Since he was capable of casting a curse, that shaman was not without ability.
This was Noel’s first time seeing a shaman, and to think he would see one like this.
“······G-god. A god······.”
The man mumbled.
“Pardon? I can’t tell what you’re saying. Ah, first, shall we move somewhere else?”
Attention was beginning to gather on them.
When Noel quietly looked at the people holding up their cell phones, black smoke tapped their phones.
Crackle.
Objects were not alive, so what did it matter?
“···Huh?”
One or two people sensed something strange, but they were only a few among the crowd.
***
The curse was in Ashin’s grip.
She repeatedly tossed it upward and caught it as if it were a small ball.
That man should have seen the sight of her breaking and crushing the curse’s form so easily.
Unfortunately, it seemed he could not see Ashin.
‘With eyes that poor.’
Noel smiled gently, holding back the urge to click his tongue immediately.
“You feel much better now, don’t you?”
“······What god do you serve?”
“Then why don’t you have a god, sir?”
There was no one over the man’s head or near him.
Could the god he served have run away?
“···Because I did not call him.”
The man answered with a hollow expression.
Perhaps because he had not slept for several days, his answers had been strangely slow since earlier.
“Ah, your god only comes if called? Then call him. I want to see what he looks like.”
“My god is not so idle.”
“If your god is that capable, why did you make such a stupid choice? Is your god watching that quietly?”
“······?”
Feeling as if he had suddenly been struck once, the man could not say anything.
“Well, I understand being blinded by money. But why did you touch black arts? Didn’t you know that wouldn’t work? Were you full of confidence that you could do it well?”
Noel asked because he was genuinely curious.
Where else would he meet a shaman?
He had heard that most shamans were either fake or served ghosts who did not even have proper grade, claiming they were gods.
Since he had heard this from Ashin, it could be considered certain.
“······.”
The man could not say anything.
But was he not cursing with his eyes?
“You’re the one who did wrong, so why are you being so stubborn? I asked whether your god knows.”
“Why do you··· want to know that?”
“Because I want to know with what face you did something like that.”
“Are you mocking me right now?”
“Why would I? If you don’t like it, you can just say you don’t like it. Can’t you even say that?”
At that tone that kept needling him, the man clenched his fist.
Now was the time to endure.
The other party was young.
If he soothed him somehow, he would surely let it pass.
‘Pity is usually the cheapest way.’
The man soon let out a sigh.
“In truth··· I did it because I was afraid.”
“Ah, because you were afraid your god would abandon you?”
“······Yes. It is true that I acted inadequately, but it was difficult to ignore such an earnest situation. I will continue asking my god for forgiveness. Every day··· I will pray, and pray again.”
The man lowered his head deeply like a sinner and let out another long breath.
“Please··· spare me just once. Truly, it was an unavoidable situation. I will absolutely repay this grace. I will pray every day and tell my god of your kindness.”
Even his two hands were clasped together as they trembled.
‘He’s going to cry at this rate, isn’t he?’
Noel held back the laugh that almost slipped out.
What kind of ridiculous trick was this?
“I’m so grateful that I could almost cry, but first, let’s think realistically. First of all, because of the curse you cast, I was attacked. There should be separate compensation for that, right? And the money you received from your client should be returned to that client exactly as it was, shouldn’t it? You didn’t even cast the curse properly, so you scammed him.”
“······What did you say?”
The man looked beyond horrified; he looked dumbfounded.
“I wonder if there is anyone besides me who can undo that curse.”
“······.”
The man’s lips pressed tightly together.
“You can’t do it, so you’re transferring the curse to other people, aren’t you? I see both your hands are still fine. Send the money back to your client and show me. That’s the right thing to do, in good conscience.”
“That money··· Did you decide to receive it, sir?”
“What does it matter how I receive it or how much I receive? I’m doing this out of courtesy. Should I just leave?”
“N-no. Absolutely not.”
The man took out his cell phone with the feeling of gritting his teeth.
No matter how blinded by money he was, there was nothing more precious than life.
That was right.
‘Yes. I’ll deal with that later. Later.’
A young bastard still wet behind the ears. He seemed to have luckily received a strong god, but how long would that last?
He himself had once been strong.
But as time passed, had his spiritual power not faded?
That bastard would soon become the same.
He only had to intervene then.
-Noel.
Ashin called while looking at the man.
When Noel’s gaze turned to Ashin, she wore a displeased expression and squeezed the curse tightly.
-He is a very unpleasant human. Even now, he harbors considerable hostility toward you.
‘He’s being told to hand over the money he tried to keep even after ending up like that, so of course he must be furious.’
-I shall call his god. There is a familiar remnant here.
‘···Huh?’
Noel looked somewhat surprised.
To think that was possible.
‘···Ah, so that’s why that side dish shop did so well.’
The taste was excellent, of course, but from what he had heard, it had been successful for generations.
Would that have been impossible without the guardian spirit’s blessing?
Ashin approached the man without hesitation and tapped his shoulder.
-Come and punish your child. See with your own eyes what he has done.
Did he sense something from that gesture?
For a moment, the man’s body trembled, and he dropped his cell phone.
It was a symptom of possession.
His eyes rolled back slightly, and when the eyes that had closed opened again, his gaze had changed.
-Have you come?
“Sister, I can never tell whether you are impatient or laid-back.”
The man’s expression and behavior changed.
He seemed like a woman.
The man looked at Ashin, and the corners of his mouth stretched wide.
“Ah. So this is why you called me?”
All sorts of memories were pouring into his head.
-Yes.
-···Is he really possessed?
Holding Kkamang’s belly fat, Yeong-hyeon swallowed dryly.
In movies, did shamans not suddenly change expressions like that?
Aside from Noel, this was his first time seeing it, so it was fascinating.
“That is possession.”
At Noel’s answer, the man glanced sideways at Noel, then straightened his posture and stared at him with both hands placed on the table.
“What are you? You’re so tempting. Why do you shine like this? And not just shining. You’re radiant, clean, and wow, wow. You can do everything, can’t you?”
-Do not do anything useless.
“Sister! You’re too much. You said you would live as a guardian spirit. Where did you lay claim to such an adorable one? I want to claim him too.”
-Do not say useless things.
“···How petty.”
The man looked slightly sulky, then propped his chin.
“Don’t you need to deal with him?”
At Noel’s question, the man’s eyes slowly turned fierce.
“Right. This is not the time for this. How impudent. I have to punish this one. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he can never do something like this again.”
-Be certain.
“Just trust me. And you.”
“Yes.”
“Thank you for making sure he at least didn’t die. I did have my eye on him, but that does not mean I wanted him to die. He has to live long, long, and painfully before he comes, doesn’t he?”
“As long as I’m paid properly, that’s fine with me. That is for the god to handle.”
“You’re even better because you’re so sharp. So much that I want you.”
The man looked at Noel with covetous eyes.
After making an expression of regret several times, he grabbed the cell phone.
“How much do you need from this one? No, I’ll decide and give it to you. For reference, this one has a lot of money. That is also what made me start disliking him. At first, his eyes were so clear. What a pity.”
“You can just give it away like that?”
“It wasn’t money he gathered honestly anyway, was it? I’m going to donate the rest. I can only hold on for about seven minutes, but that is enough time to handle everything. Tell me your account number.”
Noel gave the account number he had memorized.
“Okay, sent. Now to donate the rest. Ah, I’ll make a special exception and leave him living expenses.”
The man hummed.
-Can you do that?
When Ashin asked while watching, the man grinned.
“What is he going to do? Can he catch me? Or report me? All he can do is resent me. If this one truly thought of me, he should have prayed when he first chose the wrong path. Does he think I lend power for free? If he lived well on that power, it is only right that I take the price. Where in the world is there anything free?”
The man smiled.
At that strangely cold smile, Kkamang dug into Yeong-hyeon’s arms.
“Take care. I’ll ask your name next time. Goodbye. Goodbye to you too, Sister. Be well.”
The man waved cheerfully.
Soon, his head lowered, then lifted again.
‘I’m dizzy···.’
The man, whose face had twisted, saw Noel smiling strangely and the wrinkles between his eyes deepened.
Noel was smiling.
Why?
“I received payment from your god.”
“······?”
The man froze just like that.
How long had it been since his spiritual power faded? And yet his god had come?
Noel looked at Ashin.
She crushed the curse as it was.
-Whew.
When she blew on it, it became powder and soon vanished.
“······Haa.”
The man reflexively let out a long breath.
When the power pressing down on his neck disappeared, the man looked for his cell phone.
It was laid neatly on the table in a strangely orderly way.
‘···Huh? I definitely dropped it.’
Something was strange.
Pressing down that unpleasant feeling, he immediately turned on the camera and checked.
The black line engraved on his neck had vanished.
“···Ha. Hahaha.”
The man laughed hollowly.
No matter how many times he checked, it was the same.
That damn curse really had disappeared.
As filthy as it was, his skill was truly extraordinary.
Before the man could say thank you, Noel rose from his seat.
The man’s gaze rose along with him.
“Let’s never meet again. Ah, now you’ll be busy receiving that, won’t you?”
“What are you··· talking about?”
“Divine punishment.”
Noel pointed at the ceiling, smiled, and disappeared.
‘···What?’
The man remained still until Noel disappeared.
He had left without receiving money.
Why?
‘Is he a fool?’
Only briefly did he question it before raising one eyebrow.
No way.
Feeling slightly anxious, the man checked his cell phone.
The banking app was open.
‘······Huh?’
His mind seemed to stop for a moment.
Soon, he doubted his own eyes.
He blinked several times, then blinked again.
But the amount of money shown in his balance did not change.
Had 90%, no, 95%, not disappeared?
With trembling fingers, he checked the transaction history.
The moment he saw what was clearly the name of a donation organization, he let out a strangled “Guh,” slammed his head down, and fainted.
***
Noel was wandering around the shopping mall, and the moment he checked the amount the god-grade ghost had sent on his cell phone, he froze.
‘···Huh?’
-What’s wrong?
Yeong-hyeon, who had been looking around here and there, approached when Noel suddenly stopped.
He looked at the cell phone, then froze again just like Noel.
-What is the matter?
Ashin, with Kkamang hanging around her neck, also approached.
After seeing the amount, she tilted her head.
-Is this not the amount you ought to receive?
“······Th-the amount is in the ten-million-won range?”
Noel spoke while clutching his pounding heart.
For no reason, he looked around.
The amount the god-grade ghost had given him, plus the money Jang-yul had given him.
His mind felt as though it might turn white.
Had he not done one job and gotten paid twice?
-Calm yourself.
‘I’ve never lived in this kind of luxury before···.’
Noel breathed out several times, then immediately made a call.
Jang-yul answered right away.
“···Hello?”
<Ah, sir.>
Jang-yul spoke brightly.
“Did you send this wrong?”
<No. That is not the case. From what I personally experienced, to ward off calamity, one has to perform gut rituals several times. A single one easily costs in the ten-million-won range, but you accomplished it in one go, did you not?
I think it is quite appropriate. No, would it not actually be cost-effective?>
“It sounds somehow right, so I do feel good, but you can’t change your words later.”
<Please do not worry. I do not say two things with one mouth. You may record this. Shall I repeat it for you?>
“No. It’s already being recorded.”
At Noel’s words, Jang-yul laughed loudly.
<I was rude. Then what happened to the curse?>
“It’s resolved. Your father probably knows that clearly.”
“Is your relationship that bad?”
<Of course. Except for my mother, everyone is pointing a sword at me. Of the three siblings you saw then, two are siblings only on the family register. We are not related by blood.>
‘···What a bean-powder household.’
-Is this not a bean-powder household?
-That’s the one, right?
-Is bean powder tasty?
At Kkamang’s last question, Yeong-hyeon and Ashin giggled as they stroked it.
It was cute, so what did it matter?
<I have two older sisters and one younger brother. Back then, you selected my father, my older sister, and my younger brother, did you not?>
“I did, didn’t I?”
<That older sister is my biological older sister. We do not look very alike, though.>
“Is it all right··· for you to tell me things like this?”
<I am telling you because they only appear very harmonious on the outside, and I worry you may be deceived. They may approach you by saying they are close to me. Please be wary of all of them.>
“Well, I understand for now.”
<Thanks to you, sir, I was able to put a leash on my father. I am still in the middle of organizing things, so I will send an additional amount after that is finished.>
“······Again?”
‘He really··· has a lot of money.’
Noel had heard it from Kkamang, but he felt amazed all over again.
<Ah, if there are any pieces of furniture or necessary items that are difficult to obtain, or if you want something custom-made, please tell me. The same goes for other matters.>
“I will. Then.”
For now, Noel hung up the phone in relief.
‘···Wow. So that’s a rich person from this other world.’
It felt very fascinating.
In his own world, the rich could be called nobles and royals.
Nobles were annoying bastards.
And royals were trash.
Bzzzz.
At the vibration, Noel lowered his gaze.
It was Shin-hyeon.
[Uncle: Yeong-hyeon, do you have time tomorrow?]
[Uncle: Let’s go ride the hot-air balloon.]
Noel paused at that message, then slowly looked at Yeong-hyeon.
Yeong-hyeon was smiling gently.