IWREH 08

Chapter 08

[The answer you are looking for is with that person.]

“Hah… again with this Kim Bari thing.”

[Yes. Really.]

Even though he was now a cold-blooded man who wouldn’t bleed even if stabbed, they believed his innate goodness and purity still remained.

A child with a kind heart who once shared food with starving wandering spirits. The ghosts, grateful that they could repay the kindness he showed them when he was young, quietly disappeared.

Hae-an walked to the window of his office apartment and stared blankly at the glowing night view of Seoul.

‘From now on, even if you don’t want to see it, you’ll see it. Even if you don’t want to hear it, you’ll hear it.’

Thinking of Kim Bari’s relaxed expression, he felt his blood grow cold.

“Don’t forget, Gang Hae-an. I saved you.”

Where did that arrogance even come from?

Hae-an let out a dry laugh.

“No.”

The answer he hadn’t said a few days ago finally came out.

“I save myself.”

His face reflected in the large glass window turned cold and rigid.

Meanwhile

I thought you wouldn’t last long… but you’re better than expected.

Well, since you were originally Mu Jang-seung, the hell god from your past life, this level of mental pressure shouldn’t be too much.

But still, Gang Hae-an is just a human body. Which means an already decided fate cannot be changed by something as weak as a human.

Imagining him soon coming back thin and desperate, begging to be saved, made me smirk.

It had been a while since I saw a full moon. Under the dark night sky, Bari sat beside Byeolsang Dongja and slowly closed her eyes.

The restless spirit beside her poked her side.

“Hey, Kim Bari.”

“No.”

“Just once.”

“No. Move.”

“Then I’ll just sit for a second.”

“You’re lying. You’ll steal it the moment you sit down.”

“Damn it. You nasty girl.”

“This is Cheonsang Dongja’s thing. It was granted by divine order!”

Bari suddenly stood up from the middle of the shrine yard where she had been sitting on a brand-new children’s electric car.

Even though he looked like a child, the spirit child was at least 500 years old. Yet he was still obsessed with new things and always took whatever offerings believers brought, picking only expensive ones.

Kim Bari, the broke shameless shaman who worked endlessly but earned nothing, glared at him.

“Byeolsang. Is this because it’s a foreign brand car?”

“Yes. I don’t have a Benz. But I have a BMW.”

His innocent answer made her even more irritated.

“Too much of anything is bad.”

“Huh? What’s that?”

“It means greed brings punishment. You don’t study, do you?”

She sighed, frustrated by his lack of intelligence, and lightly hit his small head.

“Anyway, keep this up and you’ll get scolded by the Heavenly Lord. You know how that old man is—selfish, strict, annoying…”

Her complaint went on and on.

Rubbing his forehead, Byeolsang glared at her.

“Funny how the goose lays the golden eggs but gets nothing.”

“Then get lost instead of complaining.”

“Geez. Do I come here empty-handed every time? I actually brought good news today!”

He puffed up his cheeks and turned away.

“There are plenty of shrines in the world. I’m a busy spirit, you know…”

Seeing him sulk, Bari reluctantly grabbed his small hand.

“Hey, don’t be like that over something like this.”

“I’m not telling you. Hmph!”

“You’ve known my personality for 500 years. Deal with it.”

Dragging him back, Byeolsang pointed at the electric car.

Bari nodded reluctantly, and he smiled brightly.

“My spirit mother, Goddess Mago, finally went to meet the Old Man Under the Moon.”

“What? Why the matchmaker old man all of a sudden?”

“Why else? They’re trying to reconnect the fate between Mu Jang-seung and Bari Princess that was cut off a thousand years ago.”

Excited, Byeolsang spilled everything.

The higher gods of heaven had begun moving, ignoring Bari’s will completely, and discussions about forcibly reuniting Bari and Mu Jang-seung were spreading across the heavens.

“They really have nothing better to do. Do they not know unsolicited interference is just meddling?”

“But it’s good news! If the Moon Elder helps, your plan will be easier!”

How ridiculous.

When she had begged for help for centuries, they ignored her. Now that everything was falling apart, they suddenly wanted to help?

“Pathetic.”

Even Byeolsang, who came with supposed “good news,” only annoyed her more.

“Hey! Kim Bari, what’s wrong with you!”

She grabbed the electric car and dragged him by the collar. Byeolsang was immediately thrown outside the shrine gate.

“Wait! You said you’d give me that car!”

“Since when?”

She pushed his forehead and slammed the gate shut.

Meanwhile, Hae-an

[The answer is with that person.]

[Go find the shrine of that person.]

Hae-an kept recalling the ghosts’ words.

Things that had no logic or evidence shouldn’t have shaken him—but they did.

On top of that, an unexplained headache had been disturbing his daily life for days.

“Team leader!”

The door burst open and Kang-ho rushed in.

“You need to turn on the TV right now!”

“What are you doing barging in—”

“Breaking news! Hurry!”

Kang-ho turned on the TV quickly.

On the screen, Superintendent Woo Gwan-su, Hae-an’s adoptive father and National Police Agency director, stood at a press briefing for a public apology.

Unlike usual, he wore a formal uniform, but his expression looked extremely heavy.

“Damn it.”

Hae-an clenched his fist and slammed the desk. His usual calm broke.

At a time when someone needed to take all the public anger, Woo Gwan-su had officially admitted the difficulties in the “Chilseongpa Grand Theft Case” investigation and stepped into the storm himself.

“Look at these reporters. Saying the police are intentionally not arresting Chilseongpa? Protecting elites? What kind of nonsense is that?!”

Kang-ho shouted angrily.

There were reasonable suspicions since the crimes targeted high-ranking figures, but Hae-an knew his father was not that kind of person.

“He would rather take off his uniform than become a puppet of corrupt power.”

That was his character.

Because of him, Hae-an himself had earned his reputation as “like father, like son.”

Before Kang-ho could stop him, Hae-an grabbed his car keys.

“I’ll go there myself.”

“What are you going to do there?!”

“My father is being pushed into a trap, and I’m supposed to just sit still?”

“Team leader, please! Acting emotionally will only make things worse!”

But Hae-an ignored him and walked out.

Then—

His phone vibrated.

A message from an unknown number.

→ [How does it feel to experience it without my help?]

His expression hardened.

→ [Gang Hae-an, this is the misfortune you were originally supposed to face. It can easily destroy you and the people you care about.]

Kim Bari.

That terrifying woman.

→ [Still don’t believe I saved you?]

He clenched his jaw.

Then—

A voice appeared right in front of the police station entrance.

“Now I feel like you’d want to see me.”

Kim Bari stood there, casually waving her phone.