< What kind of windfall is this? (1) >
I took a taxi with my mother and headed to our house in Hannam-dong.
As soon as I opened the door and went in, I was shocked.
‘What the heck! Why are all these ghosts gathered here?’
[Call them all.]
‘······That’s how it was.’
I forgot.
I brought all the ghosts from this neighborhood and told them to go into Namsan Charleomeori’s mother’s dream.
‘Do you remember what I said earlier?’
[Of course.]
The ghosts that had crawled out to scare me screamed and scattered in panic when they saw the grim reaper standing behind me.
The grim reaper glared at the fleeing ghosts with a cold expression.
[Everyone, stop moving. Any moving ghosts will be considered disobedience.]
The ghosts that had been making a lot of noise and jumping around in all directions, up and down, stopped in their tracks.
The stiff ghosts roll their eyes to check the grim reaper’s mood.
‘As expected, the absolute best in the ghost world!’
Yeah, this taste is like summoning the grim reaper!
‘Then I leave this job to you?’
[Of course. I’ll make sure to do it.]
The grim reaper snapped his neck from side to side.
He carries his backpack on his back, his black robe fluttering stylishly.
[From now on, the spirits will answer the question of this master. Who is the local spirit of this house?]
The ghosts all looked at one spirit.
The grim reaper looked at the ghost and smiled.
[It’s you.]
The spirit who was designated by the grim reaper began to tremble like an aspen tree.
[You follow the instructions. It’s time for a one-on-one interview.]
Why is the spirit called a spirit?
It is a terrestrial spirit because it is a spirit that is tied to the ground and cannot move.
[From now on, you will have to confess all the secrets in this house.]
The grim reaper grabbed the ghost’s nape with one hand.
Crunch. Crunch!
The land spirit was forcibly pulled out.
Seeing that sight, other ghosts hide their bodies and let out a hissing sound.
He seemed ready to run away at the slightest opening.
[Warning. If you get caught sneaking out, you will not be able to avoid forced ascension.]
The ghosts immediately became docile.
No one could disobey the orders of the Grim Reaper.
The grim reaper walked with a limp, the hem of his robe fluttering, and he grabbed the spirit by the neck.
[I must confess everything to you without leaving anything out. Before I drag you to the afterlife and throw you into the fires of hell.]
This is very sturdy!
* * *
The mother couldn’t hide her joy.
“Wow, it’s warm and cozy. It feels so different than when I stopped by last time.”
Well, it also drove out all the ghosts that were wandering around this house.
······Actually, it’s because I turned on the oil boiler while I was looking at the house earlier.
“Oh my, everything from the bed to the dining table is imported luxury European furniture! And all the home appliances are either American or Japanese?”
It was an excited voice.
Mother looked around the house.
“Inside the closet, there are top-quality bedding sets, curtains, sofa covers, and even carpets that are all unopened!”
“As the real estate agent said, the previous owner passed away the day he moved in and was admitted to a nursing home. His wife and children are going to study abroad in the U.S. and have no intention of coming back.”
“Oh my god. Even as I was hearing that, I just thought, okay, but this is······. Wow!”
My mother had an expression on her face like she was wondering what kind of windfall this was.
“Can we really use this? The previous owner won’t take it back, right?”
“Of course. That’s why I added special provisions when I wrote the contract earlier.”
The condition is that we take over everything in this house.
‘If by any chance a gold nugget is found in the garden, it’s mine.’
This is how scary an agreed contract can be.
Even if the owner of the property claims his rights, he cannot claim ownership once he has received government certification.
“Do you feel uncomfortable? If Mom says no, I’ll call someone tomorrow and clean all this up.”
“No! I don’t think that’s necessary. These are all new!”
Mother smiled with sparkling eyes.
“The money is frozen. Hehehe.”
I already emptied my mother’s bank account to buy this house.
If we were to buy everything new, from furniture to bedding, it would have been quite a burden on our household budget.
I thought of my father’s watch.
‘If you take it to the teacher, I can get more than eight hundred this time. Should I take it back and sell it?’
I had to struggle for a moment between my mother’s memories and her hardships.
Knock knock.
Mother opened the window wide.
“I need to start cleaning. I can’t sleep in a dusty place like this.”
Then he crossed his arms.
“I don’t have time to look for a job washing dishes in the kitchen in this neighborhood starting tomorrow. Since I bought the house, I have to somehow sweep and clean it today to make it a place that people can live in.”
“Are you looking for a job doing the dishes starting tomorrow?”
“Then Mom can buy Jeong-hyeok delicious food and a Christmas present.”
Are you also short on living expenses?
‘If only I were seventeen!’
Then, whether I delivered newspapers at dawn, delivered jajangmyeon, collected wages at the market, or sold kimbap in front of the subway station, I would have been responsible for my family’s livelihood.
I’m angry that my age and my body are only seven years old.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I kept insisting on buying this house······.”
“No! Mom, you like this house too much?”
My mother smiled brightly and hugged me tightly.
“From now on, we’ll live happily here with Jeong-hyeok. How could Mom have been so lucky to live in such a big house? It’s all thanks to our son.”
“but······.”
“Now I won’t have to worry about monthly rent. This is all thanks to my son.”
“I’m talking about the bankbook I created for you. Find that and use it.”
“No. That’s going to pay for our Jeonghyeok’s college tuition.”
My mother held me in her arms and spun me around.
“Mom, work hard and earn lots of money. So you can buy lots of delicious food for Jeong-hyeok and buy him lots of nice clothes, right?”
Mom, when are you going to get rich from washing dishes in the kitchen?
I think it would be faster to pawn my father’s watch at a pawn shop and call it an investment.
Should I go to the teacher’s pawnshop tomorrow?
“Jeonghyeok, do you want to clean with mom?”
“······.”
I looked back and forth between my mother and the dusty corners of the house.
When the real estate agent broke the bedroom door earlier, how high did the dust rise?
“Knock knock knock!”
“Oh my, I think I cough because of the dust!”
Actually, that’s not it······.
Dragging and dragging.
Because the grim reaper came back, grabbing the ghost by the collar.
The sagging saddle limbs flopped like jellyfish.
The grim reaper said.
[They say there’s a bunker built in the basement of this mansion, and there’s a state-of-the-art safe made of iron there.]
Is there any way to convince this person?
So what can we do?
I guess I’ll have to pretend to be sick.
“Knock knock knock!”
“Then, would you like to go out for a bit while Mom cleans? It’s so dusty in here that I’m going to keep coughing.”
“I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll be back soon to help you clean up. Knock knock knock!”
It popped right up.
* * *
‘You hid the safe in the basement?’
As the possibility of another war grew, the country passed laws mandating the construction of underground facilities.
In these wealthy homes, they would build underground bunkers that were strong enough not to collapse even under artillery fire, and they would fill them with emergency food and supplies so that they could survive underground for months.
‘I thought I buried the gold in the garden, but it would be better if it was in the basement. I can barely dig for it with my current body.’
I opened the basement door.
Because there was no ventilation, the air was damp and smelled of mold.
Wooden shelves lined the basement walls, where they stored wine, colanders, tools, and all sorts of odds and ends.
‘oh!’
Behind the wooden shelf.
Isn’t there a faint golden light coming from only one wall in the basement?
[They say that if you turn the third handle there, a secret door will open.]
Squeak.
As if it were a mechanical device, one shelf swiveled open with a slight noise.
As I opened the wooden door disguised as a basement wall, I was dazzled by the golden light streaming out.
‘and!’
There was enough food stocked up here to last a family of four for several months if they just ate what was there.
One wall of the bunker was lined with an enormous iron safe.
[This land spirit is unable to let go of his attachment to this world because of that safe, and is holding on here.]
[It’s my safe! It’s mine! It’s my treasure!]
It was a scream-like outburst.
[Never give it to anyone! Don’t give it to anyone! Don’t touch it!]
[He won’t open his mouth even if he dies. That’s why I brought him here, but I still haven’t figured out the safe’s password.]
I chuckled.
‘That’s not that hard. What’s so special about a safe? It’s just something you get for free.’
I rummaged through the toolbox on the basement shelf and found a few useful wires and tools.
‘Hey, Guardian. It’s annoying to have your ear to the safe, so turn up the volume.’
I put the wire into the keyhole and turned the dial slightly.
‘Oh my, there’s only a triple safety device. This is truly a relic of the old days.’
In the old days, it must have been a safe that cost a lot of money to build.
As technology has advanced, locks have become more sophisticated and the methods of picking keys have become more diverse.
I am a person who has mastered 21st century lock-breaking technology.
‘I used to earn a lot of pocket money by doing this when I was little.’
When you work at a pawn shop, opening locked safes is not a chore.
Thanks to that, I got the hang of it and there was nothing I couldn’t do.
Opening safes, opening doors, opening bottle caps, and even getting women’s numbers… That’s it.
Creak. Creak. Knock. Rumble.
The safe was wide open.
[no!]
Jibakryeong screamed, covering his face with both hands.
“I’m sorry, but it’s mine now.”
So, I’ll just let you go to the afterlife.
The safe was filled with golden objects that exploded like firecrackers.
‘Wow! Are these all gold bars? Joseon white porcelain, Goryeo celadon, gold Buddhist statues, paintings from the East and the West, and even dollars!’
It was literally a mess.
It was also a method often used by the rich to mobilize slush funds.
‘Yes, this is the treasure trove! How much is all this?’
I told you that the real estate documents regarding this house were like a lightbulb flashing by.
As expected, there was a reason for everything!
[Ahhhhhhhhhhh······.]
Ji Bak-ryeong, the owner of the safe, lowered his head as if he had given up.
Then the pass broke into pieces and scattered.
The grim reaper smiled with satisfaction.
[He has cut off all attachment to this world and attained Buddhahood.]
‘······.’
[The poor soul that was wandering through the nine heavens has found rest. So you too can be said to have accumulated virtue.]
‘······That’s good.’
Killing three birds with one stone?
That soul will be happy because it has achieved Buddhahood, I will be happy because I have accumulated virtue and made a fortune, and the grim reaper… Well, whatever.
Ding dong. Ding dong ding dong.
It was the doorbell.
‘You’re ringing the doorbell to come to a house that’s been abandoned for years? If that’s the case······!’
I closed the safe and quickly escaped from the basement.
“who are you?”
“This is Taesung Group’s Chief Secretary, Kim Young-geol.”
I knew it.
Secretary Kim came from outside the front door and told me what business he had come for.
“I have come to offer a bribe to you, my lord.”
Yeah, that’s exactly what I was waiting for.
< What kind of windfall is this? (1) > End
0 Comments