Mistaken for a Catastrophe-Level Ghost Story Employee 36

Chapter 36

A little past noon.

It was truly a day like a weekday hiding under the label of a weekend.

Park Yeon-jeong, who had been swamped with work, was fortunately heading home after successfully completing the ghost story mission.

Growl—

I’m hungry.

Growwwl!

That’s too huge.

If I had known this would happen, I should have eaten the breakfast that Jeong Da-ram woman prepared for me.

I regretted it the entire bus ride home.

But

Soon such unnecessary worries would disappear.

Once I get home, I’ll be able to eat the soybean paste stew personally made by our ghost story lady.

Growwwwl.

My stomach was still roaring like thunder and lightning, but Park Yeon-jeong’s face grew brighter with each step closer to home, his mouth corners nearly ascending to heaven.

“…Almost there.”

And soon, in front of the ghost story lady’s house.

Park Yeon-jeong firmly gripped the key tucked in his chest and strode purposefully toward the door that looked like it might collapse at any moment.

The key in his hand passed through the keyhole.

Click.

Along with the sound of the tightly locked bolt opening, just as he thought, ‘I’ll finally eat delicious soybean paste stew,’

Fling!

!!

The moment the front door opened, something huge from inside the house charged fiercely toward Park Yeon-jeong.

Whoosh!

If he hadn’t instinctively strengthened his legs, he might have fallen backward.

Park Yeon-jeong’s gaze turned to the black-haired beast that had rushed into his arms.

“Master… Master… Master.”

“…Um, excuse me.”

“…!!”

The black-haired beast softly sobbing in my arms suddenly seemed to realize something.

“…Ahem.”

She quickly tried to explain the current situation.

“Ah, this is… I just fell.”

“…I, I see.”

“It’s true!”

“Yes! Yes, I understand. You fell!”

…But.

For someone who just fell, she seemed to be hugging me for too long?

And why was she rubbing her cheek against my clothes?

Park Yeon-jeong really wanted to ask about these things, but somehow felt that if he did,

He might no longer be a person of this world, so he deliberately refrained from asking.

And the ghost story lady promptly changed the subject.

“…More importantly. Why didn’t you come back yesterday?”

“Oh, about that…”

Where to begin explaining that grand prologue? My head wasn’t working properly already.

This must be it.

Growwwwl.

Yes, this.

My neurons are stuck to the back of my stomach and can’t come up with ideas.

“Well… I think I got on the wrong bus.”

This was the best I could do.

“…What do you mean you got on the wrong bus?”

“…”

Growwwwwl.

The ghost story lady who had been demanding my answer, upon hearing the great roar of my belly clock,

“…Since you’ve returned safely, I won’t ask any further questions.”

Thank you.

Honestly, I was worried the conversation might go in a strange direction if you kept asking.

Thanking my belly clock for creating this timing, I safely entered the house.

And what I wanted to do most right now was.

Sniff, sniff.

…Let’s wash up first.

I hadn’t had a proper shower since yesterday.

Pause!

Hearing my small sob, the ghost story lady who had been heading to the kitchen momentarily stopped in her tracks.

The woman composed herself again, neatly adjusting her collar, and even cleared her throat.

“You must be tired from coming all the way home. Today, I’ll scrub your back for you.”

“…No, thank you.”

“No. Today I will…”

A sudden battle began.

To state the result.

Park Yeon-jeong’s victory.

And in fact, the current match result wasn’t solely Park Yeon-jeong’s victory. It was possible because the ghost story lady surrendered first.

The reason the ghost story lady gave up was simple.

The smell coming from my body was too strong.

I had only been holding the ghost lady’s hand and pleading desperately, hoping she wouldn’t enter the shower room.

“…Today, I’ll be satisfied with this.”

“…Pardon?”

With what?

I couldn’t understand what she was satisfied with, but the ghost story lady obediently returned to the kitchen.

…However.

Sniff.

The sight of the ghost story lady smelling the back of the hand I had grabbed.

How strong must my smell have been?

The ghost story lady’s slightly visible cheeks were turning red.

‘…Was I really someone who smelled that bad?’

After that, Park Yeon-jeong immediately went into the shower and surrendered himself to the warm water.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen.

“…Ah, Master.”

A woman’s inexplicable sob stretched toward the shower room.

Swoooooosh.

“…The water temperature is just right.”

But the woman’s faint sob seemed to be drowned out by the sound of water pouring from the shower.

“Master… smell.”

And so, until Park Yeon-jeong finished showering, he didn’t notice what was happening outside the door.

*****

It was a refreshing shower after a long time.

I felt like my mood was improving with the freshness that couldn’t be better.

And when I headed toward the kitchen with excited steps, thinking about the soybean paste stew that would soon be waiting for me.

Steam rising.

With the rich aroma of doenjang already pricking my nose, Park Yeon-jeong unconsciously started salivating.

I wanted to thank the ghost story lady for preparing such a delicious meal.

“Thank you for always setting the table like this… than…k…”

…Excuse me?

Ms. Ghost Story Lady?

Only delicious dishes were set on the table. Our chef who should be here was nowhere to be seen.

“Should I just eat it?”

Gulp

Still, the table being set probably meant it was time to eat. Just as Park Yeon-jeong was about to sit down on the kitchen chair.

An eerie sensation tickled precisely from his earlobe all the way to his cochlea.

“Master.”

“!!…Y-yes!”

I covered the ear that had just felt the ghost woman’s breath with one hand and immediately turned to check behind me.

The ghost woman stood there without the slightest tremor, staring at me from exactly the same spot.

“Master.”

“Yes!”

Her voice seemed to drill into the floor.

At the ghost woman’s deep bass tone, Park Yeon-jeong unconsciously snapped to attention.

“Master, I would like to ask you once more.”

This kind of atmosphere from the ghost woman was a first.

Gulp.

I swallowed dry saliva.

I can barely breathe.

I just wish she’d let me eat something.

But my stomach clock, which had been wailing until just moments ago, was now as quiet as a dead mouse.

“Yesterday… Where did you go?”

“Y-yesterday, you mean?”

“Answer me.”

“……”

Why is it that in moments like these, the baseball bat by the shoe rack always catches my eye?

And the current atmosphere is far from ordinary.

I truly cannot imagine what form the ghost woman might take if I say one wrong word here.

In times like these.

Confession is the answer.

Coming clean about everything would most likely be the correct choice.

“…Actually.”

I really told her everything.

Starting from the moment I met Kim Ha-eun at Seongsu Station.

The story about how the bus was actually haunted.

The story about being possessed by a ghost on that bus. And even the impressive tale of how I helped that ghost find peace.

I truly disclosed everything that happened on the bus exactly as it occurred.

But more than that.

It’s not like I wanted to come home late.

I felt wronged.

This is really too much!

For a moment I wanted to express my indignation, but.

“……”

The ghost woman’s gaze is still too fierce.

The atmosphere is so intense, as if she might devour me at any moment.

“…cheating…”

“Pardon?”

The woman murmured quietly and sobbed.

I couldn’t hear the ghost woman’s soft sobbing.

Could she be cursing me… or perhaps casting an even worse curse?

I still had no idea what had upset the ghost woman.

Not knowing that.

I could only stare helplessly at the doenjang stew growing cold.

Gulp.

As my stomach clock’s starvation alert leaked out bit by bit, making me increasingly anxious.

“One woman.”

“What?”

“I’m asking because it seems you slept in the same room with another woman.”

…What?

And with those solemn words, one person instantly flashed through my mind.

-Jeong Da-ram.

…This woman really is a ghost.

Otherwise, how could she guess so accurately?

“…While I’m here, with another woman… if it were me, anytime…”

“……”

This time, too, fortunately, some words from the ghost woman’s quiet muttering brushed past my ears.

From this, I could infer the real reason why the ghost woman was angry.

Currently, she seemed to despise me as a man who had spent a promiscuous night out, which explained why I hadn’t come home all last night.

It was clear.

“That’s not what happened, nothing like what you’re thinking.”

“……”

“Really! Please believe me!”

“…Promise.”

The ghost woman’s brief sound.

With a short sob, she extended her pinky finger toward Park Yeon-jeong.

“…Promise me.”

“……”

Pardon?

So even ghosts, when making promises with others, engage in this cute promise procedure of linking pinky fingers?

As Park Yeon-jeong tensed up, wondering if her pinky finger might be snapped off in an instant if she extended it.

“Master, promise.”

“Yes!”

Like a faithful pet of the ghost woman, my pinky finger immediately reached toward her.

Squeeze.

Our pinky fingers intertwined, and though it was just a simple verbal contract-like promise.

The killing intent I had felt from the ghost woman until just moments ago seemed to have subsided a bit.

“…Let’s eat before the stew gets cold.”

“Ah, yes…”

After that, I fortunately finished my meal safely.

The end of this truly eventful weekend was finally in sight.

And when night fell as the day drew to a close, the ghost woman walked unhesitatingly into my room where I was already lying in bed, about to fall asleep.

“Master.”

“Y-yes?”

I unconsciously tensed up at how she now entered my room as if it were her own home.

“I know it’s late and I’m being presumptuous, but there is something I would like to ask.”

“……”

Yes, you are being presumptuous.

Very much so.

I wondered if I had actually had any proper rest during this thing called a weekend.

I hoped she wouldn’t make any strange requests at this late hour.

“…For me too.”

“……”

“I would like you to give me a name.”

“A n-name?”

Suddenly?

“I recently heard that you gave that person a name.”

“…Ah.”

For a moment, Noise flashed quickly through my mind.

“…The meaning doesn’t have to be particularly special. I just want a name that makes it comfortable for you to call me.”

“……”

But her eyes are sparkling too much for someone saying that?

Despite her calm tone, the ghost woman was looking at me with eyes full of expectation.

Unlike with Noise.

I felt I couldn’t just brush this off casually.

I carefully observed the appearance of the ghost woman standing before me.

Wearing a Japanese kimono.

Faintly gleaming crimson-black eyes.

A woman who makes good doenjang stew.

Was doenjang stew more common in Japan than miso soup?

As the conversation flow suddenly went off on a tangent.

Flash!

Like being possessed, a single word quickly passed through my mind.

Japanese miso soup.

Miso.

Somi.

Soi.

“…Soi, how about that?”

“!!”

Suddenly!

The moment she heard those two syllables,  ‘Soi,’ an indescribable brightness bloomed on the ghost woman’s face.

And soon, the woman who received the name Soi, with a gentle smile spreading across her lips, said:

“Thank you…Master.”

Somehow, her eyes seemed to sparkle even more that day. And thus ended Park Yeon-jeong’s weekend that was anything but a weekend.

“Master.”

“Yes?”

“…May I sleep just holding your hand? I really will only hold your hand this time.”

“……”

This woman Soi.

She just said ‘this time.’

…It seemed Park Yeon-jeong’s day wasn’t over yet.