Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: When Leaving Bad Comments, Watch the Ceiling (1)
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Late at night, past quitting time, Byung-su stepped into the editor's office and asked,
"Cho-seon, you called me? You were waiting without even heading home?"
"Not Cho-seon. It's Editor Kim. Got it? Byung... no, Byung-su. This is reporter Kim Byung-su."
Cho-seon rose from her seat, her high heels clacking sharply against the floor as she spoke.
Her face was twisted in fury once again.
"Editor Kim, you called me?"
Even calling her "Editor Kim" as requested didn't soften her sharp expression.
"What the hell did you guys do in the office yesterday?"
Byung-su squeezed his eyes shut, knowing this was coming.
"The security guard said the second-floor basement hallway and the women's restroom are a total mess. What did you do in the women's restroom?"
"That's not... Cho-seon, actually..."
"Shut up first! This is the building owned by our landlord! The building owner's property! We're already on thin ice with late rent, and now you want to get us evicted? What the hell have you been up to lately?"
Dong-jin had brought a knife back from the mountain lodge, which led to bizarre women attacking Na-rae.
Byung-su had arrived just in time and subdued them, but the hallway and women's restroom doors got damaged in the process.
If anyone was to blame, it was Dong-jin, so Byung-su felt unjustly targeted, but Cho-seon wasn't one to listen to excuses.
Thanks to Dong-jin, Byung-su was the one getting the full brunt of her wrath.
"Cho-seon, it was unavoidable. You won't believe me if I explain. A cat ghost disguised itself as a woman and attacked."
"Exactly, why say something I won't believe?"
"Uh..."
Byung-su was at a loss for words.
"Do I look like an idiot? The world's worst scum who enjoys treating people like fools! That's you! And call me Editor Kim!"
Byung-su wiped sweat from his brow and muttered back.
"Editor Kim, why ask something you won't believe anyway."
"You joking right now? You Science and Religion Team! Lately, you've gotten lazy, just coasting on your paychecks. Now you're breaking stuff? You think I'm a pushover?"
"If you were, would I be sweating like this?"
"I didn't want to say this, but after that Dokkaebi article, goblins have to be rich, handsome guys! But that place in Chungnam, Sacheon-ri or whatever, that Dokkaebi's just a drunk! Writing about that as news... idiot? Can't read the trends?"
"You write articles based on trends? So that's why you told reporter Eun to rewrite it more realistically? Turn the Dokkaebi into a handsome guy? Honestly."
"Anyway, if you don't bring me real news, I'm cutting the Science and Religion Team's budget. Got it? Get out and do some proper work!"
"It's Religion and Science Team."
"Quiet! Shut it!"
By the time Byung-su left the editor's office after getting reamed out by Cho-seon, quitting time had long passed.
He trudged toward the elevator, muttering to himself.
"Looks like everyone's gone home. Guess I'll head to our office."
Down on the second basement floor, Na-rae and Dong-jin, who hadn't left yet, greeted him.
"You got chewed out, huh?"
"Team leader, tough day."
Byung-su didn't change expression; getting scolded by Cho-seon was routine.
"Chewed out? Nothing new. I get why reporter Eun turned that Chungnam Dokkaebi geezer into a flower-middle-aged Dokkaebi for the article. But what about that knife?"
In response to Byung-su's question, Dong-jin pulled the knife from a drawer and showed it.
"Because of the inscription carved on it, even you couldn't touch it with your imugi feet, team leader. Reporter Eun got her energy from that ghoul Emel, so she can't touch it either. Out of us, only I can."
Feeling an ominous vibe, Byung-su replied.
"Yeah, sure. So?"
"Instead of taking it back to the lodge, I was thinking of getting a sturdy safe for our office or my room to store it."
It was ominous indeed.
'A safe? With what money? Office is a no-go, at least.'
Collecting his thoughts, Byung-su asked gently.
"They say it attracts stray ghosts because of its energy. That okay?"
"Since we brought it, I want to keep it until we figure out what it is."
"Why'd you bring it in the first place..."
Byung-su examined the knife in Dong-jin's hand without touching it, tilting his head this way and that, then asked again.
"You sure it's okay?"
To dispel Byung-su's worries, Dong-jin said loudly.
"Don't worry, team leader. I'll take good care of it. I'm braver than I look."
Byung-su felt relieved, thinking no safe would be needed.
Na-rae gave Dong-jin a look of disbelief at his response.
"Sunbae, this isn't about being brave. You nearly died bringing it in your back pocket, so I know better. Stray ghosts really target it. Team leader, we need to take this knife back ASAP. It makes me uneasy."
Rebuked by Na-rae, Dong-jin mumbled dejectedly.
"Even if we return it, we need to know what it is. Right? Team leader, right? Right?"
While the two bickered, Byung-su brewed some coffee, sipped it leisurely, then cautiously chimed in after gauging the mood.
"Listening to you, seems like there's something to this knife. I'll bring in Baekho or my friend Sang-in to check it out. Let's wait a few days even if it's risky. And a safe in the office is overkill. Right?"
Anything was fine as long as no safe was involved.
Na-rae shot back at Byung-su's attempt to foist it on Dong-jin.
"Psychic researcher Hong Sang-in? He ditched you too, team leader. Can you trust him?"
"Sang-in's consistent, at least. So he's not dangerous."
"Consistent?"
"Yeah, consistently a backstabber. You won't get betrayed by him because it's predictable. Anyway, reporter Park, you'll have to tough it out for a few days."
While Byung-su and Na-rae talked, Dong-jin, fiddling with the knife in his hand, absentmindedly tried to draw it from the sheath.
"Sunbae! I told you not to draw that knife! All sorts of stray ghosts come! Don't!"
Despite Na-rae's plea, Dong-jin drew it anyway.
"I pulled it out in my one-room before, and nothing happened."
Byung-su suddenly understood why the Dokkaebi elder kept visiting Dong-jin's place.
'Ah... this guy... Cho-seon dumped what on me?'
He resented Cho-seon for assigning Dong-jin to the Religion and Science Team.
Glancing at it, the blade was about a handspan long, quite short, but Byung-su could feel strong energy emanating from it.
Dong-jin, chilled by the icy blue blade, quickly sheathed it and shoved it back in the desk drawer.
He was timid yet accident-prone.
"The blade's short, so it doesn't seem threatening, but the vibe is murderous. Got cold suddenly, huh? Anyway, that's it for today. Need to look into it more."
Feeling his fingertips like ice, Dong-jin hurriedly prepared to leave.
Byung-su moved quickly before Dong-jin caused trouble.
"Yeah, let's head out. Weird atmosphere today, so I'll drive you both."
* * *
"What's that?"
Na-rae asked Byung-su in the driver's seat.
She pointed to the building entrance.
Three men were crouched there.
Outdated clothes, grubby appearances—they looked exactly like homeless guys.
"People. Not stray ghosts, so don't freak out."
Relieved by Byung-su's words, Na-rae leaned back on the cushion.
Lately, too many exhausting things.
* * *
With even the Religion and Science Team gone, only Cho-seon remained in the building.
"Should head home, but this webtoon is so dumb it's addictive."
Alone at home anyway, she muttered to herself while staring at her phone.
"No one to welcome me even if I go. Gotta leave at midnight sharp."
Even as she spoke, her eyes stayed glued to the phone.
"Should be working... I'm pathetic."
And so, Cho-seon was left alone on the vast fifth floor.
* * *
Cho-seon lost track of time, engrossed in the webtoon on her phone.
Suddenly, a cold sensation on her thigh, bare from her miniskirt.
She reached down and felt a water drop.
Dabbing it with her index finger, she brought it to her eye.
"Huh? It's red?"
Blood-red liquid stained her fingertip.
Her gaze went to the half-empty small tomato juice bottle on the desk.
"What? Did I spill tomato juice?"
She sucked the red liquid off her finger, grabbed a tissue, and wiped her thigh.
Back to the phone.
A sour, sticky taste lingered in her mouth.
She chugged the tomato juice in one go.
Setting the empty bottle down, she noticed red liquid on the back of her hand.
"Oh, tomato juice on my hand too?"
She licked it off and dove back into the webtoon.
'Reincarnated Alone 999 Times, Wins 100 Trillion Lotto'
A webtoon where an elementary kid punches a cute ghost girl barehanded.
"Whoa! This make sense? Ugh, one star."
Left hand on phone, right hand rating it one star and leaving a comment.
[I could draw better with my pubes. Draw like crap again, and I'll rally all my followers for one-stars. Hehe!]
Not fitting for a newspaper editor past forty.
Satisfied with her comment, she went to the next chapter.
Clicking to turn the page, she spotted red liquid on the screen.
Splashed across the cute ghost girl's face the kid was beating.
She licked off the red liquid casually and turned the page.
"Hmm, why's it so bitter and funky?"
Mouth sticky, she smacked her lips while reading.
This chapter: the kid cohabiting with the cute ghost girl.
"An elementary kid cohabiting? No parents? One star again!"
Suddenly, red liquid dripped long from above onto her phone screen.
Above Cho-seon's head was only the ceiling.
Another red droplet stretched down and plopped on her forehead.
Wiping it, she looked up—and locked eyes with someone.
A long-haired beauty hung upside down from the ceiling, head twisted to peer down at her.
The beauty had been watching the webtoon right above Cho-seon's head.
No matter how she thought, the girl on the ceiling didn't feel human.
Even in this tense moment, Cho-seon recalled a tale from her grandmother long ago.
'Cho-seon, there are red spirits lost on the way to the afterlife. If you meet them, point to the sky with your finger. They'll find their way and ascend.'
Even then, the beauty's neck stretched downward from the ceiling.
Her lovely small head slowly descended toward Cho-seon.
'Sky...'
No sky visible, but the ceiling would have to do.
Cho-seon squeezed her eyes shut and raised her left index finger toward the ceiling above.
Her fingertip touched something squishy.
She slowly looked up.
Her finger had stabbed right into the beauty's left eye coming down from the ceiling.
Tomato-juice-like red liquid flowed down her finger, soaking her arm and shoulder.
"You bitch! Dare poke my eye?"
Foul words spewed from the beauty's delicate lips.
Sensing danger instinctively, Cho-seon spoke calmly.
"Does it hurt?"
Pointless question.
"Y-you bitch..."
The beauty's mouth twisted viciously.
"I'll gouge your eyes too!"
Her neck stretched a meter from her ceiling-hung body, bellowing at Cho-seon.
Red blood dripped from her wide-open pretty mouth, gooily staining Cho-seon's forehead as she stared up blankly.
"Aaaah!"
Finally grasping reality, Cho-seon screamed.
She yanked out the finger from the beauty's eye.
Schlup, gush gush gush.
The pretty eye popped out, blood pouring like tap water onto Cho-seon's head.