Chapter 7: FANATIC

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Audio titled: MELTING WALTZ

Chapter
7

Fanatic
(Even Serial Killer had Fans)

***

The sixth interviewee stared at Jong Woo unblinkingly for the few minutes it took him to introduce her on camera

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The sixth interviewee stared at Jong Woo unblinkingly for the few minutes it took him to introduce her on camera.

Her dark red lips were pursed into a pout, and her face was framed by a stylish array of dark curls.

Her eyes, however... there was an unnerving spark to them and Jong Woo was happier than ever that he had Hyun Ho and Jung Hwa so close.

"It's not the Seo haunting that place," the woman—Bo Min, she insisted to be called—said. "Those pathetic gremlins couldn't haunt a shed, let alone a house like that. No, it's not them. Grim Reaper."

'Who now?' Jong Woo thought, trying to desperately connect that new title to anyone they had discussed before.

There was only one candidate, and he hoped he was right: "You mean... Joseong Saja?"

"Yes!," Bo Min said sharply. "A man of great power, as you have doubtlessly heard. He did unthinkable, great things in the Haunted House and when he died, his legacy remained."

"Actually," Jong Woo said, hoping to be able to hear her talk more about Joseung Saja. "I feel like not enough people speak of him."

"You're right," the woman instantly said. "Nowhere near enough people know and appreciate His greatness. They keep deflecting. He was a man dedicated to the passion of learning and experimenting. Science that went beyond the boundaries of the living. When it came to death—he was an artist."

'All right, so she's like that,' Jong Woo thought, his smile unwavering when he said: "So you suspect that he haunts the house?"

"I have no doubt," Bo Min said, nodding so hard her curls bounced.

"But why?" Jong Woo asked. "What does he want?"

"He's waiting," Bo Min replied, her voice lowering into a whisper. "He's waiting for something—or someone. Because no matter how strong a spirit is, if it's tied to an earthly boundary, it'll remain put. But if it finds a vessel—someone strong enough to carry it without crumbling—it can leave and grow."

"Why didn't you do it, then?" Jong Woo said. "I mean—why didn't you offer to be his, uh, person?"

"I wasn't strong enough," Bo Min said mournfully, and freaking hell Jong Woo could see her tearing up. "I tried so many times, but I simply couldn't carry the weight..."

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