Ghost Mansion #2
That auntie was seriously weird. The sensation of that pale, sticky hand touching my face still lingered vividly. I hoped it wouldn't cause any skin trouble. My smooth, flawless skin was one of the few things I could actually brag about.
“Yeong-won. Over here. Sit here. Next to me!”
When I came down to the first-floor dining room, everyone was already seated around an absurdly long table. Yu Dahee pulled out the chair beside her and waved me over, looking every bit like a noble lady at a ball. In a way, that wasn't far from the truth.
Antique candlesticks, plates, forks, and knives were arranged on the table. Classical music drifted lazily from somewhere. A chandelier glowed overhead, and the whole atmosphere reeked of luxury. To a high school student like me, it felt as awkward as wearing my dad's borrowed suit—completely out of place.
Maybe that was why it didn't feel real at all. The idea that this kind of meal, which might happen only once in a lifetime for someone like me, was just another ordinary day for others struck me as funny.
I decided to sip the water in the bowl first. Slurp.
It tasted good. Evian, maybe?
Yu Dahee suddenly burst out laughing. “Yeong-won. That's the finger bowl.”
“I know. Still tastes good, though. Right, Ju-hui?”
When I shamelessly played along, Yang Ju-hui, who had also been drinking from her bowl, frowned. She set it down and looked around before asking, “So when is your grandfather coming? We've already been waiting about ten minutes.”
There was a saying that the protagonist always arrives late. In that sense, Yu Dahee's grandfather, Cheon Daegon, was the ultimate protagonist. And just like the saying about speaking of the tiger and it appearing, the heavy dining room doors creaked open and a man stepped inside.
It was an old man leaning on a cane. His frame was somewhat gaunt, and his hair was completely white, untouched by dye. His eyes were sunken, giving his entire face a shadowed look. I recognized that face.
The self-portrait! So he was the one painted in the hallway earlier.
“Take your seats.”
His voice was neither low nor high. Just ordinary. That surprised me. It was strange that even an incredibly wealthy man could have such a plain voice.
We all slid into our chairs. The old man slowly scanned us with his dim eyes before a faint smile touched his lips. He looked like a kind grandfather.
“So you're my granddaughter Dahee's friends. Welcome. I'm Cheon Daegon, the master of this mansion. Just an insignificant old man. Thank you for accepting my invitation today. Let's begin the meal.”
Cheon Daegon took the seat at the head of the table—the one that protruded farthest. When he rang the bell set before him, the doors opened and young women emerged from somewhere, placing dishes in front of us. I was startled. Every woman in a black dress was young and beautiful. And among them was Hong Miri.
“Teacher. What are you doing here?”
“Work.”
Right. Wasn't it against the rules for a teacher to have a second job? Then again, maybe it wasn't a big deal for a private school teacher to work at the chairman's house. Hong Miri's real problem wasn't some side gig anyway!
Anyway, the dishes spread before us were incredibly varied—Korean, Western, Chinese, Japanese, and things I'd never even heard of. I had no idea how to eat half of them, but they all smelled delicious. For growing high school students, that kind of temptation was impossible to resist.
Cheon Daegon raised his hand, signaling the start of the meal, and we hesitantly began eating. I went straight for the meat on the round plate. I didn't know what kind it was, but it was incredibly tender and good. The spicy sauce paired perfectly with it. Was this lamb?
“Is there any more of this?” I asked.
The creepy auntie—Mrs. Danvers (tentative name)—who had been waiting nearby approached us and spoke in a chilling voice. “There's more. Fresh enough that you could say it was caught just moments ago. Very, very fresh. Aren't you curious what kind of meat it is? Hmm?”
Damn. My appetite vanished instantly. I should stop eating. Just as I thought that, something like a strand of hair got caught between my teeth.
“……”
I pulled it out and looked. It was a very white, long strand of fur. Definitely not human.
“Is there a problem?” the auntie asked. But the housekeeper's gaze, behind her glasses, stayed fixed on Yu Dahee. I remembered what happened earlier. She'd called Yu Dahee a stray cat. The hostility had been obvious.
Even this seemingly perfect rich household had its share of problems. With that thought, the meal ended and desserts began appearing on the table.
“The mayor's son, Jeong Seok. It's been a while since I've seen you like this. You were about five years old back then, I think. Time really flies. Children grow up so fast.”
“Hello. I'm glad you look well.”
Jeong Seok, who knew the chairman, started the conversation first. He might be a coward, but as the mayor's son, he was still a gold-spoon friend in his own right.
“Your grandfather and I were close friends. It's a shame he passed first because he didn't take care of his health. How's your father? I heard the election preparations are going well?”
“I don't know much about the election. My father doesn't really talk about those things.”
“I see. That's understandable. Well—just make sure he doesn't cause any major problems and this election should be fine. I'll put in a good word for him.”
It sounded like he could control the election himself, and it didn't feel like empty boasting. So this was how the powerful talked.
The chairman drew in a slow breath and closed his mouth. About ten seconds passed. Was it some age-related illness? I tensed slightly, and then he slowly opened his lips again.
“You look alike. So alike. Blood really doesn't lie.”
What was he trying to say? While all of us ordinary high school students sat nervously, he continued.
“Yang Ju-hui, was it? You look exactly like your grandmother when she was young. Junko… no, Sun-ja helped me out in many ways when I was studying in Japan. She was a very capable friend.”
So Yang Ju-hui's grandmother was the foreign shaman this man had brought over from Japan. Did that mean there was something special between the chairman and her grandmother?
“Your grandmother was very popular when she was young. People passing by would stare and ask her out for tea. Judging by that, you must be quite popular too, Ju-hui?”
“Not really.”
Yang Ju-hui answered awkwardly, fidgeting. She looked like a cat that had been dragged into someone else's house. So even someone as fierce as her could be tamed by an enormous amount of wealth.
Now the chairman's eyes turned to Bong Jiyeon.
“And who are you?”
“I-I'm Bong Jiyeon. I've only been friends with Dahee for a short while… I used to do track and field. I don't know if you remember, but… you even hung a medal around my neck once…”
“Ah. Two years ago. The girl who ran.”
“Yes! That's right!”
When Bong Jiyeon looked overjoyed, the chairman hummed thoughtfully.
“You ran very well. I thought I might see you at the Olympics someday, but it seems you quit track.”
“My leg got injured…”
“Ah. That's a real shame.”
The old man spoke as if he genuinely regretted it. Up until now, he had seemed like a grandfather simply curious about his granddaughter's friends. But I had clearly noticed that even when a smile touched his lips, his eyes never once smiled.
A sinister grandfather. Maybe he was harboring some dark intentions while looking at high school girls. If I were a rich old man, I probably would have too. Anyone would.
“So, who are you?”
Now the grandfather was looking at me. I answered simply.
“I'm Ha Yeong-won.”
“Ha Yeong-won. Lots of circles in your name. Dahee told me she stayed at your house and owes you a lot. If there's anything you want, say it. I'll grant it if it's within my reach.”
Was he offering compensation for Dahee staying at our place? Promising to grant requests within his reach. I couldn't gauge the scale.
“Um, how far does your reach go exactly?”
“Tsk. Ha Yeong-won. What kind of way is that to speak to the chairman?”
The one who answered my question was Hong Miri, who had been listening from behind. Of course, the chairman waved her off.
“It's fine. Children are supposed to be curious. That's the educational goal and philosophy of our Yeongji Foundation. Let's foster curiosity. Curiosity is important. Even if it sometimes kills the cat.”
At that moment, the chairman glanced at his phone. He stood up.
“I'm sorry. Something urgent came up. I'll have to leave first.”
Vroom.
The car carrying the chairman drove away from the mansion. The meal ended just like that. Thinking back, it had been much easier than I'd feared.
“Hey, do you guys want to stay over tonight? There are plenty of empty rooms.”
It was around nine in the evening. Late, if it was late. Yu Dahee suggested we spend the night at the mansion.
“Sounds great!” Bong Jiyeon agreed immediately.
Yang Ju-hui narrowed her eyes as if to say, “Another overnight stay?” Jeong Seok leaned in and whispered so only I could hear.
“We didn't learn much from the conversation earlier, but if we stay here tonight, we might find out more. I think staying over is fine.”
“Yeah.”
Going home alone would just mean sleeping with cockroaches anyway. Staying at Dahee's place, which was basically a hotel, was the better deal. With that thought, we all decided to stay.
The mansion was so huge that there were plenty of rooms. Jeong Seok and I shared one, while Yu Dahee, Bong Jiyeon, and Yang Ju-hui took another. It was still too early to sleep, so we decided to play the “Life Game” Yu Dahee brought out.
“An auntie gave it to me as a gift a while ago. I really like this game. Let's all play together!”
Yu Dahee seemed excited at the thought of playing Life Game with friends. For the granddaughter of such a wealthy family, she was surprisingly down-to-earth.
“You sure? I'm really good at Life Game.”
Me, Ha Yeong-won. I was good at any game involving dice. I'd played a lot with my mom since I was little.
But in the end, Yang Ju-hui won.
“I became a lawyer. Huge win. Made a ton of money.”
Yang Ju-hui picked a high-income job and steadily landed on every money-related space. Bought a house, got married, had kids—her path was completely smooth.
“Boring.”
After coming in last place several rounds in a row, I flopped down on the soft floor. It was already ten o'clock. Just as I thought we should start getting ready for bed, Yu Dahee kept glancing around.
“What's wrong?”
“Baekseol hasn't been around since earlier. Baekseol. Meow. Meow.”
Yu Dahee looked around, making cat sounds. She was probably trying to call her white cat, Baekseol. But just like she said, Baekseol was nowhere to be seen. Where had it gone?
Jeong Seok spoke up. “It's a cat. Maybe it's hiding somewhere? The house is big, so there are plenty of places.”
“No. Baekseol doesn't usually leave my room. Especially after the new auntie arrived, it barely goes outside my room…”
The disappearance of the white cat Baekseol. Just as I wondered what had happened, Bong Jiyeon got fired up.
“Dahee! I'll help you find it! It's still pretty early anyway!”
All day long, Bong Jiyeon had been acting desperate to get closer to Yu Dahee. And the problem was that Jeong Seok was playing along with her.
“Yeah. If we all look together, we'll find it quickly.”
So now we were searching for a cat in the mansion. But… if I thought about it coldly, exploring the mansion was a pretty good opportunity for me. Using the excuse of looking for the cat, I could wander around everywhere.
Whoosh.
With that thought, we all split up. I decided to search the first floor, but unfortunately, that terrifying auntie was there.
“You. What are you doing? You're not allowed on the first floor after eleven. Go upstairs right now.”
Did every area have a curfew? I spoke to the ghost-like, creepy auntie.
“Um, I'm looking for a cat. A white cat. Baekseol.”
“That cat?”
She let out a creepy laugh. Kuhuhuhuhu. Then she said, “If it's that cat, you ate it for dinner earlier. It was delicious.”
“……!”
Ugh—! I felt like I was about to throw up. My whole body itched! So the meat I ate at dinner was cat meat! Shit! This really was a damn mansion! That white fur that came out of the meat earlier was cat fur!
“It was a lie.”
“……”
What the hell was wrong with this auntie? I got angry.
“Why would you lie like that?”
She looked at me and said, “Scaring kids like you cowards is the most fun thing in the world for me.”
She was completely twisted. Did working in a huge mansion turn people like this?
“The cat disappeared, huh… I'll look on the first floor, so you all go upstairs. And even if you hear any sounds from the first floor after eleven, don't come down before five in the morning.”
“Why?”
“Don't come down. No matter what. Tell your friends too.”