HFTS 8

Chapter 8

Before long, Yoo Hae-won stood up and stepped back.

“Let’s wait a little until everyone finishes eating.”

The two stood at a moderate distance from the table and looked down at the food.

Yoo Hae-won could see Park Su-ho’s parents eating with happy yet sorrowful expressions, along with the student ghost picking at his food.

It was the very same spirit that had tormented Park Su-ho for so long.

She had brought him here to help him resolve the lingering resentment that kept him bound to this world.

However, she had worried about what might happen if Park Su-ho’s guardian spirits, his parents, saw the ghost and charged at him with the intention of killing him.

But her worries had been completely unfounded.

“My goodness, children your age need to eat a lot! How are you supposed to grow strong if you eat so little?”

“You can’t even eat unless it’s a holiday or ancestral memorial day. Eat as much as you can while you have the chance.”

They had forgiven the student ghost and were even making sure he had enough to eat.

No matter how much they hated that student ghost, it was only natural for them to feel sorry for a child around the same age as their youngest son, who had also died and was now wandering the world as a spirit.

Thinking that people like them were exactly the kind of people who became guardian spirits, Yoo Hae-won turned to Park Su-ho.

“I won’t tell the other kids about your parents.”

Park Su-ho, who had been glancing at her nervously, flinched.

“Huh?”

“You’re worried I might tell the others that your parents passed away, right? That’s why you hurriedly kicked me out yesterday.”

She had noticed his reaction when she saw his family photo the day before.

She had immediately realized that Park Su-ho usually hid the fact that his parents had died from other people.

Even now, Park Su-ho was watching her cautiously, still unsure whether he could trust her.

“Actually, my whole family died when I was little, too. Right in front of my eyes.”

So Yoo Hae-won brought up a part of her past that she had never shared with anyone else.

Only then did Park Su-ho’s expression change.

“How… did it happen?”

“A car accident. I was thrown out through the window and survived. My parents and my older brother…”

Yoo Hae-won forced a smile, but there was no life in her eyes.

Park Su-ho realized that her expression was just like his own when he pretended to be fine in front of his relatives.

“Thank you for telling me. That couldn’t have been easy to talk about.”

“I thought you might feel more at ease if I told you.”

“I would have trusted you even if you hadn’t. You even performed an exorcism for me. And you said from the beginning that you wouldn’t tell anyone else you were a shaman.”

She knew that.

Perhaps it was because Park Su-ho had such a kind heart that she had found herself wanting to tell him about her family without even realizing it.

Maybe she had wanted to share her circumstances with at least one person outside her new family.

Now that I look at him, his spirit is remarkably pure.

Until now, she hadn’t been able to see it because of the evil energy from the spirit that had been clinging to him, but Park Su-ho’s spirit was exceptionally pure and strong.

He was naturally the type of person who wasn’t easily affected by ghosts.

If it had been anyone else, they would have long since become unable to live a normal life and suffered all kinds of misfortune. But because it was Park Su-ho, perhaps all he had experienced were occasional strokes of bad luck.

“Hmm… Still, I feel like you wouldn’t have believed me. You’re not the type to believe in shamans, ghosts, or fortune-telling, are you?”

“…Can you see things like that, too?”

When Park Su-ho said she was like someone who could guess everything with pinpoint accuracy, Yoo Hae-won burst out laughing.

Perhaps because she had revealed everything to Park Su-ho, she felt no tension around him at all, unlike when she was at school.

Before long, the atmosphere relaxed, and the two began talking more comfortably than before.

“Come to think of it, what happened to the ghost you said was attached to me? Was it an evil spirit?”

“It wasn’t an evil spirit. It was a gaekgwi.”

“A gaekgwi?”

“It means the spirit of someone who died unjustly in a traffic accident. The ghost was around our age, and it seems they were obsessed with academic performance when they were alive.”

Park Su-ho found her explanation chilling, but at the same time, he suddenly felt sorry for the spirit.

“It was a pitiful soul. That fraudulent shaman caught it and used it for all sorts of things. But it also enjoyed tormenting you, so I gave it a good scolding for that.”

“Hmm…? You gave it a good scolding? You didn’t exorcise it?”

“Ah… Well, it said it would leave once it resolved its lingering resentment. So it’s still here for now.”

As Yoo Hae-won giggled and scratched her cheek, Park Su-ho’s face instantly turned pale.

“D-Don’t tell me that bowl over there is also…?!”

“Yep. That’s the high school girl ghost. But don’t worry. I wouldn’t have brought her here if she were going to hurt you. In fact, I thought she might be good for you right now.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, the thing is…”

Beep, beep, beep, beep—Beep!

Just as Yoo Hae-won was about to explain, the sound of the door lock suddenly rang out.

“Ugh… I’m dead tired. Su-ho! Your big brother is home!”

A man with a scruffy appearance and a sharply pointed beard walked in, groaning as he entered.

After taking off his shoes and lifting his head, he stared blankly at his younger brother, who looked flustered, and the unfamiliar girl standing beside him.

Then he narrowed his eyes at his younger brother.

“You little rascal… Just because your big brother doesn’t come home often, you bring a girl over…”

“It’s not like that!”

Park Su-ho shouted with a flushed face and hastily explained that she was a friend from school who had come to visit.

“Oh-ho.”

Meanwhile, Yoo Hae-won looked at Park Su-ho’s older brother with surprise.

Park Su-ho had a jeonggwan in his physiognomy, which suggested that he was well-mannered, upright, and somewhat rigid, but also had a strong sense of justice.

This meant he was destined for a career in public service or a profession such as medicine or law.

His older brother, on the other hand, had an aura as fierce as a tiger. Even his eyes resembled a tiger’s, and he bore the mark of gyeoksal, a sign associated with danger and conflict.

“Are you a detective, by any chance? A homicide detective?”

At Yoo Hae-won’s sudden question, the older brother, who had been bickering with Park Su-ho, widened his eyes.

Then he looked down at his younger brother, whom he had put in a headlock.

“What? Didn’t you say you never told anyone about me?”

“I never did! She just transferred to our school a few days ago!”

“Really? Well, you’re right. I’m a detective. But how did you know?”

When Park Su-ho’s older brother asked in amazement, Yoo Hae-won smiled sweetly.

“You just looked like one. I’ve met detectives from time to time, and you have the same strong aura as them, Mr. Park.”

The moment she looked at him, she had seen cold handcuffs and the image of him chasing criminals.

More than anything, standing firmly behind him was an ancestral spirit whose presence was far stronger than that of Park Su-ho’s parents.

He had lost his parents at an early age and struggled to take care of his younger brother. However, his ancestral spirit had continued to help him from behind the scenes, allowing him to get through those difficult years without too much trouble.

“My name is Yoo Hae-won. I’m sorry for visiting so early on a weekend morning.”

Yoo Hae-won bowed politely, and Park Su-ho’s older brother scratched his beard, looking a little embarrassed.

“Oh, well… I’m Park Seong-ho. If you ever get into trouble, need my help, or… something happens to my younger brother, contact me here. That guy hardly ever tells me anything about himself.”

Park Seong-ho whispered as he handed Yoo Hae-won his business card.

Park Su-ho demanded to know what he was doing and hurriedly separated the two.

Park Seong-ho chuckled, saying he was only joking, until he noticed the lavish spread of food on the table.

“Huh? You even prepared a meal? Did you make all this for me, too?”

“Ah, well…”

Park Su-ho glanced nervously at Yoo Hae-won, who smiled and nodded.

“Yes, that’s right! Su-ho told me you would be coming home soon, so he prepared all sorts of dishes. I haven’t eaten yet, either, so I thought we’d have brunch together.”

Without batting an eye, she smoothly rattled off one lie after another.

Park Seong-ho looked at his younger brother with deep emotion.

“You prepared enough food to break the table legs, even though you had no idea when I’d be coming home?”

“Ah, come on… I-I was just trying it out. Anyway, go wash up first. You smell like a lonely old bachelor, hyung.”

“Tch. Fine. I’ll be back after a quick shower, so let’s eat together!”

With that, Park Seong-ho hurried into the bathroom, and soon the sound of him washing up could be heard, accompanied by his cheerful humming.

Park Su-ho rubbed his face as if exhausted and looked at Yoo Hae-won.

“Sorry. I didn’t think my brother would come home so soon. But… is it really okay for us to eat the food from the ancestral ritual table?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? People usually share the food after the ancestral rites anyway. Besides, everyone has eaten their fill, so it’s fine now.”

Saying that they just needed to reheat some of the side dishes and soup, Yoo Hae-won picked up a few bowls and put them in the microwave.

Feeling awkward, Park Su-ho followed her and brought over the other bowls.

“But seriously, how did you know my brother was a detective?”

“He has the typical aura and facial features of a detective. If he ever gets his fortune told, he’s probably heard plenty of times that he’ll have a stable job for life. Besides, a good ancestral spirit is protecting him from behind, so even if he runs into dangerous criminals, he won’t get seriously hurt. You don’t need to worry too much.”

Park Su-ho had secretly worried about his older brother because he had been injured several times while chasing criminals.

Watching Yoo Hae-won comfort him as if she could even see into his heart, Park Su-ho thought to himself once again,

She’s really gifted.

“Ahh, that feels great. Is everyone still waiting to eat? …Huh? What’s wrong with your leg?”

“Are you only noticing that now?”

Less than ten minutes after entering the bathroom, Park Seong-ho came out looking neat and refreshed.

The three of them sat around the folding table and began eating.

Park Su-ho was somewhat quiet because of the strange combination of people gathered there, but Park Seong-ho and Yoo Hae-won chatted and laughed happily as if they had known each other for years.

She seems more comfortable than when she’s with her friends at school.

Yoo Hae-won looked more natural and unreserved now than she had at school.