Chapter 17
“About that man you mentioned before… the one who mistook midnight for noon, the one who’s supposedly not very bright… Could you perhaps ask him for help again…?”
―Ah, forget it. He’s out. I went all the way up the mountain to give him energy, but if a ghost drains it, his luck drops, and he hates that. Come to think of it, he just changed his mind. But why? Oh my, did you really insist?
“Well… it’s not exactly that…”
Seol-ah looked up at Suhyuk’s officetel building through the window.
Between the lights spilling from the windows, a shadow—probably his—flickered for a moment before vanishing.
Just like a husband chasing mayflies.
A husband who was there, then gone, like a mayfly…
“How did my partner… cough, cough.”
Seol-ah managed to get up, still hacking slightly.
“I heard, live, over the phone, every gulp and swallow. How could you not come? If I’d known someone would arrive faster than me, I would’ve pedaled slower. Oh, my thighs…”
Suhyuk looked at Seol-ah as she rubbed her neck.
“Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?”
“I’m fine. Now I’m okay…”
Only then did she notice Suhyuk fully. With wet hair and wearing a sleeveless top, he probably had just finished showering.
She felt sorry for ruining his relaxation, but also grateful.
“It’s thanks to you. But…”
Just as she was about to ask how he knew about this situation,
“My goodness! I guess I’m not just any shaman. At this level, I must be X-GWatt Wizard level, right?”
Shaman Cindy, unlike the scratched-up interior, carefully inspected the pristine area around the bed, not a single bump or broken spot in sight.
“Wow. I should’ve seen this with my own eyes—why was my phone off! Ah, so satisfying. Ah. Love myself.”
Thrilled by the amazing effect of last night’s talisman barrier working perfectly, Cindy hugged her arms around herself and gave herself kisses.
“What did I tell you? This operation worked, right? This is revolutionary.”
Cindy glanced at the red mark on Seol-ah’s neck and continued.
“It’ll be fine soon. Just like a dream. When it happens, it feels deadly vivid, but once the ghost beast is gone, it settles quickly. Has this happened before?”
“No. This was the first time…”
“It seems he’s learned to use objects, but he’s still not skilled. I’ve pressed him down for now, so it should be quiet for a while.”
As Cindy spoke, Seol-ah watched the bright red line on her neck fade in real-time. Suhyuk couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Then, let’s take a proper look at our husband’s physiognomy.”
Before she could even introduce him, Seol-ah waved her hand at Cindy, who already seemed to know Suhyuk was the fake husband from last night.
“Uh, partner, he’s not my husband…”
Cindy moved close to Suhyuk, focusing on the fading mark on Seol-ah’s neck. Suhyuk frowned and stepped back, flustered.
“What are you trying to do?”
Cindy stared sharply at his face for a while before finally speaking.
“…Have you ever thought about being a shaman?”
“…”
A cold silence fell in the room.
“Haha…! Cough. Just joking, joking. Ice-breaking. Haha…”
Seol-ah tried to smooth things over as she witnessed Suhyuk’s visible irritation.
“His energy is insanely strong. Any ordinary shaman would get roasted…”
Seol-ah made X gestures with her hands, signaling Cindy to calm down.
Cindy mouthed, ‘No way! No one else like him, grab him!’
“No! Same company! Boss! Bow, bow. No!”
Seol-ah tried pantomime-like gestures, but Cindy ignored her and approached Suhyuk.
“I’m Cindy, the one who greeted you by voice first. ‘You must act like a truly loving couple! Husband, please undress the bride’… Nice to meet you.”
Suhyuk coldly ignored the hand Cindy offered.
“Look at this! Where did our client find such a gem! Wow—our husband has face power. Handsome couple!”
Seol-ah broke out in a sweat as Cindy pulled her shoulders close to Suhyuk.
“Partner! She won’t listen. He’s not our husband, so stop…”
“Customer! I need water! I ran all the way here, and my heart’s still racing. Oh dear…”
Seol-ah reluctantly went to the kitchen. Cindy’s expression then turned serious.
“Our husband really angered the spirit.”
Suhyuk turned his head as if to say, Why me?
“In 100 days, the gates of the afterlife will open again. If possible, the bride would have been preserved for a retry.”
“Partner! The water’s all gone. Can we just make coffee?”
“Even better! Drip coffee, please. Slowly, slowly!”
As Seol-ah returned to the kitchen, Suhyuk finally spoke.
“What do you want to say?”
“Well, I guess I want to say that our husband bears a slight responsibility… maybe? Haha.”
“You’re saying that already.”
“No, not really. Just that our husband isn’t completely unrelated to this… something like that?”
Cindy, as if sensing Suhyuk’s extraordinary energy, coughed lightly and stepped back a bit.
“When the gates close in 100 days, that guy will wander the underworld for 300 more years. He’s desperate, so he’s angry. He targeted the bride while the husband was gone.”
Suhyuk’s gaze shifted to Cindy.
“Can you stay with me until his anger subsides? Not forcing, just suggesting.”
“Do you have proof this plan will work?”
Cindy’s eyes narrowed, challenged by doubt.
“No one can endure seeing their woman with someone else. And a ghost possessed by desire for the bride? Worse. Here, this ghost sees Ms. Lim Seol-ah’s happiness as his misfortune. Watching her in newlywed bliss will drain his energy. Wait and see.”
As Suhyuk and Cindy locked eyes in a silent battle, Seol-ah brought over the coffee.
“Here. Director, too.”
“Oh! I have a midnight prayer meeting, oh no! I’m late. Well, you two talk.”
“Wait, you’re not drinking coffee?”
“Yes. Just the two of you!”
Cindy, wearing an e-bike helmet, whispered to Seol-ah like a ventriloquist.
“Listen. No matter how much you search, you won’t find a husband like him. Grab him!”
“Done talking. Turns out he’s our company boss! Today’s new direct superior.”
“Fate. Grab him more.”
Can’t she at least act surprised…
“But are you sure they met for the first time yesterday?”
Seol-ah nodded repeatedly.
“Hmm—really?”
Cindy, looking thoughtful, whispered again into Seol-ah’s ear.
“You saw the ghost throwing objects at me, right? But at that man?”
Come to think of it, Suhyuk had been in the house for a while, yet nothing happened to him.
“Right now, the one I most want to kill is that man. You got the situation?”
“…No.”
Cindy gritted her teeth and continued her ventriloquy.
“It’s not because I’m an X-GWatt level shaman—it’s because that man and the customer’s energy matched perfectly. That’s why it worked.”
