ANTITOXIN Chapter 37

Seolwon’s brow furrowed. How on earth was he supposed to provide proof of working?

While he was pondering over what to reply, another new message popped up.

‹ Jaeyi › 

You do know how to press the camera button, right?

So, it meant he should take a photo of himself working and send it.

Although he didn’t understand why he had to do that, Seolwon had no choice but to take a photo of just a part of the painting he was working on and send it.

Having checked it immediately this time too, Cha Jaeyi sent a real-time reaction.

‹ Jaeyi › 

There’s no face.

Could it mean he should take a selfie or something and send it?

Far from taking a selfie, it was a demand close to impossible for Seolwon, who lived his life completely distanced from photos. It wasn’t an exaggeration; from the time he was born until now, he had never once even thought about taking something like a selfie.

It was just when he was pondering how to refuse.

‹ Jaeyi › 

If a face goes out, a face should come back. 

No dine-and-dash. 

If you don’t take it, I’m going over to take it for you.

“Seriously, this crazy prick…”

He still didn’t know how old the man was, but no matter how he looked at it, he was someone around his own age or older, yet somehow, judging only by the way he wrote messages, he felt like a much younger child.

At any rate, there is no match for someone throwing a tantrum. Furthermore, even more so when it was a tantrum thrown by such a selfish and self-willed bastard.

Let’s just do as he asks and end it quickly. Having made up his mind like that, Seolwon turned on the camera function and honestly took a photo of his own face for the first time in his life. Angles and filters were things he naturally had to pass on.

Cha Jaeyi’s evaluation of the roughly taken selfie was exceedingly honest.

‹ Jaeyi › ? Who are you Why so ugly

It was a serious and harsh evaluation, without even a shred of humor to be felt. For once, Seolwon was sincerely incensed.

“Fuck.”

Even in the midst of that, messages arrived from Cha Jaeyi in succession.

‹ Jaeyi › 

It’s fine because I’m handsome. 

It fits well balance-wise. 

Let’s fill in each other’s lacking parts. 

But Mr. Han Seolwon has too many lacking things, so it does feel like I’m taking a loss.

It was a truly overflowing confidence. At the undeniable fact, Seolwon just ended up letting out a smirk.

“Unbelievable.”

Heh, heh. Idle laughter kept leaking through his teeth.

To be honest, yes, lately it wasn’t that he just felt terrified and strange. As the contact continued, there were times when his tension would loosen up like this at Cha Jaeyi’s light words and actions.

Pondering what to reply again, Seolwon sent a half-hearted text telling him roughly to have a good day, and stood up from his seat.

Whoosh—

He washed his hands with cold water.

Since his concentration had been disrupted because of a certain someone, he had taken the opportunity to go take care of his physiological needs.

After washing moderately, he turned off the faucet and shook his hands out. Since there was no separate dryer, he had no choice but to just dry them in the air. At any rate, whether it hadn’t been long since it was cleaned, the smell of bleach vibrated heavily in the restroom.

While shaking off the moisture, Seolwon looked at the mirror without any thought. Within the mirror, which had mold growing here and there, his own face was contained entirely. His pale complexion, which he often heard made him look sick, was the same as usual today. Suddenly, Cha Jaeyi’s text came to mind. That text asking who he was and why he was so ugly.

“Tsk, I’m not ugly…”

Feeling unfairly accused for no reason, he grumbled in a low voice. Then, he soon let out a self-derisive laugh. It was because he felt pathetic for sincerely letting his mood get ruined by Cha Jaeyi’s nonsense.

“Whatever.”

To brush away the useless thoughts, he shook the back of his head out. And it was right when he closed and opened his eyes.

In an instant, his breath hitched.

It was because the form of someone other than himself was reflected in the mirror. There was definitely no one there just a moment ago…

Startled, he turned his body to check behind his back. However, there was nothing. The form that had existed inside the mirror was nowhere to be seen.

Again, he looked at the mirror. It was the same. Even within the mirror, the form had vanished and was gone.

“…What was that?”

Seolwon muttered in a low voice, chewing over the form he had seen earlier.

It was a woman. A woman wearing a white jeogori and holding bells in both of her hands. Half of her face was covered by shadow and couldn’t be seen, but judging by the clothes she was wearing and the ritual implements held in both hands, she was unmistakably a shaman.

Could it have been a ghost?

Since it wasn’t a person, it would be correct to view it as a spiritual entity. However, if it were a spiritual entity, a yin energy ought to be felt. No matter how weak an energy it possessed, it made no sense that I, whose spiritual gate was open, couldn’t perceive the entity’s energy at all.

If it was neither a person nor a spiritual entity… a hallucination? Or a vision?

…No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t make a judgment on what its identity was.

“Haa…”

Suddenly becoming tired, Seolwon turned on the faucet and washed his face with cold water. The coldness of the water seemed to temporarily refresh his complex mind.

After washing, he lifted his head again and looked at the mirror. Still, there was only himself inside the mirror.

Forget it. Let’s ignore it.

Seeing how it vanished quickly, it must be nothing major; there’s no need to pay any more attention to it. Deeming it so, he roughly wiped the moisture off his face and left the restroom.

However.

Jingle, jingle.

“…!”

No sooner had he stepped outside than the sound of bells was heard.

Jingle, jingle, jingle…

A clear yet eerie sound echoed in succession.

Seolwon, who was standing still, frozen, slowly turned his head toward the direction the bell sound was coming from.

An endlessly unfolding hallway was visible. Existing at the end of the hallway was a deep darkness whose depth could not be measured. From within that darkness, the sound of bells was flowing out.

Jingle, jingle, jingle, jingle, jingle!

The sound gradually grew louder.

Every time the bells rang, the darkness also surged greatly and took a stride toward him.

It was completely different from the form of the hallway he knew, which he had even passed by earlier. It was a distinct hallucination. However, in the sense that he was seeing it with his eyes, it was also real.

Inevitably, a sense of fear rushed in. In an instant, goosebumps broke out across his entire body. His heart, which had dropped heavily, also began to beat irregularly.

Jiggle-jangle-jiggle-jangle-jiggle-jangle-jiggle-jangle-jiggle-jangle-jiggle-jangle-jiggle-jangle!

The sound of the bells grew faster as it went on. The darkness, which knew not what it might harbor, took another stride forward.

His heart, eaten away by fear, fluctuated madly. Pushed back by the sense of heterogeneity pressing down on his chest area, Seolwon took backward steps. One step, two steps, three steps… As if determined not to miss a single thing, the darkness imbued with the bell sounds pushed forward even faster. And so, right before he was finally about to be swallowed up.

“…excuse me. Ex… cuse me? Excuse me!”

“…!”

Seolwon opened his eyes with a start.

His vision, which had turned pitch black for an instant, became bright once again. And a face he had seen a few times was caught in front of his eyes. It was a technician belonging to the office who frequented the workshop like him.

“Are you okay?”

The man asked. Giving off an inkling of being creeped out rather than being worried.

Blinking his two eyes rapidly, Seolwon looked around his surroundings. The hallway was visible. Not the deep darkness and the infinitely unfolding hallway, but the hallway in the exact appearance that he knew. The fluorescent light was blinking faintly, emitting light with a constant rhythm, and the workshop door, which was less than ten steps away, was also just as it was.

In short, it was reality.

“Huh? Uh, uh!”

The man who was examining Seolwon suddenly pointed his finger and shouted. At the same time, Seolwon, who felt a warm sensation leaking below his nose, reflexively wiped beneath his nose.

“Ugh.”

On the fingertips he checked immediately after, a red liquid was smeared.

It was blood. A nosebleed.

“Ah…”

With a surge, another handful of blood poured from his nose. The man, who was hovering around with a flustered expression, said he would bring some tissues and ran past Seolwon into the restroom.

Drip, drop.

Wiping away the endlessly falling nosebleed, Seolwon muttered weakly.

“Again…”

Hallucinations of unknown meaning, auditory hallucinations like a warning, a violent heartbeat, trembling hands, heavy air, tangled senses, cold sweat, a lukewarm headache, dark red nosebleeds… Seolwon knew. He knew all too well.

That all of this was a notice.

That that terrible spirit sickness would visit him again before long…

It was always the case, but as expected, the premonition never failed.

“Uuugh…!”

The sound of bells, starting up again, announced the beginning of the torment.