Quinn's sudden awakening finally made the doctors breathe a sigh of relief.
The resuscitation had worked.
Once again, they had dragged a patient back from death's doorstep.
But Quinn felt no joy.
The fear in her heart still hadn't faded.
After her father Sean arrived at the hospital, he eventually gave in to her insistence and brought Quinn—whose legs had just been placed in casts—back home.
Once they returned, Sean could no longer hold himself back.
Walking over, he gently placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"Quinn... what's wrong?"
Ever since the hospital, and even during the ride home, Quinn had looked uneasy.
Her anxious expression resembled a frightened rabbit being hunted by a wolf.
"Dad... remember those nightmares I told you about recently?"
"I used to think it was because I wasn't resting properly."
"But after today's accident..."
Quinn's expression trembled.
"...I realized things aren't as simple as I thought."
"I think I may really be haunted by an evil spirit."
The moment she recalled what she had seen while hovering between life and death, a wave of fear surged through her heart once more.
Sean instinctively frowned.
"Did some strange cult approach you recently?"
"No!"
Quinn immediately became upset.
"Dad, don't tell me you don't believe me either?!"
Disappointment and anger mixed in her voice.
"I wasn't lying!"
Seeing her reaction, Sean hesitated.
He had originally wanted to dismiss everything.
But suddenly—
Jamie's words from earlier resurfaced in his mind.
Quinn said she was haunted.
Jamie had said the same thing.
Could there really be something wrong?
No...
Not so fast.
A strange feeling rose in Sean's chest.
Then he remembered the talisman Jamie had given him.
Without saying anything, Sean turned and walked toward the living room.
After opening a drawer, he retrieved a yellow talisman covered with mysterious symbols.
Returning to Quinn's room, he handed it over.
"What's this?"
"Jamie gave it to me."
"The new neighbor next door."
"He came over before your accident."
Sean explained where it came from.
"He said you were being targeted by some evil spirit."
"I don't know whether the two of you planned this together or not..."
"But he asked me to give this to you."
"He said it's a lucky charm."
"If you're scared... just keep it with you."
"Take it as peace of mind."
Sean rubbed his forehead and laughed self-mockingly.
"You kids somehow managed to influence me too."
"I actually kept something like this."
Jamie...
Quinn remembered the expression of the man who had stopped her from playing spirit games before.
That rugged face.
That unusually serious tone.
At the time she hadn't cared.
But now...
Maybe Jamie really did know something.
Thinking of that, Quinn quietly accepted the talisman.
Just as her father said—
Even psychological comfort was still comfort.
Seeing Quinn take it, Sean reached toward a basket nearby.
Inside were snacks, novels, and various things he had prepared beforehand.
There was even a small bell.
Since Quinn had broken both legs and couldn't move easily, she could ring it anytime if she needed help.
Feeling her father's concern, Quinn's anger quickly faded away.
Sean carefully pushed her into the bedroom, lifted her onto the bed, and tucked the blanket around her.
"You need proper rest."
"Forget interviews and college for now."
"Recovering comes first."
"If you need anything, ring the bell."
"I'll be in the living room."
————
"Sheng Hui, Sheng Hui."
Inside the antique shop, Lucien had just finished sending off a customer when Jamie called.
"Did you finish the job?"
"I'm... not really sure."
Jamie carefully explained everything that had happened, recounting every detail from beginning to end.
Including Quinn's accident.
"...That's basically everything."
"The talisman was placed correctly too."
For a brief moment, Jamie thought Lucien would praise him.
Instead—
"Giving the talisman away so carelessly was incredibly stupid."
Jamie's face instantly froze.
Lucien's cold voice continued through the phone.
"What if Quinn's father didn't believe you and threw it away after you left?"
Jamie opened his mouth.
No words came out.
"And if you entered Room 514 with only one talisman and encountered the evil spirit directly?"
"How were you planning to deal with it?"
"Fight it with your fists?"
"And if the talisman got destroyed?"
"Were you planning to just stand there and wait to die?"
One question after another struck Jamie speechless.
Cold sweat formed on his forehead.
Silence filled the call.
Lucien wasn't intentionally scolding him.
He was reconstructing the situation from Jamie's description.
The evil spirit had left to attack Quinn.
The shadow.
The spirit-contacting teenage girl.
The abandoned room.
The black footprints.
Very quickly, Lucien remembered where this came from.
Insidious 3.
A story about a girl trying to contact her dead mother and accidentally summoning something far worse.
And there was one person Lucien remembered clearly.
The old medium.
Reliable.
Kind.
Someone who had repeatedly saved people from evil spirits.
Elise.
Only to eventually meet a tragic end herself.
"Lucien?"
Jamie's cautious voice pulled him back.
"That bed should be something the spirit used while it was alive."
"Putting the talisman there won't kill it immediately."
"But it will definitely hurt it."
"It'll just take time."
Lucien paused.
Then suddenly asked:
"But apartments usually have management staff, right?"
"They probably clean unused rooms regularly."
Jamie's expression changed instantly.
If cleaning staff entered...
And removed the talisman...
"Lucien, I need to go back immediately."
"I'll call later!"
But before Jamie could finish, he realized Lucien had already hung up.
He didn't have time to think.
No matter whether he apologized later or formally admitted his mistake—
Right now, only one thing mattered.
The exorcism talisman stuck on that bed!
Jamie's face changed dramatically as he immediately sprinted toward the apartment.
Meanwhile—
Back at the antique shop—
Lucien welcomed a rather special customer.
"Hello."
An elderly woman smiled warmly.
Then she gently introduced herself.
"My name is Elise."