Ch.174174 – The Snake’s Tail 3

# 174 – The Snake’s Tail # 3

“That thing looks absolutely horrifying.”

Ghosts were generally human-shaped.

They might have scary faces, or be missing arms, legs, or heads, or look a bit unusual, but they didn’t stray from the ‘human’ category.

However, ghosts that had deteriorated over a long time became increasingly bizarre and grotesque.

The Rhythm Ghost with its abnormally long neck, or the Puppet Ghost that had only its upper body stuck to the ceiling were examples.

And the creature before us fell into that category.

A being that had lost its humanity, with only the twisted concept of ‘existence’ remaining.

A monstrosity crawling on all fours, approaching people and only saying “Hello?” over and over.

The problem was who could have deliberately created such an evil spirit.

“Do you really mean someone deliberately created this ghost as some kind of curse?”

I found Hong Miri’s explanation hard to believe.

I couldn’t understand who would create such a terrifying ghost, or for what purpose.

“People who control ghosts have existed in Korea since ancient times. Things like Taejagwi Yeommae were created through incredibly horrific methods.”

I wondered what Taejagwi Yeommae was. Whatever it was, if Hong Miri, who had been a severed head ghost herself, called it horrific, it must truly be terrible.

Soon Jeongseok, who couldn’t resist showing off his knowledge, spoke up.

“It’s about kidnapping a child, locking them in a confined space, starving them, and then placing food deep inside a bamboo tube, right? The starved, emaciated child crawls into the bamboo tube…”

Then they stab the child who’s crawled into the narrow bamboo tube, killing them, and close the lid, resulting in the child’s body being crushed in the confined space, creating a truly horrific sight.

That’s what Yeommae was.

“When people are shown the contents, they go insane. Then they pay money to the sorcerer who created the Yeommae, begging them to take away the madness. That’s the purpose of this sorcery.”

I couldn’t believe such things happened during the Joseon era.

It was unimaginable in 21st century South Korea.

“Is that creature a similar kind of curse?”

Jeongseok asked.

It seemed that the hairy ghost before us and the horrific curse we’d just heard about were different only in their creation method, but served the same purpose.

It meant someone intended to create and control a terrifying ghost as a curse.

What would anyone want to do with a ghost? Nothing good could come from humans controlling ghosts. The only exception might be the “Mercenary Corps” that I used.

Swish-.

Hong Miri, who had been observing the hairy ghost from around the corner, continued scanning the surroundings and spoke without turning her head toward us.

“I don’t know the exact use and purpose, but it’s certainly for nothing good. Come to think of it, my twin Yeri and I were something similar. Wait-. Everyone be quiet.”

Creep creep-.

At that moment, something like a shadow so faint it could barely maintain its form appeared on the road. It looked like black soot, or perhaps like a shabby slime monster.

“Hello?”

The hairy ghost reached out toward the shadow, grabbed it tightly, opened its mouth wide, and chewed and swallowed the shadow.

Inside its wide-open mouth was another mouth, or rather, if you looked closely, there was a face inside the mouth, and another face inside that mouth and face.

There was absolutely nothing normal about it. It completely denied all the experience and reason I had accumulated so far.

Anyone could easily imagine what would happen if something like that was near someone’s home, and if Kwon Sua’s father’s ghost occasionally walked around the neighborhood.

# # #

“Taking it down is one thing, but what comes after is the problem. Someone must be deliberately keeping that thing around and fattening it up. Fighting ghosts at least doesn’t leave loose ends, but fighting people gets messy.”

Hong Miri suggested we think more about fighting that evil hairy ghost.

Fighting that ghost would inevitably mean fighting the human controlling it, which reminded me of Wang Jahyeon’s group and the men we’d encountered in the first-floor corridor. It was indeed tiresome.

Ghosts were scary, but humans with malicious intent were even more cruel.

“Couldn’t we just chase it far away?”

Kwon Sua trembled.

She wished we could at least drive it away from her home if we couldn’t defeat it. She seemed afraid we might give up on the ghost extermination.

However, as the captain of the pirate crew, I had a duty and obligation to fulfill my crew members’ wishes. That was the responsibility of someone who had involved friends in various incidents.

If Kwon Sua wanted that ghost exterminated.

That meant I had to do it.

“Let’s defeat it. I need lots of points anyway. Taking that thing down should give us points according to the number of people we have. It’s a win-win.”

“How exactly are you planning to defeat it?”

Bong Jiyeon crossed her arms.

Bong Jiyeon often made sharper observations than I expected. As she pointed out, I hadn’t actually thought about how to defeat that creature.

“That’s what we all need to figure out now.”

“How about sending Giganoto?”

Dahui suggested.

As if recognizing its name being called, Giganoto, perched on my shoulder, made a “boomboo-boompow” sound.

Giganoto. Descendant of dinosaurs.

Sending Giganoto to defeat that beast-like ghost… It seemed like a good idea, but I had several concerns.

What if Giganoto got swallowed and eaten?

That would make me sad.

“Isn’t there a good method we could use?”

I asked Hong Miri.

She kept looking around nervously, which made me uneasy.

“It might be easier if we find the sorcerer. There’s a high probability that the person who released that thing to eat stray spirits in the area is nearby. If we make demands of that person, it might be possible to neutralize the ghost.”

She said the ghost obeyed the sorcerer’s commands. If we subdued the sorcerer and demanded they “make the ghost surrender,” things might become easier.

“Sua, has anyone new moved into the neighborhood? Or someone who looks obviously suspicious? People who control ghosts aren’t normal and look suspicious.”

“Someone new? Come to think of it… a woman moved into the fourth floor of my officetel recently. She was a very pretty and sophisticated woman. She didn’t look particularly suspicious…”

A woman who moved into the officetel.

Pretty and sophisticated. While I was trying to imagine what kind of person she might be, Kwon Sua shook her head.

“It’s probably not her. She even shared rice cakes with us when she moved in. She seemed really nice.”

“Sua, this officetel costs at least a million won a month in rent. A young woman living alone in such a place is definitely suspicious. How could she earn so much money?”

“W-well…”

Kwon Sua’s face turned bright red.

I had no idea how a woman living alone in an officetel could afford 1 million won in monthly rent.

However, the sharp-tongued Bong Jiyeon quickly blurted out her thoughts.

“Maybe she’s selling her body? An officetel girl.”

Oh, shit…

So that’s why Kwon Sua blushed.

Both Jeongseok and I felt awkward about this uncomfortable topic. I wasn’t sure how to react when girls talked about such things.

Anyway.

It was certain that the woman who moved in above Kwon Sua’s apartment was suspicious.

So we went to check, but there seemed to be no one home.

Ding dong- ding dong-.

There really seemed to be no one there.

“Hey, this might be for the best. Let’s break in.”

The delinquent Bong Jiyeon casually suggested burglary. She seemed to have developed a taste for theft after breaking into Wang Jahyeon’s house last time.

Bong Jiyeon definitely had a talent for thievery.

She could pick locks and everything. She was our party’s rogue.

I wondered if she had used those thieving skills to steal the heart of Jeongseok, our party’s sage.

“We can use this.”

“Universal Keycard: A card key that can open electronic doors. Can open any electronic door.”

I took out a keycard from my pocket.

Since most doors nowadays had electronic locks, having this card was like having a free pass to enter anyone’s home at will.

Click. Beep beep-.

When I swiped the card, the door lock made a melodious sound and opened.

As we entered, Jeongseok whispered:

“I feel like I’m getting further and further away from the righteous prosecutor I dreamed of becoming.”

That was true.

Our methods were increasingly straying from the righteous path toward the path of evil. Is this how people who become monsters to catch monsters feel?

I’ve heard that the gate to glory is humble and treacherous, but the gate to hell is decorated with all kinds of good intentions and conveniences. That described us perfectly.

“It’s clean.”

Hong Miri briefly assessed as she looked around.

“That’s why it’s suspicious.”

I couldn’t understand.

“Why is it suspicious that it’s clean?”

“It’s too clean. Women’s apartments aren’t like this. There should be some trash on the floor. Some clothes thrown about carelessly. But it’s too neat.”

The image of a woman’s room in my mind was one decorated with colorful curtains and smelling of flowers. This was shattering my illusions in many ways.

—Boomboo-boompow-.

At that moment, Giganoto leaped from my shoulder.

It flattened itself and slipped under a door, heading toward some room, which left me quite perplexed.

“Hey, Giganoto!”

I opened the door that Giganoto had entered.

Clank-.

It was locked.

“……”

Everyone, including myself, was speechless.

Does a woman living alone normally lock her room door when going out? It felt like the genre was suddenly shifting from a home invasion movie to a thriller.

“Move aside.”

Swish-.

Bong Jiyeon took out a clip from her pocket.

She inserted the thin metal piece into the keyhole of the doorknob, wiggling it around until there was a click sound and the lock opened. It was quite an impressive skill.

Clank-. Creeeeak-.

When we opened the door and entered, it was pitch black.

The room had blackout curtains drawn, with photos plastered all over the walls, and what looked like an altar. There was also a paint can filled with red liquid.

Splash-.

Hong Miri dipped her pinky finger in it and sucked it with her lips.

“This is pig’s blood.”

I had no idea how she knew what pig’s blood tasted like.

But having a room like this in an officetel where a woman lived alone was extremely strange.

Just then, Kwon Sua screamed.

“The… the photos…!”

She seemed to recognize the photos on the wall.

We all looked closely at the photos, and I immediately understood why Kwon Sua was upset.

All the photos were of Kwon Sua.

Kwon Sua dancing on stage, Kwon Sua walking down the street, and among them were even photos of her with us. These were all stuck on the wall with splashes of red liquid.

“A stalker! It must be a stalker!”

For idol Kwon Sua, stalkers and obsessive fans were an inevitable fate. Who would have thought someone would be obsessed enough with Kwon Sua to rent the apartment above hers?

But this seemed beyond fan obsession.

If it were just a fan, they wouldn’t have nailed straw dolls with Kwon Sua’s face photos to the wall or torn the photos to shreds.

“This room is directly above mine!”

Shiver-.

Kwon Sua trembled violently.

Soon, Hong Miri said:

“Sua, perhaps the ghost released on the street was targeting you from the beginning. It’s fortunate we realized it now.”

I thought it would be best to leave this place immediately.

So as we hurriedly left the room and were about to exit the apartment, I noticed a photo placed at the entrance. It was a woman smiling brightly, and her face looked familiar.

“Wait, this woman…”

It was a face I knew. This couldn’t be a coincidence. Could this woman really be the owner of the apartment?

But I thought it was more important to get out first, so I opened the front door.

“Aaaaaaah!”

As soon as I opened the door, someone standing at the entrance suddenly lunged at me with a knife.