Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Black Flame Man's Shadow
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The GRA Agency's interior was currently quite hectic.
The reason for their unusual bustle was as follows.
- The disappearance of ghost stories.
The identification codes of the ghost stories that had vanished so far were.
Cd-E-31
[And the Performance Begins]
Cd-D-111
[Match Girl]
These two ghost stories had completely vanished without a trace.
Given the nature of ghost stories, there was no real point in them lingering around, so the agency would normally welcome their spontaneous disappearance. But the problem was—
The fact that another unknown entity was involved in the disappearance of these two.
Click.
Accompanied by the familiar clicking sound of a ballpoint pen tip, Yi Sang-mu opened his mouth.
“…What do you… think, Section Chief Choi Kang-in?”
“…I didn’t enter this exploration myself, so it’s hard to give a definitive answer, but the fact that similar cases keep occurring in such a short time… I’d say it’s highly likely that guy is behind it.”
“…The Black… Flame… Man, right.”
“Yes.”
Yi Sang-mu reopened the report he had received from Section Chief Choi Kang-in at the time to confirm.
“…You said his goal was… ghost stories, correct?”
“Yes, he told me that himself. He said his purpose is ‘ghost stories.’”
“…A ghost story devouring other ghost stories… Or perhaps ghost stories… starting organized activity?”
“…What do you think is the real reason he’s doing this, Executive Director Yi?”
“…”
Choi Kang-in wanted to know.
The former A-Team Lee Jui employee, who had risen to executive director at a young age and was called the agency’s top elite.
She might have a different perspective on the Black Flame Man’s purpose, something he hadn’t known at the time.
Unknowingly, Choi Kang-in found himself expectant.
“Well, me…?”
“…”
“…I don’t know?”
“I see.”
Click.
The ballpoint pen’s clicking scratched at Choi Kang-in’s ears once more.
“…Section Chief Choi Kang-in.”
“Yes?”
“How do you… view that ‘Black Flame Man’?”
“Huh? ‘Black Flame Man,’ you mean?”
Choi Kang-in pondered the abbreviation he was hearing for the first time in his life.
‘Black Flame Man… no way.’
Black.
Flame.
Man?
A vibe born from experience.
Choi Kang-in quickly grasped her intent and gave his answer.
“I can’t say for certain yet, but…”
Certainly, everyone in R Team, including Choi Kang-in, owed him their lives.
Without that ghost story man, they might have been wiped out there.
But at the same time, he knew all too well that ghost stories couldn’t be trusted blindly.
Choi Kang-in himself had seen, closer than anyone, that those who formed friendly relations with ghost stories never met good ends.
That was why.
“I think we should keep watching him for now.”
“…Mm, I understand… Let’s do that, then… You’ve worked hard… today as well.”
“Not at all.”
With that, Choi Kang-in gave Lee Jui a brief nod and left her room.
Click.
In the now-silent space filled with quiet, only the clicking of the ballpoint pen echoed for a while.
Creak.
Lee Jui opened her desk drawer.
Among the stack of documents piled high inside, she picked up the one on top.
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[Special Notes Report]
- Ghost story reaction observed near the ‘Origin Library’ recently.
- By the time agency employees arrived, one unidentified adult woman and two female students were found at the scene.
- The three are currently under strict surveillance in agency facilities. (No major anomalies yet.)
*Additional entry.
Witnessed the unidentified adult woman making contact with a mysterious man. (The man vanished near Seongsu Station the next day.)
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“…Three unidentified individuals… and a mysterious man.”
And the date when the ‘Cd-E-31 [And the Performance Begins]’ ghost story vanished was the day before this.
“…Might be… worth investigating…”
Lee Jui stared at the documents for a while, then picked up the receiver next to her and dialed somewhere.
The dial tone wasn’t long.
“…Executive Director Lee Jui speaking.”
“Hey, who is this! What a surprise, you calling me first! Or have you finally accepted my date…?”
“I’ll be taking… half a day off.”
“…Cold as ever. Fine, I won’t follow you, but just tell me where you’re headed…”
Click.
Lee Jui immediately hung up the receiver. She judged there was no point in listening further.
Screech.
With the creak of her chair, Lee Jui stood up for the first time in a while and did some light stretching.
She checked the time on the digital clock on her desk.
Sunday.
AM. 11:54
The GRA Agency was a place where Executive Director Lee Jui worked weekends, which could lead to the misconception that it forced employees to work even on weekends.
But in reality, she was just coming to the current agency on weekends because she had nothing else to do.
-Once you’re dead, you rest forever, so why rest now?
With her quite twisted mindset, this was the first half-day off Lee Jui had taken since joining the GRA Agency.
And the place she was heading to on her first half-day off was none other than.
[Seongsu Station Exit 1]
‘…It’s been a while… since I’ve gone there.’
Lee Jui opened the door to her dark office. Just then, her eyes met those of a female employee passing by.
“Oh! Executive Director Yi! It’s been months since I’ve seen your face… Ex-Executive Director!!”
The female employee started to greet her but suddenly rushed over and yelled at Lee Jui.
“Executive Director! What on earth are you doing!!”
“??”
It was a situation that could be seen as outright insubordination, but at that moment, other male employees passing by also spotted Lee Jui and were about to greet her.
“Executive Director! Long time no….”
“…Two… watermelons.”
“What are you pervs looking at!”
Employees yelling at her and male employees blushing mid-greeting toward her.
Head tilt?
Lee Jui wasn’t fully grasping the situation when.
The female employee she had met first took off her own coat and handed it to Lee Jui.
“Executive Director, this is the office! At least put on some clothes!”
“…Ah.”
Only then did Lee Jui understand why they were reacting this way.
She was in her underwear.
“…Clothes are… uncomfortable.”
She replied with what wasn’t quite an excuse.
“We’re more uncomfortable seeing you wander around without clothes, Executive Director! And with a figure like yours… it’s seriously promiscuous!!”
“…Understood.”
Having been called promiscuous, Lee Jui had no choice but to return to her office.
The female employee watching to see if Lee Jui would come out properly dressed this time, and the hyenas waiting at a distance for an eyeful.
“Get back to work, all of you!”
“W-Why… we were just passing by.”
“…Two… watermelons.”
Click.
Amid the employees bickering in front of Executive Director Lee Jui’s office, Lee Jui emerged, now dressed.
“…I put on clothes.”
“…Yes, properly this time…!!”
The female employee, relieved thinking she had dressed properly this time, for some reason found her gaze drawn to Lee Jui’s legs, fully exposed in white.
“Executive Director, really!”
“…Now I can die without regrets.”
“…White pan…t…”
That day, stories about Executive Director Lee Jui and rumors of spotting massive watermelons spread rapidly through the agency.
*****
After the hell bus ghost story had wrapped up nicely, Park Yeon-jeong checked the time on his smartphone.
Saturday
PM. 22:28.
It was already past 10 PM.
And.
…Where is this?
A pitch-black mountain valley where he couldn’t see an inch ahead.
A rural road with sparse streetlights here and there.
Escaping the hell bus was good, but the biggest question was where Park Yeon-jeong was standing right now.
The one silver lining was.
That in this world of cutting-edge technology, he had a ‘smartphone’ in his possession.
He immediately opened the navigation app on his state-of-the-art smartphone.
-Reception is unstable.
-Reception is unstable.
…Guess I’ll walk for now.
He could use the navigation app again once he reached a spot with data signal.
For now, he decided to follow the streetlights aimlessly.
Lights would lead to something eventually.
Grrrowl.
Now that he thought about it, aside from the breakfast prepared by the ghost story woman that morning, he hadn’t had a proper meal all day.
Throb.
His legs were hurting again.
It’d be weirder if they didn’t after all that walking in the morning.
Grrrowl.
Throb!
Grrrowl.
Throb!
…Isn’t this what they call a human instrument?
…At this point, getting home wasn’t the issue. In this state where all his energy was draining and he felt like he’d collapse any second.
Sniff.
A smell brushing his nose.
Sniff sniff.
For a moment, hunger made him think, ‘I must be imagining this, right?’
Rustle.
!!
This time, he was sure.
He was convinced he wasn’t mistaken.
Because.
The smell Park Yeon-jeong was picking up now was.
His favorite doenjang jjigae.
Thud thud thud!
Strength returned to his legs, which had barely been holding up until moments ago.
Just follow this smell, and there’d be doenjang jjigae ahead—that thought made Park Yeon-jeong’s steps quicken.
And at the end of chasing that savory aroma.
A single thatched house came into view.
It was as if the doenjang jjigae inside was waiting for him.
Unconsciously, Park Yeon-jeong reached out toward the thatched house’s gate.
Halt.
…Get a grip, Park Yeon-jeong.
No matter how hungry he was, breaking into someone’s home was a clear crime.
As a man who prided himself on living by morals without laws, it was absolutely unacceptable.
“…Breaking in really isn’t right.”
Just as he was lowering the hand he’d extended toward someone else’s gate.
Thud!
!!!
Suddenly, a strong push on his back sent Park Yeon-jeong tumbling toward the gate.
Crash!
He flipped right over the gate into someone else’s yard.
A stinging pain in his skin. As he lay sprawled on the dirt ground, footsteps approached him.
“Our oppa… broke in? Hehe.”
“…”
?????
Somehow, he’d gotten tangled up with another weirdo.