Chapter 7 (2/2)
*Dun Dun Dun Dun!*
Thousands of war cries,
The blast of a horn…
“Ah! Fuck! What the hell!”
Se-young wrapped a pillow around his head, clogged his ears, and let out an irritated complaint. He walked outside still wrapped in a blanket, nerves frayed and patience wearing thin.
——
*Dun Dun Dun Dun!*
Thousands of…
*Thwap!*
A pillow flew at the closed door.
“Just let me get some sleep! Let me sleep!!”
*Dun Dun Dun Dun!*
“Ugh!”
Se-young gritted his teeth as he struggled to stand up and go outside.
——
A fiery flower bloomed like a seed of life between the inverted sword and the cracks in the cement floor. The ringing sound slowly grew louder.
*Dun Dun Dun Dun!*
However,
*Gurgle gurgle gurgle gurgle.*
Haah. Victory.
The spark which had just been born was immediately washed away by tiny rivers that flowed through the cracked cement. The water came from the hose’s overflowing tap.
*****
[11:59 P.M.]
1 minute ago.
Se-young dragged out a chair and sat down, holding a hose in one hand while checking the time on his phone in the other.
[12:00 A.M.]
Come on!
At exactly 12 o’clock, Se-young opened his eyes and plugged his ears, gripping the hose tightly in his hand.
*Dun Dun Dun Dun!*
“……!”
Most of Se-young’s nervousness had to do with the uncertainty surrounding the sword. However, as he had suspected, the strange sound was clearly emanating directly from the blade. After extinguishing the fire early on, Se-young turned his frown towards the sword.
——
*Tak Tak Tak Tak!*
*Click! Click!*
After the first few days, Se-young turned to his PC for help. He searched for clues all day long, writing down several promising results in his notebook while attempting to overcome his exhaustion. By the time the sun went down, all the boxes in the living room were turned upside down, as if a hurricane had blown through the apartment.
After a long period of searching,
“Found it!”
Se-young held up the tiny, coin-sized cross as sweat poured down his forehead.
——
*Dun Dun Dun Dun!*
“……”
At midnight, the sound of drums once again rang out from the sword. Se-young boldly positioned himself right in front of the blade, instead of maintaining the typical distance. He glanced around, clutching the cross in his hand. Apart from the occasional lit-up building in the distance, the midnight atmosphere was dark and silent.
Se-young kissed the cross in his hand with a quivering face and pressed it against a spray-bottle. Then he aimed the spray-bottle at the sword.
*Squirt-! Squirt-! Squirt-!*
Se-young, after spraying the liquid three times, glanced at his spread-out notebook. He placed his left hand at his navel, then moved it to his forehead and across his shoulders.
“Amen, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!”
*Squirt-! Squirt-! Squirt-!*
He sprayed the liquid three more times and glanced around. After clearing his throat with a hearty “A-hem” and taking a deep breath, he commanded once more in an even louder voice:
“I command you by the power of the Lord vested in me ~ !”
*Gulp*
“Satan! Begone! …Why the fuck isn’t this working?! ”
Eventually, Se-young couldn’t stand it anymore and simply threw the spray-bottle at the sword. Then he shut the door and returned back into the house.