Goblin's Lair, Part 3

They bought a carton of the kind of chocolate milk that went straight to your hips from the convenience store on the first floor of Goblin's Lair Building 3 and headed upstairs. It was closer to an office complex where small and medium-sized companies clustered on the outskirts, just a bit removed from the heart of Gangnam. The seventh floor might count as high, but it didn't feel particularly open or clean-sighted. If anything, it seemed oddly stuffy. Not that anyone hunting for an office would care much about the view out the windows anyway.

"The location's great. The roads are straight and access is a breeze."

"You think? I don't know, it just doesn't click for me. Maybe because it's surrounded by all these tall buildings—no sense of openness."

They passed down the hallway, through a large automatic door, and into the empty space. Seo-ah could see why Hyeon-a and her father had their eyes on this building. It hadn't been forcibly partitioned with flimsy walls, leaving it wide and spacious. It would work fine as a single workspace, and splitting it between upper and lower floors could easily accommodate a studio too. They weren't planning to practice dancing and singing all day like real idols, after all.

"I love the location, but... what do you think? Any ghosts?"

"Come on, sis. Ghosts aren't real. This isn't some abandoned haunted house with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no one around."

"Right?"

"Ghosts show up in dark, stuffy places blocked on all sides. Don't worry about it—let's check out the other spots."

"Okay."

Seo-ah played it casual, but truth be told, she'd been feeling eyes on her from somewhere since ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠earlier. Not like a typical ghost, though—more like a tiger lazily prowling right beside her, utterly indifferent. Some natural formation was wandering the building freely, but it didn't seem harmful, so she was just observing for now. No need to poke at it first.

"Over here. They even built a dedicated company elevator."

"A private one? Nicely done."

"They said they tore down the old building because it was crumbling and rebuilt recently. Made the walls extra thick and solid to kill interlayer noise too."

"And this place went cheap?"

"That's why the goblin haunt rumors started."

That explained why the walls looked unusually thick, but the ominous vibe still felt overblown. Maybe they'd rebuilt partly because the building was tainted with negative energy. They went down to the lower floors to check the space for the studio. Once the contract was signed, one area would become the studio, and another a soundproofed broadcasting room. They'd mostly stream from home, but company support would be quicker if needed.

"Heard there's a ton of DDoS attacks targeting streamers these days. Planning to run multiple internet lines and hook 'em up."

"That's gonna cost a fortune."

"It's company welfare, right? Even got rest areas for late-night streamers to crash."

As Hyeon-a chattered excitedly about her idol practice room ambitions, Seo-ah mentally sketched it out. Looked like she was cherry-picking the best from her father's entertainment company spaces. It gave off a vibe of a company with few blind spots for exploiting employees.

Seo-ah trailed her fingers along the thick walls, probing the odd sensation.

"What's up?"

"Nah, just thinking you'd never see a ghost here in your lifetime."

"What does that even mean?"

"You'll see."

She grinned, genuinely pleased for once, at Hyeon-a's slightly anxious look. Even with a furrowed brow, her pretty face stayed cute.

"Spit it out properly."

"Sis, let's check the bathroom. Water pressure's the real key, after all."

"Hey!"

At the dead center of every wall, threads stretched straight in before twisting and fraying into haze. It felt just like one of Shaman Grandmother's painstakingly crafted talismans from her shrine. Time it right with the ink, and you could ward off stray spirits or even decent ghosts. Depending on the use, it could blind spirits to humans too. Not up to a grand shaman's level, but an effective folk remedy nonetheless.

"Sis, what's that over there?"

"That room? Used to be a pantry. Why?"

"Just... it's a separate room in such a big space. Be right back—bathroom."

"Sure."

While checking the water pressure—a routine test—Seo-ah slipped into the room that had been watching her. Was it a dokkaebi, the kind that rewarded or banished based on its whims? Curiosity piqued, she opened the door. It glided smoothly, well-oiled, without a squeak.

The sink in the corner caught her eye first, then the reasonably sized space. And in the corner, all alone, stood a little girl. Girl-shaped, anyway—but as the so-called goblin, gender probably meant nothing.

"Hi?"

-Grrr...

She raised a hand in greeting, but the tiger beside her snorted pointedly. Whether it meant "don't run from her words, answer properly," who knew—but after a staring contest, the other side looked away first.

"Can you see me, sis?"

"Yeah."

"Weird... you're no shaman or descended immortal."

With a spirit-mount like an immortal's right beside her, it must figure her for something special, scanning her up and down. Not a trace of wariness or suspicion—just pure childlike curiosity and mischief.

"Lived here a long time, huh? Heard you show up a lot, so I came."

"Ages. Born back when someone buried an object soaked in blood."

"Object?"

"Dunno. Was buried before folks even wore proper clothes like now."

"Got it."

Older than her by far—maybe even predating the nation itself. Sure, Gangnam was fields back then, but now? Everything's dug up—no buried artifacts left.

"Must've pulled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a lot of pranks by now."

"Not pranks... I come out for favors, but they never listen—just run. So I took this kid form, the one humans like best."

"Ah."

It flashed its true form briefly—anyone seeing that outright would faint or flee unless they had nerves of steel. Hate to say it, but it matched the demons Western exorcists hunted: twisted hell-spawn, less animal than infernal abomination. Even she found it a bit...

"Sis, can you grant my favor?"

Reading her face, the goblin shifted back to a child's thick voice.

Grant it, and it'd shower great fortune on anyone entering. The buried thing had worn away to nothing, fading its own existence—fix it somehow.

"...Huh?"

First one to boldly demand "fix it" without suggesting how.

"Hey! What're you doing?"

"Coming, sis."

Snapping out of her bafflement at Hyeon-a's call, she turned. Satisfied it'd spilled everything, it vanished meekly—but ignoring it might mean blood later for entrants. Not her business, but Hyeon-a clearly wanted this place. They weren't distant; one of her few friends, decent enough. Plus old memories of sneaking into her place for sleepovers during fake runaways. Help received meant help given—that was the way.

"Anything in there?"

"Nah. Thought it'd make a good bedroom. Sink and all—like a perfect studio apartment."

"You're not planning to crash here, right?"

"What? I got my own place now."

They giggled over the memory. Not that high up, so habit took them down the stairs. Excluding the half-commercial first and second floors, the building was basically empty. Some offices had signs, but lights out—unclear if occupied.

"Definitely quiet here. Barely any people."

"That's why I want it. Post guards at the entrance, and sasaeng fans won't barge in easy."

"Hm..."

"You saw a ghost earlier, didn't you?"

"Who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠knows."

"Seriously, don't scare me!"

A light smack on the back—maybe mild PTSD from past run-ins.

They headed underground to the car and drove to Hyeon-a's place. Midway, they loaded up on booze and snacks, then drank and partied hard in the penthouse.

Those folks had more pull than expected—hit Dad, now Mom too. Perfect timing while mulling options; time to rake in their cash. Looked like the goblin would deliver riches already.