Chapter 39: Inheritance (2)

"Would you like a dessert? This place is run by a deacon, and it's famous for its cakes."

Pastor Cheon Ae-su ordered drinks at the cafe.

I was in the middle of a pasture meeting and already had a drink, so I didn't need to order anything new. I didn't really feel like eating either.

What I was curious about was that Pastor Cheon Ae-su, whom I thought had no connection to us, knew my mother.

Come to think of it, I think Mom did say her hometown was Gaeryong City. Was it not just a simple case of returning to her hometown and finding a job?

Swish-

I glanced at the man sitting across from me in the corner of the cafe.

He was a man with broad shoulders and a sturdy build, probably in his early 50s. He had the image of a retired firefighter, policeman, or soldier.

If he wasn't wearing a shirt with a Roman collar, no one would have thought he was a pastor. Look at those thick trapezius muscles. I don't think even ten of me could beat him.

Pastor Cheon Ae-su said,

"You've grown a lot. The last time I saw you, you were a tiny baby, about the size of a fist. Time really flies. How's Chae-yeon? I heard she's been unstable?"

An acquaintance of Mom's. Someone who knows about my childhood...

Having fought ghosts and suffered all sorts of unfair treatment in the past few days, I couldn't help but feel suspicious.

He's not trying to deceive me, is he? I answered casually.

"Mom's doing fine."

"I see."

Swish-

Pastor Cheon Ae-su took out his phone.

It was the latest model I had seen in an ad when I went to fix Mom's phone recently.

"Look at this. Back then, your mom and dad were just your age. Did they tell you that your parents met in our church's high school division?"

"1st Glory Church High School Division Gaeryong Mountain Retreat"

The photo showed several people holding a banner and smiling brightly. They were about my age, but you could feel the passage of time.

"See, this is your mom, and this is your dad."

"......"

"You still don't like talking about your father, do you?"

I looked around.

Chatter, chatter.

Inside the cafe where people were talking loudly.

It's too late in spring to turn on the air conditioning, but it's very hot. The glass I had been sipping awkwardly now only had ice left, with no contents.

"Young-won. I'm sorry about what happened to your father. Chae-yeon had a hard time after that day too. But I hope she's pulled herself together and is living a new life. Everyone deserves a chance at a new life."

Everyone deserves a chance at a new life...

That comment suddenly reminded me of the 'facility deacon' story.

According to Jung-seok, there's a criminal at this Glory Church who beheaded a high school girl but didn't pay for his crime?

The moment I recalled that, I snapped back to attention.

If I keep getting swept up in this 'Pastor Cheon Ae-su's' pace, I'll end up showing all my cards and that'll be it.

Calm down.

Phew-

I took a deep breath only in my mind.

Was it the effect of the newly acquired 《Strong Heart》?

I was able to calm down faster than I expected.

"Pastor, I have a question. How long have you been at this Glory Church?"

"I'm the founding pastor of this church."

"I heard... there was something like a village guardian tree before this church was built. Is that true? I'm writing a report on the history of Gaeryong City."

The part about the report was a lie, but I didn't feel particularly guilty.

I need to survive first, don't I?! I need to gather lots of information!

"There was a big tree. It was an eyesore. We needed to start construction, but no one would cut down the tree. They said they'd be cursed. So I cut it down myself with an axe and chainsaw."

"Oh."

"The chair and desk in my office now are made from that village guardian tree."

...If it were me, I probably wouldn't have dared do such a thing, fearing I might really be cursed.

He was a fearless person.

"Then what happened to the head shaman? There must have been a head shaman who tended to the village guardian tree, right? What happened to that shaman?"

"Shaman?"

Pastor Cheon Ae-su frowned. The pastor asked back instead.

"Why the shaman? They're not a group you want to get close to. Most of them are fakes and people who follow very misguided spirits, so don't be curious about them."

Right. A pastor wouldn't like talking about shamans.

It was a natural reaction. I had anticipated this kind of response, so I made up an excuse I had thought of in advance.

"I heard that my friend Juhee's maternal family were shamans for generations. I was just wondering if Juhee might have become a shaman if she hadn't gone to church... Of course, shamanism is all tricks and lies."

"Lies, huh. It's not all lies. Stories of ghosts, demons, and Satan entering people's bodies and deceiving them are in the Bible too."

"Hmm."

"Do you know what the worst kind of ghost is? It's the spirit of suicide. These spirits make people despair and commit suicide. The village guardian head shaman committed suicide. She hanged herself at the school."

A shaman who hanged herself at school! Just as I had expected, the bell ghost I saw at the school was the native Gaeryong shaman!

"Did she commit suicide because of the shock of the village guardian tree being cut down?"

"No. The church came after the shaman committed suicide. I bought the land that came on the market and built the church. It was about 16... 17 years ago. She was a very young woman. Maybe 20 years old."

Twenty?

The math seems a bit off? Yeongji High School was built 40 years ago. Shouldn't the village guardian head shaman who had a shaman battle with Juhee's grandmother be quite old then?

"Was it a different shaman from the one who fought with Juhee's grandmother during the construction of Yeongji High School? I saw it in the Gaeryong mayor's autobiography. Here."

I took out the autobiography I received from Jung-seok and showed it to Pastor Cheon Ae-su.

Pastor Cheon Ae-su looked at the part I pointed to and laughed.

"Wow. You even read the former mayor's autobiography? You're really serious about your assignment. Okay. To tell you the story, the person who fought with Juhee's grandmother was probably the mother of the shaman who committed suicide. There was quite an age difference."

"Ah."

"There was a fierce debate when the school was being built. I remember that time too. The Japanese shaman and the original head madam were at each other's throats with knives. The school construction was about to be canceled."

"Really? It says here that the new shaman performed a pressing ritual and the construction was completed safely."

"Yes. The head madam who was opposing the school construction suddenly passed away. No one knows why or how. She just suddenly died. I remember. She had a very young daughter. That child eventually became a shaman like her mother... and hanged herself. Why do all shaman daughters want to become shamans? Tsk."

I see.

Then should I ask one last thing?

"Then what was the reason the shaman committed suicide? Was she looking for something perhaps?"

"Well, I'm not sure about that. When the shaman hanged herself, I was ministering in Seoul. At Gwanak First Presbyterian Church. It's a grand church, like the walls of Jericho."

Rub rub-

Pastor Cheon Ae-su stroked his chin.

I could instinctively tell that Pastor Cheon Ae-su was evading my last question and lying.

This meant Pastor Cheon Ae-su was also someone who lied, which meant he was an ordinary adult.

All adults lie, after all.

***

"What were you talking about with the pastor for so long?"

On the way home after church, Yang Juhee seemed curious about my long conversation with Pastor Cheon Ae-su.

I answered honestly.

"About my mom. Apparently, she used to be in the high school division here."

"Really? So your mom had you while she was in the church's high school division?"

......

Well, that's how it turned out.

I felt awkward and tried to brush it off.

"Hey, Yang Juhee. Why are you making such a low blow?"

"...How is that a low blow?!"

"Anyway. We also talked a bit about the village guardian shaman. Did you know the shaman who fought with your grandmother suddenly died? And then her daughter became a shaman too, but hanged herself at Yeongji High School."

"Wow. I can't believe there's such a story. That's terrible."

Yang Juhee frowned as if disgusted.

Come to think of it... did the native shaman's family lose the power struggle to Yang Juhee's grandmother, the Japanese shaman from outside, and get completely wiped out?

Yang Juhee's maternal family, who took over the native shaman's position and flourished with the support of the Cheon family.

But... their granddaughter Yang Do-hee disappeared somewhere in the old school building, which led to the family's breakdown, and by Yang Juhee's generation... she became a delinquent stealing her friend's box cutter.

I suddenly became curious.

"Hey. What happened to... your maternal grandmother?"

"She suffered from dementia and passed away a few years ago. She got dementia at a younger age than expected, so my mom had a hard time. She lived with us and passed away shortly after my sister disappeared."

I see.

It was a productive Sunday, gathering more information than I expected.

Mr. Cheon, who owned the mansion. The battle of the shamans. High school girls disappearing at Yeongji High School. The Nightmare Corridor.

Everything seemed connected.

Then what about me, Ha Young-won?

I'm a complete outsider in this incident.

I don't understand why someone like me got this strange status window and is defending against ghosts.

I guess I'll have to explore the "Nightmare Corridor" more. On the way home, I told Yang Juhee about the "Nightmare Corridor."

"I don't understand what you're saying. So it's like that game we played before?"

"Yeah. It's just like that. There are tons of ghosts. So you'd better be prepared. You might really wet yourself. But you'll come with me, right? We might find your sister."

I was full of enthusiasm right now.

Corridor Exploration Team Young-won, Jung-seok, Yang Juhee, Let's go!

There was one spot left, though...

We couldn't include kids like Jung Sojin or Kim Geonho.

Swish-

I checked the message I sent to Yoo Dahee.

"Are you okay? How are you?"

The '1' indicating an unread message from yesterday was still there.

I thought about calling, but decided against it as it might seem too clingy.

"Hey, Juhee. Then I'll see you in my dreams later."

"Ah, that's so cringy."

After dropping Yang Juhee off at her house, I returned home.

Today, I'm really going to make a second entry into the "Nightmare Corridor"!

With that thought, as I was about to climb the stairs... there was something black crouching in front of our dark 4th floor apartment!

"Oh crap! You scared me!"

I was really startled.

It felt like I jumped about 2 meters into the air.

I'm not kidding, if I didn't have 《Strong Heart》, I might have died of a heart attack.

Is it another ghost?

As I was shocked, the 4th floor light turned on with a click, revealing a familiar face.

"Oh. It's you. Dahee."

"......"

The identity of the suspicious figure crouching in front of our house was Yoo Dahee.

Dahee said.

"...Young-won. Can I stay at your place tonight?"

"...Stay?"

Looking closely, Dahee wasn't even wearing shoes. She was standing on the floor in her stockings.

For some reason, she was in her school uniform.

"Dahee. What's going on?"

"I left home."

Oh, shit. Running away from home?

"How long have you been here like this? You could have at least contacted me."

"Since this morning. My phone... was confiscated as soon as I got home yesterday. So I just snuck out."

I felt dizzy.

Had she been waiting for me since this morning until evening? We must have missed each other because I was at church.

Then suddenly, I became suspicious.

The prettiest rich girl in the province runs away from home and waits for me in front of my house like a wet puppy?

This is impossible unless it's a dream or delusion.

"...You're not a ghost or something, are you?"

I was still under the effect of hiding from ghosts because I had used both bottles of "Subtle Perfume."

But there's always that one-in-a-million chance, right?

Click-

The 4th floor stair light that had turned on due to motion sensor went off.

In that darkness, Dahee said,

"...You caught me?"

"Agh!"

"Hehe! I'm joking. Young-won, you're really funny."

Blink-

The light came back on.

I felt like I was bewitched by a fox spirit, but Dahee was laughing hard.

"Someone said that ghosts don't have heartbeats because they're dead souls. Young-won, if you're that scared, why don't you feel if my heart is beating or not?"

Swish-

Dahee hid her hands behind her back and thrust her chest forward under her school uniform vest.

I felt dizzy at the sight! A high school girl telling me to touch her chest to check if she's a ghost or not! Does this make any sense?

Isn't this development too convenient for Ha Young-won?

Am I dreaming right now?

That's right! What if this is also a high-level trap?

I have no choice but to check.

"Then... should I really check?"

Swish-

I slowly... reached out my hand.