Loans for a New Home and a Call from the Future

Loan consultations—if you've made money, it's the law that you spend it. The cash in my account, a whopping 1.3 billion won! Enough to buy a hundred thousand bowls of 13,000-won gukbap!

"Uh…, I'd like to discuss a loan."

I said that.

…But why take out a loan when I have 1.3 billion? No choice. It looks like a huge sum, but it's a bit short for buying a house. And I wasn't planning to blow it all on a place to live anyway. So, I needed some loan to bridge the gap.

"I want to buy a house…."

"As much as possible…."

That was the conversation.

Woorim Group. A major corporation that's been investing in the Foundation since its early days. As I've mentioned before, the Foundation is the group trying to explain every monster in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this world. Just containing them costs an astronomical amount, and researching them on top of that? The expenses are insane.

That's why the Foundation is hypersensitive about money. In exchange for footing those bills, Woorim Group gets to use the monsters the Foundation contains. Like the mermaid blood we used during Moon's Fall. Or the ghost typewriter from the evil spirit incident. They extract tech from the monsters to develop new products and turn a profit. They've even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bought a few Rank 0-2 monsters directly from the Foundation.

Anyway, it's a mega-corp deeply tied to the Foundation. So, they probably already know all about our Ririri Detective Agency.

"Sure, I'll do that. Oh, by the way. There's someone else besides me who wants a loan…."

I glanced back. There was Nao, who'd dropped by the office again today for a visit.

We're planning to move to a bigger house. It was already cramped for three people, so yeah, I figured we'd go somewhere larger. But I never imagined the headcount would balloon even more.

Four now, including Nao.

…What the hell. Why aren't we getting independent—in fact, why are we growing?!

I just couldn't wrap my head around it. Ari's even making a little income from mukbangs now, so it wouldn't be weird if she wanted to strike out on her own.

I asked her once, and she was like, "Nah, independence is a hassle."

Yeah, figured as much. Seems she's getting into mukbangs for fun, but it might take a while before that leads to moving out.

Still, Ari's growing on a gentle curve, so someday she'll probably thrive without me. That's what I'm banking on. She has to. Otherwise, I'm dead.

Anyway, far from Ari and Lisa leaving the nest, somehow Nao—who's always been pretty independent—is moving in. I don't get it.

Jeonse living is tough, sure….

That weird pressure of living in someone else's house. Worrying you'll have to cover damages if something breaks, being extra careful with everything because it's temporary, wondering if the landlord will blame you for that old stain.

So yeah, it makes sense that Nao would rather ditch jeonse and live with me. Plus, she really stepped up during the eight-foot ghost mess, so keeping her close is efficient long-term.

My head gets it, but my heart doesn't. That's the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠situation.

"But anyway, isn't it backwards to consult on a loan before even house-hunting?"

On the way to the bank, Nao was walking beside me. For the record, Lisa and Ari weren't with us. They didn't seem interested in money talk. No point dragging them along if they'd just get bored.

With Nao here, she'd protect me if we ran into any monsters anyway.

"House aside, we're buying Muksi Saengmyeongche…. Then use what's left for the move."

"Right, yeah. But what monster are you even planning to buy?"

"Got a few in mind…."

The goblin that randomly challenges humans to gambles. The cursed piano that can drive listeners to suicide. The clone spirit-summoning chant. And others like the memory-drinking bug, joyful shadow swap, Mary-san, etc.

Some could put us in Tae-man-level danger, but if used right, they're solid picks.

Of course, I probably can't snag them all. But with 1.3 billion plus a loan? A few should be doable.

Thinking that, I arrived at the bank.

"Huh…."

I stopped dead without thinking. Nao looked at me curiously.

"What's up, unnie?"

"No, it's just…."

I pointed subtly to a corner of the bank.

A chair at the far end. A man sat there, and a bank employee was hovering awkwardly, trying to engage him.

"Vice President…. Coffee, maybe?"

"I'm good. Relax, everyone. That's not why I'm here."

"R-right…. Is there anything else you need?"

"Nope. Get back to work."

I could faintly overhear.

Glasses, suit. The kind of guy who'd been called a nerd in school, now matured into this vibe. Looked young for his 40s, seasoned for his 30s. He exuded a subtle charisma, checking his watch from his seat.

I knew this guy. A solid NPC in the monster game.

The monster game splits into Foundation story, Special Forces story, cult story, and deep web story. The Foundation arc centers on this tense power struggle with Woorim Group, and Woo Jin-ho is one of the core NPCs there.

But he's deep-tied to Woorim—you only encounter him if you're heavily involved with them. As befits an executive VP, he's way up high, so casual playthroughs never cross paths with him.

Guess it's a coincidence.

Of all the things….

With that thought, I moved to grab a number ticket.

Or tried to.

"Ririri Detective Agency Director Mayuri."

I froze at my name.

Suddenly, Woo Jin-ho was beside me.

"2:11 p.m. Right on time."

He checked his watch again and lowered his arm.

"Uh, excuse me…. Were you calling me…?"

"Here for a loan consultation, right? For buying a house, and purchasing Muksi Saengmyeongche from our company. And Shin Na-o next to you is a vampire planning to cohabitate."

"……."

I instinctively stepped back.

He knows everything about us. No…, not quite. He knows, but his phrasing sounds like he's reading from a textbook.

Less like he dug it up himself, more like someone briefed him. His businesslike gaze swept over me, then he nodded toward somewhere with his chin.

"I have a request, Director Mayuri. Let's talk somewhere quiet."

He walked off first.

Nao looked worried beside me.

"Unnie…. This okay…?"

"…Dunno. Let's follow for now."

No clue what's going on, total chaos. But bolting now would definitely be a bad move.

I need to gauge how much Woorim knows about me. At least it didn't feel hostile. A request means they're asking for something, right?

With that, I trailed after Woo Jin-ho.

Bank second floor. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠We arrived at what looked like a consultation room.

"Looking for a house near your current office, but bigger, correct?"

The door opened, and that voice hit us immediately.

"We have a nice listing. An apartment from our Woorim Construction— you'll like it if you see it."

"E-excuse me…. Forget that, what is this? How do you know about me…?"

"How much fiction do you consume?"

I asked, but he countered with a question. I nodded anyway.

"Quite a bit."

"I saw this show once. The detective had a radio that occasionally picked up transmissions from the future. Stuff like 'Murder on XX date,' 'Theft on XX date'—tips from his future self."

"……."

"He solves case after case, rising through the ranks, until he gets a final message: 'Caught chasing a killer in Daegu.' He heads to Daegu, chases the killer, and meets the same fate."

"Hey, what are you even talking about?"

Nao finally interjected, unable to hold back. Woo Jin-ho shrugged.

"Just saying I have something similar. A phone, in my case, not a radio."

That's when it clicked. What Woo Jin-ho had.

"Got a call from a year in the future. Summarized, it went like this:

- Ririri Detective Agency Director Mayuri will visit.

- All attendees at next month's product demo will vanish.

- CCTV showed only black screens—nothing identifiable.

- For resolution, commission Ririri Detective Agency.

That's the gist."

He said that.

"I'll commission you. Compensation: whatever Muksi Saengmyeongche you want."