Exorcising the Evil Spirit (2)
After class ended, I met up with Jeong Se-a near Munchang Hall just like we had promised earlier. I barely managed to shake off Bae Ju-hyuk, who kept pestering me about why we were meeting.
“Over here.”
“Se-hwan….”
She still looked drained. Probably hadn’t slept properly.
“You seem really tired.”
“Yeah….”
“You worked yesterday and couldn’t even sleep. Of course you’re exhausted.”
“Exactly. It was my first shift and there were so many customers… Haa.”
Well, that was obvious even without asking. The café where an ordinary male student like me worked suddenly changed part-timers, and then a pretty girl like Jeong Se-a started working there instead? On a relaxed weekend, no less? There was no way it wouldn’t get packed.
“Lots of male customers?”
“Yeah.”
“Looks like you’re in for it now too, Se-a.”
“Haa….”
Then a thought suddenly hit me. Did she really need to work a part-time job? I knew she’d won quite a bit of prize money from various competitions, and her family was pretty well-off.
“But you don’t actually have to work, do you? You’ve won a lot of prize money and your parents support you pretty generously….”
“Huh? Oh, that? I just wanted to try a part-time job at least once during college. You’ve been working at Cafe Idea for a long time, right? I figured it must be a decent place, so I wanted to give it a shot.”
“I see.”
“Yeah! There’s no other meaning to it at a~ll! And you know I don’t ask my parents for money.”
That made sense. Come to think of it, she had always been fiercely independent since we were kids. She was always telling me I didn’t need to go home and would stay out playing until late….
At first I thought maybe she didn’t get along with her parents.
But when I happened to meet Se-a’s family later, I realized that wasn’t the case at all. She just liked being out and about.
“But Se-hwan. What are you going to do?”
“About what?”
“That… the ghost.”
“Since it happened in your room, that means it appeared in the girls’ dormitory, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I can’t go in there.”
“Exactly! So what are you going to do about it?”
“What do you think I’m going to do?”
I already had a plan, so I answered simply.
“I called someone who can enter.”
“Huh?… Oh, that person from before….”
“Yoo Se-hwan!”
“They’re here.”
Two people were walking toward us. Unlike her usual rider jacket look, Baek Seol-hwa was dressed in a fresh, lively outfit today. Jang San had also ditched her usual oversized robe-like clothes and was dressed as ordinarily as possible.
“Seol-hwa, what’s with the light pink jacket? That’s not like you.”
“You told me to dress like this!”
I had told her to dress like a normal college student, but I didn’t remember saying to wear a light pink jacket. The light pink tweed jacket, white t-shirt, and skinny jeans actually made her less conspicuous than the rider jacket. Or maybe not. Maybe she stood out in a different way.
Jang San, standing beside her, spoke up.
“Does it look good on me, Se-hwan oppa?”
The sudden “oppa” made me flinch, but I quickly realized she was only saying it because Se-a was there. Relieved, I responded as naturally as possible so it wouldn’t look suspicious.
Jang San’s coordination was very understated—a thin beige trench coat, white round-neck top, and black wrap skirt. It was a moderately pretty spring college-student look.
“You look….”
“Hey, Yoo Se-hwan. Your reactions are way too different.”
Seol-hwa glared at me with narrowed eyes, but Se-a jumped in excitedly instead.
“Wow… you’re so beautiful!”
“Huh? Ah… you think so?”
“They say appearance completes the outfit… You look gorgeous no matter what you wear. The café uniform you had on last time suited you so well too.”
Was she being sincere rather than just making a fuss? Se-a praised her like she was admiring a beautiful doll, and Seol-hwa seemed delighted by the compliments, smiling brightly.
“Ehehe, thank you.”
…Wasn’t she enjoying that a little too much?
“Anyway, Se-a. You can go with them. It’s daytime, so as long as the resident is present you can bring them into the room. It’ll be better for girls to go in than for me to try following you.”
“Ah, okay.”
“Still, since these two don’t attend school here, it might look suspicious if they enter the dormitory. Let’s make it look like they’re helping you move some stuff.”
I pointed at the convenience store inside Munchang Hall.
“Let’s buy a ton of things.”
Se-hwan bought a ridiculous amount of stuff at the convenience store, got a paper box instead of bags, and packed everything inside. After closing the box, he said,
“This way it looks like we’re moving luggage. It’s still March, so it won’t seem that strange.”
Se-a was honestly impressed by his thoroughness.
“Oh, Se-hwan’s pretty smart, huh?”
“I wasn’t an airhead like you.”
“I’m on scholarship now, you know!”
“That’s what I’m saying. You used to be terrible at studying. Is this what they call a dramatic turnaround?”
Until middle school, Jeong Se-a had been someone who stayed as far away from studying as possible. She was the type who got better ranks when counted from the bottom. The fact that this same Se-a had become such a studious model student who even received a scholarship was all because she wanted to go to the same place as a certain someone.
However, because she had avoided studying for so long, her grades were nowhere near enough to get into the university that person was aiming for. She had no choice but to give up, but then—whether it was luck or misfortune—that person bombed the college entrance exam, and they ended up at the same school.
It was a situation where she shouldn’t be happy, but honestly, Se-a was glad. Even if their departments were different, at least they were at the same school. Of course, after that things hadn’t gone exactly as Se-a had intended….
Anyway, the reason Se-a had worked so hard was all because of one person.
Se-a glanced at that person and murmured.
“…I worked hard.”
“Seeing that, you really are amazing. I’m the one who can’t even get a scholarship right now.”
Se-hwan handed the box to Seol-hwa as he spoke.
“Does this mean I’ve become stupider than Se-a… It kind of hurts my pride to be dumber than that Se-a.”
“Hmm, I wonder what you mean by that?”
When Se-a’s voice turned rather menacing, Se-hwan quickly corrected himself.
“…Just kidding.”
“Should we just follow Se-a with this?”
“Ah, feel free to call her Se-a. I heard you’re the same age… Can I call you Seol-hwa too?”
“Same age?… Ah, y-yes, of course.”
Se-a smiled brightly.
“Then I’ll speak casually!”
With her incredible sociability, Se-a switched to informal speech in no time. Then San smiled the same way and said,
“Then can I call you unnie?”
“Sure~!”
Seeing this, Seol-hwa glanced sideways at Se-hwan and asked,
“Is Se-a always this sociable?”
“Yeah.”
“You two don’t seem to match at all. How did you become friends?”
“There’s a story behind it. Stop asking pointless questions and get going already.”
“But I can’t even attach talismans. How am I supposed to exorcise it? If I release yoki, won’t it look weird?”
“I didn’t tell you to exorcise it.”
“What?”
Se-hwan gave the puzzled Seol-hwa a quick glance, then spoke with a look that said are you stupid?
“Jang San can just take the talisman with her.”
Having cleared the false accusation of being Jangsanbeom, Jang San was no longer a yokai but a spiritual beast, so there was no problem with her touching the talisman directly.
“There’s no real need to use the talisman. She can just pretend to use it while actually using her yeong-gi to handle it.”
“I see.”
“So hurry up and go. It’ll regain its full strength by evening, so we should deal with it before it gets annoying.”
It seemed evil spirits couldn’t use their full power during the day. They usually hid in dark places, and a closet in a room that didn’t get much sunlight was exactly that kind of spot. Considering the dormitory room, it was probably hiding in the bathroom or somewhere similar.
Se-hwan conveyed this to Seol-hwa and added,
“After you exorcise it, you can absorb the remaining spiritual energy. That way you won’t have to work today.”
“From tomorrow I won’t be able to help you because of my part-time job.”
“Then come to the house. Come over, recharge on spiritual energy, and leave.”
“…You’re so casual about inviting me to your house.”
“You’re the one who came over, slept there, and left before I even said anything. What are you talking about? Here, off you go.”
Se-hwan gave Seol-hwa a light push and said to Se-a,
“Se-a, I’ll be waiting in front of the Freedom Hall, so take care.”
“Got it.”
“These two will handle it well, so don’t worry.”
When Se-hwan added those reassuring words, Se-a paused for a moment before breaking into a bright smile.
“Yeah, thanks.”
San quietly watched the scene from the side. She tilted her head slightly as if thinking about something, then smiled with a meaningful look.
Their relationship is pretty interesting, isn’t it?
Se-a led Seol-hwa and San into the dormitory. But there was one thing she hadn’t anticipated….
“Se-a! Who are those people behind you!?”
Because Se-a was friendly with everyone, many people were curious about the unfamiliar faces following her. And those unfamiliar faces were all exceptionally beautiful women.
“Ah… they’re friends and my younger sister.”
“You had such pretty friends? Hello!”
“Ah, hello.”
“Hello~.”
“Look at her hair, it’s so pretty… Where did you get it bleached? How is your hair so healthy after bleaching it like that?”
“Ahaha….”
It wasn’t bleached—her fur was originally white, so her hair appeared white too. But to the female students who didn’t know about yokai, it was simply fascinating.
“Recommend a salon to me too!”
“Huh? A salon?”
“Girls, I’m going to move some stuff first. These two came to help me with my luggage.”
“Ah, sorry! You have to make time to talk to us later!”
There were more than just one or two of them. She was glad this was the girls’ dormitory. Since Se-a was friendly with male students as well, if this had been the engineering or humanities building, the guys would have swarmed over too.
Se-a, who had barely made it onto the elevator, said to Seol-hwa and San,
“Sorry… my friends seem to be showing too much interest.”
“It’s okay. They’re lively and nice.”
“You have a lot of friends, Se-a unnie.”
Se-a nodded slightly.
“I guess it just turned out that way.”
“Then do you have a boyfriend too?”
The sudden question caught Se-a off guard. And there was someone who was even more surprised than her.
“Hey, hey! Why are you suddenly asking something like that?”
Seol-hwa was startled for no reason. It was a reaction from someone with no immunity to romance topics, but Se-a simply thought she was being polite.
“It’s okay, Seol-hwa. I don’t have a boyfriend yet. I have a lot of male friends though….”
“Then is there someone you like?”
Se-a flinched. She didn’t know why the elevator ride up to the dormitory floor seemed so long today. She wished it would arrive soon so she could change the subject.
With no other choice, Se-a smiled amiably and said,
“Um, not particularly yet….”
“Oh, really?”
San put on an expression of complete innocence, as if she had no idea.
“I thought for sure that unnie liked Se-hwan oppa.”
“……Huh!?”
“What?”
Seol-hwa, who was beside them, said,
“Hey, say something that makes sense. What does Se-a see in a guy like Yoo Se-hwan to like him?”
“Why? Se-hwan oppa is pretty decent. He always says he’s ordinary, but if you look closely, his features are actually quite handsome. He’s pretty smart too. His independence is quite remarkable, and he’s responsible. He’s not bad, is he?”
“…I want to argue, but why does nothing you said seem wrong?”
“Because I’ve never said anything wrong, unnie~.”
San said this and then glanced at Se-a beside her.
Se-a was also thinking that nothing San said was incorrect. She had always thought the same way. That’s why it was even more confusing. She had no idea that other women saw Se-hwan that way. She thought only she, who had watched him for so long, felt that way. But Seol-hwa and San, who hadn’t known him for very long, thought the same, which was surprising.
“That’s why I thought Se-a unnie liked Se-hwan oppa. Since you’re so close~.”
“Ah… we’re just friends. Yeah, just close friends… It’s natural to be close since we’ve known each other for a long time.”
“Really? Then….”
San looked directly into Se-a’s eyes.
Se-a, meeting San’s eyes which held a slight smile, felt a sense of unease rising.
“Can I have oppa then?”
The unease became reality.
And then.
Ding~!
The elevator arrival sound rang out.
Seol-hwa looked at San with an expression that said what are you doing? and said,
“Stop saying useless things and get out quickly. We’re here.”
“Okay, unnie~.”
San smiled brightly as she exited the elevator first, and Seol-hwa followed, saying,
“It was just a joke, so don’t take it to heart, Se-a.”
“…A joke?”
“Yeah, she was just teasing you. She’s pretty bad, isn’t she?”
Having reassured Se-a, Seol-hwa stepped out of the elevator, and Se-a followed her out as well.
Seol-hwa had said it was a joke. That was a relief. But why?
That look in her eyes… a joke?
Why did it feel like it wasn’t a joke at all?
Se-a bit her lip lightly and decided to focus on dealing with the matter at hand first.
“This is it. My roommate won’t be back until this evening, so no one’s in the room. You can come in.”
“Hmm.”
Seol-hwa said to San,
“You brought what Se-hwan gave you, right?”
“Of course.”
“Let’s put this up and go in.”
“Really? Is it okay for you, unnie?”
“It’s fine as long as it doesn’t stick directly to me.”
With that, Seol-hwa entered the room, and San said to Se-a,
“It’d be better if Se-a unnie waited here. It might get dangerous if you’re inside.”
“Ah, okay.”
“Make sure this talisman stays on the door here. Make sure no one can take it off, okay?”
“Yeah… got it.”
San attached a talisman with the character for “bind” written in the center to the door, then entered the room herself and closed the door with a thud.
Se-a stared at it for a moment, then sighed and leaned against the door.
If she covered the talisman with her body, people wouldn’t notice it.
“That look in her eyes was a joke…?”
Se-a had been in love with Se-hwan for a very long time. So she knew. The way you look at someone as a friend and the way you look at them as the opposite sex were completely different.
She knew it so well that many of her friends had helped her try to get together with him.
In that sense, the look in San’s eyes when she asked if she could have Se-hwan earlier was….
“…It didn’t seem like it.”
It was closer to the latter.
“Wow.”
As soon as San entered the room, she let out an honest gasp of admiration.
“It’s a pretty big one, huh?”
The moment they entered the room, the evil spirit’s energy was quite strong. It was no wonder the person couldn’t sleep with something like this around.
“How did she end up with something like this?”
“It’s in the bathroom. Is it at a level you can handle?”
“Of course, unnie~.”
“You don’t need to call me unnie here.”
When Seol-hwa spoke as if it was gross, San giggled as if it was amusing.
“I might get used to it at this rate.”
“Let’s not say such horrible things. More importantly….”
“Got it.”
San’s eyes glowed slightly. Her eyes, which had been reddish, were now dyed blue, and soon a sacred energy began to flow out.
“Be careful, okay?”
“It’ll be fine as long as you don’t deliberately hit me with it.”
“Right, then….”
Click. She grabbed the doorknob. Then San flung it open forcefully and said,
“Let’s see the face of this perverted evil spirit that wanders into a girl’s room as it pleases!”
“Hueeeek!!”
“Huek?”
The first sound the evil spirit made when the bathroom door was thrown open was a scream. Although yeong-gi from a spiritual beast was fatal to evil spirits, the scream was too weak for one.
“I-I’m sorry….”
“…What is this thing.”
The malevolent energy was definitely strong, but….
“Please just let me go this once!!”
It started begging for forgiveness without any thought of resisting. Seeing this, both Seol-hwa and San tilted their heads in confusion at the same time.
“It still has its reason?”