It Has To Be At Least Double — 12

I had created an account on the spot, gone live, and left the recording uploaded. The whole point was to leave behind evidence of the men who had been tailing me.

'I got home, plugged the phone into the charger before the battery died completely, and fell straight asleep.'

Thump!

I blinked my astonished eyes, but the number stayed exactly where it was.

'At this point... isn't that a mega-hit?'

And yet something felt off. Even if my face had become known as a Pyeongcheong County ambassador, this wasn't the kind of video that could rack up popularity like this. Could Seo Jinwoo have found out I went live and copy-pasted the link to my stream onto his own social media?

That was when the top comment caught my eye.

A familiar word — ghost.

Don't tell me Abe got caught on camera? I zoomed into the screen and squinted hard at it. In the back seat of the BMW the loan sharks had ridden in, the blurry figure of a woman came into view.

'That's Cho Eun-sun.'

The white hair, the lean, sculpted figure, even the stylish outfit — it all matched the image of Cho Eun-sun I'd seen through Abe. It looked as though she had cast a spell to spy on me, but for some reason the footage had only caught her faintly, sparking a full-blown ghost debate instead.

The rumor that a ghost had been caught on film kept spreading, and while I was reading the comments, the view count climbed even higher.

'Cho Eun-sun, your face is all over the internet — what are you going to do about it?'

The people who knew Cho Eun-sun's face must have felt a chill down their spines watching that footage. After all, here was someone who lived in Seoul, riding in a car speeding through Pyeongcheong County. And along with her, I was becoming famous too.

There were even people who knew I had discovered the remains of soldiers killed in the Korean War. I lifted my eyes from my phone and looked at the TV, where the news was playing.

Even people who had never heard of Cho Eun-sun now had the name Boram Loan branded into their memories. And with the revelation that Boram Loan went so far as to stalk farmers just to fleece them, the whole nation was about to heap condemnation on their heads.

'This is basically a public sniping of Cho Eun-sun, isn't it?'

From her perspective, this had to be the kind of thing that made her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠foam at the mouth and rage. All this time she had been pulling the strings of Seongdo Construction and Boram Loan while keeping her own identity beneath the surface — and now her face was out there for everyone to see.

"Master."

Abe had been staring intently at the TV, then glided over and settled down beside me.

"It seems you must learn more about the writing of talismans."

'Talisman-writing?'

"Cho Eun-sun tried to tail and surveil you, and instead was caught in a backlash of her own making. She will be plotting something far more meticulous now. You must be prepared."

'I suppose so, yeah?'

Right now the fire was on her own doorstep, so she'd be busy trying to put it out first. But before long she would come looking for me — demanding I hand over the Ilbaek-gucheondo, or perhaps trying to sweet-talk me into becoming her pawn.

'Starting today, I'll learn to draw barriers and to write talismans that strike back with a curse rebound.'

"Yes, Master. I shall devote my utmost efforts to your instruction."

As it turned out, Abe had never once taken a disciple besides Cho Eun-sun. And he said he would teach me, freely and without reserve, the barrier arts he had never taught her.

'Thank you, Abe. I'll work hard and follow along.'

'The White Porcelain Grandmother was right.'

She had said that every current of energy in the universe was moving on my behalf — that I was receiving rewards because I had done things worthy of them. She'd also told me I had saved the nation in a past life, and suddenly I found myself wondering: just how great a deed had I done, that even in this life, villains trailing me couldn't derail the way things flowed in my favor?

'So this is what they mean by a charmed life?'

I took a quick shower and put on some music. As the calm classical melodies I listened to every morning spread gently through the house, I stepped out into the backyard. Chai must have opened the coop, because the chickens were clucking and strut-walking across the front yard, flapping about as though their lives would be in danger the moment the kittens woke up and they needed a head start.

"Boss! The watermelon flowers have bloomed. And the Korean melons have fruit on them. Look, look!"

Chai, who had been pulling weeds in the vegetable garden, waved at me. Sure enough, the melons had grown to the size of a baby's fist.

"Summer will be here soon."

"The rainy season comes first. Ah, so humid!"

In the damp air, my hair hung heavy and limp.

"You think so? Feels like rain's coming starting today."

If it was hot and humid and then rained on top of that, the lettuce would rot away to nothing. I picked lettuce and gathered a basketful of peppers, cucumbers, and young zucchini.

"Chai, let's eat breakfast. I'll make cold brisket bulgogi and stir-fried zucchini."

"Chai will make steamed eggs too. The hens laid seven eggs!"

"Sounds good."

After breakfast, I headed straight over to Master Carpenter Hwang, who was putting the finishing touches on the abandoned house renovations. The exterior work on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all twelve houses was complete, and the interior plaster had fully cured, so today was the day for the indoor fittings. The kitchen sinks had been designed by Ko Min-seok, who had submitted the order to the factory. I had picked out everything else myself — light fixtures, door panels, outlets, faucets, bathtubs. When I told Min-seok, he'd found the cheapest supplier, placed one combined order, and arranged for everything to ship together. Once the trucks arrived today carrying the sinks and assorted supplies, the workers were scheduled to install everything in all twelve houses.

"Hello, ma'am."

"Yunho, welcome! I was just about to get moving — they called to say the sinks were nearly here."

"Have some coffee."

Han Mija handed me a sweet cup of instant mix coffee over ice.

"Thank you, I'll enjoy it."

Apparently, Han Mija had been looking after the workers' lunches all this time, charging each of them ten thousand won a meal. Now that the construction was winding down, she seemed to miss it, and had taken to bringing coffee and simple rice balls every morning.

She smiled and said, "Then I'll get lunch ready. Come by later — I'm making zucchini knife-cut noodle soup."

"That sounds delicious. I'll definitely be there."

As I stepped out of the shipping container she was using as a temporary office, Han Mija turned her head.

"I think the sinks have arrived?"

"Already?"

Outside, three trucks in total were loaded with sinks, door panels, faucets, light fixtures, and more. And then—

"Yunho!"

Ko Min-seok climbed out of a sedan, waving cheerfully.

"Ko Min-seok?"

"Hey! Do you have any idea how many times I called you yesterday? I saw the video, freaked out, even left you texts!"

"Did you?"

I hadn't checked — my phone showed over a hundred missed calls. The reporters who had gotten my contact information through the Agricultural Technology Center director must have sprinkled my number across their networks, because every single call was from an unfamiliar number. And with them all flooding in at once, some had cut off before the ringtone even sounded. Not that I'd checked any of them.

"So you came because you were worried about me?"

"It's Friday. I took a half day."

"Oh, right, it is Friday."

When I gave a suitably vague response, Ko Min-seok clutched his forehead.

"You forgot a promise you made with me, didn't you."

"What promise?"

"I said I'd bring my family out for a visit, remember?"

"Oh come on, how could I forget some— oh. I forgot."

When Min-seok had said he'd bring his wife and kids out sometime, I'd told him to come whenever he liked. I remembered saying it perfectly. What I had completely blanked on was that today would be the day.

"Uncle!"

A miniature Ko Min-seok, the spitting image of his father, tumbled out of the car and came sprinting over.

"Woojin, when did you get this big?"

As my eyes went wide, Min-seok shot me a sidelong glance.

"He's nine — what do you mean, big? I'm worried he's not growing."

'Nine years old!'

I knew Min-seok had gotten his girlfriend pregnant while on leave from the army and become a father early, but it was staggering to realize a whole decade had passed since then.

'What was I doing all that time?'

Studying myself half to death, landing a job at a bank, sprinting my way up to assistant manager in three years, then quitting. Maybe it was precisely because I'd been through all that that I understood how precious this moment was. Happiness, in the end, springs from self-contentment — and that feeling only takes root after you've lived through enough to know what it means.

"Woojin!"

I scooped up the suddenly towering Ko Woojin and held him up in the air.

"Whoa, you're not a baby anymore — you're practically a teenager! Min-seok, you must feel pretty secure about the future."

"My back is already giving out."

"Where's the little one?"

"Still too young, so my mother's watching her."

"You should've brought your mother along too."

"She flat-out refused — said she'd be a burden on you if the whole family came."

A while back I had given Min-seok's mother that wild ginseng. I'd also mailed her Solomon's seal and lance asiabell root by courier. Apparently, after taking them, her strength had rebounded, and she walked along the Anyang stream every day now. This was a woman who, after finishing cancer treatment, hadn't had the stamina to walk far at all — and these days she strolled for an hour at a stretch. She insisted it was all thanks to me.

'If she thinks of it that way, then I'm the grateful one.'

A gift only means something when the person receiving it delights in it. Every time I heard that Min-seok's mother's eyes reddened with gratitude at the mere mention of my name, a wave of happiness washed over me too.

"Hello, Yunho."

Min-seok's wife, Yang Eun-ji, stepped out of the back seat and gave me a polite bow.

"This place is lovely. Is that your house over there?"

"Yes, that's the one."

"It's beautiful. It suits you perfectly, Yunho."

"Thank you."

Seeing the Min-seok family after so long made me genuinely happy. That said, I had work I was supposed to be doing right now — what to do?

"Min-seok, give me a second."

I called Chai. He'd come out to the fields to dig furrows ahead of the rain, and came running the moment I called.

"Boss, what is it? Do I have construction work too?"

"No construction today. Take my friend's son Woojin to the valley creek, catch some marsh snails, and play with him."

"Then Chai doesn't have to work?"

"It's Friday, apparently. You take a half day too."

Chai and Bang Jeongsoo didn't work weekends. If there was something that absolutely had to be done, they put in the hours with extra pay on top.

"Special allowance plus a dip in the creek — how does that sound?"

"Obviously great!"

Chai was even more excited than Ko Woojin. Yang Eun-ji laughed and took her son's hand.

"The two of us can go to the creek by ourselves, really."

"Then Chai can't play. Go on, hurry up!"

Chai took the bag from Yang Eun-ji's hands. Just then, a car came into view far off, winding its way up the village road.

"Th-that's—!"

It was my parents' car. Unable to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reach me by phone, they had apparently driven all the way out to see me themselves.

"Yunho, why on earth haven't you been answering your phone?"

Mother climbed out of the car and rushed straight over, running her hands over my arms and legs as if checking me for injuries. When she heard the loan sharks had been tailing me, she must not have slept a wink all night.

"Hello, Mother."

"Oh, Min-seok came too — because he was worried about our Yunho, of course."

Not exactly. This guy came out here to play with his wife and kids.

Mother stroked my shoulder. "The farther away you live, the better you should answer your phone. Is anything uncomfortable? You're not being bled dry for money, are you?"

Then Father stepped out of the car and came over. "I keep telling you, our Yunho isn't the careless type. Right, son?"

"That's right."

And so Ko Min-seok's family and my parents had landed on my doorstep at the very same moment. I'd been planning to invite them all once the abandoned house renovations were finished, but they hadn't been able to wait and came early instead. Well, nothing to be done about it.

It looked like today was going to be a group camping trip. Rain was in the forecast, too — so did that make it a rain-or-shine camp?

'The vibes are going to be immaculate.'