Chapter 7: Salt and Spirit
Sunghoon felt a wave of regret wash over him, heavy as a wet wool coat. He let out a long, weary sigh, wondering exactly how he'd ended up here. Why had he allowed himself to be swayed by her?
Perhaps it was because Se-hee reminded him so much of his younger sister,persistent, loud, and impossible to say no to.
He tried his best to keep his face neutral, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at the sheer absurdity unfolding around him. Every time the shaman drifted near, a jolt of irritation raced through him. He wanted to back away, not because he felt some spiritual presence, but out of pure disdain for the contact.
Beside him, Se-hee was kneeling dutifully, nodding along to every outrageous thing the shaman sprouted. The woman danced vigorously, ringing bells that pierced Sunghoon's ears like needles.
He wasn't exactly a religious person. He wasn't an atheist, either; he just wasn't into it. His mother back in the nineties had been obsessed with shamanism, plastering the house with yellow talismans to ward off evil spirits, but he had always remained a skeptic.
Then again, could he really afford to be skeptical? He was, after all, a forty-year-old soul trapped in the body of a twenty-three-year-old after leaping twenty-five years into the future.
Se-hee had pestered him until his ears practically bled, claiming a cleansing was the only way to fix his "amnesia." He'd finally given in, mostly because he wanted to score some "brownie points" with her. Since he was essentially a stranger inhabiting her best friend's skin, he figured playing the part of the agreeable roommate was his safest bet.
At first, he'd been wary,the shaman's words had been eerily close to the truth. But as the ritual went on, he realized she was a total hack. Her predictions turned vague, and she'd nearly drowned him by flicking water at him with a wet brush.
Now, on top of being frustrated, he was wet and cold.
He tried to endure it, but when she started fumbling with his face and trying to stick a paper talisman to his forehead, he snapped. He stood up abruptly, shocking both the shaman and Se-hee. The shaman froze mid-dance, a flicker of genuine fear crossing her face,as if she actually believed her antics had provoked an evil spirit inside him.
He had half a mind to start acting
"possessed" just to teach her a lesson about scamming people, but he settled for grabbing his bag and heading for the exit.
"Evil spirit!" the shaman shrieked, blocking his path and ringing her bells with renewed, frantic energy.
Sunghoon cursed under his breath. "Move. I don't have time for this nonsense," he stated firmly.
Se-hee gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as she stared at him. The shaman's jaw dropped. "Who do you think-"
"I'm not an idiot," Sunghoon cut her off, his voice dropping into the authoritative tone of a man who used to run film sets. "You're a scammer. Move, before I start shouting so the whole neighborhood hears me."
Suddenly, the woman grabbed a handful of salt and began pelting him with it, mumbling useless incantations.
Se-hee watched the scene unfold like a movie. One second they were trading insults, and the next, the shaman was physically grabbing Haru, trying to pin him down while he struggled to shake her off.
If this were a video on the internet, Se-hee would have been doubled over laughing. But seeing it happen in person, she didn't know whether to intervene or keep watching. She was mostly stunned by Haru's behavior.
The old Haru hardly said a word. He was a "go with the flow" person who detested conflict. But the person in front of her was entirely different. Over the last few days, he had talked to her more than he had in the entire previous year. He smiled. He laughed. He even showed interest in her work, helping her with her videos and actually engaging with her hobbies.
They had met three years ago when she was new to Seoul. They'd worked at the same restaurant, and she'd been drawn to his cool, mysterious aura. She'd had a crush on him once, but when it didn't lead anywhere, they settled into a deep, supportive friendship. When they moved in together, he had been her rock, covering costs when her content-creator dreams weren't paying the bills.
Seeing him like this,vibrant, assertive, and full of life,made her heart warm, even if he was Currently wrestling a crazy lady.
"Stop being such a baby, it's not that painful," Se-hee scolded later as they walked down a deserted street. She dabbed a cotton ball against a small scratch on his face, being intentionally aggressive.
"Ow! You try it!" he snapped playfully, snatching her hand away.
"It's not my fault you decided to pick a fight with a shaman," she retorted, tossing the cotton into a bin. She always carried a small first-aid kit in her bag ,a habit born from Haru's usual clumsiness.
"You're the one who introduced me to that whack-job!"
"I saw her on TikTok! I didn't think she was a scammer," she huffed, defending her honor.
Sunghoon stopped walking. He turned toward her, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He began to lurk toward her slowly, looming over her as she backed away.
"You know what?" he said, feigning deep thought. "The person I should really be fighting is you."
He lunged playfully. Se-hee shrieked with laughter and bolted down the street. He caught up easily, grabbing her by the waist and twirling her around. The sound of their shared laughter filled the quiet night air, a sharp contrast to the cold, lonely silence Sunghoon had left behind in 1999.