Ch.131131 – The Vortex Key 1

# 131 – The Spiral Key # 1

We returned to our secret base.

Since it was hot summer with long daylight hours, we had plenty of time.

“How are you feeling?”

Stroke, stroke, stroke-

Kwon Sua had been rubbing Yang Juhui’s back for a while now.

It seemed like she was trying to calm and comfort Yang Juhui, who appeared frightened of something, and it must have been effective since Yang Juhui’s condition had improved considerably.

According to Kang Bada, she had inhaled some toxic gas.

I thought she should probably go to the hospital, but Yang Juhui herself didn’t seem too concerned about her condition as she began to speak.

“When I was very young, I followed my grandmother to a shamanic ritual.”

“Very young? How old were you?”

“I don’t know. Just very young.”

I tried to imagine Yang Juhui as a child.

Though she’s now a slender, older-sister type of girl, little Yang Juhui must have been a cute kid.

“It was at a very cold and damp temple. I remember it was so cold that I clung to my sister. More importantly, during the ritual, a huge spider appeared and attacked people!”

“A huge spider? How big was it?”

“I might have perceived it as bigger since I was a child, but it was truly enormous. And it had a woman’s face with long hair attached to it. I was so terrified that I fainted.”

A spider with a woman’s head.

That matched the characteristics of the spider woman I saw on the third floor.

Was Yang Juhui’s shocked expression when she saw the spider woman because it triggered forgotten memories? It made perfect sense.

“My grandmother said she didn’t have much time left to live and couldn’t perform rituals for much longer. So someday my sister would have to take over her role… Otherwise, many people would get hurt and be in danger…”

That was the end of Yang Juhui’s story.

When everyone seemed lost in thought, Jeongseok raised his hand.

“I understand there’s a connection between Buldansa and Yang Juhui’s grandmother. Learning more about your grandmother might be the key to conquering the third floor. Is there anyone who might know more about her?”

“I don’t know. After my sister disappeared, my mother detested anything related to shamanism, so she threw away and burned everything. All I remember about my grandmother is how senile she was.”

I see.

A shrine with strong Japanese influences.

Yang Juhui’s grandmother, a shaman who came from Japan.

The Cheon family, who were Japanese collaborators.

And the deep underground structures beneath where the Cheon family mansion once stood.

It felt like a single thread was tangled into a complex knot.

I felt like I just needed one more puzzle piece to cut through the knot with a dagger and unravel everything.

Hong Miri spoke up.

“Those people might know something.”

Those people?

Who could she mean?

“I heard from the Chairman. Junko had three disciples. Some of them might have connections to you all. One is Kim Haeil, currently imprisoned for serial murder.”

Kim Haeil-

At that name, Bong Jiyeon, who had been busy texting someone on her phone, suddenly changed her expression.

That’s because Kim Haeil was the man who killed her sister, Bong Seyeon, and hid her head.

“But since we can’t visit this man in prison, we’ll pass on him. Second is Kwon Oseong, Sua’s relative. He’s also in custody, so that’s another pass.”

Why are there so many criminals among Yang Juhui’s grandmother’s disciples?

What exactly did she teach them?

Swish-

Hong Miri raised her slender index finger.

“That leaves just one person. Ji Dongseok.”

“The former principal of Yeongji High School, right?”

Jeongseok asked.

“We found the name Principal Ji Dongseok in the safe in the principal’s office before.”

Oh, I remembered too.

He was that feng shui master who appeared when Kwon Suho and Kwon Oseong caused trouble in the Oseong Group basement, saying he would handle the situation.

“Yes. He used to be the principal of Yeongji High, but due to various issues, his relationship with the Cheon family soured, and he ended up wandering the country. He’s here in Gaeryong now.”

That’s fortunate.

Meeting him might give us clues for conquering the third floor.

We might even find a way to locate Yang Juhui’s sister.

“Alright kids, let’s call it a day and head home.”

Following Hong Miri’s instructions, we all decided to go home.

A lot had happened today.

I returned home too.

“I need to feed Giganoto.”

By the way, I’ve been really into raising lizards lately.

I guess when life gets tough, you immerse yourself in hobbies like raising pets.

Actually, I wasn’t interested in lizards as creatures before, but once I started raising one, it seemed kind of cute. I was planning to train it to “sit,” “roll over,” and even “go make money” once we got closer.

Sniff-

Just then, a familiar smell reached my nose.

It was cigarette smoke.

# # #

“Mister. Are you there?”

Swish-

When I asked, Kang Bada emerged from the villa’s parking area.

It was 6 PM.

Since it was summer, it wasn’t sunset yet, but it wasn’t early either.

“Did you come to see my mom?”

This guy, I bet he’s after my mom.

I don’t want a stepfather like him.

As I watched him warily, Kang Bada threw his cigarette on the ground and crushed it with his foot.

“No. I was waiting for you, Ha Yeongwon. From what I can see, you’ve been poking around quite freely. Since you found out about Buldansa, it seems you’ve gone to some extraordinary places behind adults’ backs.”

Swish-

His eyes were filled with suspicion and caution as he looked at me.

Was he trying to test me?

“To be honest, I don’t care what you do there. I can even help you. Take this. It’s a key. Something you probably need right now.”

Thud-

He tossed something to me.

He said it was a key.

It had a wooden tag keychain with a spiral pattern drawn on it.

This image, I’ve seen it somewhere before…

“In exchange, stay away from Dahui.”

“What?”

“Leave Dahui out of this.”

So this was a deal.

If I wanted this key, I had to stop hanging out with Yu Dahui.

I thought hard for a while and then held the key back out to him.

“I’d like to, but Dahui is my precious friend and teammate. If even one of us is missing, we’ll all eventually fall apart.”

“You little bastard!”

Whoosh-!

Kang Bada suddenly lunged forward and grabbed me by the collar.

I was shocked because I hadn’t expected an adult to grab me like this.

“You selfish punk! Look at what you’re all doing! Do you think this is normal? If you go deeper, you’ll all end up dead! But you don’t care, do you? That’s the kind of person you are!”

Kang Bada spoke as if I were some kind of psychopath who wouldn’t think twice about sacrificing my friends’ lives for my own goals.

Like the Cheon family who sold out their people for personal gain? Like Cheon Daegon who bound his younger sibling with an unfortunate curse for the sake of love? Perhaps it was a family trait.

“…It’s already too late! If we don’t go all the way, we’ll all die anyway. Going to the end is the only way to return to normal!”

I just wanted to live a normal life without seeing ghosts.

If I could be a bit greedier, I wanted to live comfortably with my status window.

To do that, I had to conquer the corridor.

“What you’re saying is basically that I should shoulder everything and die alone! I know Dahui is your daughter. The daughter you had with Yu Inna! She must be precious to you!”

“…How…”

Flinch-

Kang Bada was greatly surprised.

He seemed shocked that I knew more than he expected.

“Who told you?”

“No one! We figured it out ourselves! Mister, just as you cherish your daughter, I cherish my family and friends! Without them, I’m nothing!”

Even though I had an amazing status window, I couldn’t do anything alone.

Honestly, the only reason I’ve made it this far is because everyone has been with me.

Dahui was also a valuable teammate.

At first, I was a bit suspicious, wondering if she might be a ghost… but now she was an essential member of our team.

Each person had their own role to play.

If even one person was missing, we would collapse like a dam with a hole in it.

“I can’t make that promise with you. I’ll return the key.”

Swish-

I held out the spiral key to him.

Kang Bada sighed deeply and released my collar.

“I thought you were a coward, but you’ve got more guts than I expected. More than your father, even. Keep the key. I don’t need it anyway. I’ll be honest with you. The fourth floor is the last one.”

Fourth floor.

So it did exist.

“Among us, only your mother, Chaeyeon, made it to the fourth floor. None of us know what’s there. What Chaeyeon saw or what she did.”

“My mom? She never mentioned anything about this.”

“Your mother doesn’t remember anything about that time. To be honest, even my memories of those events are hazy. Like how dreams fade away after you wake up.”

“Hmm…”

“But one thing I remember clearly is that we had to make a sad decision. The same will happen to you all. So I’m begging you.”

Swish-

Kang Bada knelt before me and pressed his forehead to the ground.

I was more shocked than when he grabbed my collar.

“What are you doing?!”

“Even though I haven’t been much of a father, I am Dahui’s dad. I can’t allow my daughter to walk a path toward death. Please spare just my daughter! I’m begging you! Hey!”

Kang Bada clung desperately to my legs.

I was so flustered that I didn’t know what to do.

“What are you two doing there?”

My mom appeared, carrying several black bags as if she’d been shopping.

She was shocked when she saw Kang Bada and me, and rushed over.

“Bada, what are you doing! What are you doing to my son! Get away! Yeongwon, come here!”

Whoosh-!

Mom pulled me away.

Caught between my mom pulling me and Kang Bada holding onto me, I felt like my body was being torn in two.

“Arghhhh!”

In the end, mom won.

She pulled my ragged self away while shouting.

“Kang Bada! Don’t you dare approach my son again! If you do this again, I’ll report you!”

That’s how I returned home.

Thinking about it calmly, I felt a bit wronged.

Why am I caught in the middle of this?

The people involved should resolve their own issues!

Given the situation, I had no choice but to use my ultimate move.

“Mr. Kang Bada. Let’s meet at 10 PM today.”

I called the contact number on Kang Bada’s business card.

As time passed and it became 10 PM, the face of the man who came to the cafe near my house was filled with confusion.

“What are you doing?”

“Have a good talk with Dahui! It’s between you two!”

I decided to connect Kang Bada and Yu Dahui.

Kang Bada and Yu Dahui. A father and daughter who didn’t resemble each other were finally facing each other.

Perhaps this should have been done much earlier.