Chapter 174
"That thing looks absolutely horrifying."
Ghosts generally maintained a human form.
They might have a scary face, or be missing arms, legs, or a head, or look a bit unusual, but they didn't stray from the 'human' category.
However, ghosts that had deteriorated over a long time became increasingly bizarre and grotesque.
The rhythm ghost with its incredibly long neck, or the puppet ghost with only its upper body stuck to the ceiling, were examples of this.
The creature before us fell into the same category.
It was a state where humanity was lost, and only the twisted concept of 'existence' remained.
A monstrosity crawling on all fours, constantly greeting people around it with "Hello?" The problem was who could have deliberately created such an evil spirit.
"Are you saying this ghost is really some kind of intentional curse?"
I found it hard to believe Ms. Hong Mi-ri's explanation. I couldn't understand who would create such a terrifying ghost, or for what purpose.
"There have been people controlling ghosts in Korea since ancient times. Things like the Crown Prince Ghost Salt Plum are created through incredibly horrific methods."
I wondered what the Crown Prince Ghost Salt Plum was. Whatever it was, if Ms. Hong Mi-ri, who had been a decapitated ghost herself, called it horrific, it must truly be terrible.
Soon, Jung Seok, who couldn't resist showing off his knowledge, spoke up.
"Isn't that the story where they kidnap a child, lock them in a small space, starve them, and then place food deep inside a bamboo tube? The starved, emaciated child then crawls into the bamboo tube..."
They would then stab the child to death inside the cramped bamboo tube, close the lid, and the child's body, contorted in the narrow space, would become a horrifying sight.
That's what they called the salt plum.
"Showing people the contents would drive them mad. Then they'd pay money to the sorcerer who created the salt plum, begging them to remove the madness. That's the purpose of the salt plum spell."
I couldn't believe such things happened in the Joseon era. It's unimaginable in 21st century South Korea.
"Is that thing a similar kind of curse?"
Jung Seok asked.
It seemed that while the creation method might differ, the role of this hairy ghost was no different from the horrific curse we just heard about.
It meant someone had the intention of creating and controlling a terrifying ghost as a curse.
What could they possibly want to do with a ghost? Nothing good could come from a person controlling ghosts. The only exception might be the 'mercenary group' I use.
Swish—
Ms. Hong Mi-ri, who had been observing the hairy ghost from around the corner, kept scanning the surroundings as she spoke to us without turning her head.
"I'm not sure of its exact use and purpose, but it's surely for no good reason. Come to think of it, my twin Yeri and I were similar. Wait— Everyone be quiet for a moment."
Creep creep—
Just then, something like a shadow so faint it could barely maintain its form appeared on the road. It looked like black soot, or maybe a pathetic slime monster.
"Hello?"
The hairy ghost reached out towards the shadow, grabbed it tightly, then opened its mouth wide and chewed and swallowed the shadow.
Inside its gaping mouth was another mouth, or rather, a face inside the mouth, and another face inside that face and mouth.
There was absolutely nothing normal about it. It completely defied all the experience and reason we had accumulated so far.
Anyone could easily imagine what might happen if something like that was near Sua's house, and Sua's ghost father often took walks nearby.
***
"Bringing it down is one thing, but what comes after is the problem. There must be someone deliberately leaving it alone and fattening it up. Fighting ghosts is straightforward, but fighting people gets messy."
Ms. Hong Mi-ri suggested we think more about fighting that evil hairy ghost.
Fighting that ghost inevitably meant fighting the human controlling it, and remembering Wang Jahyeon's group and the men we encountered on the first floor of the corridor made me feel tired.
Ghosts were scary, but humans with malicious intent were even more cruel.
"Couldn't we just chase it far away?"
Sua trembled.
If we couldn't defeat it, she at least hoped we could drive it away from her home. She seemed afraid we might give up on exorcising the ghost.
However, as the pirate crew captain, I had a duty and need to fulfill my crew members' wishes. That was the responsibility of someone who had involved his friends in various incidents.
If Sua wanted that ghost exorcised, then that meant I had to do it.
"Let's defeat it. We need a lot of points anyway. If we take it down, we'll get points multiplied by the number of people we have. It's a win-win situation."
"How exactly are you planning to defeat it?"
Bong Ji-yeon crossed her arms.
Ji-yeon often made sharper observations than expected. As she pointed out, I hadn't really thought about how to defeat that thing.
"That's what we need to figure out together now."
"How about sending Giganoto?"
Dahee suggested.
As if recognizing its name being called, Giganoto, clinging to my shoulder, made a "boom-boo-boom-pow" sound.
Giganoto. Descendant of dinosaurs.
Sending Giganoto to defeat that beast-like ghost... It seemed like a good idea, but I had many concerns.
What if Giganoto got swallowed up and eaten? That would make me sad.
"Isn't there a better way?"
I asked Ms. Hong Mi-ri.
She kept looking around nervously, which made me uneasy.
"It might be easier if we find the sorcerer. There's a high chance the sorcerer who released that thing and made it eat minor ghosts in the area is nearby. If we confront them, it might be possible to neutralize the ghost."
She said the ghost would obey the sorcerer's commands. If we could subdue the sorcerer and demand they 'make the ghost surrender,' things might become easier.
"Sua, are there any newcomers in the area? Or anyone who looks obviously suspicious? People who control ghosts are all abnormal and look suspicious."
"Newcomers? Come to think of it... A young woman moved into the 4th floor of my officetel recently. She was really pretty and sophisticated. She didn't look suspicious..."
A young woman who moved into the officetel.
Pretty and sophisticated. As I was imagining what kind of person she might be, Sua shook her head.
"It's probably not her. She even shared rice cakes with us when she moved in. She seemed really nice."
"Sua, this officetel's monthly rent is a million won. A young woman living alone in such a place is definitely suspicious. How could she be making so much money?"
"Well, that..."
Sua's face turned bright red.
I had no idea how a woman living alone in an officetel could afford 100,000 won monthly rent.
However, the blunt Ji-yeon quickly blurted out, as if it was her turn to speak.
"She's probably selling her body, right? An office girl."
Oh, shit...
Now I understood why Sua was blushing.
Jung Seok and I felt awkward about such a sensitive topic. I wasn't sure how to react when girls talked about these things.
Anyway.
It was clear that the woman who moved in upstairs from Sua was suspicious. So we went to check, but there was no sign of anyone home.
Ding dong— Ding dong—
It really seemed like no one was there.
"Hey, this might be for the best. Let's break in."
The delinquent Ji-yeon casually suggested burglary. She seemed to have developed a taste for theft after breaking into Wang Ja-hyun's house before.
Ji-yeon definitely had a talent for thievery. She could even pick locks. She was our party's rogue.
I wondered if she had stolen our party's sage Jung Seok's heart with those thieving skills.
"We can use this."
「Universal Keycard. A keycard that can open electronic doors. It can open any electronic door.」
I also took out a keycard from my pocket.
Since most doors these days were electronic, having this card was like having a free pass to enter anyone's home at will.
Click. Beep—
When I swiped the card, the door lock opened with a melodious sound. As we entered, Jung Seok whispered.
"I feel like I'm getting further and further away from the righteous prosecutor I dreamed of becoming."
That was true.
Our methods were increasingly straying from the right path and heading towards the dark side. Is this how people felt when they became monsters to catch monsters?
I'd heard that the gate to glory is shabby and steep, but the gate to hell is paved with good intentions and convenience. That's exactly what we were like.
"It's clean."
Ms. Hong Mi-ri briefly assessed the surroundings.
"That's why it's suspicious."
I couldn't understand.
"Why is it suspicious if it's clean?"
"It's too clean. Women's apartments aren't like this. There should be some trash on the floor, clothes carelessly thrown about. But it's too tidy."
The image of a girl's room in my mind was decorated with colorful curtains and smelled of flowers. This was shattering my illusions in many ways.
—Boom-boo-boom-pow—
Just then, Giganoto leapt off my shoulder. It flattened itself and slipped under a door into some room, which startled me.
"Hey, Giganoto!"
I opened the door Giganoto had entered.
Click—
It was locked.
"......"
Everyone, including me, was at a loss for words.
Does a woman living alone usually lock her room door when going out? It felt like the genre suddenly shifted from a burglary movie to a thriller.
"Move aside."
Swish—
Ji-yeon took out a clip from her pocket.
She inserted a thin piece of metal into the keyhole of the doorknob, jiggled it around, and with a click, the lock opened. It was an impressive skill.
Creak— Squeak—
As we opened the door and entered, it was pitch black inside.
The room had blackout curtains drawn, and there were lots of photos stuck to the walls.
Looking closely, there was something like an altar. There was also a paint can full of red liquid.
Splash—
Ms. Hong Mi-ri dipped her pinky finger in it and sucked it with her lips.
"This is pig's blood."
I'm not sure how she knew what pig's blood tasted like, but having a room like this in a woman's officetel was extremely strange.
Just then, Sua let out a scream.
"The... the photos...!"
She seemed to recognize the photos on the wall.
We all looked closely at the photos, and I completely understood Sua's reaction. All the photos were of Sua.
Sua dancing on stage, Sua walking down the street, and some even had us in them with her. These were all plastered on the wall with red liquid smeared on them.
"A stalker! It must be a stalker!"
Stalkers and obsessive fans were an inevitable fate for the idol Sua. Who would have thought someone would be so obsessed with Sua to even rent the apartment above hers?
But this seemed beyond mere fan obsession.
If it were a fan, they wouldn't have nailed a straw doll with Sua's face to the wall or torn the photos to shreds.
"This room is directly above mine!"
Tremble—
Sua was shaking violently. Soon, Ms. Hong Mi-ri said.
"Sua, maybe the ghost released on the street was targeting you from the start. It's good we noticed now."
I thought it would be best to get out of this place immediately.
So as we hurriedly left the room and were about to exit the apartment, I noticed a photo placed at the entrance. It was a woman smiling brightly, and her face looked familiar.
"Oh, this woman..."
I recognized her. This couldn't be a coincidence. Could she really be the owner of this apartment?
But thinking we should leave first, I opened the front door.
"Aaaaargh!"
As soon as I opened the door, someone standing at the entrance suddenly lunged at me with a knife.