Whisper Chapter 33

The short-haired ghost, with her head bowed, pounded her chest with her fists. Since she was a ghost, there was no sound, but if she had been human, she would probably have ended up with bruises.  

 

“The crumpled envelope… It was so tightly clenched that it was tattered. I recognized that envelope. I gave it to her. I even wrote on it, wishing for our Hyo-jung’s happiness. She died holding it. But the things left behind as her belongings… Even a monk at a temple would have more than that. She loved bright and beautiful colors, yet all the clothes she had left were either black or gray. The only things she had were a single hairpin with all the jewels missing and two pairs of socks, but everything else the household had given her was taken away.”  

 

The string of curses flowed out like a Buddhist chant. The two ghosts seemed to be competing in a battle of profanities. Heewoo wanted to join in as well, but because of the old lady, she couldn’t. Instead, she sat there, sulking, debating whether to eat her noodles or not.  

 

“After that, whenever I see something pretty, something lovely, I buy it. Looking at them makes me think of my daughter, and it makes me happy.”  

 

Like mother, like daughter. Looking at the old lady’s face as she smiled, saying it made her happy to think of her daughter, tears welled up in Heewoo’s eyes.  

 

– Ah, this is driving me crazy. Can’t ghosts do contract killings or something?  

– So she’s a stepmother, but they look alike. Contract killing? No way. She needs to be ripped apart with bare hands.  

– Why can’t ghosts do that kind of thing?  

– Are you crazy? If ghosts could do that, how many humans would even be left in this world?  

 

As the two ghosts bickered, the short-haired ghost wobbled to her feet and hugged the old lady.  

 

“…Your daughter must be happy because she has you.”  

 

“Do you think so?”  

 

“Yes, of course. She takes after you, so she’s kind.”  

 

Heewoo, who had lowered her head, didn’t see the old lady’s puzzled expression. She quickly wiped away her teary eyes and picked up her chopsticks. Since the food had been made for her, she couldn’t just leave it untouched.    

 

“Oh my, you couldn’t even eat your noodles because of me. What should we do? They must have gotten soggy.”  

 

The old lady, who had half-risen from her seat, said regretfully.    

 

“Soggy or not, they’re still good to eat. They look delicious. But, ma’am, I don’t know if you’ll believe this or not.”  

 

“…?”  

 

“Your daughter must be grateful to you and feel sorry at the same time.”  

 

“……”  

 

“She must be happy even after death because you became her mother.”  

 

“……”  

 

“She will always be by your side.”  

 

The old lady’s eyes grew misty.  

 

“…And, she must want to tell you that she loves you.”  

 

The short-haired ghost nodded enthusiastically and looked at Heewoo. Even though the noodles had gotten a bit soggy, they were still delicious. The ghost was right—everything tasted good. As she lowered her head again, a small voice was heard.    

 

– Thank you.  

 

Heewoo froze, blinking. Her face showed disbelief at what she had just heard.  

 

– Really, thank you.  

 

“Thank you, young lady. Truly, thank you so much.”  

 

Both the mother and daughter, as if rehearsed, expressed their gratitude in unison. A lump formed in Heewoo’s throat, and she swallowed her noodles without chewing properly, lifting her head.  

 

That was when it happened. Something large slid into the shop. The ghosts all disappeared.  

 

***  

 

[I wi-ll go f-o-r a wal-k qui-kly and-back.]  

 

Cha Gyeol’s eyes narrowed as he looked at his phone. With the back of his gloved hand, he rubbed his dark eyebrows.  

 

A walk? Ridiculous.  

 

The kid, who always wanted to stick by his side, blinking those big black eyes adorably, was suddenly going to do something on her own?  

 

At the sudden timing of checking his phone, the men in the room blankly stared at Cha Gyeol. The man kneeling on the floor was gagged with something, unable to breathe properly, making choking sounds.

 

Cha Gyeol, who had returned to the front of the desk, perched on the edge and placed both hands on the surface.

 

The man, whose face was a swollen mess and whose eyes were barely visible, kept collapsing, but the men standing on either side of him forcefully held him up.

 

“Going for a walk, huh?”

 

At the voice, which was quite different from the atmosphere, the men’s faces turned bewildered, exchanging glances. In fact, that only made it more chilling. His three whites eyes gleamed eerily.

 

“Who?”

 

In a situation where no one could open their mouths, Jang Pal-yong, who had been quietly sitting and looking at his phone, asked nonchalantly. The men standing there were all relieved that at least Jang Pal-yong was present.

 

“The little lady.”

 

The word that came out of Cha Gyeol’s mouth sent chills down the listeners’ spines. Jang Pal-yong, who had been staring at his phone, let out a scoff and finally lifted his head.

 

Cha Gyeol, having casually used his fists, blew away the strands of hair that had fallen over his forehead with his breath. The black tattoo partially visible through the few unbuttoned shirt buttons made him look, in modern terms, quite slick. It was the same tattoo, yet somehow, that bastard didn’t look delinquent or thuggish but rather exuded an air of something refined, sexy, and hip.

 

Jang Pal-yong recalled the tattoos covering his own back and arms and smacked his lips in dissatisfaction.

 

“People can go for a walk. What’s the big deal?”

 

Saying it out loud, he realized that the combination was unsettling. Cha Gyeol and confinement—it was an oddly fitting match.

 

“She doesn’t even know the way, damn it.”

 

Cha Gyeol straightened his posture and adjusted his gloves as he walked forward. The men stiffened with tension. His towering height of over 190 cm and his lean, muscular physique moved with an elegance that was almost mesmerizing.

 

“Isn’t it strange?”

 

Thud!

 

Along with his casual tone, the man kneeling on the floor was sent rolling backward. The unexpected violence pushed the man to the brink of fainting in fear. The scent of blood, like rusted iron, and the acrid stench of filth filled the room, yet Cha Gyeol didn’t so much as blink.

 

“So, how much was he planning to take?”

 

Cha Gyeol pressed the tip of his shoe against the man’s ankle. The man writhed like a worm exposed to sunlight, letting out an animalistic groan.

 

“Five billion. Crazy bastard. I’ve never seen a loan shark conning his own business before.”

 

Jang Pal-yong clicked his tongue at the sight. Even after a preliminary beating, the bastard flopped around like a live fish.

 

“If you covet someone else’s hard-earned money, you have to pay the price.”

 

“Uugh! Uuuuugh!”

 

“Don’t worry. This is my specialty.”

 

Crack!

 

A faint but clear sound of something breaking echoed. The man didn’t even get the chance to scream before passing out. Cha Gyeol tossed his gloves onto the unconscious body, and the men swiftly began cleaning up.

 

Jang Pal-yong looked up at Cha Gyeol with a mixture of wariness and dread.

 

One mistake, failing to recognize the kind of person he was dealing with, had led to a life spiraling into ruin.

 

“The subway doesn’t work without a card.”

 

“……?”

 

Jang Pal-yong, sitting on the couch with a cigarette in his mouth, gave Cha Gyeol a puzzled look. What was he suddenly talking about—a subway?

 

Cha Gyeol lit his cigarette with a lighter, inhaled deeply, and pulled out the phone tucked into his back pocket.

 

“Isn’t a walk supposed to be done on foot?”

 

His face scrunched up as he smoked, staring at something.

 

“Why? What are you looking at? Didn’t Heewoo say she went for a walk? Isn’t it just around the house?”

 

“Damn it, where exactly is she walking to?”

 

Jang Pal-yong, who had just taken out a cigarette to join in, froze and pointed in shock.

 

“Hey, Boss, did you, did you track Heewoo’s location?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“You crazy bastard, didn’t you say you weren’t dating her? You track women you’re not even dating?”

 

If this wasn’t dating, then no one in the world was dating. What the hell was this behavior?

 

“She’s a kid. If something happens to her, are you going to take responsibility, Pal-yong?”

 

“Why would I?!”

 

“Exactly.”

 

What? What exactly do you mean by that?! Flushed with frustration, Jang Pal-yong was left gasping, forgetting even to light his cigarette.

 

“Maybe it’s because she’s a kid, but she sure requires a lot of attention.”

 

Cha Gyeol crushed the half-smoked cigarette into the ashtray and stood up. Now he was curious about where she was headed.

 

Taking the subway for a walk was quite the trip.

 

“You heading out, Boss?”

 

By the time Jang Pal-yong hurriedly spoke, Cha Gyeol was already at the office door, and he left without acknowledging him. Jang Pal-yong shot up and swore at the closed door.

 

“Damn it, Chief Kim keeps calling. Is falling in love making the world look like a damn flower garden?”

 

***

 

When Cha Gyeol entered the snack bar, Lee Heewoo was in the middle of swallowing something she had stuffed into her cheeks.

 

The tiny eatery only had the owner and Lee Heewoo inside. At the sight of Cha Gyeol, Lee Heewoo looked as if she had seen the Grim Reaper. The owner, sensing something, turned around and was startled.

 

“That’s quite a detailed walk.”

 

The small eatery felt suffocatingly full with the tall man inside, and silence filled the space.

 

“……H-how did you…….”