Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 1: I Bought an Abandoned House
"Did you perhaps receive a call from the Prosecutor's Office or the Financial Supervisory Service?"
I had walked into the local Agricultural Co-op bank in the countryside and said I wanted to withdraw 10 million won. Naturally, they suspected I was being targeted by a voice-phishing scam.
"It’s nothing like that. I used to be a banker myself."
The teller beneath me blinked in surprise and asked, "You worked at a bank? You spoke in the past tense."
"Yes, that’s right. They offered three times the severance pay for voluntary retirement, so I handed in my resignation and quit."
Due to the rise of non-face-to-face services, countless bankers were being pushed out onto the streets. It wasn't much different from the coachmen who lost their jobs when automobiles became popular during the Industrial Revolution.
‘I worked so hard just to get that job.’
To get hired by a bank, a perfect GPA across all subjects was the baseline. You had to prepare a flawless resume: overseas exchange programs, a perfect score on the TOEIC/TOEFL, and even volunteer hours. I had studied so hard—even clutching English vocabulary books while serving in the military—that I managed to land a job immediately after graduation.
‘So, was I happy? No! It was hell.’
After my probationary period ended, I was assigned to loan services. I had to deal with a diverse range of clients—small business owners, doctors, lawyers, and corporate CEOs—but there wasn't a single day where my heart was at peace.
"Business has been so bad I couldn't pay the interest. Please, just give me a one-month extension."
"The exchange rate meant I lost my house just for buying a few pieces of equipment! I'm a doctor! Do you think I can't pay this measly interest?"
"Sir, please save me. If our factory goes under, all my workers will die."
There wasn't a single person whose situation wasn't pitiful. I felt like if I had enough money, I’d pay their interest for them. But I was nothing more than a salaryman. My job was to seize the homes and shops of customers who couldn't pay their loans.
As I continued that work, tinnitus began to ring in my ears and my headaches wouldn't stop. Just then, an official notice came down regarding voluntary retirement applications, and I applied immediately. It was the only way for me to survive.
‘The problem is, the symptoms didn't disappear even after I resigned.’
I decided to move to the countryside. My parents were appalled by my decision. They said a guy who lived in Seoul his whole life wouldn't last a day in the rural areas. Since both of my parents were civil servants who had lived in Seoul, they couldn't understand me. They wanted me to receive psychiatric treatment in Seoul, where all the infrastructure was well-established.
But I wanted to leave the city. I couldn't help but think that was the only path to saving myself.
"Please give it to me in fifty-thousand-won bills. I've decided to buy the Village Foreman’s house."
"Oh my, which Foreman’s house?"
"Ugok Village, District 1. The village just before you cross over Kkaldak Ridge."
"Ah! Ahh..."
At my words, the bank employee made a very troubled expression.
"U-Ugok Village? If it's there..."
"Chief Seo!"
A middle-aged man working behind the teller scowled and gave a short shake of his head, signaling her to say nothing more.
"Are you done yet?"
"Hurry up and give the customer his money. Don't dawdle when the customer is busy."
"I'm fine," I said, waving my hand so the teller wouldn't get in trouble because of me.
"Oh my, the sun sets quickly in the mountains. It's only 3 o'clock now, but it’ll be pitch black by 5."
Soon, the man identified as the Manager got up from his desk and approached the counter.
"You came from Seoul, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Ugok Village is a great place to live. The mountains are so rugged that they say even the North Korean People's Army didn't go that way during the Korean War. Maybe that's why there's plenty of wild ginseng, and around this time, matsutake mushrooms are everywhere. I know the Village Foreman; he's a very good man."
From what I knew, the Battle of Ugok Village was fierce enough to be in textbooks. It seemed Manager Gong was the one who didn't know what he was talking about. Well, since he's from this neighborhood, I suppose he'd say everything is good.
"Yes, he seems to be. I like the house, too."
For half a year, I had been traveling around Gangwon Province looking for empty houses. Whenever I found a vacant property online, I went to see it regardless. But none of them felt right.
The abandoned house in Ugok Village was different. I felt a cozy sensation, and my head felt clear. Not far from the house site, a stream with a decent amount of clear water was flowing. Since it was some distance from the village, my privacy seemed protected.
Above all, perhaps because good energy flowed from the mountain behind the village, my headache stopped the moment I stepped into the yard. Even the tinnitus that hospital treatments couldn't cure felt significantly diminished.
Originally, that house belonged to the Village Foreman’s eldest brother. After the children all left for the city and the brother and his wife passed away, the nephew living in Seoul had entrusted the house to the Foreman, telling him to do with it as he pleased. However, the Foreman was old and had no time to maintain it, so it had been abandoned for several years.
The price was 7 million won. The land was 200 pyeong. It was a structure where a 20-pyeong house sat quietly at the end of a neat, rectangular plot of land.
‘To fix it up completely, what do you mean 10 million? It’ll probably cost over 20 million, but that’s fine.’
The money I’d spent on hospital bills alone was in the millions, and yet I hadn't been cured.
From the abandoned house to the town center, it was a 25-minute drive by car. In town, there's an Agricultural Co-op, a mart, a public health center, and a family medicine clinic. They said a market opens every five days, too.
I planned to buy the abandoned house and repair it myself. After that? Well, I didn't want to think about the distant future. I had been making plans and struggling since I graduated high school—all just to keep from falling behind others. But all I had left was a sick body and my retirement pay.
‘I won’t live like that anymore.’
I'll spend little and hold out. Until I feel like doing something again. For the time being, I didn't think that mindset would change.
"Thank you."
After receiving the 10 million won from the Agricultural Co-op teller, I bought groceries at the mart. I had camping gear in the trunk of my car. My plan was to sign the sales contract, pitch a tent in the yard of the abandoned house, and plan the repairs.
"Tsk, damn it!"
I seemed to have left my car keys at the bank. Since the car was parked right in front of the Agricultural Co-op anyway, I walked back the way I came after buying the groceries.
But then...
[BANK CHAT LOG]
Manager Gong: "Is he crazy, buying that house? Seriously, the Foreman shouldn't be like that. How can he sell a house where ghosts appear?"
Teller Seo: "But why did you tell him the house was good?"
Manager Gong: "Where else would the money from the house sale go? It'll come back to our vault. And doesn't the local economy run better when some outsider's money flows in? Hahaha."
What? Are they talking about me right now? Manager Gong, unaware that I was listening, continued to chatter.
"Half the village is empty houses, so it would be great if he just gave one away for free. But he insists on taking money for his brother's house."
"Manager, over there..."
"?"
At the teller's gesture, Manager Gong turned his head. Upon discovering me, he didn't know what to do with himself.
"Does a ghost come out of the house I'm buying?"
"Uh, that... well... there are such rumors, but there’s no such thing as ghosts in this day and age. It's nonsense."
"So, it’s true that there were rumors about a ghost appearing?"
"T-That's right."
Okay. I grabbed my car key and came out with a smirk.
"I heard it's a haunted house?"
The Foreman, who had been waiting anxiously for me to return with the money, widened his eyes at my words.
"Which bastard told such a lie? I think I know who it is. I'll go and sear their mouth with a poker!"
"So it's true that ghosts come out."
"No, it's just that a few people saw things and spread rumors. Just wait a second."
The Foreman went into the room and returned, opening a photo album.
"This is my brother, the original owner of the house. This is his wife, and all these kids are his nephews."
It was a faded family photo from when the Foreman was young. The brother and his wife, the owners of the house, looked like people with kind impressions.
"They lived in that house their whole lives, then when they got old, the eldest son took them in. They passed away at a big hospital in Seoul while being cared for by their children. Why would a ghost come out?"
"Anyway, the rumors have spread."
"So, what, you're saying you're calling it off?"
"Four million."
"What?"
I took 4 million won out of my bag and set it down in front of the Foreman.
"I’m only paying 4 million won. Originally, I was going to give you half of the 7 million—3.5 million—but I’m giving you 500,000 won more."
I liked the house and wanted to fix it up and live there. But since I knew there were rumors about ghosts, I had gained an opportunity to cut the price.
"You have to give at least 5 million. My nephews put the house in my name, but I can't keep it all for myself. I have to share it."
"Four million. If not, I'm leaving."
In this village alone, there were too many empty houses. If it weren't for me, there would likely be no one else to buy this abandoned house in the future. And I had heard that in the countryside like this, life becomes difficult if you are seen as a pushover.
"Ha, seriously... fine. Let's do that."
Realizing I might actually leave, the Foreman finally broke his stubborness.
And so, I bought the abandoned house! For a mere 4 million won.
"Eat before you go! What are you going to do going there in this dark night?"
After signing the sales contract, the Foreman insisted I stay for dinner.
"I bought everything I need to eat in town. I can just pitch a tent and sleep."
The Foreman grumbled about how young people don't listen to their elders, but he still packed some sweet potatoes for me.
"Throw these in when you start a fire; they'll cook. But are you planning to fix the house right away?"
"Yes. I’m going to spend a few days there and think about how to fix it."
"While sleeping in a tent or whatever?"
"That's right."
"The water pump is probably broken, so no water will come out. If you need water, come to my house and fetch some."
"Okay."
"What about electricity? You’ll have to call the power company and set up a pole first. It fell over during a typhoon ten years ago."
The Foreman had a lot of nagging, but he seemed like a good person. Worried because I was staying at the abandoned house for the time being, he followed me all the way to where my car was parked.
"I'll figure it out as I go. I might come by tomorrow to charge my phone."
"Right, go on then. The road will be dark, so be careful."
"Yes."
Driving the car along the valley, the houses of elderly residents were scattered here and there. The abandoned house I would be living in was at the very end of the road. It wasn't an exaggeration to say it was pressed right up against the mountain.
The house had three rooms in an L-shape, with a wooden porch connecting them. The kitchen, where meals were cooked over a wood fire, was next to the main room, and the toilet was outside. Entering through the main gate, there was an ox stable where cattle used to be raised.
The grass in the yard had grown up to my knees, but the crocks on the platform were still intact.
‘I think I’ll have to sleep outside the house today.’
Leaving the car running and the headlights on, I began to pitch my tent.
‘Should I listen to some music?’
I turned on the car audio and cranked up the volume. Luciano Pavarotti’s "Nessun Dorma"—my favorite tenor piece—echoed loudly. Since it was a remote area where no one would complain, I didn't need to worry about others.
"This is great! It feels like my chest is finally clearing up."
Once I laid down the mattress and tossed in the sleeping bag, I was ready for bed. I turned off the car and lit several lanterns to illuminate the surroundings. I had begun "boondocking" (wild camping). Since I had been camping while looking for houses, I was becoming an expert.
"Let's have a simple dinner of ramen and pork belly."
I put charcoal into the camping grill and lit it with a torch. Once the charcoal caught fire, I set the grate and boiled water for ramen. I planned to cook the ramen first and then grill the pork belly once the charcoal turned white.
Bubble, bubble. As the ramen water quickly came to a boil, I wrapped the sweet potatoes the Foreman gave me in foil and tossed them in. Immediately, I placed the pork belly on the grate.
Sizzle. Listening to the sound of the pork belly cooking, I devoured the ramen.
"Wow! This ramen tastes incredible!"
Was it because it was the first dinner after buying my own house? It tasted like pure honey.
"Now, the pork belly—! Ugh! You scared me!"
Just as I was about to wrap a piece of pork belly in kimchi and put it in my mouth...
"Young man."
An old man was limping toward me.