I got in a taxi with Mother and headed to our house in Hannam-dong.
As soon as I opened the main gate and stepped inside, I was startled out of my wits.
‘What the hell! Why are there so many ghosts swarming around?’
[You told me to call them all.]
……That’s right.
I had forgotten.
I’d told all the ghosts in this neighborhood to gather together and barge into Namsan Leech’s mother’s dream.
‘Do you remember what I said earlier?’
[Of course.]
- Interest
The ghosts that had crawled out to try to scare me saw the Grim Reaper standing behind me and immediately scattered in a panic, screaming at the top of their lungs.
The Grim Reaper glared coldly at the fleeing ghosts.
[Everyone, freeze. Any ghost that moves will be considered insubordinate.]
All of them.
The ghosts, who had been raising a ruckus and darting in every direction, suddenly stopped dead in their tracks.
The stiffened ghosts only rolled their eyes, watching the Grim Reaper warily.
‘As expected, the absolute boss of the ghost world!’
Yeah, this is exactly why I love having the Grim Reaper on my side!
‘Alright then, I’ll leave this matter to you, okay?’
[Naturally. I’ll take care of everything thoroughly.]
The Grim Reaper cracked his neck left and right.
With a dramatic flourish of his black robe, he clasped his hands behind his back.
[From now on, all Honryeong, answer this officer’s questions. Who is the Jibakryeong of this house?]
All the ghosts turned to look at a single Honryeong.
The Grim Reaper smiled slyly at the Jibakryeong.
[So, it’s you.]
The Jibakryeong singled out by the Grim Reaper began to tremble like a leaf.
[You are to come with this officer. It’s time for a one-on-one interview.]
Why is a Jibakryeong called a Jibakryeong?
Because it’s a spirit bound to the land, unable to leave its spot.
[From now on, you must reveal all the secrets of this house.]
The Grim Reaper grabbed the Jibakryeong by the scruff of its neck with one hand.
Crack. Crunch!
The Jibakryeong was yanked out by force.
Seeing this, the other ghosts shrank back in fear, letting out frightened gasps.
If even the slightest chance appeared, they looked ready to bolt at any moment.
[This is a warning. If anyone tries to sneak away and gets caught, you’ll face forced exorcism.]
The ghosts immediately behaved themselves.
No one dared disobey the Grim Reaper’s orders.
The Grim Reaper, his robe billowing, marched off holding the Jibakryeong by the neck.
[You must confess everything. Before I drag you to the afterlife and toss you into the flames of hell.]
Now this is reassuring!
Mother couldn’t hide her joy.
“Wow, it’s so warm and cozy. It feels completely different from when we dropped by earlier, doesn’t it?”
That’s only natural, since I chased out all the ghosts that had been lingering in the house.
…………Actually, I had discreetly turned on the oil boiler while checking out the house earlier.
“Oh my, everything from the bed to the dining table is imported European luxury furniture! Even the appliances are all either from the United States or Japan?”
Her voice was excited.
Mother looked around every corner of the house.
“There are top-quality bedding sets in the closet, still in their packaging, as well as curtains, sofa covers, and even carpets!”
“The Bokdeokbang owner said it, remember? The previous owner had a stroke on moving day and was hospitalized in a nursing home, and his family went off to study in the United States and apparently have no plans to return.”
“My goodness. Even as I heard that, I just thought, ‘Oh, that’s unfortunate,’ but to see this… Wow!”
Mother had an expression like, ‘Is this really a windfall?’
“Are you sure we can really use all this? The previous owner isn’t going to come back and take it, right?”
“Of course not. That’s why I added a special clause when we signed the contract earlier.”
The condition that we take possession of everything in the house.
‘If we find a gold bar in the garden, it’ll be mine too.’
This is why a signed contract is so powerful.
No matter how much the previous owner insists on their rights, as long as the state has certified it, they can’t claim ownership anymore.
“Are you feeling uneasy? If you don’t like it, I’ll call someone tomorrow to clear everything out.”
“No! There’s no need for that. These are all brand new!”
Mother’s eyes sparkled as she smiled.
“We saved a lot. Hehehe.”
Even buying this house had drained Mother’s bank account.
If we had to buy all new furniture and bedding, it would have been a heavy burden for our family.
I thought of Father’s watch.
‘If I take it to Teacher, I could get at least 800,000 won out of it this time. Should I sell it back?’
I hesitated, torn between Mother’s memories and Mother’s hardships.
Rattle.
Mother threw open the window.
“Let’s clean first. We can’t sleep in a dusty place like this.”
She rolled up her sleeves.
“If I’m going to start looking for dishwashing jobs in this neighborhood from tomorrow, I don’t have much time. Since we bought the house, I have to sweep and mop it today, no matter what, to make it livable.”
“You’re really going to look for dishwashing jobs starting tomorrow?”
“I have to. That way, I can buy you delicious food and a Christmas present.”
Are we really running that low on living expenses?
‘If only I were seventeen already!
If I were, I’d take care of the family by delivering newspapers at dawn, delivering noodles, collecting daily payments at the market, or selling kimbap in front of the subway station.
It’s so frustrating that my body is still that of a seven-year-old.’
“I’m sorry, Mom. It’s all because I insisted we buy this house………….”
“No! I love this house so much.”
Mother beamed and hugged me tightly.
“From now on, we’ll live happily together here, right? How could I ever have dreamed of living in such a big house? It’s all thanks to my son.”
“But…….”
“Now we won’t have to worry about paying rent every month, right? That’s thanks to you, too.”
“About the account I opened in my name… Please use that.”
“No. That’s for your college tuition.”
Mother held me and spun me around and around.
“Mom will work hard and make lots of money. That way, I can buy you lots of delicious food and nice clothes.”
Mother, how are you going to become rich just washing dishes?
It’d be faster to pawn Father’s watch at the Songolmae Pawnshop and try my luck with an investment.
Should I go to Teacher’s pawnshop first thing tomorrow?
“Junghyuk, shall we clean together?”
“……”
I looked back and forth between Mother and the dust-choked corners of the house.
When the Bokdeokbang owner broke down the bedroom door earlier, just how far did the dust billow up?
“Cough, cough!”
“Oh my, are you coughing from the dust?”
Actually, that’s not the reason……………..
Drag, drag.
The Grim Reaper came back, dragging the Jibakryeong by the scruff of its neck.
The limp Jibakryeong dangled like a jellyfish.
The Grim Reaper spoke.
[They built an air-raid shelter in the basement of this mansion, and inside there’s a state-of-the-art steel safe.]
How am I supposed to talk my way out of this?
Looks like I have no choice.
I’ll just have to fake it.
“Cough, cough!”
“Then why don’t you step outside for a bit while I clean? There’s so much dust here, you’ll keep coughing.”
“Sorry, Mom. I’ll be back soon to help. Cough, cough!”
I slipped out immediately.
‘There’s a safe hidden in the basement?’
As the threat of war rose again, the government had required people to build underground shelters by law.
In wealthy families like this, they’d stock up with enough emergency rations and supplies to survive underground for months, building sturdy air-raid shelters that could withstand bombardment.
‘I thought there might be gold buried in the garden, but the basement is even better. It’d be tough to dig with this body, after all.’
I opened the basement door.
Because there’d been no proper ventilation, the air was thick with dampness and the smell of mold.
Wooden shelves lined the walls, holding wine, baskets, tools, and all sorts of miscellaneous items.
‘Oh!’
Behind one of the wooden shelves.
Only one wall of the basement was faintly glowing with a golden light.
[If you turn the third handle over there, a secret door will open.]
Creeaak.
Whether by some mechanical device, with a soft sound, the shelf spun open.
When I opened the disguised wooden door, camouflaged like the basement wall, the golden light pouring out nearly blinded me.
‘Wow!’
There were enough supplies piled up that a family of four could live on them for months.
One wall of the air-raid shelter was taken up by a massive steel safe.
[This Jibakryeong couldn’t let go of its regret in this world because of that safe.]
[It’s my safe! It’s mine! My treasure!]
A wailing scream.
[I’ll never give it up! I won’t let anyone touch it! Don’t touch!]
[He refuses to give up the code, even if he dies. That’s why I brought him here, but I haven’t managed to get the safe’s password yet.]
Well.
I snorted.
‘That’s nothing difficult, is it? It’s just a safe. If it can be locked, it can be cracked.’
I rummaged through the basement’s toolbox and grabbed some useful wires and tools.
‘Hey, guardian spirit. Instead of me having to press my ear to the safe, amplify the sound for me.’
I slid a wire into the keyhole and turned the dial ever so slightly.
‘Oh come on, it’s only got three safety mechanisms? This is a relic of a bygone era.’
Back in the day, I bet someone paid a fortune for this safe.
But as technology advanced, so did lock mechanisms—and the techniques to crack them, too.
I’m someone who mastered 21st-century lock-picking.
‘I used to make a decent allowance cracking these in my younger days.’
When you work at a pawnshop, opening locked safes is nothing.
Thanks to that, I picked up tricks to open just about anything.
Safes, doors, bottle caps, women’s phone numbers… let’s not go there.
Creak. Creak. Creak. Clack.
The safe swung wide open.
[No!]
The Jibakryeong covered its face with both hands and wailed.
“Sorry, but it’s mine now.”
So why don’t you move on to the afterlife?
The inside of the safe was packed full of things glittering gold like a fireworks show.
‘Wow! Are these all gold bars? Joseon white porcelain, Goryeo celadon, golden Buddha statues, paintings from both East and West, and even stacks of dollars!’
It was, quite literally, a gold mine.
This is how the wealthy often managed their slush funds.
‘Yes, this is a treasure trove! Just how much is all this worth?’
I’d heard that even the real estate documents about this house shone like a light bulb.
Turns out, there was a reason for that!
[Aaaaaaah………….]
The Jibakryeong, former owner of the safe, bowed its head as if resigned.
Then, with a soft crumble, it scattered to pieces.
The Grim Reaper grinned in satisfaction.
[He’s let go of his lingering attachments and ascended.]
!……!
[A poor soul who wandered the mortal world has found peace at last. You, too, have accumulated virtue by helping him.]
…….Well, that’s great.
That’s three birds with one stone, isn’t it?
That soul gets to ascend, I earn some virtue and score a windfall, and the Grim Reaper… well, whatever.
Ding dong, ding dong ding dong.
The doorbell rang.
‘Who would ring the bell at a house that’s been abandoned for years? If that’s the case…!’
I closed the safe and quickly slipped out of the basement.
“Who is it?”
“I’m Kim Younggeol, chief secretary of Taeseong Group.”
I knew it.
Kim Secretary delivered his message from outside the main gate.
“I’m here to present a bribe to Young Master.”
Yes, this was exactly what I’d been waiting for.