Midnight Clients: Ghosts, Gluttons, and Guardians
It was the next night, beneath a water-hued sky. A kaeyi had come calling at the forge. He was a young man in ragged plainclothes, his topknot neatly tied. His face was pale, but his cheeks flushed pink, and a vacant smile played on his lips.
A Mongdal Ghost, huh. The spirit of an unmarried bachelor, dead before he could wed. Rumors painted them as vicious haunts who kidnapped or tormented virgin ghosts to slake their deep resentment—but this one looked like he was missing a few screws.
He shuffled timidly into the forge. "Boss, you busy?"
"Nah, all good."
"Well then, I got a favor to ask."
The Mongdal Ghost pulled a crumpled wad of cash from his bosom. A few old coins and some wrinkled bills—his life's savings, scraped together over long years.
"Make me a pair of ssanggarakji rings. Real pretty and delicate-like."
"What for?"
"Feels like I'll meet my match soon. A fairy lady came to me in a dream, said my one's waiting out there yonder. Gonna give 'em as a token when we meet."
The Mongdal Ghost grinned, lost in happy fantasy. But there was no match waiting. It was just delusion, born to soothe his lingering grudge.
Still, no reason to turn down a kaeyi's commission.
"What material you want?"
"Gold'd be nice, but I ain't got enough... Silver? Nah, make it copper. But fancy it up with patterns—flowers'd be good."
Seojun fetched a copper ingot and got to work. He cut it down, heated the pieces red-hot, and hammered them flat. Thud, thwack—too hard and it'd just pancake; he modulated his strikes to shape it into a rod. Then he wrapped it around a round mandrel, hammering away. In a flash, the copper took the form of ssanggarakji rings.
But he didn't remove them from the mandrel yet. He quenched the rings to fix them to the workbench, then used engraving tools to etch floral motifs into the surface.
"Ooh... Exquisite. So refined."
The Mongdal Ghost took the finished rings, overcome with emotion. He held them up to the moon floating outside, marveling over and over.
"She'll love these, right? When should we have the wedding? Three kids, maybe..."
Watching him, Seojun shelved any thought of persuasion. He seemed simple, but there was a sly undercurrent too. No point sweet-talking; he was unreliable anyway.
"I'll come back with my match next time!"
The Mongdal Ghost dumped his cash on the workbench and sauntered out whistling.
The very next night. The forge's air grew heavy, oppressive. A suffocating pressure rolled in from the entrance—like the ferocity of a wild beast.
"Kuhaha!"
A massive kaeyi burst in. His face was perfectly human, but curved horns sprouted from his head, his teeth were a predator's fangs, his upper body hale and hearty while his lower half was bovine, cloven-hoofed. Above all, the stench rolling off him was eye-watering.
"Heard a master smith showed up in Dongyi lands."
"Who might you be..."
"You don't know me?"
"My knowledge is still shallow..."
"Then listen up. I am Do-cheol, the Taotie."
One of the Four Evils. A rapacious demon who craved wealth and gluttonized food. Rules meant nothing to him; he was utterly unrestrained.
"You really don't know?"
"No, I do now. But what brings you all the way here?"
Do-cheol's voice boomed like thunder. Seojun stood his ground and asked why.
"Insolent whelp."
Do-cheol unleashed his aura deliberately—a formless pressure crashing like waves. Seojun braced, unmoving.
"Oh ho. Got some guts."
Do-cheol swung his hand, scattering the energy. Seojun staggered but didn't fall.
"You're worthy to craft for me."
"I'd make for any guest who visits my forge."
"That don't matter. My rice bowl broke—make me a new one. Tough and big."
Do-cheol tossed over shards of a shattered iron pot. Less a bowl, more a massive cauldron. Plain cast iron, as he'd called it his "rice bowl."
"......"
Without a word, Seojun pulled forgeable stainless steel from storage. He packed the furnace with coke for max heat, propping the air vents wide so flames spread even. Soon he heated the steel and pounded it on the anvil.
Claaang—!
For something this size, casting would've been faster—but forging ramped durability to the extreme. Especially hammering full-force with the Ugeum Hammer.
Claaang—!
The steel kneaded like dough, shaping swiftly. He spread it thin and wide, like forging a giant helmet.
"Too damn slow. I'm starving—how long you gonna make me wait?"
Do-cheol's impatience boiled over. But Seojun ignored him, focusing on the finish. It took on a familiar shape, suited to a rice bowl—like the cheap ones served at diners for a grand.
Finally, he reheated and tempered it.
"Hmph, serviceable enough."
Do-cheol hefted the massive bowl one-handed. Then he fished out a few coins and chucked them on the floor—rusted, dented old coppers. Not even covering materials, let alone labor.
"Be honored you made it for me."
Do-cheol left without a backward glance. Tools scattered everywhere, pocket change all that remained.
Bad luck sticking to me like glue.
Kaeyi strong enough to ignore the rules were a pain to handle. One wrong move, and it was life on the line—days felt precarious.
Can't lean on others forever...
Seojun sighed, tidying the forge. He needed reliable countermeasures beyond the rules. Boosting kaeyi power was straightforward but too risky.
*****
Same dawn, as he cleaned Do-cheol's mess. Rustling came from outside the shutter.
This time, no menace—just curious, childlike presence.
Seojun peeked under the shutter. A bizarre creature crouched at the door: elephant trunk, water buffalo eyes, ox tail, tiger claws. A mishmash of beasts.
Bulgasari? The iron-eater. True to its "unkillable" name, it had tenacious vitality.
It sniffed the air, nostrils flaring toward the workbench—and the Yin Iron chunk there.
I... that... tasty... like.
The Bulgasari sent halting thoughts, like a hungry pup begging treats.
Seojun cautiously picked up the Yin Iron. The Bulgasari's eyes tracked it.
It wants the Yin Iron?
Seojun glanced between the metal and the creature. Yin Iron was special, but tricky to work. He'd left it out pondering uses.
"What'll you give if I hand this over?"
Nothing... I... poor.
Bulgasari drooled but answered honestly. Still, no way to just hand precious material to a stranger kaeyi.
If I play this right...
Seojun pondered, then an idea sparked. The Bulgasari could prove useful.
"You want this?"
Yes... tasty... eat.
"Then let's make a deal."
Deal?
"Guard me and the forge. Do that, and you get the Yin Iron."
Bulgasari twisted its trunk, pondering. Torn between the tasty scent and the hassle.
Tasty... good... not enough.
Yin Iron alone wasn't enough. Seemed dim but had firm standards.
"I'll throw in other tasty metals while you guard."
Other... tasty... good?
"Like..."
He fetched reinforced jagged Yin alloy from storage. Stock was low, but enough for a taste.
"This kinda thing."
Complex... intriguing.
Bulgasari sampled it and pondered. Picky palate, but worth keeping.
"Got more varieties."
Good... deal... accept.
"This is an advance."
Seojun tossed the Yin Iron chunk. It was halved, so one piece left.
Should hold Bulgasari awhile.
Tasty... good... guard.
Bulgasari snapped it up, crunching the metal lump like jerky. Tough Yin Iron crumbled like a cookie. It licked up every crumb, then settled contentedly.
"Huh?"
It took position by the entrance, striking a comfy pose—then turned to stone, like a statue carved from rock. Even a normal person might miss it was kaeyi.
"Nice..."
Seojun nodded, pleased. Less hands or feet, more guard dog—but solid gain. At least now he had a counter for rampaging kaeyi like Do-cheol.
Days later. The forge's nights stayed bustling. Kaeyi customers kept coming.
Bulgasari even drove off a grumpy one.
"Boss in?"
Then a new kaeyi customer arrived. Headscarf and baggy pants, body thick with fur, sturdy build.
"Just a passing dokkaebi."
Gravelly voice, but warm. Seojun paused work to greet him.
"A... dokkaebi?"
"Ah, you've seen other dokkaebi then. Like humans got races, dokkaebi come in kinds too. Some ghosts got called dokkaebi and became 'em; some objects got spirits and turned dokkaebi."
The kaeyi explained amiably. But no self-intro, so Seojun asked.
"And you are...?"
"I'm a Mountain Dokkaebi."
The Mountain Dokkaebi introduced himself with a ssireum wrestling stance—the classic image of Korean goblins.