I Became the Hidden Mastermind

015 – The Dancing, Smiling Shaman Ghost #2

015 – The Dancing, Smiling Shaman Ghost #2

A chaotic battle erupted in an instant.

In the process, somehow, I got beaten up too, and my nose started bleeding.

Ah, damn, it hurts so much.

“What are you doing! Yang Ju-hee is kicking ass! Hit her! Hit her hard!”

Yang Ju-hee fought really well, even in my opinion. She easily took on up to three people without any lies. It wasn’t so much about skill, but more like going completely crazy and feeling the immense power.

“Yaaah!!!”

I seriously wondered if the limit of the human brain was unleashed because of the “Boiling Blood” energy, making her even stronger.

Was there a possibility like that in the “Ki Wall” that I thought was just a disadvantage?

If she’s good at this, Yang Ju-hee might defeat all five of them alone!

But in the end, Yang Ju-hee was overwhelmed and subdued due to being outnumbered.

It was because my and Assistant Jung-seok’s strength was pathetic, practically non-existent.

“Let go of this! Let go, you bastards!”

“You motherf*cker. You focused on hitting my face so intensely. Ouch… It hurts like hell… You b*tch. You’re really gonna die today. Let’s take them to where our brothers are. All of them!”

Bong Ji-yeon, whose face was swollen from getting beaten up by Yang Ju-hee, seemed very angry, and I couldn’t predict what would happen to Yang Ju-hee and us if we continued like this.

I didn’t know who these guys Bong Ji-yeon was referring to as “brothers,” but it was certain that we wouldn’t end up in a good situation if we went there.

We might even end up having our underwear taken off and getting our pictures taken or something.

“Hoo-.”

I pondered about it in various ways and eventually made a decision.

It might be too traditional and boring, but…

“Police officer!!! We’re here!!!! Here!!!! We’re fighting like crazy right now!!!! Here!!!! In this alley!!!! Ah!!!! Save us, someone!!!! aaah!!!! aaah!!!!”

Thanks to my new ability, “Breath Holding,” my lung capacity had increased a bit, and as a result, my voice was booming.

The police might be a joke, but causing such a commotion like this would surely attract the attention of the people in the neighborhood, and then this situation would have to come to an end!

“…What the hell, is this guy insane? Why is he calling the police like that? And why is his voice so loud?”

“No, Dong-ho. The police car was in front of the school earlier. They might be patrolling nearby.”

“Hey, damn it.”

Thunk-thunk-thunk-.

The followers of Bong Ji-yeon in Class C, perhaps reminded of the police car at the school gate, eventually made a run for it. Yang Ju-hee shouted, “Hey, you bastards!” towards the fleeing figures, and it seemed like she could catch up any moment.

“Hey! Don’t run! Don’t you dare run!”

“Ju-hee! Stop! Stop!”

I tried to stop Yang Ju-hee, but it wasn’t easy.

Yang Ju-hee, with boiling blood, was like a real angry bull.

It was insufficient to stop her with my strength alone, and I had to ask for help even from Jung-seok.

“Hey! Jung-seok! Try calming her down!”

“…Uh, uh.”

Even with Jung-seok and me pulling with all our might, we were being dragged along!

“Let go of this! Release this! We’re going to kill Bong Ji-yeon!”

Yang Ju-hee, this crazy woman! She’s completely out of her mind!

I heard that to subdue a madman, several adult men need to stick together, and it seemed to be true.

Before a bigger problem arose, I needed to treat Yang Ju-hee’s temper. If she started hitting me in her frustration because of the temper, I would really die!

“Status Window.”

『Open ▶ Healing Center』

『Spending 100P to treat the temper.』

『Temper《Boiling Blood》has been treated.』

About 5 minutes had passed.

Yang Joo-hee sat down on the ground as if exhausted, her shoulders slumping.

I too, overwhelmed by the belated onset of fatigue, sat down on the floor.

Anyway, one thing was resolved!

“Hey, Ha Young-won. Did you report to the police? Are the police on their way here?” Section Leader Jung-seok asked me as he straightened his disheveled clothes.

He seemed more scared now that he had reported to the police than when he was surrounded by the Class C kids.

“That’s nonsense.”

“….”

Section Leader Jung-seok seemed relieved. When you thought about it, even though we were the ones who had been one-sidedly victimized, was there really a reason not to report to the police? I wondered.

“Hey, Jung-seok. Your dad was a prosecutor, right? How can you let this kind of bullying slide? Those Class C kids are definitely going to retaliate and cause trouble—”

“—Who did you hear that from?”

Jung-seok frowned.

When I was slightly taken aback, he sighed and got up from his seat.

“No one knows except for Jung So-jin. Who else could have heard? I have to go to the academy now. Keep our dad a secret. Seriously. Wipe your sweat.”

Jung-seok grabbed his bag that had been lying on the floor, took out a tissue from it, handed it to me, and then briskly left.

Was he ashamed of his dad? If our dad were a prosecutor, I would have bragged about it.

For some reason, he wanted to hide our father’s existence…

Jung-seok, this guy, is quite interesting.

He seemed suitable to become a comrade of my “Ha Young-won’s Pirate Gang.”

There were commonalities in being harassed by the bullies.

We had so many similarities that we might have become friends.

… But why won’t this nosebleed stop?

Drip, drip, drip-.

My nose was gushing blood like a dam breaking, and Yang Ju-hee, who was watching, said,

“Why did you get involved with someone who can’t even fight?”

No.

I didn’t get involved, they just attacked me unilaterally. They almost stripped off my underwear, but Yang Ju-hee appeared at the perfect timing and saved me.

Before I could say anything, Yang Ju-hee reached out her hand to me.

“We have a house nearby, wanna come? I’ll give you some clothes to change into.”

Yang Ju-hee’s house?

… The one where that ajumma who came to the school was?

It’s a bit uncomfortable to walk around wearing a shirt covered in nosebleed like this.

On the way to Yang Ju-hee’s house.

Yang Ju-hee asked me,

“How did you know that your vice captain’s dad was a prosecutor? Did you really contact Jung So-jin? She’s a liar. It’s better not to contact her if possible.”

It was a conversation that felt suspicious.

Although she seemed to have no recollection of it.

# # #

Cheonmundong near Yeongji was a neglected and backward neighborhood.

Wherever you went, the narrow alleyways were filled with indiscriminately discarded trash next to every utility pole, and most of the houses were buildings that had been standing for over 30 years.

The villa I lived in was one of them, and the apartment where Yang Ju-hee lived was no different.

“Hwangryong Apartment”

Contrary to its splendid name, it was an apartment that was gradually becoming worn out.

In each block, elderly grandmothers were drying red peppers or sitting at utility pole-like places, pulling a walker similar to a stroller, selling wild vegetables.

“Eeh… eeh….”

“Jong-min, let’s go now.”

There was also an old lady walking with difficulty, holding the hand of a young man and taking a stroll.

Even the dogs on a walk looked pitiful.

Just being in this place made my life feel like a depressing gray.

“What’s Eungwon doing? Come up quickly. There’s no elevator.”

Hwangryong Apartment didn’t have an elevator.

Yang Ju-hee’s house was on the 4th floor, but rusty bicycles were tied to the handrails of the stairs, making passage inconvenient.

What was more inconvenient was that Yang Ju-hee’s skirt was shorter than mine as she climbed the stairs ahead of me, making it seem like I could see inside if I tried.

That naughty Yang Ju-hee.

It was clear she was trying to tease me by showing her panties.

Who knows who might see?

“…”

“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming up? Scared that I might catch you and eat you at your house?”

“No. The stairs are a bit slippery. Ugh. It’s hard to climb.”

I arrived in front of Yang Ju-hee’s house, Room 402.

On the door, a solid metal gate without a doorknob, various stickers, seemingly collected from everywhere, claimed their space. Among them, a sticker with the inscription “Glory Church” caught my attention.

“Is your mom inside by any chance?”

“No. Mom is attending Monday evening service today; she’ll be back late.”

“Monday evening service?”

Wasn’t church usually attended only on Sundays?

Swoosh-

Yang Ju-hee opened the door and went inside. The interior seemed barely 20 square meters, and an odd smell… I expected it to be bad, but it was pleasant.

A high school girl’s dwelling.

Not just any high school girl but Yang Ju-hee, an SR high school girl. If the guys who liked Yang Ju-hee back then saw me now, they would probably freak out in various ways.

Feeling a sense of superiority over unfamiliar guys, I glanced around. There were pictures of young Yang Ju-hee in taekwondo attire, family photos with what seemed like parents and a sister, or was it an older female figure. Did Yang Ju-hee have a sister?

…More importantly, isn’t that the utility knife she took from me? I could spot my pencil case, the borrowed pen, and scissors she took from me.

Yang Ju-hee, this girl, is using my belongings to furnish her place.

“Come over here.”

Swoosh-

Yang Ju-hee brought cotton and gently inserted it into my nose.

It looked like a quite familiar attitude.

“…Can’t we live in our house?”

Yang Ju-hee asked as I roughly sat down on the yellow carpet.

Slightly embarrassed, but I casually replied.

“Well, our house is similar. Even cockroaches come out in our house.”

“We have ants in our house, so there are no cockroaches.”

Really?

I’d rather have ants in our house instead of cockroaches.

I never thought I would envy a house with ants.

But… apart from not having cockroaches, there was nothing to envy about our house.

No computer, no TV. I was curious about what Yang Ju-hee usually did to pass the time.

On the roughly wallpapered walls, there were phrases like “Eternal life is to believe in the one and only God and His sent Jesus Christ,” making it really disturbing.

Creak-.

At that moment, the sound of the front door’s doorknob opening was heard.

“Huh…?”

“Mom…!?”

While I was flustered, Yang Ju-hee was even more flustered.

“Mom already? Hey, Ha Yeong-won! If your mom talks to you, always say you go to church no matter what!”

“Uh… uh…”.

Creak-.

The door opened, and the lady entered.

She was wearing a white dress, and her expression seemed gentle, making her quite a beauty. Was she the same person who visited the school last time?

The lady paused as she looked at me and Yang Ju-hee.

“Ju-hee, who is this?”

“Oh, she’s my friend. I brought her for coffee.”

“Really? Ju-hee bringing a friend home, it’s been a while. I came in briefly because I have something to discuss with Mom. What’s your friend’s name?”

“Hello, ma’am. My name is Ha Young-won.”

“Young-won. Oh, there are a lot of circles in the name. But more importantly, do you go to church? You need faith in your heart to receive blessings. Go to church, get saved, and go to heaven. Would you like to hear more about it?”

Oh!

So, that’s why Yang Ju-hee said, “She goes to church!” looking at me.

I glanced at Yang Ju-hee’s face and noticed she was feeling extremely embarrassed, as if she was ashamed.

Thinking about it, it must be a bit embarrassing for a sensitive freshman in high school when her mom preaches to her friends.

I reassured Yang Ju-hee’s mom.

“Oh, don’t worry. I go to church.”

“Really? Then who wrote the Book of Peter?”

What’s this?

A sudden test?

“Well, since it’s the Book of Peter… um… Peter wrote it.”

“Ho ho ho, too easy, huh? Then recite John 3:16 for me. It’s a verse that anyone attending church should honestly know.”

“……”

Coming in so suddenly like this?

I tensed up.

Even though Mrs. Yang Joo-hee’s mother was smiling, I noticed that her eyes weren’t. It seemed like Yang Joo-hee inherited those piercing eyes from her mother.

“Um… because it’s the Gospel of John, John must have written it, right…?”

“No. Don’t talk about who wrote it. Just tell me John 3:16. Isn’t this an easy one? If you go to church, you should know it.”

Soon, Yang Joo-hee stepped forward.

“Mom, um, he is…”

“Yang Joo-hee. Stay quiet. Did I ask you?”

The atmosphere became tense.

A tricky situation in many ways.

What would happen if I couldn’t answer here?

Would this lady suddenly go crazy, grab my head, and say, “How dare you lie to an adult!”?

What should I do?

Should I come up with a rough lie?

Suddenly, what Teacher Kang Ha-neul said came to mind.

Adults can always tell when children lie.

Tick-tock-tick-tock—the sound of the clock in the living room felt unusually loud. I closed my eyes tightly and opened them when the ticking became prominent.

It seems like it’ll be troublesome to lie after all.

Let’s be honest.

“John 3:16 says, ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ Right? Pastor Kwon. Is that right?”

“Oh my! You know that! Our Joohee has finally made a believing friend! That’s right! I’m Pastor Kim Yeok of Glory Church. Ah, he looks good too. Very handsome. Is he a born-again Christian?”

“Yes. My father was a pastor in Seoul.”

“Really? Which church? What’s the name of the church? I know most of the big churches in Seoul. Joohee, you became friends with a pastor’s son and didn’t tell me!”

The pastor’s gaze on me changed.

I should have just lied.

The story was going to get longer and more troublesome.

“If you have time, come to our Glory Church this Sunday! Our senior pastor’s sermons are full of grace. Have you heard of Pastor Cheonae-su? He’s very famous in Korea for his healing ministry!”

“Oh… the healing ministry? Where you just lay hands and pray and people get healed?”

People who talk about healing ministries are usually fake….

“He also exorcises demons. Both Joohee and I were supposed to be shamans because we come from a long line of shamans. I had a spirit possession illness, but Pastor Aesu drove away all the ancestral evil spirits. Completely! Now if only we could find Dohui….”

“Mom. Stop.”

Yang Joohee intervened, as if covering the pastor’s mouth.

But the pastor was relentless.

“You can find your sister! Yang Dohui! That’s what Pastor Aesu said! Yang Dohui was taken by dirty ancestral spirits! By vengeful demons and satanic spirits! aaahhhhh!!!! aaahhhhh!!!!”

Oh, shh…!

Pastor Kwon, who was once my prospective mother-in-law, seemed to be in a serious state!

I felt like doing a breakdance or something to distract from the madness.

Crash!

At that moment, the frame of a family photo hanging on the wall fell and shattered.

I was genuinely surprised, but Kwonsa-nim was truly shocked as if his breath would stop.

“Ancestral… ancestral ghost! It’s an ancestral ghost! The shaman’s ghost has come! The shaman’s ghost! The shaman’s ghost from the Dangju House’s Seonangdang is coming! Hiiiee! Back away, you scoundrel! Aeseu blood! Aeseu exorcism! Back away! Back away now!”

Rustle-.

Yang Joo-hee sank to the floor.

And then she began to cry like a truly mournful person.

“Where do you see a real ghost like that! Please stop saying that! Just stop! It’s just an old nail that fell off because it was rusty! I can’t stand living because of my mom!”

…

…

No, Ju-hee. Your mother might be right.

But the reason I couldn’t say such a thing was…

A woman dressed as a shaman, her hair disheveled and pitch black, hung upside down from the ceiling, glaring at me with eyes like shattered glass.

“!Eojukdeulnyeonnejiansodajeheansangjogodaneumitsinlgwimagsa!”

“Ugh, damn it! Ow, damn it! Gyaahahahahahah!”