episode_0172

“Phew…”

I let out a long sigh, thankful for the ice magic and air conditioning.

I almost collapsed.

Not a ghost story, but the heat.

Maybe this heat is also a ghost story?

In fact, the earth is cool, but ghost stories are causing the heat.

“Phew…”

I felt like I was a little hot as I was having ridiculous thoughts.

Cooling my heated body, I looked at the two people standing awkwardly in front of me.

The two of us had just had a light conversation.

As confirmed by their certificates, both of them had a proper profession as exorcists.

Of the two, I looked at the man first.

He was a polite, handsome man.

He said his name was ‘Lee Hwan’ and even handed him a business card.

The business card had a number written on it along with the job title of exorcist belonging to the Ghost Story Management Headquarters.

The nun’s side also gave Lee Hwan a business card.

He was an exorcist belonging to the same organization, and his name was–

“Sophia?”

“Yes?”

“Oh, I didn’t call you.”

“Ah…”

The name was unique, so I pronounced it without realizing it, and Sophia responded by asking if she had called me.

‘This name is…’

Although she now says she is an exorcist rather than a nun, this name seemed to be her baptismal name.

The outfit was like that, and so was that necklace.

These were all clothes that a nun would wear.

I thought that maybe I still had regrets about being a nun.

But is a nun’s uniform really such an unobtrusive outfit?

Or is it because of Sophia’s body that catches the eye?

The tight-fitting nun’s clothes accentuated Sophia’s body, and just looking at her made her feel guilty.

“Keu, keuhm!”

“Umm…”

When Lee Hwan, who was behind me, cleared his throat, I looked away as if I had never even looked at him.

I also felt a little unfair.

“Seonghan, you solved that ghost story, right?”

“Yes.”

I answered Sophia’s question without hesitation.

Because it’s true.

“…How did you do it?”

“I pierced my chest with my fist.”

Both people’s eyes turned to my hand.

The fists, which had become hard due to various events, looked threatening even to those who were not well-versed in martial arts or martial arts.

And the statement that he pierced Godam’s chest with this fist was completely true.

Although it was not defeated simply by this alone.

“Are you an exorcist whose physical abilities are strengthened?”

“I think so.”

The two people talked to each other and nodded in understanding.

Then he looked at the citizens sitting at the fire station and spoke.

“Let’s get these people out of here first.”

“Escape? Didn’t I defeat the ghost story?”

I asked Sophia what she said.

Sophia said with a bitter smile.

“It’s great that you defeated the ghost story, but it’s probably not because of that ghost story that the disaster text message came.”

I nodded at those words.

For some reason, I thought it would be like that.

Although it was dangerous by the general public’s standards, I wondered if it was enough for the entire Jongno-gu citizens to evacuate.

It was a ghost story that felt like it would be enough to evacuate just the citizens around here.

At that time, the firefighter who was quietly watching the whole situation from the side also added a word.

“…Do I have to go out? I wonder if it’s safe to stay here where the amulet is…”

I also nodded, agreeing with that opinion.

It wasn’t that I was so sick of the brutal heat outside that I didn’t want to go out anymore.

I felt that if there was a chance of encountering a dangerous ghost story if I went out, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to stay indoors like this.

“It would be better to leave now that we are here and there are no confirmed ghost stories around us. Even if you want to go out later, you won’t be able to.”

“Well… I guess so…”

The firefighter nodded at Lee Hwan’s firm words.

If the firefighters agreed, everything was in fact decided.

We all decided to leave Jongno-gu under the guidance of the two exorcists.

***

“AC…”

“It’s hot…”

“Why are you just there!”

The complaints of the citizens who followed were no joke.

I didn’t say anything, but I secretly took out a small piece of ice and put it in my mouth.

It was definitely better when I ate it while crushing the ice.

“What are you eating?”

“…Candy. Green grape candy.”

“…Do you want to bite into that candy?”

Sofia and I had a meaningless conversation.

“You only need to walk for about 15 minutes.”

When Lee Hwan said that, people’s expressions changed strangely.

It was a street where I couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

If you think it’s far, it’s far, and if you think you can escape from the ghost story, it’s not that far.

It was a 15-minute walk, but if you walk a little faster, you can reduce the time by even 10 minutes.

In fact, most of the people gathered at the fire station were neither very old nor very young, so it was okay to increase the speed a little.

“Hmm…”

Even in such a positive situation, Lee Hwan’s expression was not good.

“Why are you doing that?”

“I heard that other exorcist teams are also successfully isolating or exterminating ghost stories…”

In response to Sister Sophia’s question, Lee Hwan said that with a wry smile.

But why does it look like that?

“Then isn’t it good news?”

“It’s good news, but…”

The firefighter expressed doubts about Lee Hwan’s words.

I also had the same thought.

“The reason it’s going so smoothly is that there’s a possibility that no one has encountered the ghost story that caused this disaster text message to be sent…”

“Can’t you find ghost stories or avoid them with that app anyway?”

When I asked Lee Hwan, thinking it was an excessive worry, he smiled bitterly.

“If there is a ghost story that has a form, it will appear in this app, but there are also ghost stories that do not have a form.”

“There is no form…”

How should such ghost stories be eradicated?

As a quasi-exorcist who can’t exorcise if I can’t hit, it was an answer that made me worry deeply.

“…Let’s go first.”

We all started moving in two rows, following the backs of the two exorcists.

Just walking in line through the quiet city made me feel a sense of heterogeneity that I had never felt before.

No one sees an empty city as often as I do.

Even as they walked, Sophia and Lee Hwan were constantly talking.

The firefighter even inadvertently asked first.

“Are you two dating?”

“Yes? Oh, no…”

“How can the nun and I…”

The two people blushed and turned their heads from side to side.

Those reactions that consistently denied it and somehow seemed a little refreshing.

In my eyes, no, in anyone’s eyes, the two people did not seem to have an ordinary relationship as colleagues.

At least they seemed to have some interest in each other.

After leaving that somewhat heartwarming scene behind, I asked a question.

“Sophia, are you a nun and an exorcist?”

“No, I’m an exorcist now.”

“Now…”

I guess she was a nun before.

“By the way, Sophia.”

As I spoke in a low voice, Sophia turned to me.

“Yes?”

He had such a calm expression.

So I didn’t understand it any more.

“Where on earth are you going?”

“Yes? Ah… W, where am I?”

This is what I wanted to say.

I think it was right after the firefighter asked the two people a question.

When asked what kind of relationship they were in, the two people denied each other, laughed, and then suddenly turned into blank expressions.

Trudging.

I looked behind me at the sudden feeling of popularity.

People who had been walking in two lines began to move in one line, behind Lee Hwan’s line.

Everyone had blank expressions, as if they had been hypnotized.

Then, Sophia started walking towards an alley.

I followed behind him as he walked slightly unsteadily, as if he couldn’t control himself properly.

No one was looking at Sophia except herself.

The same was true for Lee Hwan, who walked and talked to Sophia for a while, and the firefighter who asked Sophia a question.

As I absent-mindedly walked behind Sophia, who was heading somewhere, at some point I felt a sense of floating and was transported to the current location.

To the hotel lobby with an old-fashioned atmosphere.

“What the hell is this place…”

“Is this a ghost story?”

I felt it instinctively.

This is the ghost story that created the disaster text.

A ghost story that fooled even two exorcists.

“Ma, that’s ridiculous. I should be protected by this nun’s uniform…!”

Sophia looked a little shocked and embarrassed.

It seems that the nun’s uniform she was wearing was not just an ordinary nun’s uniform.

It looks like even that couldn’t stop the ghost story in the end.

I slowly looked around the hotel.

It was an old-fashioned hotel with matching wood and red colors.

It didn’t feel as big and clean as modern hotels.

Still, the red carpet and ebony wood went well together, creating an atmosphere as luxurious as modern hotels.

There was no one in sight at the counter.

There was only a booklet with information written on it.

I held up the brochure that could be seen as the only clue.

After skimming through it, I couldn’t help but laugh as if it was absurd.

“Look at this.”

“This is… a guidebook.”

“Content is important.”

At my words, Sophia took the booklet, calmed down, and began to read its contents.

Finally, Sofia’s breathing became heavier again.

“What is this about?”

“It’s about a ghost story. A ghost story strategy taught by a ghost story.”

This was no ordinary guidebook.

It was a guidebook containing various suspicious precautions.

I could tell that this entire hotel was an area of ghost stories.