No one spoke for a full minute after Park Seung-ho disappeared.
The cold night wind blew through the broken kitchen window.
Yui slowly looked around the room.
Baek was staring at the door.
Mr. Lee was flipping through paperwork like his life depended on it.
Jae-min was hugging Ghost Dog like an emotional support pillow.
And Obaa-chan was calmly eating cookies.
Yui slammed her hands on the table.
"OKAY. SOMEONE EXPLAIN."
No one moved.
Yui pointed at Baek.
"You start."
Baek sighed.
"The King of Lost Souls is not supposed to exist anymore."
"That was not helpful," Yui said.
Mr. Lee adjusted his glasses nervously.
"Long story short… the King of Lost Souls is a spirit so powerful that even the underworld cannot control him."
Jae-min whispered, "That sounds bad."
Mr. Lee nodded.
"Very bad."
Ghost Dog barked.
Then accidentally knocked over Obaa-chan's tea.
Obaa-chan sighed.
"This is why I prefer normal ghosts."
The Real Problem
Baek turned toward Yui.
"You remember the deal Park offered?"
"The underworld internship?" Yui groaned.
"Yes."
Mr. Lee sighed.
"If the King of Lost Souls is returning… we will need help capturing spirits before they join him."
Yui crossed her arms.
"So let me get this straight."
"My grandma made a deal with demons."
"I work for the Grim Reaper."
"And now there's a ghost king starting a supernatural rebellion?"
Baek nodded.
"That's about right."
Yui buried her face in her hands.
"I just wanted a normal life."
Jae-min raised his hand.
"Technically you still go to school."
Yui glared at him.
Suddenly…
The lights flickered again.
Baek immediately stood up.
"That wasn't the CEO."
A dark ripple spread across the kitchen floor.
Mr. Lee dropped his clipboard.
"Oh no."
Yui stepped back.
"What now?"
The shadow twisted into a shape.
A spirit slowly rose from the floor.
But this one was different.
Its eyes were glowing black.
Its body was covered in cracks of dark energy.
Baek whispered,
"…Corrupted spirit."
Mr. Lee looked terrified.
"That's impossible."
"Corrupted spirits only appear when the King of Lost Souls is active."
The spirit suddenly screamed and charged toward Yui.
Baek swung his scythe.
CLANG.
The spirit slammed against the wall.
Yui grabbed her spirit tag.
"Okay nope we are NOT dying tonight!"
Jae-min threw salt.
Ghost Dog barked like a tiny demon hunter.
Obaa-chan calmly drew a talisman in the air.
"Seal!"
The spirit exploded into blue light.
Then vanished.
Silence.
Baek slowly lowered his scythe.
"That confirms it."
Yui groaned.
"Confirms WHAT?"
Baek looked at her.
"The King of Lost Souls is already waking up."
Yui collapsed into a chair.
"Fantastic."
She looked at the group.
"So when do we start saving the world?"
Baek answered immediately.
"Tomorrow."
Yui groaned louder.
End of Chapter 15