TGHD Ch22

Garim’s phone call had an impressive effect.

Although it was made in the early hours of the morning, she received a promise that they would arrive before noon. Despite being far from Hyojomyeon, it seemed they were driving over immediately.

The person Garim spoke with was Kwon Namil, the only son of the Kwon couple. While it was unfortunate that the couple couldn’t be summoned as they were overseas, Ryubeom decided to make the most of the opportunity. With the exorcism ceremony scheduled to begin at midnight the next day, they needed to find clues as soon as possible.

From an hour before the meeting with Kwon Namil, Ryubeom busied himself with preparations. He pulled out items from the large bag he had brought from the family, items that would be useful for the task at hand. He wrapped a string engraved with spells around his arm and covered it with a sturdy arm guard to conceal the magical energy from the evil spirits.

Yeohwi watched Ryubeom’s preparations with curiosity.

“What are all these?”

“They are pre-prepared charms. I’m actually not very good with spells…”

Ryubeom had never passed the regular spell tests in the tiger family. He couldn’t handle spiritual energy properly, and the elders often clicked their tongues, saying he lacked spiritual power from the start. Even his cousins mocked him for his clumsy use of spells. Nevertheless, Ryubeom had brought various items from the family, collected over time during his activities despite not receiving any support for the current mission.

“If an urgent situation arises, I can use these without needing to set up a spell array. I just need to infuse them with spiritual energy. They used to be in the form of talismans, but our family modified them to be more versatile.”

Ryubeom’s tone carried a subtle pride. Despite the oppression he faced within the family, he thought the tiger family and the tiger species were remarkable. This belief was partly due to the family’s education, but more so because of the stories his mother told him during his childhood.

Although he was an inadequate tiger, these items, created by his family, enabled him to step forward as a tiger beastkin.

“The head of the family researched and developed these, and they were distributed to other beastkin families too.”

Ryubeom, who had been speaking excitedly, suddenly realized Yeohwi had been silent. Yeohwi was staring at the items spread on the ground, and after a while, he looked up at Ryubeom with a smile, a picturesque yet somewhat unfamiliar smile.

“There are quite a variety of items.”

“Ah, yes. Would you like to take one for safety? If you wear this…”

“No, thank you. I have this bracelet.”

Ryubeom awkwardly offered a ring, but Yeohwi smoothly declined, saying that the young master’s safety was most important. Seeing Yeohwi’s usual smile, Ryubeom dismissed the strange feeling he had earlier. He was surprised at how accustomed he had become to Yeohwi’s kindness, despite initially deciding not to grow used to it.

Suppressing his fluttering emotions, Ryubeom finished his preparations. Just then, Garim called to say Kwon Namil was about to arrive.

The meeting place was a pavilion a bit distant from the white two-story house under the mountain. It was deemed too dangerous to take him directly to the haunted site.

Walking through the alley, Ryubeom looked up at the sky. The sky was overcast with heavy clouds, devoid of sunlight, and the moisture-laden air pressed down heavily, creating an ominous atmosphere.

The presence of malevolent spirits seemed to fill the air, warning them not to do anything foolish now that they knew of the shaman’s presence. Moving in such conditions was risky, as the malevolent energy was stronger on rainy days, but there was no other opportunity. Ryubeom steeled his resolve and continued.

Soon, he met Garim.

“Young master, young master! I heard more from my dad!”

She ran towards Ryubeom, barely giving him a chance to greet her. She was so shocked by the information about the new beastkin lady she had heard from Ryubeom at dawn that she had a serious talk with her father and had new information to share.

“At first, they said there were no casualties in the villa fire.”

“Yes, but you can speak slowly…”

“It’s too shocking. Anyway, at the time, Mrs. Nakyeong didn’t know her daughter had died in the villa. She thought the inexperienced child had gone missing in her bird form.”

Garim caught her breath, but her voice remained fast due to her excitement.

“At that time, Mrs. Nakyeong went around the village asking everyone to help find her daughter. When it was revealed that the child had died in the fire, the wealthy couple were very sympathetic and gave her compensation money.”

“Compensation?”

“Yes. They said the bird had accidentally knocked over a gas cylinder, causing the fire in the villa, but they didn’t blame her at all. They even gave her a few days off and sent her on a trip to relax.”

Ryubeom’s expression grew more complex, but he continued to listen attentively. Garim, sensing his similar feelings, met his gaze.

“And a few days later, Mr. Kwon held a memorial service for the dead child. Mrs. Nakyeong attended and thanked them, but after that, she suddenly started acting strange.”

“Acting strange? How?”

“Well, she started screaming and tearing down the shaman’s charms hanging on trees near the villa and even set fires there.”

“Why did she suddenly do that?”

“I don’t know. Some villagers said she was possessed by a ghost after the memorial service, but my dad was too busy at the time to know the details. He just remembers that suddenly there was no more news about her…”

Garim made a serious face as she concluded her story.

“Isn’t it strange? For a while, there was such an uproar, but suddenly there’s no news about her, and no one questioned it.”

“What was the Kwon family’s reaction after that?”

Yeohwi, who had been silently listening, asked the question, and Garim sighed.

“They left the village around that time. Both the head of the village and the residents were very disappointed, but due to the chaos of the events, they didn’t try to stop them. Ah, maybe the villagers’ focus on that incident led them to forget about her naturally…”

Garim’s suspicions seemed to dissolve as she let out a bitter laugh.

However, Ryubeom did not readily agree or disagree. Instead, he calmly reflected on the story she had just told him. Considering it was about events from over ten years ago, the details might not be precise, and other incidents could have been mixed in.

“Thank you for finding out and sharing this information. I think it will be very helpful.”

“Oh no, it’s nothing. I was curious too, so I looked into it.”

When Ryubeom bowed his head to express his gratitude, Garim was startled and waved her hands. Then, as if there was only one thing she wanted in return, she clasped her hands together and spoke earnestly.

“Just keep your promise. Please.”

Promise. It was what Garim had repeatedly asked of him since early this morning. As Ryubeom nodded, the sound of an engine roared. It was a car exhaust sound rarely heard in Hyojomyeon. Ryubeom’s eyes turned to the source of the sound.

A bright red sports car smoothly emerged from the narrow alley.

A man got out of the car, which had stopped in front of the pavilion. He looked around Hyojomyeon and clicked his tongue as if in disdain.

“This place hasn’t changed at all. It’s just like it was in the old days.”

Kwon Namil, the only son of the Kwon family, had finally arrived.

Even in a hurry, it seemed he had taken the time to style his hair, and the numerous piercings in his ears stood out. Despite the dark, overcast sky, his ears glinted. He had sharp, slanted eyes and raised his eyebrows when he spotted the three people in front of the pavilion. His overall demeanor was arrogant, with the habits of someone who had lived a privileged life.

He matched Garim’s previous description of a ‘nasty young master’ perfectly.

However, even such a young master hesitated for a moment upon seeing Yeohwi, who glanced at him and then asked Ryubeom,

“How do you plan to interrogate him?”

“Well, we’ll start with a conversation, of course.”

“He doesn’t look like he will answer easily…”

“If not, well… I’ll just have to use what I learned from my family.”

Ryubeom shrugged nonchalantly. Although he was looked down upon in the main tiger family, he wasn’t entirely lacking compared to the collateral branches. Besides, their opponent now was just an ordinary human.

Garim suddenly felt worried. Although she still didn’t know Ryubeom’s exact species, she had long suspected he was an extraordinary beastkin. Seeing Ryubeom mention his family and step forward made her feel uneasy, so she cautiously asked,

“Y-you’re not planning to torture him, right?”

“…My family doesn’t teach torture methods.”

“Oh, that’s a relief…”

“Unless it’s about hunting humans…”

Garim’s face turned pale at Ryubeom’s murmuring. By the time he looked up, Garim was trembling, and Yeohwi was smiling amusedly. Ryubeom, puzzled by their contrasting reactions, walked forward.

It was time to have a conversation.