Chapter : 10
In any case, there was nothing one could say to this man.
Leaving Harang unable to hide his bewildered expression behind him, Kim Hyun unlocked the door and ushered him inside.
The spacious living room was decorated in modern, cool colors. Kim Hyun had Harang sit on the sofa before bringing over a first-aid kit.
“Give me your hand.”
Kim Hyun gently took Harang’s injured hand.
The tip of his finger had swollen red, as though it had been burned, from sealing the rift. Kim Hyun soaked a cotton swab in disinfectant and carefully wiped the wound.
“Eut!”
Harang’s hand flinched at the sting when the disinfectant touched the wound. He tried to pull it away, but Kim Hyun held it firmly and spread the medicine over it.
“Stay still. It’ll be a problem if it gets infected.”
What kind of serious problem could possibly come from a wound this minor? Still, telling him that he was used to treating his body carelessly probably wouldn’t help matters. Harang had revised his plan to get closer to Kim Hyun and reach the fourth basement floor.
To accomplish that, wouldn’t it be better to make Kim Hyun see him as someone valuable?
Behind the sting of the disinfectant, a hot energy flowing from Kim Hyun’s hand enveloped the injured area.
Then, as if an anesthetic had been injected directly into his veins, the throbbing pain disappeared as though it had never existed.
What is this?
Harang looked at Kim Hyun in confusion.
Kim Hyun was concentrating on applying the ointment, as though he knew nothing. Yet there was a pleased smile playing around his lips.
“Shall we be honest with each other now?”
After putting on the final bandage, Kim Hyun raised his head.
“What was that earlier? The paper burned in midair, the stench suddenly disappeared, and then Lee Harang suddenly got injured.”
His question was polite, unlike the sharp interrogation in the vacant lot earlier.
Harang had already made up his mind. He met Kim Hyun’s gaze without looking away and countered.
“I’d like to ask you the same thing. You didn’t seem surprised at all when you saw it.”
“Hm? Turning the question back on me?”
“As though you were already familiar with things like that.”
At Harang’s counterattack, Kim Hyun’s smile deepened.
“I’m not sure whether I should say you’re perceptive or dull.”
Kim Hyun closed the first-aid kit and leaned comfortably against the back of the sofa.
“You’re right. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen something like that. I’ve followed my father around for a long time, so I’ve seen quite a lot.”
He sighed and deliberately put on a troubled expression.
“A lot happened when they were constructing Eaton Tower. During construction, the workers caused a huge commotion, saying they were seeing things that weren’t there. My father even had a shaman perform a ritual. Maybe thanks to that, the building was completed, but these days, the elevators occasionally stop or the machinery malfunctions. Whenever we call a repair technician, they always say there’s nothing wrong. They’re things that can’t be explained scientifically.”
“……”
“My father’s favorite shaman says that it’s inevitable for all sorts of nasty things to gather around our company building. Does that even make sense?”
The way he innocently raised the question was perfectly natural.
Harang desperately suppressed a snort.
He’s really good at lying.
A bitter, unpleasant feeling filled his mouth. But right now, he needed to pretend to believe him and act as though he were helping him, so Harang obediently nodded.
“I see…… I suppose it is strange.”
“Oh, come on. Why are you pretending you don’t know again, Mr. Lee Harang? You seem like you’d know those kinds of shamans pretty well.”
What is he talking about now?
Harang had certainly displayed some strange abilities, but why would that immediately make Kim Hyun associate him with shamans?
Perhaps Kim Hyun was certain that he was a Baektaek, but was testing the waters. Only then did the faint possibility occur to Harang that Kim Hyun might not actually know the exact nature of the mark.
When Harang firmly kept his mouth shut, Kim Hyun leaned forward with a face full of interest.
“What exactly are you? A shaman? Or maybe an exorcist? You got rid of something, didn’t you? I couldn’t see it, though.”
“An exorcist…… would probably be the closest description. I was told I was simply born that way.”
“Born that way? How did you find that out? Was the orphanage you grew up in some kind of cult?”
The rudeness that had gradually escalated since the company dinner suddenly reached an entirely different level.
Harang opened his mouth in stunned disbelief for a moment, then gave a hollow laugh and nodded.
“Yes, something like that. I learned how to avoid and drive away bad energy, at least. From the outside, you could probably call it a cult.”
“You learned?”
Kim Hyun rested his chin on his hand, looking intrigued.
“That’s interesting. How much can you actually do? That ‘driving away’ thing?”
“I don’t really know.”
“Are there any around me right now? Anything that needs to be driven away?”
Harang pretended to exaggeratedly look around the room. Kim Hyun burst out laughing, clearly entertained.
It was the purest, most innocent smile Harang had seen from him so far, and for a moment, Harang found himself captivated by it.
Still laughing happily, Kim Hyun stood up and went inside. He returned carrying two wine glasses filled to the brim with red liquid. He handed one to Harang and downed his own while remaining standing.
“Looks like there’s nothing scary here. Right?”
“……Yes. There isn’t.”
“Ah, that’s nice. My father is always making a fuss about talismans and rituals, so I’ve always been scared.”
“……”
“So being able to see those things is actually a good thing, huh? Right?”
“……I suppose.”
“Mr. Harang. I have a proposal for you.”
He set his empty wineglass down on the coffee table, then sat diagonally beside it and looked up at Harang, who was sitting on the sofa.
Facing that exceptionally clear, handsome face again, Harang’s first impression of him as being snake-like completely vanished.
How should I put it?
There was something almost mesmerizing about his beauty.
He remembered being taught that the stronger a supernatural creature was, the more likely it was to enchant people with something beautiful and sweet.
The teachings of his Baektaek master surfaced faintly in his mind, but the warmth touching his fingertips from Kim Hyun soon drove the thought away.
“What……?”
“I’m as cowardly as I look.”
He subtly pushed the wineglass toward Harang, as if telling him to drink.
Feeling the unspoken pressure, Harang lifted the glass and took a sip, holding the wine in his mouth.
It tasted bitter, with a faintly metallic tang.
“And our Eaton Tower is always…… well, filthy with something. The elevators keep stopping, and ghosts appear somewhere or other.”
“……”
“Could you protect me? As for your position…… Yeah. A personal secretary would do.”
He clapped his hands together as though he had only just realized it and smiled innocently.
Strange.
He didn’t look like someone who should have that sort of expression.
There was something playful, yet slightly dangerous, about him, and Harang’s fingertips kept twitching around the wineglass.
“……Doesn’t the team leader normally have a secretary?”
“Hmm. That’s right. I didn’t have one because it was a hassle. But I think I’ll have one now. A secretary and spiritual bodyguard. What do you think?”
Is this an opportunity? Or a trap?
Can I actually refuse?
“Are you thinking about it? I’ll keep your being a shaman a secret, Mr. Harang. I was wondering why the chairman had you brought to me immediately after you joined the company. My father said he had a bit of spiritual sensitivity himself. I guess he must have sensed something.”
“……Surely not.”
“As for the conditions, hmm. Three times your current salary. I’ll give you a company card, too. And……”
His gaze grew intensely deep.
“I’ll take responsibility for your health.”
“My health?”
“You always look pale. You’ve lived alone for a long time, haven’t you? You even have that lonely bachelor smell about you. And you’re skin and bones.”
“……”
He’s a walking machine for producing insults.
This bastard is a handsome-faced collection of outrageous remarks.
As Harang froze in sheer disbelief and indignation, Kim Hyun’s long fingertips approached him.
Before Harang could avoid them, Kim Hyun gently cupped his cheek.
“You seem lonely, too.”
For some reason, those words instantly soured Harang’s mood.
He slapped away the hand cupping his cheek.
The sharp sound made him realize he might have gone too far, but he had no intention of simply letting Kim Hyun fondle his face.
“Ow, ow.”
Harang had expected him to be offended, but Kim Hyun exaggeratedly let his hand fall limp and tilted his head.
“You’re the first person who’s ever rejected me like this, Mr. Harang.”
“……That sounds like a line from a third-rate romance, Team Leader.”
“What? Let’s just take it slow and get closer. As for the rest of the conditions……”
“Yes.”
“If you do a good job for a month, I’ll grant one thing you want, no matter what it is.”
It was a sweet proposal, but full of loopholes.
Harang finally downed the wine he had been holding all this time in one gulp, slammed the glass down, and spoke resolutely.
“Then I’d like to modify the conditions.”
“Go ahead.”
“I would like to receive the increased salary personally. In cash.”
Kim Hyun’s eyes widened, and then he burst into hearty laughter.
Harang flinched slightly but gathered his courage and continued.
“And if I’m going to start this job, I want to do it properly. For that, I need to inspect the premises beforehand. So I want authorization to enter anywhere I deem necessary.”
“Anywhere? Even my room?”
“How bold.”
“If you don’t like that, then I’ll pretend I never heard the offer.”
Harang slowly rose from his seat.
Grab me! Hurry up and grab me!
