Killing the Possessor - Chapter 9
“Kimchi arrayo?”
[Do you know kimchi?]
“…?”
I had known from the start that Hongik Ingan agents would ask a question only someone from Earth could answer to identify possessors.
But, as always, knowing something and experiencing it firsthand are two different things. It was a phrase I was so familiar with, but because of that, it felt off and caught me off guard.
“I never thought I’d hear that here…”
“Mwo?”
[What?]
“Ne! Arrayo! And I’m Korean.”
[Yes! I know!]
For convenience’s sake, I revealed my true nationality.
“From head to toe?”
“Huh? Are you asking if I’m Korean from head to toe?”
“No, no. I meant the song. From head to toe, what’s next?”
It seemed like he wasn’t done verifying yet. Frowning, I barely mumbled my answer in a mosquito-like voice.
“L-Lovely?”
“Hm, you’re older than I expected.”
“…”
Now that I think about it, I feel like I’ve seen a meme where the answer changes depending on the age group. I pouted at the unexpected comment.
Ugh, I should’ve answered with something more recent.
“Is that it?”
“Aniyeyo. Han bon ddo. Koreans do things three times, right?”
[No. One more time.]
He scratched around his nose beneath the mask and then casually asked,
“Taegukgi arrayo?”
[Do you know taegukgi (Korean flag)?]
That was unexpected. Normally, wouldn’t they ask about celebrities or sports stars?
Raising an eyebrow at the unusual question, I slowly nodded in agreement. The man then suddenly pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from his pocket and handed them to me.
“Draw it.”
“…?”
I was honestly a bit surprised by how serious the verification was. He had just mentioned the ‘three times’ thing earlier, but now it seemed like he was implying that anyone who didn’t know basic knowledge of South Korea didn’t deserve Hongik Ingan’s help.
I was grateful, once again, that I wasn’t a foreigner or an overseas Korean who lacked knowledge of Korea. With a mix of confidence and hesitation, I drew the Taegukgi, even if it was a bit crooked.
When I presented the somewhat messy but recognizable drawing, the man glanced at it, then immediately crumpled the paper. Without stopping there, he created a small flame with magic and burned it.
As the ashes fell onto the blanket, I shot him a sharp look. I understood why he burned it to cover up the risk of being caught, but why did he have to make such a mess on the bed?
“Looks like the investigators these days are getting some pretty thorough training. They got the song right, but they can also draw the Taegukgi?”
But then, the man suddenly said something strange. Investigators? Why is an investigator coming up now?
“Tell me. Do we have a spy on our side?”
A dagger suddenly appeared, pressed against my neck, ready to slit it at any moment.
I froze at the sight of the threatening weapon. A spy in our ranks? What is this all about?
Flustered, I moved my lips without moving my body.
“What are you talking about? Didn’t I pass the test?”
“Are you going to claim you’re a possessor?”
The man sneered, lifting one corner of his mouth as he moved his face closer to mine.
“You’re too calm for that. It’s as if you’ve been waiting for me. A strange man with a mask shows up in your bedroom in the middle of the night, and you’re this peaceful?”
“Well, I was waiting!”
I shouted in frustration, briefly forgetting the fear I felt, but then quickly raised my hand to cover my mouth, realizing that my voice might carry outside.
“Waiting?”
The man pulled the dagger away slightly, looking at me with a skeptical expression. It was clear, even without seeing his eyes behind the Hahoe mask, that suspicion still lingered.
Frustrated, I took a deep breath and confessed.
“I’ve been waiting. You have no idea how much I’ve been dying for you to show up.”
“You say you know who we are?”
When I nodded enthusiastically, the man asked sharply.
“How?”
“…?”
At that moment, I realized. There was no way I could have known about Hongik Ingan ahead of time. Unless I had befriended another possessor who had been helped by them, but I hadn’t stepped outside the mansion once.
For a brief moment, my mind swirled with thoughts. Should I say that one of the employees mentioned Hongik Ingan? Or should I just honestly bring up the original story?
But telling him outright that I was a character from a novel I had read was…
“It might sound strange…”
After a fierce struggle, I decided to be honest. It was better than telling lies and risking being exposed later. Losing trust would be far worse.
Luna note:
– The fun thing about this chapter is that, the raws are in Korean, so they actually used Korean-ized English in the test. But since the translation is in English, I translated it back to Korean to keep the nuance!
– I couldn’t find any other songs that has ‘from head to toe’ in their lyrics, but I did find two. The one Camilli mentioned was released in 2005, which was why the agent said it’s quite old. The most recent one I can find was released in 2018, so almost 13 years of difference between them!
