Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Back to the Pawnshop
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A place I ended up returning to much faster than expected.
[Seongsu Station Exit 1.]
I never dreamed I'd be back here just one day later.
Who could've guessed I'd burn through every single item I bought fresh from the Ghost Story Pawnshop yesterday—all on the same day?
Shh.
I checked the time on my smartphone again.
AM 07:35
I'd arrived right on time, without being late.
With 44 minutes still to go, I decided to kill some time nearby.
The Pawnshop would open soon anyway.
In the meantime,
I took a quick look at my bank balance.
[Balance: 40,000,000]
Even seeing that number in my account still sent shivers down my spine.
Naturally, this didn't include the 5,300,000 won I still owed the Pawnshop owner on credit.
It was a lot.
More than enough.
With this much, I could buy what I wanted and still have plenty left over.
Things were off to a good start today.
Bzzz—
My smartphone vibrated in my right hand.
That vibration meant one thing.
It was time to enter the Ghost Story Pawnshop. Like last time, I slowly climbed the stone steps at Seongsu Station Exit 1.
Step.
As I climbed, my phone hit exactly 7:44.
"Forty-four."
Silence exhaled.
A thick darkness enveloped everything, and all light vanished.
I'd made it in safely, thank goodness.
Now I just had to follow the braille blocks guiding the way to the Pawnshop.
"......Huh?"
"......"
?
A voice, like it came from right next to me.
It was thin and unmistakably feminine.
'No way...'
Whether the voice was female or male didn't matter.
The real issue was that someone else—besides me, Park Yeon-jeong—was here.
Creak—
My head turned stiffly, like a broken machine, toward the sound.
When I slowly checked the source,
There she was.
Black hair hanging limp.
A face pale as death.
Gleaming red eyes that evoked blood.
I'd heard of beings like this before.
"...V-Virgin Ghost!"
I shouted before I knew it.
And the ghost's reaction to my scream?
"W-What do you mean calling a perfectly normal person a ghost right off the bat! And v-v-virgin... that's so rude!!"
The ghost was talking back!
Help!
Startled by the sudden ghost, I braced myself to run for dear life.
"M-More importantly, how did a civilian get in here...? G-Go back! Civilians aren't allowed here! It's dangerous!"
"......Pardon?"
A ghost with a surprisingly authoritative warning—and telling me I shouldn't be here.
Our Virgin Ghost was spouting lines straight out of a GRA agent's playbook.
'Could she be...'
With a hunch, I asked the ghostly woman,
"...Are you from the GRA Agency by any chance?"
"Y-Yes?! H-How did you... N-No way!"
Bingo.
She was a GRA employee.
Not a ghost after all—just a person. I took a closer look.
A shabby black hoodie and a black cap pulled low.
The "pale skin" was actually a white mask covering her entire face.
Even the pants looked familiar: standard vertical-stripe track pants. The shocking truth behind the "ghost."
But the moment I mentioned GRA,
She collapsed right there.
Thud.
She even
started begging desperately.
"I-It wasn't like I wanted to come here... I-It was an inspection! N-No... right, undercover work! Just for a bit. Really! Believe me!"
Ah... I see.
Was it my outfit?
She must've mistaken me for someone here to catch her.
A real GRA employee, no less.
Buying items from the Ghost Story Pawnshop was taboo in the GRA Agency.
Think illegal contraband.
Everyone knew that, and with enough capital, you'd buy verified items from the Agency instead of these flawed ones from the Pawnshop—no headaches.
Yeah.
If regular employees had that kind of capital.
When you might die in a ghost story today,
Section Chiefs and above might manage, but interns, regular employees, even assistants?
Buying legit items from the Agency at full price was tough.
So this woman begging me with clasped hands was probably an intern or regular employee.
Maybe assistant, but...
Her begging skills weren't novice-level.
This level of groveling pegged her as a regular employee at best.
This was my second GRA encounter after Section Chief Choi, so I was a bit wary at first.
"I'm here to buy items too."
".........Pardon?"
But I didn't have time for a back-and-forth.
"Let's go. Before anyone else shows up."
I grabbed the hand of the woman who'd been groveling and pulled her up.
"......J-Just tell me sooner next time..."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
She blushed, hit by the reality of her actions.
"Got it."
I smiled as kindly as possible.
No sense making enemies of GRA folks, even low-rankers—long-term thinking.
Luckily, the Pawnshop wasn't far.
Squeeze.
"......Um."
"Y-Yes?!"
She jolted at my voice. I gently raised her hand—still gripped tight—to eye level.
"You can let go now. We're here."
"Ah! S-Sorry!"
She finally released my hand.
Tingling!
My hand was numb.
How hard had she gripped? No sensation in my right hand.
And...
Was my hand always this blue?
Insane strength from her smaller frame.
Keeping friendly with Agency folks? Smart move.
I slipped ahead and slid open the Pawnshop's sliding door. The owner, chin propped on the counter for once, met my eyes.
He lit up the moment he saw me.
"No way! Is this a dream or reality? So it wasn't a dream after all!"
His face beamed like he'd seen a ghost—or the dead returned.
"You vanished so suddenly yesterday, I thought I'd gone mad."
"...I see."
Not wrong, but if timing was off today, same goodbye as yesterday.
"And about... what I mentioned yesterday."
Here it comes.
I'd planned to firmly decline if I returned.
Short-term, his offer sounded good, but long-term? Could cost my life.
Right now, my life mattered more than visible gains.
"About your proposal yesterday..."
"Sorry for acting so amateurish. You had your reasons too, but I lost my composure."
"......N-No, it's fine."
His apology cut me off before I finished.
"But I'm not backing down. A merchant doesn't let prey reeking of money slip away."
Which beat to follow?
"Let's start with a small relationship for now."
The Pawnshop owner smiled like he had plans.
"...Understood."
Not a bad deal.
Maintaining friendly ties might lead to real opportunities later.
This level felt right for now.
"Um..."
Lost in our private chat, I'd ignored our companion.
"Ah, another customer? Come in."
"......"
She stepped inside at his invitation.
I checked the time.
AM 08:19
Time was flying.
Leaving empty-handed and getting dragged off by the Announcement Broadcast? Disaster.
I scanned the shelves and floor items alternately.
The Pawnshop sold rare items even GRA lacked—but packed with duds too.
Duds had uses, sure.
Like my "Thousands of Gazes"—prime dud example.
Duds were items that endangered the user.
Duds.
Defects.
Cursed items.
Various names, but in the [Ghost Story Archive], they were "Cursed Items."
So, buy another like Thousands of Gazes?
No way. Once was enough.
Each carried huge risks.
Thousands of Gazes nearly cost me all four limbs right there.
Today: perfect, high-quality items only.
Truth was, my first Pawnshop visit,
I'd spotted an item in the left shelf's darkest corner.
My eyes sparkled.
And luckily, it was still there.
How bad I'd wanted it.
Grab.
No letting anyone snatch it. I snatched the corner item, rushed to the owner, and slapped it on the counter.
"How much for this?"
"...You always zero in on the weirdest items, sir."
The item?
A six-shooter revolver.
Not ordinary.
The [Final Trigger].
I'd wanted it since day one.
Why not buy then?
Money.
Way short back then.
I knew its price here.
The item that should've gone to some big name?
"26,666,666 won."
A price echoing the six-shooter itself.
Nearly all my cash.
Expensive. Damn expensive.
Obviously.
"I'll take it. And settle the collateral items from before too."
"...No Samsung Pay."
"I know."
This time, I handed over the black card from the Announcement Broadcast, bold as brass.
"......One day apart, and you're a new man. Clothes too... not loan sharks, right?"
"Don't worry."
Felt my nose rising a bit.
Payment went through fine. Now about 8 million left.
Satisfied with my prize, but one watcher awed by my flex?
"...Y-You're loaded. Paying that much cash."
"You came all this way—what'll you get?"
"Ah......I, uh..."
She hadn't picked anything yet.
Or saw something but couldn't afford it.
I thought a moment.
"We met by fate. Let me spot you some cash, if that's okay."
"......P-Pardon? F-Fate?!"
......She's surprised at the weird part.
But rare chance to bond with GRA folks.
Plus,
I hoped this familiar face wouldn't die in a ghost story.
"No pressure."
"F-Fate......"
"......Or think of it as a gift from me."
".........A gift?"
She snapped back.
"Yes. My gift to you."
"......A g-gift from someone... f-first time."
Major introvert vibes.
But not rejecting the gift idea.
"Any item you want? I can help look..."
"This one."
Her voice steady now.
"......Ah, you had your eye on something."
I followed her pointing finger.
A knife in a red sheath.
The [Pain-Sharing Knife.]
"............"
Found her.
GRA's named one. Huge [Ghost Story Archive] fandom.
The yandere intern.
Kim Ha-eun.
......You?