Chapter 11: Ghost Story Shop

Fortunately, I didn’t have to sleep on the streets last night.

<Remaining Balance: 38,830 won>

The wallet is cold.

Even if it’s a parallel world, there’s no need for the prices to be exactly the same…

‘…Ah, I miss home.’

For the record, last night.

Before moving to a nearby lodging facility.

My original studio apartment was not far from the library. So, I went there with a faint hope.

But as expected.

“…Who are you?”

“Ah……………I must have the wrong house.”

Another tenant was already living there. They even said they had been living there for five years.

Now, all that’s left for me is.

Less than 40,000 won in cash and the employee ID card given to me by that announcer.

I have no choice now.

Due to financial limitations, I’m forced to sleep on the streets.

My feet were heavy because there was less capital left than I expected.

…But.

Since I know that this is really the world of the <Ghost Story Record Repository> that I know.

There was one place I had to visit right away.

That place is open 24/7, all year round. A place called a core location for the main characters in the <Ghost Story Record Repository>.

I could have come here right away last night.

…Honestly, I was too scared to go there alone late at night.

So I immediately headed to the location at least during the time when the sun was just rising.

Exactly at 6:41 AM.

<In front of Exit 1 of Seongsu Station.>

I was standing in front of Exit 1 of Seongsu Station a little earlier than other people’s commuting time.

At the entrance to Seongsu Station, an escalator that allows you to comfortably go up to the station and stone steps placed right next to it caught my eye.

I chose the stone steps next to the escalator. And in the original Seongsu Station Exit 1 that I know.

There are no stone steps.

1:44 AM.

Observation of a strange phenomenon on the stairs next to Exit 1 of Seongsu Station.

.Sigh.

A deep sigh as if the ground would collapse. But I have to move on.

A feeling of resistance felt from the steps.

Park Yeon-jung, sometime after setting foot on the stairs, murmured softly as if sobbing.

Step.

“…One.”

Step.

“Two.”

Every time I stepped, I counted the number of steps I climbed.

Originally, there are a total of 43 steps here.

Checking the time on the smartphone that I charged at the lodging, when the minute hand pointed exactly to ‘6:44’.

The moment I tried to climb the 43rd step.

…It increased.

The number of steps that should have ended at the 43rd step increased by one more.

Witnessing a bizarre moment when another block sprouted above the floor that should have already ended.

Step.

…Forty, four.”

When I raised my head that was facing the floor.

As if silence exhaled.

A quiet stillness came.

Behind me, where I had been climbing the stairs until just now, a thick black darkness was laid, and when I looked forward, pitch blackness that made it impossible to see an inch in front of me greeted me.

A change in the strange space.

I really hate this.’

The atmosphere itself makes me reluctant to visit the <Ghost Story General Store>.

Flash.

But in that pitch-black darkness, a single light began to leak from the floor.

The yellow tactile paving on the floor emitted a faint light.

It seemed like a device intended to prevent visitors from straying to other paths.

/Location

[Ghost Story General Store]

A place that illegally sells items that are only distributed by the GRA. (But ironically, it is the place most frequently visited by GRA officials.)

You can purchase unique items that cannot be purchased at the GRA. (Most of them are defective, though.)

*Notes when visiting.

Never go to a place where the tactile paving on the floor is not marked. (Unless you want to wander around the underground shopping mall forever.)

But sometimes, those who have returned alive are witnessed. According to their testimony……(Read More)

Don’t worry.

No matter what happens, even if the world collapses, I will never deviate from this tactile paving.

Never.

I’m a law-abiding citizen, you know.

Step.

After walking along the tactile paving for a while.

At the end of it, an old pawn shop was the only brightly lit place in this dark place, revealing its presence.

It’s more.’

Shabby than I thought?

The Ghost Story General Store, which I only encountered through text, was described as ‘an appearance that looks like it will collapse’, but.

‘Isn’t this a bit too much?’

The decaying wooden pillars were so precarious that they really seemed like they would crumble at any moment.

Is it really okay to go in?

More than dying to a ghost story.

I was worried about being crushed by the debris.

Creeeeaaaak-

The eerie door of the general store opened automatically with a creepy BGM.

Should I go back?

No. Get a grip, Park Yeon-jung.

You know very well that you’re not in a position to be picky about anything right now.

“Excuse, me.”

As I pushed the sliding door of the shop to the side and entered, the scenery that I saw was.

The serious state of the shop, which shows the very essence of messiness, including the floor, made my mouth drop open.

This is really, too much.

I wondered if the owner of this store even had any intention of selling things.

Rustle-.

“!!”

At the movement of something among the junk that Park Yeon-jung was looking at, my body automatically cowered.

66

Ah. Are you a customer?”

“Yes.”

It’s a ghost story…………fortunately not.

With shaggy long hair hanging down.

Through the long bangs that made me wonder if he could see properly, the man’s eyes sparkled.

He seemed to be checking the time on the clock hanging on the wall.

You must have been in a hurry. To come to the store so early in the morning.”

“Yes…well. I’m looking for something.”

“Oh, is that so?”

He, who seems to be the owner of this store, got up from his seat after hearing my words and walked somewhere slowly.

The toughness of pushing the pile of things that were piled up like a mountain to the corner without hesitation.

Clatter, crash!

A table appeared in the place where the pile of things that were piled up like a mountain had been.

……I just understood why the store is in this mess.

But the man, as if this life was normal, stood there calmly and entered the shopkeeper mode.

“So, what is the item that the customer is looking for? It would be better if you know the name.”

‘Do you have ‘Taste of Death’?”

“Hmm, I’ll look for it.”

A moment of silence.

The man didn’t go far. He rummaged around his feet for a while.

…Ah. Here it is.”

So quickly?

This man who finds the desired item so quickly through this ridiculous mess.

It was a characteristic of typical general store owners.

“Is this the item you’re looking for?”

What the man held out was a long box containing incense, like the kind you would see at a memorial service.

“……Yes. This is it.”

Found it.

Certainly, it is the item I was looking for.

“You’re lucky, customer. There were only a few left.”

When the man opened the box containing the incense, there were only three incense sticks left inside.

‘Only three…………?

I was disappointed that there were only three left. But more important than that right now is.

The ‘price’.

“How much is it per piece.”

Currently, my bank account balance is only 38,830 won.

It has to be 10,000 won per piece to buy all three remaining.

“It’s 100,000 won per piece.”

Not a chance.

Thinking about it, the very idea of buying an item imbued with strange power for a small amount of money was a snobbish idea.

While I was seriously thinking about whether I should get a part-time job in this world.

Vibrate-

Suddenly, the vibration of the smartphone felt in my left pocket.

Who is it?

It was a natural question.

Could it be that spam text messages come even in this world? With that vague thought.

I checked my smartphone.

[Web Message]

『To Mr. Park Yeon-jung

((Co.)—–■ (Additional) Salary payment.

Performance bonus: 10,000,000

We sincerely thank you for your hard work.』

“I’ll buy it.”

“What? Ah, how many would you like?”

“Give me all three.”

“You’re cool, our customer…Ah, I’ll give you a lighter as a service.”

Ten million won was directly deposited into my bank account.

Park Yeon-jung’s favorability towards Mr. Announcer increased slightly.

…While I’m at it, shall I also look at some other items!’

Due to the sudden increase in capital.

In the current situation where the function responsible for self-control has become dull.

“How would you like to pay?”

“Do you accept SamX Pay?”

” 4||?”

A new difficulty has begun.

Fortunately, the store owner heard that I would put it on credit, and I was able to get my hands on the ‘Taste of Death’ safely.

“If you need anything else, just let me know.”

“

I’ll definitely come with money.”

My heart is heavy.

But on the contrary, my hands and feet were lighter.

Is this the joy of shopping?

This is what they call it.

A morale-boosting treatment for social workers.

Financial therapy.

But when that much money comes in, it’s a true pro to reduce impulse purchases as much as possible…

‘Where, is there any good item!’

…But, isn’t it more important to protect my life than money right now?

So this is a reasonable expense.

Looking around at the items displayed on the shelves, a knife the size of a fruit knife and a red sheath caught my eye.

The fact that it caught my eye.

‘I know that item.’

An item that should have been in the possession of an employee at the GRA agency.

““Pain Sharing Knife”.”

It was a murmur that should never have been heard.

“You have a good eye, customer.”

“!!”

This person, like a ghost, heard my small murmur and immediately entered sales mode.

66

“Without adding or subtracting, I’ll take exactly 8.5 million won after deducting all taxes. There will be no other place that sells at this price.”

Certainly.

If it’s definitely the item I know, 8.5 million won is definitely a cheap price.

I remember this item exactly, even without the top student glasses.

In a good way.

Or in a bad way.

If you love someone, shouldn’t you be able to share that much?

[Pain Sharing Knife]

One of the weapons introduced as a ghost story suppression weapon in the size of a small fruit knife. The usage of this weapon is as the name of the weapon heavily spoils.

Me.

Pain Sharing.

As the name suggests, it is an item that shares pain with a specific target, and if it were me, it would be on the <List of Weapons I Absolutely Don’t Want to Have>.

Moreover, in order to use this item, the blade must graze the target with whom you want to share the pain.

Against the numerous ghost stories that die just by grazing them.

It’s clear.

I’m already dead in that process.

Even if you manage to land a valid hit on a ghost story that is difficult to even approach.

The real problem is after that.

As mentioned earlier, the Pain Sharing Knife is an item that is based on sharing pain with the target.

That means.

‘Self-harm’ is a basic premise, a crazy way to use it.

The user who carried this weapon around at the GRA, I don’t know if I should say fortunately.

He had a strong attachment to the ‘Pain Sharing Knife’ item.

But.

I don’t know if my memory is correct, but I think the user of that knife had a history of using the Pain Sharing Knife on his colleagues within the agency………….(the rumored Yandere?)

It’s a memory I don’t want to recall any further.

The fact that this weapon is still here.

A sense of mission given to me, that I might be able to prevent numerous victims that may occur in the future.

“Are you going to buy it?”

The voice of the shopkeeper asking if I would buy it.

“No.”

Of course not?

I absolutely refuse.

And I’m sorry. To the unknown future GRA agency victims.

But……………but.

I’m struggling to take care of my own life right now.

Moreover, as long as the keyword ‘self-harm’ is embedded in the activation condition.

Even if I buy the item for the sake of the greater good, it will just become an ordinary fruit knife, nothing more, nothing less.

Buy such an ordinary knife for 8.5 million won?

I immediately turned my gaze away from the knife displayed on the shelf and looked for items to increase my survivability again.

And another item that caught my eye.

An artificial sculpture.

Something that looked like a human eyeball.

A crude appearance that looks like it was clumsily made of clay, making you wonder if it was made by a child.

I immediately pointed to the crude eyeball and asked.

“How much is this?”

“Ah…….”

But this time, the man who had been introducing the prices of the items with a shopkeeper’s mindset showed a hesitant appearance.

“Customer. I’m in the business of selling things, so I won’t stop you if you really want to buy it.”

Through the long bangs, the man’s hollow eyes were looking at me.

“That item…it’s a ‘defective product’.”

I know.

“……Sigh. I didn’t want to say this, but it’s a defective item with a colorful history of killing its users several times already.”

“I know.”

“…Yes?”

The man revealed that this item, which looks like a very crude child’s toy, is a defective item that has already been involved in fatal accidents.

“So how much is the price?”

“

I’ll take 5 million won.”

A price 3.5 million won cheaper than the previous ‘Pain Sharing Knife’.

More than that, if used well, it’s an item that can show performance that exceeds 5 million won.

An exceptional sale price that shouldn’t be refused.

“I’ll buy it.”

The man no longer stopped me. Seeing me looking like I was happy to buy a cursed item for 5 million won, the man seemed to be distancing himself from me a little.

Tsk.

He clicked his tongue.

He seemed to have a lot to say, but he soon closed his mouth. Probably because I wasn’t the only peculiar customer.

But honestly.

‘Isn’t it more normal for me than the person who wants to buy that self-harm item?’

Stuck in rationalization.

The man continued to kindly explain additional information about the item I bought while stroking his chin with one hand.

“Well, since you bought it knowing, you probably know how to use it…but I’ll explain it to you as a warning.”

“Yes.”

“

…Actually. It’s best not to use it, though.”

He had an eye that was wary of the item I bought until the end. Even so, the man kindly continued his explanation.

“The way to use the ‘Thousand Eyes’ that you bought is simple. Throw it with all your might on the floor of the building you want to use it in. And never move when they open their eyes.”

The explainer’s voice lowered a step.

“…Customer, keep this in mind. Never move when you feel their gaze. Never move.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“……?”

The man seemed to have stopped caring about Park Yeon-jung’s calm appearance, rather than being nervous while explaining how to use it.

He changed the topic.

“You’re from the GRA, right?”

“…Yes?”

……?