Making Money
Making Money
Clunk, clunk.
I sat in the swaying back seat of the bus, blankly staring at the money envelope in my hand.
It was today's wages. Though the envelope was thick, befitting the grueling work I'd done, all I could do was sigh as I looked at it.
"I need to find another job."
The construction site had been indefinitely postponed due to a horrific accident. Because of that, my job had vanished. I needed to find new work quickly, but...
"Haaah..."
I let out a sigh heavy enough to sink the earth and pressed the bus stop button. After getting off, I walked toward my destination.
To continue my earlier train of thought—finding a new job wasn't easy. Especially since I usually took on physically demanding but high-paying labor jobs. Maybe because winter was approaching, but no one was hiring.
What should I do? I was seriously considering signing up for a deep-sea fishing vessel when I finally arrived at my destination.
[Korea University Hospital]
I entered the hospital, checked in at the reception, took the elevator up, and walked down the hallway lined with patient rooms.
Step, step.
The place was so steeped in silence that even my light footsteps echoed clearly down the corridor.
Every time I came here, the same thought crossed my mind—the air in this place was dense. Warm and heavy. But this wasn't the kind of tranquility meant for rest. It felt more like the result of forcibly compressing someone's pain and desperation so that none of it could leak out.
I pushed through that suffocating air and stopped in front of the door at the end of the hallway.
Before entering, I did one last check. I straightened my slumped shoulders and forced a faint smile onto my lips. Ahem, ahem. Finally, I cleared my throat. Ready.
Creak.
As I opened the door, a cold breeze brushed past me, as if a window had been left open. Inside the room, I saw a girl standing by the window, blankly gazing at the crimson sunset.
I walked over to her. A girl with white hair and red eyes—my cousin, who should've been out playing with friends at her age but was instead confined to this hospital room.
"I'm here."
"Yeah, I was waiting."
She turned her head to look at me, a faint smile on her lips as our eyes met. I deliberately avoided her gaze, helped her sit on the bed, and closed the window.
"It's cold. You might catch a cold. Did the nurse say you could leave the window open?"
"Yeah, she said a little while is fine."
"I see."
Our conversation didn't last long. Not that it was awkward—it was just natural for topics to run dry when I visited her every single day.
"How was work today? Was it hard?"
"Huh? Oh, no. It was manageable, like usual. Haha."
I raised my arms in an exaggerated, comical pose to show I was fine, clenching my trembling limbs to hide their exhaustion. Judging by her soft chuckle, it seemed I'd succeeded in masking my weakness.
"Did Noona come by earlier?"
"Yeah, she stopped by for a bit."
We lost our parents when we were young and were raised by our aunt. But now, even our aunt and uncle were gone. The only family we had left was me, my sister, and my cousin.
And then my cousin got sick. The doctors said it was a disease never seen before in the world. They didn't even know how to prolong her life, let alone cure her.
All I could do was visit her every day and stay by her side.
"I should get going now."
"Okay. Thanks for coming today, Oppa."
She smiled brightly as she saw me off. She acted like everything was fine, but her eyes were dull—like a tragic movie heroine who'd given up on tomorrow.
I could tell she was forcing that smile so I wouldn't worry. We were family, after all. You can't fool family.
"...Yeah, see you tomorrow."
Even though I knew, the only thing I could do was smile back.
I left the room and trudged to the elevator, pressing the button.
Just then, a doctor in a white coat approached me.
"Are you Yu Seo-ah's guardian?"
"Haaah..."
How many sighs was that today?
I stared at my now-empty bank account after paying the hospital bills.
They say sighs chase away good fortune.
I didn't believe in superstitions, but just in case, I swallowed the sigh threatening to escape—what if the little luck I had left flew away?
If I lost any more luck, I had no idea what I'd do.
"Should I walk home today?"
Even bus fare felt too expensive right now. Since home wasn't far, I decided to walk.
'Are you Yu Seo-ah's guardian?'
The doctor I'd met earlier had delivered unexpected news. A new drug was being developed in the U.S., and if we applied, my cousin could participate in the clinical trial. He said it was being conducted by a world-renowned institution, so there was no need to worry about side effects. Off the record, he strongly recommended it as her only chance for treatment.
But the problem was money.
Even without any special treatments, the hospital bills were already overwhelming. And now, an overseas clinical trial? There was no way I could afford it in my current state.
Just thinking about it made me want to sigh again. I clenched my teeth and held it in. Then, realizing how ridiculous this was, I let out a hollow laugh.
I just wanted to go home and rest.
"Kyahaha!"
As I walked absentmindedly, staring at the ground, a burst of lively laughter made me look up. A group of middle school girls, like a scene from a youth drama, were walking down the street, laughing and chatting.
"..."
Seeing that, my throat tightened. My only cousin was living in fear, not knowing if she'd survive another day. At an age when she should've been laughing and playing like those girls.
Ah. I felt like I'd realized something.
"Haaah..."
I decided to stop holding back the sigh welling up from deep inside.
Good fortune flying away? What a joke. Things couldn't possibly get any more hopeless than this.
I lowered my head again and shuffled home.
"I'm back."
The small apartment was silent. After washing up, I sat at the dining table where my sister had left side dishes and a note.
'I'll be late today, so eat first.'
She must've come home from work, prepared the side dishes, and left again. My sister was the responsible type—she spent over half her day working but still made sure I had meals ready.
She didn't have to do this.
I picked up my chopsticks and looked at the spread. A humble meal with no meat in sight. But I knew the effort behind it—squeezing in time to go grocery shopping, watching cooking shows to learn recipes despite being terrible at it.
I knew better than anyone. I'd seen it every day.
"Thanks for the food."
I finished every last bite.
After washing the dishes, I lay on my worn-out bed and browsed job listings.
"I need something that pays well."
Just as I'd been scrolling for a while, my phone rang.
The caller ID showed Gu Se-chan.
"Hello?"
[What are you up to?]
"Getting ready for bed."
[What? Already? Cut that out and come meet me right now!]
"No can do. I have to wake up early tomorrow."
[You don't need to. You got fired, remember?]
"Exactly. That's why I need to find a new job ASAP."
[Heheh. I knew you'd say that, which is why I called. I've got a high-paying job for you.]
"I'll pass if it's illegal."
[What do you take me for? Of course it's legal! You'll love it, trust me.]
I hesitated. Se-chan was a reliable guy—the chances of him suggesting something illegal were slim.
But you never really know a person. For all I knew, he could be luring me into human trafficking. So I was about to politely decline when—
[Hurry up! I'll treat you to meat.]
Hmm. Maybe I should at least hear him out?
"Ten million won."
"Munch munch—what?"
"Hey, finish chewing first!"
"What did you just say? How much was the pay?"
"Listen carefully this time. Ten. Million. Won."
Gulp. I swallowed the half-chewed meat in my mouth and stared at Se-chan with wide eyes.
"That's gotta be illegal—cough!hack!"
"Chew properly before swallowing, idiot."
I gulped down the water he handed me, feeling the lump of meat slide down my throat.
"Whew... Okay, explain. What kind of job pays that much? You swear it's not illegal?"
Se-chan grinned at my stunned reaction and began his pitch.
"Magic exists in this world."
My jaw dropped. Not because I was impressed.
"You... still haven't outgrown your middle-school chuunibyou phase? No wonder you're always carrying around weird talismans..."
"No, no, wait! Hear me out first! Stop looking at me like that!"
At his desperate plea, I decided to humor him. He was treating me to meat, after all—the least I could do was listen, no matter how ridiculous it sounded.
"There's another side to this world. Ghosts, monsters—they're not just stories people made up. They're real."
"Mhm."
Munch munch. The meat was so good that despite having already eaten, I kept shoveling it in. This was my third bowl of rice. If this wasn't the miracle of the human body, what was?
"The job I'm offering is related to that. Hunting monsters and ghosts, then selling their byproducts to people who need them."
"Mhm, mhm. One more order of pork belly, please!"
I placed fresh meat on the empty grill, drooling as it sizzled. Too bad I couldn't take leftovers home—it would've been nice to share with my sister when she got back.
As I stared at the meat, I suddenly felt a sharp gaze. I looked up to see Se-chan pouting at me.
"Are you even listening?"
"Uh, yeah. Of course."
"Doesn't seem like it. You don't believe me, do you?"
"N-no?"
Oops. I must've offended the guy treating me. While I wondered how to smooth things over, Se-chan sighed deeply and snatched a piece of meat I'd just grilled.
Munch munch. "Why don't you believe me? You've experienced it yourself—the other side of the world."
"What are you talking about? When?"
"That Chinese bastard you cursed to death."
"What?"
I frowned and stared at Se-chan, who was now wrapping meat in lettuce, silently demanding an explanation.
"That guy died because you cursed him."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Way to ruin my appetite. The image of the foreman's mangled corpse, crushed between steel beams, flashed in my mind. I set down my chopsticks and watched Se-chan mix rice into his soybean paste stew before asking,
"Are you seriously saying that straw doll was a real curse? You didn't even know if it was fake or not back then. How can you be so sure now?"
Honestly, I'd wondered about it too. The timing was too perfect—the moment I destroyed the doll, the foreman died. But that made no logical sense.
"I didn't know back then. But now I do."
Se-chan smirked and showed me his phone screen.
[Seoul Wizard Community]
"What's this? A wizard community?"
"So you can see it."
His following explanation left me stunned. According to him, this screen was invisible to ordinary people—only those with magical talent could see it. Naturally, I didn't believe him at first.
But then he showed me proof, and I had no choice.
"What the hell...?!"
In a deserted alley next to the restaurant, Se-chan conjured a flickering blue will-o'-the-wisp in midair. Not just conjured—he made it dance freely.
"Believe me now?"
"No way... What is this...?"
"I know it's shocking. You're probably wondering why I'm telling you all this. But there's one thing you should know—I'm asking you to work with me because you have talent."
"Talent?"
"From what I've heard in the community, curse dolls aren't normally meant to kill people."
"Then why did the foreman...?"
"Because enchanted objects like that change based on the user. You turned a doll meant to torment people into something that killed someone. That's talent!"
Se-chan grabbed my shoulders, his eyes burning with excitement.
"Please! I can't wait to see what kind of magic you'll show! I'm dying to know what path a genius like you will take! Please—work with me! Become a wizard!"
I tuned out his desperate plea and thought for a moment.
The pay was ten million won.
But the job involved facing unknown forces—magic, ghosts, monsters.
It would be far more dangerous and exhausting than any construction site.
But I couldn't afford to hesitate.
"Alright. I'll do it."
I needed the money.