Chapter 42: Beings Beyond Reality
Madam Jang revealed the truth to Director Ma.
She explained that she was actually Lady Sunhwa, wife and queen of the Jade Emperor, ruler of Heaven.
For certain reasons, she had descended into the living world.
She also told him about evil spirits capable of possessing human bodies.
However, Lady Sunhwa said nothing about former Iljik Chasa Taerang or the Three Evils of the Underworld.
Director Ma was already being asked to believe that she was the Jade Emperor’s queen and that evil spirits existed.
Adding even more complicated information would only create confusion.
Director Ma stared at her.
“This is difficult to accept.”
He exhaled.
“Madam Jang... or should I call you Lady Sunhwa?”
He wiped his face.
“According to what you just told me, I am currently sitting here speaking with a god.”
He looked at her directly.
“To be completely honest, I think you may have gone insane.”
His reaction was understandable.
“Mr. Ma.”
Lady Sunhwa smiled calmly.
“To be precise, we are not gods.”
“We are Immortals who seek to become gods.”
“Immortals?”
He frowned.
“Beings who seek to become gods?”
“That is correct.”
The more he listened, the more confused he became.
Lady Sunhwa studied him sympathetically.
“I believe you need time to think about what I have told you.”
“Yes....”
Director Ma pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“That would probably be better for me too.”
Looking at him, Lady Sunhwa realized that ordinary humans of the living world would probably require considerable time to accept the existence of the Underworld and the divine realms.
She changed the subject.
“You know about the disturbance during Aize’s fan meeting, correct?”
“Yes. It was quite serious.”
“You were the one who controlled the media so the public would not learn everything that happened, weren’t you?”
“...Yes.”
Director Ma interlocked his fingers and looked at her.
He wondered if she somehow knew the truth behind that incident too.
“Why did you believe the truth would cause confusion?”
Lady Sunhwa asked.
“Because what happened was difficult to believe.”
Director Ma took another sip of tea.
“CCTV footage from the fan meeting showed the man who caused the disturbance throwing people around.”
His expression became grave.
“That degree of strength is impossible for an ordinary human.”
He continued.
“More importantly, the man pulled off his own hand and used it as a blade.”
He shook his head.
“That alone was almost impossible to accept.”
His voice became quieter.
“Then, for around half a second, both that man and Detective Kang Hyunwoo disappeared from the location.”
Lady Sunhwa listened silently.
“What made even less sense was what happened when they reappeared.”
Director Ma frowned.
“When they vanished, there were two men.”
“When they appeared again, Detective Kang Hyunwoo returned with Aize.”
“The man who caused the disturbance had completely disappeared.”
He loosened one button on his shirt.
“Later, Aize even retired from the entertainment industry because of dating rumors involving Detective Kang.”
He sighed.
“The public focused entirely on their supposed romance.”
“But if reporters had discovered the CCTV footage and all the other unusual details from that day, things could have become extremely troublesome.”
He looked at her.
“That was why I suppressed the information.”
Lady Sunhwa silently acknowledged that Director Ma was both intelligent and perceptive.
She continued.
“Recently, haven’t more people been disappearing without any apparent reason?”
Her eyes became serious.
“Especially women.”
Director Ma immediately nodded.
“That is correct.”
“More than one hundred women have disappeared in Seoul alone recently.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“Of course, many people go missing every year.”
“Most cases involve understandable reasons such as running away from home or medical conditions like dementia.”
He looked frustrated.
“But these are healthy women with no reason to disappear.”
“They have ordinary jobs and families.”
His expression darkened.
“The public does not know about it yet, but this is becoming an extremely serious problem.”
Lady Sunhwa looked directly at him.
“What would you think if I told you all those missing women were kidnapped and eaten by evil spirits?”
Director Ma stared at her.
Then an empty laugh escaped him.
“H-Ha....”
He shook his head.
“Does that sound like something possible in the modern world?”
“Eating human beings?”
He had heard stories of insane murderers who consumed human flesh.
But those were aberrant acts of madness, not creatures hunting humans as food.
He simply could not believe it.
Director Ma narrowed his eyes.
“Then do you know something about both of these incidents?”
“Yes.”
Lady Sunhwa nodded.
“But I believe you need more time before you can accept the truth.”
She folded her hands.
“First, you need to believe that beings outside ordinary reality actually exist.”
“You mean believing that you are the Jade Emperor’s wife and that evil spirits exist?”
Lady Sunhwa nodded.
Director Ma leaned forward.
“Madam.”
He spoke firmly.
“Rather than asking me to believe first, shouldn’t you show me evidence that you are truly the Jade Emperor’s queen?”
“Hehehe.”
Lady Sunhwa smiled.
“Very well.”
She glanced toward Cheongpung.
“Although rather than me, it might be better for Cheongpung to demonstrate.”
She continued.
“Cheongpung is not originally from the living world either.”
Director Ma turned toward the huge man.
Lady Sunhwa glanced toward the four guards around the pavilion.
“Can those men be trusted?”
Director Ma understood what she meant.
“Everyone, leave us until I call you back.”
The four men immediately moved toward Mangawon’s main building.
Director Ma looked at Lady Sunhwa.
“Is that enough?”
“Yes.”
She turned toward Cheongpung.
“Cheongpung. Show him the Heavenly Steel Sword.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Cheongpung bowed.
Director Ma had no idea what he was about to see.
Cheongpung raised his hand.
“Come forth, Heavenly Steel.”
A blade began pushing directly through the skin of his palm.
“W-What...?”
Director Ma’s eyes widened.
The sword continued emerging.
It eventually became a massive two-meter-long weapon.
Its blade divided into two separate edges, giving it an unusual forked appearance.
Lady Sunhwa sighed.
“Cheongpung, it is unfortunate, but use Heavenly Steel Thunder Cannon on one of the trees in the garden.”
She added quickly,
“Very weakly.”
