Chapter 76
“You seem to have a lot of funds, sir?”
“Pardon?”
Jang Sa-hyeon’s eyes sparkled once more.
“It’s not common to find someone who purchases such a large sum of 50 million won in a single payment.”
“…I’m just using it where it’s needed, that’s all.”
“If you feel it’s necessary, you can purchase everything. Indeed….”
“……”
Sparkle, sparkle-!
This person, Jang Sa-hyeon….
His gaze has been different since earlier. Those sparkling eyes that seem to recognize me as a big spender customer standing before him.
Really….
‘This is unbearably uncomfortable.’
That gaze that seems to view me not as a mere human, but as a walking money bag.
However, even though in his eyes I must have looked like a walking money bag, he made sure to express his gratitude.
“Thank you as always for the smooth transaction. Big spender customer☺.”
Along with Jang Sa-hyeon’s bright eye-smile.
Avoiding his eye-smile, I pushed the expensive item I just purchased into my employee ID card.
Slip-
Jang Sa-hyeon, who was watching the item cleanly enter my employee ID card from a close distance, stared intently at my employee ID.
“It’s really fascinating.”
He expressed his admiration aloud.
“An item embedded with ghost stories… It’s amazing. Truly amazing….”
“……”
Looking at Jang Sa-hyeon who was staring at my employee ID as if he was about to drool.
It was as if I wondered, ‘Does my employee ID have a charm effect attached to it?’ Jang Sa-hyeon was staring at the employee ID with curious eyes.
Sensing that if I left things like this, I would likely be subjected to a barrage of strange questions.
I immediately changed the subject.
“By the way, for the item I purchased this time, are there any precautions or anything I should be careful about?”
“Pardon?”
“For an item worth about 50 million won, I would think there are certainly some precautions….”
“……”
Jang Sa-hyeon closed his mouth at my question.
Of course, I had already broken all the precautions regarding this item.
Nevertheless, the primary reason for asking this question was.
To confirm.
A deceptive question to confirm how much this person, Jang Sa-hyeon, knew about ‘this item’.
Clearly, at first glance, he seemed not to know….
But it doesn’t hurt to double-check.
I waited for his answer.
Jang Sa-hyeon also hesitated in the conversation as if deep in thought.
“…Of course there are.”
He slowly moved his thin, straight lips.
“You already knew when you purchased it, so there’s not much I can tell you.”
That tone of avoiding an answer.
‘So he doesn’t know about this item after all?’
But Jang Sa-hyeon quickly added an additional explanation.
“But if I were to add a precaution… I think it would be best not to rely too much on that ‘Mass-Produced Hero’ item and not to overuse it.”
!
This guy….
He knows, doesn’t he?
———
/Item List
Mass-Produced Hero.
(A hope that will break someday.)
———
Literally a body buff-type item that gives the wearer strength worthy of the term hero.
And in what Jang Sa-hyeon just said.
There was nothing incorrect.
However, he didn’t give off the nuance of knowing everything about this item.
It was truly an ambiguous answer.
From the sight of Jang Sa-hyeon looking at me with a friendly expression.
I felt an inexplicable sense of disconnect.
I couldn’t understand his true intentions.
The money-obsessed uncle who was only interested in cash until just now suddenly began to be perceived as a dangerous gentleman.
And the item I currently purchased.
-Mass-Produced Hero.
As Jang Sa-hyeon just said, it is certainly an item that should never be used for an extended period.
The maximum usage time of the current item that has been revealed so far is.
At most 5 minutes.
One must not exceed 5 minutes.
However, even that 5-minute timeframe is not absolute.
In <The Ghost Story Record Storage>, there was a record of a user showing abnormal symptoms after just 1 minute of use.
And that abnormal symptom is.
An invasive item that, if misused, can cause the user to invoke anomalies equivalent to A-grade ghost stories.
‘…So, this person.’
Does he know, or does he not know?
Amidst the sense of disconnect I felt from that expression, Jang Sa-hyeon calmly continued our conversation.
“Are you not buying anything else today?”
“…No, I think I’ve overspent a bit. I think this is enough for today.”
“I see.”
There seemed to be a hint of disappointment in Jang Sa-hyeon’s tone, but I unhesitatingly turned to leave.
I felt that further expenditure would not be advisable.
And although it was an unexpected item purchase, this item called [Mass-Produced Hero] is also useful depending on how it’s used.
I decided to be satisfied with this for today.
“Then I’ll visit again next time.”
Just as I was about to leave the store with a friendly farewell to Jang Sa-hyeon.
“Ah, right! Customer!”
My footsteps stopped again at his voice, hastily calling me back.
The reason Jang Sa-hyeon called me back was.
“In the past few days, there was a woman looking for you.”
“!!”
There was a woman looking for me?
‘…Could it be.’
As soon as I heard that a woman was looking for me.
The name of our yandere employee ‘Kim Ha-eun’ quickly flashed through my mind.
I thought it was truly vexing.
However,
The woman Jang Sa-hyeon mentioned was different from my expectations.
“She is an old acquaintance of mine… but it was a bit unexpected. This is the first time she has shown interest in a man. Just like last time, with that black-haired woman… you seem to be quite popular with women. I’m truly envious.”
“……”
A woman other than Kim Ha-eun was looking for me?
The story is that an unidentified woman came all the way to this ghost general store and asked about me.
‘No matter how I look at it….’
One hundred percent.
It’s someone from the agency.
When I realized that not only ghost stories but also people from the agency were watching me.
Tears welled up in my eyes.
‘Why can’t they just leave me alone?’
Hiding the trembling in my voice as best I could, I asked Jang Sa-hyeon, just in case.
“…May I ask what her name is?”
“Come on~, you know better and yet you ask. You know that’s not allowed.”
“……”
It was unreasonable after all.
But there was something that became clear from this.
From the ghost stories desperate to kill me.
To the agency people trying to find me.
Is this the weight that a famous influencer must bear?
Is that it?
Do famous celebrities always carry this weight on both shoulders?
…But,
‘This is too heavy, even for something that’s supposed to be heavy.’
My shoulders won’t survive.
My shoulders will be completely broken.
For some reason, today felt like a day where I had come to make a light purchase, but was going back feeling even more down.
However, unaware of my gloomy mood, our money-hungry merchant Mr. Jang Sa-hyeon.
“Please come again! Our valued customer!”
He gave me a warm greeting.
“……”
And so, marked as a big spender by Jang Sa-hyeon, I stepped out of the Ghost Store General Store with heavy footsteps.
Trudging along.
Head hanging low.
As I was moving forward, staring only at the tactile paving blocks illuminating the ground.
Tap.
…?
In the empty space.
The sound of heels echoing at regular intervals traveled through my eardrums.
Even though it was clearly an ordinary heel sound, my footsteps stopped in place, wary of the sound.
No matter how ordinary the sound of heels might be.
The place was far from ordinary.
This was none other than.
The transit passage known only to the users of the Ghostly General Store.
It couldn’t be an ordinary person.
Ideally, I’d prefer if it were just a civilian who had accidentally entered this space.
‘That’s unlikely though.’
Probably, with high probability.
It’s likely someone from the Agency.
Step-
Soon, after a few steps, I would come face to face with someone from the Agency.
Then the action I should take was….
Almost predetermined.
Walk confidently.
If I act hesitantly, I’ll get caught.
I need to be certain.
Even if they’re an employee who uses this Ghostly General Store, they probably aren’t very high-ranking.
Step-
Just as the heel sound striking my hearing grew closer, brushing past my ears.
Before my eyes stood a female employee wearing the same black suit as me.
The reaction….
“…Oh?”
“……”
Came first from the other party.
I quickly examined the appearance of the employee before me.
‘…Snow-white eyes.’
A woman with long, snow-white hair like her eyes.
Her porcelain-like skin, as white as her hair, also captured my attention.
And I immediately sensed it.
No, perhaps ‘realized’ would be the right expression.
‘This woman….’
She’s definitely a named employee.
Just from her appearance, it was as if her outstanding beauty was saying, “I’m a named employee. I look forward to working with you☺.”
The image of a snow woman from folklore stuck in my mind.
Along the curves of her restrained silhouette in a smooth black suit.
A woman revealing an explicit cleavage, whose beauty made it difficult to know where to look.
Combining all these characteristics.
Under the cold gaze and snow woman-like appearance.
A figure who was revealed online to possess overwhelming power. (A woman referred to as the “work-oriented recluse.”)
Without needing to wear the Top of the Class Glasses.
‘Why are you….’
The person standing before my eyes right now.
A top-tier named employee even within the GRA Agency.
Director Lee Joo-i.
‘…Why are you in a place like this!’
This is a disaster.
An unexpected obstacle.
Given this situation.
Half-hearted acting won’t work.
I absolutely cannot hand over the initiative in this conversation to Lee Joo-i.
If she catches any inconsistency here, it’s all over.
“Oh! Aren’t you Director Lee Joo-i?”
“……”
“I never thought I’d meet Director Lee in a place like this.”
Like a cold chill settling.
Lee Joo-i’s cold gaze is looking at me.
But,
I can’t be swayed by her atmosphere here.
‘Maintain your pace, Park Yeon-jeong.’
With a calm, settled smile, I bowed my waist to Lee Joo-i and continued my introduction.
“I apologize for the late introduction. I’m Park Yeon-jeong, a ‘Team A new employee’ who just joined.”
“…Team A new employee?”
Lee Joo-i tilted her head with a blank expression.
“…Team A, unlike…others. Your manners are…bright.”
“The other seniors are quite blunt, aren’t they?”
I calmly led the conversation.
So far, my self-proclaimed ‘Little Noise’ acting skills seemed to be working.
But the real problem was.
The fact that my opponent was ‘Lee Joo-i,’ this woman.
I don’t know why someone of director rank would be here.
But now I need to handle the situation smoothly.
Fortunately, no matter how high-ranking Director Lee Joo-i might be.
She wouldn’t know the names of employees from teams other than her own.
Especially not me, who claimed to be a new employee.
Moreover, I was a ‘Team A new employee.’
That ‘Team A Special Task Force’ that receives special treatment even within the Agency.
The people I mentioned as Team A are, according to the setting, part of a very closed agency.
You know that common setting, right?
-The best under heaven.
-The Absolute.
-Elite forces.
-SSS-grade hunter.
Like the modifiers attached to such strong individuals.
In <Ghost Story Record Storage>, such a group of powerful individuals is called the ‘Team A Special Task Force.’
And befitting the setting of being the strongest agency.
They hardly interact with other teams, a voluntary loner organization.
That means there’s no worry about my existence being exposed right now.
‘For now….’
“By the way, what brings Director Lee Joo-i here?”
For now, I shamelessly speak lies for thorough deception.
Lee Joo-i seems to ponder my question for a moment.
“…I had some business here…that’s all.”
‘As expected!’
She didn’t question my Team A affiliation. She seemed to have given up on investigating me.
If so, what I needed to do next was simple.
Have a light conversation.
Then go our separate ways.
“Why is…Employee Park Yeon-jeong…here?”
“I also had some business here. I’ve finished that business now.”
“…I see.”
The conversation is going smoothly.
Then the next topic I should bring up is.
A natural farewell.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I think I’ve been holding you up for too long, Director.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Then, I’ll be returning to the agency now. If given the chance… I’d like to work with you on the next ghost story investigation.”
“You’re quite…good at social interactions.”
Lee Joo-i accepted my farewell with her characteristically gentle voice.
For such a sudden encounter with a named employee, it seemed to have gone remarkably well.
Bow-
Only after showing respect to Lee Joo-i with a final bow.
Step-
I moved first.
Carefully passing by Lee Joo-i’s side.
‘…Success.’
It was successful acting.
There wasn’t a single mistake.
I thought it was perfect handling.
Until that woman.
“…Employee Park Yeon-jeong.”
Called out to me again.
“By any chance…is there talk in Team A about…this recent ghost story?”
“……”
“The ghost story about the ‘Man with Black Flames’…I mean.”
Man with Black Flames….
A ghost story name I had never heard before.
But the moment I heard that story.
Why?
Why….
‘Why does this name feel so familiar?’
For some reason, it was a ghost story name that evoked a strong sense of internal familiarity.
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