The Youngest wants to be exorcised! chapter 1

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The man remembered the chrysanthemum flowers adorning his funeral portrait, and even his colleagues weeping in front of it.

As a ghost, he had watched his own funeral unfold.

‘At least there are people crying for me at my funeral. Guess my life wasn’t entirely wasted.’

As his urn was being placed in the columbarium, he was evaluating his life when he felt himself being pulled away.

‘Is this finally my ascension?’

But then…

“What the… Ugh!”

He felt his body again. What on earth was happening?

* * *

The first place the ghost, who used to be Park Hyunsoo, opened his eyes was a familiar one.

The Center’s Recovery Room.

It was a place where Espers and Guides received treatment and rest when they were injured.

There, the ghost of Park Hyunsoo found himself awakening in the body of an unfamiliar man.

After piecing together information from the medical staff who attended to him immediately after he woke up, he learned about the man whose body he was in.

[S-Class Guide Lee Jaehee. 22 years old. Fainted from shock during a guiding session.]

Upon waking, the medical staff suspected memory loss due to the aftereffects of the guiding shock, a rare condition but one that had been reported in academic circles.

The situation was quickly communicated to his family, and soon after, Lee Jaehee’s family rushed into the recovery room.

The medical staff was visibly nervous as the family threatened the center, demanding answers about the uncertain prognosis for his memory recovery.

‘Wow, seems like they have some influence.’

Park Hyunsoo, now in Lee Jaehee’s body, quietly sat on the bed observing the chaos.

The family’s fiery but dignified confrontation was interrupted by a sharp headache, causing him to clutch his head and gasp, alarming everyone around.

“Jaehee!”

“Please step aside. Let me check him.”

After waking up in Lee Jaehee’s body, Hyunsoo tried various ways to escape it, but all attempts failed.

He realized he needed external help.

Amidst the noisy mix of the family and medical staff’s voices, he came to a conclusion.

‘No matter how I think about it, this is just like those possession stories in novels or webtoons…’

Accepting the reality of his possession from fiction, he didn’t want to shamelessly imitate the characters who deceived everyone around them.

‘I need to find a shaman.’

There was only one way to resolve this troubling situation: exorcism.

* * *

Of course, Hyunsoo couldn’t just go and find a shaman immediately.

Outwardly, ‘Lee Jaehee’ was diagnosed with memory loss due to guiding shock aftereffects, making it difficult to wander around freely.

While internally planning to seek out a Catholic priest for an exorcism if a shaman couldn’t help, he was interrupted.

“Jaehee, are you in pain?”

“…No, just thinking.”

Hyunsoo glanced at the man calling him Jaehee.

It was Lee Jaeyoon, Jaehee’s second oldest brother. Thirty-one years old, an A-Class Esper, and the executive director of SY Group.

Surprisingly, Lee Jaehee was the youngest son of a conglomerate family.

Based on his attitude towards Jaehee over the past few days, Jaeyoon seemed like a good brother who cared deeply for his sibling.

This was unfamiliar to Hyunsoo, as his own experience with siblings was quite different.

‘What? Hyunsoo hyung! That bastard is the biggest jerk ever!’

Hyunsoo chuckled as he recalled an Esper he used to guide, who would always grumble about his brother, despite being the first to run to his rescue when monsters appeared nearby.

‘I hope he’s doing well.’

Lying in bed, Hyunsoo slowly closed his eyes. To find a shaman or a Catholic priest, he first needed to be discharged.

It would be better if he could leave this body before then, but for some reason, he couldn’t. This situation of being called Jaehee felt unbearably awkward.

He didn’t want to continue this deceitful charade and finally made a decision.

“…Actually, I’m not Lee Jaehee. I’m the ghost of Park Hyunsoo who recently died.”

He believed confessing to being a ghost would prompt this wealthy family to bring in top shamans.

However, the result was unexpected.

They didn’t bring a shaman.

In short, the medical staff and family concluded that Jaehee was suffering from some kind of delusion.

No matter what Hyunsoo said, they dismissed it as the ramblings of a delusional patient.

Even when he tried to prove he was Park Hyunsoo by sharing various stories, it was useless.

‘Never thought my fame would be a curse.’

In life, Park Hyunsoo was well-known as a dedicated guide for a team of Espers working on the front lines where monsters roamed.

Despite persistent attempts, no one believed Hyunsoo’s words. It was maddening.

Ultimately, he postponed his plan to use the family’s influence to summon a shaman.

Continuing to claim he was Park Hyunsoo would only extend his hospital stay. He reset his goal.

‘Instead, I’ll aim for a speedy discharge and seek exorcism myself.’

As the youngest son of a wealthy family, he had the means to pay a shaman.

Determined, Hyunsoo did his best to appear normal and, through tearful effort, managed to leave the hospital sooner than expected.

Once he arrived at the opulent house, he looked around Lee Jaehee’s room before sitting on the bed with a sigh. It felt like wearing ill-fitting clothes.

Surrounded by people calling him Jaehee, he felt uncomfortable and lonely.

‘I’m not Lee Jaehee…’

He wanted to say it, but doing so would mean a return to the hospital, negating all his hard work.

Hyunsoo gradually adapted to daily life, eating regularly and sleeping well, to gain permission to go out.

Just as he got used to being called Jaehee instead of Hyunsoo, he received permission to go out.

Though he had to be accompanied by a bodyguard, it was a significant achievement.

“If anything happens, call immediately, okay?”

“Yes.”

The endless reminders at the door were starting to get on his nerves.

Nevertheless, once in the car, he followed his pre-arranged plan, enjoying some shopping and dining before proceeding.

First, he started with the street fortune tellers and tarot readers.

Jumping straight to a shaman after claiming to be a ghost would raise suspicion, so he wanted to build some context.

“Oh, this looks interesting.”

Pretending to be curious, he walked into a brightly decorated shop, listened to a vague reading, and left. Then he recited the address of a shaman he had looked up in advance.

“Why are we going here?”

The bodyguard seemed reluctant.

“The fortune teller said my luck this year is bad. Doesn’t seem wrong, so I’m curious if it’s true.”

Playing the part of someone who had lost their memory, Hyunsoo acted like a curious person. Thankfully, the bodyguard seemed convinced and started the car.

Arriving at the shaman’s place, Hyunsoo swallowed nervously.

After waiting in an empty room, he was led to the shaman, who listened to his story and then said he needed an exorcism. Hyunsoo clenched his fist slightly.

‘Finally.’

The thought of being freed from this guilt-ridden situation filled him with elation.

Saying goodbye to the life of a wealthy family’s youngest son, a role he never imagined playing, was now inevitable. He decided to use the money in Lee Jaehee’s account for the contract deposit.

For a moment, he felt guilty for using someone else’s money without permission.

But he thought Jaehee would prefer losing some money over having his body controlled by someone else.

Besides, even after paying for the contract deposit and the exorcism costs, the balance wouldn’t show any noticeable difference, so he believed Jaehee would understand.

The shaman said they would contact him once the exorcism date was set, and with a bright smile, Hyunsoo returned to Jaehee’s house.

He planned to lock himself in his room and rest, but as soon as he entered the house, someone stopped him.

“Jaehee.”

“…Yes?”

“Why did you go to the shaman’s place?”

It was Jaehee’s second brother, Lee Jaeyoon.

He stood with his arms crossed, looking down at Hyunsoo.

Hyunsoo glanced at the bodyguard standing behind him.

‘That guy must have told him!’

Although he took him to the shaman’s place, there was no promise not to report to the family. The bodyguard had been watching him.

“I went shopping, had some food, and then, with nothing else to do, I happened to get a fortune reading on the street.”

“Okay.”

Jaeyoon nodded, seemingly aware of the fortune reading.

“They said my fortune for this year is bad. They explained it with a lot of difficult words, but anyway.”

“And then?”

“I couldn’t trust just one opinion, so I went to cross-check. I was curious if my fortune for this year was really bad.”

“Hmm.”

Jaeyoon, arms still crossed, seemed to think for a moment. Hyunsoo continued nonchalantly.

“Well, considering I ended up hospitalized, it wasn’t entirely wrong.”

“So, what did the shaman say?”

“They said to be careful this year, same as before.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes. But they seemed pretty talented.”

“Really?”

“Yes. They even recognized that I’m a Guide.”

The part about the shaman recognizing Jaehee’s body as a Guide was a lie. He was just laying the groundwork for another visit when the exorcism preparations were complete.

“If I get curious again, I might visit once more.”

Hyunsoo thought this was sufficient groundwork. Jaeyoon nodded once and disappeared after leaving an acknowledgment.

Only then could Hyunsoo enter his room. Confirming he was alone, he sighed deeply.

‘I almost got caught.’

Although Jaehee’s family cherished him dearly since his hospitalization, they wouldn’t go as far as checking his bank accounts or phone history. Besides, that would be illegal.

Hyunsoo felt relieved, thinking it would be over once the exorcism date arrived. He took a shower and went to bed early, feeling much lighter.

The next day, he received a text from the shaman. The exorcism was set for ten days later. Just ten more days and he would be free from this guilt.

A few days later, while Hyunsoo was happily walking into the dining room, someone called him.

“Jaehee.”

“Yes.”

“Do you still think… you’re Park Hyunsoo?”

“…Yes?”

“Is that why you went to the strange shaman to ask for an exorcism?”

Hyunsoo’s eyes widened. What was going on?

His mind raced. It seemed the untrustworthy shaman had spilled everything.

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