GDCG c285

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Chapter 285

The inside of Leejeong Bookstore felt soft and warm.

The kind of comforting familiarity that only came from things that had been carefully maintained through long years. Beneath that sense of comfort lingered the mysterious, profound atmosphere unique to places layered with the passage of time.

The tiny bookstore, not even eight pyeong in size, glowed with warm light. New books and old books sat arranged in ways that seemed irregular at first glance, yet somehow deliberate.

"Excuse us."

To think I would step into one of the mysterious places cooperating with the Disaster Management Bureau—a place I had never once visited even while infiltrating the Bureau as a spy.

Hoo.'

Even though I no longer had a body with a discernible heart, I still found myself worrying that it might be pounding anyway.

As I recalled the nature of this place.

—A place the Disaster Management Bureau visits when seeking spiritual artifacts related to “print” and “paper.”

More precisely, it functioned as a sort of intermediary.

A place where special books gathered.

When the lights of Leejeong Bookstore are turned off, entry should be avoided.

There is an 80% or greater probability that a supernatural entity is currently visiting for a transaction.

According to testimony from an agent who once worked here as a clerk, if the lights from the bookstore entrance begin turning off one by one, you must immediately hide behind the staff counter.

But right now, the lights shone brightly.

I watched the flames touched by my smoke flicker once before remaining lit.

"Please wait here."

And then, unusually for when they moved as a team, it was Agent Bronze—not Agent Choi—who stepped forward first and walked toward the deepest part of the bookstore. 

A counter-style desk.

Behind it lay the old-fashioned arrangement of a shop owner’s living quarters.

A hanging curtain of beads separated the inner area, but beyond it there was nothing visible except darkness.

Standing before it, Agent Bronze bowed deeply.

Then—

The strands of beads parted, and from within emerged the right arm of someone pale.

"...!"

The owner of Leejeong Bookstore communicates with visitors solely through written conversation using their right hand.

Unless you have previously worked here as a clerk, it is recommended that you do not attempt to discover who is behind the curtain.

The rest of the figure remained concealed within shadow. Only the pale arm, the dark blue hanbok sleeve draped over it, and the hand beneath the sleeve writing with a brush could be seen.

Dongi has come. Have you been well?

"Yes, Boss."

I hear familiar footsteps

And the sound of a new guest as well.

What kind of book are you searching for?

The pale hand, writing in elegant script, gestured politely toward us.

Beside Agent Choi, who grinned and bowed his head in greeting—

130666 with horns, standing as still as possible while trying to conceal the black smoke. At me.

[Hm. Quite capable of creating an atmosphere, aren’t they? Though of course, in such a shabby place, this is probably the limit.]

Yeah. I figured you’d say something like that….

"They're with me. …Agent Grapes."

Hoo.

As we had discussed beforehand, I stepped forward.

If you make a vague request at Leejeong Bookstore, differences in the owner’s interpretation may result in you receiving an entirely different book.

Therefore, it is recommended that the agent best capable of clearly describing the needed book make the purchase request.

And in this situation, that was me.

'Let’s do this.'

I picked up the counter pen and wrote as quickly and politely as possible beneath the owner’s neat handwriting.

Greetings, Proprietor.

What I require is this:

Do you perhaps possess any books connected to a great existence that uses places such as libraries or bookstores—repositories of knowledge—as its sanctuary?

The paper used for the torn talisman.

I was searching for some kind of paper capable of replacing the Hanbit Library checkout slip.

'If I can’t directly mention Hanbit Library to Disaster Management Bureau personnel because it exists inside Segwang Special City, then I can do this instead.'

Describe it indirectly.

And then….

Yes. We do have such a book here.

'....!'

Perfect.

'Buy it.'

And hurriedly, I added another line beneath it.

Preferably something that is not dangerous to humans.

Even if complete safety is impossible, I would appreciate something for which precautions can at least be prepared.

Because I wasn’t human.

This bookstore recommended books that could be read without fatal harm based on the “requester,” so I added that line in case it might introduce something only safe for me.

But then—

Of course.

A person is making the request. It would not do to recommend a book indiscriminately dangerous to humans.

Ah.

'It… recognizes me as human.'

At least, within Leejeong Bookstore.

I remembered the bookstore lights that had remained lit even when I entered.

…….

As long as a person does not read the contents aloud, there should be no issue. Please do not worry.

Thank you very much.

No, thank you for seeking out this book.

Then the pale hand disappeared once more into the darkness behind the bead curtain.

After several seconds of silence—

Here you are.

It returned carrying a book.

'...!'

It was hardcover.

The book looked neat yet old, and on its cover was a Korean title written alongside Chinese characters….

Together with two unreadable characters.

<■■ Decimal Classification System>

[Hoh. A book recording methods of classifying books within libraries. In other words, a book for books—a librarian’s librarian.] 

'Good lord.'

The accuracy of the book was chilling.

Even though the hand holding it wore a black glove stuffed full of shapeless flesh, goosebumps still seemed to crawl upward from there.

Thank you.

This is exactly the book I was looking for. How should I pay?

Would you care to make a proposal?

…Right.

This was the important part.

'The price.'

I looked at the owner’s pale hand protruding beyond the curtain.

Leejeong Bookstore accepted all sorts of things equal to the value of its books: goods, labor, gold, currency.

'But all of that depends on who is buying.'

For example, requests paid with small amounts of money were usually limited to ordinary civilians or children.

'For agents, they often requested Disaster Management Bureau items—or even traded books directly.'

But we had come here unofficially, making that kind of payment difficult.

So then….

How about this.

Would you perhaps be interested in spending a dream vacation at a magnificent resort?

Pardon?

A theme park resort renowned for its flowers, illuminations, spa, and VIP services.

It includes a suite room package with luxury amenity gifts, and since it was produced in catalog format, it could perhaps qualify as a book.

A… book?

…… The bookstore owner appeared profoundly bewildered, but in the end, after considerable persuasion, agreed to exchange the book for a seven-night suite accommodation voucher.

The pale hand taking the catalog away somehow seemed flustered.

Behind me, I could hear Agent Choi trembling as he struggled to suppress laughter….

[Goodness. This exchange feels terribly disadvantageous for you, Roe Deer!]

No, rather—

'It’s kind of amazing how being contaminated can be exploited this profitably….'

In vulgar terms, wasn’t this basically hitting the jackpot?

Lately I’d been receiving help in all sorts of ways thanks to my identity as the Golden Flower Mascot, and it left me with complicated feelings.

Anyway, the important thing was that the book had ended up in my hands.

<■■ Decimal Classification System>

"…Wait, let me see that for a second."

The veteran agent from Black Tortoise Team 1 took the book from me and carefully inspected it through various supernatural methods.

Whether it was suitable for what we were about to do.

And finally, he gave his verdict.

"Mm. We can use this."

"......."

Our gazes turned toward Agent Bronze.

Leejeong Bookstore was not a library. Purchased books were recognized as the buyer’s property.

Of course, the shop owner seemed somewhat displeased by people meaninglessly damaging or throwing away books right in front of them, but….

'Recycling' was completely acceptable.

That was one of the reasons the Disaster Management Bureau used this place so often.

And—

'For certain books, Leejeong Bookstore itself would sometimes “refashion” them specifically for the buyer.'

Like tearing out individual pages to make calendars, or extracting only the book cover to create entirely new value from the book.

And this—

"…Boss."

Sometimes even the clerks handled such work.

"Would it be alright if I stepped behind the counter for a moment? There’s a tool I’d like to borrow."

Of course.

It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

Sit comfortably while you work, Dongi.

"…Yes. It’s been a long time."

Quietly stepping forward, Agent Bronze—or rather, former clerk Ryu Jaekwang—lifted the small counter gate and settled himself behind it with practiced familiarity.

Then he lifted the bead curtain and disappeared into the darkness beyond….

And at that moment—

'…!'

An auspicious light flickered.

Inside the curtain, a pale silhouette swayed into view, and for a brief instant the outline of a man raising a brush could be seen.

The figure of Ryu Jaekwang.

Ryu Jaekwang, once a clerk of this bookstore, skillfully retrieved writing tools from the cabinet, carefully opened the book, and separated a single page from the front section.

Probably the table of contents page.

He sorted out the sheet whose back side remained blank and laid the loose page upon the floor. Then he placed a paperweight over it.

Kneeling down, he lifted the brush.

Flash.

Amid dimming lights, the figure visible behind the bead curtain appeared pale and indistinct.

The beads softly clattered as Ryu Jaekwang drew each line with the brush, one character at a time. Meaning painstakingly taking shape through the entirety of his focus and sincerity.

And then….

Tap.

The moment he put away the brush—

The auspicious glow beyond the curtain vanished.

"......."

Parting the bead curtain, Agent Bronze emerged once more into the cozy old bookstore counter area.

In one hand he carried the book, and in the other a freshly completed talisman.

"…It’s finished."

Upon the stiff paper, the character 護 (Protection) and a series of straight lines were completed in orderly yet chaotic red and blue.

An anti-evil talisman.

"......!"

"I recreated it as closely as possible, though it’s still somewhat unstable."

Slightly pale, Agent Bronze silently offered the talisman to his superior without even wiping the sweat from his temples.

—If you make talismans at Leejeong Bookstore, the burden of karmic backlash on the creator is significantly reduced due to the nature of the place. You can also receive the proprietor’s assistance.

And so, it had been completed safely.

"Good work, Bronze. Or should I say, Dongi."

"......."

"Grapes, you know, the Boss used to call Bronze ‘Dongi1’ back when he worked here as a clerk. That’s why he even picked Bronze as his agent name."

Agent Bronze sighed, but he didn’t seem embarrassed or uncomfortable about it.

Instead, he simply spoke to me with slight awkwardness.

"…It wasn’t intentional. It just sort of overlapped by coincidence."

Yep. Understood….

"Thank you very much, Boss."

Anyway, after leaving our polite farewells behind, we exited the bookstore.

With the talisman in hand.

Jingle.

"Now all that’s left… is the dokkaebi fire."

Only the process of borrowing power remained before this talisman could truly possess strength.

"Hmm…."

At that moment, Agent Choi—who had been deep in thought—suddenly looked at me, and his eyes gleamed.

Mischievously.

"Grapes. About your resort."

……?

"How about… we pull one more big score?"

What?

***

Several days later.

#26Heo-0167 Situation Report (Draft)

Document Title: Reappearance of the entity known as the “Fullower Golden Mascot.”

Author: Agent Sumaksae

Incident Summary: At approximately 23:15 today, the entity known as the “Golden Flower Mascot” was sighted reappearing at a temporary residence for field agents located on the outskirts of ■■-dong.

The supernatural entity, which had previously vanished after leaving behind only a brief letter within Headquarters’ supernatural protection zone, presented gifts to the Black Tortoise Team 3 agents it encountered “as thanks for the previous stay.”

The entity then politely proposed to Agent Haegum that it wished to invite the dokkaebi fires it had previously met to the resort.

It guaranteed their safety and stated that they could bring friends if desired.

The dokkaebi fire accompanying the field team joyfully accepted on the spot. Agents from Black Tortoise Team 3 attempted to restrain it through pleas and temptation, repeatedly saying “J-just wait a little,” but failed.

Shortly afterward, five dokkaebi fire entities rapidly arrived after being summoned, pantomimed packing luggage (no actual effect observed), gathered together, and vanished alongside the “Golden Flower Mascot.”

Special Notes:

—Risk level regarding the whereabouts of the dokkaebi fires is considered low.

—The gifts are currently being analyzed at the Baridegi Workshop.

—Rumors are spreading that, depending on the outcome of this emergency situation, the previously suspended spiritual entity registration process for the “Golden Flower Mascot” may resume.

"…That’s the draft they wrote and deleted, and then I dug it back out of the trash and read it, Grapes!"

Phew.

While seeing off the dokkaebi fires who had ended up enjoying an incredible vacation at the resort, I struggled to suppress a sigh.

'Well… at least you all had fun….'

Agent Haegum was staring at me with a dumbfounded expression that made me want to crawl into a hole.

Still, fortunately, the Golden Flower Resort turned out to be a genuinely excellent vacation spot for dokkaebi fires staying a day or two—as long as the routes were planned carefully. And also—

'It’s complete.'

The talisman in our hands had finally been completed.

I looked at the paper torn from the table of contents of the <■■ Decimal Classification System> that Agent Bronze held.

A completed talisman imbued with spiritual power.

The five dokkaebi fires, having returned from their delightful stay at the resort, had generously poured their strength into it, leaving it rigid and glowing blue.

Suggestion: Have 130666 keep it

"Oh, absolutely not. Stuff like this gets stored by the senior agents."

I knew it.

They’d probably pocket it halfway through.

I calmly nodded toward Agent Choi while reviewing my thoughts.

Let’s see.

'Most of the other Daydream Inc. team members are probably busy with company-related reports right now.'

Apparently, the achievements involving the Dream Essence Collectors I proposed had caused a massive stir within the company.

Even Ho Yuwon was absent today.

Though he had left a message earlier.

—Research Team’s Kwak Jaekwang keeps desperately wanting to contact you, Roe Deer… should I connect you?

Mm.

Come to think of it, I had been worried that Director Cheong Dallae might have ended up in trouble after I revealed her whereabouts.

No matter how insane a researcher was.

'Though maintaining contact is beneficial too.'

After thinking it over, I decided to leave behind an email address.

And then—

"So then, shall we enter that library ourselves?"

Negative.

No.

We would not enter it that way.

'Hanbit Library has far too many unpredictable variables for us to casually go back in alone.'

Segwang Special City itself was already dangerous enough.

There was no telling how Ho Yuwon would react once we informed him about the decision to restore the Disaster Management Bureau agent’s talisman.

And besides—

'There’s already a confirmed entry method for that high school.'

A method both Daydream Inc. and the Disaster Management Bureau had been using.

Suggestion: Use illegal text copy of 'Within the Black Shadow'

“...!"

The very same method normally used.

And thus, on the very next new moon night—

We fell asleep with photographs of our high school days beneath our pillows and entered the ghost story through our dreams.

The nightmare within the new moon dream. Segwang Technical High School.

And a single night was enough for every hidden story within that school to finally come to light.

/tn.

1. The Dong(동) part of Dongi(동이)is the second character for the word Bronze(청동) in korean, that's how Bronze got his name

 

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