I’m the Only One Who Can’t See Ghosts - I’m the Only One Who Can’t See Ghosts chapter 13

13 – A Trustworthy Warmth (2)

The soul is cruel, obsessive, and harbors grudges.

Therefore, it is said that those who explore and manipulate the soul also possess such qualities.

Thus, even if the formidable pair, Bak-il, who is the embodiment of the goddess of heaven, and Na-yu, who is the manifestation of the sun, refused to assassinate Kim So-jin, the individuals with psychic abilities could not abandon their desire for revenge against Kim So-jin.

“My son died.”

“My nephew died.”

“My father died.”

They were consumed by the desire for revenge.

“A guest from the Divine Sect has arrived.”

Driven by their enmity, they accepted the help of the delusional followers of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, whom everyone acknowledged.

* * *

How should one teach a child?

Some say it should be done sternly.

While others say it should be done gently.

I believed both were correct.

Therefore, today’s strategy involved both carrots and sticks.

The Good Cop Bad Cop strategy.

We would begin with the Bad Cop approach,

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Treating Jam-soon strictly.

I confidently opened the door and quickly scanned the room. I found him. Jam-soon. He looked at me with his head tilted.

“What’s up?”

“Hey. Let’s have a talk.”

As Jam-soon mirrored my serious expression, his own expression became serious.

“What is it? What do you want to talk about?”

“Do you plan to live like this? Without any dreams? Just playing games in your room?”

After hearing my words, Jam-soon fell silent for a moment.

And the girl opened her mouth again.

“Oh, I don’t think this kind of life is so bad.”

“How long do you think you can live like this? Are you not going to school? Are you not going to make friends?”

“I have internet friends.”

“Stop joking and tell me the truth.”

Perhaps my firm tone did not please her. Jamsooni started to glare at me.

“School? Friends? Living while creating weaklings or a mob. Someone like me doesn’t need that.”

“You’re talking like a middle schooler with a superiority complex. Right? Hey, starting from tomorrow, go to school. I’ll help you with the paperwork.”

“Why are you being so pushy today? You know I can’t do anything outside.”

Jamsooni’s expression began to freeze coldly.

Honestly, Jamsooni objectively speaking, was beautiful.

So every change in her expression came through clearly.

“All those outsiders want to exploit me. You feel it too. Those bastards who ambushed us aren’t just a few. They’re all guys who gathered with dirty thoughts about me.”

What the hell.

Could it be that this kid is a victim of school violence?

Ugh, but as an adult, I couldn’t give up.

Okay, there are guys like bullies. Honestly speaking, I’m quite good with my fists. I’m not sure about weapons, but I can definitely take on 3 to 1 in a fight between guys.

“I will help you.”

“What nonsense. You can’t help me.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Why?”

For a moment, Jamsooni’s expression looked sad.

“Because you’re too nice.”

Because I’m too nice. Honestly, I doubt if I can call the guy who deceived a brat and made money with a computer as nice. So it stabbed my conscience even more.

“Let’s stop now. I’m tired of this annoying talk.”

Jamsooni grabs my sleeve.

Her expression looked desperate somehow.

“Hey, let’s play games instead of standing here and being serious. Yeah? This time, while I was raiding, I got the Ring of Darkness and I need help with it…”

I handed my bank book to Jamsooni.

It was the money that Jamsooni earned.

And he said.

“You made some money. You didn’t take a penny.”

“Why, why are you giving this to me all of a sudden?”

“Go. And don’t come back to this room.”

There are a few things that I really dislike. Delivery fees over 4,000 won, NTR developments, and girls’ tears. So when Jamsoon started shedding tears, my heart almost softened. But I couldn’t let my guard down just yet.

“Why, why are you doing this?”

I wanted to comfort Jamsoon as she sniveled, but I held myself back. If I didn’t stop here, Jamsoon would become an internet recluse, a hikkikomori loli girl.

“Get out.”

“Why. Why all of a sudden, why. You bastard.”

Jamsoon timidly raised a middle finger. But there was no way for her to resist my masculine strength. Jamsoon was dragged out.

“Damn it, I hate you. I hate you. Why are you like this?”

Knowing that force wouldn’t work, Jamsoon timidly created a middle finger with her other hand. But my determination was firm.

“Sob, snivel. Uwaaah.”

Bang – The sound of a crying child echoed behind the closed door.

I slumped down, feeling the triangle in my heart spinning.

* * *

The captain of the Witch Extermination Squad regretted accepting the proposal from the Clan Union. But there was no way to turn back now.

He had committed robbery and murder due to his gambling debts, and he couldn’t refuse the proposal that promised not only the deletion of his criminal record if he succeeded in witch extermination, but also the eradication of his gambling debts.

No matter how powerful the Three Divisions were, they were still just women.

How powerful could they be?

The captain had once thought that.

But when he saw the girl with tear stains, floating in the sky, the captain sensed that he had died. It was like a whale, an abyss, a tall mountain, an endless precipice. The captain’s soul knew that it was about to perish, and began to scream in horror.

“I’m really not in a good mood today.”

The girl murmured in a locked voice.

“I won’t kill the one who escaped, so get out of my sight right now.”

But the Witch Extermination Squad couldn’t escape.

Their souls were bound by a contract.

There was no need for any more conversation.

Both the girl and the Witch Extermination Squad shouted with one heart.

“Activate the principles.”

“Physical Manifestation.”

“It’s fascinating.”

Countless attacks flew towards the girl. The flying attacks resembled bullets in a shooting game. However, the girl did not dodge the attacks.

Instead of avoiding them, she retaliated with her own attacks.

“The Principle Activation. Dangsanmokchang.”

A wooden spear began to form in the girl’s left hand. This spear could only be used by Kim Sojin, the only one who could harness the principles of the soul and create a spear intertwined with the roots of the Dangsan trees that protected the village.

The Dangsan trees had the role of tethering the evil spirits trying to enter the village and the wandering spirits with their roots. This was how the village was spiritually protected.

And now, with Sojin collecting the souls of the destroyed villages and combining them into one, the Dangsan trees became beings loyal to the principle of binding souls and merging with them.

The barrage of attacks was absorbed by the flying spear. The spear absorbed all the attacks and emitted a bright white light, leaving a trail in the midst of the night.

And thus, as the spear pierced through, the majority of the enemy forces were annihilated.

It was that moment.

As the souls of the enemy forces were offered as sacrifices, a curse was unleashed upon the being that had killed her. This curse restricted Kim Sojin’s actions.

The curse was a curse of flightlessness. Black chains made from curse runes clung to Sojin’s ankles and wrists. If it had been a malicious curse, it could have easily been undone as the consumption of sacrificed souls would have been expedited. However, this curse restricted only movement, making it difficult for even Kim Sojin to undo.

“If only it had been chains made of souls, I could have compelled obedience and released myself. Instead, the souls of the enemy forces were sacrificed, eliminating their spiritual traits.”

Sojin bit her lips. Even if she had not been so excited, she could have avoided this trap. If she had taken a closer look at the souls of the enemy forces, she could have realized they were imbued with a dreadful sacrificial ritual.

At that moment, some men appeared.

The girl felt fear as she looked at these men.

“Cheonma Divine Sect, suicide terrorists.”

To be precise, she felt fear at the sight of the corruption that surrounded the men. Corruption Induction, in fact, was a technique created by a religious group known as the Cheonma Divine Sect.

The Cheonma Divine Sect, which idolized extreme corruption, had mastered various techniques that used corruption. People referred to these techniques as “Cheonmagong” and feared them.

As the men activated Corruption Induction and approached, Kim Sojin did not cease her pact. Instead, she activated a white barrier.

“The Principle Activation. Lotus Everlasting Wall.”

It was a barrier that utilized the purifying nature of eternal lotus. Unless it was extreme corruption known as the Great Corruption, the barrier could not be penetrated.

To buy some time, Sojin spoke to them.

“Even for someone without supernatural abilities, reversing corruption is a dangerous task.”

No, it was even more dangerous for those without supernatural abilities. Supernatural ability users could defend against corruption with their own abilities, but ordinary individuals had no means to protect themselves.

The physical body is greatly influenced by the soul. If the soul is corroded and falls ill, leading to its demise, the physical body, inseparable from the soul, also becomes ill and will ultimately perish. Ordinary individuals had no way of preventing this once they were tainted by corruption.

Even weak corruption brought about irreversible consequences such as gout, Crohn’s disease, and leukemia. Strong corruption would lead to death within a few days, without a doubt. And the Great Corruption needed no mention.

One touch for an ordinary person meant instant death.

Even a supernatural ability user would not last more than a few minutes.

“Is it dangerous to reverse negativity?”

A believer of the Thousand Demons Sect laughs.

Reversing negativity is a blessed act. It means getting closer to the Immeasurable Dark Water.

“So, did you get lung cancer? You don’t seem like a smoker, since you don’t smell like tobacco. It must have been unfair. What did you do?”

This fact was discovered through Kim Sojin’s divination, but the believer of the Thousand Demons Sect continued without pausing even after hearing it.

“It doesn’t matter.”

And he made a pact.

“It doesn’t matter if I can get closer to the Cult Leader.”

And he chanted a spell.

“Come forth. Immeasurable Dark Entity.”

In this world, there is something known as extreme negativity. It is a substance that only a few believers of the Thousand Demons Sect can manipulate, and it is said to be the absolute negativity that erodes all souls.

When one reverses extreme negativity within their body, the man’s skin begins to melt away and his hair starts falling out. It seems he couldn’t endure it for long; perhaps he wasn’t a high-ranking official of the sect.

When the girl had such thoughts, extreme negativity pierced through the lotus barrier and started to flow towards her.

Kim Sojin laughed upon seeing that sight.

Yes, so he’s going to die like this today.

How weakened he had made himself over the past few months.

But somehow, she didn’t dislike that weakness.

“This is a bit terrifying.”

The girl closed her eyes, looking at the approaching negativity. And then, two figures appeared, giving off a piercing wave of extreme negativity.

Their names were Park Il and Na Yu. They had thought nothing of this day being the day to assassinate Kim Sojin and didn’t pay attention until they felt the presence of extreme negativity, causing them to rush out.

“Tch. How gruesome.”

But it was already too late. Kim Sojin was reversing the extreme negativity. It would be quite a challenge for a monster like her to endure, but if she didn’t erase the negativity, she would eventually die.

But who would touch extreme negativity?

Such a fearful, gruesome, and terrifying substance?

Who would touch those who had turned to the extreme of negativity and bring them to be cleansed? Their own souls would be painfully destroyed and annihilated as a price.

Not even family could do such a thing. To those who could see and feel souls, it was an unbearable torment and fear. So, despite the pity in their hearts, Park Il and Na Yu couldn’t step forward.

“F**k!!!”

So, when the man rushed out, they were shocked.

“These crazy gangsters are about to beat up a high school girl!!! Don’t they know how terrifying cybernetic machines are these days!!! Just wait, you bastards!!!”

Yoo Haejin shouted and rushed out, immediately outnumbering the believers of the Thousand Demons Sect. The believers resisted and expelled the negativity, but Yoo Haejin couldn’t see any ghosts. They just looked like people muttering to themselves. And with a justice-infused dropkick, Yoo Haejin knocked down all the other believers.

“Yu Hajin dropkick!!!”

Having knocked down all the worshippers, Yu Hajin looked at the dirtied and bruised Kim Sojin.

“Damn, crazy bastards.”

Though it felt as if his soul was being torn apart, Kim Sojin felt good. It was because he thought that if he were to die like this, that man would remember him for the rest of his life. Thinking about that image, Kim Sojin was able to smile a little.

So when the man lifted him up, Kim Sojin could only mutter, “Why?” Seeing the man continue climbing the stairs, even with a dirty back, he couldn’t help but mutter again, “Why?” Why would this man go to such lengths for him? Why would he treasure him like this?

Can one person trust another?

Can one trust parents who sold them out?

Can one trust the caretakers who raised them to be training tools for the family?

Can one trust the elders who ordered them to serve the court and the dynasty?

Can one trust those greedy individuals who broke their promises and tried to make them slaves?

Can one person trust another?

Kim Sojin couldn’t come up with any answers to those questions.

The only thing the foolish self knew was that there was only one person in this world who treated him preciously.

The only thing Kim Sojin knew was that the warmth of that person’s back made him want to believe.

“What is it, Jamsoon? Are you crying?”

As Yu Hajin climbed the stairs, he met eyes with the neighbor next door. The neighbor was looking at Yu Hajin with a shocked expression.

Yu Hajin found the neighbor somewhat annoying. Wasn’t the fact that he came out here proof that he saw the kids fighting? Even if this was a neighborhood where the police couldn’t come, wouldn’t it be possible to provoke a response with a loud commotion?

But he understood. These days, there seemed to be no good outcomes from getting involved with kids. On top of that, if Jamsoon got cleaned up, there’d be an article like ‘Man in his 40s with naked middle schooler’ and his life would be ruined.

So Yu Hajin nodded bitterly.

“I understand.”

In that, Yu Hajin left Park Il, the gatekeeper of the Il-wol-oh-akmun, with only those words. Park Il stood still in shock.

Who could dirty themselves in extreme abuse for the sake of another? No matter how much he thought about it, there was no such person. Because no one could withstand that fear and pain. So Park Il justified abandoning his comrade.

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But today, Park Il witnessed a miracle.

And that miracle said it understood him.

It said it understood him, who claimed to have pursued justice and belief in his whole life but had shown a cowardly side. Park Il found that statement shameful and yet moving. With a blank expression, he shed tears.

“That child, indeed.”

That child indeed must become the gatekeeper of the Il-wol-oh-akmun. Not someone like him, not trash like his own children. That child truly must inherit the Il-wol-oh-ak.

Park Il made a determination in such madness.

***

Nayoo went down and looked at the believers.

The believers were muttering like this.

“The one who receives extreme love. The Heavenly Demon, the Heavenly Demon has descended.”

“Oh, the impure body that even extreme negativity cannot taint. The body of the Heavenly Demon. I am now willing to die. I have seen the Messiah.”

The Heavenly Demon. The king of negativity foretold in the prophecy.

There couldn’t be such existence.

Myth was just a myth.

The heavenly fairy lowered her head and waved her hand, silencing all the believers who were alive.

***

Kids these days are scary.

What’s with all the spray paint terrorism and stuff?

Damn it, those bastards attacked just because they treated Jamsun coldly. Luck really isn’t on my side.

As soon as I got home, I laid Jamsun in the bathtub and adjusted the water to warm. While the cold water turned warm, I made up my mind.

“This is not a crime.”

I have no choice but to wash this black sticky thing. I will wash this child with purely Platonic meaning, without any erotic meaning. I am not a Lolicon.

I have never heard a Lolicon requiem, Your Honor!!!

I could hear someone saying “Ichinisan” from somewhere, but I decided to ignore it.

If this continues, I might end up being lined up in prison, so I have no choice.

I put my hand on Jamsun’s shoulder.

And slowly began to undress.

***

“Phew, I’m tired.”

After washing Jamsun clean like that, I laid a clean blanket on the bed.

I have to sleep here and spend the night.

“Sleep well.”

I have to sleep under the bed.

At that moment, Jamsun murmured.

“Don’t go…”

I couldn’t dare brush off the hand that desperately held onto my sleeve.

I was too weak against the girl who told me not to go.

“You can trust this warmth. At least this warmth…”

So, I had no choice but to lie down next to Jamsoon. Jamsoon tightly hugged my one arm and mumbled something before falling asleep. I tried to find my sister’s face in the sleeping child’s face.

But I couldn’t find her.

That fact was a little sad.