The Inner Demon (2)

Shudder shudder shudder shudder shudder.

The man was trembling so violently that any observer would be deeply concerned.

He was clearly someone in dire need of help.

However, the people watching him from behind the glass wall spoke coldly about him:

“In my opinion, no matter how formidable she may be, it’s hopeless. It’s already too late. Director, I think it’s best to dispose of him before this escalates further.”

“…I agree.”

“Shall we dispose of him?”

“No, wait.”

Kim Jong-hwan, the Director of the Gyeonggi Yokai Subjugation Office, stopped the Deputy Director Shin Jeong-geun, who seemed ready to dispose of the man at any moment.

“Let’s wait until she arrives first.”

“…Director, have you also been bewitched by that damn fox spirit or whatever?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it? You know as well as I do what happened five years ago…”

“Yes. Five years ago, the 60-year-old woman Park Ok-sun who was possessed by a yokai. I’m well aware of what transpired.”

The reason the Deputy Director Shin Jeong-geun was so eager to kill the man was simple.

Five years ago, when the 60-year-old Park Ok-sun was possessed by a yokai, resulting in a tragedy, he remembered it more vividly than anyone.

Of course, the Yokai Subjugation Office personnel understood human dignity, so they could not easily decide to dispose of a possessed person, no matter what.

Taking a human life was no simple matter.

In that same vein, five years ago when the woman Park Ok-sun was possessed, the Hwaakmountain Yokai Subjugation Office where she was detained tried every possible method to separate the yokai from her.

However, they failed miserably at separating the yokai.

Consequently, the possessed Park Ok-sun killed the office staff and escaped, devastating a nearby village in a tragic incident.

Shin Jeong-geun was the sole survivor of the Hwaakmountain office.

At the time, like his deceased colleagues, he had forgone sleep while researching ways to separate the yokai from Park Ok-sun. But in the end, all his colleagues perished except him.

So it was completely understandable why he insisted on immediately disposing of the currently detained man.

However, the Director firmly told Shin Jeong-geun:

“Wait. At the very least, let her converse with him.”

“But… Dammit, Director. To be frank, I don’t trust her.”

“I do.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I’ve seen it directly. Just how extraordinary spirit creatures can be.”

“…”

“If you face her directly, you’ll understand what I mean. She is a trustworthy being. In some ways, more so than humans. So wait. It won’t be too late to dispose of him after she converses with him. I’ve sent all staff home except you and me anyway… Well, even if the worst happens, only the two of us would die. And if that man escapes, the Battle Mystic Yi Haneul and her can avenge us.”

“Understood. I’ll wait. But if that fox Miho also fails in conversing with him…”

“I promise. Then I’ll immediately order that man’s summary execution.”

---

Yi Haneul and I arrived in Gyeonggi Province in just an hour, thanks to the dedicated train for yokai subjugators proposed in the previous meeting.

We immediately headed to the Gyeonggi Yokai Subjugation Office and met the Director.

The Director briefly stared blankly at me, then shook his head and spoke:

“Welcome, Mr. Yi Haneul and Ms. Miho. Given the situation, let’s skip the pleasantries… I’ll take you right away.”

“Yes, please do.”

Following the Director’s lead, we made our way to the underground detention area, where two men were present.

One was a bespectacled man who looked quite stern at first glance.

The other was a man behind a glass wall, wearing an expression as if he were on death’s door.

“Deputy Director, please explain to them.”

The man called the Deputy Director briefly stared intently at my face, then showed a startled expression.

What?

Why?

Did I have dog treat crumbs on my face or something?

No time for that, just explain quickly.

“…Shin Jeong-geun.”

“Ah, ahem. Yes, uh… I’ll explain.”

The Deputy Director’s explanation, summarized, was essentially this:

If the conversation failed or the yokai could not be separated, the man would be summarily executed on the spot.

Naturally, I was not pleased with the Deputy Director’s explanation, so I made a displeased expression.

How vexing.

While I could understand their position, did they have to so casually mention killing an innocent person?

Just wait and see.

I would somehow succeed in separating the man and the yokai.

---

The Deputy Director Shin Jeong-geun kept glancing at Miho as she prepared to enter the detention area.

Yes, seeing the fox spirit creature named Miho in person, he could fully understand why the Director had told him to trust her.

For one, just like on the internet, she possessed a beauty that immediately captivated the human gaze.

A feline upper body, a fluffy tail and fox ears.

And massive fatty lumps that inevitably drew wandering eyes.

Even in her loosely worn robe, her voluptuous figure could not be concealed.

But looks aside, as the Director said, the ‘spirit creature’ exuded an aura of mystique simply by existing.

Mystique – a somewhat vague descriptor, but no other word could describe her presence.

Yes, having seen Miho directly, the Deputy Director Shin Jeong-geun had no choice but to acknowledge her as a trustworthy being.

…Of course, no matter how human-allied this spirit creature was, whether she could separate the yokai from that man remained to be seen.

After taking a deep breath, Miho finally entered the detention area.

---

“D, don’t come near me!”

The man’s condition was more severe than expected, to the point of concern that his mind might completely crumble, ceding full control to the yokai.

I cautiously approached the man and said:

“It’s okay.”

“P, please, don’t come any closer! I’ll die!”

“Just look at me once. It’s fine, so raise your head.”

“…”

Shudder shudder shudder shudder.

Despite trembling, the man slowly lifted his head to look at me.

I asked him:

“Do you know who I am?”

“M, Miho…”

“Yes, you do know. That’s good. Now that you know I’m not human, it’ll be okay, right?”

“I, I know… B, but don’t come too close… It’ll awaken… that bastard…”

“Alright. I’ll sit over here.”

I then summoned a chair with fox orb and took a seat at the entrance of the detention area.

Shudder shudder shudder shudder.

Sheesh.

The man was trembling so pitifully, it was hard to watch.

I cautiously asked him:

“Jun-hyuk, right?”

“Y, yes…”

“It’s nice to meet you. As you know, my name is Miho. A fox, as you can see.”

“I, I… subscribe to Miho’s channel…”

“Eh… Really?”

“Y, yes… I’m, I’m glad to meet you too… Sincerely… Uh, uhh…”

Huh.

Was this one of those fans or whatever?

Not that I had a celebrity complex or anything.

Still, seeing someone who liked me suffer like that made me uncomfortable.

Regardless, I resolved to somehow separate him and the yokai, no matter what.

“Jun-hyuk, can you converse with me?”

“I, I think so… as long as you don’t come too close…”

“Okay. Let me know if it gets too difficult.”

“O, okay…”

“Then explain to me, how did you end up getting possessed by this yokai?”

“Uh, uhhhh…”

“Slowly, calmly.”

“Whew, whew, whew…”

In response to my question, Oh Jun-hyuk took a long time breathing deeply.

I was worried the yokai might awaken, but fortunately, Oh Jun-hyuk soon regained his composure and spoke:

“It was night… I was on my way home after drinking with friends… when I started hearing a voice from somewhere.”

“…”

“It was an alleyway… and I mindlessly…”

“…followed the direction of the voice.”

“But there was no one there…”

“After that, uhhh…”

“I started hearing voices inside my head…”

“Voices saying they were hungry…!”

“Instinctively, I knew that if I got too close to others in this state…”

“That’s why I warned them, told them not to come near…”

“But that person grabbed my collar, so, so…!”

“One hundred and thirty remaining… I don’t know what it means, but I can’t shake the feeling that something terrible will happen…!”

“That’s enough. You don’t need to say any more.”

“Haah, haah, haah, haah…!”

Hmm.

Just as I suspected, it was indeed a yokai granted ‘ascension qualifications’.

And an exceptionally vile one that had devoured over 800 humans, no less.

This made kinslaying feel less hesitant.

I had a plan.

My power, my spiritual energy, had the ability to incinerate yokki.

If I awoke the dormant yokai within him and poured my spiritual energy recklessly, perhaps I could incinerate only the inner yokai.

While not certain, this currently seemed the only way.

The issue was this man’s condition…

He appeared on the verge of a mental breakdown, so I likely needed to calm him first.

I glanced towards the people behind the glass wall and spoke:

“Could the two from the Gyeonggi Yokai Subjugation Office step outside for a bit? As far away as possible, please. Mr. Yi Haneul can stay.”

A voice soon came over the speaker:

[May I ask the reason?]

“It’s nothing strange…”

If there was a way to calm the man down, well, I had a good method in mind.

“I’m going to use a bit of allure.”