< 103. Shock and Terror (1) >
It was shocking and terrifying.
Actor Kwak Do-chul has not been able to sleep properly for several days. This is because of the anxiety that has been eating away at his mind since hearing his wife’s threats. He reproaches himself over and over again, saying, “I underestimated that woman.”
But you can’t put spilt milk back in the cup.
I thought she was a simple woman with no principles, no charm, and no authority. I thought that if I got down on my knees and begged, she would give in this time too.
But this time it didn’t work. Kwak Do-chul felt fear and anger at the same time.
‘Fuck, people can love!’
He remembers what his wife said.
‘I won’t say much. I’ll give you one last chance. Go out in front of the reporters and confess. Tell them how you’ve been playing with that half-elf bitch all this time, and how you’re such a vile person. Then I’ll just quietly divorce you.’
When his wife caught him having a secret meeting with his current lover, Kwak Do-chul apologized as he always did.
My wife cried and made a fuss, but the situation was barely managed. She said, as if she had given up. She said she would let it go just this once. She said this was really the last time.
But a few days later, Kwak Do-chul had set up a new lodging, complete with exorcism talismans, to prevent the spy ghost from possessing him. And there, he met his lover again, but was caught again.
I never thought that that foolish woman would hire a private detective to chase after him.
The wife threatened him, saying that she would really divorce him this time. But she added conditions that Kwak Do-chul could not accept.
A press conference confessing to an affair?
‘You’d better do as I say. I’m giving you one last chance to repent and reflect on what you did. If you don’t, I’ll leak all the pictures of the bitches you got caught with before to the press, so look forward to it.’
The achievements he had built up over the years were dancing like a knife at his neck.
‘And the fact that you gambled illegally, got caught for drunk driving, and hit someone while drinking… You’ve covered it up thanks to my dad. I’m going to expose all of that, too.’
It was the worst case scenario.
One affair scandal would be enough to end an actor’s career, but his wife had several more deadly tricks up her sleeve.
He bites his fingernails nervously.
Even in this situation, it is fortunate that she was able to give up her arrogant nature of trying to teach herself and gave her a ‘chance to repent’. It was really unfortunate, but fortunate. At least she had time to come up with a plan. If she had gone straight to the press, there would have been no way to do anything.
‘What should I do?!’
Divorce is inevitable. If a press conference is held, it is obvious that the father-in-law will be furious. The wife has not yet told the father-in-law the whole story, waiting for a confession of conscience, but it is only a matter of time. He will be kicked out as a beggar with a reason for being responsible, and he will not be able to get a single penny of the property in the names of the father-in-law and wife.
Anyway, she was a woman I had seduced for money. I calculated that my father-in-law’s influence would help my career, and it actually had a big impact. I’ve never been in love before. But I don’t want to get divorced either. I can’t be penniless without my livelihood.
With bloodshot eyes, Kwak Do-chul pondered a way out of this crisis.
‘······!’
And then I came up with a plan.
The most effective way was to just throw away a few minor things, like conscience, morality, and humanity.
This marriage was doomed. It was inevitable, to be sure. But there were ways to end the marriage without losing his wife’s fortune and being buried in the industry.
The craftsman doesn’t need to know about this situation. The press doesn’t need to know. The timing was right, since his wife hadn’t filed for divorce.
A few days after making his decision, he sat down at his computer.
He nervously logs onto the dark web and types in the address. It took a lot of money to figure out how to get there. But if things work out, it will cost even more. He has even taken out a loan in his wife’s name for today.
Kwak Do-chul accessed a site with only a chat window on a white screen. He blinked in anxiety. Did he enter the right place?
While I was hesitating for a moment, the other person entered the chat first. Since it was a company located overseas, the counselor spoke in English.
An awkward Korean sentence came to mind after going through a translator.
-Counselor: Hello. Thank you for contacting Helper Service. How can I serve you today?
The gist of it was, ‘How may I help you?’ He hesitated for a moment and then typed a simple Korean sentence.
-Me: I would like to place a request.
The response came back quickly, saying that it had somehow been translated.
-Counselor: Great teacher.
Kwak Do-chul was taken aback by the unexpected compliment, but soon realized that it was a mistranslation of ‘Excellent, sir.’
The other person’s chat continued.
-Consultant: We will need specific explanation. We always do. There are various services and options for you to choose from. What service do you need?
Kwak Do-chul was worried. He had heard that traces on the dark web are difficult to track. But would it be okay to specify specific words?
The opponent seemed to notice the hesitation and struck first.
-Consultant: We have an excellent operating system to meet the needs of our customers. Our customers have given the most positive feedback on our ‘storage’ and ‘cleaning’ services. Which of the two services do you want?
Kwak Do-chul guesses. The storage service probably refers to kidnapping. In that context, it was clear that the service he wanted was packaged under the name of cleaning.
-Me: Cleaning.
-Consultant: Excellent choice. We provide the best service in the field.
-Advisor: Before we proceed, I need payment information. Please tell me the PayPal account linked to your virtual currency.
He did as he was told.
-Counselor: Confirmed. Now, there are a few steps to take. First, we need information about the target. Please submit it in the form below. If the race is a troll, an additional fee of 150% may be incurred. Also, please remember that if the race is not a target for mass immigration or if the target is a person with special abilities, the contract may be terminated.
He hands over the file he had prepared in advance. The chat pauses for a moment as if he is reviewing the contents. Kwak Do-chul swallows dry saliva and waits.
Finally, a response came back.
– Agent: No problem. Now let’s check the schedule and restrictions. These factors can affect the fee. First, when do you want to end this contract?
It seemed like he was asking for a deadline. Since time was of the essence, Kwak Do-chul replied that he would like it done as quickly as possible. The fee would go up, but there was nothing he could do.
Then the counselor asked him what restrictions he thought he had. Kwak Do-chul couldn’t understand what he meant. Then the counselor, as if he had expected it, started listing options in a similar format as before.
-Consultant: Would you like to see photos or videos of what it looks like after cleaning?
-Consultant: Is it necessary to minimize collateral damage during the cleaning process?
-Counselor: Do you consent to the use of explosives during the cleaning process?
-Counselor: Do you need the ‘body’ of the target?
-Counselor: Would you like to receive a tissue sample from the target?
-Counselor: Do I need medical clearance after cleaning?
-Counselor: Do you need to clean up public spaces? Do you want to have the target and information about the cleanup work widely covered in the media?
-Counselor: Is there anyone you would like to frame instead of the real cleaner?
After answering all the questions, the price the consultant gave him was more expensive than he had expected.
But there was no way around it. He would be considered a prime suspect once the job was done. In fact, there was a way to go to the orc community and get a few shots in the hands of drugged thugs. Instead, I contacted them because I heard that they were pretty clean.
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Finally, less than an hour after they started chatting, all the coordination was done and Kwak Do-chul had no choice but to admit it.
Asking for my wife’s murder was much simpler and easier than I thought.
***
Minjun is feeling very uneasy these days.
The cause was hypnosis therapy during sleep that was making no progress.
What he wants is a dream that deals with the time before he started his life as a prisoner. However, Yumtus never got there. Because of that, Minjun has had sixteen dreams about Del so far. It was an incredibly horrible thing.
I’ve had nightmares about other incidents as well, but the frequency of recent incidents has been relatively high.
When he was dissatisfied, Yumtus became discouraged, but the results did not improve.
‘The Patriarch touched a memory that had been deleted at one time.’
But he was killed by Minjun’s hands.
The reason the Patriarch was able to touch the deep realm was because his divine power was running wild. And the reason his divine power was running wild was…
Pfft!
A brilliant light shone from Minjun’s hands. It contained the most beautiful colors in the world.
‘Should I let Yumtus’s divine power run wild?’
The Patriarch had about a million talents in his soul just before he died.
Taking similar measures with Yumtus might have produced the same results.
But he could not be sure. Was this the only way? Deep inside, something was dissatisfied with this choice. It was an intuitive rejection, just as the Elahu-Pragha cult did not like the way they were trying to awaken the Primordial Race.
To be more specific, it felt like something was missing. A key to regaining memories and awakening my people. A key that absolutely must not be missing… I still don’t have it. I don’t think I should make any hasty moves until I get my hands on it.
What’s crazy is that I can’t remember what it was.
Ring ring ring!
Minjun, who was lost in thought, put the talent back and picked up the phone.
-Brother, I’m leaving.
Jeongpal’s voice is heard, exhausted.
-I heard you’re very busy these days. I’m sorry. Do you have some time today?
Minjun didn’t worry.
“Okay, it’s been a while since I’ve seen your face.”
***
Jeongpal arrived a little early for the end of work. His face, which I hadn’t seen in a long time, didn’t look good. An alien with a haggard complexion due to frequent nightmares and a gaunt orc sat facing each other.
As soon as Jeongpal got on his buttocks, he asked anxiously.
“Brother! Actually, it may be rude to ask this, but···.”
“What is it?”
“Am I under some kind of curse?”
It was a remark made without any context or explanation of the circumstances. However, instead of asking for the reason, Minjun looked at him carefully.
And I assert:
“No, there’s nothing like that attached.”
Then Jeongpal showed a noticeably relieved expression.
“Whew! That’s a relief. Just in case.”
“What’s going on?”
Then Jeongpal confessed the whole story of the incident he had been hanging on to recently.
“Did you see the news? Kwak Do-chul is dead.”
Minjun shook his head. He didn’t even have time to turn on the TV these days. Then Jeongpal explained.
“Actually… I was protecting that person.”
But it is said that Gwak Do-chul was murdered by his wife right before his eyes.
And that too with a single stroke of the sword.
“······.”
Minjun frowns because of the trauma. He never actually had his throat cut, but he remembers fighting and yelling at someone to cut it off. He tries to shake it out of his mind.
“That woman, as soon as she killed Kwak Do-chul, all the bones in her body broke and she collapsed. She was carried away. And then the forensic team grabbed the weapon left at the scene and tried to collect it?”
But it is said that the forensic team suddenly turned around and stabbed the magician next to them.
The police suspected a curse as the reason they suddenly went mad.
A curse is something that is triggered by contact with something, but sometimes it can be applied simply by being in the same place. Jeongpal was afraid of that possibility.
“I wanted to come see you right away, but I must have been quite busy in the meantime.”
After that incident, there is continued lamentation about how much they have been internally robbed. Min-jun realizes that the reason Jeong-pal looks particularly tired is not only because he is afraid of the curse, but also because he has not been able to sleep fundamentally.
These past few days, some people have been suffering from sleeping too long and not wanting to, while others have been suffering from lack of sleep.
It was heartbreaking to see his beloved younger brother in such bad condition. Minjun quietly sent a telepathic message towards the basement.
Then, an intangible, colorless holy power immediately filled the room. The orc was so focused on the explanation that he didn’t feel the sudden surge of energy flowing through his body.
“Later, the author of that forensic team was also questioned… He said this. The moment he picked up the sword, a voice came into his head.”
“Voice? Who? Could it be the sword?”
“I didn’t mention this. The weapon found at the scene is the Ego Sword. But the forensic team said that the voice coming from the sword was so pious and holy, it felt like the voice of God. They felt like they had to do whatever he said.”
Minjun tilts his head.
“You’re saying that you can possess someone who holds a sword? That’s usually impossible with a curse. That thing looks like a high-performance ego sword that’s hard to find on Earth.”
“But the wizard who was stabbed said that there was no curse or anything on it. It didn’t even react to the spirit detection magic, so he said it was a cheap sword···.”
“That can’t be. Either an incredibly powerful curse is placed on it, or an incredibly powerful spirit is possessed by it. It’s just that the wizard’s skills are lacking and he can’t see it. In my opinion, it’s more likely the latter. A spirit with mind control abilities is sealed there.”
Then this time, Jeongpal made a face that showed he didn’t understand.
“I don’t know much about that world, but is astral perception magic really that difficult? Do you usually make mistakes?”
“That’s not true. That’s why it’s a bit strange. How could you confidently say that you don’t have a soul? But I’m sure I’m right. Judging from the way you babbled while possessed, it’s hard to dismiss it as an artificial intelligence. The soul’s level is too high to avoid detection. I think it’s visible to my eyes…”
Minjun, who had been talking up to that point, closed his mouth for a moment. It was because he felt a strange sense of foreboding.
Speech that is difficult to attribute to artificial intelligence. However, the soul contained within it is an ego sword that cannot be detected.
It was a strange combination, but somehow it felt familiar.
Minjun felt like he was missing something important. He vaguely realized that he had forgotten something he shouldn’t forget. The awakening was somewhat dull and slow.
“older brother?”
Jung-pal asked curiously, but Min-jun did not answer. He desperately tried to recall what had been deleted from his mind.
At that moment.
“······!”
A bolt of lightning struck his mind. At the same time, sparks flew from his eyes.
Minjun remembered something he had forgotten for so long. And then he shouted.
“···That’s right, a frying pan!”
< 103. Shock and Terror (1) > End
