Chapter 10 - Boogie Boogie Boogie (2)

To sum up what Cheolmin was saying: a rich painter named Smith had a problem at the house where he lived with his granddaughter, and he wanted me to somehow sort it out with my wholesome Buddhist energy.

One of my eyes narrowed involuntarily.

'Did this guy eat something bad? What the hell is Buddha power?'

Who knew what embellishments he'd fed that old man Smith.

Apparently, if I solved his granddaughter's problem, he'd pay me as a token of gratitude, but...

Walking willingly into a creepy mansion for money? That was straight out of the opening of a horror movie.

Besides, a rich man like him must have tried all sorts of things. If he'd worked his way down the list to me, this was definitely no ordinary problem. It might even be beyond my current abilities.

The first and most important rule of avoiding danger is not to go anywhere dangerous in the first place.

This is a world where you can get fucked just sitting there breathing. Did I really have to crawl into trouble myself?

So I picked out a suitably polite refusal.

'I appreciate your high opinion of me, but I'm not an exorcist. For Mr. Smith's sake, and his granddaughter's, I think it would be best to leave this to a professional.'

"Mr. Yohan, he's offering thirty million won! Thirty million!"

That was far too much money for me to say any of that. By my standards, anyway.

With that kind of money, I could stop working part-time and focus more on magic.

For a moment, I imagined slapping the comic-café owner with a wad of cash, but we weren't exactly on bad terms, so I abandoned the idea.

"... I see. That's a truly distressing situation."

I spoke in the calm voice of a professional I'd seen in a movie.

"I don't know whether I can help Mr. Smith, but I can't just stand by in the face of such injustice."

Kim Yohan, a man who could never tolerate injustice.

Currently implicated in incidents that left two people dead. Engaged in a cover-up. Personally maintains they were accidents.

Anyway, after ending the call, I sat in my chair and thought for a while, tapping my fingers against the grimoire's steel cover.

My top priority was always me.

It didn't matter whether Smith died or his granddaughter died.

If my life seemed to be in danger, I'd summon Grizzly and escape, even if it meant exposing what he was.

Dying because I'd held him in reserve would be the height of stupidity.

Of course, I had to take into account that Smith was rich, but...

Thirty million. One successful exorcism gig could earn that much?

At that point, a wizard would be losing out by not moonlighting as an exorcist.

'Dude, smack ghosts. Get cash.' That was basically it.

I knew there were risks, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

"... Ha!"

An incredulous laugh escaped me. In the end, I'd become a standard horror-movie cliché.

Chuckling cheerfully at myself, I got up, took meat and milk out of the refrigerator, and prepared Grizzly's meal.

"Eat plenty, Grizzly. We're going on a business trip."

"Gyaaa."

I packed a change of clothes in a large backpack, then carefully arranged my magical supplies inside: the grimoire, the holy-water sprinkler, a container of holy water, and the white coat.

The incense pouch was small. Better to keep it on me.

I also made sure to pack meat and milk in a cooler for Grizzly's nutritious snacks.

Otherwise, I might end up having to source meat on-site...

Anyway, I was ready for the trip.

* * *

After changing buses several times and checking the address sent to my phone, I arrived at the foot of the mountain road. A driver was waiting for me.

"Are you Mr. Kim Yohan?"

"Yes, I'm Kim Yohan. Though I'm hardly anyone deserving of such respect."

I got into the car and watched the greenery stretching in every direction as we climbed the mountain road.

It was fine in good weather, but we'd probably have to be careful in heavy rain or snow.

Had he said it was for his granddaughter's health...? They lived somewhere pretty isolated.

I hadn't known much about Smith, since art didn't interest me, but a quick search on the bus ride over had revealed that he was an even bigger deal than I'd expected.

After a while, the car stopped. I got out and looked at an elegant, old-fashioned Western-style mansion with a beautiful garden.

So this was where a painter who sold paintings for three billion won lived. Impressive.

A passage from The Little Prince suddenly came to mind. It went something like this:

Adults don't understand when you tell them a house is a beautiful brick house, but tell them it's expensive and they're impressed.

I felt proud of myself for having become such a fine adult.

When I entered the mansion, a housekeeper who looked to be in her early to mid-twenties greeted me.

"W-welcome! I'll show you this way."

She led me into what looked like a lounge, filled with sofas and chairs, and the other guests who had arrived before me all turned their eyes toward me.

I took my time looking them over too. There were four guests besides me, two men and two women.

A middle-aged man wearing a cross around his neck looked at me and immediately clicked his tongue.

"A cooler? It's not like you're here on vacation. Tsk, tsk."

Why was he picking a fight out of nowhere? I wondered, but... I just ignored him.

It seemed Mr. Smith hadn't invited only me. He'd brought in people from various branches of the exorcism business.

In other words, this man probably saw me as a rival for the thirty million won.

Fine. I wasn't planning to back out either. Bring it on.

A middle-aged man wearing a cross, a woman with heavy eye makeup, a well-dressed young man who looked displeased...

And a young nun. A nun?

Was she really a nun?

My eyes narrowed for a moment. She wasn't wearing a veil, but her clothes were a nun's habit.

Lovely, elegant long black hair, snow-white skin, and a pretty face that looked youthful yet gentle. She sat with impeccable posture.

Perhaps sensing my gaze, the nun politely inclined her upper body in greeting.

I'd only been looking because something about her was unusual, and I had no reason to strike up a conversation. I returned her greeting with a slight bow of my head and found a suitable seat.

Not long afterward, the owner of the mansion, Mr. Smith, appeared in the lounge. Perhaps I'd been the last invited guest to arrive.

"Thank you all for coming at my request. Emily, come this way."

Following behind him, a pale-skinned blonde girl entered with the housekeeper's support.

"Yes... Grandfather..."

It was Emily. Smith took her around to greet each guest in turn.

"Pastor Juwon, thank you for coming."

The middle-aged man with the cross around his neck, Pastor Go Juwon, spoke with a grief-stricken expression.

"Why should something like this happen to a good man like you, Mr. Smith...? You should have told me sooner. Please visit our church with your granddaughter sometime. I'll look into it more closely for you."

"... Thank you, Pastor."

Emily answered weakly. Next was the woman with heavy eye makeup, the shaman Park Minhee.

"She's full of yin energy. Her condition is extremely dangerous."

Looking at Emily's pale face, I figured even I could have said that much.

The well-dressed young man, Smith's pupil Kim Suhyeon, spoke with a dubious expression.

"Sir, why resort to something so irrational... Never mind. I'm just worried that Emily's health might deteriorate further."

"... Thank you for coming. Even one more person here is a comfort. Thank you for worrying about Emily."

When he reached the nun, Smith's expression became genuinely affectionate, unlike the businesslike manner he'd shown so far. His deeply troubled voice briefly brightened.

"Ellie, thank you so much for coming. You'll be a great comfort to Emily."

"Not at all. It seems my father won't be able to come, so I thought I should at least come myself. I'm sorry."

Apparently, she already knew Smith's family through some connection.

Now it was my turn.

"Mr. Yohan, thank you for coming on such short notice."

"No, it's quite all right. I don't know whether I can help, but I'll do my best..."

Just as I reached to shake Mr. Smith's hand, Emily suddenly began heaving beside him.

"... Urgh!? Gack! Urrrgh!"

She clamped her hands over her mouth and nose and staggered away from me.

"Urgh... I-I'm sorry. The s-smell is so strong... Urrrgh!"

What was this bitch's problem? Pretty rude for a first meeting.

Just kidding. Puzzled, I quietly studied Emily.

'Smell?'

Emily fled the lounge with the housekeeper supporting her. The people who'd been perfectly happy sitting near me moments earlier moved away.

"..."

Apparently concerned about Emily, Smith wrapped up the greetings and left.

"... You must be tired from your journeys. We've prepared a meal, so please make your way to the dining room."

I raised my arm to my nose and sniffed. I'd sweated a little on the bus ride, but I certainly didn't smell bad enough to make someone retch.

Then I stole a glance to the side.

The unusual nun without a veil—Ellie—had come up beside me. With her head tilted, she was twitching her nose and sniffing.

"Hmm? Hmmm... Hmm?"

Then, perhaps noticing my gaze, she spoke in flustered haste.

"Oh! W-well, she said there was a smell, but I don't think you smell bad at all. It's more like incense? I think it smells nice."

My eyes narrowed.

'Incense...?'

Thankfully, there was nothing wrong with my nose.

"Thank you."

With that brief reply, I left the lounge after Smith and the others.