Ch.57057 – Ghost Mansion #3

# 057 – The Ghost Mansion #3

I decided to leave the first floor to the lady and went up to the second floor.

But the cat was nowhere to be seen, and I happened to run into Yang Juhui who was wandering around the second floor.

“Yang Juhui. Did you chase away and bully the cat so it ran away?”

“…What did I do!”

Perhaps in my mind, the cat really liked Yang Juhui, climbing onto her shoulder and showing affection. But after being rejected, it might have been hurt and hidden somewhere.

As I headed up to the third floor, I glanced at Yang Juhui standing in the hallway of the second floor.

“Meow. Meow.”

Yang Juhui was kneeling on the floor, secretly imitating a cat.

What a funny girl.

“Hey. You’re really good at imitating a cat. You’re just like one.”

“I’m seriously going to kill you!”

Yang Juhui was furious.

She seemed embarrassed about being caught imitating a cat.

I avoided her and went up to the third floor.

On the third floor, there was Yu Dahui, and Bong Jiyeon who was following her, and Jeongseok who was subtly following Bong Jiyeon.

I asked Yu Dahui.

“The lady said she’d look for the cat on the first floor. She told us not to go down to the first floor after 11. Is there a reason?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure. Where on earth did Baekseol go? Come to think of it, things used to mysteriously disappear like this before too. Back then, the previous housekeeper would find them…”

According to Yu Dahui’s memory, things often disappeared in this mansion.

Some were found, some weren’t.

Is this a mansion with ghosts?

A ghost mansion.

Feeling somewhat creepy, I went back down to the second floor.

The second floor had rooms for people who worked in the mansion.

It seemed like a job where they stayed at the mansion, had meals provided, and received a salary.

Chatter chatter-

I heard women talking somewhere, and through a slightly open door, I could see pretty older girls. They were taking off dresses or stockings.

“It’s nice having so many people today.”

“I know. Dahui brought all her friends. My goodness, what a surprise.”

“Hey. What are you doing here?”

“Yikes!”

Someone grabbed my ear hard, and I was extremely startled.

Even a cat seeing a cucumber couldn’t have jumped higher than I did.

I leaped almost two meters into the air and nearly touched the ceiling.

“What are you doing here?”

“…Ms. Hong Miri.”

Ms. Hong Miri had appeared behind me without making any sound, despite wearing incredibly high heels.

I have no idea how she managed that trick.

Is it because she’s actually a ghost?

Come to think of it, the “Woman in Red” I met in the Nightmare Corridor also appeared without any footsteps or presence, suddenly appearing to devour Yang Juhui and then Yu Dahui.

Perhaps the ability to move without making footsteps is Ms. Hong Miri’s ghostly power.

“You naughty boy. Were you just watching the women changing clothes inside?”

“Ms. Hong, what are you saying? I’m looking for the cat. Don’t falsely accuse and condemn an innocent person.”

I had to desperately defend my dignity.

I emphasized that Yu Dahui had lost her cat and that all the students were looking around for it.

Ms. Hong Miri opened her narrow eyes and looked at me with great suspicion, but eventually let go of my ear.

“Ha Yeongwon. The teacher might seem gullible, but I’ll trust you. Have you seen the cat on the second floor?”

“The cat? You mean Baekseol? No, I haven’t seen it on the second floor~.”

“By the way, who was that? He’s cute.”

“Look how red his face is.”

The housekeeping sisters who worked at the mansion were chattering away.

Suddenly, I became curious about the identity of these sisters working in this mansion.

“Do you sisters live here?”

“Yes. We’ve lived here since we were young. Miri and all of us are from the same orphanage.”

“We’re all family.”

“Hahahahaha.”

The sisters were laughing and chattering, and I felt almost dizzy.

It seemed that the people working in this mansion were brought from an orphanage without parents, educated, and put to work. That’s why they could all stay and work here.

Because they had no families to begin with.

Suddenly, I remembered the photos I saw on the elevator’s death floor.

They looked like photos of children taken at a kindergarten.

But what if it wasn’t a kindergarten but an “orphanage”?

Ms. Hong Miri is from an orphanage—

I stored this information well in my head.

“By the way, you’re cute. What’s your name? Are you Miri’s student?”

“You crazy girl. She thinks all young guys are cute.”

“Want some candy from big sister?”

Giggle giggle-

I keenly felt like I was being sexually harassed by older women.

It was somewhat embarrassing, but honestly, it didn’t feel that bad.

Anyway.

The housekeeping sisters didn’t seem to have seen the cat.

“Come to think of it, I often lose things too. Sometimes my stockings disappear after I take them off.”

“I’ve lost many lipsticks too.”

“Didn’t someone find them all? The lady who used to be here found everything…”

It seemed that things frequently disappeared in this mansion.

“Do you know why they disappear?”

This might be important information.

So I asked the sisters, but Ms. Hong Miri answered.

“There’s a ghost living in this mansion. A ghost that eats curious kids who don’t listen to adults, like you.”

“……”

When Ms. Hong Miri said it, it didn’t sound like a joke.

Just then.

One of the sisters who liked younger men said:

“By the way, what was that lady’s name? The one who worked before the current head lady.”

“…Right? What was her name?”

“I can’t remember. What was her name?”

Everyone seemed unable to remember the name of the housekeeper who had quit recently.

According to Yu Dahui, she had quit less than a month ago.

Could they all forget her name in such a short time?

It was truly a strange mansion.

Thinking this, I received lots of candy from the sisters and went out into the hallway, where I saw the eerie housekeeper holding a lantern in the dimly lit corridor.

“You. Stop wandering around and go upstairs to bed.”

“I need to find the cat. Did you search the entire first floor?”

“I searched everywhere. It’s not there.”

This was a lie.

The first floor was very spacious, so it would take at least an hour for one person to search it thoroughly.

Claiming to have searched the entire first floor in less than 30 minutes was absurd.

She must have done a cursory search and was making excuses.

Suddenly, I remembered hearing that this new housekeeper disliked Yu Dahui and also greatly disliked her cat, Baekseol.

Maybe this scary lady had gotten rid of the cat somewhere?

It was entirely possible.

“Then, good night.”

I pretended to go up to the third floor to throw off the housekeeper.

And after she was out of sight, I slowly went down the stairs toward the first floor.

—Meow. Meow.

With impeccable timing, I could hear a cat’s meow coming from the first floor!

I quickly went down to the first floor.

—Meow. Meow.

The cat sounds were coming from what looked like a dark storage room.

It was a somewhat eerie place.

# # #

“You think it’s on the first floor?”

Jeongseok frowned at my story.

He seemed to find my proposal strange—that the cat seemed to be on the first floor and I wanted him to come with me.

“Didn’t the housekeeper say she searched the first floor and didn’t find the cat? And didn’t she say not to go to the first floor after 11 PM?”

“That’s why it seems suspicious and fishy. I clearly heard the cat’s meow from the first floor! Let’s all go to the first floor together.”

I decided to summon all my friends.

Going around the first floor alone was scary as hell, but if everyone went together, it seemed like we could overcome any adversity and hardship.

Comrades. Adventure. Friendship. Isn’t that the essence of a pirate crew?

With that feeling, we headed down to the first floor.

But a problem arose.

“Hey, you kids. Why aren’t you sleeping? Go back upstairs now.”

On our way down to the first floor, we were caught by the ghost-like housekeeper who was on duty or standing guard.

The lady particularly scolded Yu Dahui harshly.

“Yu Dahui. Just because you brought friends, does that mean you can wander around the house making a mess?”

“…But Baekseol…”

“I’ll buy you the exact same cat tomorrow. That’ll do, right?”

She was a very progressive-thinking lady.

At this point, was exploring the first floor impossible?

The time was approaching midnight.

Everyone looked tired too.

We decided to go to sleep for now.

Well, there was no other option.

Then, around dawn, I woke up from my sleep due to the unfamiliar bed.

—Meow. Meow.

The sound of a cat’s meow was loudly ringing in my ears.

When I carefully went out into the hallway, the meowing was coming from the first floor down the stairs.

As I carefully went down the stairs, I saw the housekeeper sitting in the hallway, nodding off.

How could she not wake up with the cat meowing like this?

Whether it was thanks to my experience in the corridor or the effect of the “Strong Heart” trait, I went down to the first floor in one breath with what I thought was courageous steps.

Following the cat’s sound, I arrived at a place that could be called a ‘food storage room.’

It had boxes of potatoes, onions, and apples stacked up.

Fans were running here and there, seemingly to keep the ingredients fresh.

—Meow.

As I was looking around the food storage room, my phone’s light revealed white fur.

It’s the cat!

“Baekseol!”

I called out to the cat with joy.

But the problem came next. A long, stiff hand like an old tree suddenly emerged from somewhere and grabbed the cat Baekseol’s body.

It was a hand that seemed to be about 2 meters long.

The hand took the white cat Baekseol through a hole in the wall of the food storage room and disappeared.

“……”

I froze in place.

I couldn’t believe what I had just seen.

The hole was large enough for a big dog to pass through.

It was very dark, and there were talismans stuck all around, but the ones near the hole were fluttering as if torn.

And from inside that hole, the sound of meowing continued.

━Do you want to take the cat?

Suddenly, a human voice was heard from inside.

It was a very thin and faint woman’s voice.

I was startled.

“W-who are you?”

━I am the owner of this house. The real owner.

Oh, shit.

I felt the hair all over my body stand on end.

Whatever was in this hole was definitely a ghost.

━If you want the cat, put your hand inside here.

Put my hand inside the hole?

Fuck that!

Who in their right mind would do something that obviously looks like it would end badly?

“…Um, is there another way I can get the cat back?”

━Do you have something to trade for the cat?

An object!

Barter!

Yes, this is a capitalist society.

I rummaged through my pockets.

My pockets were full of candy I had received from the sisters.

“H-here.”

Swoosh-

When I held out the candy, an extremely skinny and emaciated hand extended almost 2 meters out from inside the hole and swept away my candy.

It was a truly terrifying sight that could make foam come out of my mouth.

━This is much less than the cat’s weight. With this, you can only get this.

Thud-

Something fell out of the hole.

It was a rolled-up drawing paper.

I picked up a nearby stick and used it to retrieve the paper.

Flutter-

When I unfolded the paper tied with a rubber band, there was a drawing.

It looked like someone had drawn it earnestly with crayons.

It seemed to be a drawing of a woman, and there was writing below it.

“Thank you, Ms. Ha Chaeyeon”

“……”

Ha Chaeyeon.

That’s the same name as my mom.

“Who is this Ms. Ha Chaeyeon here? Do you have more items like this?”

━Yes. I can give you the cat too. If you just put your head in here. Put your head in. Kihihihihi. If you don’t put your head in, I’ll come to you at night!

My head?

What are you trying to do with my head!

“You filthy ghost! You’ve shown your true colors!”

I had no doubt that the ghost crouching inside that hole was of the evil kind.

At this point, I had no choice but to fight.

I opened my Status Window and checked my Mercenary Corps.

I was going to dispatch a ghost to deal with this.

“Placebo Effect”

The ghost I was going to dispatch to myself was the placebo ghost.

Having been interested in dinosaurs since childhood, I thought of many small raptors, and soon, perhaps thanks to the placebo effect, I heard the ferocious roars of dinosaurs.

━Guaaak!

I also heard a strange woman’s scream.

Soon, text appeared before my eyes.

『Congratulations! You have defeated ‘The Invisible Hand’!』

『Beginning calculation for 1 person’s survival.』

『You gain 100P.』

The Invisible Hand?

Was it Adam Smith’s ghost?

No wonder it kept asking to exchange items.

『Your ‘Placebo Effect’ has achieved enlightenment.

You can no longer dispatch ‘Placebo Effect’ from your ‘Mercenary Corps’.』

Damn it, my ultimate move, the dinosaur ghost!?

Why did it achieve enlightenment on its own!

Does a ghost become enlightened once it’s dispatched from the Mercenary Corps?

—Meow. Meow.

Just then, I heard a cat’s meow from inside the hole.

When I shined my phone light, I could see a white ball of fur moving around in the pitch-black pit.

And inside, there were all sorts of miscellaneous items.

I reached in and grabbed a handful of the items inside.

And among the junk, I discovered a strange piece of paper.

“This…”

It was a photo that seemed to capture a male student at a high school entrance ceremony.

It was a photo taken with an instant camera, but it was quite faded, suggesting it was old.

“This is my photo.”

It was a photo of me and my mom taken at the Yeongji High entrance ceremony.

Why was a photo taken by my mom here?