Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 050
Chapter Title: Eyes That Show Only What You Want to See (4)
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President Park and his group left the private room, and the celebratory feast stretched on late into the night.
Dong-jin exchanged a few quiet words with Young-ho, who had sidled up to him, then slipped out of the hotel unnoticed.
[As I approach forty, I've started to figure out who my real friends are.
I have a college classmate named Lee Yu-bin.
Strange things have been happening to him lately, and you're the only person I could think of to ask for help, Reporter Park.
Please, meet with my friend.]
Recalling the sudden request from Young-ho, a man with whom he had no prior connection, Dong-jin stared at the business card.
[SKY Motel, President Lee Yu-bin]
"What kind of bizarre incident could be happening at a motel in Gangnam that he'd ask me about? I should discuss it with Team Leader tomorrow and then reach out. By the way, who the hell is this Mr. Paeng? He doesn't seem like an ordinary guy."
The way the man, who looked to be in his mid-twenties, treated the sixty-something president of Haedong Ilbo with casual disdain was enough to raise suspicions.
"Team Leader might know something about Mr. Paeng. I'll have to ask him tomorrow, too."
Muttering to himself, he climbed into a taxi that had pulled up in front of the hotel and headed home.
In the spot where Dong-jin had been, Mr. Paeng stood watching the departing taxi with a smile, though it was unclear when he had appeared.
* * *
"SKY Motel? That's pretty famous. They've had rumors of a female ghost from Jeolla Province there for the past ten years, turning it into a haunted experience spot."
"No way, a haunted experience in Gangnam?"
Na-rae asked in surprise at Byung-su's story.
"Yeah. It's not some abandoned haunted house—it's a fully operating business—but people started flocking there like it was one. The owner was on the verge of a nervous breakdown... Lee Yu-bin, was it? No one would buy the place, maybe his son?"
As Byung-su rummaged through his memories, Na-rae couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked again.
"Still, it's Gangnam... Ghosts appear right in the middle of Gangnam?"
"Do ghosts care about Gangnam or Gangbuk? Places like motels or hotels with lots of rooms aren't just full of stray spirits—they say even the homeless grim reapers crash there for the night."
"Come on, who says stuff like that?"
"It was from a famous exorcist who passed away a while back. I covered that motel a few years ago, and they weren't taking guests on that one floor at all."
"How many floors is the building?"
"Seven floors, but the seventh has only a few rooms, and the first has none."
"Not taking guests on an entire floor must've been a huge loss."
"Well, there were hardly any guests anyway. Maybe a few per week. Aside from the thrill-seekers, probably no regular guests. The ghost rumors tanked business for nearby motels too, and they were all up in arms."
"Surely some unaware passersby stumbled in?"
"You'd think so, right? But when I was there reporting, not just the motel—the whole alley felt permeated with a chill that made you not want to step foot in it. Probably the same for everyone else. That's why the surrounding motels were on the brink of bankruptcy."
Byung-su paused for a moment, then fixed Na-rae with a serious look as she waited eagerly for more.
"The motel owner felt it too. He said the chill was getting worse day by day, and the female ghost's hysteria was intensifying. At first, she seemed in pain. Then sad. And lately, full of resentment and rage. He was terrified."
Dong-jin, who had been listening quietly to Byung-su and Na-rae's conversation, shivered and turned to Byung-su.
"Do you know anything about that Mr. Paeng?"
"Paeng Mu-il, Paeng Mu-i, Paeng Mu-sam, Paeng Mu-sa, Paeng Mu-o, and back to Paeng Mu-il. Didn't you hear the rumors when you were in politics, Reporter Park? The undying man, the man who moves the president at night, the kingmaker pulling the strings of the mafia, and so on."
"I've heard the kingmaker rumors, but since no one knew who he was, I figured it was just a myth. Is Mr. Paeng really Paeng Mu-il?"
Thinking he'd gotten the info he wanted from Byung-su, Dong-jin pressed urgently.
"You're more interested in Mr. Paeng than the motel, huh, Reporter Park. It was about ten years ago. I chased the rumors about him too. Multiple people said he's been around for ages, like it's not one person but a lineage wielding influence across generations."
"Not one person?"
"For one person, the age doesn't add up... Everyone described a young man. Then I heard about a woman close to Mr. Paeng and tried tracking her down. Relationships tend to yield more info than most things."
"And? What happened?"
"She vanished without a trace. Just like Mr. Paeng. Around then, our editor-in-chief Kim got pressure from the fortune-tellers to drop it. Someone powerful was pulling strings. Very powerful..."
"Ah..."
With no more info from Byung-su, a deep sigh escaped Dong-jin's lips.
"But here's what I felt during my investigation: my gut says Mr. Paeng is just one man, not a lineage."
"One man maintaining youth over ages, wielding invisible power?"
"Hard to believe, I know, but that's my instinct. Not just that everyone described him identically—his speech patterns reference past events like he witnessed them himself. If it's one person... he'd be over a hundred."
Dong-jin scratched his head, recalling Mr. Paeng's face.
"He looked like he was in his twenties..."
"Anyway, seems like you should check out the motel that Director Park Young-ho asked about first, before chasing Mr. Paeng."
* * *
"What do we do, sunbae? Director Park Young-ho told us to contact the motel owner here. Said he's a friend."
Na-rae grumbled from the passenger seat as Dong-jin drove.
—I don't have any friend named Young-ho. No need to come see me.
Lee Yu-bin had flatly refused when Dong-jin called after arriving near the motel.
"Yeah. So now what? Wait nearby until Team Leader arrives?"
Byung-su had headed to Mia-ri first, saying he'd bring someone helpful.
Now that the meeting was refused, they needed to find parking right away.
"We can't just park randomly here and wait for Team Leader. Let's pretend to be customers and go inside."
Na-rae widened her already big eyes, and they sparkled so brightly that Dong-jin's heart skipped a beat.
"You and me, going into that motel?"
The motel straight ahead exuded an eerie chill even in broad daylight, stretching into the alley.
The narrow road was deserted, dark and damp in every corner.
As Dong-jin hesitated, a truck suddenly appeared on the empty street behind them and honked.
"If you're going in, go! If not, move your car! What the hell are you doing in the middle of the day?"
The truck driver yelled out his window at the car idling in front of the motel.
"Sunbae, hurry into the parking lot. You're blocking the road."
With Na-rae urging him too, Dong-jin couldn't hesitate anymore and pulled into the motel parking lot.
"Eek! What is that smell? The spiritual energy is no joke."
The moment they stepped out, a foul fishy stench assaulted their noses, making Na-rae wrinkle her face and cry out.
The building itself was emanating the energy.
"We didn't notice in the car, but this smell must spread all the way to the road. No wonder no one's passing by... We're screwed. Even Baek Song-won couldn't save this alley. Right, sunbae?"
"Reporter Eun, Baek Song-won only revives restaurant streets, so of course he can't do motels."
Dong-jin, suddenly tense, strode ahead, and Na-rae ran up, hooking her arm through his.
The soft warmth against his arm flushed Dong-jin's face, leaving him stammering.
"Uh, uh... uh."
Na-rae dragged him into the chilling motel.
"Uh, welcome. Would you like a room?"
Startled by customers who had braved the foul-smelling alley, the counter clerk asked hesitantly.
It was obvious at a glance he wasn't Lee Yu-bin, so Na-rae replied calmly.
"Yes, please."
The clerk fumbled with the key and murmured precautions.
"Take the elevator straight to the seventh floor. No stairs. Absolutely do not come down to this floor. Stay in your room, and if anything happens, use the intercom. Got it?"
"What motel has so many rules? Okay, got it. Let's go, oppa."
Na-rae sassed the clerk, then pulled the stiff Dong-jin toward the elevator.
"First, we'll go up to the seventh and sneak down the stairs to check this floor. Room 204 is probably locked, so just scope the hallway. Take pictures too."
"A, yeah... okay."
As Na-rae unlinked her arm, letting Dong-jin finally speak properly, the elevator doors opened.
The elevator was brightly lit, but a pitch-black fog like darkness pooled on the floor, making it hard to step in.
"Let's go up."
Na-rae boldly pressed the button.
The elevator growled like a beast and began to rise slowly.
It jerked to a stop at the first floor, doors sliding open smoothly.
No one waited outside the open doors.
With spiritual energy permeating the whole motel, it was hard to distinguish the one right in front.
Na-rae tilted her head and pressed the button to close the doors.
A bone-chilling cold flowed in as it started moving again.
The slow-climbing elevator finally reached the seventh floor with a labored groan, doors opening.
Feeling an indescribable chill at his back, Dong-jin instinctively grabbed Na-rae's hand and stepped forward.
The footsteps of the two echoed down the hall.
Their distant destination loomed far away.
"S-sunbae. I..."
Na-rae froze as something gripped her shoulder, barely managing to call out to Dong-jin.
But her voice wouldn't come out.
A woman's soft voice whispered in her ear with icy breath.
"Don't go. You'll die. That man will kill you. Don't go."
Na-rae stopped, and Dong-jin turned back.
Her lips blue, unable to even scream, tears streamed from her wide eyes as she stood frozen.
Behind her, a sad-eyed naked woman placed both hands on Na-rae's slender shoulders.
Na-rae's body stiffened under the overwhelming spiritual pressure she couldn't handle.
"Reporter Eun! Run!"
Dong-jin scooped Na-rae into his arms without a second thought, spun her behind him, and blocked the woman.
Na-rae collapsed, unable to move a step.
The naked woman shook her wounded body and stared blankly at Dong-jin blocking her path, then slowly faded away.
As the woman vanished, Dong-jin scooped up Na-rae from the floor and dashed to room 707, flinging the door open.
In his haste, he dropped her while fumbling the key into the lock with her in his arms.
Only then did Na-rae cry out.
"Ouch!"