Chapter 1335

<Chapter 1335> 1335. Ghost Romance

The fire that began on the first floor of the apartment complex quickly spread upward, filling the sky with thick black smoke. The surrounding air was scorching from the intense heat.

I heard sirens blaring from inside the apartment building—it was the fire alarm. Watching the flames engulf the structure, I stepped back cautiously and hid behind a nearby tree as students stumbled out in panic.

People gathered around, drawn by the sight of the billowing smoke. To them, this fire was quite the spectacle—something not seen every day.

Soon enough, another siren sounded—it was the fire trucks arriving. Firefighters rushed into the burning building to subdue the flames.

But ghosts residing in the apartment? They’re powerless here. Ghosts are weak against yang energy, which means they’re weak against fire. With the entire apartment complex ablaze, their strength will wane, and with so many people gathered outside, they can’t even leave the building. Humans emit yang energy when they congregate en masse.

The moment dozens of humans notice a ghost, it’ll be overwhelmed by the overwhelming surge of yang energy and vanish.

For the ghosts, it’s truly a no-win situation.

At some point, I stopped hiding and openly observed the chaos unfold.

“KIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

A blood-curdling scream erupted from within the apartment.

The crowd jumped at the sound.

“There’s still someone trapped inside…”

“What do we do…?”

“Hmm. Everyone needs to get out safely.”

People watched anxiously as firefighters carried unconscious victims out of the inferno, cheering them on like heroes returning victorious.

I tilted my head slightly. That scream… it wasn’t human. It was the ghost.

『†You have incinerated countless ghosts.』

『†Your absurd exorcism power strikes fear into nearby spirits.』

『†Numerous ghosts have turned to ash. They will burn eternally in Hell too.』

『†The regional ghost aura has plummeted dramatically.』

After checking the notification window, I turned away.

With the ghostly presence diminished, my steps felt lighter as I headed home.

Won’t arson cause trouble?

Nope.

In this world, the police are incompetent, and I made sure to verify everything beforehand—CCTVs, evidence, you name it. There won’t be any proof pointing to me. Even if they suspect me, denial will suffice.

I entered Ji Dahye’s house, spent the night baking rice cakes together, then went to school afterward.

“Hmph. Sung Yoojin. Did you hear about the fire that broke out in the dormitory yesterday?”

As soon as I entered the classroom, Shin Ohjeong approached me.

Since I couldn’t outright say *I caused the fire,* I played dumb.

“No idea. Don’t really care.”

“I figured as much. You’re only interested in exorcising spirits, after all.”

Not entirely true. My reason for exorcising spirits is to woo the heroine. By reducing the ghost aura, the influence of spirits over the heroines weakens.

“Any info related to ghosts?”

“The dormitory where the fire occurred… there were sightings of a ghost there.”


Rumors were circulating that something was coming. One of the dormitory students apparently had a recurring nightmare about committing suicide every night. Another student claimed to have seen a ghost standing in the hallway. There was even talk of a student fainting in the shower after encountering a long-haired ghost.

“Well, now that the apartment burned down, I guess those ghost rumors will disappear.”

I said it casually, not giving it much thought.

Shin Oh-jung stared at me intently.

“…Could it be that you set fire to the apartment? To exorcise the ghosts?”

“Hey, pig. That’s ridiculous. What lunatic would burn something down just to get rid of ghosts? That’s like burning down a house to kill a flea.”

“Hmm… Yeah, you’re right. I got a bit worked up after hearing there were arson traces. My apologies.”

Shin Oh-jung bowed his head to me. As I accepted his apology, my mind briefly wandered.

Burning down a house to kill a flea…

Wouldn’t it be fine to burn something if it could kill fleas?

“Any other information on the ghosts?”

“Hmm. There was another murder last night.”

“That convenience store murder case?”

“That’s right. It’s connected to the convenience store murders. Last night, two taekwondo instructors were brutally killed at the dojo. Of course, there are no clues about the perpetrator this time either. Not on the CCTV or any dashcams.”

“Do you think this is the work of a ghost again?”

“The criminal is openly committing crimes, yet the police can’t gather even a single proper clue. It doesn’t make sense unless it’s a ghost. This is 120% the work of a ghost.”

Shin Oh-jung said firmly.

Not being an exorcist but having a decent intuition—though only up to a point. Shin Oh-jung can do nothing more than gather information about ghosts; actually exorcising them is a different matter entirely.

“So, Hell’s Six-Section Staff… what are you planning to do?”

“Don’t call me that. About the murderer… even I don’t know what to do. Even if it’s a ghost, we have no idea where it will pop up next. Tracking it is difficult.”

“So, to exorcise, you need to confront the ghost directly first?”

“Exactly. We should deal with other ghosts first. You can’t exorcise something when you don’t even know where it is.”

“If we leave it alone, more victims will appear.”

“What do you suggest then? Again, we don’t know where it is. We can’t waste time chasing a ghost whose location we don’t even know. It’s more worthwhile to exorcise other ghosts in the meantime.”

“Ugh… So the real issue is that we can’t pinpoint the ghost’s location…”

I glanced ahead.

Yu Semin, the suspected perpetrator of the murder case, was chatting happily with other students.

“Oh, by the way, Sung Yoojin. I heard Ji Dae-hye, one of the three great beauties of our school, has been absent both yesterday and today. Could it be related to you? Weren’t you absent yesterday too?”

“It’s unrelated.”

I cut him off sharply.

The Three Great Beauties.

It referred to the three heroines: Yu Semin, Ji Dae-hye, Seol Ji-young. The top beauties of the school—this setup felt like something out of a dating sim.

“Well, if you say so. So, which ghost are you planning to exorcise today? I heard there’s a water ghost haunting the school swimming pool.”

“Water ghost? That sounds easy. You do it.”

“Wha… Me?!”

“It’s simple. Just go during the time the water ghost appears and dump a ton of chlorine into the pool.”

“Exorcise a ghost with chlorine? Are you serious?”

“Same principle as using deworming medicine to exorcise hungry ghosts.”

“Uh… I see. But I’m not a professional exorcist. Shouldn’t you be the one doing it?”

Shin Oh-jung looked extremely nervous, breaking out in cold sweat.

“Don’t start whining because you volunteered to be an exorcist’s manager. A water ghost is something you can handle alone.”

“But… Ghosts are still ghosts…”


“There’s no way someone as ordinary as me can deal with this…”

“A water ghost can’t leave the pool. You should be able to at least do the job of sprinkling salt around the pool, right?”

“…I still have a hard time believing that something so simple could drive away a water ghost, but after personally witnessing worm medicine exorcising a hungry ghost, I can’t deny it. Alright, I’ll exorcise the water ghost as you say. Still, just in case I fail, I’d better write my will ahead of time….”

Shin Oh-jung began scribbling something on a notebook with a ballpoint pen, his face serious. I ignored him and stared straight ahead. Today, I plan to make a move on Yoo Se-mi.

After school, Yoo Se-mi and I left together. Instead of heading home, we went downtown. In short, it was a date.

Perhaps because of our basic compatibility, seducing Yoo Se-mi wasn’t difficult. I simply suggested playing outside school, and she immediately accepted without any suspicion.

Yoo Se-mi, walking beside me, was smiling brightly.

“Yoo Jin, how long has it been since we’ve hung out like this? Let’s have fun today!”

“We can hang out next time too, so what’s the big deal?”

I placed my hand on her shoulder. She flinched slightly but didn’t shake it off. Instead, her cheeks turned a faint shade of red.

“Next time… uh… whenever you ask.”

“Are you free? You’re in the kendo club, and you need to study, right?”

“It’s tough to spare much time… but after school, I can play for about 3 to 4 hours.”

“Oh, really? Until when can you play today?”

She hesitated, glancing at me nervously.

“Yes, yes, I can play however you want. I have plenty of time today…”

“Until dawn, huh? Is that right?”

At the word “dawn,” Yoo Se-mi blushed shyly and nodded.

“As long as I’m with you, it’s fine.”

“But won’t your parents worry?”

“I’ll just say I’m staying over at a friend’s house.”

“Is that so? Then let’s have some fun today. Before that… there’s something I want to give you… clothes. Will you accept them?”

“Clothes? Are you picking them out for me, Yoo Jin?”

“I’ll pick something pretty for you.”

“That sounds exciting. But do you have enough money?”

I pulled out my card from my wallet. Checking the balance at the school cafeteria, I found quite a bit saved up—probably from my demon-exorcising activities.

I took her to a clothing store downtown. To be precise, a women’s lingerie shop.

“Wha- What is this place?!”

Yoo Se-mi panics. Her ponytail of black hair swings wildly.

Ordinary men usually can’t enter women’s lingerie shops—it’s practically impossible. However, things change if you’re with a woman. I confidently grabbed Yoo Se-mi’s waist and approached the female clerk, who smiled warmly at us.

“Welcome! Are you two a couple? You look great together.”

“Yes, I’m buying lingerie for my girlfriend. Do you have anything sexy?”

Even though we were wearing school uniforms, we were adults, so we weren’t kicked out.

“Ah, there are many items you might like in that corner. Let me assist you.”

“No need. I decided to pick it out myself as a gift.”

“In that case… understood. The fitting rooms are over there.”

“Thank you.”

Still stiff with tension, I led Yoo Se-mi toward the sexy lingerie section. There was an impressive selection of adult lingerie.

I scanned the area while checking the CCTV cameras. Compared to the size of the store, there weren’t many cameras, leaving plenty of blind spots. Satisfied, I grinned.

“Semi, show me your underwear.”

“W-What?!”

“I’m curious about what you’re wearing now. Can you show me?”

“If it’s… if it’s your request…”

Yoo Se-mi swallowed hard, grabbing the hem of her skirt and lifting it slightly.