Translator: True DetectiveChapter 2: I Bought an Abandoned House "Sir, did you injure your leg?" Startled, I moved quickly to support the old man. He had white hair and looked at least ten years older than the Village Foreman, but his build was unusual. It seemed like he must have been quite strong in his youth... "Please, sit here." "Thank you." Supported by me, the old man sat down on the camping chair. "Did you hurt your ankle? It looks uncomfortable." "It's just neuralgia because I'm old." "Neuralgia... Ah, I have some pain relief patches. Shall I apply one for you?" "Patches?" "Just wait a moment." I ran to my car and brought back the first-aid kit from the trunk. "There are two types. One you stick on, and one you spray." "You have quite a lot of things, don't you?" "I bought them because I thought they’d be necessary for wild camping. You never know what might happen." "You're a thorough friend. Do whatever is comfortable for you." "Then I'll use the spray." I took the can of spray analgesic out of the box. Since he had hair on his legs, I thought peeling off a sticky patch later might hurt. I sat on the ground and lifted the hem of the old man's trousers. ‘Huh?’ Unexpectedly, on the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ankle of this old man whose muscles were still surprisingly taut, there was a scar that looked like he had been caught in a snare a long time ago. And he was wearing traditional rubber shoes that didn't match his military-style socks. "What is it?" "Oh? I was just wondering how you walked all the way here wearing rubber shoes." "It's a path I travel often, so I'm fine." "Ah. I see." The wound on his ankle was healed, so spraying the medicine should be fine, right? Chii-ik! I sprayed the analgesic and stood up, observing the old man carefully. ‘What the? Isn’t that a Saemaul hat?’There was a logo of the "New Village Movement"—the Saemaul—on the hat the old man was wearing. To think there are still people who wear hats like that these days. He wore a beige jumper and military trousers that looked like uniforms from the 1970s.‘Is he a ghost?’ When I heard rumors about ghosts appearing at the abandoned house, I thought they were fake stories made up by people. I was the type of person who didn't believe ghosts existed in this world. But looking at the old man's attire, I got goosebumps. He simply didn't look like a person from modern times. "Why are you staring at me so intently?" The old man lifted his head and looked at me. "Oh? I was just wondering what brought you all the way here. There's nothing but mountains behind the abandoned house." "And what are you doing here? Didn't you hear the rumors about ghosts?" "I don't believe in things like ghosts." My voice trembled without me realizing it. "Is that so?" Just then, a cool mountain breeze swirled around us. Swaaa— The branches shook in unison, making a desolate sound in the wind.Gulp. A thick lump of tension slid down my throat. "Well, even if there are... surely they wouldn't harm me? I have to live in this house starting now." "You intend to live here?" "Yes. I bought this house today." "This dilapidated abandoned house? What are you going to do with a place like this?" "I plan to fix it up and live here. Living in the city only gave me illnesses." If he is a ghost, I hope he pities me and just disappears. If he's not a ghost but a village elder, I hope he looks upon me kindly. I spoke with that desperate hope in my heart. "It’s hard to live a good life in the city. That’s why it was so difficult for me." "Tsk, tsk. So that's why you were wearing those things?" The old man glanced at my ears and clicked his tongue. "W-Wearing what?" "Never mind. They won't last long and will fall off anyway." "Excuse me?" "But isn't the meat burning?" "Ah! Yes, yes." I quickly flipped the pork belly. Then, I offered some meat to the old man. "Please, have some with me. You need to eat well for your ankle to heal quickly." "I'm fine on the meat. Could I have a cup of liquor?" ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"L-Liquor? Yes. Just a moment." I took a bottle of soju out of the icebox and poured it into a cup. I also handed him chopsticks so he could eat some snacks with it. "Khh, it’s been a long time since I had a drink. This is good." "Would you like another glass?" "Quenching my thirst is enough. If you’re going to keep living in this house, before you officially move in, prepare some meat and liquor and leave them in the kitchen for one night. You need to announce that the Site Spirit has changed." "Site Spirit?" At my words, the old man nodded and stood up. "The master who protects the house site. Right now, the Site Spirit is a serpent, but since you bought the house, the Spirit changes. To you, that is." Saying he would be going now, the old man disappeared into the darkness. "What? He's going toward the mountain?" That path only led deeper into the mountains. To go down to the village, he had to go in the opposite direction. "Whew. Let's clean up quickly and sleep." I buried the charcoal in the dirt, roughly tidied up, and went inside the tent. The next morning. I woke up to the sound of mountain birds chirping and sunlight seeping into the tent. The day had dawned bright. "Ahh. I slept well." I stretched widely as I came out of the tent; my head felt cool and clear. How long had it been since I felt this way? By the way, it seems that old man went up the mountain and never came down! I shuddered and went to the valley to wash my face. The Foreman had told me to fetch water from his house, but it seemed unnecessary. I had found a shortcut to the valley where clean, cool water flowed. "I can use water like this until I fix the pump. First, I have to set up the utility pole." From charging my phone to turning on lights and running the boiler, nothing could be done without electricity. I called the power company to explain the situation and took several photos of the abandoned house's interior. Afterward, I drove into town to inquire about a carpenter. I asked the owner of the agricultural machinery shop, and he said there was a famous carpenter who builds temples, but he was currently at Odaesan Mountain. Apparently, a famous temple there was undergoing renovation. "His daily rate is expensive, but he's meticulous. When the typhoon turned the village into a wreck, only the houses that friend built stood perfectly fine." His name was Carpenter Jang. It wasn't that his surname was Jang, but that he was called a "Master Artisan" in the carpentry field. I got his number and called him, but Carpenter Jang said the temple renovation would take another fortnight to finish. ‘Fine, I’ll wait.’ Since I’m fixing the house, I should do it properly. I bought a weed whacker, a shovel, a hoe, and a sickle from the agricultural machinery shop owner. To cut the grass in the yard and farm a vegetable garden, I would need simple farming tools. Jiiing, jiiing. Just as I finished loading the machines into my car, a call came from the power company. They had done a site survey and said they needed to erect two fallen utility poles and connect the power lines. "Please do that. When can the construction start?" "We have to contact a partner company, so it will be possible in three days." "Yes, please proceed with that." Will light finally shine on the abandoned house in three days? Once electricity comes in, I can hang LED bulbs in the yard to light it up, listen to music loudly, and eat fresh coffee from a pot with freshly toasted bread. Just imagining it made me happy. ‘Ah. I’m hungry.’ I had skipped a proper meal and just ate a few dumplings while moving around busily, so I was starving. I bought today’s food supplies and got in the car to return to the abandoned house. "Hey, young man." On the way to the house, I met the Village Foreman. He must have been returning from working in the fields; he parked his cultivator in his yard and approached me, acknowledging my presence. "Did you sleep well last night? I went up in the morning and you weren't there, so you must have left early." "Yes, I went to look for a carpenter." "You should have asked me about that. There's a man called Carpenter Jang who does very good work." "Haha, the person I was recommended is actually Carpenter Jang." "Is that so? Well, Carpenter Jang is the best in this neighborhood." By the way, what reason would the Foreman have to come looking for me so early in the morning? "But why did you come to find me this morning?" "Ah. That is, we're going to dig for pine mushrooms communally in a few days." "Pine mushrooms? Do you mean the wild ones?" "That's right. Originally, harvesting mushrooms in national forests is against the law. But they grant permission just for this specific time of year." He said it was the first Monday of next month. "To harvest pine mushrooms, you need the Village Foreman's permission, and I'm planning to include you. How ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about it, aren't you grateful?" It sounded like he was giving me a tremendously good opportunity. After all, aren't they pine mushrooms? "Ah, yes, thank you. But it's not free, is it?" "Just help out a bit." The Foreman is 72 years old this year, but he said he's the youngest in the village. So he has taken on all the hard work until now. "I won't ask for anything unreasonable. I just thought it would be nice to have at least one young friend to discuss village matters with." "Yes. Sir, don't worry. I won't be leaving anytime soon." I told him I enjoyed the sweet potatoes yesterday and gave him about 600 grams of pork belly from the groceries I bought today. "I'm supposed to hand out rice cakes when moving in, but since my house is still a wreck..." "Goodness, why are you giving me something like this?" The Foreman quickly accepted the pork belly and then grabbed a handful of wild vegetables drying in the yard to give to me. "Wash these in running water, put them in when you cook rice, and mix it with soy sauce. It'll taste like honey." "Thank you. Ah. By the way, Foreman! Yesterday, I met an old man wearing a Saemaul hat." I explained what happened last night ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠step by step. As I did, the Foreman's expression gradually stiffened. "S-Saemaul hat? Rubber shoes? Is there such a person in our village?" "Yes?" "...