Osratida - Chapter 12

Ever since he was summoned by President Ha, Shinhee, who had never even owned a passport, ended up getting one for the first time in his life. He also neatly packed a sizable suitcase and arrived at the airport, carrying a sense of anticipation. There, at the agreed-upon meeting spot, was his client. Or, more precisely, his client’s son.

The person he would be accompanying for the next four nights and five days turned out to be none other than the man he’d encountered not long ago in the parking lot—and again at the art gallery. At this point, it didn’t seem like an ordinary coincidence. Perhaps they were somehow tied together in a past life.

Just as he was about to acknowledge the man with a hint of delight, the man strode toward him. Next to him, Secretary Park, whom he had seen before, was adjusting his glasses and trotting to keep up. There was an air of urgency and unease in his steps that he couldn’t hide.

The man, who was handsome enough to be a movie star, approached with his face twisted in a deep frown. The seriousness of his expression made Shinhee feel like smoothing out his furrowed brow with an iron if he could.

“Hel-”

“Is it you?”

Whatever had happened before arriving, the look in the man’s eyes as he stared at Shinhee was downright hostile. Before Shinhee could even respond, the man maintained his hardened expression, which did no justice to his sculpted face. He looked not just a little angry—he was furious.

“Are you that shaman?”

“Well… something like that…”

“Because of you, I had to come all the way here…!”

Shinhee had no idea why the man was so upset. Gyojin, realizing that his voice was rising, cut himself off and took a short, sharp breath to regain his composure. After tamping down his anger, he began laying out his demands one by one in precise, clear tones.

“First, if my safety is compromised, the contract will be voided. If that happens due to your incompetence, you’ll be responsible for paying the penalty fee. Second, unless absolutely necessary, do not come within one meter of me. If you fail to comply, the contract will also be voided. Third…”

Gyojin paused, seemingly getting frustrated again just at the thought of it.

“…Third, do not mention or disclose anything related to ghosts or other invisible entities to anyone. If anyone here finds out that such things are connected to me, that will also be your responsibility, and the contract will be voided.”

Without giving Shinhee a chance to admire his excellent voice or broadcaster-like diction, the man spat out his words and turned around, walking away. Left dumbfounded, Shinhee scratched the back of his neck, trying to process the verbal terms of the contract he’d just heard. It was clear that, for whatever reason, his very presence here was getting on this man’s nerves.

Well, to be fair, anyone might feel uncomfortable after witnessing someone talking animatedly to thin air twice. Still, Shinhee thought there was a chance the man might just leave him behind if things went well. His eyes sparkled at the sudden hope.

If he were to be honest, he wanted to suggest voiding the contract right then and there. After all, it would be mutually beneficial—Gyojin wouldn’t have to see him, and Shinhee wouldn’t have to deal with the ghosts of the island nation. Should he push for this?

He wanted to make his case, but the thought of returning home empty-handed to face his teacher’s icy glare was far scarier.

Secretary Park, clearly flustered, bowed his head in apology on behalf of his ill-tempered boss.
“Apologies. The director has been a bit sensitive lately…”

To Shinhee, it didn’t seem like “a bit sensitive” quite captured the extent of the man’s state.

—

Shinhee had vaguely expected an important meeting to involve more people, but the group was much smaller than he’d imagined. The entire party consisted of Gyojin, Secretary Park, Shinhee himself, and two bodyguards.

Just as they were about to head toward the departure gate, a familiar silhouette caught Shinhee’s eye. If his eyes weren’t deceiving him, what he was seeing absolutely shouldn’t have been here.

Excusing himself from Secretary Park, who was smiling and explaining things, Shinhee quickly approached the silhouette and pulled it aside into a corner. A child spirit, carrying an adorable bag as if excited for the trip, greeted him with laughter.

“Why… why are you here, little one?”

“Grandma sent me! She said it’s okay if I go!”

“Did Master send you? Why?!”

“‘I wanna go with Shinhee,’ I said! So she said, ‘Then go!’ And I came!”

“How did you get here? This place is far…”

“I flew! Shoo-ooh!”

The child spirit struck a superhero-like pose, extending a hand toward the sky with pride. Shinhee could only laugh with a strange expression at the sight.

—

From his seat in the plane, Shinhee looked down at the shrinking city below, wide-eyed. Thanks to his frugal teacher, who preferred cars and boats wherever possible, this was his first time on a plane, and his heart was pounding. The child spirit, sitting on his lap, fidgeted with excitement, marveling at everything.

Their first-class seats were spacious and comfortable—far more luxurious than anything Shinhee was used to. Watching Gyojin sitting across from him, staring intently at a tablet, Shinhee couldn’t help but feel a childlike excitement at the thought of bragging about this to Minam once he returned to Korea.

Half nervous and half excited, Shinhee pulled out a small booklet from his bag: Basic Japanese for Travelers. All he knew in Japanese were simple phrases like greetings and apologies, so he’d bought the pocket-sized book as soon as he learned about the trip. But despite his efforts, after muttering sentences like “I am Korean,” “Where is the restroom?” and “How much is this?” for about thirty minutes, he dozed off.

His body, worn out from restless anticipation the night before, succumbed to the comfort of the flight. The child spirit poked him repeatedly, wanting him to wake up and play, before eventually patting Shinhee’s hair with tiny hands.

—

Three hours later, Shinhee woke to the captain’s announcement that they were arriving at Haneda Airport. Still groggy, he opened his eyes to see the child spirit puffing out its cheeks in frustration. “I’m mad, so fix it now!” its expression seemed to say, which Shinhee found endearing enough to chuckle at.

In the arrivals hall, a group of suited individuals greeted Gyojin’s party. Feeling out of place as the only one not in formal attire, Shinhee noticed some members of the group giving him curious looks. Gyojin, unperturbed, introduced him casually.
“He’s an acquaintance of mine.”

The group seemed to accept this explanation after a young man, likely an interpreter, translated it into fluent Japanese, though some still appeared skeptical.

—

Seated in the limousine, Secretary Park went over the 4-day itinerary, while Gyojin listened silently. Shinhee, meanwhile, watched everything with wide-eyed fascination. Breathing the same air and sharing the same space, these people still felt like they were from another world. Was this what a typical life looked like?

While Shinhee pondered these pointless questions, the limousine drove on for another hour before finally arriving in Tokyo, the final destination. Four hours of travel had passed.

The first day’s agenda involved a light dinner with the owner family of Mishima Department Store, the purpose of this trip. Walking leisurely into the high-end Japanese restaurant described by the interpreter, Gyojin suddenly turned back before entering the private room.

The shaman-like man was standing there, looking nervous and clenching his right hand into a fist. Gyojin, contradicting his earlier claim that Shinhee was an “acquaintance,” acted as if he didn’t care and headed into the room where the owner was waiting. Then, a small voice stopped him.

“Um… Director Ha?”

“What is it?”

“What should I do?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re about to have an important discussion, and I don’t think it’s my place to join…”

At least he seemed aware of his place. After a brief moment of consideration, Gyojin’s lips curled into a smirk. While Shinhee indeed didn’t belong in the discussion, this was the perfect opportunity to subtly mess with the people who had dragged him here.

“Join us for the meal. You’re part of the group, after all.”

Secretary Park, who knew Shinhee’s “role,” widened his eyes in alarm, clearly thinking, What on earth is he doing? His internal conflict played out visibly on his face, but Gyojin, in a rare good mood, even held the door open and gestured for Shinhee to enter.

—

Shinhee hesitated but eventually stepped inside, feeling this was not the right move. I’ll get a chance to see who we’re dealing with, he thought. The fact that the man had dressed casually in a knit sweater rather than a formal suit earned some points from him.

The dinner proceeded in a very cordial atmosphere. Despite likely being displeased by the unexpected presence of an outsider, Mishima Takeuchi, the owner of Mishima Department Store, maintained a constant smile.