[The Ledger of Sins]
Happiness isn't something that's far away.
It’s being warm, full, and staring blankly at the ceiling without a single thought in your head.
That is true happiness.
“Ugh, this is the life.”
11:00 AM.
The time when everyone else is fiercely working or studying.
But I was one with the floor, rolling around with all my might.
My parents had left for work ages ago, and Jina had gone to school.
So, the only thing in the house was the warm sunlight streaming through the window.
How long had it been since I felt this kind of peace?
“Money really is great.”
The profit I made from the Taebaeksan expedition was quite substantial. I’d earned enough that I wouldn't need to turn on my stream for a while.
“I want to become one with the floor like this forever...!”
Just as I was savoring the aesthetics of being a bum and enjoying the peace,
Bzzzt—!
The phone I’d tossed on the floor vibrated briefly.
“Is it Jina?”
It’s sad, but the only person who would contact me is my sister.
However, when I checked the phone, the sender was Juttak.
It was Kim Hyungseok.
Is this guy unemployed?
No, wait, he said he was a rich unemployed guy.
I sent a reply while still lying down.
As soon as I sent the dry reply, messages followed as if he’d been waiting.
Ah, that.
I sat up and moved my fingers.
That’s a relief.
I stared at the phone screen for a moment, then looked up at the blue sky outside the window.
The small jars buried in the ground of the Taebaeksan shrine.
Children who were never born into this world, children who were abandoned in the darkness without ever seeing a single ray of light.
That’s why I asked him.
Instead of burying them in a sunny spot, I asked him to scatter them in the sea.
They don't need tombstones or graves.
They only need freedom.
I tried to end the conversation there and become one with the floor again. But Kim Hyungseok hesitated before sending another message.
“Ledger?”
Ah, I remembered.
That leather notebook that came out of the shrine’s safe.
I’d opened it briefly and saw names like corporate chairmen and assemblymen, but it was tedious to read and the writing was dense, so I’d just tossed it to Kim Hyungseok.
Honestly, it was no different from dumping trash on him. To me, going home and sleeping was more important than that ledger.
‘Is there something in the ledger?’
Curiosity piqued, I sent a reply.
My brow furrowed as I read the message.
I could smell the scent of trouble from a mile away.
My intuition from 10 years in another world was warning me.
The moment I heard this, I’d be dragged into something exhausting.
‘Should I just tell him to throw it away?’
But my fingers, poised to reply, hesitated.
For one thing, Kim Hyungseok is the biggest sponsor of my stream.
Isn't he the VVIP sucker who dropped 50 million won on the spot?
It wouldn't be good business to turn away a benefactor who wants to come and report something in person.
Besides, I was bored.
Being a bum is the best, but I was getting restless from doing absolutely nothing.
“Sigh, is this my fate too?”
It’s annoying, but whatever, I’ll just go get a free cup of coffee.
Thinking that, I washed up and went to a cafe near my house, but...
“Gallery Master! Over here!”
“...When did you get here?”
“Haha, how could I keep the Gallery Master waiting?”
Surprisingly, when I arrived at the cafe, Kim Hyungseok had already grabbed a seat and even prepared the drinks.
He really is a bit of a freak.
“How long have you been waiting?”
I asked as I sat down, and Kim Hyungseok pulled a black leather ledger from his coat and placed it on the table as if that wasn't important.
“Gallery Master, here it is.”
“Right, did you find something?”
“It’s massive.”
Kim Hyungseok started explaining, spitting as he spoke.
“Former ministers, chairmen of major corporations, even high-ranking officials in the prosecution and police... They were all customers of that shaman woman, Park Chunja.”
“Is that so? She was doing good business.”
“That’s not all! Contract killings, eliminating competitors, all sorts of illegal activities were carried out through sorcery. This isn't just simple corruption. It’s evidence of a massive cartel shaking South Korea!”
Kim Hyungseok, who had been raising his voice, glanced around briefly before leaning forward and whispering.
“And Park Chunja was just the tail. There’s a real monster hiding behind this!”
He looked like he was expecting me to finally jump up and say it was time to act.
But I stifled a yawn and rested my chin on my hand.
“So?”
“...Excuse me?”
“It just means bad guys got together and did bad things. So what? Is that the first time something like that has happened in the world?”
At my indifferent reaction, Kim Hyungseok seemed flustered and stammered.
“B-but Gallery Master. If we leave it like this, there will be more victims!”
“Juttak.”
I took a sip of coffee and said,
“It’s unfortunate, it’s pitiful.”
“If so...!”
“But what does that have to do with me?”
“......”
Kim Hyungseok’s jaw dropped at my words.
He had a look on his face that suggested he didn't understand what I was saying.
“Do I have to help everyone just because it’s pitiful? Then what about the kids starving to death in Africa? What about the people dying on the battlefield? Do you go and empty your entire bank account to help them every time you see them?”
“Th-that’s...”
“It’s not, right? You just watch the news, click your tongue once, and say, ‘Oh, that’s too bad.’ I’m the same.”
By the way, this place brews good coffee.
“Whether they die by curse, accident, or starvation, the world is already overflowing with unfortunate events. If I paid attention to every single one of them, when would I ever rest? I have to live my own life too.”
I didn't say it coldly just because I was annoyed.
It’s just because I’m only human, too.
“B-but you have the power, Gallery Master! The power to judge those devilish bastards...!”
“Do I have to do it just because I have the power? Then you should donate all your assets to help and save people, too.”
“That’s beyond my ability...”
“Right? It’s the same for me.”
I pushed the ledger away with my finger. Kim Hyungseok stared at me blankly, as if he’d been shocked.
“You might see me as some great person, but that’s not it.”
I don't care if he’s disappointed.
I’m not a hero, anyway.
“Thanks for the coffee. You can throw the ledger away or do whatever you want with it.”
But looking at the ledger, I suddenly got curious.
“By the way, how much did they get paid to kill people and stuff?”
“It varies by case. From as little as 300 million won to as much as 1 to 1.5 billion won.”
“What!”
I almost spat out my coffee at the amount that made me gasp.
1 billion? 1.5 billion?
I only got 50 million won while having my soul sliced by a sword by some guy who called himself a general!
No matter how I think about it, this is too unfair.
“Juttak.”
“...Yes.”
“They don't pay taxes on that, right?”
“Excuse me?”
As someone in the same industry, shouldn't we maintain professional ethics?
And if you think about it calmly, they are competitors.
To become the best in the industry, eliminating competitors is the natural order of things.
...Well, that was just a plausible excuse I made up, but anyway.
“This won’t do.”
“Gallery Master...!”
“Don't get the wrong idea. It’s just because I don't like them.”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I scratched my head and continued calmly.
“But wasn't there anything else in the ledger?”
“Uh, it says they pay tribute to a place called the Root and offer sacrifices to a guy called the Black Official...”
In the end, all that was written in the ledger were names.
There wasn't any particularly useful information.
“There’s nothing helpful in there?”
When I showed my disappointment, Kim Hyungseok hurriedly added,
“How about we go and ask the people written in the ledger ourselves? With your abilities, Gallery Master, you could easily subdue them and get a confession, couldn't you?”
“Didn't you say that shaman was just the tail? Do you think they’d know anything?”
“Th-that’s true, but...”
Kim Hyungseok agonized for a moment before cautiously offering another opinion.
“Then, shall we hire a private investigation agency or a detective office? I’ll pay for it.”
“A private investigation agency?”
“Yes. They’re experts at finding people.”
Experts, huh.
They might indeed be fast at digging up information in the shadows.
But could a private investigation agency find the Root or the Black Official or whatever?
I don't know.
If a mere investigation agency tried to mess with them, they’d be buried without a trace. They said the names in the ledger were a cartel that controlled South Korea.
Besides, what if they got caught while digging into the background?
The other side would track down the client, and then we’d be exposed.
So, we need someone who is an expert at finding people, but who moves not for money, but for a sense of duty.
Someone who can find people legally and dig into the background more persistently than anyone else.
Thinking this far, a face suddenly flashed through my mind.
That detective who didn't trust me at first but eventually believed my words and bought the unicorn doll.
He’s stubborn, but that’s why he’s someone I can trust and rely on.
“I think there’s someone who can help.”
“Yes? Who is it?”
“There’s a civil servant guy. He’s an expert at finding people.”
I took out my phone and searched my contacts.
[Detective Lee Jintae]
This is why you can’t ignore fate.
“Hoo...”
Lee Jintae exhaled cigarette smoke through the half-open window and watched the entrance of a shabby pool hall.
At that moment, Detective Kim, sitting in the passenger seat, whispered low.
“He’s out.”
Soon, the door to the pool hall opened, and a large man walked out with a swagger.
Park Jongsu.
Ten years ago, he was a guy who ran illegal gambling dens around Incheon.
“Verify it.”
At Lee Jintae’s words, Detective Kim zoomed in with the camera. Then, Park Jongsu’s face was captured clearly through the lens.
Under his left eye, a 5cm scar that wiggled like an earthworm.
And his right hand, holding a cigarette, with the tip of his pinky finger missing.
‘...It matches.’
Lee Jintae, who confirmed Park Jongsu on camera, gripped the steering wheel tightly. He had finally found the suspect that matched the last words left by the vengeful spirit a few weeks ago.
‘That guy is the culprit.’
The moment he confirmed the guy’s face, his detective’s intuition shouted.
That bastard is the culprit.
That bastard killed that young student and shoved her into the wall.
But Lee Jintae couldn't open the car door.
He’d found the culprit, but the problem was evidence.
According to principles, he had to find evidence and identify the suspect. But this time, the order was reversed.
He’d learned the culprit first through the testimony of a vengeful spirit, and now he was in a situation where he had to piece together evidence to match it.
It was called an investigation, but it was like stealing the answer sheet to solve the problem.
Tell the prosecutor, ‘A ghost told me,’ without any physical evidence?
He’d be stripped of his badge and sent to a mental hospital immediately.
The culprit is right in front of his eyes, but he can’t put handcuffs on him.
‘Should I just shoot him?’
Just as that sense of helplessness was burning Lee Jintae’s insides black,
Bzzzt—!
The phone on the dashboard vibrated.
Lee Jintae’s eyebrows twitched when he saw the caller’s name on the screen.
[Kang Jinwoo]
‘...Why did he call?’
Lee Jintae stared at the phone for a moment.
In fact, since the abandoned motel incident, he had been secretly watching Kang Jinwoo’s stream.
Of course, he wasn't the only one. All the detectives who witnessed the miracle that day were implicitly watching Kang Jinwoo’s stream.
‘Don't tell me, did he find out something more about Park Jongsu? Like the place where the evidence is buried?’
Lee Jintae signaled Detective Kim to be quiet and answered the phone.
“Hello? Is this Kang Jinwoo?”
“Mister, are you busy?”
“No, what’s going on?”
Expectation crept into his voice without him realizing it.
Wondering if he’d found a clue to the abandoned motel incident.
But the answer from the other side of the receiver was out of the blue.
“It’s nothing else, but I think I need your help, so I called.”
His spirits plummeted.
At the same time, a hollow laugh escaped him.
Yeah, a police officer expecting an investigation from a streamer who sees ghosts.
I’ve really hit rock bottom.
“My help?”
“You’re an expert at finding people, right?”
Finding people?
Lee Jintae’s eyes sharpened.
If Kang Jinwoo, who showed him that miracle, went out of his way to contact him directly, it wouldn't be an ordinary matter.
“Who are you looking for? Is it a criminal?”
“Let’s meet and talk. It’s not something to talk about over the phone.”
“Understood. Please give me the address.”
Lee Jintae scribbled the address on a notepad and hung up. Then he said to Detective Kim,
“Detective Kim, keep watching here. I’m going out for a moment.”
“Yes? Where are you going? It’s not time for the shift change yet.”
“To meet an important informant.”
Lee Jintae moved to the address Kang Jinwoo had given him.
‘This is it.’
When he opened the door and entered, he saw Kang Jinwoo sitting in a corner seat. And sitting across from him was a man with a very nervous expression.
“Mister, over here.”
When Kang Jinwoo waved his hand, Lee Jintae strode over and sat down.
“The coffee is cold, should I order another one?”
“No, it’s fine. But who is this person?”
“Ah, hello. My name is Kim Hyungseok.”
Kim Hyungseok stood up awkwardly and greeted him. Lee Jintae gave a light nod and got straight to the point.
“Let’s hear what this is about.”
At those words, Kang Jinwoo pointed at Kim Hyungseok with his chin.
“He’s someone you can trust, so show him.”
At Kang Jinwoo’s signal, Kim Hyungseok hesitated for a moment before opening the bag he’d kept under the table. He pulled out an old ledger made of black leather and placed it on the table.
Thud.
It was just an old notebook.
The moment Lee Jintae saw the ledger, he felt a strange sense of incongruity.
His 20 years of detective instinct were warning him.
That is an object you should not touch.
“What is this?”
“It’s a ledger. The one the shaman at Taebaeksan used.”
“Why are you showing me a shaman’s ledger...”
“Mister.”
Suddenly, Kang Jinwoo leaned forward.
“For your reference, the moment you see this, you won't be able to back out either.”
“......”
“Closing this won't make it as if it never happened, and it will probably be the most troublesome thing you’ve ever handled in your entire career as a detective the moment you see it. Still want to see it?”
Is this a threat?
Or a warning?
“Are you trying to scare a detective?”
Lee Jintae swallowed hard and reached out his hand. For a detective chasing cold cases, a troublesome matter isn't something to avoid, but a homework assignment that must be solved.
“My team exists to forcibly drag out the things others have covered up.”
As the cold touch of the leather cover reached his fingertips, he took a deep breath and opened the ledger.
And.
“...You son of a bitch.”
For the first time, Lee Jintae regretted his profession as a detective.