Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Interview Echoes
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The sky was shrouded in pitch-black darkness.
It wasn't because of some incident—it was simply because it was late.
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Darkness without even a sliver of faint moonlight was usually considered an object of fear, the home ground for tales of terror, but Tae-jun decided to trust in his physical abilities, which had recovered to some extent now that he'd started exercising again recently.
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Tae-jun walked along the road, trying his best to ignore the bloated feeling from his long-overdue binge eating.
Aram had insisted he stay the night, but Tae-jun had things to do, and besides, he wasn't so oblivious as to crash at a house where a woman lived alone (though she did have her two nephews with her).
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"Still, the kids looked happy."
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Of course, Tae-jun's visit to Areum's house had been partly to warn her, but the biggest reason was to check on the children's condition.
Simply confirming that they were happily grilling and eating meat—that was pretty much all Tae-jun had wanted.
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"Tale Merchant..."
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Tae-jun was searching for the merchant because it was an order from his new workplace, but his feelings toward the Tale Merchant were profoundly complex.
He didn't know much about tales of terror since he'd only encountered the department store and the Tale Shop so far, but at the very least, it was a well-known fact that they harbored incomprehensible malice toward humans.
The department store hadn't even had a physical form, but hadn't it been intent on trapping people forever?
In other words, the Tale Merchant's actions couldn't be explained by conventional logic.
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The Tale Management Bureau clung to their tradition of absolute extermination due to their position, but Tae-jun, at an age still called MZ, couldn't help wondering if there might be another way.
Whenever he pondered it, the conclusion always led to extermination anyway.
And even if not, once rumors like this spread, no other options existed or could be chosen.
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"Do-hyun, I'm back."
"Ah, Tae-jun. You're here. Did you learn anything new?"
"No... Sorry. I didn't find anything special."
"It's embarrassing to say this, but Do-hyun and the squad leader aren't much different. Honestly, it's more strange that anything's left at all."
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It was all to find even the slightest clue left by the Tale Shop.
Born out of worry that the tale might have mutated somehow.
It was basically detective work that didn't suit their New Tale Investigation Squad name at all, but Se-jin and Do-hyun had no complaints since it was their assigned tale and Se-jin bore some responsibility for the current state. As for Tae-jun, he quietly followed along with his own wish to meet the merchant again someday.
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"Well, we'll head straight there tomorrow when the shop opens."
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Do-hyun's hand fluttered with a "Spatial Rift" as he spoke.
It was just a dingy piece of paper that didn't match its grandiose name, but its potential surpassed most tales of terror, making it priceless beyond any number.
That also made it consumable, requiring superhuman effort from the Bureau to produce even one.
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"The headquarters chief must be pretty desperate."
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Se-jin flung himself onto the hotel chair.
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"Well, it's gotten pretty tangled up, hasn't it."
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Tae-jun could only stay quiet at that.
Being the newbie, he didn't know the secretive connection between the Tale Shop and the Bureau.
He could only vaguely infer that they were hiding something critical to them.
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"Do-hyun, how many Spatial Rifts do we have left?"
"Four, excluding the one used today."
"Four should be enough. Though he said he'd give more if we needed them."
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Se-jin's expression wasn't great either as he said it.
That nameless unease he'd felt since the headquarters chief called for the shop's elimination was still wriggling in his chest.
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"Let's aim to wipe it out as fast as possible."
"Yeah. Then we'll go first thing tomorrow."
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Se-jin headed to the adjacent room assigned to him.
The room, which had at least felt lively with his presence, now vibrated faintly with silence alone.
That vibration continued until dawn broke.
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And it amplified when sunlight poured through the thick blackout curtains.
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Bang bang—!
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"Hey!"
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Se-jin's voice cut short cycles.
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"Article! Another article's out!"
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The article went like this.
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A staff reporter had actually interviewed the merchant. (Won't reveal the name for confidentiality.)
The Tale Shop is real, but no photos or recordings per the merchant's request. (Judge truth from lies yourself.)
The pills claimed to be developed by the Bureau's chief researcher are also sold at the shop. (The Bureau's hiding something.)
The merchant had a violent personality, unlike the first article. (Don't try it yourself.)
And so on.
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It continued proving all the previously known details.
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"This seems like... just cobbling together what was already public. Some parts are even wrong."
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It was intriguing, but that didn't make it seem like a genuine firsthand account.
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"And the odds of a reporter stumbling into the Tale Shop by chance are ridiculous anyway."
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So Tae-jun's question about waking them up so early for this was justified.
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"You're right, Tae-jun. Though it might be different if every reporter was hunting for that one shop."
"No, read this part closely."
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The paragraph Se-jin pointed to read:
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The interior of the Tale Shop bore traces of the passage of time.
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"That's not in the first article. And it's way too detailed."
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Now that Se-jin mentioned it, it really was.
The first article had been written by someone else based on Heo Min-jae's account, who seemed a bit dim, so descriptions were lacking.
But this new one brimmed with vividness everywhere, like it came from actual experience.
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Once they realized that, none of them could close their mouths.
They couldn't dare imagine a reporter had visited the Tale Shop in this short time.
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"So what are the wrong parts?"
"Guess we'll have to find out from here."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ What a bizarre feeling.
Tales of terror spreading nationwide, even interviews—it's like I'm some celebrity or something.
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Have I lived too virtuously?
Or maybe to the people here, fingers and such are just casually expendable.
The Fine Dying Restaurant demanded eyeballs or arms, after all.
Of course, my shop has sold a heart or two, but only the buyer knows that.
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"Hm..."
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Let's weigh the pros and cons of being seen as a harmless tale.
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First, the advantage: obviously reduced aversion.
No point scaring customers just because I'm a merchant.
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But long-term, the downsides outweigh it.
It's a shift in perception, which will lead to changes in the story.
Won't that diminish my combat power?
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I've never felt story changes myself, but it doesn't sound pleasant.
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I wish the Bureau would manage to keep articles like this from spreading.
Though at the point I did that interview yesterday, am I an accomplice now?
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But I had no choice but to do it.
Because of that very downside I just mentioned.
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Once articles about me were already out, I couldn't stop the story's change.
So wouldn't it be better to guide the change myself?
That's why I mixed in some fabrications during the interview.
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Speaking of which, the month's almost over already.
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"Oh, right."
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Just a week left till the end of the month.
I thought I'd been super busy this month too, but I didn't get that many customers.
Probably because of all that deep pondering about Horrifica and my identity.
If I hustle hard the remaining week, I can probably make a decent amount.
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"Let's see, so what do I need to prepare."
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I need to visit the Label Library once.
And deal with the factory transaction, which is the problem.
A subcontractor cut off by a big corporation has no capital, right?
In other words, even if the Factory Owner brings tons of good goods, they can't buy them.
Not that they sell enough to need that many in the first place.
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"Still, the Factory Owner seemed nice, so maybe he'll understand."
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If not, I'll just have to break the contract.
New trading partners can be found easily enough.
Truth is, Infinite Pig's Flesh isn't selling well anyway—aside from recent arrivals like Eyeball Candy and the non-melting ice cream—so it's a headache to offload.
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"Eh, I'll think about that later."
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So what now?
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"Well, time's awkward for anything because of the interview. Napping feels off too."
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If you've got nothing to do, clean.
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"Yeah, might as well."
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A very sound choice.
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The cleaning went very quickly.
The shop wasn't that big, and it wasn't messy to begin with.
In other words, smooth sailing.
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"Uh... what's this?"
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Until the strange core was found under the bed.