text message is fine, too.”
At Noel's proposal, Jinhon looked at him with delight.
“Of course. I will certainly convey the news.”
“But are you going to intervene directly this time, Reaper? You said they crossed the line.”
“Yes. If a deity is being suppressed, we must free them. It makes our lives easier if we stay on their good side.”
Jinhon rubbed his hands together obsequiously, grinning.
After all, they could be valuable connections in the future.
“But what brings you here, Sir? Did you get a sudden spiritual premonition?”
Jinhon looked at Noel expectantly.
“No. I came because there's an opportunity to squeeze some easy cash. Setting up a shop costs a fortune, you know. Reality is harsh everywhere.”
“...Ah. Yes, I suppose so.”
Jinhon chimed in for now, but he certainly hadn't expected such a response.
It was incredibly pragmatic.
“You have to make money while the getting's good. There's a saying, isn't there? Make money like a dog when the opportunity arises.”
—Wise words.
Asin nodded repeatedly in agreement.
One had to seize opportunities when they presented themselves.
“Well then, let's go. Lead the way.”
Noel gestured forward with both hands as if rolling out a red carpet.
Jinhon's eyes shook violently.
Kim Na-han's shrine was a small house attached to the side of another building.
“...Sir. If something dangerous happens, you won't just abandon me and run, right?”
Jinhon asked, looking back.
Noel stood at the bottom of the stairs, smiling brightly.
“Oh, come on, of course not. What kind of relationship do we have? We even signed a contract, didn't we?”
“Right?”
“Ah, that's right.”
Noel quickly ran up the stairs and pressed the doorbell.
Ding-dong.
“I'm here for a consultation.”
After speaking, Noel stepped aside slightly to let Jinhon pass.
Soon, the door opened. Jinhon swallowed hard, glanced at Noel once, and stepped inside.
...Huh?
Noel's bright smile faltered, his eyebrows shooting up.
A wave of incredibly familiar energy was rippling through the air.
“Wait a moment.”
Noel pushed the door wider and rushed inside as if possessed.
—Noel?
Ignoring the voice calling him from behind, Noel ran forward and stopped in front of a room of unknown purpose.
It was plastered with all kinds of talismans.
...What is this?
Thump, thump.
His heart began to pound wildly.
Though there was a strange sense of incongruity, a familiar scent wafted from within.
Why... why do I feel Necromancy here?