Friday night, flashy neon signs glittered on the streets of Gangnam, and music echoed everywhere. The beat pouring out of the clubs and bars drove straight into my eardrums.
Put nicely, it was full of life, but to me it was nothing but racket.
'Of all places, he wants to meet here.'
Among the people decked out in flashy fashion gathered in front of the club, my drab suit somehow stood apart from them, and I even felt out of place.
"Let's think of it as entertaining a client."
Pressing hard on my throbbing skull, I steeled myself.
If not for Min-seo's test, I would never have come to a place like this, but I had to pass it somehow and win her favor.
─First, take over the group chat admin seat from Eden without my help. The faster you do it, the higher you'll be rated, Min-jae.
Even for a deal that took a soul as collateral, Min-seo was careful. She had called them 'disposables,' but either way, I had to prove to her that I was different from those 'disposables.'
I was a little surprised that the chat room behind that link had been created by Expert Investors, but it explained the way Min-seo treated Eden. Eden knew that fact, so she was simply being careful with him.
VROOOOM!
An engine's exhaust roared, loud as a beast.
"Yo! I'm a little late, huh?"
Out of a red PoXX stepped Eden, dressed to the nines in a flashy VerOO shirt. At the sight, I was the one who felt embarrassed, and my ears burned red.
I thought I understood why Min-seo wanted to swap Eden out.
"No. I haven't been here long either...."
"Let's go in!"
Cutting me off and taking the lead, Eden casually handed me his clutch. I took it and stared blankly at Eden's back for a moment. He really seemed to see me as his underling. It was absurd.
"So our junior here is buying me drinks tonight?"
"...Yes. Just as a way of saying I'm counting on you."
As someone who didn't enjoy drinking, I begrudged the club's room fee and the price of the drinks, but this was entertaining a client. Being half-hearted with money could turn out worse than not doing it at all, so I went big and ordered an 18-year Macallan.
Pouring for Eden as he arrogantly raised his glass, I recalled the profile on him I had looked over at home. A third-rate punk who used to play at being a school bully. A clueless guy currently living it up like a rich kid after turning all his market points into money.
One glass, two glasses, the drinks went down endlessly, and once Eden was a little tipsy, I got to work.
"Thank you for letting me in."
"Ehh~ It's nothing. I'm glad a proper junior finally joined after so long."
Just as I had thought, he was weak to praise; he puffed his shoulders up and happily knocked back his drink.
"Min-seo wouldn't even have made time for me if it weren't for you, Eden. You two are dating, right?"
"Huh? Ah~! Did it look that way? We're not dating yet. But soon?"
It was a good thing he was an idiot who didn't know his place. I could tell from the first day that he had feelings for Min-seo. Of course, she didn't feel the same, but her face was the kind that would make anyone's heart flutter at first sight.
'Taking the seat off a guy like this is no big deal.'
It didn't look hard at all.
"But Min-seo must have a lot on her mind these days. Take good care of her, Eden."
"What? What's on her mind?"
He took the bait. To the bristling Eden, I laid out the story about the group chat. At first, he showed strong wariness and displeasure that I knew about the group chat he had thought only he knew about, but as the conversation went on, he listened intently.
"Ha? Those people are showing signs of starting their own separate group chat?"
"Well.... It seems their suspicions have grown since you went dark without explaining yourself, Eden."
He seemed to feel the sting of that, because Eden flinched, scowled, and set his glass down on the table.
Of course. It was the only post Min-seo had trusted to him, and now that it was in danger, he couldn't help but worry about it. Without even that, Min-seo would have no reason to keep him around. Idiot as he was, he seemed to know that much.
"Guess I'll have to whip them back into line at dawn!"
"Ah. I think that might backfire.... I have a suggestion. Would you like to hear it?"
He was a step away from slurring his words, and he thought he would whip anyone into line at dawn.
Still, my words seemed to have piqued his curiosity, because his ears had perked right up, so instead of bringing it up right away, I kept him in suspense to get him going. I couldn't come on too strong. I couldn't wound his pride, either.
I had to flatter him into giving up the seat himself. Without his even realizing it was being taken.
"I just think it would look better if I served under you and treated you with proper respect, Eden."
"So you're saying you should be the admin?"
"Not that I should be, but I've already verified that I'm a Promising. So if someone like me puts you up on a pedestal, I thought people's perception would naturally change."
If he had any brains, he would know that my Colosseum record and the auction price I had set would help him too.
"It's only a suggestion. If you don't like it, you can keep doing things the way you have been, Eden."
Eden's deliberation dragged on, as if he didn't want to let go of the admin seat to the very end. I had said everything I had to say, and if he didn't come around even after this, I would need to find another way.
'Is he the quietly stubborn type?'
This type was the most annoying. The kind who insists stubbornly that only what he says is right, though his logic and reasoning don't hold up. A villain treated like a cancer cell wherever he goes.
"Just so you know, I can go to Promising anytime!"
"I know! I know, but the people in the room don't know that."
When I waited patiently, he seemed to actually think for once, and a reaction slowly started coming. If I rushed him here or showed I was in a hurry, it could be like dropping snot into rice that was already cooked, so I calmly kept my expression. Then I cooed along with whatever Eden said and agreed with him as much as I could.
"You! You're agreeing to hand it back if I ask for it later."
"If you're really that worried, shall we write up a contract? I'm riding your coattails now, so it's fine with me anytime."
The coattails remark seemed to put him in a good mood, because he swaggered around under the illusion that he really was an Expert.
"Wait a sec.... First, let me, uh, ask noona before I give it to you."
"Min-seo? Women hate it when you ask them about every little thing...."
After all that swaggering, now that it came to actually agreeing, he hesitated, apparently worried. At his nonsense about getting permission, I gently humored him and lowered my eyes. Eden's eyebrows twitched, as if stung by my face looking at him like something pathetic.
"No way! A man looking that lame! Then while we're at it, should I just give it to you today?"
"The sooner the better, for you to make your comeback in the room too, Eden."
As expected, simple as he was, he went ahead with it right away. I hadn't expected him to hand it over right there at the drinking table like this, but it seemed easier on my mind to take it when he was offering, so I didn't stop him.
DING-DING—.
[No. 3029 has become the new admin.]
[Promising Eden has become deputy admin.]
The alert tones rang one after another, and the admin changed hands in a heartbeat. A blue crown settled next to my nickname. Afterward, Eden tossed his phone onto the sofa as though he didn't want to look at it.
"I ordered one more of the same. And I think I have to get going...."
"What?"
When I quickly backed out, Eden bristled. Honestly, the mission was over now, so I had no further business with him.
Still, not knowing things would be wrapped up so fast, I had prepared one more thing, and I decided to use it to make my exit.
When I sat Eden, who was getting up with his eyes full of complaint, back down in his seat, a waiter came in with some women, right on cue. I had slipped him money beforehand, so he had picked only women of the style Eden would like.
"I'll keep it a secret from Min-seo. I feel bad about leaving first tonight, so...."
"Nah, well, if my junior's busy. Anyway, you've got good sense~"
"Then relax and enjoy yourself before you go."
I flashed a smile at his giggling face, which had no idea what he was about to go through. Then I grabbed my jacket and bag and hurried out of there. Shaking out my jacket, already soaked with cigarette smoke and every kind of stale stink, I fired off a message to Min-seo.
[Mission complete.]
***
"I really did read you right."
When I bowed to Min-seo and stood beside her, she looked my outfit over, her eyes wide.
"It's just... my clothes smelled, so...."
"The casual look suits you too."
I always wore a suit when I came into the market, but today, for once, I was in a hoodie and jeans. I hadn't worn comfortable clothes like this in a long time either, and feeling awkward for no reason, I rattled off things she hadn't even asked about.
"Now let's go take the second test."
"Is it in the market?"
At my slightly uneasy question, Min-seo just smiled. I didn't know how many tests there would be, but hoping this one would be the last, I followed after her. I didn't trust Min-seo 100 percent yet, but I felt she would guarantee my safety until the test was over, so I behaved politely. Until I rose to Expert and stood on equal footing with her, the wishes she could make were of a higher grade, so I had to be careful.
"You've never traded directly with ghosts, have you?"
"No. I was a Beginner until then."
With that, the place she dragged me to was a back alley of the market I had never been to. The heart of where the ghosts were.
I still wasn't mentally prepared to trade with them, but this test quietly filled me with anticipation.
To raise my grade from here on, trading with ghosts was a must. It seemed better, if anything, to do it under Min-seo's lead.
"We've come to see the Idler. Tell him I've brought someone to make a trade."
At Min-seo's words, a clump of dust darted away like an arrow, and inside the dark shop, a bamboo blind slid open. A ghost that looked like a grim reaper came walking out with heavy steps and stared at me blankly. This ghost had a perfectly human form. The kind of form that shows up in urban legends and old tales.
"Finish it and it's 50 points. You must be back within 3 days."
I reached out to take the slip of paper he held out with the tips of his sharp nails. Several of his fingers had lost their flesh, with only bone showing. The ghost handed over the slip, turned, and went back inside, and where he had stood there was a black, scorched burn mark.
"That... what is he...."
"The Idler Ghost."
I remembered what was written in the notebook about curse ghosts. First, I unfolded the slip, which felt damp and sticky, and an even more baffling question floated up over my head.
"Um, there are only 4 addresses written on this."
"You just have to go into those addresses and come back out, Min-jae."
...Min-seo's explanation only added to my questions. I didn't know what kind of ghost it was, and I didn't know what the act was for, yet they would pay 50 points just for going to some addresses and coming back, which made even less sense.
"Oh, right. You've been cursed, Min-jae, so until the request is finished, you mustn't go anywhere but home."
"What?!!"