Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: The Trouble Maker
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“Breaking and entering is a serious crime, you know. Should I report you or not?”
“…….”
What the hell is up with this crazy woman again!
Not only did she shove me when I was just standing there quietly, but now she’s treating me like a criminal.
The current situation couldn’t be brushed off.
“What the hell was that!”
“Oh? Is our criminal bro mad?”
The word “bro” now came with a bunch of baggage.
A voice full of mischief, and an expression that seemed to be enjoying the moment.
…Ah, I really want to flick her forehead.
But the woman on the other side, seeing my crumpled face, didn’t seem to care at all as she passed through the gate and entered the house.
“I’m kidding, kidding. Calm down. We ran into each other like this—it’s fate. Want to grab a bite before you go?”
“…Pardon?”
“This is my house.”
The woman with red hair introduced it as her own home and strode right in confidently.
She looked like a high school girl on the outside.
Clearly much younger than me.
Just as I was thinking I might need to show her some adult discipline.
She froze.
The high school girl suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Then she turned back to me with a triumphant expression.
“…A date with a top-tier beauty like me… might cost you a bit?”
“…….”
“Consider yourself lucky, bro. I’m pretty popular with guys, you know? Go brag about it.”
“…….”
“But don’t get any weird ideas. Today, we’re just eating… well, I might consider more if you pay?”
Hee-hee.
The high school girl smiled mischievously while looking at my dumbfounded face.
Watching her head toward the kitchen, I thought to myself.
She’s insane.
And somehow, this feels like bad news.
In the [Ghost Story Archive], characters with even one screw loose were always named bosses or something.
I’d felt the exact same vibe from that high school girl just now.
And she didn’t seem to be missing just one screw—more like two or three. A total loose cannon.
…Not quite on Kim Ha-eun’s level, though.
Anyway, let’s just eat and get out of here.
The best option would obviously be to leave right now.
Grrrowl—
But our stomachs let out a fierce roar.
This was like a warning signal to me.
If you don’t eat here, you’ll starve to death soon!
A warning like that.
And to escape this place, I need to eat and regain my strength.
Peek!
While I was sitting on the ground, mentally steeling myself. The crazy high school girl poked her head out from the kitchen.
“…Bro likes the floor? Or… are you standing at attention?”
“…….”
I don’t know what “standing” means, but.
One thing was clear: staying with her would just pile on stress like mileage points.
“Want me to help you out with it?”
……Correction.
This one’s on the same level as Kim Ha-eun.
She had this weird talent for making people uncomfortable.
Plus that visual screaming “I’m a high school girl” plastered on her face.
The sheer dissonance from her boldly spouting crude words that girls her age should never say.
“…No need. Keep your mouth shut!”
It made me steel my resolve to stay sharp here.
Before I knew it, my feet had carried me to the wooden platform in the yard.
And soon after.
The high school girl brought out simple side dishes, including doenjang jjigae.
Sssizzle.
A savory aroma tickled my nose.
Grrrowl—
“Bro, are you starving?”
“…I just haven’t had time to eat.”
“Really? Tell me if you want something else.”
“Something else?”
Is there more prepped in the kitchen?
That’s what I thought.
“…Getting naughty, huh♥.”
???
I should just stop talking to her.
I feel like an idiot.
From now on, I decided to ignore whatever nonsense this high school girl in front of me spouted.
“I’m Jeong Da-ram. What’s your name, bro?”
“…….”
“The silent type? I don’t mind that.”
“…….”
“But which team are you on at the GRA Agency? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around…”
*Cough cough!*
“Want some water?”
Pardon?
What did you say?
What agency?
“Here, water.”
Jeong Da-ram handed me water so casually.
But right now, something more important had come up.
The mention of the GRA Agency that had just slipped from this Jeong Da-ram’s mouth.
No way, no way.
But sure enough, she was a GRA employee too. Honestly, with this level of craziness, it’d be more shocking if she wasn’t.
Gulp!
I downed the water she gave me in one go, trying to hide my trembling.
“…I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Suddenly playing dumb? But…”
Jeong Da-ram leaned her upper body toward me, reaching out to touch the employee ID hanging around Park Yeon-jeong’s neck.
“With such a unique employee ID around your neck, it kinda kills your credibility, don’t you think, bro?”
!!
It was because of this ID!
She’s sharp.
I started quickly piecing together info on the person in front of me from what I knew.
-High school girl appearance.
-Red hair.
-Mischievous face.
-High-level wordplay.
-GRA Agency employee.
-Jeong Da-ram.
…No way.
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/GRA Employee.
Employee: Deputy Manager / Last position ‘Section Chief’.
Title: Trouble Maker.
Jeong Da-ram was an employee who could be summed up in one simple line.
‘Trouble Maker.’
She did things she wasn’t supposed to.
She stirred up trouble in the team.
She encouraged illicit office relationships—a textbook problem child employee.
Sowing discord was her specialty, and countless employees had been hurt by it, with many losing their lives in ghost stories because of her.
The agency had even discussed disciplining her—she was that big of a headache.
But she always came back from ghost story explorations with useful intel.
High situational analysis, discovering irregularities in unsolved ghost stories, etc.
Was it because of her overwhelming performance?
Jeong Da-ram had never once faced proper disciplinary action.
*Notes.
If Employee Jeong Da-ram suggests joint ghost story exploration, decline if possible. (No need to explain why.)
TMI: She claims to be a high school girl, but it’s baseless.
She shows stronger aversion to physical contact than expected. (Numerous male employees who tried have woken up in hospitals.)
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I never imagined running into a GRA Agency employee in this remote rural backwater.
Let alone this Jeong Da-ram, who always vied for top spots in popularity polls with Kim Ha-eun.
“So, which team are you on, bro? L Team? R Team? No way, not A Team!”
“…….”
This is bad.
Out of all the agency guys, I had to run into the one I’d most dread meeting.
“Where? Tell me! We’re coworkers—wouldn’t it be nice to get along?”
Jeong Da-ram scooted closer, twisting her body and flirting with her whole being.
“Let’s get along, brooo.”
“…….”
No thanks!
You were the second person after Kim Ha-eun I never wanted to meet!
Thud.
I immediately set down my spoon on the table. Then, without another word, I stood up.
I hurriedly slipped on my shoes I’d taken off earlier.
“Huh? Leaving already? I even set up bedding in my room—stay the night.”
“I’m good. I’m pretty busy. But the doenjang jjigae was delicious.”
I gave minimal thanks to Jeong Da-ram for making my favorite food, then tried to head out the gate.
The longer I stuck around her, the worse it’d be for me.
But.
Park Yeon-jeong still didn’t fully grasp what kind of person Jeong Da-ram was.
“…Park Yeon-jeong.”
!!
“That’s your name, right? Saw it on your ID.”
She saw my name in that short time?
What a vicious woman.
“Well, if you don’t wanna tell me, I guess I’ll just find out…”
“I’m A-Team Intern Park Yeon-jeong!”
“…A Team? You? For real?”
I said it.
A lie I could never take back.
I’d even mentioned ‘A Team’ instead of some regular team.
But if I just bolted out the gate, I could already picture her blabbing my name all over the agency.
I had to stop that at all costs.
So I named A Team.
The team that got special treatment even within the agency, unlike the others.
“You’re on that A Team?”
“…….”
“……….”
She’s suspicious.
But now I had to push through with shamelessness.
“I answered as you asked.”
“……….”
The cheerful smile from moments ago was gone, replaced by a heavy atmosphere hanging endlessly around us.
And I didn’t think she’d buy it just from that.
“Whoa! Bro, you’re actually a big deal!”
“…Pardon?”
“You should’ve said so earlier! I would’ve grilled some beef.”
“…….”
She buys it?
Hop!
Jeong Da-ram jumped down from the platform and struck a blatant pose, showing off her cleavage in her sleeveless top.
“What’s your type, bro?”
“…Why ask that all of a sudden.”
“Seriously. Still pretending to be innocent? You saw it all just now.”
“Saw what?”
“My boobs.”
“…….”
“Playing innocent this time? I prefer guys who are upfront about it.”
“…….”
Jeong Da-ram looked at me with her signature lewd, sultry expression.
But.
I’m not falling for it.
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TMI: She claims to be a high school girl, but it’s baseless.
She shows stronger aversion to physical contact than expected. (Numerous male employees who tried have woken up in hospitals.)
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I immediately put some distance between me and Jeong Da-ram.
“??”
“Please stop with the high-level teasing.”
“Why…? Oh! Don’t tell me, my lower half more than my…”
This woman, pretending not to know right to the end.
Park Yeon-jeong finally couldn’t hold back and said it.
“I already know you’re not interested in men. I know you’re J-Team Deputy Jeong Da-ram too.”
“……….”
“Thanks for the meal today. But please don’t act like you know me at the office.”
“…Oh ho.”
Jeong Da-ram eyed me with narrowed gaze.
But here, I needed to draw a clear line.
I had to implant the image of ‘that bastard Park Yeon-jeong’ so deeply that the agency would never want to seek me out again.
“And sorry in advance. My type’s women with big boobs, not flat ones like you. Especially not someone who flirts with every guy—that’s the worst.”
For a split second, Jeong Da-ram’s brow twitched ever so slightly.
“…What’s this? The guts of some A-Team intern these days? Daring to talk to a deputy like me? This is straight-up insubordination, bro.”
Flinch.
I know.
I know all too well.
There’s no way I, who’ve studied this world like it was college entrance exams, wouldn’t know.
That’s why Park Yeon-jeong knows.
“‘A Team has a rigid hierarchy,’ right?”
“…Even an intern on A Team? Smart bro, huh?”
“If you’re done talking, I’ll be going.”
Bow.
I gave Jeong Da-ram the bare minimum courtesy and left her house.
I figured she wouldn’t grab me anymore.
“…It’s late, though. Why not crash here, intern bro?”
“…I’m fine.”
“No buses around this time anyway. Taxi? Forget it.”
“…….”
“Well, if you insist on sleeping outside, suit yourself. Lots of wild animals nearby. Even spotted a bear recently, I think?”
……Pardon?
A bear?
Not a deer or boar—a bear?
The scenery outside Jeong Da-ram’s gate suddenly felt ominously eerie.
-Bears rip people apart.
“………Then I’ll just sleep here. For real.”
“Smart choice.”
“Just sleeping! That’s it!”
“Who said otherwise?”
Thanks to Jeong Da-ram’s rumor about wild bears, I ended up staying the night at her place.
The thatched house interior was cozier than expected.
A warm ondol room with colorful silk blankets laid out.
I was pretty satisfied with the decent bedding.
Until.
“Night, intern bro-bang.”
Before Jeong Da-ram slipped into the single set of blankets.
“Where’s my blanket?”
“…….”
At my words, a sly smile crept across Jeong Da-ram’s lips.
And as if she’d been waiting for this moment.
Flap!
She lifted the blanket she was under and looked at Park Yeon-jeong with suspiciously narrowed eyes.
“I’m cold, bro. Hurry in here and warm me up. Warm other places too… bro-bang♥.”
“……….”
More bullshit.
That night, I huddled in the farthest corner of the room.
Pressed flat against the wall where I couldn’t feel her breath, I tried to sleep uncomfortably.