Chapter 20

Chapter 20

What Kind of Windfall Is This? (1)

I took a taxi with Mother and headed to our house in Hannam-dong.

As soon as I opened the main gate and entered, I was startled.

‘This damn! Why are there so many ghosts gathered densely like this?’

[You told me to bring them all.]

‘······I did.’

I forgot.

I had told him to drag all the ghosts in this neighborhood and charge into the Namsan Leech’s mother’s dream.

‘Do you remember what I said earlier?’

[Of course.]

The ghosts that had crawled out to scare me saw the underworld messenger standing behind me and screamed while scattering in panic.

The underworld messenger glared at the fleeing ghosts with a cold expression.

[Everyone stop moving. Ghosts that move will be considered insubordination.]

The ghosts that were making a ruckus and rampaging in all directions, front back left right up down, all stopped in place at once.

The stiffened ghosts only rolled their eyes to gauge the underworld messenger’s mood.

‘As expected, the absolute superior of the ghost world!’

Yes, this is why I use the underworld messenger!

‘Then I’ll leave this matter to you?’

[Of course. I’ll thoroughly crush them.]

The underworld messenger cracked his neck left and right with a crack.

He stylishly fluttered the hem of his black robe and put his hands behind his back.

[From now on, the spirits shall answer this messenger’s questions. Who is the earth-bound spirit of this house?]

The ghosts all looked at one spirit at once.

The underworld messenger looked at the earth-bound spirit and grinned.

[It’s you.]

The earth-bound spirit pointed out by the underworld messenger began trembling like an aspen tree.

[You shall follow this messenger. It’s time for a one-on-one interview.]

Why is an earth-bound spirit an earth-bound spirit.

Because it’s a spirit bound to the ground that can’t move, it’s an earth-bound spirit.

[From now on, you must confess all the secrets inside this house.]

The underworld messenger grabbed the nape of the earth-bound spirit’s neck with one hand.

Crack. Crunch!

The earth-bound spirit was forcibly pulled out.

Seeing that sight, the other ghosts made a gasp sound and shrank their bodies.

They were ready to flee immediately if even a little gap appeared.

[I warn you. If you secretly run and get caught, you won’t escape forced enlightenment.]

The ghosts immediately behaved obediently.

No one could disobey the underworld messenger’s command.

The underworld messenger walked with heavy steps while grabbing the earth-bound spirit’s neck and fluttering the hem of his robe.

[You must confess everything without remainder. Before I drag you to the underworld and throw you into the hellfire.]

This is very reassuring!

* * *

Mother couldn’t hide her joy.

“Wow, it’s warm and cozy. The feeling is so different from when we stopped by earlier?”

That’s because I drove all the ghosts floating inside this house outside.

······Actually, it’s because I casually turned on the oil boiler when we were looking at the house earlier.

“Oh my, from the bed to the dining table, all European luxury imported furniture! The home appliances are also all American or Japanese?”

It was an excited voice.

Mother looked around various places inside the house.

“Inside the closet, there are even highest-grade bedding sets that haven’t even had the packaging opened, of course, and curtains, sofa covers, and carpets all!”

“The real estate agency uncle said it. The previous owner had a stroke on the day he moved in and entered a convalescent hospital, and the wife and children said they were going to study in America and have no intention of returning.”

“My goodness. Even while hearing those words, I just thought so, but this is like this······. Wow!”

Mother had an expression of what kind of windfall is this.

“Can we really use this? The previous owner won’t take it back, right?”

“Of course. That’s why I attached a special clause when writing the contract earlier.”

The condition that we take over all the items existing in this house entirely.

‘Even if a gold lump is discovered in the garden, it’s mine.’

An agreed contract is this scary.

No matter how much the owner of the movable property claims rights, once it receives the country’s certification, they can’t claim ownership.

“Are you uncomfortable? If Mom says she doesn’t like it, I’ll call people tomorrow and clear all this out.”

“No! I don’t think there’s a need? These are all new!”

Mother sparkled her eyes and smiled.

“Money saved. Hehehe.”

Anyway, we thoroughly emptied Mother’s bankbook to buy this house.

If we had to buy everything from furniture to bedding anew, it would have been quite burdensome for our household situation.

I recalled Father’s watch.

‘If I take it to Master, I can extract over eight hundred this time. Should I take it back and sell it?’

I had to briefly conflict between Mother’s memories and Mother’s hardships.

Rattle.

Mother opened the window wide.

“I have to clean first. I can’t sleep in a place with this much dust.”

Then she rolled up both sleeves.

“To look into kitchen dishwashing work in this neighborhood starting tomorrow, there’s no time. Since we bought the house anyway, I have to somehow sweep and wipe it within today and make it a house where people can live.”

“You’re going to look into dishwashing work starting tomorrow right away?”

“I have to so Mom can buy delicious things for our Jeong-hyeok and also buy Christmas presents.”

Is the living expenses also insufficient.

‘If I was only seventeen!’

Then whether delivering newspapers at dawn, delivering jajangmyeon, collecting daily interest at the market, or selling kimbap in front of the subway station, I would have taken responsibility for our family’s livelihood.

It’s frustrating that my age, my body is only that of a seven-year-old.

“Sorry, Mom. Because I insisted on buying this house······.”

“No! Mom likes this house so much?”

Mother smiled brightly and hugged me tightly.

“From now on, we have to live happily together with our Jeong-hyeok here, right? What fortune is it that Mom gets to live in such a big house. It’s all thanks to our son.”

“But······.”

“Now we won’t have to worry about monthly rent every month either, right? This is also all thanks to our son.”

“The bankbook I made in my name. Use that.”

“No. That’s for our Jeong-hyeok’s university tuition.”

Mother hugged me and spun around.

“Mom will work hard and earn a lot of money. So I have to feed our Jeong-hyeok a lot of delicious things and also buy a lot of good clothes, right?”

Mother, when do you plan to become rich by doing kitchen dishwashing work.

Rather, collateralizing Father’s watch at the pawnshop and multiplying it through investment seems faster.

Should I go find Master’s pawnshop tomorrow right away?

“Jeong-hyeok, shall we clean together with Mom?”

“······.”

I looked back and forth between Mother and the corner of the house where dust was piled hazily.

When the real estate agency uncle broke the main room door earlier, how high did the dust rise?

“Cough cough!”

“Oh my, it seems you’re coughing because of the dust!”

Actually, it’s not that······.

Drag drag drag.

Because the underworld messenger returned dragging the earth-bound spirit by the collar.

The limp earth-bound spirit flopped like a jellyfish.

The underworld messenger said.

[They made an air-raid shelter in the basement of this mansion, and there’s one latest model safe made of solid steel there.]

There’s no way to persuade this?

So what can I do.

I have to pretend to be sick even if it’s a feigned illness.

“Cough cough!”

“Then do you want to go out for a bit while Mom cleans? There’s a lot of dust here so the cough will keep coming.”

“Sorry, Mom. I’ll come back soon and help with the cleaning. Cough cough!”

I fled right away.

* * *

‘They hid a safe in the basement?’

As the possibility of war breaking out again increased, the country regulated by law to create underground facilities.

In rich houses like this, they even built underground air-raid shelters sturdy enough not to collapse even if shells fell, filling them with emergency food and supplies so they could endure for several months underground.

‘I thought they buried a gold lump in the garden, but if it’s the basement, it’s even better. With this body right now, even digging with a shovel is burdensome.’

I opened the basement door.

Because ventilation wasn’t proper, a damp humidity and mold smell soaked in the air rushed in.

Along the basement walls, wooden shelves were lined up, and there they stored wine, and also baskets or tools as well as all sorts of odds and ends.

‘Oh!’

Behind the wooden shelves.

Wasn’t faint golden light leaking from only one wall of the basement?

[They say if you turn the third handle there, a secret door opens.]

Creak.

Whether it was a mechanical device, one shelf spun and opened with a slight sound.

When I opened the wooden door disguised as the basement wall, the leaking golden light was so bright it seemed my eyes would go blind.

‘Wow!’

Supplies of various types that a family of four could endure for several months just by eating the food here were piled up full.

One wall of the air-raid shelter was an enormously large solid steel safe.

[This earth-bound spirit couldn’t cut the lingering attachment in this world because of that safe and was holding on here.]

[My safe! It’s mine! My treasure!]

It was a desperate scream.

[I absolutely won’t give it! I won’t give it to anyone! Don’t touch it!]

[Even if he dies, he doesn’t want to open his mouth. So I dragged him here for now, but I haven’t found out the safe’s password yet.]

I chuckled.

‘Something like that isn’t particularly difficult? Is a safe something special? If you pick it, it opens.’

I rummaged through the tool box on the basement shelf and brought a few usable wires and tools.

‘Hey, guardian deity. Since it’s annoying to put my ear to the safe, amplify the sound yourself.’

I inserted the wire into the keyhole and slightly turned the dial.

‘Aigo, only a triple safety device is locked. This is really a relic of the old era itself?’

It must have been a safe purchased with a large sum in the past.

How precise have locking devices become with technological development, and how diverse have the methods of picking locks become.

I am a person who has mastered even the 21st century lock dismantling techniques.

‘I earned quite a bit of pocket money picking these in my younger days.’

When working at a pawnshop, picking locked safes is nothing.

Thanks to that, I developed the knack and there was nothing I couldn’t pick.

I picked safes, picked doors, picked bottle caps, and women’s numbers······ up to there.

Click. Click. Click click. Clunk.

The safe opened wide.

[No!]

The earth-bound spirit covered his face with both hands and screamed.

“Sorry, but it’s mine now.”

So you go to the underworld now.

Inside the safe, items exploding with golden light like fireworks were piled up full.

‘Wow! Are these all gold bars? Joseon white porcelain, Goryeo celadon, gold Buddha statues, Eastern and Western paintings, and even dollars!’

It was literally a gold mine.

It was also a method often used by rich people when mobilizing slush funds.

‘Yes, this is exactly a treasure warehouse! How much is all this?’

I said only the real estate documents about this house were flashing like an incandescent light bulb.

As expected, there was a reason for everything!

[Aaaaaaah······.]

The earth-bound spirit who was the owner of the safe lowered his head as if resigned.

Then he crumbled and scattered.

The underworld messenger smiled satisfactorily.

[He cut the lingering attachment of this world and attained enlightenment.]

‘······.’

[A pitiful soul wandering the nine heavens found rest. So you have also accumulated merit.]

‘······That’s good.’

It’s killing three birds with one stone?

That soul is good because he attained enlightenment, I am good because I accumulated merit and got a windfall, and the underworld messenger······ well, whatever.

Ding dong. Ding dong ding dong.

It was the doorbell sound.

‘Coming and pressing the doorbell to a house neglected for several years? Then······!’

I closed the safe and quickly came out of the basement.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Kim Young-geol, chief of the Taeseong Group secretariat.”

I knew it.

Secretary Kim conveyed the business he came for from outside the main gate.

“I came to offer a bribe to the young master.”

Yes, I was waiting for exactly these words.