Property of the Dead

“I’m heading out first!”

“Ah, damn it. Wait for me!”

Their sprint out of the classroom drew eyes before the attention scattered again.

One by one, classmates with their backpacks slung over their shoulders lingered before finally leaving, and only then did a hand that had been hesitating in the desk drawer finally reach upwards.

“Kim Soon—”

The child, checking the paper in her small hand, stopped her friend who was just stepping out of the classroom door.

“What?”

The friend, clutching her backpack strap tightly, turned around as the child waved the paper in the air.

“You said you wanted to try this.”

The moment she saw the letters and drawings on the paper, the friend called ‘Kim Soon’ bounced back with a spring in her step.

“Wow—!”

At her friend’s exclamation, the child puffed up with pride and carefully unfolded what she held on the desk.

It was just a piece of paper with Korean consonants and vowels circling an OX mark in the center, but it stimulated their curiosity as much as a new game console.

The child opened her pencil case and grabbed a mechanical pencil.

“Are we doing it now?”

The child nodded towards her friend, who, forgetting about her academy, immediately threw her bag down.

“We have to do it before Mom comes.”

The child gripped the mechanical pencil as if it were a cane.

“You hold the top.”

Her friend’s sturdy fingers immediately grasped the top of the mechanical pencil.

“Try holding it a little lower.”

It was too short for two people to hold comfortably, but holding it a little lower was just right.

The two children made eye contact.

There were many different opinions among their friends about how to do it, but the beginning was always the same.

“Bunshinsaba. Bunshinsaba.”

“Bunshinsaba. Bunshinsaba.”

The child took a deep breath, relaxing her grip so that the lead of the mechanical pencil touched the center of the paper.

“—Are you here, spirit?”

They both stared intently at the paper.

At that moment, with a very slight scratching sound, a faint line began to be drawn on the paper.

“Did you move it?”

“It wasn’t me!”

The child cried out urgently.

The fingers gripping the mechanical pencil trembled.

She wanted to let go right away, but strangely, her fingers wouldn’t move.

After answering the first question, the mechanical pencil that had stopped moving began to move again.

The children’s arms were pulled by an invisible force.

The gazes of the two, who were following where it led in sequence, turned upwards at the same time.

I’m here.

Below eyes filled with blood, a long, torn mouth bore a wide smile.

Kee hee hee hee.

The black mass contorted its body as it watched the small shadow scream and run away.

The mass, its form half-crushed, spun down from the classroom ceiling to the floor and righted the mechanical pencil lying on the desk.

A transparent hand, grasping the small bead decoration attached to the back of the mechanical pencil, moved.

“Hide well”

Hide and seek.

Hide well.

To go home, it had to catch the tagger to replace it.

The mass grinned, tearing at the corners of its mouth.

It had been summoned and not sent back, so there was still a chance.

The tagger who had run out of the classroom was running down the stairs.

It had to chase after them, grab their ankle, and knock them down from the top of the stairs.

It would be nice if their neck snapped off. Just like it had.

Just as the mass was about to move to chase after the children, something tapped it on the back.

‘Excuse me.’

Its head snapped around.

The mass widened its eyes.

A child ghost, as small as the tagger who had escaped, covered its mouth with a peanut-sized fist and coughed dryly.

‘Excuse me. This is my spot, so you can’t be doing this here, you know?’

The little one, spewing coughs that shook its upper body, raised the corners of its eyes as if it had said everything it needed to say.

‘Spot?’

The mass questioned, and the little ghost nodded its head.

‘Spot.’

‘—What kind of thing is that!’

It had never heard of a spot owner in a school classroom, either alive or dead.

Even if there was an owner, was a ghost claiming ownership of a school classroom, not even a grave site?

At the absurd situation, the mass stuck the dangling arm to its side and glared.

The little ghost’s cheeks twitched as its fierce momentum made them tremble.

‘Why isn’t there a spot! I got it legally through the real estate agency!’

The little ghost rummaged through its pants pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.

‘Look! Here!’

The mass busily moved its bloodshot eyeballs to read the tiny letters written on the small piece of paper.

<Certificate of All Registered Matters (Currently Valid)

Seoul Byeolha Elementary School, 2nd Grade, Class 7>

Scrolling down, it saw a name that could not be read aloud in the rights holder and other matters section.

The mass instinctively knew that it was the little ghost’s true name.

But that didn’t change anything.

‘Who would believe something like this!’

No matter how crazy the country was about real estate, what could a registry in the hands of the dead do to stop it!

The mass hurriedly burst into anger at the increasingly distant presence of the tagger.

If the children went out of the school gate and left the school, it couldn’t catch them.

‘Are you making me miss the tagger because of such a prank?’

‘A prank!’

The little ghost flicked its hand, and the paper, which it thought was one sheet, turned over to reveal the back.

<This spirit is certified to be the guardian spirit of the property.

-Sanshin Real Estate CEO Lee Horang->

‘See?’

The little ghost shrugged its shoulders and scanned the mass up and down.

‘Then get out of here.’

‘What?’

Before the mass could open its mouth again, a bright light burst from the letters on the paper.

‘Kkyaaaaaak!!’

The mass, which had been thrashing like a loach hit with salt in the sudden shower of light, began to melt away in an instant.

‘I don’t wannaaaaa—!’

Even the last remaining voice scattered in the wind, and the little ghost let out a fierce snort.

‘Hmph! What’s a low-level ghost doing making a fuss with such evil thoughts.’

The little ghost grabbed the paper on the desk and put its energy into it.

The paper burned quietly, emitting smoke but no flame, and scattered without leaving even ashes behind.

Confirming that, the little ghost carefully tucked the document received from the real estate agency into its arms.

It had gone through all sorts of hardships to obtain this, and if it lost it, it might have to face Sanshin again in that office.

The little ghost shivered with fear at the thought and disappeared into the air.

“I’ll contact you again when you say you’ll become the president.”

“Of course. You can let me know late, so please take good care of me.”

A blurry figure repeatedly bowed its head.

“You’re welcome.”

The employee opened the door leading outside.

The customer turned around.

It was only three or four steps from the office to the front gate, so there was no need to see them off far, but the employee took big steps and opened the closed door himself, escorting them out.

Creak, creak –

The hinges must have rusted in the meantime because it was a door that hadn’t been opened for a while.

The employee sighed, realizing that there was more work for him to do.

In the meantime, the customer crossed the threshold of the front gate.

The weather was as dark as dusk due to the ominous dark clouds, but thanks to the sign shining in the alleyway, the customer diligently walked to find their way.

The customer, who had been gradually becoming more and more transparent with each step away from the front gate, disappeared from sight, and the light on the sign went out.

The name <Sanshin Real Estate> was visible above the unlit sign.

The employee shrugged his shoulders.

It was a random combination of Sanshin and real estate, but it wasn’t much different from any other certified real estate agency.

Except that it mainly dealt with properties with minor problems and that most of the customers who came were not alive.

Anyway, the consultation with the reserved customer was over, and there were no more customers to visit, so it seemed okay to close the door.

Thinking of a historical drama he had only half-watched, the employee put his hand on the door.

At that moment, the door, which only needed to be pushed shut, resisted as if protesting.

Creak, creak.

The employee frowned at the unpleasant sound of metal.

A series of short bursts of noise occurred, and no matter how much force he exerted, the door would not close.

It was as if it was telling him that there were more customers to visit.

“Why is it doing this?”

The employee frowned and pushed the door shut with his shoulder, but the door, which had stopped once, would not budge.

It was as if it was telling him that there were more customers to visit.

“No! There are no more reservations! Close, please!”

As he struggled to push it shut with his back, stomping his feet on the floor, the sign at the entrance to the alley lit up again.

The employee frowned as the sign, which had gone out as soon as the customer left, lit up again.

“What is it….”

The loud footsteps that came powerfully were not the sound of one person.

The employee carefully reopened the door that had been half-closed.

The front door opened very wide as if it had never caused any trouble.

“Who’s coming that’s making it do this?”

He spoke to the door as he watched the alley.

The loud footsteps that seemed to be coming from far away were getting closer and closer.

Soon, the owners of the footsteps appeared one by one.

Shoes and pants that flared at the ends of the ankles, a shirt that clung to the chest like skin, and a top were common attire, but the gold necklace between the unbuttoned shirt collar, the hairless head, the red skin as if he had drunk a whole bottle of liquor, the rugged cheekbones, and the glaring eyes made the employee quickly bow his head upon seeing them.

One of the bald men, who had his hands in his pockets and was swaggering, raised his hand.

“Yo-“

Although he was uncomfortable with being greeted, the employee gave a short smile and hurriedly ran to the office and opened the door.

“Welcome!”

As if it were natural, the customers boldly pushed their rugged shoulders and entered the office.

“Where’s the CEO?”

They ignored the employee and looked for the owner of the office.

The spacious and high office felt particularly quiet.

The employee swallowed hard and rolled his eyes.

He said out loud the whereabouts of the CEO, who was not in his seat.

“He finished work and went to… sleep….”

“What sleep at this hour?”

The bald men, who had settled on the reception room sofa with the naturalness of their own home, asked bluntly.

The employee’s shoulders trembled at the fierce tone.

The bald men’s bumpy eyebrows twisted.

The employee took a short breath at the unique expression of one side closing his mouth and the other opening it.

“He hasn’t been in there long, and he knows you two have come, so he’ll be up soon….”

“So you’re telling us to wait until he wakes up?”

If you don’t like it, make a reservation for next time!

The employee pressed down on the desire to shout that and wiggled his fingers.

His eyes rolled as he glanced inside the office.

The direction to go was clear at the crossroads of causing conflict with the customer in front of him or being scolded by the boss.

The employee smiled awkwardly and opened his mouth.

“I’ll go wake him up right now.”

He backed away, turned around the exposed partition, and pushed the door next to the large desk.