Chapter 15

Chapter 15 – Lust Ghost (1)

“Detective Park, nothing unusual has happened so far, right?”

“Yes. It’s strangely quiet tonight. Even the cats are quiet.”

“Did you question the people living in this studio building?”

“Come on. How am I supposed to question people when no crime has even happened?”

This guy had a habit of suddenly insisting on following the rules whenever things became inconvenient for him.

“Hey! This is exactly when you’re supposed to act like a detective. When else are you going to take advantage of your detective privileges?”

“I don’t think that’s right either. We can’t investigate innocent people without permission just because of something personal involving me.”

Officer Kim sided with Detective Park.

Hmm... If even this pure soul is against me, what does that make me? Did those two plan this beforehand? Why is their teamwork so good?

“Ahem. Fine. Forget about questioning them. Officer Kim, did anyone living here seem suspicious to you?”

“Well... From what I’ve seen, everyone living here seems like a nice person.”

Apparently, everyone looked pure through the eyes of a pure soul.

They all look like criminals to me...

“Then let’s use the process of elimination.”

“Process of elimination?”

“We eliminate people from the suspect list one by one until we narrow it down.”

“Oh, I see.”

She really made me wonder whether she actually worked at a police station.

Being too pure could eventually cross the line into being naive.

Officer Kim seemed to be standing exactly on that border between pure-hearted and clueless.

“Most stalkers live alone. How many people here live by themselves?”

“One person on the first floor and two on the second floor.”

“A stalker usually tries to gain the other person’s favor by acting friendly. Has anyone here tried to approach you recently? Or even in the past?”

“I think everyone has tried to approach me.”

“......”

Well...

If it was someone like Officer Kim, I probably would have done the same.

And Officer Kim seemed to be leaning farther away from pure-hearted and closer toward clueless.

“Senior, why don’t we just question those three?”

“Didn’t you just say we shouldn’t do that?”

“...Wouldn’t three people be okay?”

So this guy has a bit of an opportunistic, convenience-first side to him after all...

“What time is it?”

“It’s around eleven at night.”

Officer Kim glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.

“Detective Park, even with our detective privileges, it’s too late to bother them now, right?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“That’s right. It would be an invasion of privacy.”

Just then—

Meow.

A cat cried from outside the window.

Judging from the number of cries, there seemed to be around ten of them.

“Oh my. They’re gathering here at this hour.”

“Are those the stray cats you said you take care of?”

“Yes. They normally don’t come this late.”

Officer Kim headed into the kitchen and prepared some food.

“But they’re not crying like crazy like you said they did.”

“You’re right. Tonight they’re just meowing normally.”

Detective Park scratched his head awkwardly.

I got up and followed Officer Kim to the window.

Since her room was at the very end of the second floor, there was a narrow space outside the window where it would be difficult for a person to stand.

Around ten cats had gathered on the railing below that space and were staring up at Officer Kim.

“Ha. Those little guys are pretty cute.”

“Right? I like cats, but I especially like these ones.”

Apparently, she regularly gave them food and water.

Below the window were two or three food bowls and a dish filled with water.

Officer Kim reached out and refilled their food and water.

“Officer Kim, you only spoil these guys. Aren’t you discriminating against the other cats?”

“It’s not like that. For some reason... I just feel more attached to these ones.”

The look in Officer Kim’s eyes as she watched the cats eat definitely wasn’t normal.

She’s looking at them like they’re her own children. At this rate, Detective Park is going to lose Officer Kim to a bunch of cats.

Just in case, I activated Ghost Eye on one of the cats.

[Type of Soul: Not applicable — living animal]

[Type of Evil Spirit: Not applicable]

[Rank of Evil Spirit: Not applicable]

[Hybrid Status: Not applicable]

[Past-Life Karma: Orphan who died during the war]

“Ugh!”

“Hohoho. Detective Kang, I told you already. I don’t have any kopi luwak at my house.”

“No, that’s not why...”

I activated Ghost Eye on another cat.

No way.

All ten cats have the exact same past-life karma? And they were all reincarnated as the same kind of animal?!

As far as I was concerned, winning first prize in the lottery a hundred times in a row sounded more likely.

“What are you going to do tonight? Are you sleeping here again?”

“Why are you asking me? You should ask Officer Kim.”

“Then what do you want to do, Officer Kim?”

“Well... I’m still a little scared...”

Officer Kim seemed unable to make up her mind.

It was probably my fault for asking an unmarried woman whether she wanted to spend the night with men.

“Then would it be okay if Detective Park and I stayed here too?”

“Senior, do you even hear what you’re saying?”

“Hey. Officer Kim says she’s scared. We can’t make you protect her alone. It would actually look less suspicious if I stayed too, and it would be safer.”

“What if strange rumors spread and I can’t get married because of this?”

“Then you can marry me.”

“Detective Kang!”

Detective Park got so worked up that he even forgot to add the respectful title when calling me.

“If you don’t like me, then marry this guy instead.”

“Hohoho. I’d only heard the rumors, but Detective Kang, you really are a funny person. Fine. Shall the three of us stay up together tonight?”

“Senior, should I go to the convenience store and buy some food? If we’re staying awake all night, we should at least fill our stomachs.”

This bastard had started using the respectful title again.

“Sure. Don’t forget alcohol and snacks.”

“Yes, sir! Loyalty!”

Detective Park was so excited that he was even doing things he normally never did.

Still, the cats bothered me.

Just in case, I stared directly at Officer Kim and activated Ghost Eye.

When I fixed my gaze on her face, Officer Kim gave me a gentle smile, as though wondering why I was staring at her.

[Type of Soul: Not applicable — living person]

[Type of Evil Spirit: Not applicable]

[Rank of Evil Spirit: Not applicable]

[Hybrid Status: Not applicable]

[Past-Life Karma: Nun who died during the war]

A moment later, I let out a low groan after seeing the information about her soul.

Officer Kim and the cats did have something in common.

The orphans who had been reincarnated as cats and Kim Yeonhee, who had been a nun in her previous life, had all died during the war.

Could a coincidence like this really happen?

Or is this some twisted joke of fate?

I became certain that there had to be some kind of connection between Officer Kim and those cats.

“Meeeow! Meeeow! Meeeow!”

At that moment, the cats suddenly began crying like crazy.

I looked outside.

The cats were frantically yowling toward the street.

Something felt wrong.

The cats that followed Officer Kim were definitely trying to warn us of something.

But Officer Kim was standing right beside me.

And the cats weren’t crying toward Officer Kim.

They were crying toward the street.

Wait! Detective Park!

The cats were warning us about danger.

It felt like they were trying to tell us that the person in danger wasn’t us.

It was Detective Park.

“Officer Kim, I’m going outside for a moment. I think something might have happened to Detective Park.”

Leaving the anxious Officer Kim behind as the cats continued shrieking, I rushed out of the room.

The moment I stepped outside, I used Ascending Dragon Flight and shot high into the air.

This was the fastest way to find Detective Park.

Using the power of Ghost Eye, I scanned the dark streets as clearly as if it were daytime.

About fifty meters to my left, I spotted Detective Park walking out of a convenience store.

After landing, I immediately activated Fierce Dragon Step and raced across the rooftops toward him like an arrow.

I landed in the alley beside the road he was walking down and rushed over.

“Hey! Are you okay? Nothing happened?”

“Huh? Senior, what’s wrong? Why did you come all the way here? Were you that desperate for alcohol?”

Detective Park casually answered my question with one of his own.

Then I heard the cats crying again.

What the hell is going on?

What danger are they warning us about?

I looked around, but there was nothing unusual anywhere.

And yet—

The cries of the cats grew louder and louder.

“Hey! We’re going back right now! Something must have happened to Officer Kim!”

“What?! What are you talking about?”

I grabbed Detective Park’s hand and started running toward Officer Kim’s house.

Damn it...

Whoever this bastard is, he deliberately drew our attention toward Detective Park and made us leave Officer Kim alone...

If I had been alone, I could have flown there using Black Spirit Movement.

But I couldn’t do that with Detective Park beside me.

Right now, all I could do was run as fast as possible.

“Senior, what are you talking about?! You think something happened to Officer Kim?!”

“Hey! Don’t talk! Just run like your life depends on it!”

Holding Detective Park’s hand, I sprinted at full speed.

“Huff... Huff... Senior, why are you so fast?! Were you always this fast?”

After gaining the power of the Human Emperor, I was actually running slowly by my standards.

But apparently even this speed was difficult for Detective Park to keep up with.

“Just a little more! We’re almost there!”

Even though it was the middle of the night, I could clearly see someone standing on the roof of the studio building where Officer Kim lived.

And around that person—

The cats had surrounded him and were crying fiercely.

“Detective Park! Get inside Officer Kim’s place immediately!”

As soon as we entered the building, I sent Detective Park upstairs first.

Then I used Ascending Dragon Flight.

I soared upward and lightly landed on the rooftop.

My eyes immediately locked onto the person standing there.

It was a middle-aged man with short military-style hair.

He stood there blankly, staring at me.

In one hand, he held a sickle.

Blood was dripping from its blade.

Damn it...

How many has he already killed?

Around the man lay the bodies of three or four cats.

Their heads had been cut off.

This bastard isn’t just some ordinary stalker.

Looking into the man’s hollow, lifeless eyes, I could tell that he wasn’t human.

I immediately activated Ghost Eye.

[Type of Soul: Evil Spirit]

[Type of Evil Spirit: Lust Ghost (色鬼)]

[Rank of Evil Spirit: Ghost (鬼) Rank]

[Hybrid Status: No]

[Past-Life Karma: Military officer who raped a nun during the war and died]

Again...

He also died during the war.

And he raped a nun?

What the hell does that mean?

“Hey, asshole! Why are you here?”

Judging from the Lust Ghost’s expression, it seemed to be one of those Ghost-rank evil spirits that had a lot of raw strength but very little intelligence.

Still, spirits like this tended to answer honestly when asked a direct question.

“That woman... I couldn’t forget her... That feeling... I couldn’t forget it even in hell... That... woman... is mine...”

“Hey. If you’re a Lust Ghost, then act like one! The way you’re talking makes you sound like some devoted romantic who’s loved only one woman his entire life.”

The Lust Ghost probably couldn’t properly express himself because he kept stumbling over his words.

“That woman... I’ll kill her... Her body will be mine... and her soul will belong to me too...”

I almost wondered whether this guy really was a Lust Ghost.

Normally, I imagined a Lust Ghost as an evil spirit obsessed with women’s bodies, one that toyed with countless women.

But this one seemed to be the obsessive type that targeted only a single woman.

In that sense, he really was a stalker.

The only problem was...

He was an evil-spirit stalker.

Still, Ghost Rank meant he was the same rank as the Hungry Ghost I had fought earlier.

Then this makes my second Ghost-rank spirit today...

I’m not letting this one escape.

If I properly used my only weapon—my fists—together with Black Spirit Movement, I felt like I could take this Lust Ghost down.

But seeing how obsessed he is with Officer Kim...

Looks like Detective Park has finally found himself one hell of a romantic rival.

For the sake of my precious pork belly—

No.

For the sake of my precious junior—

I decided that this Lust Ghost absolutely had to die.