Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 075
Chapter Title: Evil Ghost Baek Dong-su (4)
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After Il-han stopped by, she hadn't been bothered by sleep paralysis again.
Byung-su and Dong-jin were so busy they hadn't shown up at the office, and they were even ignoring the texts she'd sent a few days ago.
Today, she'd taken a personal day off and was finally able to rest.
'See? A house full of yang energy really keeps the ghosts away.'
Eun Na-rae was impressed with Il-han.
[This is the kind of story that'd go in one of your articles!]
She recalled Il-han muttering that as he stuffed cigarette butts and a soju glass into a plastic bag before leaving.
'Why'd he take the soju glass, though? To compare it with my DNA?'
She had no idea.
'Anyway, he said the DNA results would take about three days, so they should be out today, right? But I saw on TV that the metro investigation unit's been swamped lately... Did I put him out by asking?'
She felt guilty knowing that the unit Il-han worked for was handling the investigation into last week's Dae-seong University Hospital disaster.
'Next time, I'll buy him a proper meal.'
As she rode the elevator down to buy cigarettes, her phone rang. It was Il-han.
—Hey! What the hell is going on with you?
Il-han yelled right off the bat.
Stunned by his shouting, Na-rae shot back.
"What? You have to explain it so I can understand. What's wrong? Why are you yelling?"
She pressed him, and he calmed down, speaking more gently.
—The results are in.
"Oh, so you yelled because the results came back? What'd they say?"
Curious, she asked, but Il-han threw out something unexpected.
—It's the evil ghost.
Na-rae, not grasping what he meant, asked again.
"Evil ghost? A ghost?"
—No, a person.
His curt replies were starting to grate on her nerves.
'Even if it's just one thing, explain it properly so I get it. This isn't twenty questions.'
Na-rae asked again.
"No way a person's named Evil Ghost. It's a nickname, right?"
This time, he gave a slightly longer answer.
—Yeah. He's the enforcer for the Devil Crew operating out of Teheran-ro, based around Seolleung Station.
Her curiosity still unsatisfied, Na-rae started getting frustrated.
Her tone rose bit by bit.
"What's the Devil Crew? And why? Did his DNA show up in my apartment?"
She was burning with questions, but Il-han turned it back on her.
—That's what I want to know, you idiot! Who the hell have you been hanging out with lately?
Na-rae swallowed her rising irritation and answered his question first.
"Nobody. Work, home, sleep. Wake up, work. That's it."
She wanted answers, but he asked another question.
—So why was the evil ghost in your place?
'That's what I've been trying to ask, you jerk.'
Na-rae had plenty she wanted to say, but decided to hold back for now.
"How should I know? Maybe he was breaking in?"
—Not some petty thief. He's smart—doesn't touch civilians who aren't involved. And he's at Gangnam Hospital right now.
"He got hurt?"
The word "hospital" made her blurt it out without thinking.
Il-han firmly denied her guess.
—No, he's dead. Car accident. Instant death. His address is on Teheran-ro, but the accident was right near your place. No family, so the Devil Crew picked him up yesterday, I guess. Hmm, time of death was Thursday night at 11 p.m.?
"Huh? What? I was at the hospital with you then, since you called me. I wasn't home. The guy I saw smoking outside the officetel was Saturday morning. What the...? This is creepy."
—I'm swamped right now, can't talk long. We've had Baek Dong-su on our radar lately too. I'll swing by after work.
Only then did Il-han remember that Na-rae hadn't been home Thursday night.
'Something's off. The pieces don't fit.'
He figured he'd better stop by her officetel late tonight.
"Hey, what'd you just say?"
Na-rae suddenly shouted.
'Jeez! I said I'd come over—why yell?'
Whenever she raised her voice, he'd speak softly.
That was their dynamic.
—I said I'd drop by after.
Na-rae asked even louder.
"No, not that. The name!"
Caught off guard, Il-han stammered.
—Name? Mine? Or Dong-su's? Baek Dong-su?
"Yeah, that's it. Dong-su. How old?"
She'd gotten the answer she wanted, so her tone softened a bit.
She seemed to know the gangster Dong-su, so Il-han pressed her in turn.
—Why? You know him? Thirty-five. You know Dong-su? Is that why he was at your place? You two dating?
Having gotten what she wanted, Na-rae ignored his questions and said her piece.
"Shut up! You better come by later, got it?"
To her shout, he replied.
—Got it.
As Na-rae was about to end the call, Il-han stopped her.
—Hey, Na-rae.
"Yeah? What?"
—I tested the soju glass too. Two DNAs came up on it. But the human one was just yours.
"Well, it's my glass, so... Wait, two?"
Mid-reply, Na-rae remembered the woman named Ran who'd drunk from her glass.
'Ran, Ran... I've heard that name... Oh, right! Rosen! Ran's Rosen's sister! The one who carved the talisman on Rosen at the lodge! But why me?'
As she thought of Ran, Il-han continued.
—The other one only matches human genes by 98 percent. No clue what that means. Who the hell are you hanging out with?
Na-rae recalled the Dokkaebi elder saying Rosen wasn't human.
"98 percent? That's worse than a chimp. Test must be wrong. Haha."
Na-rae forced a laugh, pretending it was nothing, and ended the call.
"Just like the Dokkaebi grandpa said—not human. But why'd she come to me? Is Rosen okay?"
Thinking of Rosen's golden hair, Na-rae didn't see Ran as a threat.
Her gaze, paused from the call with Il-han, landed on Seol-mi sitting under the parasol in front of the convenience store.
'Seol-mi said her husband's name was Dong-su...'
Not certain yet, she decided not to mention Dong-su.
She bought cigarettes at the store and sat next to Seol-mi.
Somehow, despite not being able to see, Seol-mi bowed her head in greeting.
"Hello, Na-rae. Not working today?"
Amazed that she'd recognized her and greeted so cheerfully, Na-rae asked.
"How'd you know it was me?"
Seol-mi smiled and replied.
"I can make out shapes. And you're the only one who'd sit next to me."
Now that she thought about it, it made perfect sense.
Na-rae felt bad for assuming someone disabled wouldn't know.
Seol-mi's bright face today made it hard to gauge her situation, so Na-rae probed gently.
"Did you... report him missing?"
Seol-mi nodded, her voice upbeat.
"I took a taxi to the station. They said I need proof I'm family. But if he doesn't come back in a few days, they'll check then."
'They're beating around the bush about missing persons reports being tricky. Does she know?'
"Your husband's... last name? Got a photo? How old is he? If I see him around, I'll let you know."
To confirm if Il-han's Baek Dong-su was Seol-mi's husband, she quickly ran through the checklist.
"Thanks. You can see, so... Baek Dong-su. He's thirty-five. Photo's my phone wallpaper—my husband set it."
Seol-mi pulled her phone from her cardigan pocket and showed Na-rae.
A man with deep, clear eyes smiled brightly next to Seol-mi, looking delighted.
"Your eyes look alike. Really pretty eyes."
Na-rae smiled, but her heart grew heavy.
'Baek Dong-su, thirty-five.'
* * *
Unable to bear the heaviness and frustration in her chest, Na-rae changed clothes and headed to the Gangnam Hospital morgue.
With the Dae-seong University Hospital disaster just days ago, and it being daytime, the morgue wasn't crowded.
Baek Dong-su's altar room, though, was packed with men in black suits who looked right at home.
The chief mourner was a slight middle-aged man.
The portrait photo showed the man smiling brightly even here.
After lighting incense, bowing, and exchanging bows with the chief mourner, Na-rae expressed her condolences and left.
The chief mourner followed her out and urged her to eat.
"Dong-su was an orphan—no one else comes but the guys he worked with. I don't know your relation, but please stay for a bite. It'll be less lonely."
"No girlfriend?"
Na-rae sat as he insisted and asked.
The man stared at her silently for a moment, then spoke quietly.
"Dong-su didn't want her to know. I don't know who you are, but please don't tell his wife for a while. I'm begging you. I'll meet her myself later."
'Instant death, but he left a message? Sounds like he knows Seol-mi. Why keep it from her?'
Na-rae, not understanding, asked.
"Why tell me this? Do you think I know Dong-su's wife?"
"Yes, I do."
His words were short, but his tone firm.
* * *
Late that night, Il-han came to Na-rae's officetel.
He looked beat from a long day.
"What? You went to the morgue?"
Il-han freaked out hearing she'd visited Baek Dong-su's altar.
"Are you nuts? That's Gangnam precinct and Seoul PD turf right now. War's about to break out between the gangs, and you waltz in? What's your deal with evil ghost Dong-su?"
Caught off guard by Il-han's scolding, Na-rae explained.
"No, listen. You saw that woman waiting for her husband by the convenience store Sunday? Her husband's Baek Dong-su. Went to confirm. But the chief mourner acted like he knew me and said not to tell the wife for a bit."
Il-han nodded at her story.
"Makes sense."
"What makes sense?"
"Everything. You and the Devil Crew."
Il-han pegged the middle-aged chief mourner as the Devil Crew boss.
To satisfy Na-rae's curiosity, Il-han explained about Devil Crew boss Bang Il-seok and enforcer evil ghost Baek Dong-su.
* * *
Devil Crew boss Bang Il-seok and enforcer evil ghost Dong-su go back over twenty years.
Devil got his nickname for being uncannily good at gambling, evil ghost for fighting like a demon.
There used to be another mid-level boss in the Devil Crew, called Glutton for his greed.
Glutton split off and now runs his own loan shark office on Teheran-ro independently.
Lately, he's been doing M&A and investments targeting IT firms, but anyway, he's fully independent.
So folks don't count him as Devil Crew anymore.
The Devil Crew runs gambling dens and arcades along Teheran-ro from Seolleung to Samseong Station.
Recently, they've got cyber gambling servers overseas too.
Next door, bad blood with the Nosehair Crew based in Yeoksam and Gangnam.
Their boss is Kim Hyeong-sik—grows a mustache, hence Nosehair.
He's known for being filthy in looks and deeds.
While Devil Crew does gambling and arcades, Nosehair's into bars, massages, nightclubs, prostitution, drug trafficking—different operations.
Seemed no overlap, but like water and oil, they clashed constantly, mutual disdain.
One side scoffs at pimps and drug dealers, the other at loan-shark gamblers.
Strictly speaking, Nosehair's greed to expand into Teheran-ro bars sparked most conflicts.
Nosehair has way more guys, but evil ghost Dong-su blocks their Teheran-ro push.
Then recently, the Devil Crew's cyber gambling and arcade frontman, Pig, defected to Nosehair.