The Bread Back Then (2)
A brief silence fell.
—...Why are you hiring a ghost?
When Tam-rang asked as if it were utterly absurd, Noel gave him an irreverent look.
“Ahem! A ghost? She’s our bakery’s chef.”
—I’m asking why.
Tam-rang simply could not understand.
The same went for the middle-aged female ghost.
—He’s right. I’m... dead, you know?
“I can’t bring you back to life, but I can help you bake bread.”
—...Ah! Possession?
Only then did the ghost look at him with interest.
Indeed, if one became a ghost, surely possession was a possibility.
“No. I’m going to help you bake it yourself.”
—How is that possible?
The ghost couldn’t help but ask.
At the thought of baking bread again, she felt as if her heart, which had stopped beating, was pounding once more.
With excitement rising from deep within, she desperately wanted the shaman to explain, and quickly.
“I’ll show you later. I promise.”
Looking at the shaman’s face, which managed to look both trustworthy and innocent at the same time, the ghost nodded without hesitation.
It was a face that looked like it would get scammed by anyone.
“Since we’ve made a promise, I’ll start by telling you some things you don’t know.”
—Things I don’t know...?
The ghost stared, bewildered.
“First, could you tell me your name? I’m Do Yeonghyeon.”
“Ah, I’m Choi Ye-yun.”
—Is Noel not his real name?
As Tam-rang questioned this, Kkamangi opened its eyes wide and answered.
—Noel has two names, teehee!
Pfft.
Noel quickly covered his mouth.
He hadn’t expected it to blurt it out like that.
—Then, which is his real name?
Tam-rang asked with a gloomy face.
—I told you, Noel has two names!
At Kkamangi’s words, Noel cleared his throat for no reason.
—...Your cat is very cute.
Ye-yun approached and whispered softly to Noel.
He figured it was fine as long as Kkamangi had helped break the ice.
Noel didn’t miss the opportunity and spoke up.
“You know the bakery you used to run has closed down, right?”
—...Yes. When I went there, it was closed. And as you saw back then, they even sold the equipment.
“Do you know why the bakery closed?”
—No. I don’t know exactly.
It was a bit funny that she didn’t know exactly.
Since it had already been over a month since she died.
Wasn’t that more than enough time to find out if she wanted to?
At this point, perhaps she had intentionally avoided looking into it.
“I looked it up and saw some articles. They said you didn’t leave any word on which of your disciples should inherit the bakery?”
Noel spoke based on the articles and what Jang Yul had told him.
—...Couldn’t they just run the bakery together?
“Did you establish that legally?”
—No, not legally. I never imagined I would die so suddenly. Then... what happened to my disciples?
“From what I know, they fought over the management rights. Wouldn’t they have become enemies by now?”
—That can’t be...
The ghost clutched her hair, her hands trembling violently.
“I know a lawyer very well.”
He had asked Shin Hyeon just yesterday.
After all, it was best to consult an expert on these matters.
“When I asked him, he said such instructions must be left in writing before death. Did you leave anything?”
—...No.
“Then do you have a voice recording or something?”
—A recording?
“Yes. A recording of you telling them to run the shop together before you died.”
At Noel’s question, Ye-yun thought deeply.
—I really talked about it all the time, like it was second nature. But... I don’t remember if any of it was recorded. Wouldn’t we know if we looked at my phone?
“Who has that phone right now?”
—Wouldn’t one of my disciples have it...?
Vague answers followed.
If he only followed what Ye-yun said, there was simply no solution.
‘I figured as much, which is why I sent Kkamangi.’
The name of the bakery Choi Ye-yun ran was ‘Partier’.
It was truly famous, and because of its fame, even the local ghosts in the area knew about it.
“They say the owner had a huge fight with her disciples the day before she died. The reason was the recipe. The owner hadn’t shared the core recipe with them. The disciples wanted to go independent, but the owner thought it was too early. They had apparently fought like cats and dogs over whether they could go independent or not.”
The franchise that Jang Yul had mentioned also came up in Kkamangi’s report.
It seemed to be true that they had clashed because the disciples wanted independence while Ye-yun believed it was too early.
Entrusting the bakery’s management to her disciples without sharing the core recipe seemed rather contradictory.
“It’s going to be difficult if you’re hiding things from me, Ms. Choi Ye-yun. I won’t be able to resolve this properly.”
—...Hiding something?
“Yes.”
—......Actually, the day before I died, I fought with my disciples.
Ye-yun gripped her forearms tightly.
She avoided Noel’s gaze with an uneasy expression.
—We had a pretty big fight. I know my disciples... had to go in and out of the police station because of that. If I had known I would die like this, I wouldn’t have fought with them. I regretted it so much that I couldn’t bring myself to go see them. That’s why I kept lingering around the place that sold bakery equipment.
Ye-yun even bit her lip.
She felt so apologetic she could die—well, die again.
“Is that all?”
—Yes! That’s really all. I truly just want my disciples to do well. I don’t know why... they gave up on this path, and it’s driving me crazy.
Ye-yun didn’t even mention the core recipe.
Noel willingly let himself be fooled by her expression, which made it look as if that really was everything.
“Alright. Let’s go meet your disciples.”
—R-right now?
Ye-yun’s eyes shook violently, as if she was suddenly terrified.
“Yes. Right now. Are you scared, by any chance?”
—...Yes. I am scared.
“Don't worry. Your disciples won’t be able to see you anyway.”
At Noel’s words, Ye-yun wore a somewhat confused expression.
Was that supposed to be comforting?
Ye-yun had three disciples.
Meeting them one by one would take forever to gather all the information.
For now, he had to meet at least one.
As for the other two, wouldn’t they naturally show up if he threw out a bait they couldn’t ignore?
Ding-dong.
Noel pressed the apartment doorbell.
Ye-yun had said this one was the most responsible.
Perhaps he was in the middle of moving, as there was all kinds of trash outside the door, including discarded home appliances and general waste.
When there was no sound from inside, instead of pressing the doorbell again, Noel looked at Kkamangi.
Its tail was already standing straight up.
It seemed to be looking forward to this.
“Kkamangi. Go inside and...”
Before Noel could even finish his sentence, Kkamangi slipped inside, full of excitement.
—How can it pass through the door?
Ye-yun was startled.
She reached out her hand, but it was blocked by the door and couldn’t pass through.
It had always been like this for her.
—Simply put, it is because it is an animal. Since animals and humans belong to entirely different domains, some of the laws governing humans do not apply to animals. That is one of them.
Asin explained kindly, but Ye-yun merely cast her eyes down and nodded as if she understood.
Strangely, she found that being intimidating.
“Ms. Choi Ye-yun. Do you happen to know why he’s moving in such a hurry?”
Noel asked Ye-yun.
—No. I don’t know. I actually helped him out financially to buy this apartment. He used to smile and say he’d live here... for the rest of his life, so hearing that he’s moving... feels a bit strange.
“You helped him financially? Why?”
Noel couldn’t understand.
They were strangers, after all.
—I fell into a severe slump while working abroad. When something that used to bring me so much happiness turned into my worst nightmare, I couldn’t even tell what my bread, cakes, and cookies tasted like anymore.
Ye-yun forced a smile as if swallowing something bitter, recalling those days.
It was the time in her life she least wanted to remember.
—I quit my job and just went down to the countryside, idling my time away. I was truly like a wreck. Back then, there were some mischievous kids who struck up a conversation with me, and those kids are my disciples now.
Ye-yun’s unnatural smile became incredibly bright only when she thought of her disciples.
—They pestered me relentlessly to go to the five-day market with them. They begged and begged until I finally gave in and went. There, those three tiny kids bought me a piece of bread with the allowance they had pooled together. To cheer me up.
Ye-yun chuckled.
How absurd it had been.
Those tiny little things buying bread for a fully grown adult out of pity.
—It was clearly nothing special, just ordinary bread... but it was so delicious. I couldn’t taste anything else before, but I could taste that. It was the exact flavor I loved. I cried like an absolute fool right then and there.
—Were you happy?
When Asin asked with a gentle smile, Ye-yun nodded.
—That single piece of bread saved me. So why would I regret giving my disciples money? I was reborn that day.
Noel felt a deep sense of doubt looking at Ye-yun’s expression, which was a mix of joy and sorrow.
If that expression was a lie, he thought she had a serious talent for acting, no joke.
‘Then what about the core recipe? If you didn’t regret giving them anything, why didn’t you share it?’
It was highly contradictory.
—Noel!
Kkamangi poked its head out of the door.
“Is he inside?”
—Yep! He’s here.
“Giving us the silent treatment, huh?”
Noel cracked his knuckles.
In that case, there was only one way.
Ding-dong. Ding-dong. Ding-dong. Ding-dong.
He intended to keep ringing until the guy came out.
—And, you know, I smelled something.
“What kind of smell?”
—I don’t know. Something... ugh, bad. It’s the kind of smell that comes from humans who try to kick me.
Ding-dong.
While pressing the doorbell and wondering what that meant, Noel heard a beeping sound.
The door swung open abruptly, and a strong stench of alcohol wafted out.
‘Ah... she meant the smell of alcohol?’
“Who the hell are you, throwing a fit in front of someone else’s house!”
A man’s irritated voice lashed out at Noel.
—Wait! Cheol-min. Don’t do this! You can’t even handle your alcohol!
“You know Ms. Choi Ye-yun, right?”
The moment Ye-yun’s name was mentioned, Cheol-min froze in his tracks.
He glared at Noel with a vicious look, as if his drunkenness had instantly vanished.
Cheol-min soon let out a laugh.
“......Haha. All sorts of pests are crawling out of the woodwork.”
“Excuse me?”
“What is it this time? Which backwater cousin of the teacher are you supposed to be now?”
—Huh...? Cousin? What is he talking about? He knows I grew up as an orphan.
At Ye-yun’s words, Noel quickly seized upon the information.
“Ms. Choi Ye-yun grew up in an orphanage, didn’t she? What’s this about a cousin?”
“......?”
For a moment, Cheol-min looked utterly dumbfounded.
It was completely different from what he had heard so far.
“......Are you not the teacher’s cousin?”
Cheol-min asked, his tone and attitude softening considerably.
He had clearly realized there was a misunderstanding.
“No, I’m not. We’re strangers.”
Noel clarified firmly.
Looking at the situation, there was a fact he couldn’t help but uncover, no matter how much they tried to play dumb.
That some self-proclaimed relatives, whom even Ye-yun didn’t know, had shown up.
“......Ah. I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”
Cheol-min apologized belatedly.
He looked incredibly embarrassed.
“It’s fine.”
“Then... what brings you to see me?”
“First, could you promise not to shut the door on me?”
“...Sure, I guess.”
“I came here at Ms. Choi Ye-yun’s request.”
“......Did the teacher, I mean, ask you for a favor before she died?”
“No. She asked me after she died.”
As Cheol-min hurriedly tried to slam the door, Asin grabbed it.
—This is different from what you promised.
“...Wh-what?”
Cheol-min panicked when the door wouldn’t budge.
The man in front of him was clearly doing nothing.
He felt as if he were possessed.
“You promised not to shut the door. This is rather troublesome.”
As Noel stared intently at him, Cheol-min let go of the door, raised both hands to his shoulders, and showed his palms.
“H-hold on a second.”
As he spoke, he glanced at the door, which was still frozen in place.
Why?
Cheol-min couldn’t understand it.
Hiccup.
An involuntary hiccup escaped him.
“I’m a shaman. I came to fulfill Ms. Choi Ye-yun’s request. Do you understand now?”
Noel stared deeply at Cheol-min.
In times like this, momentum was key.
He forced Tam-rang to move and stand right beside him.
“...Yes.”
With Tam-rang’s sudden presence, Cheol-min completely sobered up.
He felt a strange chill in the air around him.
“May we go inside and talk?”
“Doing it out here... wouldn’t be good, right? We should go inside?”
“We should, shouldn’t we?”
When Noel repeated the same words, Cheol-min tucked his tail.
“Please... come in.”
He swallowed hard for no reason.
“...So after Ms. Choi Ye-yun passed away, people claiming to be her blood relatives showed up?”
Noel asked, summarizing what Cheol-min had told him.
“Yes. Honestly... I’m sick and tired of it.”
“And that’s why you decided to move?”
“Exactly. It’s not like I wanted to move.”
“Hmm...”
Noel trailed off on purpose.
He peeled and ate a tangerine, glancing at Tam-rang, who was crouching in the corner and glaring at him blatantly.
‘I barely made him move, and he’s already sulking.’
Munch, munch.
Looking down, he saw Kkamangi staring at him intently.
It seemed to want some.
As he moved the tangerine back and forth, its eyes followed.
Black smoke swirled around his hand holding the tangerine.
After transforming the tangerine so Kkamangi could eat it, he offered it gently, and Kkamangi snatched it up in an instant.
Nom, nom, nom.
Listening to the chewing sounds, Noel asked Cheol-min.
“Who has Ms. Choi Ye-yun’s phone right now?”
“I have it.”
—So Cheol-min had it!
Ye-yun clapped her hands.
“Have you looked inside?”
At Noel’s question, Cheol-min shook his head.
“I don’t know the password.”
—I can tell you. It’s mine, after all.
Noel quickly took the cue from Ye-yun’s words.
“I know it.”
“...How do you—no, never mind. I’ll go get it first.”
Cheol-min started to question Noel, but remembering the sight of the front door refusing to close earlier, he quickly changed his tune.
“By the way, are those self-proclaimed blood relatives actually Ms. Choi Ye-yun’s real relatives? Did they present any plausible evidence?”
“No. They just barged in claiming to be relatives, so how could I possibly be sure? Besides, since the teacher passed away, we can’t even do a DNA test.”
“That’s impossible.”
“As far as I know, there’s no clear way to verify if they’re actually related to her. In short, they’re just throwing a tantrum. Ah, just so there’s no misunderstanding, those people only showed up after we disposed of the bakery.”
“The bakery was disposed of first?”
One of Noel’s eyebrows arched slightly.
So they hadn’t sold the bakery because they were sick of the self-proclaimed relatives pestering them.
“Yes. The disposal came first. They’re asking why we disposed of the shop without permission, but honestly, how were we or the other kids supposed to know she had relatives before we sold it?”
—Then why did you dispose of the shop?
Ye-yun looked incredibly frustrated by Cheol-min’s answer.
“Why on earth did you dispose of the shop? Wouldn’t it be more profitable to keep running it?”
Noel asked, stroking his chin.
“We couldn’t run it... the other kids agreed on that too.”
“You couldn’t run it?”
“...Before she passed away, the teacher didn’t share the core recipe with us.”
When the core recipe was mentioned by Cheol-min, Noel looked at Ye-yun.
Ye-yun stood there blankly, her face pale with shock.
Was it because the truth she had hidden had been revealed?
Or was there something else?
“Regardless of the trust the teacher had in us, we had no choice but to conclude that we couldn’t keep running the shop. Because... the taste would change.”
Cheol-min fiddled with his fingers, looking as if he had been betrayed.
—What on earth...
Ye-yun couldn’t bring herself to finish her sentence.
She was so dumbfounded that the words wouldn’t come out.
—...What on earth do you mean by that, Cheol-min?
Ye-yun, in turn, asked Cheol-min about this absurd claim.