Chapter 137

Joseph took a long drag of his cigarette and asked his subordinates, "What do you think of that student? Does he seem ordinary to you?"

He had lit one up as soon as he left the hospital.

They tilted their heads as if they were unsure of the meaning behind the question.

"...I don't think he’s ordinary. I think is a student with a promising future."

"I think so too. Not only are his past accomplishments impressive, but just by listening to him talk today, I could tell that he is an exceptionally talented student."

"No, that's not what I meant... Never mind," Joseph muttered, visibly dissatisfied. "Moving on. The other student, In-Ah, how is she doing? Is she still in bad shape?"

"She had a speedy recovery, but she isn’t fully stable yet. She’s been saying that her memory is hazy, probably due to the influence of black magic. After all, she was exposed to demonic energy for a long period of time."

"Hazy memory..."

Joseph continued to suck on his cigarette, clearly displeased with his subordinates' response. As soon as he finished one cigarette, he took out another and lit it. The hazy gray smoke enveloped his grimacing face.

"Hazy. Hazy... Do people usually use the expression,

hazy memory

? People normally say something like, 'I don't remember.' Saying their memory is hazy implies that she knows something."

"Sir? I’m not sure if I follow..."

"Why did they use the term

hazy

? It's probably not a new slang term..."

Joseph's muttering continued for a while. His subordinates looked at him with slight fear in their eyes.

After staring into the distance, Joseph’s eyes suddenly twinkled.

"I should go see In-Ah tomorrow."

“Sir? Isn't it pointless to visit her if her memories have been erased by black magic?"

"I need to confirm whether their memories have been erased or if she’s pretending they have been. Also, I heard that she was close to Jun-Hyuk. It’s strange that she had no clue Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist until now," Joseph said, throwing his cigarette butt on the floor. "Yu-Hyun still has no intention of cooperating, right?"

"Yes, sir. He seems to just want to continue going to school."

"This is driving me crazy... If that kid would just help a little, we could catch all the charlatans across the country."

Joseph’s hand wandered, realizing that there were no cigarettes left in his packet. It seemed like the cigarette he had just smoked was his last. He looked up at the sky with a bitter smile.

The sun was scorching hotter every day. Come to think of it, it was already summer.

"This case is peculiar. No matter how much we investigate, it doesn’t feel like we're filling in the blanks. No, the case feels like it’s an empty shell."

Joseph recalled all the students he had met so far. Whenever he had time, he had a habit of looking back at the names, faces, and characteristics of the people he encountered. He had developed this habit because even the smallest and most insignificant details could serve as crucial evidence during investigations.

"I’m lost."

However, no matter how much he pondered, he couldn't draw the full outline of the whole incident. The outline remained faint and elusive.

In-Ah had lost her memory due to black magic and was still receiving treatment as she hadn't fully recovered.

Min-Seo was still unconscious.

Su-Ryeon had been trapped in the second-year building all day on the day of the incident after falling asleep in the student council room.

Yu-Hyun refused to cooperate with the investigation, and so did Jin-Seo.

Dae-Man and Ha-Yeon didn’t seem to know much.

The only student who was somewhat helpful was Sun-Woo. He was also the only one who knew beforehand that Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist.

They informed the teachers that the Satanist was Jun-Hyuk. Although Ye-Jin and Bok-Dong cooperated actively in the investigation, they also didn't seem to know much.

Chang-Won and Do-Jin were in too poor condition to ask for their cooperation. Although Do-Jin seemed like he was slowly getting better, Chang-Won was constantly coughing blood during each meal, and his condition was only getting worse day by day.

"Was all of this intended...?"

Jun-Hyuk had simultaneously triggered major incidents in various places. By blocking all communication and contact, he prevented the core figures from gathering together, resulting in a gap in information among the people.

Since the information that everyone knew was different, it was impossible to cross-check the information gathered by the different people. As a result, not only did they face difficulties in handling the aftermath of the incidents, but the citizens’ fear of the Voodoo Cult and Satanists increased, further exacerbating the confusion.

Jun-Hyuk, that bastard, must have caused all this chaos after he predicted all these social repercussions. Although he didn’t look like it, he was a shrewd one.

"I thought if we played our cards right, we would be able to uproot both the Satanists and the Voodoo Cult. But It's not as easy as I thought."

"Still, haven't we made some progress in establishing a system against black magic? Thanks to Sun-Woo’s help—"

“Yes, there has been some progress. But it's still not enough. There are too many gaps,” Joseph said with a firm voice, almost as if he was scolding himself. "By the way, there’s some suspicious stuff in Sun-Woo’s testimony to let him off the hook. Don’t trust him too much.”

It was true. Sun-Woo had been very helpful in the research on black magic for the Satanist response manual. However, Joseph still couldn't trust him. Whenever he talked with Sun-Woo, Joseph felt like Sun-Woo’s flow was sweeping him away.

From Sun-Woo’s tone and emphasis to his facial expressions, even Joseph, an inquisitor, was surprised by Sun-Woo's high level of eloquence. Not only would he be able to deceive others easily, but he could make others revel in him if he wanted to. Additionally, he seemed too laid back for his age. To the average person, talking to the inquisitor could be intimidating, even if they were innocent. However, Sun-Woo showed no signs of fear or confusion.

Although these were too vague of a reason to base his suspicions on, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"...By the way, I heard that our friend Sun-Woo is scheduled to be discharged soon. Why does he want to be discharged so quickly?"

"We don’t know, sir."

"That's suspicious, too."

At first glance, Sun-Woo seemed like a faithful Romanican Church member and a promising Florence Academy student. However, when Joseph looked at the elements that made up Sun-Woo, he felt a sense of unease. On the surface, all the elements seemed great, but it felt like they held no value on the inside.

"Why does he want to be discharged so quickly? There’s no need to rush since F.A. is practically on an indefinite break."

"You don't have to think too deeply, sir. He probably wants to go out and meet friends."

"You think?"

"Yes, doesn’t he give off the impression that he’s one of the popular kids in school? He probably wants to go out and see his girlfriend, that’s all."

Joseph recalled Sun-Woo's appearance. Although his face had a sharp edge, it was still objectively likable. He spoke fluently and was also the Holy Name of Charity, so he probably would be pretty popular in school. Come to think of it, his subordinates seemed to be on to something.

"...I guess I'm overthinking it. It’s my occupational hazard—I’m always cautious and suspicious of people for no apparent reason."

Looking at Sun-Woo through an objective lens, he was an innocent student with no question of looking suspicious. When asked about Satanists or the Voodoo Cult, Sun-Woo only gave the most textbook answers. However, his tone, attitude, and atmosphere made Joseph uneasy. He was simply relying on his intuition to suspect Sun-Woo.

"But it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious. Sun-Woo, and In-Ah... Gather any personal information or useful information about them and send them to me."

"Understood. Should I send it through email?"

"What are you talking about? Print it out, put it in a file, and leave it on my desk. Computers can’t be trusted," Joseph said as he walked slowly, leaving his subordinates behind. "By the way, what did Sun-Woo say his blood type was again? I think it’ll be helpful information."

"Sir? How would that be helpful?"

"Why, of course, because you can roughly know someone's personality based on their blood type. This isn’t the first time you’ve been on the job, right?"[1]">https://www.90daykorean.com/korean-blood-type-personality/)[/ref]

Joseph's face was dead serious.

His subordinates stared at him with wide eyes in bewilderment, their mouths half open.

*

"So...you’re telling me that things are looking up?"

"Of course! He regained consciousness just a while ago, and his condition is gradually improving. Your father is in better shape than you think, so there's nothing to worry about," the doctor said, smiling as if it was no big deal.

Jin-Seo couldn't fully trust the doctor's words, as this one had a history of lying to her.

“Everything is fine. So go home and rest.”

That was what he said, but at that time, her father’s health was slipping away. More blood came out of his mouth than the food going in it.

Jin-Seo scrutinized the doctor's expression, glaring at them.

"Well, can I meet in person and talk to him? It would put my mind at ease," Jin-Seo asked.

"Huh? Oh, um... sorry, you see, but the healing priest is currently treating them inside the room. How about next time?"

"In that case, I'll come again after the treatment is finished. When will the treatment be over?"

"Um, maybe... yeah, tomorrow or the day after... oh, yeah. Come back the day after tomorrow. By then, the treatment should be finished, I think."

"What kind of treatment takes two days?"

"If it's a simple trauma, it would have been done in an hour at most. But your father has been in poor health for a long time, right? So, it takes a bit longer to treat the accumulated symptoms." The doctor’s words flowed smoothly out of his mouth like a waterfall.

Chang-Won's illness was caused by his congenital condition, so it took more time to heal his injuries than most patients. However, there was another reason why Jin-Seo wasn’t allowed into the hospital room.

Despite being conscious, Chang-Won was in an extremely critical state. Worried that his family might be shocked, he refused any visits from them and expressed a high demand for wanting to focus solely on his treatment. He promised to accept their visits once he was in a state where he could fully welcome them.

"I'm really sorry, Jin-Seo. I understand you are worried, but we can't delay the treatment because of visits..."

"Yes, I understand." Jin-Seo nodded, staring blankly at the doctor's face.

The doctor was taken aback by the sharp gaze that felt like it was piercing his face.

Jin-Seo kept her gaze fixed on the doctor's face as she spoke.

"I'll come back the day after tomorrow. I’m sure you wouldn’t stop me a second time."

"...Of course. By then, the treatment should be finished, so you can meet him with no problem. What reason do we have to withhold him from you? Haha..."

"Sounds good. I'll see you then."

She abruptly left the director's office.

The doctor stood alone, watching her walk away. He felt bad for Jin-Seo. He understood her concerns, but he couldn’t provide her with a way to meet with her father. He also felt sad for her, looking at her apparent immaturity. She could not show her tiredness even when she was obviously exhausted.

"It's my fault, my fault...

sigh

..."

The doctor looked depressed.

*

She found the self-inflicted wound on her arm bothersome as she scratched away at her own arm. She had been driven mad to the point that her memory was foggy on the day Sun-Woo died, or rather, the day she thought he had died.

The wound had been deeper than she thought. It hadn’t healed evenly even with the help of healing, and had left a scar.

Jin-Seo unconsciously picked at the scab. When something unpleasant happened, she felt like she was suffocating, and the spot where her scab was started to itch. She would stop picking the scar once she bled, but it would soon reappear on the same spot.

At this rate, the wound would never heal, and she had wrapped a bandage around her arm. It was because it was now short-sleeve weather, and she wanted to hide the wound on her arm.

She had just finished wrapping a fresh bandage and was on her way to Sun-Woo's hospital room when she ran into the healing priest in charge of Sun-Woo's treatment. The healing priest seemed to have just come out of Sun-Woo's room.

Jin-Seo wasted no time and asked the healing priest, "Is Sun-Woo awake?"

She didn't know if Sun-Woo had regained consciousness yet. The thought that he might have died scared her so much that she hadn’t even dared to pay him a visit.

The healing priest lowered her head in response. She seemed like she was caught in an uncomfortable situation.

"Um... huh? W-wait! Don’t go. J-just give me a moment." The healing priest urgently stopped Jin-Seo from entering Sun-Woo's hospital room.

Jin-Seo's face stiffened. "Why?"

"Um, well, it's a bit difficult to explain right now..."

"Is he dead?"

"No, it's not that. But I think you need an explanation, huh? W-wait! You can't go inside–!"

Ignoring the healing priest's words, Jin-Seo boldly entered Sun-Woo's room. Countless thoughts were swirling in Jin-Seo's mind.

Is he really dead?

That couldn’t be. But it was not entirely impossible. Sun-Woo had been more severely injured than anyone else. No matter how strong his body was, no matter if he had miraculously died and come back to life, there was no guarantee that he would still be alive with such serious injuries.

Or maybe he was in such critical condition that he couldn’t be shown to outsiders. His wounds could have become necrotic, or he could have acquired disabilities. Or maybe he didn't die, but he was in a situation where he could die at any moment...

Bang!

She muscled her way into the room, forcefully opening the door. The healing priest chased after her, trying to stop her, but her efforts were in vain.

Jin-Seo made her way over to the hospital bed, scratching the wound on her arm as she walked. She lifted the blanket.

"..."

Sun-Woo was nowhere to be found. Jin-Seo checked the name of the hospital room, wondering if she had entered the wrong one. But she was definitely in Sun-Woo's hospital room, and this was Sun-Woo's bed.

Sun-Woo was not there.

Why?

She couldn't understand at all.

"W-where did he go...."

It was only when the healing priest placed her hand on her shoulder while catching her breath that she finally stopped scratching her arm. The healing priest took a deep breath, hesitated for a while, her face riddled with trouble, and then looked side to side before she spoke.

"That's why I stopped you... I will explain everything, so please calm down for now. And don’t be surprised by what I have to say."

"Where is this bas... Where did he go? Where is he now?"

Jin-Seo repeated the same question without letting the healing priest finish her words. Could it be that he was really dead? Had a funeral been scheduled?

"Um... Sun-Woo was discharged... yesterday!"

"..."

"I tried to stop him, but Sun-Woo was very stubborn, as you know... Anyway, that's what happened..."

Jin-Seo stared blankly at the empty bed.

She checked her phone. There was no contact from Sun-Woo. The only messages piled up in her inbox were from reporters, people related to the F.A. Foundation, or boys with unfamiliar names.

1. In Korea, there is a superstition where people believe that people of different blood types have different kinds of personalities (?