Mudoo - Chapter 34

Yin energy.

It hit Seula only after the fact—that the feeling she got from being near Geumhwa was because of strong yin energy.

No one had told her this. But the pieces fell into place like a puzzle clicking together. It was like a needle pointing cleanly at the right answer.

It was hard to speak with something choking her throat, but Seula forced out each word, slowly, one syllable at a time.

“Calling… that thing… a divine spirit… that’s just… so pitiful… I could die.”

She didn’t know anything about shamans, so the only thing she could rely on was raw instinct.

But the energy radiating from Geumhwa—damp, eerie, heavy, dark, disgusting—it was undeniably foul.

A menacing gleam flashed in Geumhwa’s eyes as she tightened her grip on Seula’s neck.

“Look at you, mouthing off when you’re not even fit to serve a spirit. Tsk, tsk.”

Right as she spat those words, the metal door clanged open again. Tae-shin stormed in, his blue robe fluttering behind him.

It was an odd time to be thinking it, but Seula found herself noticing how perfectly he fit the scene—set against the crimson dusk, his sharp, unreadable face, and tall, steady frame.

She was on the verge of passing out, yet still had the mind to laugh at her own stupid thoughts.

Geumhwa, clearly intent on finishing her off, didn’t even notice someone was coming up behind her. Tae-shin reached out and grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to face him. The grip was so strong, Geumhwa let out a sharp scream and dropped to one knee.

Seula took the chance to scramble away and put distance between them. Her throat still felt tight like a rope was wrapped around it, but she managed to breathe in slowly.

“Wow… I seriously thought I was gonna die just now…”

She wanted it on record—this wasn’t something she’d walked into on purpose. She hadn’t gone looking for danger.

But Tae-shin didn’t even glance her way. His eyes were locked on Geumhwa with an intensity sharp enough to cut steel.

The look in his eyes was so severe, Seula didn’t dare interrupt.

Tae-shin pulled something from his sleeve, a yellow talisman, drawn in vivid red ink with symbols she couldn’t recognize.

He was no stranger to the world of spirits, but it was the first time Seula saw him use an actual talisman. She couldn’t hide her surprise.

Geumhwa flinched the moment she saw it. She backed away on her knees, her once-confident eyes now visibly trembling. She tried to keep her composure, lips tight, but it was obvious—she was scared.

“Y-you’ll regret this! The spirit I serve won’t let you go!”

She shrieked. And if this had been any other time, Tae-shin would’ve probably rolled his eyes or thrown back a biting remark.

But now? His face was stone. Unreadable.

He raised the talisman between his fingers and pressed it firmly against Geumhwa’s forehead.

“—!”

A scream split the air, shrill enough to pierce Seula’s ears. She covered them, wincing.

Geumhwa writhed in pain, but Tae-shin held her steady, pressing the talisman to her with unwavering force. Calm and upright, he whispered under his breath—and then, the end of the talisman lit up. A blue flame danced along the edge.

“This… this can’t be real…”

Seula’s mouth fell open. The flame devoured the talisman, piece by piece. It turned to ash, scattering in the wind.

When the last piece vanished, Geumhwa collapsed. A dark mass burst from her body, breaking apart into two distinct forms.

One crouched in the corner of the rooftop, head buried between its knees.

It looked exactly like Geumhwa.

The other… she had no idea.

“What was that just now? Something huge and pitch black flew past me…”

Seula asked as she approached Tae-shin.

He was staring toward the rooftop door where the shadow had disappeared, then turned toward her.

“A reaper’s coming. Can you stay with the soul until I get back?”

Wait, what? Was he talking about Geumhwa?

Seula stared between Geumhwa’s limp body and her spirit, completely thrown off.

She was dead? For real?

“But what if she suddenly wakes up and goes for my throat again?”

Her thoughts were written all over her face.

Tae-shin must’ve caught on, because he reached out and gently tapped her cheek with his big hand.

“Nothing’s going to happen. I promise.”

“What about you?”

It looked like he was going after that black thing. She didn’t know what it was, but it definitely wasn’t a normal spirit.

He smiled, a little too casually, like he was trying to reassure her. Then, half-joking, half-serious, he muttered, “If I die, at least it’d be a blessing.”

“What the hell kind of thing is that to say…”

“I’ll be back soon. Let’s wrap this up and clock out.”

With that, Tae-shin turned and disappeared through the metal door. Seula let out a small sigh and turned around—only to jump.

“Ah!”

The reaper stood right beside her, arms crossed. She tilted her head, puzzled.

“What’s got you so sentimental?”

“I’m not sentimental, geez… Anyway, is she really the soul you’re here to pick up today?”

Partly trying to change the subject, partly genuinely curious, Seula asked.

Was Geumhwa really dead? She was just choking her five minutes ago!

“Hmph.”

The reaper squinted toward Geumhwa’s spirit.

Her lips parted like she was about to explain, then shut again. After a pause, she finally muttered.

“Among shamans, they call it a ‘punishment ritual.’”

“A punishment what now?”

“It’s when the god they originally served punishes them for turning away.”

Seula suddenly remembered what Geumhwa had said earlier.

‘My powerful spirit wants your body.’

That chill… that heavy yin energy that felt like she was in a coffin… it all came rushing back.

“So she ditched her original guardian spirit for an evil one… and the original one snapped?”

Seula shuddered. An evil spirit. So that thing she was serving—wasn’t a god at all?

It was starting to make horrifying sense. The choking, the fear, the suffocating darkness. It had all been real. Not your average shaman, that was for sure.

Suddenly, a thought hit her like lightning.

“Tae-shin went after it—!”

The reaper sighed dramatically, pulled off her hat, and ran a hand through her hair.

“Why’s my guy acting all brave and noble all of a sudden?”

“Can’t you help him? You could just grab the soul and the evil spirit at the same time!”

“No way! I hate evil spirits! They reek of rot!”

She looked about as willing to deal with it as someone refusing to take out trash because it smelled.

“There’s a whole department for handling that kind of thing. Don’t rope me into the dirty work, okay?”

Seula wasn’t having it.

“Negligence of duty.”

“Excuse me?”

“Dereliction of responsibility.”

“You brat. You seriously have no idea how hard this job is, do you?”

“Time thief.”

“Oh wow. You’re really pushing it.”

“Please! If Tae-shin dies, who’s going to deal with the ghosts?!”

She grabbed the reaper by the collar and shook her like a rag doll, yelling at the top of her lungs.

The reaper just stared at her for a second—then let out a snort.

“Why would he die? You really don’t know anything yet, do you?”

What’s that supposed to mean? Seula stared at her, completely lost.

In the meantime, the reaper had already pulled a scroll and a mic from inside her black coat.