episode_0014

During morning assembly, the teacher informed the class that Ayoung was absent.

“Ayoung can’t come to school today because of family circumstances. So, let’s say hello on behalf of the vice-captain.”

“I’m jealous of Ayoung! Skipping school too.”

The children in the class who did not know much about the situation envied Ayoung for being absent. However, Sarah and I knew that it was not something to be envious of. Right now, Ayoung’s family is being threatened by a severed head ghost. The entire family was being chased by a ghost.

“Jinwoo, please contact Ayoung.”

“He doesn’t answer the phone.”

I tried calling her on her cell phone, but Ayoung didn’t answer the phone. I sent a text message but there was no response, so to be honest, I felt creepy. Where on earth is Ayoung’s family and what are they doing now?

“I have to look for Ayoung after school.”

“I want to go with you.”

After school, Sarah and I tried to go to Ayoung’s house with our bags. But once I got out, there was no need to go all the way home. On the way to the apartment, I was able to find Ayoung, whom I had not heard from before.

A playground near an apartment complex in the neighborhood.

Ayoung was sitting alone on the swing at the playground. Ayoung was alone in the empty playground without any friends. We quickly went to the playground and talked to Ayoung.

“Hey! Shin Ayoung! What are you doing there without answering the phone?”

“Ah… Ji, Jinwoo.”

When Ayoung heard my voice, she looked very surprised. Ayoung clearly had a cell phone in her hand. So, it means that they have been intentionally not receiving any communication from me until now.

“I called, but why didn’t you answer?”

“Ah, it’s not that I didn’t receive it, it’s that I didn’t receive it. Because my parents told me not to answer phone calls from anyone but my mom and dad for the rest of the day. Strange said that you can play pranks on the phone… .”

“Something strange? What is that?”

“There is such a thing as voice phishing.”

Ahyoung again tried to give a vague answer. But I was bound to get angry at this point too. What is so secret that they are trying to hide it?

“Don’t try to be vague.”

I opened my mouth while tightly grasping the rope of the swing that Ayoung was riding on.

At that moment, Ayoung flinched as if she was a little scared.

“What is voice phishing? The thing your family is keeping secret is a ghost! Yesterday, the power outage in the apartment and the strange broadcast I heard were all due to ghosts, right?”

“How did you know that?”

“Because I’ve seen it all! I also saw a ghost in my apartment yesterday.”

It was correct. Ahyoung sighed, wondering if it was the severed head ghost that she had been keeping secret.

It seemed like Ayoung had seen a severed-headed ghost like me last night. The moment I brought up the ghost story, Ayoung curled up on the swing and trembled.

“I saw it too. I saw it yesterday when there was a power outage at my apartment. I was in the living room with my mom and dad when the door to the master bedroom suddenly opened. And through the crack in the door, a floating head appeared… .”

“Did your whole family see ghosts?”

“Yes! When it saw us, it started laughing like crazy. He laughed and said he would kill us all… .”

I recalled the image of Ayoung I saw last night. When I asked why he was so scared, it was because he saw a ghost with a severed head. When there was a power outage in the apartment, the severed head ghost threatened Ayoung’s family.

I heard an announcement telling me to wait inside the house.

The announcement was the work of the severed head ghost. He must have been trying to threaten the other residents of the apartment by preventing them from leaving and isolating Ayoung’s family.

“What happened next?”

“The ghost has disappeared. Mom and Dad told me not to tell anyone what I saw at home. He told me to be careful with my mouth because ugly rumors could spread. Right now, Mom and Dad must have gone to see a monk to ward off a ghost. Everything will be resolved when I return from meeting the monk.”

Ayoung’s parents said they went to see a monk to exorcise a ghost.

They weren’t people who were so helpless that they let ghosts into their apartment and then pretended they didn’t know.

Sarah, who had been quiet next to her, opened her mouth.

“How are you going to resolve this by going to see the monk?”

“There is a broken liquor jar at my house. They say that if you replace it with a new one, you can trap the ghost again. Mom and Dad went to get a jar of libations from a monk.”

Replace the spirit jar with a new one and seal the severed head ghost again.

This was the method chosen by Ayoung’s parents. However, after hearing the story, Sarah showed an unfavorable reaction. I quietly spoke to Sarah.

“Hmm.”

“Why? Is this the wrong way?”

“It’s not wrong, but it’s not a perfect solution. If you replace the sinju complex with a new one, you can trap the severed head ghost again. But if the jar breaks, the ghost will come out again. In effect, you are putting a time bomb in your home that you never know will explode. It’s not a proper solution.”

“Does the monk not know how to exorcise?”

“They may not know, or maybe they know the correct exorcism method but are showing the wrong method. To sell the new stock complex.”

Does this mean that the monk who taught me the exorcism method may have done a trick?

Sarah’s words were quite plausible.

“Sometimes there are shamans and monks. Those who sold their conscience to deliberately neglect evil spirits to make money.”

“I see.”

“Shall we wait with Ayoung first? If your parents replace the Shinju complex with a new one, the situation will calm down.”

We decided to spend time at the playground with Ayoung.

Ayoung, who was alone at the playground, could have been attacked by a severed head ghost.

When you’re scared, it’s better to be with others than to be alone.

“Ayeong-ah. I will stay with you until my parents return.”

“Really?! thank god… .”

“Instead, tell me what you know about the severed head ghost. Why did you keep a ghost in the wine jar in your house?”

“Ah, I understand. I’ll tell you everything.”

At the playground, we heard Ayoung tell a story about a terrible incident that happened a long time ago.

*

“It happened in my house, before I was born.”

This was before Ayoung was born.

There was a time when Ayoung’s parents lived in a different area than ours.

He said that there was an uncle from his father’s side of the family who was living at the house at that time.

My uncle’s name is Shin Young-su.

He was Ayeong’s father’s younger brother and lived like an outcast. I had no intention of studying or working. He said that he just lived at his brother’s house and drank alcohol all his life.

━Youngsu, how long are you going to live like that? Stop drinking at least!

━It’s noisy! Who do you think I drink for?

My uncle was a person who thought it was because of his parents and older brother that he was living like a wreck.

This was because I was discriminated against by my parents since childhood because I was the younger sibling.

━This is all because of you. My parents were always nice to my older brother. He sent me to expensive academies, gave me a lot of pocket money, and even bought my brother a house. Thanks to you, my brother got into a prestigious university and is eating well and living well, right? But not me!

Discrimination from my parents because I am the younger sibling.

The uncle had a severe inferiority complex towards Ayoung’s father.

I suffered from such an excessive sense of inferiority that I became a ruined person.

━I was always in the background! If I had been treated as well as my brother, I would have been eating well and living well! I bet you went to college well!

━So are you going to continue living like a wreck?

━Shut up!

When she was living at home, her uncle argued with Ayoung’s father several times. Ayoung’s father accepted her uncle at first, but his feelings gradually grew stronger. No matter how much advice I gave him, my uncle had no intention of living a healthy life.

━Honey! I just can’t live with that person.

━Stop being drunk! If you keep living like that, get out of my house!

It was when Ayoung’s mother was pregnant with Ayoung. My uncle drank and behaved violently at a pregnant woman’s house. In the end, Ayoung’s father couldn’t bear it anymore and kicked her uncle out of the house.

━Don’t even think about coming to my house until you come to your senses!

It was because I thought my uncle would come to his senses if I kicked him out of the house.

However, my uncle did not come to his senses even after being kicked out of the house. Instead, he harbored hatred toward his family and committed terrible acts.

It was murder.

My uncle went down to the countryside that day and murdered my parents.

It was revenge on his parents who discriminated against him because he was his younger brother.

━Aaaah!

It was an impulsive crime. Country residents who heard the screams immediately reported the uncle. My uncle ended up committing suicide while running away from the police. He ended up stabbing himself in the neck with the same weapon he used to stab his parents. It was said that the stabbing was so deep that his neck was cut off and in tatters.

In one night, Ayoung’s father’s entire family died.

Ayoung’s parents found out about this fact later and held a family funeral.

However, during the funeral, Ayoung’s parents continued to have nightmares.

━You are next!

The dead uncle appeared in a dream with only his head remaining and threatened Ayoung’s parents. At the time, Ayoung’s mother was pregnant, but suffered from nightmares to the point where she could miscarry if she didn’t do anything wrong. Ayoung’s parents contacted a monk at a temple to protect their child.

━I think we are being tormented by our dead brother. Please save us.

━Okay. I’ll teach you a good method.

The monk who received the call personally visited Ayoung’s parents at the funeral home.

With the new liquor jar in hand.

━Please cut off the hair of your deceased brother and place it in this libation jar. If you block the entrance with Korean paper and tie it with silk thread, strange things will no longer happen.

Ayoung’s parents bought a jar of sake and followed the monk’s instructions. After cutting off my dead brother’s hair and putting it in, I really stopped having nightmares. After that, Ayoung was born fine. Ayoung’s family continued to live with the jar containing the dead man’s hair.

Ayoung’s story is over.

“… … This is the story I heard from my parents.”

After finishing the story, Ayoung looked into the distance and muttered.

“My parents went to receive the new liquor jar. If you receive that, nothing will happen anymore.”

“When are you coming?”

“He said he would come back tonight.”

It was already late at night.

However, even at night, Ayoung’s parents did not return to the apartment.

No, to be exact, I couldn’t come back. When the surroundings became dark, I received a call on Ayoung’s cell phone.

“It’s my dad’s number! I got a call from my dad!”

Ayoung received a call from her father’s number. Ayoung called us with the speaker phone on as if she wanted us to listen. However, the voice that rang through the phone was not my parents’, but someone else’s.

“Hello?”

[hello. This is Sungwoon Hospital. Will you be the child of Shin Young-jae and Yoo Eun-mi?]

“Yes? That’s right.”

The person who contacted Ayoung was a young nurse working at the hospital.

The nurse gave us shocking news.

[The child’s parents got into a car accident while driving. Both of them are now unconscious and hospitalized in the hospital.]

“Buy, buy?”

[That’s right. I’ve contacted you to give you some news. I will tell you the address of our hospital.]

Ayoung’s complexion turned pale when she answered the phone. Sarah and I, who were listening to the call on speakerphone, realized what had happened.

Ayoung’s parents, who were on their way to receive a new liquor jar, got into a car accident. I lost consciousness and didn’t know when I would return.

The call has ended.

“… … .”

Ayoung was standing with a devastated expression holding her cell phone.

My parents, whom I trusted wholeheartedly, got into an accident.

“What should I do… .”

Now that things are like this, I can’t just leave Ahyoung alone.

Sarah and I looked at each other.

“What do you want to do?”

“I need to do an exorcism.”

It was time to hunt ghosts.