Ch.122122 – Cheonggyecheon Urban Legend 3

# 122 – Cheonggyecheon Ghost Story #3

I couldn’t help but worry.

Gwanje Church was where my dad had served.

About five years ago, how much commotion had the church gone through because of the incident my dad caused?

Many church members left, and he received a lot of criticism.

And now Yoo Dahui, who was involved in that incident five years ago, was right beside me.

The chicken shop owner told us we needed to go to the address he gave us right away. He also said that if we didn’t, Jeongseok’s friend Jin Seoyeon would die.

“What a strange man. He claims to be a shaman but recommends a church? Is that even allowed?”

Seoyeon herself, the person in question, seemed unbothered as she simply brushed the salt off her clothes.

“Yeah, let’s go. I know the way to the church well.”

I shouldn’t hesitate when someone’s life might be at risk.

I led my friends toward the church, and Jeongseok gasped in amazement when he saw the church building, as if overwhelmed.

“It looks more like a castle than a church. I wonder how much they collect in tithes and offerings?”

“An enormous amount. Even politicians attend this church.”

Whenever there were general elections or presidential elections, men in suits would visit this church to shake hands with the elders and have meals with the pastors.

Of course, those same suited men would visit temples the next day to eat with Buddhist monks, but what I wanted to say was that this church was big enough to have political influence.

The main building alone was nine stories tall.

As we pushed through the transparent glass doors, a woman sitting in the lobby noticed us.

“Oh, you’re…”

“Noona. It’s been a while.”

These days, churches had few new members.

Most of the congregation consisted of people who had attended church since birth.

That is, children who grew up in the church would grow up, get married, have children, and then those children would grow up in the church, get married, and have children too.

The woman sitting in the lobby, Go Eun-young, was someone who had attended church since she was very young. I remembered her face, and it seemed she remembered mine too.

“Well, look who it is. Isn’t it Yeongwon? It’s been so long. When did you get so tall? What brings you here? It’s good to see you. You’ve grown taller, but your face looks exactly the same as back then!”

She’s greeting me warmly.

Honestly, I half expected her to tell me to get lost.

But… that’s how churches are.

Even if someone was considered a terrible sinner or monster, it wasn’t a place where people could simply chase others away.

“Could we possibly meet with the pastors?”

I asked the guide in the lobby.

The church sister stared at what looked like a freshly printed bulletin for a while before saying, “The others are busy preparing for Bible school or joint worship services… but the senior pastor is in his office right now.”

For reference, a senior pastor refers to a retired pastor who remains at the church out of respect. They also receive stipends from the church for retirement.

We headed to the senior pastor’s office.

It was on the fifth floor.

While riding the elevator up, Bong Jiyeon asked me.

“Ha Yeongwon, you said you’re from Seoul, right? Did you attend this church?”

How should I explain this?

I thought that depending on how today went, who I am and who my father is might all be revealed. That’s why I still felt conflicted.

Soon, Jeongseok spoke up.

“It’s fortunate that Yeongwon has connections in Seoul. If Yeongwon wasn’t here, it would have taken us more time to get explanations and find our way.”

# # #

The senior pastor’s office was as magnificent as a CEO’s office at a major corporation.

All the furniture appeared to be made of mahogany, the nameplates seemed carved from ivory, and the chairs were crystal.

Senior Pastor Kim Docheol was an elderly man around 60 or close to 70 years old.

I don’t know. Honestly, I couldn’t tell his exact age.

All old people looked pretty much the same to me.

“It’s been so long.”

Pastor Kim extended his hand toward me.

When we shook hands, I could feel the rough texture of his palm.

He was a skinny old man. And generally, old people liked to talk about the past when they saw young people. Pastor Kim Docheol was that kind of person.

“When I appointed your father as the lead pastor, there was so much opposition. Having a thirty-year-old as the lead pastor of such a thriving church was unprecedented in Korea. It caused quite a stir. Do you remember?”

I do remember.

But reminiscing about the past wasn’t what I wanted to do.

I just wanted to take care of business and leave this place as quickly as possible.

“Pastor. The reason I came here isn’t about that. We have a problem…”

“A problem? Is it with your mother Chaeyeon? Is her health still poor these days?”

“What? No, my mom is perfectly fine.”

“She had such a difficult labor when she gave birth to you. I was at the hospital praying with your father and the deacons. You’ve been causing your parents trouble since birth. But you look healthy now.”

…….

I was born through a difficult labor? That’s the first time I’ve heard about it.

There were many things that bothered me, but that wasn’t the important part.

“Seoyeon here is my friend, and a man selling chicken at Cheonggyecheon told us to come to this church address quickly.”

“Chicken at Cheonggyecheon?”

Pastor Kim raised his eyebrows as if he couldn’t understand, then stroked his graying beard.

Soon, Jeongseok stepped forward to add an explanation.

“My friend saw a headless chicken, and since then, she’s been having nightmares. We wanted to ask if there might be some spiritual issue.”

Jeongseok, who didn’t even attend church, made a convincing request for counseling.

Pastor Kim picked up a Bible with a worn leather cover. It was the only worn-out thing in this magnificent office.

With the Bible in one hand, the pastor carefully examined Seoyeon’s face.

“In today’s world, it’s not fashionable to talk about Satan, devils, or demons. Even people in the church only want to discuss lofty and impressive concepts like love, truth, and service.”

Swish-.

Pastor Kim moved his finger back and forth in front of Seoyeon, like a doctor checking pupil movement.

“But those who want to speak about God should also be able to speak clearly about ghosts and demons. Ghosts, Satan, demons—they’re all in the Bible. The words of the Bible don’t lie.”

Clap clap-!

Pastor Kim slapped Seoyeon’s back with his palm.

Seoyeon frowned as if displeased, asking, “What are you doing?” but Pastor Kim seemed to pay no attention as he pulled a cross from his pocket and placed it against Seoyeon’s forehead.

“It’s not easy to distinguish between demonic possession and mental illness. But people like me who have stood at the pulpit for a long time have ways to tell. Let’s see. There should be one left here…”

Swish-.

Pastor Kim opened his drawer with a sliding sound.

He took out a piece of paper, placed it in a crystal cup, and set it on fire.

Whoosh-.

The paper instantly turned to ash.

He added water to it and handed it to Seoyeon.

“Drink this. It’s effective at driving out demons inside. I’ve cured many people with this.”

“……”

Seoyeon looked at the cup with a very suspicious expression.

Perhaps feeling the pressure of everyone’s gaze, Seoyeon finally began gulping down the water with the burnt paper, but when she finished drinking it, something strange happened.

“Ugh, uuuuweeegh!”

Seoyeon began violently throwing up everything in her stomach.

It felt like food poisoning, but what was shocking was that the vomit was as black as ink.

And it kept coming out endlessly.

“Ueeeeeeeegh!”

“Congratulations! You have driven away an ‘Unidentified Animal’!”

“Beginning settlement for 5 survivors.”

“You gain 50P.”

Only 50P? That’s less than the daily points I get from the rabbit piggy bank.

I was disappointed. Is it because it says “driven away” rather than “victory”?

Somehow, I felt a chill.

As if something was clinging to my back…

# # #

Scrub scrub, scrub scrub scrub-.

I was diligently cleaning the floor.

Seoyeon, who had been vomiting, seemed to be feeling much better.

“…I feel refreshed. And extremely embarrassed… But my shoulders feel lighter. While I was throwing up, I really thought I was going to die…”

Honestly, I found all these experiences hard to believe, but since Seoyeon herself said she felt better, I decided to accept it.

At that moment, Yoo Dahui, who was cleaning the floor with me, whispered quietly so only I could hear.

“What that old man just burned. It’s exactly the same as the Escape Talisman.”

Really?

If Dahui wasn’t lying, I couldn’t help but wonder why Pastor Kim had an Escape Talisman. I asked.

“Pastor. What exactly was that paper you burned?”

“I got it from somewhere. It was the last one I had left. Your father gave it to me. Your father had quite a collection of strange items.”

My father?

I remembered Kwon Suho. When Kwon Suho was suffering from his quirk, he had mentioned something like, “If there’s a talisman, the quirk can be cured!”

Talismans can cure quirks-.

Was that true?

Wang Jahyeon’s group would also be exploring the corridor with the danger of quirks on their backs. Are they perhaps dissolving talismans in water to cure their quirks?

It was a plausible idea.

“Now go quickly. I’m fine, but there are many people who will make a fuss when they see you. Send my regards to your mother and father. Especially tell your mother to call me more often.”

“Yes.”

I hurried out of the church, afraid of running into other people.

As I left the church building, I felt like my heavy heart was finally lightening a bit.

“Was I really possessed by something like a ghost?”

On the way home.

Seoyeon, who accompanied us to the station, tilted her head in confusion.

Today’s experiences seemed like a dream to her.

“Jeongseok. I’ll call you.”

Vroom vroom-.

Leaving Seoyeon waving her hand behind, we boarded the train.

Exhausted from the heat and the day’s ordeals, I fell asleep and woke up at Gaeryong Station.

Honk honk-.

“Son! Mom got a car! Everyone get in!”

Mom picked us up from the parking lot in front of the station.

When did she get a car? It was a small compact car.

When we got home, Mom asked.

“Yeongwon, so what is that thing?”

“Who, Bong Jiyeon? Jeongseok likes her.”

“No, the kid clinging to your back.”

Something is clinging to my back?

I felt a chill.

When I reached behind my back, I caught something strange.

It was very soft and cool.

“What is this?”

—Gek gek gek.

It was a lizard making strange noises.

It was about the size of my palm and completely black in color.

The ominously pitch-black color sent shivers down my spine.

“You went to Cheonggyecheon today, right? Did you buy a lizard there? It’s cute. Look at that plump tail. How much did you pay for it? What does it eat? Is this a gecko?”

—Boom-bu-boom-pau, gari-gaek-gaek-.

Its cry was particularly strange.

What kind of lizard in the world cries like this? It might fool others, but it couldn’t fool me, Ha Yeongwon, who had been through thick and thin.

“This thing…”

The unidentified animal that was clinging to Seoyeon!

It had attached itself to me!

“In our house…”

I need to get rid of it!

Just as I was about to foam at the mouth.

“Get out!”

—Gek-ko. Gek-ko.

Pat-!

The black lizard leaped at incredible speed and pounced on a cockroach that was clinging to the wall.

Then something amazing happened.

Sssssssssssss-.

Like ink draining away, cockroaches that had been hiding in every corner of the house suddenly emerged and all fled through the open window!

Mom was also amazed at this miraculous sight.

“The lizard chased away all the cockroaches! Is this what they call a food chain or something?”

Lizards were dinosaurs in a way.

I should give it a name. How about Giganoto?

As I was thinking that, Mom pulled out an old fish tank from somewhere, carefully placed the lizard inside, and said.

“I heard you met Pastor Kim Docheol in Seoul? He called. I didn’t expect you to go back to that church. What made you go there?”

At Mom’s question, I hesitated for a moment.

Since it had come to this, I decided to ask honestly.

“Mom. Did you ever join a film club in the past?”