Chapter 15: The Dancing and Laughing Shaman Ghost (2)

A sudden brawl broke out.

Somehow, I got beaten up badly too and got a nosebleed.

Ah, f*ck, it hurts so much.

"What are you doing?! Beat up Yang Juhee! Hit her hard! Beat her up!!!"

Even I could tell Juhee fought incredibly well. No joke, she could handle three people by herself. Less about technique, more like she went completely berserk with insane strength?

"Aaaaaaaaah!!!"

I seriously wondered if the 《Boiling Blood》 quirk had unlocked some limit in her human brain to increase her physical strength.

Could quirks that seemed purely negative have such possibilities?

At this rate, Juhee might beat all five of them alone!

But eventually, Juhee was overwhelmed by superior numbers. The fighting ability of me and Vice President Jung-seok was practically nonexistent.

"Let go! Let me go! You bastards!"

"This b*tch-. She specifically targeted my face. Ow... ow... it hurts so much... You dog. You're really dead today. Let's take them to where the older guys are. All of them!"

Ji-yeon's face was swollen from Juhee's hits, and she seemed furious. If this continued, who knows what would happen to Juhee and us?

I didn't know who these 'older guys' were that Ji-yeon mentioned, but nothing good would come from going there.

We might really get stripped naked and photographed.

"Hoo-"

I thought hard and finally made a decision. It might be too classic and old-fashioned, but...

"Police officer!!!! Over here!!!! Here!!!! There's a fight!!!! Here!!!! In this alley!!!! Aah!!!! F*ck help!!!! Aaaaah!!!! Aaaaaah!!!!"

Thanks to my new 《Breath Holding》 trait, my lung capacity had increased, making my voice boom louder.

Though the police part was a bluff, making such a commotion would bring out the neighbors, and that should end this situation!

"...Fck, is this bastard crazy? You think police come just because you call? Why is his voice so loud?"

"No, Dong-ho. Remember the police car at school earlier? They might be patrolling nearby."

"Ah, sht."

Dash-

Class C's Ji-yeon gang, remembering the police car at the school gate, finally ran away. Juhee yelled "You f*cking bastards!" after them, looking ready to chase them down.

"Hey! Don't run away! Don't run!"

"Juhee! Stop! Stop!"

I tried to stop Juhee, but it wasn't easy. With her blood boiling, she was like a raging bull. It was beyond my strength alone, and I had to ask Jung-seok for help.

"Hey! Jung-seok! Help stop her!"

"Uh, okay."

Even with two guys hanging onto each arm, Juhee wouldn't calm down. Despite me and Jung-seok pulling with all our might, she was dragging us along!

"Let go! Let me go! I'm going to kill that b*tch Ji-yeon!"

Juhee, you crazy girl! She's completely lost it!

I'd heard it takes several adult men to subdue someone who's gone berserk, and that seemed true.

I should cure her quirk before bigger problems arise. If angry Juhee starts hitting me because of her quirk, I'll really die!

"Status window."

『Treatment Center ◀ Click to open』

『Spending 100P to cure quirk.』

『Quirk 《Boiling Blood》 has been cured.』

About five minutes later?

Juhee collapsed on the ground as if naturally exhausted. Me and Jung-seok also sat down, hit by delayed fatigue.

One problem solved at least!

"Hey, Young-won. Did you call the police? Are they coming here?"

Vice President Jung-seok asked while fixing his disheveled clothes.

He seemed more scared about the police being called than when surrounded by Class C students.

"That was a lie."

"......"

Jung-seok seemed relieved. Come to think of it, we're clearly the victims here, so why shouldn't we report to police? I wondered.

"Hey, Jung-seok. Your dad was a prosecutor, right? Can't he do something about this bullying? Class C will definitely try to get revenge and cause trouble-"

"-Who told you that?"

Jung-seok turned serious. As I was slightly taken aback, he sighed and stood up.

"Well, no one but Sojin would know, so who else could have told you. I have to go to academy now. Keep my dad's identity secret. Really. And wipe your blood."

Jung-seok picked up his fallen bag, took out tissues to hand me, and quickly left.

Is he ashamed of his dad? If my dad were a prosecutor, I'd brag about it. For some reason, he's trying to hide his father's existence...

This Jung-seok guy is interesting. He seemed suitable to be a member of the "Ha Young-won Pirates" I'm forming.

We share the common ground of being bullied by delinquents. With so many similarities, we might become friends.

...More importantly, why won't this nosebleed stop?

Drip drip-

My nose was gushing blood like a dam release, and watching this, Juhee said.

"That's what you get for jumping into a fight you can't handle."

No. I didn't jump in, they attacked me one-sidedly. I almost got stripped naked, but Juhee showed up at the right time and saved me.

Before I could say this, Juhee held out her hand.

"My house is nearby, want to come? I'll give you clothes to change into."

Juhee's house?

...Where that auntie who came to school is?

Though it does feel gross to keep wearing this shirt covered in blood.

On the way to Juhee's house, Juhee asked me:

"How did you know the vice president's dad was a prosecutor? Do you really talk with Sojin? She's a liar. You'd better not contact her."

This conversation felt familiar, though she didn't seem to remember.

***

Cheonmun-dong near Yeongji High was a run-down, secluded neighborhood.

Scary alleys everywhere, utility poles covered with carelessly dumped garbage, and most buildings were over 30 years old.

My villa was one of them, and so was Juhee's apartment.

‘Hwangryong Apartments.’

Despite its grand name, it was a crumbling apartment complex.

At each building, elderly women were drying red peppers or selling vegetables while sitting by utility poles with walker-like mobility aids.

"Eh... eh..."

"Jong-min, let's go now."

I saw a woman holding hands with a young man who seemed to have difficulty walking. Even the dogs being walked looked pitiful. It felt like just being here was coloring my life in depressing shades of gray.

"What are you doing, Young-won? Come up quickly. There's no elevator."

Hwangryong Apartments didn't have elevators. Juhee's place was on the fourth floor, and rusty bicycles chained to every stair railing made it hard to walk up.

What was more uncomfortable was that Juhee's skirt was so short I felt like I could see underneath if I tried as she climbed the stairs ahead of me.

This mischievous Juhee. She must be trying to show me her underwear to cause another wet dream. Who does she think would look?

"......"

"What are you doing? Aren’t you coming up? Afraid I'll eat you at my house?"

"No. The stairs are just slippery. Phew. They’re hard to climb."

We arrived at 402, Juhee's apartment.

The metal door without a digital lock was covered in stickers from various places, from Chinese restaurants to chicken shops. The "Glory Church" sticker particularly caught my attention.

"Is your mother home?"

"No. Mom has Monday service, so she'll be back late."

"Monday service?"

Isn't church usually just on Sundays?

Slide-

Juhee opened the door and went in. Inside was barely 20 pyeong, and I expected a strange smell... but it actually smelled nice.

A high school girl's home. Not just any high school girl, but SR-rank Yang Juhee's home.

The boys who liked Juhee would probably have a fit if they saw me now. Feeling superior to these unknown boys, I looked around.

I saw photos of young Juhee in a taekwondo uniform and family pictures with her mom, dad, and what looked like an older sister. I didn't know Juhee had a sister.

...More importantly, isn't that my box cutter she took? My pencil case is here too, along with the pen and scissors she borrowed. This girl Juhee's furnished her house with my stuff.

"Come here."

Slide-

Juhee brought cotton and stuffed it in my nose. She seemed quite practiced at this.

"...Do you think our house is poor?"

Juhee asked as I sat down on the yellow linoleum floor. Though slightly stung, I answered casually.

"My house is similar anyway. We have cockroaches though."

"We have ants, so no cockroaches."

Really? I wish my house had ants instead of cockroaches.

I never thought I'd envy a house with ants.

But... besides the lack of cockroaches, there wasn't much to envy. No computer, no TV. I wondered what Juhee did to pass time.

The poorly wallpapered walls had phrases like "Eternal life is believing in the only God and Jesus Christ whom He sent" posted everywhere, which was quite unsettling.

Click-

Then, we heard the front door handle turning.

"Huh...?"

"Mom...!?"

While I was surprised, Juhee was even more shocked.

"Mom's back already? Hey! Young-won! If my mom talks to you, just say you go to church!"

"Uh... okay..."

Click-

The door opened and a woman entered.

She wore a white dress and had a gentle expression, quite beautiful actually. Was this really the same woman who came to school before?

The woman stopped when she saw me and Juhee.

"Juhee. Who's this?"

"Oh. My friend. He got a nosebleed so I brought him here."

"Really? Juhee is bringing a friend home. It's been a while. I just came back briefly for something. What's your name, friend?"

"Hello ma'am. I'm Ha Young-won."

"Ha Young-won. Oh my, there’s lots of circles in your name. More importantly, do you go to church? You need faith in your heart to receive blessings. Must go to church, receive salvation, and go to heaven. Would you like to hear the Word?"

Ah!

This is why Juhee told me to "say you go to church," afraid the conversation would drag on.

Glancing at Juhee's face, she looked extremely uncomfortable and fidgety. It’s understandable to be embarrassed when your mom tries to evangelize your friends during sensitive first year of high school, though.

I told Juhee's mother:

"Don't worry, I go to church."

"Really? Then do you know who wrote First Peter?"

What? A sudden test?

"First Peter... um... Peter?"

"Hohoho, is that too easy? Then recite John 3:16. Anyone who goes to church couldn't possibly not know this verse."

"......"

She’s coming in strong like this?

I got nervous.

I noticed that while her mouth was smiling, her eyes weren't. Juhee's sharp eyes must have come from her mother's side.

"Um... since it's John's Gospel, John wrote it...?"

"No. Not who wrote it. Recite John 3:16. This is easy, don't you know it? Someone who goes to church couldn't possibly not know this."

Juhee quickly intervened.

"Mom, well, he..."

"Yang Juhee. Be quiet. Did I ask you?"

This situation's getting bad. This is a really awkward situation. What happens if I can't answer?

Would the woman suddenly go crazy and grab my head screaming "How dare you lie to an adult!!!!"?

What should I do? Should I make something up?

I remembered what Ms. Kang said.

Adults can always tell when children are lying.

Tick-tock As the living room clock seemed unusually loud, I closed my eyes tight then opened them.

Lying would probably cause more trouble. Let's be honest.

"John 3:16 is 'For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.' Right? Deaconess? You're a deaconess, right?"

"Oh my! You know it! Our Juhee finally made a believing friend! That's right! I'm Deaconess Kim Yeo-ok from Glory Church. Oh my, you’re handsome too. Such a smart-looking boy! Are you born into faith?"

"Yes. My father had a church in Seoul."

"Really? Which church? What's its name? I know most of the big churches in Seoul. Juhee, why didn't you tell me you became friends with a pastor's son!"

The deaconess's gaze changed.

Maybe I should have just lied. This conversation seems like it'll get longer and more troublesome.

"If you have time, come to our Glory Church this Sunday! Our senior pastor's sermons are so graceful. Have you heard of Pastor Cheon Ae-su? He's very famous in our country for his healing gifts!"

"Ah... healing gifts? Like laying hands and praying to cure illness?"

Most people who talk about healing gifts are usually cultists....

"He even drives out demons. You see, Juhee and I were supposed to be shamans by heredity, from a family of chief shamans. We had the shaman sickness but Pastor Ae-su drove out all our ancestral spirits. Completely! If we could just find Do-hee..."

"Mom. Stop."

Juhee interrupted as if trying to stop her mother's words, but the deaconess was unstoppable.

"We can find your sister, Yang Do-hee! Pastor Ae-su said so! Do-hee was taken by dirty ancestral spirits! Taken by the enemy devil Satan spirit! Aaaaaah!!!! Aaaaaah!!!!"

Oh, sh*t...!

My former potential mother-in-law's condition seems pretty serious!

It makes me want to break dance from this crazy situation.

Crash!

Just then, the family photo frame on the wall fell and shattered. I was really startled, but the deaconess was absolutely horrified.

"An-ancestral spirit! It's an ancestral spirit! The shaman spirit is here! Shaman spirit! The chief shaman family's shrine spirit is coming! Heee! Be gone, you! Ae-su's blood! Ae-su's sacred blood! Be gone! Be gone!"

Thud-

Juhee collapsed on the floor, and she started crying like someone truly miserable.

"There's no such thing as ghosts! Please stop doing this! Please! The nail was just old and fell out! I'm so embarrassed because of you, mom!"

......

......

No, Juhee. Your mother might be right.

The reason I couldn't say that was─

Because a woman in shaman clothes with long black disheveled hair…

─was hanging upside down from the ceiling, staring at me with glass-like eyes and smiling.

"!eid lliw uoy ro tirips ym eveileb dna ecifircas tsum uoY"

"Aack, fck! Oh, fck! Gyaaaaaah! Gyaaaaaah!"