Mudoo - Chapter 10

The rain that had poured all night turned into snow by morning, greeting them with a bright, white world. The temperature had dropped even lower than yesterday, so every breath came out in a little white puff, but watching the snow fall made Seula feel oddly cheerful.

“It’s the first snow.”

Wrapped in a thick blanket she’d dragged out from the living room, Seula perched on the wooden porch. Dong-gil, who’d been licking his food bowl clean, bounded up beside her and sat down primly.

“Dong-gil, aren’t you excited? It’s snowing!”

“Is it your first time seeing snow, first time? It dumps down every winter like crazy — nothing to get excited about, nothing to get excited about.”

Seula thought of all those dogs she’d seen in videos, bouncing around in snowdrifts — maybe that was just a fantasy the media sold people. Dong-gil, who’d been staring at the falling snow without much reaction, mumbled gloomily a moment later.

“Guess no walk today. Hate muddy ground, hate muddy ground…”

Honestly, he didn’t sound that different from people who complain about traffic and slushy roads when it snows.

“Days like this are perfect for turning on the heated blanket, peeling some tangerines, and reading comics.”

“Heated blanket, heated blanket? Is that warmer than a hot stone floor?”

“Of course not! Hot stone floor is unbeatable. But these days, houses can’t really have proper hot stone floors anymore — they’re too hard to build and maintain, so we use boilers instead.”

Dong-gil listened quietly, then stared out at the far-off apartment buildings, looking oddly wistful.

“I’ve never left this house. I wanna live in an apartment too, in an apartment…”

A huge dog wishing he could live in an apartment… It felt strange to Seula too, especially since she’d always dreamed of owning her own apartment one day. Apparently, even talking dogs wanted the same thing.

“I have to work tonight, you know.”

Kang Tae-shin appeared with two mugs of cocoa, setting one down beside her.

“You too, obviously.”

Last night, right before bed, he’d told her to get a good rest so she’d be ready for her first night of work.

“Three days from now, ten at night. Come to Cheonghaedong.”

That’s what he’d said the night he opened her spiritual eye. So much had happened since then that it was hard to believe it had only been three days. Even though tonight was technically her first day at work, she still had no idea what she’d actually be doing, and honestly, she was terrified. She was still trembling every time she saw ghosts — how was she supposed to be any help?

“I’m planning to drop by Cheonwol Manshin’s this afternoon. Wanna come? We’ll swing by your place too and grab your stuff.”

Seula blinked up at him, then at Dong-gil, then back at Kang Tae-shin. She didn’t even know where to start.

“What stuff am I grabbing from my place?”

Kang Tae-shin raised an eyebrow like she’d asked something too obvious to bother with.

“You’re not planning to freeload here forever? Or are you going back to that house?”

“Well, I can’t exactly go back now… If you’ll let me stay here for a while, I’d be really grateful. No ghosts to bother me, I can actually sleep….”

She really did mean it. Kang Tae-shin was giving her food, a safe place to sleep, and paying her to help him — it almost felt too generous, enough to make her wonder if she should really trust him.

“If there’s one thing I’ve got too much of, it’s money. And this house has more than enough spare rooms. Feeding you just means putting out one more spoon. It’s fine to be a bit shameless at times like this.”

Apparently reading exactly what was going through her head, he spoke in that same calm tone.

“Besides, you’re a scaredy-cat, scaredy-cat — you wouldn’t go anywhere else anyway!”

Dong-gil, who’d been listening in silence, chimed in too. His blunt honesty stabbed her right in the chest. He wasn’t wrong. Where would she even go, like this? She was still too scared to even step outside the gate alone.

“Okay, then… shameless as it is, I’ll freeload for a bit.”

“Didn’t take you long to decide, huh? You’ve got a shameless streak in you after all.”

Seula ignored his teasing and shot her next question.

“You said we’re going to Cheonwol Manshin this afternoon, right? That shaman’s house in the mountains? The one who gave me your address?”

Kang Tae-shin took a slow sip of cocoa and answered unhurriedly.

“You might think she’s just another shaman, but Cheonwol Manshin is no ordinary shaman. Her power’s on a whole different level. Big shots have been coming to her for years whenever they’re about to pull off something major.”

Seula did remember seeing news reports about how deeply shamanism was rooted among politicians and businessmen. Back then, she’d just rolled her eyes and wondered how these rich and powerful people could be so pathetic, handing over their money and their common sense. She never imagined the shaman she’d visited was that influential. No wonder it’d taken months just to get an appointment.

“So… why are we going to see her now?”

“It has to do with the spirit we need to catch tonight.”

“Ah….”

As soon as he said it, the reality that her ‘job’ involved catching dead people hit her like a brick. Seula’s stomach twisted. God, I really don’t want to do this.

***

The shrine was thick with the smell of incense. One wall was lined with Buddha statues and sacred paintings, and on the altar were bowls of fruit and flickering candles. But what really kept Seula frozen at the door were the other things behind Cheonwol Manshin — an old man in armor with a long beard, an old woman in a fancy hanbok with her hair neatly tied up, a woman in a heavenly robe leaning against the altar, and a little kid in colorful clothes running around the room like it was a playground.

Last time, it had just been the shaman alone.

“Make sure you brought a nice, fat offering. Even if you’re from Cheonghaedong, you still gotta pay up for cancelling my whole afternoon schedule.”

Seula stood hesitating in the doorway until Kang Tae-shin came up behind her, resting a hand on her shoulder and gently nudging her inside. Still dazed, Seula perched on the guest cushion, eyes darting around at the unfamiliar shrine.

“You’ve got plenty of other clients lining up to stuff your bank account. Don’t get so greedy.”

Tae-shin sat cross-legged like he owned the place, tossing back his reply lazily. Cheonwol Manshin clicked her tongue and glared at him with eyes lined dark as ink, but then turned her sharp gaze to Seula — and her lips curved up into a satisfied grin.

“It’s gone, huh?”

“Huh?”

“The Mudoo — that skin curse.”

“Ah, yeah….”

“Good thing you listened to me, huh?” Cheonwol Manshin lifted her chin proudly. Seula didn’t bother explaining that while the Mudoo had vanished, Kang Tae-shin had opened her spiritual eyes instead.

“The CEO of TK Construction’s one of your regulars, right?”

At Kang Tae-shin’s casual question, Cheonwol Manshin’s eyes flickered with a sudden wariness.

“What are you fishing for now? You know I can’t just blab about my clients — unless I want the spirits to smack me around later.”

“I don’t care about his private life.”

”….”

“But that industrial complex by Hoseong Station that finished last year — TK Construction built that, didn’t they?”

Cheonwol Manshin snapped open her folding fan with a sharp snap, covering her mouth so that only her eyes showed as she stared him down.

“What exactly are you asking?”

“A project that size? There’s no way the CEO didn’t come to see you beforehand.”

Their conversation went back and forth, but none of it made any sense to Seula. It felt like invisible sparks were flying between them.

“Oh, spirits… spirits…”

Cheonwol Manshin shut her eyes and shook a small bell. The bearded old man sitting behind her turned to her back and began to speak, though to Seula, his mouth just moved soundlessly. She squinted, trying to read his lips, but it was hopeless.

Eventually, the bell fell silent, and Cheonwol Manshin let out a long sigh. Kang Tae-shin just sat there calmly, fiddling with the head of a little Buddha statue on the table. The quiet broke when Cheonwol Manshin spoke up again.

“They told him to build the structure on that land, but to create a space inside it where no one could ever pass through.”

Goosebumps crawled up Seula’s arm. She knew about that industrial complex — it was famous when it was completed, right by Hoseong Station, a prime spot with tons of foot traffic. But a space people can’t walk through? It felt like an urban legend come alive.

Deep in thought, Kang Tae-shin murmured to himself.

“So the contractor built a back room.”