Chapter 47
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: New Moon Granny 1
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Getting attacked right as they stepped out had been unexpected, but they'd come out knowing it might be dangerous. The four of them split into two pairs as planned and ventured into the city, uncertain what awaited them.
After parting ways with the women, Ibi found herself alone with Nati, a slightly awkward feeling settling in. The surroundings were dim, making it hard to see Nati's face clearly. Come to think of it, this was the first time they'd been alone together since that initial meeting at the bar.
Ibi wasn't particularly short, but she wasn't tall either—at least not by women's standards. Among men, Nati was on the tall side, so to get a good look at his face, she'd have to tilt her head up, which felt a bit unnatural if she forced it.
Still, there were things she needed to say. Ibi cleared her throat and spoke up.
"Thanks for earlier."
"What?"
Nati turned back with an expression like he'd heard something baffling.
"Oh, that thing from before?"
And that was it.
No casual "no big deal" or "glad you're safe"—not even the bare minimum pleasantries.
"Hey. Are you ignoring me right now?"
"Well..."
Ibi was momentarily speechless. It was absurd. What was this? Being treated worse than a roadside pebble? If he'd planned to let her die anyway, why had he held her so protectively?
She knew this wasn't the time for leisure. She understood there was no room for chit-chat... but she was annoyed right now, and there were plenty of things she'd been wanting to say.
Opportunities to speak with Nati one-on-one were rare, so words she'd bottled up came spilling out unbidden. Half of it stemmed from resentment.
"It's been over two months since I started working there."
"And?"
"And? Why did you even bring me to the Ghost Bridge Society? Saving some dying stranger has nothing to do with assigning me work. But you didn't do that. I thought... there must be another reason."
"Did I ever say anything like that?"
"The Hollow Man. Didn't you say you had business with him too?"
"......"
"Isn't that why you brought me along? Yeah. I was the fool. I thought I'd finally learn something about the ghost that's haunted me my whole life. Maybe... I was just bait? You figured he'd come sniffing around if I was nearby, and now that he hasn't, you don't need to bother anymore? Yeah, I was the idiot. 'Belief is voluntary'—even after hearing that..."
"No."
Nati suddenly cut her off. He stopped walking and looked straight at Ibi.
"There's still too much that's uncertain. It's not the right time. Not the moment to say anything..."
"Then who’s the fox goblin?"
It was the first time Ibi had seen Nati at a loss for words. The change was immediate, just like when Kang Areum had brought it up—his eyes blazed with fury.
But Ibi didn't look away. She clenched her teeth and pressed on.
"Is there anything you can tell me?"
"......"
If anything, Nati was the one who averted his gaze. His reaction surprised Ibi so much that she blinked.
"Your face... it's hard to look at directly."
He had a habit of blurting out strange things without context, but this was especially odd. Ibi forgot her anger and widened her eyes. It couldn't possibly mean her beauty was too dazzling...
"Let's go for now. No time for talk."
Nati started walking ahead again. He was clearly trying to brush it off once more, which frustrated her to no end, but there was nothing she could do about it.
"Wait up!"
And so the two of them walked through Woncheon City's bustling district. One thing stood out to Ibi as they traversed the street from end to end.
There were far too few people.
Her life had been so chaotic lately with incidents piling up that she'd forgotten how lively it used to be, but Ibi had her share of fun nights out here. The familiar streets were etched in her memory, so even in the rain, she could take it all in without issue.
Of course, with the downpour, it was odd to expect crowds. But even accounting for that, it was too empty. Not even groups huddled under eaves, grumbling about their ruined day. At best, a few scattered people in Halloween costumes trudged through the rain.
"Notice anything strange?"
The question came as if he'd read her mind. Ibi focused her gaze, scanned the street again, and voiced her thoughts.
"It's really dead out here. The whole street."
"What day is it today?"
"True, but... it's pouring like this..."
"Even so, it's definitely too sparse."
Business slumping lately? But when Ibi had come with friends last Saturday, it hadn't felt that way at all.
Woncheon City was fairly well-known for its entertainment spots, and as Kang Areum had said, plenty of folks from neighboring cities came seeking "good vibes." Halloween never hurt business.
"What do you think that means?"
"Hm... maybe everyone's gone somewhere else?"
It sounded dumb even to her, but surprisingly, Nati nodded agreeably.
"Not bad instincts."
No, it was like stumbling backward into catching a rat...
"So where do you think they've all gone?"
"No idea. Home, probably. Tomorrow's Monday."
"That's plausible enough. But that's not the way to approach it."
Ibi looked up at Nati blankly. Was he giving a lesson right now?
"We need to head somewhere high first."
"High up? Why?"
"Gotta overlook the city from above to see far."
His intentions were still hard to read, but Ibi decided to play along and pointed up to the left.
"Then the tower it is."
Woncheon City's tallest building. A 50-story landmark.
Built back when the city had a fat budget, it had been one of the tallest in the country at completion. Time had passed, so it wasn't anymore, but it was still the highest around.
Nati nodded.
"Perfect. Let's go."
Had he already forgotten that near-embarrassing blush from moments ago? Not holding grudges could be a virtue, but Ibi subtly puffed her cheeks. Circumstances were what they were now, but next time she caught him slipping, she wouldn't let it slide.
That's when it happened. Out of the corner of her eye, Ibi spotted a woman passing right beside them. Her face was caked in white makeup with panda-like eye shadow, her body wrapped head to toe in bandages—a pretty committed costume.
That alone would've just been "intense cosplay," but then the woman's silhouette began twisting at grotesque angles, and Ibi's eyes went wide despite herself.
She knew that movement. A body that slithered like it was neither solid nor liquid.
Her gaze instinctively followed to get a better look. But Nati's hand shot out, wrapping around the back of her head and pulling her chest-first against him.
"Act like you didn't see it for now."
"......"
She nodded numbly, steadying her racing heart.
Maybe gazing at the peaceful bustling scene had lulled her into a false sense of security. Deep down, she might not have truly believed those monsters from the start were lurking everywhere in the city.
After all the near-death scrapes she'd survived, to still be this complacent. She felt stupid.
But before that realization even sank in, what hit her first was that she was still pressed right up against Nati.
"Y-You're too close!"
She shoved him away in surprise. Come to think of it, this seemed to happen a lot—whenever danger struck, she ended up in his arms like this. And with the heat of the moment, she'd never really noticed until now.
"Oh, sorry..."
Feeling a twinge of rudeness, she started to apologize, but Nati was already striding toward the tower.
"......"
Embarrassed for no reason, she flipped him off behind his back before jogging to catch up.
They reached the tower just as midnight approached.
Woncheon Central Tower. It had an observation deck and residential spaces. Their destination was the rooftop, usually open to the public via the deck for a fee—not hard to access.
Nati glanced back at Ibi.
"Ah, left my wallet behind."
"......"
One day, she'd make this guy pay for it.
Ibi shot him a glare while pulling out her card, but he calmly headed for the elevator anyway.
Paying up got them to the rooftop in a flash. The rain hadn't let up, though, so the dim, murky space held only Ibi and Nati.
Tourists wouldn't bother with the deck, and residents had long grown tired of the view—makes sense, if you thought about it.
Nati approached the rooftop's chain-link fence at the edge and peered down. As he said, it wasn't a huge city, but from the 50th floor, nearly the whole panorama was visible.
Woncheon City, blurred by the rain, felt like a world shrouded behind a single veil. Visible yet absent, near yet unreachable, like another realm. The city's sleepless lights danced a waltz amid the wind-whipped rain. On a clearer night, the dark ribbon of the Woncheon River would snake into view far off—a bottomless abyss swallowing countless secrets, like a serpent with an unfathomable belly.
Love it or hate it, it was the hometown where Ibi had been born.