Surviving as a Sorcerer in Seoul - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Cursed Wardrobe (1)

TL: DDTL

“You really do get what you pay for.”

I checked the mirror one more time.

The fit of this 380,000 won field jacket really was a work of art.

The shoulder line fell perfectly, and the waist was cinched just right, making my body look way better.

There was just one problem, though.

“The smell. Fuck… is there really no way to fix this?”

Honestly, it gave off a faint whiff of dirty mop.

Well, no wonder. It had been soaked through in water packed with mugwort, charcoal powder, makgeolli, and every other weird ingredient imaginable, and then hung up to dry.

It’d be stranger if it didn’t smell.

But I was scared that spraying cologne or fabric deodorizer on it might degrade the jacket’s performance.

So I had no choice but to wear it out as is and climb into a taxi.

“To Pyeongchang-dong, please.”

“S-sure…”

The taxi driver kept sneaking glances at me through the rearview mirror.

His face looked like he had a whole lot he wanted to say. Like he couldn’t quite bring himself to get the words out.

The kind of look that said he was about to dial the police station any second now.

And just yesterday, I’d been getting praised for looking like a model.

Now here I was, being treated like a potential violent felon, slumped in the back seat.

Every time our eyes happened to meet, the driver would flinch and immediately drop his gaze.

“……”

Look on the bright side.

Making another Transformation Talisman was a pain anyway. And besides, this was tolerable enough.

With a face this rough, at least nobody would try to start something with me.

And so I arrived at my destination.

“Stop here, please.”

I reached for my wallet.

But the taxi driver frantically waved his hands.

“N-no! It’s fine! Just go! I’m in a rush!”

“What?”

“I said just go! Hurry up!”

The driver practically shoved me out of the car, slamming the gas pedal and peeling off before the door even finished closing.

“Come on, even still…”

Hey, pal.

You still have to actually take the payment. Did he think I was going to rob him or something?

“Jeez.”

Whatever.

Look on the bright side. At least I saved 20,000 won in cab fare.

Praying that guy wouldn’t call the cops on me, I surveyed the neighborhood.

Definitely a rich neighborhood, alright. Restrained aesthetics, I suppose.

Tall red brick walls and spotlessly clean asphalt streets.

Even the glow from the streetlights was soft and upscale.

The whole vibe was on a different level.

Around my studio apartment, illegally dumped trash bags were strewn all over the place, but here even the garbage bins looked like works of art.

“Anyway, this should be the right address.”

A check on the map app confirmed it, a mansion that could hold its own against anyone’s.

A two-story Western-style house visible beyond the high wall.

Well-manicured pine trees rose tall in the garden, and the front gate was wrought iron.

I strolled up and planted myself right in front of the gate.

Ding-dong.

The moment I pressed the bell, a voice came through the intercom.

–Principles of Sorcery?

“That’s right.”

Same thought as last time, but.

The password was way too simple, like we were doing a used goods handoff or something.

Still, it worked like a charm.

Click.

The gate swung open without delay.

And the moment I stepped through the mansion entrance, that goddamn bell sound rang out again. Silver Bell, wasn’t it called?

Ding-ling… Ding-ling…

Thankfully, the sound was much weaker this time.

Last time it felt like my eardrums were splitting, but this time it was more like a regular wind chime? Totally bearable.

“Well, welcome in. I’ve been waiting for you.”

The moment I saw the guy who’d come bounding out into the yard, I couldn’t help scowling.

A pot-bellied middle-aged man in a baggy vest thrown over a sweat-soaked undershirt.

Heo Do.

He tucked away the bell hanging at the entrance and muttered to himself.

“Hah-hah. Another D-rank sorcerer this time, huh. Hopefully that’s a good sign. Oh, apologies. I do run my mouth a lot. But, I don’t believe we’ve met before…”

Heo Do stared at my face.

After studying my expression, he started tilting his head to the side.

“Did I, uh, do something to upset you or…?”

“No. Nothing.”

I deliberately dropped my voice low as I answered.

“……Ah, right. Well, let’s head inside for now.”

Heo Do looked thoroughly cowed.

I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling as I watched him.

Running into this guy again. Small world.

He wasn’t going to lose his shit about the building owner filing a damages claim and demanding I cough up the money, was he?

Thankfully, he didn’t seem to recognize the old me.

The Transformation Talisman really did work, apparently. I finally let myself relax and followed after him.

But there was something a little strange.

‘D-rank? Didn’t he say B-rank last time?’

A, B, C, D, E.

I was pretty sure B-rank was higher. And now here he was pegging me at D-rank, even lower than that.

Was it just my imagination that my rank had dropped a few tiers?

Or maybe, it was because the Transformation Talisman’s spell to hide my true self was doing its job.

‘Don’t tell me my abilities got weakened?’

Nah, come on. It’s probably just my general vibe or aura that changed.

Shaking off the pointless worry, I crossed the garden and headed for the front door.

Heo Do was sniffing, flaring his nostrils. He glanced around subtly.

“Say, sir, do you smell something like mugwort coming from somewhere? Kind of like makgeolli, too…”

“……”

I wordlessly pulled the field jacket tighter around me. Damn it. Guess the smell really was pretty strong.

* * *

‘I’ve seen him somewhere before…’

Heo Do kept shooting sidelong glances at the man trailing behind him.

Where had he seen him before? He kept going back and forth on it.

He rapidly scanned through the faces of every Sorcerer he’d ever encountered in his head.

Hundreds of faces flashed by, but sure enough, none of them matched.

Which meant this was someone he was seeing for the first time.

‘Well, it’s not like that kind of rough-looking mug is common.’

The angular jawline, the piercing eyes, even that scar on the bridge of the nose.

An intense face hard to forget after a single look.

Could he have used the Transformation Art?

Heo Do shook his head.

‘Nah, no way.’

What kind of lunatic would use a Transformation Talisman to disguise themselves?

Any Sorcerer knew how inefficient that was.

It was an item that leaked Spiritual Power in real time just from being carried around.

Much less on a Commission site like this, where there was no telling how long things would drag on. Wasting Spiritual Power in a situation like that was simply out of the question.

‘Hmm. Someone from overseas, maybe?’

Even so, his fluent Korean had absolutely no trace of any regional accent.

Perfectly standard Korean. Which meant he had to be a native.

Judging by the Spiritual Power he was giving off and the Silver Bell’s reaction, he seemed to be a D-rank Sorcerer.

Most Sorcerers with real field experience in this industry were D-rank, so that part checked out, but still.

One would think he’d have crossed paths with the guy at some point.

‘Whatever. As long as he gets the job done, who cares.’

Forcing his unease aside, Heo Do struck up a conversation with the man.

“What’s your Sorcerer Alias?”

“……Baek-gi.”

He took his sweet time answering.

It wasn’t like Heo Do had asked anything unusual.

Just the Sorcerer Alias that any Sorcerer was expected to have.

Rude little bastard, talking down to him like that.

Heo Do almost let his displeasure show on his face.

But he swallowed it down.

A guy with that kind of presence and a D-rank ranking had to be seasoned in the field at the very least.

Best not to give him any reason to hold a grudge.

Just thinking about the intermediary commission the Bukcheon Office had kicked his way this time, the patience of the Buddha settled comfortably into his heart.

“This way.”

And so they arrived inside the mansion.

The homeowners had apparently all been out for quite a while. Silence hung thick over the empty mansion.

In the spacious marble-floored living room, there were others present besides him.

A young man and woman. And one old Monk.

All of them people who’d made a name for themselves in this industry, in their own way.

Especially that young punk over there in sunglasses and a leather jacket.

Sprawled out as far as he could on the sofa, yawning wide.

That bastard was the most conspicuous one here.

Way more than this Baek-gi who’d just snubbed him a second ago.

‘Bi-do.’

One of the rookies making a name for himself in this industry. His skills were the real deal, but his shitty personality was notorious.

Rumor had it that if not for his family’s backing, he’d have been shanked in an alley a long time ago.

“Alright. Take a seat wherever you’re comfortable.”

Heo Do gestured for him to sit.

But even at Heo Do’s words, this Baek-gi fellow just stood there blankly, looking around at the others.

“……”

At that odd mood, the others’ eyebrows twitched.

None more so than the man in sunglasses, Bi-do.

He’d been sitting there with his legs crossed.

But the instant he saw Baek-gi, he slid his sunglasses down just a bit. The eyes underneath gleamed with interest.

Then he pulled the corners of his mouth all the way up and muttered under his breath.

“Oh-ho? Didn’t expect to run into someone pretty strong in a place like this.”

At his words, the young woman and the old man next to him also fixed their attention on Baek-gi.

Gazes mixed with wariness and curiosity.

The atmosphere grew taut in an instant.

Heo Do broke out in a cold sweat.

‘Oh, for crying out loud, a pissing contest right off the bat?’

These guys might go at each other before the job had even started. Heo Do hurriedly cut in.

“Now, now. Let’s not fight here. First, let’s hear what I have to say. Baek-gi-ssi? Would you take a seat, please?”

“……”

Only then did Baek-gi slowly walk over and sit down on the empty sofa.

Blank face, heavy silence.

But Heo Do couldn’t see it.

Beneath that stoic mask, Baek-gi.

No, just how flustered Ju Gi-baek really was.

‘Why are there so many people?’

* * *

“Alright, to introduce myself first, I’m Heo Do, the Intermediary. I’ve been brought on by the Bukcheon Office to brief you all.”

Heo Do bowed politely.

But all that came back was icy silence.

No applause, obviously. Everyone was just staring at him with looks that said “get to the point already”.

Having apparently expected as much, Heo Do shrugged and calmly carried on.

“Well, you’re all busy folks, so I’ll cut straight to the chase.”

Heo Do held up his fingers and began explaining.

“The owner of this mansion is the president of a certain mid-sized company. And his wife is an antique furniture enthusiast. Some time ago, the missus won a very classical-looking mother-of-pearl wardrobe at an auction.”

Heo Do’s voice dropped low.

“The problem is, that wardrobe wasn’t an ordinary piece. She just had to go and pick up something with a nasty curse on it. Ever since that wardrobe entered the house, the president’s business deals have fallen apart one after another, and all three of his sons have ended up in the hospital from accidents with no known cause.”

Classic horror movie opening. Cursed object, family falling apart.

“So after asking around, word eventually made its way to Sorcerers like us. The Commission fee was initially set at 10 million won, but…….”

Heo Do paused briefly.

“After completing a detailed inspection of the wardrobe this morning, we concluded that this isn’t a simple cursed item. It’s a Rank 4 Cursed Object.”

Rank 4?

The air around us grew slightly heavier. I had no clue how serious that was, so I just tried to read the room.

“Frankly speaking, it’s not cost-effective for the Office’s formally registered C-rank or higher employees to handle this, and it’s a bit too tricky to tackle solo. So we had no choice but to bring in several skilled Freelancer Sorcerers.”

Heo Do looked around at us and grinned.

“You’re all at least D-rank, so I trust you’ll figure it out. There are plenty of you, so I’m sure it’ll work out somehow. And of course, the payment will be 10 million won per head as promised.”

After hearing that, I pieced the information together.

So basically.

Some wardrobe was a cursed item classified as a Rank 4 Cursed Object.

And since they couldn’t justify using their expensive full-time staff to deal with it, they were throwing middling Freelancers like us at the problem in numbers to knock it out on the cheap, right?

‘Total subcontractor-of-a-subcontractor situation.’

It left a bitter taste, but what could I do.

They were paying.

The others, though, seemed used to this sort of thing; nobody said a word.

Did this happen often?

Even as I was chewing on that, Heo Do’s mouth hadn’t stopped.

“The time frame is set at about a week. The homeowners can’t live it up at their country villa forever, after all. That said, the sooner you finish, the more incentive will be added on top of the Commission fee.”

Incentive. That word made my ears perk right up.

“Since it’s a Rank 4 Cursed Object, there’s no telling what kind of Demon will come crawling out, but with several D-rank Sorcerers present, I’m confident the Exorcism will go through one way or another. We’ve already lit the incense, so it’s only a matter of time before the thing reacts.”

“……”

Heo Do grinned after a beat.

“You’ll stay here for about a week. Room and board are provided. Meals will be prepared by the housekeeper who comes here. No one knows exactly when that wardrobe will spit out the Demon, but it shouldn’t take too long.”

Nobody answered.

They just kept staring quietly at Heo Do.

Evidently this was routine for him, because he deftly pointed up the stairs.

“Why don’t we start sizing things up? Let’s go have a look at the wardrobe in question.”

With that, Heo Do led the way up the stairs.

The others quietly rose from their seats and followed.

I played along and trailed behind them too.

As I climbed the stairs, I took in the mansion’s interior.

I couldn’t even begin to gauge how wealthy these people were.

Crystal chandeliers sparkled from the ceiling, and what looked like paintings by famous artists hung on the walls.

Even the carpet on the floor looked more expensive than the deposit on my studio apartment.

And how many rooms did this place have?

Doors lined the second-floor hallway one after another.

The kind of house where only chairmen from some high-budget drama would live.

‘What would it feel like to live in a place like this.’

While I was gawking stupidly at everything.

Some guy in sunglasses came up and walked right alongside me. The same punk who’d been sprawled out so cockily on the sofa earlier.

The one who’d been yawning his face off.

He stared at me through his sunglasses and spoke up.

“I’m curious. Why would a guy like you take on a Commission like this?”

“……”

What’s he going on about. This guy too, huh.

I didn’t answer and just kept walking straight ahead.

Honestly.

I was wary about opening my mouth and giving away how little I actually knew.

Even as I prayed for him to piss off in my head, the bastard kept persistently pestering me.

“Oh-ho. The strong silent type? Okay. Can’t force you to talk if you don’t want to. I was just curious. Someone at your level would normally be working as a formally registered Sorcerer at a decent-sized Office. A guy like you, I’d have expected to run into at least once.”

“……”

“What? Wondering how I can tell?”

Bi-do smirked and tapped his sunglasses.

Maybe it was just me, but I got the distinct feeling of some ominous energy radiating off them.

“This thing. It’s a Rank 3 Spectral Object, no less. Of the detection-type items, there are fewer than thirty like it in the whole country. The price alone is worth an apartment in Gangnam.”

He lowered his voice to a whisper.

“And even with this, I can’t make out all of your Spiritual Power. So. Who the hell are you, really?”

“……”

I was thrown.

How had I gotten misread yet again.