SATURDAY 95

The southbound highway, nearly empty, was silent. I turned my head at the sound of a soft tap, tap against the window. Rain, unpredicted by the forecast, had suddenly begun to fall.

The downpour gradually intensified, and blending with that sound, the audio from the radio Mr. Taeseon had turned on echoed quietly.

Before I knew it, it was nearing midnight.

Mr. Taeseon tuned the frequency to a Gyeongnam regional station. Like clockwork, the radio began reporting the incident that had occurred today, just as Mr. Taeseon had mentioned.

— At approximately 5:00 PM today, a fire broke out in an illegal structure within Mount Jiri National Park, leaving one person seriously injured and three others with minor injuries, who were then transported to the hospital. The building where the fire occurred was a site occupied and used without authorization by a shaman, and it is known that a certain Shaman Mo had been performing rituals or prayers here. Fire authorities….

I listened to the news blankly. Outside, a heavy rain was now pouring down. The wipers moved busily across the windshield.

After a few more pieces of seemingly trivial news passed by, the weather forecast followed. It said rain would fall throughout the night in Seongsan City. That was where the provincial hospital we were heading to was located.

Watching the raindrops being drawn in diagonal lines within the long stretch of the headlights, my heart felt uneasy. How long had it been since I became afraid of the rain….

— Now! Today, we’re heading to a very famous restaurant here in Yeonghwa Market. Even in Yeonghwa Market, which boasts a 30-year history, they say there isn’t a person who doesn’t know this place….

At the sudden bright voice of the reporter, I flinched in surprise. Mr. Taeseon, who had been watching me out of the corner of his eye, reached for the radio button and asked.

“Is it too loud? Should I turn it off?”

The news had already finished, and it seemed another program had begun. Since I had no desire to listen further, I nodded. Silence soon followed, leaving only the sound of rain hitting the roof and the glass inside the car.

“…Inyoung.”

“Yes?”

Mr. Taeseon spoke, breaking the silence. On the windshield he was looking at, the wipers moved relentlessly, pushing away rainwater that flowed like sand.

“Don’t be too shocked when we get there.”

I blinked and thought for a moment about what that meant, then guessed he was talking about when I would see the Professor at the hospital. They said the Professor… had been unable to escape the burning ritual house quickly and was severely injured.

Even without experiencing it, I knew how easily flames could wound a human body. Suddenly, tension rose within me. If Mr. Taeseon was going as far as to say this, just how badly was the Professor hurt?

I could guess, but I couldn’t imagine it. No, it might be closer to say I couldn’t believe it. After all, the Professor looked perfectly fine the last time I saw him.

“It will be quite gruesome. It will stay in your memory for a lifetime…. Do you still insist on seeing him?”

“….”

I kept my mouth shut. This was a gentle warning from Mr. Taeseon. Mr. Taeseon had a temperament that made him uncomfortable when things didn’t proceed exactly as he wished, so even now, he wasn’t pleased about me meeting the Professor.

Of course, that wasn’t his only feeling. He was likely also worried about me having to face the Professor in such a horrific state.

I felt a bit cowed and scared, but after looking at my reflection in the windshield for a moment, I answered, “Yes.”

Inha was hovering around me.

I… had to end this ill-fated connection with everyone now.

When Mr. Taeseon stepped inside, the nurses at the station showed signs of nervousness. A general manager of L&L was trying to secretly hide a severe burn patient whose name they barely knew. In a way, it would have been strange if they weren’t flustered.

“Y-you’re here for the patient Mr. Lee Cheol-woo, right?”

I tilted my head at the unfamiliar name for a moment before realizing there was no way they would use a real name for something like this. It was a rather half-hearted name.

Just then, a scream echoed from somewhere.

This time, the nurses didn’t seem particularly shaken. They merely guided Mr. Taeseon and me once more, hiding a somewhat pitying look beneath their blunt expressions.

It was only after entering a single-occupancy room with curtains pulled tight that I realized the increasingly intense screams belonged to the Professor. Various machines protruding from behind the curtains made it look like an intensive care unit.

From within the layers of curtains, the Professor was letting out horrific screams that didn’t sound human. A doctor wearing gloved hands stained with discharge came out and said with a troubled expression.

“I’m sorry, he’s currently undergoing treatment….”

Mr. Taeseon shrugged as if to say it was fine and looked at me. I was trembling a bit, but I nodded firmly. Mr. Taeseon reached out and pulled me into his arms by the shoulder.

“I’ll say it again… you really don’t have to see this.”

“I’m, I’m okay. I think I need to see it.”

“Then at least after the treatment is over.”

“…Alright.”

I nodded, and only then did Mr. Taeseon ask the nurse, as if resigned.

“How much longer until the bandaging is finished?”

“The treatment is in its final stages, so it should take about 30 minutes.”

We decided to wait further down the hallway for a bit. We went to the lounge in the adjacent ward; Mr. Taeseon went to wash his hands, and I was left alone. It felt as though something bad always happened whenever I was left alone like this. With that thought, I waited for Mr. Taeseon to return quickly.

That was when….

“…Baby.”

“…!”

A sinister voice drifted into my ear, sounding close enough to touch. My entire body froze.

A familiar body odor mixed with the scent of incense, that characteristic chill…. It was the Shaman.

I threw my body backward to distance myself before turning to look at the Shaman. And for a moment, I was lost for words.

The Shaman’s appearance was a mess. A hanbok scorched with scattered burn marks, disheveled hair that had fallen out of its bun. There were even small wounds on her face.

Furthermore, unlike usual, she couldn’t hide her exhaustion at all, and her complexion was poor. I couldn’t bring myself to look at her directly, so I turned my head. The screams of the Professor I had heard in the room earlier resounded in my ears.

“You are Inyoung.”

At the Shaman’s words, I inadvertently looked up. She recognized me at a glance… no, before that, she had considered that I might be “Inha.”

“Shaman.”

“….”

“What… did you do to me?”

It was likely some sort of spell similar to the one that made me perceived as Inha. But this time, the type was a bit different. Inha completely takes over my body, and I don’t even remember that time. Naturally, it was obvious the Shaman would be behind such a thing.

“I am putting things back in their proper place.”

“Proper place… what proper place? Me disappearing and Inha remaining? That’s nonsense. This is my body, and Inha is dead!”

Before I knew it, I was shouting like a scream. A moment later, I heard the sound of footsteps running down the hallway, and Mr. Taeseon stood in front of me, shielding me.

Panting, I placed my trembling hands against Mr. Taeseon’s back. The broad, solid back and the sensation of the fabric, made cool by the seeping winter air, gradually calmed me.

When I let out a long sigh, Mr. Taeseon spoke.

“Shin Myeonghwa.”

“A fellow who doesn’t have a lick of manners even if you searched for it to use as medicine.”

“Ah, I was born that way. Whether I show manners or not, your situation isn’t going to change.”

Then, the Shaman let out a laugh. Even though I was completely hidden behind Mr. Taeseon, it felt as if I could see the Shaman’s expression. Very clearly….

Come to think of it, this had happened before. I would be standing here, yet I could see things from an angle that should have been impossible.

Goosebumps broke out all over.

Could this be Inha’s field of vision? Was it being transmitted to my brain as clearly as if I were seeing it myself?

As if answering that my thought was correct, the Shaman spoke to me.

“Inyoung, do you know where Inha is right now?”

“….”

“He is standing right next to me.”

As if a scene from a movie had collapsed and fallen over me, the Shaman’s laughing face and upright posture came into view. Inha was watching….

“It was almost over, and you’ve gone and ruined it. On top of that, turning Professor Jang into that state. You’ve committed acts deserving of divine punishment, yet you aren’t even afraid.”

Mr. Taeseon tilted his head and replied.

“Why, it seems your heart aches because your lover ended up like that?”

Lover? I looked up at Mr. Taeseon involuntarily. He seemed to notice my gaze from behind and turned his head slightly to look at me.

“They really are in that kind of relationship. Though you might be surprised.”

“The, the Shaman and the Professor?”

“Yes.”

I felt as if I had been hit over the head with a hammer. I had never felt a strange vibe between the two of them. But thinking about it, even if the Shaman was a bit older, it wasn’t impossible.

I carefully stepped out from behind Mr. Taeseon’s back and looked at the Shaman. The Shaman looked at me and smiled softly. However, her eyes were not smiling at all. That expression was somehow terrifying. The Shaman said.

“You certainly have an impatient personality. Isn’t this something that shouldn’t be said so suddenly? Look at that child.”

The Shaman’s gaze, which had briefly been on Mr. Taeseon, returned to me.

“He’s so shocked he can’t even breathe properly.”