It was 8 p.m., still a quiet time.
The exorcists of the Exorcism Department spent most of their time outside the office. So, during their downtime, they would work on paperwork or handle their tasks while waiting for dispatch orders.
Kang Yibin, the manager of Team 1, had been filling that downtime with Friends Pang for the past few days.
"I'm going to take the top spot. Go Junhyung, get ready."
It wasn't just Kang Yibin. The other team members were also obsessed with the game. Recently, everyone in Team 1 had been experiencing an unexpected Friends Pang craze. This trend had been sparked by the youngest team member, Jaegyeom.
After learning Friends Pang from Lim Hyomoon, Jaegyeom had been constantly sending heart requests to the team members. At first, they laughed, asking, "Is it really that fun?" But later, they started saying, "Wow, this is so much fun, it's been a while since i've played this," and eventually, they joined in the craze. Even though the game had fallen out of popularity a long time ago, within Team 1, it was experiencing a revival.
"Yes! I beat my record!"
The current top ranker in the team was Go Junhyung. When Kang Yibin surpassed his score, she jumped up from her seat, cheering.
"Ahh, no!"
At the same time, Go Junhyung slammed the desk in frustration. It was a moment of joy and sorrow.
The team members were engaged in fierce competition every day.
However, Jaegyeom and Yoon Taehee didn't participate. Jaegyeom was always at the bottom of the rankings, struggling with himself rather than competing, while Yoon Taehee simply didn't play the game.
As Kang Yibin danced with joy, relishing her victory, the desk mirror began vibrating and glowing. It was a call from the Chief's office.
"Oh, did something big happen? It's a bit early today."
She glanced at the wall clock. It was only 7 p.m.
The most active time for ghosts was during the hour of the ox, between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.
For simple exorcism cases, location and incident details would be sent via the mirror, making it easy to understand the situation at a glance. But being called to the Chief's office directly meant it was an unusual or complex case.
"What's going on?"
When Kang Yibin returned from the Chief's office, the team members asked.
"Remember the suicide case that was in the news a few days ago?
Turns out it was caused by a ghost. Those fuckers."
Recently, a suicide case reported on the news had stirred public interest. Someone had jumped to their death from the roof of a building. The reason this incident became such a hot topic was because four people had jumped from the exact same spot within a month. The deceased were all from different regions and professions, with no known connections to each other, and there were no obvious common links.
"The last person who jumped survived."
While the previous four had died instantly, the last one had only sustained fractures. Thankfully, they had been cushioned by a tree branch.
'A series of people jumping from the same spot, once a week!
It was an incredibly bizarre case, but the police, lacking significant clues, had no choice but to classify it as a series of copycat suicides.
However, the Naryecheong came to a different conclusion after investigating. They determined it to be a "chain murder caused by a malicious spirit."
The evidence was found in CCTV footage from the building's rooftop.
In the video viewed through the exorcists' eyes, there was a common feature among the jumpers: they all wore thick rings on their fingers. After each suicide, the rings were nowhere to be found when their bodies were checked immediately.
The Undercover Department secretly approached the families of the deceased and the people around them to investigate. As expected, they all said that the deceased had picked up an expensive ring on the street a few days before they died.
The exorcists then tracked down the survivor. According to them, a few days before they jumped, they had found a ring on the street. It was clearly valuable at first glance and strangely captivating, so they picked it up without hesitation. Even though it seemed a bit large, when they put it on, it fit perfectly.
From that day on, they wore the ring constantly. However, at some point, they began having sleep paralysis and disturbing nightmares.
They also started hearing a voice whispering, "Jump..."
Go Junhyung clicked his tongue as he listened to Kang Yibin's explanation.
"Goodness, typical possession symptoms."
"Yeah, a hundred percent. The ring's definitely possessed by a ghost."
Kang Yibin nodded in agreement.
"So, what did they do with the ring?"
"The survivor was an ordinary person, but they weren't completely clueless. They realized something was wrong after finding the ring, so right after being discharged from the hospital, they went to a jewelry shop and sold it."
The Undercover Department hurried to the jewelry shop where the ring had been sold, but they were too late. Someone had already purchased it.
"Fortunately, the sales records were still there, and they tracked down who bought it. They just located the ring and need to retrieve it now."
The exorcists approached the buyer, offering double the purchase price for the ring, but he flatly refused, showing intense attachment and possessiveness-typical signs of being affected by a haunted object. If they left him with the ring, he would almost certainly meet the same fate as the previous victims. They needed to take the ring back as soon as possible.
"Who bought the ring?"
"Apparently, a famous fashion model."
Go Junhyung gasped, covering his mouth in surprise.
"Omg, a model?"
The buyer was a fashion show model, currently attending a private party for industry insiders and VIPs. The party was being held at a salon in Cheongdam-dong.
Since it was a private event, they couldn't enter without an invitation, and they needed to go undercover to infiltrate the party.
That's why the mission was given to Kang Yibin, who had been from the Undercover Department before. The headquarters had already forged an invitation for her.
It wasn't a case involving a ghost but a human, and since the location was crowded, they couldn't wear a mask. The ring had to be retrieved discreetly.
"What about the team? Am I going alone?"
"No, I'm taking one person with me."
Go Junhyung, who was quite interested, raised his hand energetically with shining eyes.
"Memememe! Take me!"
Kang Yibin, seeing through his intentions, looked at Go Junhyung with disdain.
"Shut up. I'm taking Jaegyeom."
"Yes..."
These days, whenever Kang Yibin went out into the field, she always took Jaegyeom with her. She was trying to help him get a good performance evaluation by giving him more opportunities.
"Alright! Then, Jaegyeom, go home and change clothes first. I'll pick you up in front of your house after I change too. Hmm, it's 8 o'clock now... Be ready by 10!"
With a bright smile, Kang Yibin whispered in Jaegyeom's ear.
"Dress like a hipster so you won't lose to the models, got it?"
"Ookay..."
Although not fully understanding what that meant, Jaegyeom nodded.
***
When Jaegyeom arrived home earlier than usual, Jeongju and Mesani greeted him excitedly.
"Huh? Why are you home so early today?"
Jaegyeom, with a flat expression, explained the situation.
"I'm just stopping by. I have to go back out at 10."
At that, Mesani's face quickly drooped.
"They told me to change clothes. Said I should dress like a hipster."
As he loosened his tie, Jaegyeom relayed exactly what Kang Yibin had said. "Hm? Hipster?" Jeongju looked confused for a moment but soon understood and nodded.
"But what's a 'hipster?"
"It's just something. Come here, I'll pick out your clothes."
With an excited look, Jeongju dragged Jaegyeom into the closet. As expected of a celebrity, he had an enormous wardrobe. He pulled out all sorts of clothes, coordinating them piece by piece, agonizing over the choices with a serious expression.
"No, not this one... not this either."
Laying out the clothes neatly on the floor, Jeongju began giving
instructions.
"Okay! Wear this inside, these pants, and then this jacket..."
Jaegyeom followed the instructions and put on the outfit. The clothes Jeongju picked out were a matching set, but they were difficult to pull off. The white shirt and navy jacket were much bigger than Jaegyeom's usual size, and the shirt sleeves were so wide they had to be rolled up. On top of that, while the top was long-sleeved, the pants were shorts, and instead of a tie, Jung-ju wrapped a silk scarf with a flashy pattern around Jaegyeom's neck. After tying a small knot, Jeongju looked immensely satisfied.
"Hey. What's with these clothes? I look like a dork."
No matter how he looked at it, the outfit seemed odd, and Jaegyeom frowned.
"Perfect! That rebellious gaze—it's exactly the hipster vibe we're going for."
"So, what exactly is a 'hipster'?"
"Ah, just go with it, it's a thing."
Still feeling something was missing, Jeongju opened a drawer full of hats and pulled out a baseball cap, placing it on Jaegyeom's head. It was a bit loose because of his small head.
"This is it! Yes! This is perfect!"
He grinned from ear to ear, praising his fashion sense. Jaegyeom, with his small head, long neck, and delicate jawline, looked great in the cap. The oversized suit surprisingly suited him well, making the whole ensemble work.
"Aren't the clothes too big?"
"That's how you're supposed to wear it."
Not bothered to argue, Jaegyeom just accepted it. For shoes, he wore his usual worn-out Converse. Kang Yibin had said she'd come pick him up by 10, and it seemed like it was about time to head out.
Jaegyeom left the house as Jeongju and Mesani bid him goodbye.
But as soon as he opened the door, he froze. Standing in the alley wasn't Kang Yibin's white car, but Yoon Taehee's black sedan. He recognized it immediately, having seen it enough times. Yoon Taehee, dressed in his usual black suit, was sitting on the car's bonnet, casually looking at his phone.
When he noticed Jaegyeom, he hesitated for a moment, then looked at the hipster outfit up and down. Without saying a word, he stared intently. No casual "Hi" or greeting as he usually did. So, Jaegyeom spoke first.
"Where's Kang Yibin?"
He was asking why Yoon Taehee was the one here. Earlier, he hadn't been in the office. Today, he was supposed to be on the night shift, starting work in the evening and finishing the next morning.
"..."
After a brief silence, Yoon Taehee finally replied in his usual calm tone.
"Her mother collapsed. She's in the hospital right now."
What? At the sudden news, Jaegyeom's eyes widened.
"It's not serious, but they said they need to monitor her for about a day. Manager Kang is her guardian, so she went straight to the hospital as soon as she got the call. That's why I'm taking her place."
Jaegyeom unintentionally showed a troubled expression. Hearing that Kang Yibin's mother was sick left him feeling unsettled. He didn't realize that he was worried about her. At least it wasn't
serious, which was a relief.
Still, that aside, why did it have to be Yoon Taehee who came instead...?
Jaegyeom felt uncomfortable around the man. On top of that, after their big fight in the park last time, he had declared that he would never get in his car again, so this situation was particularly unpleasant.
"Get in first."
With reluctance, Jaegyeom opened the car door. Well, this was work.
He had no choice but to get in. He made up his mind not to let minor things bother him anymore.
He didn't ask why the other man wasn't getting in the car himself.
Yoon Taehee leaned against the fence and slowly smoked a cigarette, pacing the area for a while before finally getting into the car.