chapter 10
10 – Nobleman #3
“An exorcist? So your father worked as an exorcist while working as a detective?”
“Because he was a detective. It was easier to hear news about mysterious cases than others. He worked as an exorcist to solve such cases.”
“It’s interesting. I didn’t think detectives would believe stories like the occult.
“Normally, I don’t believe it. It’s just that my father was unique. He said he was a mystery fanatic since he was young. After passing the police exam, he used his knowledge every time he came across strange cases.”
“I see… Tell me more about your father.”
“I’ll burn Jewoong first.”
I turned on the Zippo lighter and ignited the fireworks we had made. The fire that was put down in the yard burned down, emitting faint smoke. I looked at the burning Jewoong and told Sarah the story about his father.
“While working as a detective, my father solved various cold cases. Like saving a rural village where people were dying from a tree, catching a witch doctor who cursed people to death, and on some days, monsters that imitated human voices. It is said that he once killed a person.”
Cold cases that no one has solved.
My father, among other things, solved cases that occurred due to supernatural phenomena. I was able to hear countless stories thanks to my father telling them to me.
Ghosts, monsters, and killers who use supernatural abilities. My father went around exorcizing all kinds of things. Of course, he was very busy, so it was natural that there were many days when he didn’t come home. But I didn’t hate my father like that.
━━Dad! Cheer up!
I respected my father.
Because my father was a hero who saved people. He couldn’t help but respect the hero who risked his life every time to save people.
━━Thank you, Detective.
━━The reason we can be so happy is all thanks to the detective.
Gifts came to our house every year. It was a gift of gratitude from the people my father saved. Sometimes, those people came directly to say hello to my father. Every time, I was proud of my father. Because he was a person respected not only by me but by countless people.
Even now.
People sent letters and gifts to our house.
Sometimes, when they send me a lot of food, I have to worry about what to do with it.
“…You are a great person.”
“Right?”
“Receiving a gift every year means that your father is truly respected by people.”
Sera listened to my story and looked puzzled.
“But there’s something strange.”
“What?”
“You have such an amazing father. Why didn’t Joo-hyuk get help when he was possessed by a ghost? I heard your father is an exorcist? Was your father very busy too?”
Why couldn’t he call his father when he saved Joo-hyuk?
There was a reason why I couldn’t call him.
“Because my father is dead.”
“Ah…”
My father passed away. Up until this point, I had barely talked to Sarah about her parents. So Sarah didn’t know that my father was deceased.
“I’m sorry.”
When Sarah heard what I said, she was shocked and apologized to me.
“I didn’t know that my father passed away. I’m sorry if I made you feel bad.”
“…….”
There was silence between us for a moment.
Almost all of the fires that were on fire were burned down. The faint smoke that flowed from the dragon was scattered in the air like a ghost.
“…He didn’t just pass away.”
I added while looking into space.
“My father did not die normally. He had an accident that I cannot understand.”
“An incomprehensible accident?”
“Listen.”
The day my father passed away.
It was two years ago.
I still clearly remembered that day.
━━Jinwoo, dad is coming this evening.
━━Are you finally coming?
━━Yes, you are really coming.
The day my father returned home after solving a long case.
Her mother received a call from her father that he would arrive around evening. As I waited desperately for him to arrive, my father’s car actually arrived at the apartment in the evening.
━━Dad’s car!
A black mid-sized SUV that my father always drives.
Because I could clearly see what was coming toward the outdoor parking lot through the veranda window. I immediately went down to the elevator and tried to meet my father. My mother smiled and sent me outside.
I left the house and went down to the parking lot.
Dark night.
An SUV bathed in moonlight emitted a pitch-black sheen in the parking lot. It seemed like my father hadn’t gotten out of the car yet. Because I could see my father’s image blurry through the car window.
━━Dad!
I approached my father’s car. When I looked closely, I saw my father leaning against the driver’s seat with his eyes closed. Are you so tired from work that you’re just taking a nap? There was no answer when I called.
I opened the driver’s door.
My father was still in the driver’s seat with his eyes closed.
━━Dad… ?
I called again, but there was no answer. If you’re asleep, you should at least hear the sound of your breathing. There was no sound from my father sitting in the driver’s seat. He held his father’s hand, which was hanging on the seat. His always warm hands were cold today.
An ominous thought passed through my head.
Maybe my father passed away.
My father’s body was cold and he was not breathing. I quickly contacted my mother on my cell phone. The mother hurriedly came outside and called 119. Her mother tried to perform CPR on her unconscious father, but it was pointless. Even though I pressed his chest and breathed on him, my father never opened his eyes.
The ambulance has arrived.
My father was taken to the hospital, but it was already too late.
They said that my father was already dead before I witnessed it.
The cause of death was a heart attack.
It was a heart attack for which even doctors could not find a clear cause.
During his lifetime, his father did not drink or smoke and lived a healthy life. He did not have a blood pressure problem, nor did he suffer from any congenital disease. But one day he suddenly passed away from a heart attack.
“……Isn’t it strange? My father was clearly driving the car before I found the body. I clearly saw him entering the parking lot. But while I was going down to the parking lot, he suddenly passed away from a heart attack.”
“It’s a strange thing.”
“I don’t think my father died normally that day. I think there is a secret hidden that others don’t know. Maybe he was murdered.”
“To whom?”
“To the supernatural.”
I clenched my teeth as I thought about my dead father. My father was a man who went around exorcising evil things. In that case, it was quite possible that someone had murdered my father through witchcraft.
“…This is the end of the story about my father.”
The story about my father’s death has come to an end.
When the story ended, Sarah was looking at me with pitiful eyes. She spoke to me in a very sad voice.
“I see. Now I understand why you are so obsessed with seeing ghosts. When I first met you, I thought you were just going there for fun. It wasn’t for such trivial reasons.”
The reason why I try to see ghosts.
Sarah hesitated for a moment and then cautiously opened her mouth.
“You want to see your dead father, right?”
“Yes. Because I couldn’t even say goodbye to my father properly.”
I wanted to see my dead father.
It is said that the dead who have suffered an unjust death become ghosts and wander the world.
So, that meant that my dead father was also now wandering the world somewhere.
If I happen to meet my father in my life, and if the day comes when my father’s spirit passes by me.
I wanted to say something at that time.
I wanted to see my father.
I want to say goodbye to you.
It happened some time after my father died.
I recalled the story I heard from my father.
━━It is said that the more you look at ghosts, the more you see them. Because there is something called the ear gate in the human body. Every time you see a ghost, the door opens little by little.
It is said that the more you look at a ghost, the more you see it. Then I couldn’t stay still. I searched for mysterious stories on the Internet and looked for abandoned houses and spooky places in my neighborhood. Then I eventually met Sarah.
“Sera, you can see ghosts, right?”
“Yes.”
“If you see my father around, please tell me. I’m asking you to please.”
━━Ting!
I asked Sarah a favor and turned on her Zippo lighter. A bright, flickering flame rose up. Looking at the fireworks reminded me of the stories my father told me. Stories about people going around defeating evil and saving people.
“…I understand. I’ll tell you.”
Sarah looked at me and nodded her head. She spoke quite calmly, but Sarah seemed very sad to hear my story. Before I knew it, Sarah’s eyes were moist.
“I will make sure you meet your father! I promise with my fingers.”
Sarah held out her beautiful white finger to me.
Are you saying that you will put her finger on the line and even make a promise? It’s a good thing for me.
I put in the Zippo lighter and hooked Sarah and her little finger.
“Thank you.”
“Say thank you only after you find your father.”
Sarah and I made a promise.
It was a promise to let me meet my father.