The Night Of The Untraced Chapter 5

The school, after the weekend, was filled with the lively atmosphere characteristic of March. Like newly sprouted seedlings, newly formed groups were crossing the campus, each heading towards their destination. Naturally, for most students, their destination was either home or a bar.

In the midst of it all, Seungjoo stood in front of a vending machine with one hand in his pocket. He tightly clenched his teeth, staring intently at the vending machine, which was brightly lit, with his eyes full of strength.

Having already inserted the bill, the vending machine buttons were illuminated with a bright white light. It was as if the headlights shining on a new road. Although he had only seen the intensely bright light once, it was unforgettable.

“I must be possessed by a ghost…”

Muttered Seungjoo softly, clenching his fist. As his hand brushed against the paper inside his pocket, a subtle energy he had never felt before emerged. It was a clear and refreshing energy, reminiscent of Kim Muryeong, who made this talisman.

For some reason, it felt cold, indicating that it wasn’t just a matter of temperature. Realizing this fact made his expression naturally scrunch up enough to engrave wrinkles on his forehead. Of course, whether wrinkles appeared or not, it was difficult to relax his expression.

“Sigh…”

“Seungjoo!”

Suddenly, someone touched Seungjoo’s arm. Startled, Seungjoo turned around, and his reaction surprised the other person even more. Seungjoo checked the face below him and quickly licked his tongue to hide his embarrassment.

“Oh… Kim Seohyun, you scared me.”

It was Seohyun. She had a bewildered expression, as if she hadn’t expected to startle him this much.

“Why, I was even more surprised. Were you scared?”

“Scared? Not really.”

Seungjoo replied roughly and sighed. It was Monday afternoon, after all the lectures had ended. He had just considered getting a drink or a snack before going home. It wasn’t that he was thirsty, just… a little troubled.

It seemed he was more startled by familiar faces than by a pot lid. He was aware that he had overreacted.

“Why did you call me?”

“Well, we’re going to eat with the others, and you were standing here.”

Nearby, Seungjoo’s friends were visible. Since they were all from the same department, Seungjoo just nodded in their direction. Seohyun belatedly noticed the vending machine that had just lit up and raised her eyebrows.

“Are you going to get a drink? I’m getting coffee.”

Although she seemed to be joking, Seungjoo chose coffee without saying a word. When Seohyun handed him the can that came out of the vending machine, she widened her eyes.

“Oh? Really?”

“If you don’t want it, just say so.”

“Wow, thanks.”

As soon as Seohyun took the can, Seungjoo inserted another bill into the vending machine. He thought about getting coffee, but he felt like it might just make him thirstier, so he opted for an ion drink instead. Seohyun looked at him drinking from the can with admiration.

“Hey, seems like you’re really thirsty. In that case, do you want to come for a drink with us?”

“What’s the point of that?”

Although it was a natural invitation, Seungjoo wasn’t interested at all. He let out a hollow laugh with a bewildered expression and threw the empty can into the trash.

“You guys go ahead and drink. I’m going home.”

“Aww. It’s more fun with more people.”

Seohyun, like Jinwoo, was one of the first friends Seungjoo made when he entered university. They met for the first time at the university orientation and naturally became friends as they had a few overlapping classes. More accurately, they became close quickly because they complained about the older students like old geezers.

“Are you really not coming? If you say you’re coming, I’ll call Choi Jinwoo too.”

“Even if Jinwoo comes, I’m still not drinking.”

Whether Jinwoo came or not, Seungjoo had no intention of drinking. Seohyun seemed to understand that fact and didn’t insist any further, wearing a disappointed expression. She followed Seungjoo, gesturing to their friends, and walked alongside him as he moved his steps.

“Did you have a good time on Saturday?”

“…”

Suddenly, Seungjoo came to a halt. It was because of the worries that had momentarily slipped his mind at the mention of ‘Saturday’.

The constantly red traffic light, the cars speeding by even in the dead of night, the trembling fingertips, and the mature voice that lingered in his ears.

“Looks like… your spiritual eye is opening.”

There exists something called the spiritual eye. It’s the ability to see spirits, essentially the power to see ghosts. It’s an ability that should not exist in ordinary people, only a few can handle it.

While most people have spiritual energy, not everyone has their spiritual eye opened. The stronger the spiritual energy, the greater the possibility of opening the spiritual eye. But even then, to properly perceive entities, one needs to be an adept user of spiritual abilities.

In that sense, Seungjoo’s body was like a vessel that could never see ghosts in his lifetime, unless the heavens collapsed. Even if he were beaten to death, his spiritual energy wouldn’t come out, and without spiritual energy, there would be no spiritual eye opening. Without even feeling the slightest hint, he thought any talk of ghosts in the world was irrelevant to him.

“Yeah, I thought so too.”

But I thought so.

“…Crazy.”

He remembered the sensation that sent chills down his spine. Even the sight of the woman who was seemingly indistinguishable from any other person standing unaffected after being hit by a car. Her eyes had no focus, and her expressionless face seemed almost like a mannequin.

“Why would that…?”

Why would that appear before my eyes? He couldn’t even finish saying that. His voice, on the verge of crying due to the wind choking his throat, would sound like he was crying.

But somehow Muheun understood what Seungjoo was trying to say and replied in his usual gentle voice.

“It’s because my spiritual energy has transferred to you, Seungjoo.”

For a whopping 20 years, Muheun, the spiritual ability user who lived next door to Seungjoo, his answer was nothing short of a bolt from the blue for Seungjoo. He was momentarily so stunned that his mind became dizzy. Muheun firmly embraced Seungjoo as if soothing a restless child and softened his voice.

“You’re kind… it’s okay.”

“…”

Unjust as it may seem, it was solely thanks to that whisper that Seungjoo regained his senses. Not because it was trustworthy, but because the soothing tone sounded strangely comforting. A moment later, various ways to transfer the spiritual energy came to mind.

Seungjoo slowly pulled away from Muheun’s embrace. He wanted to push him away, but he knew that if he did, he might end up being embarrassed. Fortunately, Muheun let go of Seungjoo without resistance, and as soon as he stood up straight, he calmly began to explain.

“It’s probably a temporary phenomenon. Usually, it should close again within a day…”

Muheun glanced down at Seungjoo for a moment. It was a brief moment, but his gaze seemed to blur slightly. In an instant, he squinted his eyes and spoke as if he felt sorry for Seungjoo.

“It’ll take you longer.”

“…”

What did I do to deserve this prolonged period? He couldn’t ask that. He just swallowed the urge to retort with numerous possibilities swirling in his mind. Muheun, who was staring at Seungjoo in silence, finally uttered a single word in his gentle voice.

“Hyung will take responsibility.”

“…What do you mean?”

Responsibility. Somehow, it sounded ominously foreboding. Seungjoo’s face showed a hint of caution, but on the contrary, Muheun leisurely extended the tail of his words.

“Well, since it’s not possible to take back the spiritual energy…”

As their eyes met, Seungjoo unconsciously took a step back. It was a posture that seemed to cover Seungjoo’s eyes, even if it was just for a moment. Through the gap in his open hand, the corners of his mouth rose sharply.

“It would be troublesome if something like today happens again.”

It sounded like a warning of the same thing happening again. Muheun, who occasionally sees the future, may have seen another possibility. Knowing that fact, Seungjoo could only send a blank stare without saying anything.

“Let’s just wait for a moment.”

With those words as his final remark, Muheun approached the woman who had been standing on the road until then. He seemed to hesitate for a moment when she didn’t respond after he said something to her.

Then Muheun took an action: after briefly glancing at Seungjoo, he took out an amulet from his pocket.

“…”

Seungjoo instinctively knew. It was a different type of amulet from the one I had been carrying. First of all, the energy emanating from it was different, and the characters written on the yellowed paper were much more intricate.

“Is he going to use that to perform an exorcism?” Such a question crossed his mind momentarily, but then a bright blue flame flickered from between Muheun’s index and middle fingers, which were holding the amulet.

“Wow…”

It wasn’t admiration, but astonishment. Now he has seen it all, that kind of sigh. Although he had seen plenty of amulets before, witnessing fire igniting from nothingness in the air was a first.

“Seungjoo.”

Muheun turned to Seungjoo with an indifferent face, as if the burning flames weren’t even hot. When Seungjoo stared blankly at him, he spoke kindly, like calming a child.

“Close your eyes and count to 100.”

“…”

Though it sounded humiliating, Seungjoo obediently closed his eyes. He had no intention of actually counting the numbers; he just planned to keep doing as told until he was told it was okay to stop. Muheun, whom I knew, didn’t usually speak empty words, so I assumed there was a reason behind his instruction not to look.

After some time passed, he heard the sound of a door from somewhere. It was a creaking sound, as if an old and stiff latch was screaming. It wasn’t a sound one would hear on a busy road in the city.

“Nice to see you again after so long.”

When Muheun said that, Seungjoo couldn’t help but cover his ears. Whatever was happening, he didn’t want to know anymore.

For a while, the surroundings seemed to buzz, and then a high-pitched whistle pierced his ears.

And then, the creaking… thud.

“…”

What kind of door just closed? Seungjoo knew that the time Muheun mentioned had ended, but he didn’t move for a moment. Only after a cautious hand grabbed his wrist did he manage to lift his eyelids.

“Were you scared?”

He didn’t bother answering Muheun’s playful question. Seeing Seungjoo naturally ignore him, Muheun smiled gently as if it were a familiar sight. Behind Muheun, the woman’s figure was no longer visible.

As Seungjoo looked around anxiously, Muheun spoke with utmost kindness.

“Let’s go, I’ll take you home.”