Chapter 107
Chapter 107
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: The Yandere Fairy's Gaze is Strange
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Frowning, I slowly took a step into the room.
The scene unfolding before my eyes was so hard to believe as reality.
The bed where Seo Yerim lay, and beside it, a strange woman sitting perched on the edge.
She sat there as naturally as if she'd been in that spot for ages, her pale fingertips gently brushing back Seo Yerim's hair.
'Who the hell is that woman?'
Up close, she exuded a mystical aura from her features and figure.
Long, straight legs and jet-black hair cascading down to her waist.
Her lips, red enough to gleam in the darkness, were seductive, and her slender, elongated eyes held a deep, profound gaze.
But.
Something was off.
Her cold stare seemed utterly unreadable, and despite her beautiful face, an eerie, ominous vibe clung to her.
Even though she wasn't smiling or crying, there was a hollow emptiness and a sense of wrongness somewhere in her expression.
'...So, you're saying only I can see that woman right now?'
There wasn't a trace of living warmth from her.
A chill ran down my spine, and I instinctively stepped back. At that exact moment, her gaze turned toward me.
As if she was aware of me.
'Shit...'
My breath caught in my throat.
Her eyes were like a dark abyss.
So deep and unreal that if I fell in, I'd never escape—the terror crashed over me.
And as if to prove it, the air around us suddenly grew icy cold.
'Can I see ghosts now...?'
I wasn't sure.
But if the woman right in front of me really was a ghost, it felt connected to the 'Sea Dragon Envoy' title I'd recently received from King Yama.
As my mind filled with chaos, Junseok's voice pulled me back to reality.
"Hey, what's wrong!?"
"...Huh?"
I turned around, gasping for breath.
Junseok was looking at me with his usual face.
My expression frozen, I glanced back at the bed, but the woman was still sitting there.
"Haeseong, you okay?"
"Yeah... I'm fine."
"Must be more shocking than you thought... I mean, I didn't expect healthy Yerim to end up this sick in an instant either."
I wanted to ask once more if he couldn't see any other woman by Yerim's bed, but I clamped my mouth shut.
Blabbing about it recklessly would just make me look insane.
"Now that Haeseong's seen Yerim's face, everyone head back downstairs."
At Chairman Seo Geonchang's words, we made our way back to the first floor.
I sank deep into the sofa, trying to sort my thoughts, but the image of that woman looking up at me from the bed wouldn't fade.
Her gaze, her blank face, and that inexplicable creepy energy.
"Did something happen?"
I looked up at the low, heavy voice. Chairman Seo Geonchang sat across from me, his eyes tinged with concern.
He must have sensed something odd in my expression.
"No... I'm fine."
Then Junseok, sitting beside me, poked my side lightly, looking worried too.
"You don't look fine. Your face has been off since you came out of Yerim's room."
"R-Really?"
"Nothing happened, right?"
I let out a short sigh and carefully opened my mouth.
"I heard from Grandpa earlier that Yerim spat in your face?"
Junseok's face flickered with slight embarrassment before he nodded heavily.
"...Yeah, that's right."
Starting with 'There's a ghost in the room' would just piss them off.
I calmly organized my thoughts in my head and approached it as gently as possible.
"Junseok, remember when I said I heard water sounds on our roof?"
It was so out of left field that Junseok paused for a second, then shrugged lightly.
"Yeah, I remember. That's when I said it wasn't a ghost, but a fairy, right?"
"You remember?"
"But you didn't say anything after, so I figured you just saw wrong. Why bring it up now?"
"What I saw back then really was a ghost. And since then, I've seen them occasionally."
"W-What!?"
Silence fell.
Junseok's face stiffened slightly, and Chairman Seo Geonchang stared at me with his usual impassive expression.
I couldn't predict how they'd take this.
I sighed, interlocking my fingers, and cold sweat beaded on my palms.
"I think I just saw a ghost in Yerim's room."
"...You're kidding, right?"
"Do you think I'd joke in a situation like this?"
My serious expression made Junseok realize it wasn't a prank, and he looked flustered.
I leaned forward and continued slowly.
"Yerim was lying on the bed, and there was a woman sitting next to her. Long hair, pale face."
"Is that why you asked me who the woman on the bed was?"
"Yeah, I still can't tell ghosts from people yet."
Junseok's expression shifted subtly.
He glanced at Chairman Seo Geonchang, then back at me.
"...I didn't tell you this, but a few days ago, we called in a shaman."
"A shaman?"
"An old shaman lady Grandpa's known for years. She's famous for being the real deal."
"And?"
"Grandpa called her just in case... but she said nothing was wrong."
So.
The famous shaman from chaebol circles couldn't see the ghost I just did.
Then she must be a fraud.
Or maybe my abilities are that impressive.
"I saw it clear as day, so I don't get why that shaman couldn't."
That was when Chairman Seo Geonchang, who'd been silently listening, finally spoke.
"Are you certain?"
"...Pardon?"
"I'm asking if you're sure you saw another woman in the room besides Yerim."
"Yes, I saw her with my own two eyes."
"Then can you drive her out?"
Thankfully, Chairman Seo Geonchang seemed to believe this wild story, at least a bit.
...But I'm no shaman—how am I supposed to exorcise a ghost?
My only shot was the 'Sea Dragon Envoy' title I currently held.
I cooled my head and lifted my gaze.
"I've never tried talking to a ghost before."
"Can't you give it a shot? If you can talk to her, ask what she wants."
His voice was low and pleading.
A man who'd lived as a businessman his whole life, overcoming countless obstacles, now helpless before his granddaughter's illness and pinning his hopes on someone like me...
Still.
Just seeing her made my spine tingle—could I really talk to something like that directly?
She had a different energy from the fairies, and the sheer terror of a 'ghost' made me hesitate.
But there were no other options.
Seo Yerim's condition was worsening, and medicine couldn't find the cause.
Swoosh.
I glanced at Junseok beside me.
He was trying to keep his usual casual attitude, but a faint unease showed through.
"Y-You sure you'll be okay? If it seems dangerous, you don't have to."
Even now, this idiot was worrying about me.
To repay even a fraction of the help Junseok had given me, I had to at least try talking to the ghost.
I turned my gaze straight to Chairman Seo Geonchang.
"Then, can I go up alone?"
"...Do it."
And so.
I headed back up to the second floor alone.
A faint chill hung in the air as I stood before the door.
For a moment, I hesitated, but I couldn't back out now.
I gripped the doorknob and slowly turned it, revealing the room inside.
Creeeak.
Seo Yerim still lay on the bed.
Her pale face, her ragged breathing rising and falling rhythmically.
And the woman sitting beside her.
"So, you can see me after all?"
Unlike before, the woman had a slight smile curling her lips.
But it was a cold, chilling smile, far from warm.
"I don't know what grudge you have, but if there's something you want, tell me."
I spoke as calmly as possible.
I had to be direct, or I'd never figure out what she wanted.
But she just stared at me silently.
The silence felt oppressively heavy, suffocating. Finally, a single word slipped from her lips.
"Life."
A short, concise answer.
I frowned slightly and straightened my back.
"Life? What does that mean?"
The woman smiled again, as if my reaction amused her.
This time, it was a clearer grin.
She leaned forward slowly and whispered softly.
"Yerim's life is about to fade. Then I'll take her body."
She wasn't just any ghost.
Not a mere vengeful spirit wandering aimlessly—she was after Seo Yerim's body.
"...You're saying you'll steal someone else's body?"
"That's right. Then I'll become Seo Yerim."
I let out a light, incredulous laugh.
"You can't become Seo Yerim."
"Why not?"
"Because I'll tell everyone in this house that you're not her."
"No problem. Soon, my mom will kill you and everyone else in this family. Then I'll take this body and all the wealth."
"What the—"
Her absurd words made me blink, and she crossed her arms with a mocking laugh.
"I don't know how you can see me, but that's as far as it goes. You can't do a damn thing."
"Is there nothing you want besides life?"
"Sex."
"...Pardon?"
Suddenly, she stripped off her clothes in one swift motion.
And thrust her breasts toward me.
"No man's ever been on top of this body. But you want to touch and can't—what can you even do?"
Instinctively, I stepped back, but at the same time, I wanted to test something.
Ghosts usually can't be touched physically.
But with my 'Sea Dragon Envoy' title, maybe I could.
Squish—
I tentatively placed my hand on her breast, and sure enough, I felt its vivid softness.
My eyes widened in shock.
"...Huh?"
The woman's face, watching me, changed dramatically.
For the first time, I sensed a flicker of agitation from her.
"H-How... how can you touch me?"
Her relaxed smile vanished.
I glanced down at my palm, still tingling from the sensation, then lifted my head with a wicked grin.
"Oh ho, so I can touch you?"