Chapter 40: The Cursed Knife and the Doll’s Last Stand

Night fell.

The battle between the horde of grudges and the psychics raged on.

Using a vast barrier as a shield, the psychics exorcised the spirits unable to breach it.

Aside from their sheer numbers, it didn’t seem too dangerous.

“When’s this gonna end?” Gahee asked.

“No idea,” Kishin replied.

With nothing to do but watch, the frustration was real.

“Ugh, my joints,” a young psychic said, stretching as he approached us.

He’d just been fighting.

Spiritual energy isn’t infinite, so they take breaks to recover.

“You guys have bad luck,” he said.

“No kidding,” Gahee responded.

“Huh? Haha, why so formal? We’re the same age, talk casually.”

His friendly grin put us at ease, and we glanced at each other.

“Alright, we will,” I said.

“I thought people here would hate civilians, but maybe not?” Gahee ventured.

“Not everyone’s cool with you. Civilians have caused us plenty of trouble,” he admitted, then added, “But me and my friends? We like you.”

“Why?” Kishin asked.

“Hm, curiosity? We don’t know much about the outside world.”

By “outside,” he meant normal society.

Their lives were vastly different from ours.

Kishin and Gahee looked unsure.

“When’ll the fight end?” I asked.

“Hard to say. At this rate, maybe by morning…”

Our faces darkened.

Then, cheers erupted from afar.

Waaa—

A blinding wave of light swept through, obliterating the grudges.

The ones crashing into the walls turned to black dust.

I couldn’t hide my shock.

That massive wave was pure spiritual energy.

This is…

Confirming my suspicion, the psychics’ cheers rang out.

“The chairman’s here!”

“Good, this’ll end quick!”

The swarming grudges vanished, leaving a clean space.

A battle expected to last until morning ended in moments.

Clack, clack.

The leisurely sound of dress shoes approached.

A handsome man in his thirties entered to cheers.

“That’s the chairman?” Gahee whispered.

“He looks so young,” Kishin added.

The Psychic Association’s chairman, Cheon Juseong, issued orders to wrap up.

Then, with Hwaryeong, he approached us.

“These are the kids?” he asked.

“Yes, Chairman,” Hwaryeong replied.

His piercing gaze swept over Kishin, Gahee, and… me, hiding behind a pillar.

He stared right at me.

Did he figure me out?

I cranked my tension to the max, but he only looked puzzled.

“Why’re you there?”

I stepped out slowly.

Cheon Juseong took Hwaryeong’s report and shook our hands one by one.

“This old man’s been busy. I’ll invite you formally next time.”

His hand reached me last.

Bracing for the worst, I gripped it.

I knew what he was.

If I leaked even a sliver of spiritual energy, he’d know.

“Your hand’s cold. That kind of constitution attracts spirits. Be careful.”

“…Yes.”

His hand was cold too.

Thankfully, I wasn’t exposed.

As the chairman left with the psychics, we were allowed to leave, though they offered us to stay.

We declined.

“But the chairman… super young, right?” Gahee said.

“Yeah,” I agreed.

“Why’d he call himself an old man?” Kishin wondered.

We waved goodbye and parted.

Hwaseo and Doryeong stayed at the association.

Checking my phone late, I saw Jiseok’s message and bolted.

The shadow, despite heavy damage, regenerated and charged.

Cheating.

The clown doll screamed, rushing forward.

– Eek!

It didn’t like Jiseok.

Treating it like a toy, despite being one?

If Haru hadn’t brought him, it would’ve taught him a lesson.

Still, it protected him.

Haru’s orders—and a living person was worth more than a dead doll.

– Alone again?

The doll’s trigger: when alone with someone, it could unleash explosive power.

It resisted with all its might.

But the shadow healed every scratch.

A special method was needed, but it had no clue how.

Stuffing spilled as it rolled across the floor.

This was the end.

It tried to rise, but the shadow, cackling, moved to finish it—then hesitated.

Blue hair fluttered.

Haru stood protectively in front of the doll.

“How’d this thing show up?” she muttered.

The shadow lunged, its black hand exploding.

Saaa—!

Her blue hair shimmered silver under moonlight, her translucent spirit radiating immense yin energy.

– Ooo! Ooo.

The shadow groaned, forming new hands.

A clash of titans began.

The doll couldn’t follow the chaotic exchange.

Arms were severed and regrown in a blur.

Haru was losing ground—at least to the doll’s eyes.

The shadow’s endless regeneration made it inevitable.

– Eek…

The doll cried out.

Run, save yourself!

Haru didn’t flee.

With a heavy sigh, she seemed to resolve something.

– No choice.

She pinned the silver hairpin in her hair.

The space turned white.

My “true power” surged, spiritual energy consuming the area.

The shadow roared in awe, sensing the tide had turned.

– Ooo? Ooo!

It sent a message, asking who I was, how I had such power.

Instead of answering, I planned its end.

Now I understood.

This was a curse.

And one that grows stronger the more you discard it.

Jiseok’s state wasn’t severe enough for such a monster.

It was beyond what most psychics could handle.

The curse’s medium—discarded repeatedly—explained it.

Searching Jiseok’s bag, I found the rusty knife.

It was obvious: the knife’s yin curse, amplified by the black talisman.

I could destroy the shadow, but it’d drain too much.

The most efficient way is for the cursed to confront it, but what could Jiseok do?

Before accepting the inefficiency, a reverse idea hit me—a curse-specific solution.

The shadow hesitated to face me.

– Return to the one who summoned you.

A reversal spell flowed into the rusty knife.

Thrown, it melted into the shadow.

The shadow wailed and vanished.

Removing the hairpin, I reactivated my disguise.

Back to human, I surveyed the wrecked house.

Before cleaning, I hugged the clown doll.

“Good job.”

It stretched its short arms around my waist—barely reaching, but close enough.

I stuffed its spilling cotton and sewed it up as objects flew back to place.

Fixing the broken walls and windows took time.

Jiseok wasn’t in the room.

I knocked on the locked bathroom door.

Knock, knock—

“Eek!”

His trembling echoed.

“Don’t come! Don’t! Don’t! Don’t!!”

“It’s me, Seol Haru.”

“Don’t… huh?”

“It’s over. Open the door.”

After a pause, he said, “How do I know it’s you?!”

“…”

“Quiet, huh? Get lost, ghost!!”

I jiggled the lock, and the door flew open.

“It’s fine now,” I reassured the startled Jiseok.

He lowered his hands, relief flooding his dazed eyes.

He hugged me tightly.

Ugh.

It wasn’t pleasant, but I let it slide.

He must’ve been terrified.

His ears were red when he pulled back.

“…What happened?”

I gave a toned-down version.

He wanted to believe it, nodding at the softened tale.

“Must’ve imagined it…”

Looking at the balcony, he saw only a tidy scene—no trace of the window-smashing monster.

“Right, Joo Kihyun!” he exclaimed.

“Kihyun?”

“It’s him! No doubt. I’ll—”

He recalled Kihyun’s odd behavior on the rooftop.

So that’s it.

I didn’t know the full motive, but Jiseok was certain.

I stopped him from rushing out.

“No need.”

Cause and effect.

Karma.

Was he ready for it?

I didn’t regret my choice.

Joo Kihyun bit his nails, grinning eerily.

Is it working?

Seeing Jiseok’s pathetic state at school, it must be perfect.

His image, crashing in real-time—what a thrill.

“That’s right. That’s what you deserve, you pathetic delinquent…”

It irked him that a former loser like himself acted like a tough guy.

Why’s her death my fault?

She got what she deserved.

Why toy with him?

Jiseok, you’re the same.

Daring to bully him?

Daring to…

I’m this powerful, wielding forces you can’t comprehend.

Imagining Jiseok’s death filled him with glee.

Not seeing it firsthand was his only regret.

He didn’t know.

That unknown power could threaten him too.

Boom!

Lightning struck.

But only sound came—no light.

Darkness engulfed everything.

“Argh—!”

His scream of pain was swallowed, leaving only cold silence.