OSR Chapter 8

“Where have I seen that man before?”
Shin-hee thought, 4f0bfc6532 his gaze 37c0267839 lingering on 6e73df2acc the figure. It was a face 661b94e781 that wouldn’t easily be 67e74f0000 forgotten after just one f421dc804b look. His appearance could 3f45c4282e easily be mistaken 774bc67a27 for that of c6a13a3c30 a movie star, 9dabb17fc1 yet the aura 30253fa8dc around him screamed 66fe753b57 businessman. Shin-hee tilted his head 37ccc2c6d4 in confusion.ce380b562c7a439e

Well, what does it a84bb695aa matter? What does anything 676c0dfada matter? Following the 5a19d7c5a8 endless flow d49f1dbf38 of his dd37a98d3a thoughts, Shin-hee 19f7e76a8f shook his 88a76164c6 head to 4ceaa6c79b shake off 23b8ac36c8 the stray 4c3343c3c7 thoughts.dcb26aef157e2fd2

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Having dealt only 8c2a7f8821 with ghosts all f7af2f5832 the time, it 264445d6dd was hard for 49003f162c Shin-hee to converse bf9a0557ff with people. He glanced 77725cf429 sideways at 2c891b31a4 the ghosts f21416f85d standing next 3d7cbfcd1c to him, 247bf4bbae as though 0288ed4373 all of 906c7099d5 this was e529916179 their fault. The ghost, 4239f2793f whose head 4236833793 was barely 4f2fa639f1 hanging on 256ad5c51c by a c85aa63742 thread, simply 20433fd754 gazed at e444bd5be0 Shin-hee with 0bff1fdc82 desperate eyes, 5a15036219 hands clasped c258789362 together. His modified 93a74394a9 hanbok, in fe7b45a216 shades of a78eafc3c2 black and 52f42354a2 white, was 2575f6fe0b stained with 540f24a81a blood in 6b518f295c several places.8570bcd00f81d11f

In the past, it 572ff4bb90 would have been so 75b533ed33 repulsive that Shin-hee wouldn’t c25b46f0f6 have been able to b84c5d0a55 make eye contact. But after six 82b80c8338 years of training, b8e9f4008d not only had 03909fbc03 his courage grown, 0fd39d5082 but his tolerance 99df8bccca had strengthened as cd094b92f7 well. A ghost with 3be63a68c6 its neck almost 42009bd2c9 severed was nothing e49a4f897b compared to one deba8a56ad whose entire body d0ad1ae3ad was torn apart.b1b71f5f04144b15

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“At this point, it’s fine,”
Shin-hee thought, feeling c0be990274 a sense of e4d68ccaa3 satisfaction. The man 0db8dc7ef3 with glasses 56f6806ca2 gave him a043470a5d a nod 1d7af9493f of acknowledgment a6c43f4154 as he 415fd6c334 carefully drove 16a92f585c away in 88938f727d his luxury 61568d4e68 car. At that 1d2496207d moment, Shin-hee 23f1dcfdb9 scanned the 0ffa96c6dc vacant parking 3128d11d67 spaces thoroughly. He had received 17c543ddd1 a request saying cf8c78e069 that ghosts often 61948b46de appeared in this 7e62d7f872 building, so when 78c4baf47d he came to 7c2765fef0 investigate, he found be2720800d a ghost with 6952e835af its head severed, 99ea05d71b calling itself Okja, 3e2e30b322 crying endlessly while 8a183da1bc searching for a 890952a0ea necklace that might 4614fac0a6 have been made 2c33a204dd of jade or 18c2bb9812 amethyst.bde9dc529c845cb7

Shin-hee had planned to e0f9cb136c guide her to the 6f6eb2434d afterlife, but the ghost 6368060928 had insisted that she 1636c73437 wouldn’t leave the living f097b8b700 world until she found 09062603f9 the necklace she was e7eba30513 looking for. So, for the 6a3b72a130 past hour, he 15610476f3 had been searching b98421f58e the parking lot, 71da7af8d7 trying to help e832bc4d52 her. From the way e096738cf5 she was dressed, d18e517ed2 it seemed like 54e92b6276 she had been 05f5050e61 lost for at 0c16a8c990 least a hundred 79b4c79fbe years, but Shin-hee 562aa13e73 felt that even 6e0cd4eaf4 pretending to help cb33b01a88 her find it 0751b9cc88 might calm her bfb892e238 spirit and allow 3f0c068d53 her to ascend 38a5c43726 peacefully. He could have 1fcf4c6d2b forcibly moved her c2a617b454 along, but he 08924ac7f3 wanted to send 5fe868a99f her off without 730636ddf7 any regrets.91996f10e740db32

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Ah, but that man… ed89cbf3c0 Did he see me b7c1cf8394 talking to the ghost? Ugh, I must 14a100be6f have looked crazy e3d67853cc to him.1312b2cb380f65b3

“Is this the right place? Did you lose the necklace exactly at this spot?”b903b8662bcb072c

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“Ugh…”1fa00e0bf70af1cd

She nodded repeatedly, sobbing. Blood tears fell, wetting her face. It’s a sight that never gets any easier, no matter how often I see it. Shin-hee let out a deep sigh and even turned on his phone’s flashlight to examine the floor. As expected, there was nothing on the floor except for the black grease stains.
“Look. This place is all blocked off, and whether I find it or not, I’ll have to dig here, but if I start digging, that cop will catch me…”8c75d8837acea51d

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“Please, just find it for me… My husband, he said, ‘Okja, Okja, you’re so beautiful,’ and with the money he earned through a lifetime of hard work, he gave it to me…”826cfeedde72bff0

“I really wish I could help you find it, Okja. For now, you should go up to the sky, and if by chance I find it later, I’ll make sure to come back. Ah…”0f32a5d346ca4538

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Shin-hee paused as if he had just remembered something and checked his wristwatch. 8 o’clock. It seemed like he could make it if he hurried a bit. He let out a sigh of relief while looking at Okja, who was still sobbing.47c957006905da32

————–966ed858a40196f1

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“What do you mean by that?” Gyo-jin, who had just arrived home, muttered while loosening his tie. He had been in a bad mood all day, and the phone call he had received on top of it only made things worse.e57cfd4be4a04ee3

“You know I don’t go on business trips abroad, right?”40999f26e571db6d

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“Well, still, Mr. Ha. If Mr. Ha doesn’t come in person, we’ll consider this deal null and void…”3aece8b431275510

“We can’t be fooled by such words, can we? If you’re planning to turn this around, then go for something bigger. Anyway, I’m not going.”37dd284fcd01e414

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“Ha, Gyo-jin! This is a problem. You know how hard we’ve worked to bring in the Mishima department store as a partner.”1c5c96fcdaafe1ed

“Yes, and that’s why I’ve been cutting back on everything for the past seven months—meals, sleep time, all of it—planning, contacting, and persuading to get us this far.”68ba5e185caa52ae

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“I know you’ve worked hard, but…”0bfe0d127848d44c

“When do I have to keep spoon-feeding this to you, Director Jeong? We’ve done this much, and now it’s your turn to take care of the rest, right? Are you going to pass everything to me just because you told me to come? Sales should be handled by the sales team. Either be incompetent or negligent, just pick one, Director Jeong Tae-man.”7def24ad79558ae4

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Mr.Jeong – The Director – gritted his teeth at Gyo-jin, who was throwing around words like incompetence, negligence, and even complex issues. However, Jeong, who had recently started practicing breathing techniques from his new physical exercise routine, began to take deep breaths. As he calmed his mind, he realized that the problem was on their side. No matter what harsh words Ha Gyo-jin said, he should have stepped back. No, he had intended to do so, but… If Ha Gyo-jin refuses this time, all it would do is upset their feelings. Gyo-jin probably knew that they were testing the waters with both their company and the Geumgang Hotel at the same time.18146bfc7ee92aa2

“We know Ha Gyo-jin is busy, but this opportunity…?”d32d8ef646b502f6

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“Testing the waters?”afd5ca9ff6d79dff

“Huh? Are you saying that you’re testing the waters between our Haimbell and Geumgang? Are you messing with me right now?”af016bf4f5fb90d2

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Jeong, the Executive Director, felt as if his mind and heart were being shredded by Gyo-jin’s relentless criticisms, which cut through all ranks, ages, and statuses. Despite technically being a higher rank, he couldn’t understand why this competent and young director lacked the virtue of humility.11fcc57deee5eb61

“Did you just stand by and watch as it came to this, even though you knew they were testing the waters? If you understood their mindset, you should’ve either given them something more to secure our position, or completely sorted things out and shifted our focus to targeting other opportunities. That’s your job, Executive Director Jeong. The board didn’t give you that position just to sit back and pretend you don’t know what’s going on.”a09af39537110963

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“I… I’m really sorry, but…”bf64c694c7dc4ff4

“I won’t be attending the meeting with Mishima’s CEO. Either you go in my place, or they can directly ask me to come. I’m hanging up now.”53e05e37c29480ea

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Gyo-jin slammed the phone down and threw it onto the sofa. It had been a frustrating day from the start. The broken door lock seemed almost laughable in comparison. In the morning, he had an awkward business conversation with his ex’s father; in the afternoon, an elementary school kid shot him with a water gun; and in the evening, some madman, whom he had no memory of, barged into a matchmaking meeting and spilled wine. Now, a business trip to Japan was being thrust upon him. An overseas trip. For domestic trips, he meticulously prepared for weeks, addressing every potential risk and ensuring everything was handled, but now an overseas trip?06a07134ec2033a6

It was baae821bb6 all the 31fe500ba3 fault of 65ee2fa1ce Director Jeong, bf0b2cca86 who couldn’t 240caa89cc do his 78f3877a56 job properly. No, more precisely, 207b3997f2 it was his 0476771331 own damn nature. Gyo-jin roughly stripped 8ad9bda9d3 off his clothes 9e1b37b621 and threw them bf596610fa into the laundry 05ea759ae9 basket before turning cb950fb344 on the shower.1caf9e1bef4b7b10

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As old fb47b8a037 memories flooded 276113d4a2 back, he 181ac5e9a6 adjusted the 4fac9c8c15 hot water b2f093fbbe to cold, 0b813e72cd trying to 21e8004596 shake off 9d1d321793 the feelings.d31bd53c99880c41

For all 8e3054b385 three years 94f8fe7a23 of high 53caa162d5 school, Gyo-jin b93f42cf5d maintained the d79b0ec92f top rank 979f645839 and often 73df77a82b scored perfect e07738d17d marks on 47f552380b mock exams. Yet, on the 31220f1124 morning of the 24c30cd7d3 CSAT at the 5eef0c9351 age of nineteen, 389b85aa95 his life hit 1eac673ab4 its lowest point d86c9e6cb1 when he was eb106520c1 involved in a 6dbf824def car accident. The shock from that 8961ed9ddc event was so intense c9abbf7535 that he seriously questioned 273073e166 why his life had 844f2f2562 turned out this way 00f7e47224 during his three-month hospital d69aa783cc stay. Due to his ae105d4ff4 ‘nature,’ which kept a70f373c09 him from traveling e03901cb21 abroad, he had a62447552d to waste another 0c2a924fa8 year domestically, forced 84b3f08359 to repeat his 7d70bebb5c studies. Going back another aedb427fb9 three years, the 4d1706fd6c day before the b22ffe4389 high school entrance 6ab0ce67b2 exam, his appendix 6ce3f7b7cc burst, causing him 8f67f4a28e to miss the 59f294e21e school he had 9e52aeed8f hoped to attend.6c6a2ca0f40ed25c

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Even earlier, 3823a74c97 at thirteen, 71767fe716 he had f18cce4b96 entered a 0217ef348c piano competition, 9696cf708e only for 57cd315057 the elevator 95c348a6b5 to crash, 3b65149ed7 though oddly, 8f835546ba he had b4a2b6cdca no memory 9fbe03283d of that 466dcb9fb0 day. And when he d3b36c79e2 was ten, he c1955f7949 had been kidnapped d983df9a1d by criminals seeking 412d6628b1 money and held 67df1d3587 for three days.4cf36742b6403684

Unlike others, Gyo-jin seemed 21b42ac968 to experience these rare, 5b94c5f12a life-altering events just when ce89888e5b he thought he was 032cb2b86c finally past them.359440be35803718

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Life-threatening “big accidents” seemed to come around every three years, precisely on his lunar birthday. Every year, he would observe the lunar date of September 26th, hoping for it to pass safely, and by now, he was fed up with it. While others often worry about the “three-year misfortune,” he had to worry about his own recurring birthday. So, every time it came around, he would lock himself in his house and stay indoors all day.
“It’s dangerous outside the blanket ” — for others, this might be one of those jokes to laugh off, but for him, it was a hard-earned lesson from direct experience with danger.db4733085bfbe6ac

As he slowly sifted 201336e335 through the remnants of 28e8bd4f8b his memories, he suddenly 89a964ef6e recalled the accident from 46712d2ad7 six years ago. Just like 0463118d37 when he b788badb1e was thirteen, f8053abda2 the memory 28e905cf6b was unclear, 17babc69d1 but he 53ac07a6ab later heard d635e16d8d that, according efe11964e7 to others, 96495ff9ee he had f199fbe7b7 almost died.6c8447896830c1a3

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In the efa462f2fb middle of b846414653 the road, b46fd44323 the bus 19bd7d3523 suddenly overturned, 57c494b72c and the 48a5ea7523 driver died 2eb99e8f60 on the de289b7325 spot, but 873520ec02 for some 4078e1532c reason, Gyo-jin 1cfb09d00c only suffered 844378fef0 minor scratches. Despite that, bbcfc07e95 he fell fafe790f01 into a c8abcb0f5a month-long sleep 3324565ba3 with no 376789e11e apparent brain efce8d1896 injury. He remembered 1b7a1f3255 being on ae13ca31c3 the bus, 90472278bc but had e5c6eeb18f no recollection d627a70b42 of escaping 0bde0fdec0 from it. It was then a501344ffa that he remembered 1d1ee087cc why he had 6e17c12bef been on that 8371ae889b bus.fcb352fd12ae5d3e

6 years ago, he had been on his way to the columbarium to visit the memorial of his biological mother, who had died giving birth to him. It was the first time he had learned that his biological mother existed, and that she had died during childbirth. He hadn’t listened to Mrs. Kim’s warning, who had always told him to stay home because it was dangerous, and had stepped out, only to end up in the accident.8da025b10d8a51ce

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In the fragmented memories, Gyo-jin thought he might have seen someone, but the damaged recollections refused to be restored. His doctor occasionally joked that his exceptionally sharp mind caused side effects even from small shocks, but Gyo-jin wasn’t in the mood to laugh at all. Up until six years ago, he had occasionally raised his head, believing that the petty misfortunes in life only affected him. However, as if to prove him wrong, misfortune took the life of someone close to him, mocking Gyo-jin’s arrogance.8a2d0ba37aff7e60

No matter how indifferent Gyo-jin’s personality was, he couldn’t remain indifferent to that. If this was some grand design of fate, then he felt like a dirty pawn, entangled in underhanded moves. The accident six years ago had been so intense that, for his birthday three years ago, everything passed quietly, uneventfully. So perhaps this time, too…6783a1091da5f1e4

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