I grant you permission
Something pressed heavily on my shoulders and back—
Agent Choi raised his arm.
“There’s already someone being served here. See? The Goblin Elder.”
At the end of his arm, the Elder’s goblin lantern swayed.
“Now that your procession is over, you should enjoy a grand feast. Please return before the food gets cold, Tiger General!”
There was a sound like a feline beast snorting.
The feast I was promised
Everything fell silent.
The blood that had rained from the sky, the crashing lightning, all vanished as if it had been a lie.
With a deep sigh, all three agents collapsed on the spot.
Barely managing, I opened my mouth.
“Ah, the Daecheongbong Mountain Guardian, the Tiger General King Bodhisattva… It’s a bit complicated, but you can just think of him that way. He likes to be called that.”
At that moment, I realized exactly what kind of ghost story this was.
Daecheongbong Tiger General
This entity originates from the ‘Baekhodaesal’, or ‘the great killing spirit of a white tiger’. It is an aspect of the Four Pillars of Destiny associated with great misfortune and disaster, specifically relating to the ‘Hyeongsal’, which signifies punishment, bloodshed, and calamity. The Daecheongbong Tiger General is a ghost story derived from these concepts.
However, at the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau, it was observed that, in cases where a person’s Four Pillars contains this aspect and they are engaged in professions involving blades, blood, or punishment, the effect can be advantageous rather than harmful. Based on this observation, a method was developed to utilize this ghost story to absorb misfortune or bad luck.
For further details, refer to relevant exploration records here.
First, one must ascend to Daecheongbong Peak of Seoraksan, bearing the offering entirely by one’s own strength.
Agent Choi had done that.
I struggled not to ask about it, and with difficulty changed the subject.
“…But according to Agent Bronze, it didn’t seem to be a phenomenon friendly toward humans.”
“Technically speaking… it just doesn’t care. If you prepare a feast with sincerity, it’ll grant your wish if it’s in a good mood.”
“That the feast accepts even a human as an offering is the real problem here!”
Agent Bronze’s eyes flashed. Agent Choi gave a faint smile.
“Ehey, the Bureau is handling it all carefully. The General’s been living a vegan lifestyle these days.”
And then, in the next instant, Agent Choi’s gaze immediately turned to me.
No, more precisely, to the back of my hand, which had been cleansed by the blood rain.
He tried to act casual, but I could see the tension in his eyes.
“It’s really gone… right?”
Agent Bronze’s eyes also fixed on the back of my hand.
After what they’d just seen, it would be easy to guess that the being who had possessed Assistant Manager Eun Haje’s body might have left some kind of curse or misfortune on me.
“Agent Grapes, just what the……”
“We’ll talk in detail when we get back. For now, let’s just confirm it. …Grapes-ie, say anything.”
I hesitated, then opened my mouth.
With no resistance at all.
The binding was broken.
In a daze, I stared at the back of my hand.
And just then, from outside the village, the sound of a bicycle bell began to ring.
“Here comes the Vermillion-Bird Unit.”
Like a signal that things were wrapping up.
“There’s still a lot that’s suspicious about this Jisan Village… so from here, they’ll begin a full-scale investigation. They’ll search for people. The well, too.”
Agent Choi tapped the ground beside the well, speaking cheerfully.
“There could still be other anomalies, but for now, not likely. Let’s just head back today.”
A strange sense of relief started to spread through my chest.
Right. The binding was finally gone.
No more dying within a month. I was free…
– What a pity, Soleum-nim.
For a moment, swept up in emotion, I’d let myself feel a baseless relief. This was no time to feel happy or at ease.
I needed to cool my blood.
I couldn’t afford to fall out with Director Ho here.
Failing my mission and dying in a month? That’s a big problem, but even more important was to complete the mission safely and get a Wish Ticket for myself.
But if things went , it would be too blatant a betrayal. If I was to carry out Director Ho’s mission, I couldn’t do it …
I looked over at Agent Choi.
Was it possible he had aimed for this, to completely sever my ties with Director Ho?
Agent Choi didn’t meet my eyes.
Instead, still smiling, he drew his cleaver and as checked its edge, he spoke.
“But… On the way back, there’s somewhere you need to go, as per Bureau procedures.”
The blade spun smoothly in his hand.
“You were under a binding spell that the Bureau didn’t know about.”
“Since an agent was under some strange binding, we need to examine exactly what happened. That’s the protocol. For safety… in the quarantine area.”
What he was holding with the blade now came into view.
It was the same thing I’d seen a few days ago.
The portable glass prison.
Before I could finish speaking, countless hands sprang from the emptiness created by Agent Choi’s orb and grabbed me.
It all happened so suddenly I couldn’t even try to resist. I was quickly restrained.
“If you cooperate with the interrogation, you’ll be out in no time. Don’t worry.”
I gritted my teeth and glared at him.
Agent Choi blocked the startled Agent Bronze with his blade.
“He’s back to normal enough. He’ll be fine.”
“Agent Choi, just what is—”
Agent Choi turned to me and spoke softly.
“Take a break. …Grapes-ie.”
I was sucked into the void.
And just like that, I was transferred to the glass prison.