Red Moon
Red Moon
Once outside, Gayoon let him go. She held her breath, trying to keep her own emotions in check.
"Is he...is Kanji…" she could not bring herself to ask it. But Minho closed his eyes and nodded.
"Mina doesn't know," he said in a thick voice. "And Jina saw his ghost at the hospital. He only visited her which is why you couldn't feel him."
Just saying it was so painful for him that he could not stop his tears. Gayoon hugged him, letting him rest his head on her chest as he broke down. His best friend was in this state and it was all his fault. His mind only flashed all the memories he had with his one and only friend who had been there with them all their lives.
He mourned for the man who had once punched him for even thinking of killing someone. If it was not for Kanji, Minho would have become a killer a long time ago. Instead, Kanji took it upon himself to bear the burden so that he could protect his friends. The guy who always came barging into his office, not caring about anything else. If it was not for Kanji, Minho would never have become the man he was at that point.
And now, his best friend was in pain but he could do nothing to help him. Even all the money in the world could not bring Kanji back and one day, he would be gone forever.
"Minho…" Gayoon held him by the shoulders to make him face her. "We have to pull that demon out of his body," she said, trying to remain strong. "If Kanji's body isn't cremated, he'll never be set free even if he fulfills his last wish. We'll have to do this…"
Minho let out a sharp breath and clenched his fists. Gayoon was right. They must free Kanji's spirit and destroy this demon for once and for all.
"I want to talk to mom," he finally said. "Now. Tell Shinjin to come as well. We'll have to get all the information we could gather and throw that bitch into hell."
Gayoon nodded and called Shinjin. Minho texted Junho. The old man had the ring and was keeping it safe. After sending the text, he turned back to Gayoon.
"Let's go," he said. Gayoon nodded and they got into her car. Minho noticed that Anna was watching them from the window at Kanji's bedroom. He flashed a middle finger to her before they drove off.
"How naive," Anna sighed. The duo were hellbent on defeating them but it was pointless. They would never be able to extract her master from Jang Kanji's body. The ritual required was very precise and could kill the exorcist if it went wrong. They had no chance.
Just then, her master entered the room. Jang Jason was there with him but the old man was in a trance-like state. The magic they performed on him was effective. The moment the man heard his son was dead, he went into a state of catatonia. Taking advantage of it, Anyal charmed him to do his bidding.
"We have to lure that girl," Anyal said. "Otherwise we won't be able to open the gates."
"Her parents are too strong," Anna pointed out. "It'll be impossible to possess them and make them do our bidding."
"Change of plans," Anyal stated. "There will be a red moon night within five days."
"So?" Anna asked.
"This red moon is a special one," he stated as he poured himself a drink. "On this night, there will be a lunar eclipse when the red moon will be temporarily covered by the sun's shadow at exactly midnight. If we cast the spell using the girl, the gates of hell will wrench open. It'll be our only chance because this night only comes every hundred years."
"I've wasted many years chasing Transporters to feed on their grief," he said in a bitter tone. "But now, I found a better way. However…"
He turned to face Anna. "We must make sure that we perform the spell perfectly. The ritual can't be interrupted at all. Otherwise it'll be disastrous for us."
"How so?" Anna asked.
"If the ritual is left incomplete, a void will be created and release the reapers in the World of the Dead," Anyal winced. "And the reapers will come for me. I won't be able to escape and if they touch me, they'll suck out my soul and trap me in there like a lifeless zombie. No one is safe from the reapers of that world. They'll then cut down everyone who would come in their way. Not even demons like me can escape their punishment…"
"Is this why you were delayed that time?" Anna questioned. "When that spirit took Jeon Gayoon into that world."
"Yes," he slowly nodded. "The reapers had sensed Hwang Minho's presence but he had help there. He was able to harness his powers much more easily and he knows how that world works. We'll have to keep him out of there at all costs."
"How are we going to lure her?"
Anyal took a sip from his glass. "There is someone we can use," he slowly said. "And we'll need his help."
He pointed at Jason who stood there with a blank expression. Anna grinned. This was going to be fun.
….
Haejong slowly got up from his bed. His back was still painful because of the bullet he took for the little girl. The nurse had changed his dressing but the wound was really agonizing. He slowly got off the bed and picked up the crutches by the bedside. There was a letter in his hand which his grandfather had written for him while he was unconscious. Cheng probably possessed another body for a few minutes to jot down the words he wanted to say to Haejong. The latter found it by the bed when he woke up and read it very carefully.
His grandfather had left him one last request and it was this wish which was going to change everything.
Slowly limping outside, he staggered towards Mina's room.
Kanji was sitting by her bedside, staring at her. Junho had gone to the pharmacy to fetch medicines for Mina while she slept so there was no one else around. He heard the sounds of someone's feet and looked around to see Haejong entering the room.
He looked very pale and in excruciating pain but somehow dragged himself to Mina's room. Kanji was quietly watching Haejong as the latter stared at Mina's resting face.
"There are many things I want to tell her," Haejong said out loud. "And so did you, Jang Kanji."
Kanji froze. Haejong knew about him?
"My grandfather is one of that little girl's friends," Haejong stated. "Jina, right?"
"She took care of him, turned the dead monster into a good human," he went on. "To repay her kindness, he made a request to me. Gramps knows how important you and Mina are to that little girl and he couldn't see her sad. So he wants me to help you fulfill your last wish."
Haejong held up the letter where his grandfather made the unusual request. "He wants me to let you borrow my body until your wish has been fulfilled," he revealed to a shocked Kanji. "I don't know much about this...ghostly businesses. But in our family, we never let our debts remain unpaid. Since my grandfather's debts are still unpaid, I'll repay them."
"No way…" Kanji muttered.
"Gramps said he'll be leaving tonight," Haejong stated. "After he leaves, you can take over my body for a while and finish your business. In return…"
He motioned at Mina. "Just make sure you don't hurt her anymore," he requested. "I don't think I'll be able to tolerate it if you make her cry again."
With that, he limped away, leaving Kanji to his own thoughts.