SATURDAY 61

The news that the Chairman of the Jegang Group and his wife had met with an accident spread like wildfire, causing a stir throughout the entire country. Both Chairman Kwon Yunjae and Managing Director Hong Sayoung were in critical condition and unconscious.

Judging from the fact that no alcohol or drugs were detected in the deceased driver, the police initially closed the case as a result of inexperienced driving.

However, once the footage from the scene’s CCTV—the source of which remained unknown—began to spread, the incident became incredibly noisy. It vividly captured the vehicle shooting forward as if soaring, crashing into the guardrail, and plunging down a five-meter cliff. It was an accident scene that left no room for doubt in anyone’s eyes.

The driver died instantly without any chance of resuscitation, while the Chairman and his wife in the back seat were seriously injured. Regarding this, various opinions were exchanged among people who had found something interesting to talk about for the first time in a while: some said it was sudden unintended acceleration, others said it was an intentional accident caused by the driver’s long-standing grudge against the couple.

Particularly in the case of a group like Jegang, hadn’t the twins been in a traffic accident together just a short while ago? The younger brother had even died. Following that, this suspicious traffic accident of the parents. It was a story perfectly suited to the public’s palate.

All sorts of media outlets covered this matter seriously, and online streamers ran wild, competing to investigate the incident as if it were some great mystery.

Reporters gathered like clouds in front of the hospital. It was the same in front of the residence, as well as the homes of Yoon Inyoung and Lee Taeseon.

After suffering once due to online streamers who had snuck into the hospital to try and film Yoon Inyoung, bodyguards had to stay attached to him at all times, even indoors.

Then, on the fifth day after the accident, fortunately, both Kwon Yunjae and Hong Sayoung passed the critical stage.

∞ ∞ ∞

Upon hearing the news of my parents’ accident, I collapsed once. “You are Mr. Yoon Inha, correct? This is the police.” Strangely, the moment I heard those words, my chest felt chilly and it felt as if my heart had plummeted.

I didn’t particularly have any reason to be contacted by the police, and… should I call it a human’s intuition? Without fail, the police delivered terrible news.

The last time I met my mother, I shouted and got angry at her. For the first time in my life. But I never imagined I would meet her again like this.

I bring misfortune to the household. Mr. Taeseon said that wasn’t true, that it wasn’t like that, and the shaman and my uncle said so too, but the memories accumulated since childhood could not be ignored.

When I woke up vaguely after sleeping for nearly three days while being injected with medicine, Mr. Taeseon was by my side. In my daze, I grabbed Mr. Taeseon’s arm and pleaded. I said I wanted to go and see my parents.

He gently soothed me, saying that since my parents’ condition was critical anyway, I couldn’t see them right away. For a moment, I suspected he might be lying out of concern for the shock I would receive if they had already passed away, but fortunately, that wasn’t it. However, it was certain that the two of them were hovering between life and death.

On the fourth day, I was barely discharged and came to Inhyun University Hospital. Upon arriving, I immediately saw my parents through the long window attached to the hospital room door, and today, I was able to stand in front of it for quite a long time with Mr. Taeseon.

The space beyond the door was a small area that combined the functions of a hospital room and an ICU, where family members could move in and out. However, Mr. Taeseon opposed my going inside.

He said he fully understood my feelings, but that it wouldn’t be good for my mental state to see the sight of my severely injured parents up close. My uncle’s opinion was the same.

In the end, I had no choice but to check on the condition of the two from outside the window. Even this was the result of persuading Mr. Taeseon for a long time. Because Mr. Taeseon wanted me to return home and lie in bed.

However, unable to overcome my stubbornness, he is standing here with me in front of the intensive care unit. Beyond the window, my parents, seen between the medical staff moving busily about, clearly bore immense wounds even at a glance.

Even my mother… heavy-looking casts were wrapped around both her arms and legs, and bandages were wound everywhere visible. A respirator covered half of her face, intravenous fluids were connected in numbers too many to count, and even one leg was fixed in an upward position.

The ECG electrodes attached to her chest displayed an irregular heartbeat, speeding up and slowing down on the machine screen to the side.

It was the same for my father. My father, lying right next to my mother, was said to have shielded her at the moment of the accident. Because of that, he was more severely injured and was truly at the crossroads of life and death.

I felt that Mr. Taeseon’s judgment was right. My going in would only distract the medical staff’s concentration for no reason. Once I leave this spot, they will probably draw the curtain over this window as well.

“Inyoung-ah.”

Mr. Taeseon called me in a small voice. As I slowly turned my head, he asked with a crease etched between his brows.

“Are you okay? Your face is pale. Let’s go down now.”

“Ah, I’m okay, but…”

But my voice came out trembling miserably. I must not have looked okay at all. And in reality, I wasn’t.

Both my legs kept losing strength and trying to give way. The screeching sound of tires and the flashing light of headlights repeatedly flashed through my mind.

“Inyoung-ah, right now… Ah.”

At the sudden vibration of his mobile phone, I felt Mr. Taeseon let out an “Ah” and then mutter an oath inside his tightly closed mouth. He had never once used a swear word or harsh language in front of me, but when he had known me as Inha, he had been unrestrained in his speech. Now, he is being careful again.

Perhaps because I went through such a period, I’ve come to know what kind of swear word he uses at which timing, even without hearing it. Not that it’s a bad thing, but it’s not very pleasant either.

“I’ll go take a quick call, sit over there instead of here. Okay?”

Mr. Taeseon took me to a chair provided near the hospital room door and made me sit. It was a spot where the inside of the room wasn’t clearly visible. Whether my face looked considerably bad or not, he looked at me with his brow furrowed deeply and even measured the heat on my forehead with his palm.

In the meantime, the phone rang again. Mr. Taeseon swore something under his breath, stroked my cheek, and then moved away down the hallway. I saw the bodyguards stepping aside.

“What’s going on.”

Since Mr. Taeseon disappeared around the corner right after saying those words, I could no longer hear the contents of the call. Only small snatches of his voice occasionally drifted over through the quiet hallway.

I let out a short sigh. Being alone, I couldn’t help but think about my parents even more. Compound fractures all over their bodies, organ damage; by a stroke of luck, neither of them had brain damage, but they were already in a near-death state just from the current injuries. Even though they’ve passed one critical stage, it’s a situation where we don’t even know when they might wake up.

There was a thought that inevitably surfaced. …I haven’t performed an exorcism ritual to ward off misfortune for a while. It’s a ritual to block the calamitous energy I bring.

I remember the Shaman once mentioning in passing that an exorcism ritual needed to be done. The Shaman repeatedly said that if the ritual isn’t performed, I would call forth misfortune and a great disaster would occur in the household.

Is it because we didn’t do the ritual? Because I…

At the moment I was clutching my chest due to an indescribable feeling, my phone suddenly rang. I almost screamed because I was so startled. Was there anyone to call me?

Having hurriedly fumbled through my pocket, I recoiled when I saw the name displayed on the LCD screen. It was the Shaman. I was thinking about the Shaman just now, anyway. My hands trembled at the call that came as if he knew everything.

When I answered the phone, a voice full of tension flowed from my mouth.

“Yes… Hello.”

― Is that you, Inha?

Why was it that the moment I heard those words, goosebumps broke out all over my body?

“….”

When I said nothing, the Shaman stayed quiet for a moment and then spoke again in a tone mixed with laughter.

― Right, it’s Inyoung.

It’s nothing new. The Shaman knows that I am Inyoung. But… why does it sound as if the word ‘still’ is attached in front of the words “it’s Inyoung”? The goosebumps on my arms would not subside.

― You must have been very surprised.

“…Yes….”

It’s about the accident. I managed to answer. The Shaman continued in a voice mixed with a gentle laughter.

― Shaman is sorry for not being able to tell you in advance.

“Ah, you… knew? That an accident would happen….”

― Of course, I knew. I should have kept a closer eye on Driver Kwak; this time, it is Shaman’s mistake.

“Why, Driver Kwak?”

― ….

The Shaman became quiet again for a moment. I reflexively looked across from me. I had the illusion that the Shaman was sitting in that empty hospital chair. Feeling my body constantly shivering with chills, I waited for the Shaman to speak again.

― You know, don’t you? Inyoung-ah. Because of whom this happened.

“….”

My heart plummeted. As expected, is it because of me? No, it’s not. Mr. Taeseon, my uncle, and even that medium told me. They said the Shaman had been deceiving me and my family until now. Nonetheless, I couldn’t help my heart wavering upon hearing such words.

After stuttering several times, I finally… managed to get one sentence out.

“But, Shaman…. That…. These bad things. Is it really, my fault…?”

I don’t know how much courage was needed to say this. However, as soon as my words ended, the Shaman thundered.

― You ungrateful and insolent thing!