LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 50
“Indeed. A truly splendid choice.”
He pulled something out from his pocket.
What appeared to be a squishy, bright red meat chunk, wrapped up like it was in plastic wrap, was about the size of a ping-pong ball, with what looked like a dusting of white powder all over it. Jinseong peeled off the wrap and rolled the round meat chunk in his hand a few times before tossing it towards the elder’s room.
*Splat!*
With an unpleasant sound, the meat chunk collided with the door and, under the influence of gravity, slowly rolled down to the floor. As the meat chunk dropped, the white powder on its surface seemed to multiply as if it were reproducing on its own.
*Chirp—*
Finally, from the completely white-covered meat chunk, a tiny sound emerged.
It was so small that it could easily be mistaken for an insect’s chirp. The sound resembled a dying rat’s last gasp and also seemed like the sorrowful cries of a rat trapped inside a monster’s belly.
Only after hearing that cry did Jinseong turn and hand the open bag to the politician with a zipper.
“What is this?”
“Take a look.”
When the politician peered inside the bag, it was filled with Nendoroids.
The Nendoroids, dressed in colorful outfits and with adorable expressions, each flaunted their cuteness.
“Isn’t this something that, uh, those otaku types like?”
“Exactly. But I think the people here will love them too. No, they’ll be so captivated they’ll be rolling their eyes in ecstasy.”
“Is that so?”
The Nendoroids seemed to be observing from within the bag, lying on their backs and gazing upward. When the politician made eye contact with one, he felt a chilling energy and instinctively looked away, feeling an uneasy sensation.
But even as he turned his head, he could still sense the gaze from within the bag. Unable to bear the blatant stare that felt like it was boring into his skin, he glanced back at the bag, only to find the dolls standing neatly, their heads bobbing in a way that seemed like they had been lying down inappropriately just moments before.
Seeing that, the politician let out a sigh of relief, feeling the unease fade, yet a new sense of strangeness washed over him.
*‘Heads?*’
He hadn’t shaken the bag nor laid it down.
How could the dolls that had been lying down now all be standing, with only their heads visible?
A shiver ran down the politician’s spine.
And he realized that the bag he was holding, and the dolls inside, were anything but ordinary.
“Oh dear. Looks like those dolls have been energized by the blood from earlier. Hahaha.”
Despite this, Jinseong laughed as if it were no big deal.
“Don’t worry. If you follow my orders, you won’t be harmed. But you must avoid even a single mistake.”
—
*Whoosh—*
The politician walked into the bathroom and turned the water on full blast.
The water came out with such force that it quickly filled the bathtub.
The bathtub, blocked by a silk plug, couldn’t keep up with the incessantly gushing faucet and began to overflow, turning the entire bathroom into a flood zone with the drain also clogged.
In the midst of it all, the politician held a wet cloth over his mouth with one hand while clutching the bag tightly with the other.
*‘First, I need water. Block the drain and the bathtub plug to turn the bathroom into a sea of water.’*
Even though it wasn’t winter, the water was chillingly cold, almost as if it might freeze his feet off, yet he stood there trembling, refusing to budge.
*‘And use one hand to cover your nose and mouth with the wet cloth, while the other hand holds the bag tightly. Never let go of the cloth or let the bag touch the water, you must remember this.’*
How long did he shiver as he watched the bathroom fill with water?
Through the crack in the bathroom door, he saw white smoke seeping in.
It looked like the white smoke that appeared when dry ice was dipped in water, slowly swirling into the bathroom.
Despite smelling like it might have no odor, the smoke carried a scent reminiscent of damp water, and where it touched, droplets of water began to form.
*‘If you stay inside the bathroom, you will see the white smoke enter. When it does, throw the cloth that was covering your nose and mouth towards the door and pour out all the dolls in the bag into the bathtub.’*
As soon as he saw the smoke, he followed Jinseong’s caution, bundled the cloth and tossed it toward the door, then flipped the bag over, dumping all the Nendoroids into the bathtub.
*Splash!*
*Plop!*
The dolls, despite their small size, fell with a heavy splash into the bathtub and sank to the bottom, while the politician silently counted their numbers, confirming there were twenty.
He pulled out a talisman from his pocket.
*‘Then all the dolls will sink to the bottom of the tub. After confirming that there are twenty, hurry and put this talisman in your mouth before the dolls rise to the surface. Once the talisman is in your mouth, you’ll feel thirsty, but you must not open your mouth until all twenty dolls rise and the bathroom lights go out.’*
As one Nendoroid started to rise gingerly from the tub, he panicked and hurriedly stuffed the talisman into his mouth. He tightly sealed his lips with both hands to prevent himself from opening his mouth inadvertently.
*Beeeeeeeep—*
By a hair’s breadth, the timing was just right.
The moment he shoved the talisman into his mouth, the rising doll floated up to the surface of the bathtub, standing up with a whistling sound and spat something translucent out.
What came from the doll began to move as if it were smoke, gliding across the surface of the water, sending waves rippling through the puddles collected on the bathroom floor. The sight felt bizarre, like watching the ocean.
*Beep!*
*Breeeeep!*
And just like that, the Nendoroids that had been submerged all floated up in unison.
As the other dolls rose and quickly stood tall, they too coughed up smoke and began crawling across the floor, making their way towards the door.
*‘It’s cold.’*
That smoke was so cold.
Cold enough to freeze his skin into pieces.
He could only keep his mouth shut and tremble.
But was it because of the talisman resting in his mouth?
The smoke showed no interest in him, concentrating instead on the door, and soon it picked up the cloth that had fallen on the floor and floated into the air before pulling it onto the doorknob.
*Clunk.*
Then, the bathroom door creaked open, and a gap appeared, allowing the smoke to rush outside.
Once they all slipped out, the bathroom light began to flicker as if nearing its lifespan, finally going out with a *thud.* In that darkness, the politician continued to tremble with his mouth tightly sealed.
*‘Once the bathroom lights are out, you’re safe. Now, remember this well. Spit the talisman that’s in your mouth into your palm, tear it into tiny pieces, and scatter them on the floor. By the way, don’t be tempted to drink any water just because you’re thirsty. Absolutely, absolutely do not drink until the sun rises tomorrow morning. And… ha ha, don’t be nervous. All you have to do is utter the words you always carry with you three times.’*
With trembling hands, he spat the talisman from his mouth. Following Jinseong’s instructions, relying on the dim light coming from outside, he shredded the talisman into pieces and scattered them on the floor. Then he cleared his throat and shouted in his quaking voice.
*”Now, repeat after me. Oh…”*
“Otsukaresama deshita!”
He shouted the phrase meaning “Thank you for your hard work.”
It was the phrase Jinseong had mentioned; something he always kept close to his heart.
“Otsukaresama deshita!”
But inexplicably.
Somehow, he felt that what he was shouting now was not the usual phrase of gratitude but something else entirely.
The politician, not well-versed in special abilities, sensed that what he was doing was anything but ordinary. Jinseong was making him conduct a ritual, one closely resembling necromancy, and supernatural beings had emerged from the dolls to venture outside.
Was that chilling ritual’s closing line merely “Thank you for your hard work”?
*‘Perhaps, this is… this is…’*
He squeezed his eyes shut and shouted one final time.
“Otsukaresama deshita!”
It was not merely the everyday “Thank you for your hard work.”
It was the phrase “I am possessed,” meaning “Otsukaresama deshita” that signified being “possessed.”