Chapter 92

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Translator: True Detective

Chapter: 91

Chapter Title: House of Moss

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The road to Suncheon City in South Jeolla Province was incredibly smooth.

No anomalies or strange phenomena appeared at the rest stop we stopped at midway, and Sowol and I were able to enjoy our udon in peace.

Once we left Seoul, the traffic was light. As if blessing our journey to the House of Moss, the weather was beautifully clear and blue.

We arrived at our destination even faster than expected.

Bboong had guided us there by the shortest route in the shortest time with its unique navigation skills.

"This is Suncheon Bay Wetland. What do you think, Sowol?"

"There are so many bugs, dear husband."

"Yeah. Must be because it's a wetland."

Since we'd come all this way, I thought we should at least take a look around the wetland ecological park before heading in, so Sowol and I strolled around it.

We weren't here on a commission; we wanted it to feel like a trip, so we were sightseeing at this tourist spot called the wetland...

Maybe because the weather had warmed up, there were way more flying insects than I'd expected. The natural scenery was stunning, but the bugs made it hard to enjoy for long.

Is it normally this buggy here?

"You're the Fixer, right?"

"Pardon? Who..."

An elderly man in a suit had approached us from behind and bowed his head politely as he introduced himself.

"Pleased to meet you, Fixer. I'm Yi Ha-il from the House of Moss."

To survive means to be strong.

The old man embodied that truth with his presence—like a single, sharply honed blade.

That razor-sharp aura.

"I've come to escort you both. If you're done sightseeing the wetland, may I guide you to the House of Moss?"

The old man smiled invitingly, asking us to follow him.

There was no pressure or coercion. He looked easily over sixty, yet incredibly fit and impeccably polite.

'Two jobs...'

Onmyoji and Swordsman.

Onmyoji come in many varieties. Some specialize in specific creatures, like fungal sorcerers or vermin handlers. Others focus on elements, like shadow onmyoji or thunder spirit onmyoji.

Macroscopically, "onmyoji" is a broad term encompassing all of them, but microscopically, it can refer to those who only handle basic onmyodo without any qualifiers.

Yi Ha-il was an onmyoji in the micro sense—one versed only in fundamental onmyodo.

That meant his second class had made him the longest-surviving guardian.

"Doesn't seem like there's more to see. Could you guide us to the House of Moss?"

"We need to go a bit further from here. Shall we take my car? I'll drive you there."

"Hold on. We'll ride that friend over there. Bboong! Come here!"

Yi Ha-il had suggested taking his luxury sedan to the House of Moss, so I quickly intervened and showed him Bboong, which I'd parked in the lot.

The old man's eyes widened. Seeing Bboong move on its own without a driver, his pupils shook violently.

"This is..."

"My friend and excellent personal ride."

"Ahh..."

The intimidating aura from before vanished in an instant.

Yi Ha-il, forgetting all decorum, staggered toward Bboong like a man entranced and began stroking its body.

"Where on earth did you find such a magnificent creature?"

"In an underground parking lot, lonely and looking for an owner. I became that owner."

"I see. What a fateful encounter. The kind that comes once in a lifetime."

Yi Ha-il gulped several times while caressing Bboong, then looked at me with the innocent eyes of a child rediscovering a lost joy.

"Might I... have a chance to drive this wonderful friend? Please, Fixer."

"Go ahead. But it chooses its drivers. If you try to force it, it'll fight back fiercely."

"I understand. I'll approach gently. By the way, what's this one's name?"

"Bboong."

"Bboong. You know that old cartoon too, huh, Fixer? Haha. My son loved it..."

Yi Ha-il gazed at Bboong with eyes full of affection, stroking its body.

"Um, dear husband... Is that guy... maybe into... cars?"

"Nah, it's not that kind of feeling. It's more like... men have this personal dream or longing for cars."

"Is that so...?"

"Yeah."

Any guy would get it.

The dream of one's personal dream car.

Yi Ha-il probably desperately wanted a 'monster car' like this.

Definitely not some insane car-camper type.

"Bboong. If it's alright, would you allow me?"

In response to Yi Ha-il's question, the driver's side lock slowly disengaged.

Bboong, which rarely allowed anyone but me into the driver's seat, was giving Yi Ha-il permission.

It must have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sensed how much he liked it.

"Thank you for allowing me."

Yi Ha-il carefully settled into the driver's seat.

He adjusted the seatback and rearview mirror, then checked the gearshift and all the functions.

"Impressive, right?"

"To think it's implemented so perfectly. In my life, I've never seen a car-type monster this flawless. There's always some off-putting flaw, but this one replicates the internal structure with obsessive perfection."

Yi Ha-il turned the key, starting Bboong's engine. With the roar, Bboong vibrated faintly.

He could no longer hold back his smile.

Grinning ear to ear, he drove.

"You must maintain it well, Fixer."

"Nah, nothing special..."

I wash it once a week and occasionally feed it engine oil as a treat—that's it.

Bboong doesn't even need oil. It runs itself with insane fuel efficiency.

It's even a great pet that goes for walks alone at dawn.

"To be able to drive a friend like this every day... I'm so envious. I never thought I'd envy someone at my age. Heh heh. Even after achieving everything, greed lingers in the heart. Human desire truly knows no end."

Yi Ha-il, utterly smitten with Bboong, drove us up a small mountain behind Suncheon Bay Wetland.

The mountain path was rough, but Bboong handled it effortlessly, and soon we were racing through a reed field.

'We're already inside the barrier from here.'

As we climbed the mountain path, it seamlessly transitioned into another space midway.

Like the barrier I'd set up at Mount Sinbul in Ulsan, we entered the reed field in an instant.

"Here we are at the entrance."

A large wooden house stood in the center of the reed field.

Around it, abandoned-looking cars were parked haphazardly, clashing with the surroundings.

"This is the House of Moss?"

"Precisely, the entrance. We have too many external enemies, so we twist the entry path with multiple barrier layers."

Yi Ha-il looked deeply reluctant as he got out of Bboong, explaining that cars couldn't proceed inside.

Sadly, time to part with Bboong for now.

"Bboong, can you wait? Wander if you're bored. Or head home first. Do whatever you want."

Bboong flashed its headlights twice in response.

It'll probably play around the reeds alone while we're gone and leave on its own when ready.

Having come this far, Bboong had memorized the barrier paths. It could even navigate out alone and reach the Fixer Office.

"Please wait a moment. The key must be..."

Yi Ha-il pulled out a massive keyring with hundreds of keys and fumbled for a while before finally unlocking the wooden house door.

The interior was just an ordinary wooden house, with early '90s-style decor standing out.

"Please come in quickly. Leaving the door open too long lets trackers catch up fast."

Sowol and I hurried inside.

As we entered, Yi Ha-il shut the door, swiftly locked the numerous devices, and logged our names in the visitor book.

"Fixer and madam, could you sign here too? It's required for House of Moss entry."

I took the visitor book and pen he offered.

As expected, it wasn't ordinary.

A simple ID verification item.

If you write a fake name, it turns black, alerting to suspicious entrants.

"We can immediately filter out anyone in Black Veil disguise."

If Black Veil doesn't reveal its true name, it turns black. Refusing to sign looks suspicious too.

And writing its true name triggers an anomaly, so this is basic screening.

"No issues with either of you. Now, we'll head down. It's quite deep, so if anyone needs the restroom, now's the time."

Neither Sowol nor I needed it.

"Let's go down then."

With no other business in the house, we stood before the elevator in the center.

It was a rare modern-era style lift, exuding analog charm over electronics.

With this, I could easily summon Eve here.

"This elevator looks pretty old."

"It is. But better than stairs—they take forever. Layers sometimes shift too. Elevators are best."

Yi Ha-il had immense faith in elevators.

He'd gotten lost on stairs multiple times.

"How many floors does the main House of Moss have?"

"From ground level 1 to basement 18. Three are off-limits, four are high-risk. We use 10 floors, excluding the bottom."

Basements 4, 6, and 10: restricted.

Basements 14-17: high danger.

18: facility management, staff only.

The remaining 10 are livable spaces.

"You'll go to basement 1 for light chat with the elders. Many are eager to meet you, so it might be lively."

Basement 1 is the lobby and communal area, so lots would gather to see me, Yi Ha-il warned.

Sure enough, far more people awaited us than expected.

"We sincerely welcome you to the House of Moss!"

"Yay! Guests! Welcome!"

"A fine young man and a pretty lady."

Everyone beamed with joy and welcome.

Not a shadow of darkness in their smiles.

"Big bro! Hi! Sis too!"

"Oppa and unni, welcome!"

"Kids, line up and bow to our guests. One, two."

"Hewwo!"

"Annyeonghaseyo!"

Kindergarten-aged kids lined up at their teacher's cue and bowed to us at navel height.

They'd clearly planned this welcome.

They seemed genuinely thrilled someone had come to visit.

Guests must be rare treasures here.

"Uncle! Uncle! Here!"

"Huh? Oh, sure. What is it?"

"This! I made it! For you, uncle!"

"Uh... Thanks."

As I greeted people, a tiny girl about six handed me a paper crane.

The House of Moss was full of children.

But no parents in sight.

Abandoned by parents.

Or parents... killed.

One or the other.

"Our Ah-young is so crafty. Perfectly made. Good job. And giving a gift to uncle—such a good girl."

"Hehe. Uncle's nice too! Tank woo!"

I pocketed the paper crane from little Ah-young and patted her head.

It was worn, clearly made with diligent tiny hands.

"..."

As I tended to the other nursery kids, I glanced at Sowol—she was quietly wiping her eyes.

So many orphaned children.

The City Goddess couldn't hold back tears seeing their innocent smiles.

"Unni, why cry?"

"Huh? Sis is crying! Crybaby!"

"Kids! Don't be rude to guests. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Sorry."

"Alright, guests need to go now. Welcome ends here—back to class."

"Yes, teachie!"

"Teachie, I gotta pee."

"Oh! No accidents in front of guests! Sorry, I'll take her quick!"

A young female teacher scooped up a standing-to-pee kid and rushed to the bathroom.

The others followed a male teacher back to the nursery.

"Dear husband..."

"Here, handkerchief."

"Sorry... Couldn't help it..."

"I get it. Wipe up. Want to wash your face?"

"I'm fine..."

Outside, hybrids are hunted prey, and there were many here.

From normal-looking kids to those with distinct otherness. All kinds.

Some would never leave this place.

This world is brutally harsh.

Too many refuse to accept differences.

The outside remains deadly for hybrids.

"Lots of kids in the facility."

"Yes. Even in low-birth-rate times, they never stop coming."

"Their parents...?"

"As you suspect. Most are gone. Various reasons, but mainly..."

"..."

Shouldn't have asked.

Hearing from Yi Ha-il what happened to their parents made my chest tighten.

The world is still steeped in darkness. I felt powerless anew.

"I'll take you to the elders' reception room."

"Yes. Let's go, Sowol."

"Okay..."

We'll visit the kids later.

First, meet the elders who invited us.

The reception room was a clean, modern space.

All furniture was practical and simple, in black and white.

Amid the divided black-and-white furnishings, gray-clad elders awaited us.

"Welcome. We truly appreciate your visit to the House of Moss."

There were three elders.

The eldest-looking woman struggled to rise and extended a hand.

It felt more like grasping old tree bark than a human hand.

"I'm Bang Du-young, in charge of the House of Moss operations and management."

As Elder Bang Du-young stepped back, the other two approached and offered hands.

Elder Oh Mun-hak dozed off post-handshake, perhaps overcome by sleepiness. The relatively younger Lady Choi Hyo-wol smiled brightly, expressing delight.

"Sit, please. You must be tired from the trip. And thank you so much for coming..."

At Elder Bang Du-young's urging, we sat on the sofa. A young female onmyoji brought refreshments and tea.

I nibbled a white cookie and replied to Elder Bang.

"You called for a good reason. Of course I'd come."

"It is good, but... we never dreamed you'd answer."

"Really?"

Elder Bang continued apologetically.

"Visiting the House of Moss as a guest means... you want friendly ties. Regardless of your intent, people will see it that way. Deeper involvement than a mere commission. We're sorry if it burdens you."

"Why apologize? I don't care about misunderstandings."

"If it's just misunderstanding, fine. What Du-young means is... some freak out just from association with us."

The dozing Elder Oh Mun-hak answered for her.

Being close to the House of Moss could be dangerous.

They hated us, and groups would flip out over any deep ties—that's why they hadn't expected me.

"Hardline exorcists?"

"Yes. And others. Cross the line, and they'll use your visit as pretext to attack."

In short, any friendly stance invites pressure and attempts on your life.

Not particularly scary.

The unease was for my office kids...

'Good thing I left the Ghost Kings.'

Ha-yul with Nam Yu-ha, Hong-ran guarding Ye-rim and Ha-yeon.

In emergencies, hide in any building and take elevators—Eve would help.

They'd escape before kidnapping or harm.

"You get attacked a lot."

"At least three times a day... Persistent intruders into the barrier."

"Some break through the reeds."

Relentless. What drove such hatred?

Why loathe the House of Moss so?

"That's..."

"Our fault."

"We can't claim innocence."

"Fixer, sorry, but could you hear our story?"

The elders wanted to share.

No refusing.

I came for reward, but hoped no issues here too.

Places I go always have problems.

"Please, make yourselves comfortable. I'm curious why they hate you so."

With my okay, the elders cautiously began the tale of 'that day.'