“······.”
The stepfather was as silent as the dead.
Goosebumps rose all over his body, and he did not know what to say.
He had never felt this way no matter what shaman he had met.
He had no idea what that shaman had told Jang-yul, and that made him feel dizzy.
If the boy knew the passcode to the new safe he had bought only yesterday, what else did he know?
The moment he met the eyes of that young one, still young enough that it was hard to tell whether he was a boy or not, his gaze lowered on its own.
‘What··· the hell is that?’
They were very pale brown eyes, and yet somehow, they also looked like golden eyes.
How should he put it?
Was it majesty? The pressure surging toward him was so heavy that his heart pounded violently.
It truly felt as though something was staring straight through him.
“······B-Bodhisattva.”
The words flowed out on their own.
“The god I serve is watching everything right now.”
-I’m watching too.
Yeong-hyeon raised the bridge of his nose slightly.
He was not a god, but what did that matter?
“She is very displeased by what you’ve done.”
-Not very. Only a little.
Ashin narrowed her eyes.
She was displeased by the fact that he had used black arts.
Was it not dangerous?
“I··· was wrong.”
“Apologies are enough. What’s already been done can’t be gathered back up again.”
Noel answered coldly and tapped his own neck.
“You have the leash of the curse around your neck. You saw the window break just now, didn’t you? The curse took form and moved.”
“······Pardon?”
A curse took form and moved?
The stepfather wore a face that said he did not understand at all.
Noel understood that expression.
How was he supposed to accept something he could not see?
Even so, Noel kindly explained.
He was working right now, was he not?
“I saw the trace of the curse on you. So that curse broke the window as a warning to me. It was telling me not to approach.”
“···Is that true?”
Jang-yul’s expression stiffened.
He was not asking because he did not know, but because of the rage rising within him.
“It’s true. Ah, if you find it hard to believe, I’ll wait two days or so for you. From what I see, your remaining lifespan is about five days? Six days? Around that. After two days, various symptoms should start showing up.”
Noel had to find the one who had cast the curse anyway, and that man would not die immediately, so there was time.
“No matter how many hospitals you go to, the tightness in your throat won’t disappear. Wounds of unknown cause will appear, and it may look only to your eyes as if that part is rotting, so people might treat you like a madman. All of that is because of what you did, so keep that in mind.”
Noel mentioned the simple symptoms.
Evil spirits and curses had one thing in common: they were sincere about slowly drying their targets to death.
They would go to a hospital, but nothing abnormal would be found.
That was where people usually went mad the most.
If they could not receive medical help, they would be left sucking their fingers.
“You may leave now.”
Noel smiled kindly.
Simply knowing another person’s secret could itself become a threat.
Two days was short, but at the same time, it was also plenty of time to become drenched in fear.
-Will that be all right? He may try to harm you.
At Ashin’s concern, Noel looked at her and smiled.
‘You don’t have to worry about that.’
This was not a simple guess, but a measure he could take because he trusted Jang-yul and his own power.
“Ah, do not do something stupid like going to the one who cast the curse today. They’ll probably come to you because they’re suffering like death too, but don’t get close to them. They’ll be planning to lure you in and pass the curse on.”
After finishing his words, Noel sipped water.
It was obvious.
If he had not said this, that man would certainly have gone to the curse caster and demanded to know what was going on.
That would be a foolish thing to do.
Because the caster was the one who cast the curse, why would they not have some trump card to pass the curse on?
“Is that··· true?”
“Wait and see. When you’re alone in a room, if someone knocks silently six—no, four times, don’t open the door. The same goes at night.”
In his own world, the evil number was 6.
But since it was 4 here, he thought it was right to match it to 4.
“This is truly the end now, so go.”
Noel turned his gaze away as if he had no lingering interest.
At those words, which were almost a chilling prophecy, the man’s face crumbled.
Four knocks.
Had that not happened yesterday?
Feeling uneasy, he had checked the home security camera in the corridor of his house, only to confirm that no one had come at that time.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
From that moment on, his heart began pounding violently.
“Bodhisattva!”
“Father, go.”
“I-I was wrong! I truly did wrong!”
At the way he looked ready to drop to his knees at any moment, the other side grew noisy.
Noel still did not look at the man.
“I do not help someone who has bared a blade at me. Speak slowly with your son and contact me again afterward.”
No matter what that man said, he was in Jang-yul’s palm.
Rather than receiving payment separately like this, it was right to receive it all at once through Jang-yul.
‘I should receive a nice, hefty amount.’
He would need money for the interior design and all sorts of furniture, would he not?
Since he had to do two floors at once, it would likely cost quite a lot, so this worked out well.
“Please save me···! I’ll do anything! I’ll give you anything!”
“That will be later too.”
Noel spoke kindly, but with a voice that held no emotion at all.
Because the more time passed from now, the higher his own price would become.
Jang-yul looked at Noel with eyes full of respect, then whispered quietly to his stepfather.
“Sir may refuse you, so it would be best to stop here.”
At the gentle threat, the man shut his mouth.
Life.
Today, for the first time, he had learned how quickly it could disappear.
Unable to say anything, the man looked at Jang-yul.
That bastard’s expression felt colder than ever today.
Though he did nothing and merely looked at him, it felt as though he were strangling him.
“Please go back first.”
Jang-yul held his stepfather’s shoulder and slowly guided him back the way he had come, then returned midway.
When Jang-yul came back to Noel, he bowed his head first.
“Sir. I apologize for making things noisy.”
“It’s all right. I wasn’t startled.”
Thanks to this, he had something to receive from the underworld messenger, and it seemed he could also pull in quite a large amount of money from this incident, so he was pleased.
Did he not already know that Jang-yul had a lot of money?
“Sir.”
“Yes.”
“Last time, you said there was something beneath the building you will be using, did you not?”
‘Ah, right.’
Noel had forgotten, but he tried not to show it.
“Yes. I did.”
“When we dug using equipment, there truly was something there.”
“What was there?”
“There was a jade ornament. Its purity seemed high.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. There was one more object, but it took some time because I brought everything after preservation treatment.”
After saying “excuse me,” Jang-yul took out his cell phone and contacted someone.
“Bring it.”
After that brief sentence, he quickly put the cell phone away.
“If you look at it and wish to sell it, I will connect you with someone. Please do not worry, as I will not take an introduction fee or commission.”
“If you do that, what do you gain?”
When Noel stared straight at him and asked, Jang-yul laughed lightly.
He seemed as if he had not expected Noel to ask so directly.
“Trust accumulates, does it not? I want to build your trust, sir.”
“That sounds nice. Then give me plenty when this case is resolved.”
It was a curse, so how much should he receive?
Noel thought for a moment, then gently opened his mouth.
“······Five million won?”
He had named quite a high amount.
It was probably the largest cash amount he could think of.
For a moment, Jang-yul’s expression stiffened.
‘Did I··· ask for too much?’
-Didn’t you ask for too much?
It seemed Yeong-hyeon thought the same.
When Noel glanced at Ashin, she touched her chin.
-How about four million won?
-Oh, that is good, right?
“How about four million won?”
At Noel’s following words, Jang-yul’s head tilted slightly.
“Sir.”
“Is it expensive?”
To Jang-yul, who owned a building, should this not be pocket change?
Noel thought he was saving money in a strange place.
“You should ask for more for work like this.”
“More? About··· six million won?”
At the sight of him thinking about it quite seriously, Jang-yul snapped to attention.
When power was strong, all sorts of flies were bound to swarm around.
“I will prepare an amount that satisfies you, sir. I think you may use the money I give you as the standard.”
Jang-yul smiled gently.
At that smile, Noel’s eyes moved slightly.
‘Why is he deciding it?’
He planned to receive it once and raise it more if he did not like it.
Unable to fold his arms, Noel lightly propped his chin.
Bzzzz.
When the vibration came, Jang-yul showed his cell phone slightly.
“I will be right back. You may order anything, so please take your time looking at the menu.”
After finishing his words, Jang-yul turned and gestured lightly to an employee.
Seeing the employee head toward Noel, Jang-yul turned away and thought seriously.
Why was Noel not starting in the ten-million-won range?
Even other frauds shamelessly did that, but Sir was different.
‘Sir does not know the value of the power he has. I will have to pay more attention.’
When Jang-yul went outside, Noel looked at his back with displeasure, then accepted the menu the employee handed him.
“Please look at it comfortably and call me when you are ready.”
When the employee withdrew with a greeting, Noel opened the menu.
Yeong-hyeon and Ashin gathered around as well.
-···Uh, why is a fried egg this expensive?
-Perhaps they sprinkled gold dust on it.
-That isn’t written in the description.
-I see. Then··· is this what they mean by eating the atmosphere?
-Eating the atmosphere, uh, it is pretty, but the price is so evil that I don’t know if I could eat the atmosphere.
The two whispered among themselves, then looked at Noel almost at the same time.
-What will you eat?
-Yeah. What do you want to try?
“It would be awkward to leave food behind, so meat, of course.”
Noel smacked his lips.
A steak with a difficult name.
Another steak that still had a difficult name, but looked delicious.
That was how it seemed.
‘Hmm.’
Noel stared until his face nearly touched the menu, then was about to call the employee waiting a little distance away when he saw Jang-yul.
Perhaps he had run over, because his hair was disheveled.
“If you are curious, you may order everything.”
“There will be leftovers.”
“I eat more than I look. Takeout is possible as well. And······.”
Jang-yul set the object he had brought down on the table and lowered his voice slightly.
“The food tastes good, but the portions are a bit small.”
“Is that so?”
At those welcome words, Noel’s eyes sparkled brightly.
In truth, there was something he had always wanted to try in his life.
He had thought countless times that he would do it once he earned money, but he had died without doing it. Now that the chance had come, he had to take it.
Excited, Noel said,
“Then from here to here. Ah, please leave out the seafood dishes.”
He had heard that Yeong-hyeon had a seafood allergy.
When he heard it, he had felt like crying, but had he not been comforted by fried chicken?
“Should there not be drinks as well?”
Jang-yul recommended drinks rather than alcohol.
“Alcohol is expensive too, right?”
“It is.”
At Jang-yul’s answer, Noel smiled gently.
His actual age was not that of an adult, but his body was an adult.
Was it not legal?
It was legitimate.
“Let’s have a glass!”
In his original world, had he not watched only his older sister and older brother sip that delicious thing, then secretly tried some himself and only gotten scolded?
Gulp.
His mouth was already watering.
‘My body is an adult now, after all.’
***
-Noel!
Patter, patter, patter!
-Noel···!
Patter, patter, patter, patter!
When Noel slowly opened his eyes, he saw Kkamang.
“······Ughhh.”
His head hurt.
Had he not taken painkillers before sleeping?
Or had the stitched spot burst open again?
-Ashin······.
“······Huh?”
Noel suddenly started and sat up.
Why was he here?
-Noel?
Kkamang tilted its head.
Noel stroked Kkamang so hard its eyes nearly slid backward, then got up and went outside.
“Why am I··· at home?”
He had eaten meat until his mouth nearly melted and drunk alcohol.
Honestly, he could proudly say he knew nothing about alcohol, but it had simply tasted incredible.
That was the end of his memory.
-Do you··· not remember?
Ashin looked slightly surprised.
“I don’t···?”
-That is fortunate. As they say, ignorance is medicine.
-I’m sorry, Noel. I didn’t know you were that··· weak to alcohol.
Yeong-hyeon looked at him with a face where apology and laughter existed at the same time.
Their reactions were so strange that Noel narrowed his eyes.
“No, what did I do?”
-What do they call it these days? Alcohol trash?
-Oh, that is right.
-That is what you are.
“Uh···?”
He could not understand a single thing.
-Noel!
When Kkamang called him, Noel turned his head.
-Ashin told me to come back if I heard words related to curses, black arts, bad things, and things like that.
-I followed Jang-yul’s father.
Yeong-hyeon pointed at himself.
-I sent Kkamang there.
At Ashin’s following words, Kkamang placed both front paws on Noel’s leg and looked up at him with obedient eyes.
-I know where the human who used bad power is. Will you give me a lickable cat treat?