Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Ghost Bridge Society 2
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It was the moon.
It really was the moon.
Kang Ibi drew in a sharp breath at that moment. Her lungs suddenly felt choked off, as if the vacuum of space itself were crashing down on her. Of course, it was just an illusion, but that didn't stop her breath from coming in ragged gasps for whatever reason.
It was a round moon, but not the glowing full moon one might see in a crisp autumn night sky. In fact, it wasn't glowing at all. The satellite filling her vision showed only part of its curve. If she took just one step into the grandfather clock, what unfolded was pitch-black space, utterly empty.
A few hundred meters away at most, perhaps. The moon's gray surface and craters were laid bare. From her position, it felt no different from hovering directly above the lunar surface, gazing down.
Ibi hastily stumbled back, scanning her surroundings. But the spot where she stood was still the dusty, cluttered warehouse.
The space and the moon existed only within the clock. Ibi's feet were firmly planted on the basement floor, yet just a few steps ahead stretched an endless void of cosmos.
She had thought that after being trapped in that box, she'd experienced every shock life could throw at her. But no. She couldn't comprehend how an entire universe fit inside a grandfather clock roughly the size of a person's body.
Ibi stared into the cosmic interior of the box, lost in a daze. In truth, it wasn't a long time. Maybe ten seconds at most.
But to the entity that had goaded her into opening that passage, it apparently wasn't brief at all.
Something black writhed on the barren gray lunar surface. It resembled a mass of dark smoke, yet at times seemed liquid-like. From this distance, she couldn't grasp what it was.
A chill ran up her spine.
The sheer size of the moon had briefly confused her sense of scale, but objectively, the distance between her position and the moon was hundreds of meters. For its movements to be visible from here, that mysterious object had to be enormous.
The next instant, it fixed its gaze on Ibi.
It had no eyes, but this was no illusion. It was definitely staring right at her.
At that moment, Ibi realized. That thing was the entity that had spoken to her through the broken phone. The moment the thought hit her, she rushed toward the clock, trying to slam the glass cover shut.
But the black smoke roiling on the moon seemed to hunker down... and then it crossed that vast distance in an instant, lunging toward her. There was no time to close the door.
Suddenly, the clock began to chime. Dong, dong, dong.
Clack!
Out of nowhere, two hands appeared, brushing past Ibi to seize the glass door and slam it shut.
The closed clock now revealed only its narrow interior through the transparent glass, as if it had never opened a portal to the cosmos. The pendulum swung left and right. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
"Whoa, that was close."
Ibi looked up at the man who had popped up behind her. He was one of the people seated at the table with her the day before.
The man she had figured wasn't Nati. Compared to the one wielding that fan... well, he felt a bit more ordinary. Of course, applying "ordinary" to this crew was debatable at best.
Still, at this moment, that ordinariness was a welcome relief.
"What were you thinking, coming down here alone? Man, Sis sure has a mischievous streak."
Ibi took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and opened her mouth.
"What the hell was that just now?"
The man glanced at the now-closed grandfather clock and replied.
"I'm not entirely sure myself. But to put it simply, that clock is an object that can open passages to other spaces. Some unknown entity was trying to use it to cross into this room."
"A passage to where? And who was trying to come through?"
"The passages vary each time it opens... and so does whoever's trying to use them, I suppose? Who knows, but it sure wasn't dropping by for a friendly chat."
"......"
"Not your fault. Something lured you into opening that clock. Anyone unfamiliar with this place would've done the same."
"...What the hell kind of place is this anyway?"
A puzzled look crossed the man's face.
"You weren't told anything?"
"They just said it'd be better to see for myself and shoved me down here..."
The man pressed a hand to his forehead, chuckling in disbelief.
"Jeez... Sometimes these folks seem a few screws loose."
Ibi couldn't agree more. At the same time, she felt herself warming to this guy more and more. Friendly face, solid build, easygoing demeanor—hard not to.
"I'll explain on the way out."
Ibi nodded and followed him out of the suspicious warehouse. The path back upstairs was short, but he summed up the essentials along the way.
He introduced himself as Haewon, age twenty-three. A year older than Ibi, so naturally, she started calling him "bro."
That attempt by some unknown entity to cross through the clock was possible only due to this place's unique nature. With all sorts of bizarre objects gathered here, it was like a pile of bombs—dangerous incidents weren't unheard of, if rare. Ibi just happened to arrive at the wrong time.
"'Bizarre objects'... you mean haunted stuff?"
At her blunt question, Haewon gave an awkward smile.
"Pretty much."
Following Haewon, they emerged back into the bright tea house. In one corner, Aerin and Mina were fiddling with a tea set, chatting idly.
Ibi's face soured, and she marched straight over. Sending someone down there alone? There were pranks, and then there were lines you didn't cross. No way she was letting this slide.
"Oh, you're back? Knew you'd be fine."
"Saying that now doesn't..."
"So, what do you want for dinner? I'm heading out to shop."
"Hey! A person just almost... Huh?"
"Breakfast was light with what we had. Dinner, I'll show off my skills. Anything specific you crave?"
"...You'll make whatever I want?"
Aerin beamed, tilting her head cutely.
Taking it as a yes, Ibi's planned protest evaporated. Fine, she wasn't petty—let the small stuff go.
Just then, her phone buzzed in her back pocket. A text from an unknown number... but upon closer inspection, it wasn't truly unknown; it just wasn't saved. It was the number of the man she'd spoken to while lost in that horrific maze.
The message was simple.
'To the Octagonal Pavilion by the Woncheon River. Now.'
"Ah, looks like the boss is calling. He did say he needed to talk to you."
Haewon peered at the text Ibi showed him and said that. Boss... probably Nati.
A bit uneasy, but Ibi pocketed her phone. She'd go for now.
She didn't love the imperious summons, but the needy one always ends up bending, right?
Ibi reflected that after a full day dragged around by these weirdos, she still hadn't heard anything important. A one-on-one with this Nati guy might finally yield some answers.
As she left the tea house, she glanced back at them.
"He called, so... I'll head out."
Stepping outside, Ibi realized she'd made a grave mistake. She hadn't said what she wanted for dinner.
The Woncheon River was a tributary flowing from the Han River. Not a massive waterway, but for one cutting through the city center, its water was surprisingly clean, and it offered pleasant scenery. Joggers dotted the banks at dawn.
Not exactly a tourist spot, but the Octagonal Pavilion by the river had its fans. Great vantage for overlooking the water.
Today, though, only one person sat on the second floor of the pavilion. A lean man in loose clothes that billowed oddly on his frame, sipping from a beer can.
Nati took several gulps from his beer. When little remained, he shouted, "Here you go!" and splashed it into the river.
Right on cue, a cleaning worker grandpa climbed up and smacked the back of Nati's head for polluting the water. Nati turned back to the river with a grumpy glare.
He addressed the river.
"Long time no see."
Sunlight glittered off the flowing water like a gem cut into dozens of facets.
"As you can see, I've fallen on hard times. Thought paying a courtesy call for no reason might be rude."
The river, naturally, stayed silent. But Nati nodded as if he'd gotten a reply.
"So, are you here today? Tomorrow? Every day? Or maybe in the distant underworld?"
He fired off the bizarre questions, then gave a wry smile.
"Not that it matters. I'm here today because I have something to say. Found an interesting little one—thinking of taking her in."
Was it her imagination? The river seemed to surge fiercely for a moment.
"No obligation to explain myself to you. This is a heads-up, not asking permission. You know me—stubborn rogue who never listens."
With that, Nati turned from the river. Someone stood before him.
"You called. Just like you said."
It was Ibi.
"You've got a lot to tell me, I bet."