"Leader, is something wrong?"
The ghost, who was Paehyeon, asked Yoon Taehee, who was staring silently at his phone. Finally, he looked away from the screen. He nonchalantly put his phone back in his pocket and said,
"...Take that person too."
Paehyeon nodded and shifted his gaze to Seo Jeongtak.
"Yes, understood."
As the ghost approached, Seo Jeongtak shrieked in terror.
"Ugh, get, get away! You evil spirit..."
Paehyeon looked at Seo Jeongtak with contempt. This was why he hated dealing with humans. If it were up to him, he wanted to handle him roughly, but he glanced at the leader. Recognizing the meaning in his gaze, the leader casually nodded while putting his hand in his jacket pocket.
"Excuse me for a moment."
Paehyeon imbued his hand with ghostly energy and struck the back of Seo Jeongtak's neck. Seo Jeongtak let out a gasp and then fell silent. It was the easiest way to calm someone who was too terrified to think straight.
Paehyeon disappeared somewhere with the unconscious Kim Seokcheol and Seo Jeongtak.
Before long, only Chairman Jang, Chief Kim, and the leader were left in the room. The now quiet room was surprisingly still. The leader, with his hand in his jacket pocket, walked slowly to a partitioned area. He lifted the partition curtain and looked back at Chairman Jang and Chief Kim.
"Come this way."
The other two people exchanged glances, their faces pale. Chief Kim, trembling, followed the leader first. Inside, they found a cozy space set up like a reception room. In the center was a long wooden table with chairs, and behind it, a large folding screen with ink paintings and a sword mounted horizontally, like something from a museum.
The red robe, previously lying on the floor after being touched by Kim Seokcheol, was picked up by the leader. He dusted it off and casually put it on like a gown.
"What are you doing? Sit down."
The man plopped down on a chair while Chairman Jang and Chief Kim sat across from him. The leader took off his baseball cap and tossed it aside on the table, then leaned back comfortably, crossing one leg over the other. Brushing his bangs back, he smiled brightly.
"You seem quite surprised. Relax."
Chief Kim wiped the sweat from his hand onto his pants. The other guest's hand had fallen off after touching the leader's robe, and now the young man they had met on the mountainside was wearing that same robe and sitting in front of them. It was all too confusing to comprehend.
Chief Kim stammered,
"So, you are... the leader of the Byeoksadan...?"
The young man smiled broadly at the sudden formal address.
"Yes, that's right."
The young man nodded even before hearing the entire question.
Chief Kim couldn't hide his perplexed expression, and Chairman Jang remained silent, astonished.
"L- let me introduce myself properly. I apologize for earlier. I am Secretary Kim Seonjae. And this is Chairman Jang Pilyoung of Sekang Enterprise..."
Just a while ago, they had pretended not to know him. Now, telling the truth was awkward, but the leader didn't seem to mind.
"And- and this is my business card..."
Chief Kim, with trembling hands, handed over the card on behalf of Chairman Jang. As the leader reached out to take it, Chief Kim's hand shook briefly. The leader's hand paused in mid-air.
The leader looked at him silently for a moment and then suddenly chuckled.
"I'm human, you know."
"..Ye- yes?"
"I'm not a ghost, so don't be so scared."
Saying that, he swiftly took the card from Chief Kim's hand. The leader examined the card, flipping it back and forth. Leaning back comfortably, he raised an eyebrow and murmured,
"Oh... Chairman Jang Pilyoung..."
The way he read the card's text sounded oddly disrespectful.
"Who introduced our Chairman Jang here?"
Chief Kim answered instead.
"We heard from the Master."
"No, no. You're not originally a client of the Master. I mean bridged the connection?"
It seemed the leader already knew there was no direct connection between Chairman Jang and the Master.
"Well... we are close to Minister Heo Yongsik."
"Ah, Minister Heo..."
The leader nodded in understanding.
"Alright."
As the leader put the card on the table, the door opened again, and the ghost who had taken Kim Seokcheol and Seo Jeongtak returned.
The ghost was carrying a tray with porcelain teacups and a teapot.
He poured tea into the cups, starting with the leader.
The sight of a ghost serving tea to a human was surreal.
"Thank you."
The leader accepted the service as if it were perfectly normal. The ghost poured tea for the other two as well, then stood a few steps back, maintaining a respectful stance as if to support the leader.
Chief Kim, despite his fear, was genuinely curious. The identity of the young man called 'Leader' was beyond doubt. He had a shadow at his feet and had explicitly stated that he was human.
Then, what on earth did he do... and how could a human command ghosts?
Questions kept arising in his mind, but he couldn't ask the young man anything. He knew that in this space, all the control was in the hands of that young man.
"So, what brings you here?"
The Leader calmly sipped his tea and asked their business.
"Uh... we have a favor to ask you."
"Go ahead."
Chief Kim, who had been speaking on behalf of Chairman jang, hesitated and looked at the Chairman. After a brief pause, Chairman Jang slowly began to speak.
"Please cure my son's illness."
Chairman Jang, who had spoken bluntly when they met on the mountainside, now showed a noticeably changed attitude. He explained the circumstances that led them here with a grave
expression
"So, what our Chairman Jang is saying is this: Someone is casting curses at your son, causing him to suffer from an unknown illness.
Therefore, you want me to block these curses aimed at your son. Is that correct?"
The Leader summarized after listening. Chairman Jang nodded.
"I see. It's no wonder the Master refused..."
The Leader murmured to himself.
"Shamans usually avoid these kinds of tasks. If a curse is cast incorrectly and fails, it can rebound like a boomerang. They're afraid of being hit by the reverse curse, so they generally won't do it."
He explained calmly that such situations could cause not only severe physical pain but also a miserable end to life or a burden that could be passed down to future generations.
"Anyway... you've come to the right place. I'm quite good at casting curses."
The Leader finished his explanation with a broad smile. His reaction was as enthusiastic as the person making the referral had suggested. Chairman Jang felt relieved. Then, the Leader chuckled as if something was amusing.
"But our Chairman Jang must have lived a life full of wicked deeds.
Am I right?"
The Leader suddenly lowered his voice.
"Adultery, illegitimate children, drugs, murder... how many of these apply to you?"
The playful tone caused Chairman Jang and Chief Kim's faces to harden.
"Oh, did I hit the nail on the head? Why are you so surprised? I just guessed from your demeanor."
The Leader silently laughed at the frozen expressions of the two men.
"Why would high-ranking people avoid the official Naryecheong and instead wait months to request a shaman's help? It's obvious. They wouldn't come all this way without some serious issues."
The Leader poured more tea into his half-empty cup.
"Don't worry. I'll keep your secrets safe."