Chapter 26 — Queen of the Evil Spirits
Once I passed the stairs, I found myself on a street lined with old houses.
There was a tiny general store with a shabby painted sign, along with a barbershop and a laundry shop.
It felt as if I had somehow traveled back to the 1980s.
I followed the narrow road until I spotted a standing sign.
[Land of Zion — Free Medical Treatment.]
The Land of Zion, where Han Mandeok was supposedly doing volunteer medical work for free, was located on the second floor of a two-story cement building.
No matter how I looked at it, the place seemed pretty poor.
For a moment, I wondered if Madame Jang had been stingy with her donation.
I climbed the stairs.
Through the glass door, I looked inside.
Surprisingly, the interior was quite clean, and it seemed to have everything an ordinary clinic needed.
“Hello.”
I opened the door and stepped inside.
“Welcome. Are you here for treatment?”
A woman wearing the kind of cardigan nurses often wore approached me.
“No. My body is extremely healthy, so I don't need any treatment.”
I answered confidently.
“What are you talking about? Your face looks terrible… Are you really okay?”
“Huh?”
But I could understand why the nurse would say that.
“These… are just dark circles.”
I pointed at the black, bruise-like marks beneath my eyes.
“What?”
This time, the nurse looked genuinely shocked.
“Oh my goodness! Those are really dark circles? That's unbelievable!”
Well, even I had never seen dark circles this enormous on anyone except myself.
“My face doesn't normally look like this.”
To prove how handsome I normally looked without dark circles, I pulled out my ID card and showed it to her.
“Pfft! You look exactly the same as your photo right now……”
The nurse tried to hold back her laughter as though she thought I was joking.
Oh, right!
I suddenly remembered.
Because of that detective bastard from the Western Police Station, dark circles had been drawn under the eyes of my ID photo with a marker.
I looked at my own ID again.
Sure enough, the picture looked exactly like my current face.
If I later appeared before this nurse without the dark circles…
She probably wouldn't even recognize me.
“By the way, are you a detective?”
Apparently, she had noticed more than just my photograph.
“Yes. I'm Detective Kang Hyunwoo from the Central Police Station.”
“I've been feeling anxious and uncomfortable this whole time, but seeing a detective makes me feel a little better.”
The nurse gave me a faint smile.
“Did something happen?”
“Detective, you're here because of the dead body that was found, aren't you?”
“Are you Lee Hyuna, the person who reported finding the body?”
“Yes. I'm Lee Hyuna.”
The beginning had been a little strange, but it seemed I had come to the right place.
“You said you were feeling anxious earlier. What exactly were you worried about?”
“Actually……”
Nurse Lee Hyuna began explaining.
At first, the Land of Zion had been started by just two people.
Doctor Han and Nurse Lee Hyuna.
Madame Jang's financial support had been more than enough.
The reason they had chosen such a shabby building was actually intentional.
If the building looked too luxurious, poor people might feel uncomfortable or suspicious and hesitate to come inside.
So they had opened the Land of Zion in an old building and used the rest of the money to purchase modern medical equipment and supplies.
Ah… So that's why……
At that moment, I realized that Madame Jang wasn't being stingy.
My own perspective had simply been too narrow.
The poor residents had responded positively to the clinic.
Lee Hyuna also felt proud and satisfied because she was doing something good for people.
Doctor Han was highly skilled.
His surgical skills in particular seemed even better than those of surgeons working at first-class general hospitals.
His ability was so impressive that Lee Hyuna couldn't understand why someone like him had volunteered at a difficult free clinic with such low pay.
However, there was one strange thing.
Whenever Doctor Han performed surgery, he always insisted on doing it alone.
Normally, having a nurse assist during surgery made the procedure more efficient and faster.
But Doctor Han always performed his surgeries by himself.
“Is that even possible?”
I couldn't understand how someone could perform surgery alone.
“For major surgeries, we recommend that patients go to another hospital. We only perform relatively simple procedures here, so there hadn't been any major problems. But recently… something frightening happened.”
Not long ago, an emergency patient had arrived.
The patient had appendicitis, commonly called an inflamed appendix.
Appendicitis itself wasn't particularly difficult to treat with surgery.
However, if the appendix ruptured and caused peritonitis, delaying treatment could put the patient's life in danger.
There wasn't enough time to send the patient to another hospital.
In the end, Doctor Han decided to operate with Nurse Lee assisting him.
Fortunately, the operation was completed successfully.
However, Doctor Han told Lee Hyuna that he would finish up and clean the surgical equipment himself, then ordered her to leave.
She found it strange, but since it was the doctor's instruction, she left the operating room.
Still…
She had a bad feeling.
Something didn't feel right.
So Nurse Lee secretly looked back inside the operating room.
And what she saw made her doubt her own eyes.
Doctor Han was operating on the patient's body again even though the incision hadn't yet been stitched closed.
“From what I could see, that wasn't the appendix anymore. Doctor Han was cutting into completely healthy organs with his scalpel… then joining them back together… over and over again……”
“……”
I was speechless.
If what Nurse Lee said was true, Doctor Han wasn't merely addicted to surgery.
He was a lunatic who enjoyed cutting open human bodies with a knife.
“Is Doctor Han here right now?”
“No. He said he wasn't feeling well today, so he didn't come in.”
When I saw Doctor Han at Madame Jang's singing bar yesterday, he had looked perfectly healthy.
The fact that he suddenly became sick overnight also seemed suspicious.
“Then how did you discover the dead body?”
“I found that person collapsed near this building while I was on my way to work. I immediately reported it.”
Her explanation was so simple that it almost seemed strange.
“Could you tell me where you found the body? Even roughly?”
At my request, Nurse Lee took out a memo pad and drew a rough map of the place where she had discovered the corpse.
“One last thing. Do you recognize any of these people?”
I showed her the memo containing the names of the missing people.
“I think some of them may have visited our clinic before… but I don't really know them personally.”
Nurse Lee carefully looked over the names before answering.
“Is there anything else you can tell me that might be useful?”
“Hmm… No. I don't think so.”
“Then thank you for your cooperation.”
I couldn't think of anything else to ask.
I said goodbye to the nurse and left the clinic.
Based on everything I had learned so far, Doctor Han seemed like the most likely suspect.
A crazy psycho who treats surgery like a game… Could Doctor Han have been possessed by an evil spirit or something?
The things I'd heard about him were so abnormal and cruel that I couldn't help thinking that way.
But regardless of everything else, the most important question right now was—
Where were the other fifteen missing women?
Arang, can you hear me?
I tried calling Arang, hoping she might be able to give me some advice.
I waited for quite a while.
But there was no response.
Don't tell me she's still upset about that constipation incident…….
It had been difficult to see Arang lately.
She seemed extremely busy.
“Boss… where are we going right now?”
Seulgi asked President Lee Jowon in a trembling voice.
But despite Seulgi's question, President Lee Jowon didn't answer.
He simply held her hand and continued leading her down the stairs.
Ever since Eyes had left Seven Fairies, the group's disbandment had seemed almost inevitable.
For Seulgi, who had finally gained some popularity and become an idol after entering the entertainment industry, it felt like a bolt from the blue.
She wasn't more beautiful than the other members.
Her talent was also around the same level.
Because of that, she had worked desperately every single day just to keep her place in the group.
Perhaps thanks to that effort, Seulgi had managed to maintain a popularity ranking somewhere around the middle among the members.
To Seulgi, being an idol was as precious as her own life.
If she could remain an idol, she was willing to do almost anything.
Then President Lee Jowon told her that he needed her help.
He promised that if she did exactly as he said, Seven Fairies wouldn't disband and Seulgi would be allowed to stay in the group.
Naturally, Seulgi accepted his request.
President Lee Jowon immediately brought her to a building on Rodeo Street.
Then they began descending the stairs toward the basement.
At the very bottom stood a tightly shut iron door guarded by two fierce-looking men.
When President Lee Jowon said he was from Three Seven, the men opened the iron door.
Behind it was yet another staircase leading even farther underground.
As they continued descending, fear began creeping into Seulgi's heart.
What exactly was President Lee Jowon planning to make her do in a place like this?
Was he going to force her to entertain some strange men?
Or…
Was there something even worse?
President Lee Jowon refused to answer or explain anything.
He was practically dragging Seulgi along by force.
At last, the staircase ended, revealing a surprisingly large underground chamber.
Unlike the dark staircase they had just descended, the basement was brightly lit.
The walls were made of stone.
Strange letters, geometric shapes, and mysterious patterns had been carved in relief across their surfaces, making the place resemble some kind of sculpture gallery.
Despite being underground, the floor was covered with polished marble that gleamed beneath the lights.
At the far end of the chamber stood a raised marble platform.
A single throne rested on top of it.
The back of the throne had been designed in the shape of blazing flames rising toward the sky.
Five men and women stood on either side of the throne.
Ten people in total.
Every one of them wore an elegant suit.
The scene looked almost like the grand audience hall of a medieval kingdom where a monarch and their retainers gathered.
“G-Greetings… My name is… Lee Jowon… I'm the president of the Three Seven entertainment agency……”
President Lee Jowon repeatedly bowed his head, greeting each person with a trembling voice.
Overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the underground hall, sweat covered his face.
Regret suddenly washed over him.
I should've sent one of the managers instead. Why did I come here myself?
Still, his determination hadn't changed.
If he wanted to make a request of the Hell Evil Spirit Faction, the new major power of the underworld, he believed he had to appear personally as the company president.
The real problem was the instruction given to him by the Hell Evil Spirit Faction.
They had ordered him to bring one member of Seven Fairies.
They had never mentioned money.
President Lee Jowon assumed that the leader of the Hell Evil Spirit Faction must be a man obsessed with women.
He had no choice.
So he selected Seulgi, believing that bringing her would cause the least trouble afterward.
Seulgi, unaware of any of this, trembled uncontrollably in fear.
Then one of the men standing near the center stepped toward President Lee Jowon.
He was a massive man whose fist seemed almost as large as Lee Jowon's face.
He had short hair that reached around his neck and a rugged, square face with strong features.
“Kneel……”
“Excuse me? What do you mean?”
President Lee Jowon wiped the sweat from his forehead as he asked.
“Urgh!”
The large man pressed down on Lee Jowon's shoulder and forced him onto his knees.
President Lee Jowon screamed as pain shot through him, feeling as though the bones in his knees were about to shatter.
“Eek……!!”
Watching from beside him, Seulgi let out a short scream and immediately dropped to her knees.
“Lower your head. Put both hands on your knees. Show proper respect.”
At the man's command, the two quickly bowed their heads as though their necks had no bones and assumed the posture of criminals awaiting judgment.
Only then did the man look satisfied and return to his position.
Suddenly—
All ten people standing in formation dropped to their knees at the same time.
Then they shouted together.
“We, your humble servants, swear to honor Her Majesty's noble beauty and love her for all eternity……!!”
President Lee Jowon and Seulgi, already terrified, flinched in shock and raised their bowed heads.
Someone was now sitting arrogantly upon the throne shaped like blazing flames.
A woman wearing a bright crimson Chinese dress.
Her hair was cut short.
Her snow-white skin formed a strange yet striking contrast against the blood-red dress.
She possessed a fierce, powerful beauty.
And she was none other than the youngest of the Three Evils of the Underworld—
Daeryeok Magwi.
The one who could be called the queen of evil spirits.
