The Used Car Lot of Lost Souls
It’s been exactly one week since I returned from the Damyang Abandoned Hospital.
In other words, it’s been exactly one week since I last turned on my stream.
Consistency is the lifeblood of streaming. I know that in my head. But my body just wouldn't move. Or rather, I didn't feel the necessity to move.
“Whoa.”
A smile spread across my face the moment I checked the number on my phone screen.
The revenue from the last collaborative stream alone exceeded 200 million won. Roughly 200 million was my "hazard pay," and the rest was donations from viewers. Honestly, it feels a bit low for the price of my life, but...
Buzz!
Just as my thoughts were spiraling, my phone vibrated briefly.
The person who sent the message was Yarina, whom I’d grown close to after the collab.
I replied immediately since I’d already seen the notification.
Buzz! Buzz!
“Haa.”
As the vibration continued, I let out a short sigh and reluctantly answered.
“...Hello? Mr. Jinwoo?”
As soon as I picked up, I heard Yarina’s trembling voice.
“Yes.”
“What if something like that happens again? Would it be okay if I went to see a famous shaman or something?”
“That won’t happen again.”
“But you never know...”
Is this what they call a 'person who only wants to hear what they want to hear'?
“Ms. Yarina, listen closely.”
I lowered my voice.
“You’ve heard the saying, ‘When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes into you,’ right? Stop thinking about what happened at Damyang Hospital. If you keep obsessing over ghosts, they’ll start obsessing over you, too. So, if you stop with the wild imagination, there won’t be any problems. I’m hanging up now.”
I hung up before she could even answer.
“What a pain.”
This wasn't the first time I’d had a call like this. It wasn't just Yarina; a lot of people had been contacting me since the collab. Messages poured in every night, and they’d freak out over the slightest noise, asking if it was a ghost. I’d responded kindly at first, but that only lasts so long. Honestly, it’s just too annoying.
Buzz!
Look at this. Even Lee Junhyeok, who once asked me how to fix a coordinate system for a ghost, sends me photos of crosses and talismans every single day.
But as I sent the reply, a thought occurred to me.
“Wait a minute.”
No matter what I say, these people are so anxious they want to cling to something. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be much more rational for them to pay an expert who actually chased away an evil spirit at Damyang Hospital, rather than buying crosses or talismans? If I just gathered them periodically and recited some prayers, they’d never suspect a thing.
“Is, is this the ‘passive income’ I’ve only heard about...?”
Just as I was marveling at this grand realization—
“Oppa, are you the devil?”
Jina, who was sitting next to me, frowned and made a face. They say blood is thicker than water; she’d figured out my business model in an instant.
“Jina, even if you love your brother, you have to respect my privacy. Why are you eavesdropping on my calls?”
“Then should I go to Mom and Dad’s room instead?”
I shut my mouth, feeling like she’d hit the nail on the head. There’s no such thing as privacy in this cramped house anyway.
“Anyway, what are you going to buy when the donation money comes in next month?”
“Hmm.”
I fell into a brief contemplation. 200 million won is definitely a significant amount. Making hundreds of millions in a single collab is a massive hit by any standard. But the problem is that 200 million isn’t nearly enough. To find a decent house for a family of four, a jeonse deposit is at least 500 million. Even for a monthly rental, you need tens of millions for the deposit. Does that even make sense?
‘If they’d just thought I was dead, their situation would be better than it is now.’
I was reminded once again of how incredible my parents are. Anyway, moving right now is impossible.
“Wouldn’t it be right to start by buying a decent car? It’s inconvenient to use public transportation every time.”
“True.”
Jina nodded in agreement as I reached a conclusion after much thought.
“So, what kind of car are you going to buy?”
“Hmm. We’ll have to think about it together.”
I closed the streaming app, opened the internet, and typed ‘decent car’ into the search bar. Jina leaned in close to look at the screen.
“How about this? It says SUV.”
“Hmm, I don’t really know.”
I scrolled through, looking at this and that, but honestly, I had no idea what made a car ‘good.’
“Oppa, isn’t your search term wrong?”
“Then what should I search for?”
“Recommendations for cars for new professionals?”
“...You’re smart. Jina, you have to go to college. You’re the hope of this family!”
Unlike the first search, this one yielded much more specific information. Lists of recommendations by price range, maintenance cost comparisons, and even models suitable for beginner drivers. We sat side-by-side, examining the cars on the screen one by one.
“Oppa, doesn’t it say this one is better?”
“I don’t know.”
But despite the abundance of information, I still couldn’t grasp what made one better than another.
“Don’t men like cars? Why do you know nothing, Oppa?”
“If you spent 10 years rolling around in another world, you wouldn’t even remember the faces of your favorite idol group either.”
“...I wouldn’t forget my Oppas.”
Yeah, right.
I looked at the screen again. The price ranges were all over the place, and I didn’t understand a single thing about the options.
“Oppa, wouldn’t it be fine if it’s a reasonable price and doesn’t break down?”
“So what is ‘reasonable’?”
“Should we ask Dad when he gets home?”
Dad would definitely recommend a reasonable car. But I shook my head.
I hadn’t told them I was streaming or that I’d made money yet, so asking to buy a car out of the blue didn’t make sense in terms of sequence.
“If we’re going to ask, we have to reveal the streaming part first.”
“That’s true, too.”
Jina nodded at my explanation. That was when—
“Ah!”
Jina suddenly shrieked and grabbed my arm.
“Oppa, Oppa! You can just ask the people!”
“Who? I don’t know anyone.”
Streamers popped into my head for a second, but I didn’t want to ask them. I had a feeling that if they were annoying now, they’d be even more annoying later.
“Let’s ask the viewers! Collective intelligence!”
“What!”
As expected, the last hope of our family! Like Jina said, if I asked the viewers, it would be a problem solved in no time.
Title: Taking car recommendations
Even though I turned on the stream after a week without any notice, the viewer count rose quickly.
“Don’t spam the chat, it’s lagging. I’m planning to buy a car when the donation settlement comes in next month. Can you guys recommend something decent?”
Budget, huh...
Since I’m at a point where I need to save every penny, investing too much in a car is impossible.
“Well, I can’t spend too much, just recommend something decent to drive.”
“License? I don’t have one. But I can get one quickly.”
As I chatted with the viewers, the dominant opinion was to decide between a new car and a used car first. The 'New Car' faction argued that since I’d received a lot of donations, I should buy something proper. The 'Used Car' faction argued that since I didn’t even have a license, I should drive a used car for a year or two and then switch later.
‘The used car route seems more rational.’
After hearing the explanations, my interest leaned toward used cars.
“If I say I’m buying a used car, what should I get? I know nothing about cars.”
“20 million is fine. Then a Sorento?”
“Oh, really? Then should I buy that?”
“That sounds decent, too.”
I stared blankly at the screen for a moment before opening my mouth.
“So you’re telling me to add a little more money and buy a Lamborghini Urus? Are you guys crazy?”
“Pfft...”
“Kick all the trolls.”
Even though I borrowed collective intelligence, I didn’t get a proper answer. Just as I was about to turn off the stream in betrayal—
“Yeah, that’s better.”
It was simple, but the most realistic advice. Once I take off the streamer title, I’m just an unemployed guy, so I have plenty of time. I turned off the stream and opened the internet to search for a used car dealership near my house.
“Why are so many tabs open?”
I started closing the internet windows on my phone one by one, until—
[Marbas - One of the 72 Demons of Solomon]
I couldn’t take my eyes off the last tab for a while. Actually, there were only two things I’d done while lazing around at home for the past week: dopamine-dumping while watching the donation money, and ruminating on the last words the evil spirit left behind.
‘Marbas.’
I’d scoured the internet, but all I got was superficial information. Marbas is a demon, a being from mythology. Nothing more, nothing less. But aren’t I living proof that gods exist? It wouldn’t be strange if a mythological demon existed somewhere on Earth. Well, it’s not like there’s anything I can do about it right now. I don’t even know how to respond, so what’s the point of worrying?
‘I’ll just think about it slowly.’
I closed the last tab and typed ‘used car dealership’ into the search bar.
“Closer than I thought?”
A used car dealership about 20 minutes away by bus. ‘How much is left on my transit card?’ I didn’t have anything to do right now, so it wouldn’t be bad to go right away.
“Want to come with me?”
“You go alone today, Oppa.”
“Huh?”
It was the first time she’d refused, so I stared at her intently. Jina waved her hand and lay back.
“I’m tired.”
True, even if some time had passed, she’d gone through that at Damyang Hospital, so she must be tired.
“Alright, get some rest. I’ll be back soon.”
I nodded, grabbed my coat, and stepped out of the house.
“Student.”
“...Are you really a student?”
“I’m an elementary school graduate.”
The bus stop was near the house, so I headed straight to the used car dealership. After arriving at my destination and getting off the bus, my view opened up.
“That’s it.”
The stop I got off at was halfway up a hill, so the used car dealership spread out below caught my eye at once. But looking down, I think I understand why used cars are called used cars. Cars packed tightly into a large vacant lot. And the things flickering between those cars.
I walked down the hill, scanning the cars one by one. A white SUV that looked fine. But there was a vengeful spirit tied to it, half its body stuck in the front bumper, unable to move. ‘Someone must have hit a person, replaced the bumper, and sold it.’
I turned my gaze to the side. A neatly maintained black sedan appeared. A female vengeful spirit was hanging there, her face pressed against the passenger window. “Side collision? The glass must have been replaced.”
I walked a little further and saw a shiny silver compact car. The vengeful spirit was hanging limply, its neck broken near the trunk. “Wow, it’s dynamic.”
Now that I see it, it wasn’t a used car dealership; it was a vengeful spirit exhibition hall.
“Used cars are out of the... Huh?”
While looking around at the spirits, a thought suddenly occurred to me. The evil spirit I saw at Damyang Hospital. That thing could manipulate pens at will. If so, couldn’t I make these spirits drive the cars since they’re already tied to them? No license needed, no worries about drowsy driving—the perfect autonomous driving.
“...Should I try it while I’m at it, instead of just exorcising them?”
I absolutely have no ulterior motives.
“If any of you spirits can drive, raise your hand.”
Really.