I’m the Only One Who Can’t See Ghosts

First, the caliber of their soul.

To be precise, it’s the ability of the soul itself.

For a psychic, what kind of spirit they possess; for a Sorcerer, the principles they harness; for a Shaman, what they resonate with—these define their talent.

Second, spiritual energy.

Whether it’s ether, ki, mana, ectoplasm in its unmaterialized state—all these words mean spiritual energy. The extent of this energy determines the skill level of the psychic.

Third, the sense of the soul.

To put it accurately, it’s the talent to manipulate the soul.

Humans have parts of their body that are immovable. Yet, some individuals can move even those parts.

Then, what about moving the soul itself?

Learning the sense to move a soul is a task on a completely different scale compared to learning to move parts of one’s body.

Some spend years training and still fail to move their soul, while others awaken to their spiritual eyes and immediately handle their soul as if it were a new limb.

These three aspects constitute a psychic’s talent.

And Baek Yoorin, the tiger, excelled in all of them.

No, she wasn’t simply excellent.

She was a genius in every aspect.

Now, with her soul’s caliber and spiritual energy sealed due to corruption, her third talent—her sense of the soul—was sharper than ever.

It was like how blind individuals develop heightened sensitivity in other senses.

Because of this, Baek Yoorin could sense it.

With her honed soul sense, she could see the corrupted soul coated in negativity.

‘I hate it. I hate it so much.’

Baek Yoorin stared at the shop windows and shed tears.

She was still a monster.

Even with her tiger concealed, even with her power stripped away, she was still a monster.

A creature of another realm that could never belong in this world.

That was her essence.

A child born as a monster.

A woman who could never be loved.

‘I just… I just want to cry.’

Baek Yoorin looked at the crowd. As a tiger, she was something terrifying, something people ran away from. But now, their expressions were different—ones she had never seen before.

The people despised her.

They found her revolting, disgusting, hateful.

‘I don’t want to live anymore.’

Those expressions reminded her of the cruel comments she once received.

Her heart felt as though it were being torn apart again.

“What? If it’s someone precious, isn’t a kiss possible?”

At that moment, Cheonji’s Earthly Immortal spoke.

“A… kiss?”

“Why not? Is there a reason it can’t be done?”

As if she could kiss someone.

As if someone like her could kiss another.

As if a monster like her could be loved by anyone.

“A kiss? With someone like me? Even I can feel it now—how repulsive and terrifying my soul is, no matter how much it’s diminished. And yet. And yet…”

But Yoo Hajin didn’t reply to her words.

Instead, he gently pulled her closer by the nape of her neck. His embrace tightened slowly.

Baek Yoorin’s face turned bright red.

The unfamiliar sensation made it hard for her to even stand upright.

To be loved by someone—how could it feel this incredible?

Was this better than any drug?

Baek Yoorin thought there was no way drugs could feel better than this.

And then, the two shared a kiss.

****

A Kiss.

Truthfully, this was my first kiss too.

Sure, there had been a few girls I’d shared some invisible “something” with in the past, but for some reason, things never worked out.

Every time I tried to start a relationship, it felt like the universe was out to get me.

Even the girls I dated seemed to have bad luck piled on them. And just when I thought we could push through it all, something would happen—like Harin suddenly needing my attention—and it would all fall apart.

But kissing Baek Yoorin?

Honestly, Baek Yoorin was stunning.

Even considering how she didn’t care to dress up, the faint air of decadence around her, or the fact that she was a little muscular—it would still be hard to find anyone more beautiful than her.

Maybe Nayu could come close, at best.

Still, a kiss with Baek Yoorin?

Honestly, this felt like a reward for me.

Smooch—

Soft lips pressed against mine.

If you think about it, kissing is such a simple act. But seeing Baek Yoorin, eyes tightly shut, trembling slightly, her face flushed—I couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed myself.

It felt… naughty, in a way.

As I started to pull away, I felt a force holding me back. Baek Yoorin was gripping me. Her strength was weak, so it wouldn’t take much to break free if I wanted to.

But the desperation in her movements, the way she stood on tiptoe to keep the kiss going—it was impossible to pull away. So, I stayed, sharing the moment with her. Honestly, aside from the embarrassment, it was kind of nice.

“Haah

When the kiss ended, Baek Yoorin looked up at me with a dazed expression.

A teary-eyed beauty, staring at me with a blissful face—honestly, it was so overwhelming I had to look away.

“See that?”

“...Wow, this is insane.”

Earthly Immortal’s incredulous voice broke the silence, along with the murmurs of the stunned crowd.

I turned to them and spoke clearly.

“This girl isn’t some savage murderer or a monster. She’s a normal person who can love and be loved. So stop judging people by their appearances and just leave.”

At my words, the crowd began to disperse.

“Well, if he’s even kissed her, guess we can’t argue.”

“She must be someone really important to him.”

“Fine, we’ll let it go this time. But don’t parade her around in public too much, alright?”

As they muttered among themselves, they finally scattered.

Only Earthly Immortal from Cheonji remained behind.

“Not leaving?”

“I’ll take my leave too. I apologize for my rudeness earlier. Farewell.”

With that, Earthly Immortal turned away.

He threw on a translucent cloak that looked a bit like a shadowy veil, almost blending into the surroundings as he slipped into the background.

Oh, great. Was this one of those people who hovered around quietly, like a little chick chirping behind its mother hen?

Yeah, it looked just like that.

Earthly Immortal ended up standing silently behind Baek Yoorin. Clearly, Yoorin, who seemed to have lost her usual sharpness, didn’t notice her presence.

“Um, Hajin?”

“Yes? What’s up?”

“You… you can speak comfortably to me. Like you did last time.”

“Oh, did I?”

I pretended not to notice Earthly Immortal.

And the moment he clasped her hands to form a seal, I immediately delivered a punch straight to his face. Seriously, why do people insist on clasping their hands dramatically in the middle of a fight?

If you’re forming seals, your hands are occupied, you idiot.

“Gahh! H-How?!”

Earthly Immortal stumbled back, clutching his face where my punch had landed. Without missing a beat, I closed the distance and hit his again with a flurry of strikes.

“Who in their right mind tries to hide so obviously and thinks no one will notice, huh? You moron.”

Of course, I couldn’t admit that I had almost missed his presence.

Earthly Immortal staggered, mumbling incoherently, “Even so… How could you… your soul sense, of all things…!”

Leaving those words behind, he fled. I probably went a bit too hard on him, so I doubted he’d come back anytime soon.

“Wait.”

Hold on. Did I just beat up someone from Cheonji while coming here to build connections with Cheonji?

From the looks of it, Baek Yoorin had lost her abilities and was basically just an ordinary person now. And if Earthly Immortal had tried to eliminate her, then it was safe to assume Baek Yoorin was already deemed useless in Cheonji’s eyes.

Turning to Baek Yoorin, who was still blushing furiously, I asked, “How the hell did things end up like this?”

“Well, um, I was training, and…”

Apparently, she lost her powers while practicing something called Yin Transformation.

Not that I had any clue what Yin Transformation was. First time hearing about it in my life.

From what I could gather, though, Baek Yoorin had lost her abilities, and the moment she did, Earthly Immortal pounced to assert dominance.

So Cheonji was one of those strength-above-all organizations, huh?

Goddamn it.

Just my luck that my Cheonji connections were falling apart like this.

I sighed deeply and asked Baek Yoorin, “So, what’s your plan now?”

“I was thinking… of asking Gamlo for advice.”

“Gamlo? You mean Cheonji’s Celestial Immortal Gamlo?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I knew who Gamlo was. She was the woman who had been drinking during the Cheonji Selection Trials. That chick had chirped about her being a sage or Immortal capable of opening gateways to the afterlife or something.

So if I stuck with Baek Yoorin, I’d get to meet Gamlo?

“The thing is, to meet Gamlo, I’d have to go deep into the caves. But without my powers, I’m not sure if I can make it…”

“I’ll help you.”

An opportunity to meet Gamlo?

No way I was letting this slip by.

Right now, I desperately needed connections with Cheonji’s higher-ups. If I wanted to figure out the path to the Great Ghost Gates, I’d need their help.

When I firmly said I’d help, Baek Yoorin’s face flushed even redder.

“W-Why are you helping me so much?”

Baek Yoorin stared at me intently.

Her gaze was so piercing that it felt overwhelming.

For some reason, I felt like I couldn’t lie to her.

“…It’s because this involves someone important to me.”

“S-Someone important…”

Before I knew it, Baek Yoorin was clutching my sleeve tightly.

“Then let’s go. I’ll guide you to the cave.”

“Y-Yeah, okay.”

And so, I followed Baek Yoorin back into the Tiger’s Den.

***

In this world, there was something called telepathic communication. And right now, Baek Yoorin was hearing a message from Gamlo through that very method.

+I heard you suddenly lost all your abilities. However, once someone reaches enlightenment, they never fall into delusion again. While a soul may perish, the abilities tied to it can never truly disappear.+

Baek Yoorin and Yoo Hajin were making their way toward the entrance of the Tiger’s Den.

+However, enlightenment can sometimes be obscured by corruption. This is called corruption transmutation. There are two ways to overcome this corruption: the first is the Heavenly Demon Cult’s method of applying the oil of corruption, also known as corruption anointment. The second is a method like yours—overcoming corruption through sheer talent.+

The two stepped deeper into the den.

+It’s the same way malicious spirits perceive human corruption—by sensing it through the soul. You likely gained your corruption in this way.+

Baek Yoorin turned to Yoo Hajin.

“We need to go deeper into the cave to properly communicate with Gamlo.”

“Got it. Let’s go.”

As they walked, Baek Yoorin continued her telepathic exchange with Gamlo.

+Now, I’ll teach you how to erase the corruption you gained through corruption transmutation.+

But Baek Yoorin’s mind wasn’t on the lesson.

Kiss… That kiss from earlier…

Her thoughts were utterly consumed by the memory of their earlier kiss.

And so, Baek Yoorin and Yoo Hajin ventured deeper into the Tiger’s Den, her face faintly tinged with a blush as she absentmindedly replayed that moment over and over in her mind.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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