Chinsun led them towards a familiar beach. Stopping at the foot of the cliff, Baekhyun swallowed loudly as he recounted the events from that fateful day, momentarily returning to the instant in which he was stripped away of the ‘gift’, denied access to the most wondrous world that not even his wildest imagination as a writer could conjure.

The sky was invaded by angry clouds, the thunder roaring mercilessly. Everything was set in place to reenact that day by the cliff where Kim Sungil was sealed away for good. Overcome with a sense of deja vu, unpleasant and painful memories resurfaced with each droplet of rain that trickled down their skin. For Chinsun and Jongin it was that of Baekhyun’s lifeless body being pierced mercilessly by the rain. For Baekhyun it was the sensation of becoming a human skewer as the evil spirit of Kim Sungil struck through his stomach. For Jongdae it was gnawing torture of not knowing if his loved ones were safe.

Due to the unwelcoming weather, the nearby areas had been left abandoned. Locals and tourist alike had fled in fear of being kidnapped and spirited away by the vengeful waves with the assistance of the wind. There was no sign of life in sight. That alone offered a minute speck of reassurance for Chinsun.

Chinsun and Jongin stared straight ahead of them, their unwavering gaze directed at the spot right on top of the cliff. Jongdae mimicked their actions, but he could not detect anything out of the ordinary. Meanwhile Baekhyun’s eyelids dropped ever so slightly as his ears twitched, hearing muted cries of anguish. He was then distracted when his eyes too landed on top of the cliff, and the past traumatic event replayed in his mind on loop, causing him to experience again and again his intimate visit from death.

Noticing Baekhyun’s conflicted and almost fearful demeanour, Chinsun gently placed her left hand over his right shoulder, giving him a squeeze of encouragement. Her hand then travelled down his arm before stopping by his wrist. With her ring finger, Chinsun traced Baekhyun’s endless knot tattoo. The close proximity of the two endless knot tattoos soothed Baekhyun as his tense expression loosened.

“Remember what I said,” Chinsun whispered in a commanding tone, “you two stay down here. Do not come up the cliff no matter what. Do not step over this barrier okay?”

Jongin stood back up as he finished setting up the barrier with nails and thread. A distinct red line now separated Jongin and Chinsun from Baekhyun and Jongdae. The small bells hanging on the thread jingled incessantly in the wind, resembling the teasing giggles of water nymphs tempting foolish humans to their death.

“Should have left them at home,” the male grumbled under his breath as he reached for his bag.

Chinsun gave Jongin a helpless smile before turning her attention back to the two best friends and handing them a faded bamboo scroll.

“Both of you read this mantra. Do not stop until I tell you to. The mantra combined with the barrier should keep you out of harm’s way and hopefully contain the damage to the cliff.” Chinsun paused, biting on her thumb before hesitantly adding, “if it looks like Jongin and I will lose, both of you run back to the basement for shelter. I already messaged Mark and Sehun, so they should be on their way, maybe even arrive tonight…”

Unable to dwell further on the worst case scenario, Chinsun turned towards Jongin. She saw his hand placed over his kīla and she shook her head.

“Remember we are not exorcising or killing the berserk haechi. We are freeing it. There’s a difference.” Chinsun emphasised in a sombre tone. “And… You can scold me later.”

Jongin’s eyebrows twisted in confusion though before he could question her words, his attention was taken away by the sudden cold mental touch that weighted against his hands. Looking down, Jongin realised Chinsun had handed him a dril-bu and vajra dorje, a bell and sceptre commonly used in Tibetan Buddhist  purifying rituals. Seeing the rare artefacts, Jongin’s eyes widened in disbelief.

However Jongin was yet again given no opportunity to react as Chinsun dashed away, reaching the top of the cliff in the blink of an eye. Then, the unsettled sea under the cliff erupted against the rocks, the water tentacles reaching towards the edge of the cliff and finally revealing an enraged haechi disfigured by black clouds.

The surprise did not end there.

After making its grand entrance, the berserk haechi looked down at Chinsun who firmly stared back at it. was moving but the raging storm chased away her voice before it could reach anyone else’s ears. The berserk haechi’s mouth curved into what appeared to be a smirk, sending chills through Jongin’s body. Then, without any warning, the evil entity entered Chinsun’s body as though in by a magnetic force.

Everything happened within matter of seconds, all too fast for either Jongdae and Baekhyun to comprehend for all they saw was Chinsun running up the cliff like a mad woman. Cursing under his breath, Jongin chased after Chinsun. The sight that unfolded in front of his eyes within such a brief period of time made him resentful at the limitations of his only human body, of his lowly human speed, of his weak human legs.

The moment Chinsun was within arm’s reach, Jongin extended his hand to hold the girl. Just as she was one bre