I’m the Only One Who Can’t See Ghosts

12 – Trustworthy Warmth (1)

* * *

The officetel that somehow seemed like zombies would come out, Luaville, had various advantages. First, there were not many neighbors, so there was no need to worry about noise from other floors. Second, electricity and water came out abundantly. The third was… I can’t remember.

There must be more advantages, though.

But I still don’t know.

Anyway, the important thing here is that electricity and water are free. When I signed the contract for this house, I negotiated it to be included in the maintenance fee for 600,000 won per year.

What should I do if electricity is free?

Of course, it was mining coins.

“If only I had mining equipment, I could become a coin tycoon after my divorce.”

But there was no mining equipment, only a desktop computer and a mouse monitor. In modern society, this was enough to make money, as long as you had perseverance.

And soon, perseverance would come knocking.

“Come out. Let’s settle this today.”

“Here I am, my perseverance!”

“Perseverance? That’s not my name!”

I quickly opened the door. Standing in front of the door was a girl who looked like a middle school student, filled with perseverance. I called her Jamsoon for short.

“Kuk, there’s no need for words. Let’s go. The principle activation, eternal domain…”

I grabbed Jamsoon’s hand as she was settling into her stance.

“Hey, there’s something much more fun than acting like a middle schooler. Just by looking at you, I can tell. You haven’t tried using a computer.”

“A com… computer?”

Jamsoon immediately showed interest.

Indeed, this Jamsoon was talented.

I had known since she was busy playing with her phone when she could have been doing something like acting like a middle schooler. Jamsoon lived a life completely unrelated to phones and computers.

If I introduced her to a computer…

I would stay up all night just to use it.

If I taught her games…

From Noble mtl dot com

She would become a living human macro.

I made Jamsoon sit down.

“Sit down. Have you ever used a computer before?”

“No, never.”

“Kya, you’ve got the smell of a newbie. Press the power button over there.”

Then a password prompt appeared.

I said this.

“Just type ‘schoolofficea1b1c1!’ there.”

“Th-that’s…”

“Why? Haven’t even typed properly. Just take it slow and press each key.”

Jamsoon bowed her head.

Her face was flushed red.

“I can’t write in Korean.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know how to write characters.”

I was speechless in an instant.

No, this kid.

Did he not even go to elementary school?

But I was not someone who would give up so easily.

“Writing? That’s all? I’ll teach you. I guess I should teach you how to use a keyboard too.”

“Why? What do you want from me?”

Jamsoonie immediately put on a guard expression.

That’s why I don’t like kids who are quick on the uptake.

“After I start working, I hope you can play games on the computer during that time. In return, I’ll provide you with meals for breakfast and dinner. And you can come to our house anytime and use the computer as you please. This is truly a free PC room service that even provides snacks!!!”

Jamsoonie mumbled without letting her guard down.

“I don’t trust you.”

“That’s only natural. Trusting others is foolish.”

“But I’ll accept your offer. Even if it’s to find your weaknesses.”

“My weaknesses?”

Could it be that he wants to exploit my weakness of being weak against setups where the title of the manga itself is an important clue?

This child is scary.

“Okay, deal.”

And so, I made a contract with Jamsoonie.

And time passed.

“Oh, your handwriting has improved quite a bit.”

“Hmph, how do you see me? Even though I can’t write in Korean, I can write amulets really well.”

One month later.

“개추? What does that mean?”

“Oh, that. It means a cabbage shaped like a dog.”

“What? Does that really exist?”

Two months later.

“What’s for dinner tonight?”

“Some discounted whole chicken from the market.”

“Score!”

“Where did you learn that phrase?”

“Didn’t you say that when you got an item?”

Months went by like that. Jamsoon spent more time in my room than her own. Her typing speed exceeded 300 characters per minute, and her way of speaking started to become a bit odd.

“What’s for dinner today?”

“I brought back some leftovers from work.”

“Woo-hoo! Getto Daize!”

“Woo-hoo? Getto Daize?”

Jamsoon was passionate about using the internet, just like a little kid who had just learned about it. She spent hours playing games, selling items, even doing raids and PvP battles.

Honestly, I didn’t know Jamsoon would be this good at games. As the amount of money she made increased, I felt a pang of conscience.

There was a considerable amount of money in my bank account.

But no matter what, it was only confirming that I was a conscienceless jerk if I took it all for myself. Only someone with a rotten conscience triangle in their heart could do such a thing.

“It feels like I’m earning more than my part-time job now.”

“What’s for dinner today?”

As soon as I entered the room, Jamsoon rushed over. I liked how her expression brightened compared to when we first met.

“I brought some pork feet today.”

“Pork feet! Cold noodles! Yay, this is awesome. Let’s eat quickly.”

“Hey! Don’t use ‘yay’ to refer to a girl like that!”

But is this really okay?

Am I ruining the life of a little kid?

“Your way of speaking is getting worse, you know?”

One thing for sure is that if this kid grows up like this, she’ll definitely become an internet addict.

At the moment, I was doing something that was no different from making Jamsoon a shut-in, all for the sake of making money.

No matter how much I knew that capitalism is cold-hearted, I didn’t expect myself to go as far as this. How did it come to this?

While I was engulfed in worry and inner turmoil, the neighbor next door said this.

“Hey, can you handle teaching Sojin some words and about the internet?”

“Well, she’s just a middle schooler, so I guess.”

“There was a huge uproar even when Sojin didn’t know about letters and the internet. But if she can get information through the internet…”

It was a massive commotion.

So this is what our Jam-soon’s alias, the tyrant of Luaville, was like.

From the moment I saw her, she seemed like a runaway youth, a rebellious child.

To be more precise, she had a strong wild girl vibe.

But one thing I can say for certain is that she’s not a bad kid by nature.

“But just looking at the trouble she’s caused…”

“Well then, the adults should teach her better.”

That’s right. The adults should have taught her well.

It’s been a few months since she dropped out of high school, so I was practically an adult myself.

I couldn’t just leave Jam-soon alone like this.

“Don’t go, don’t leave, oppa.”

I won’t leave her alone again.

Never again.

It’s my responsibility that Jam-soon has become this much of an internet addict.

I won’t let her become a complete shut-in.

“But there are children who are already on a path that can’t be reversed.”

“Even adults who give up on kids make that excuse.”

I said this while looking at the uncle.

“I don’t intend to make that excuse.”

* * *

After saying those words, Yu Ha-jin left.

But the gatekeeper of the Il-rung-five-evil-door’s family remained still as if his feet were rooted to the ground.

“I won’t make any excuses. Ah.”

Park Il-gwa and Na Yu had a mission. To stand against the invading rulers and to eliminate the ruler-level psychics who sought to destroy Korea. According to their beliefs, the existence closest to a ruler-level psychic who would destroy Korea was none other than Kim So-jin.

But they did not eliminate Kim So-jin.

There were three reasons for that.

First, Park Il-gwa and Na Yu couldn’t be sure if they could completely eliminate Kim So-jin even if they teamed up. Kim So-jin was on their level, and she surely had hidden tricks up her sleeve.

Second, Kim So-jin has been helpful for the existence of Korea. If the ruler invaded once again, it would be difficult to defend without Kim So-jin, relying solely on Park Il-gwa and Na Yu.

Third, Kim So-jin was their comrade.

It was dishonorable to stick a knife in your comrade’s back.

But there were many reasons to do so.

The constant pressure of the family alliance, the sanctions imposed by the Five Evils, the petitions from the new members of the Na Yoo family, and Kim Sojin’s increasingly cruel nature.

In this way, Bak-il and Na-yoo had no choice but to watch Kim Sojin. At the moment when this balance continued, that man appeared.

Yu-ha-jin, a man who seemed ordinary but was not ordinary at all. He took a liking to Kim Sojin and taught her about letters and the internet.

Bak-il and Na-yoo thought Yu-ha-jin was crazy. Kim Sojin had made enemies with numerous factions. If Yu-ha-jin became close to Kim Sojin, he might as well turn against all of them.

But Yu-ha-jin did not stop.

Then, indirect retaliation began.

It was the clandestine manipulation of the forces who wanted to retaliate, even if they did not want to stand against those who were fluttering around Lord Kijon’s corpse or who were facing them head-on.

Even with the curses that rained down on Yu-ha-jin as a warning, even with the horrific negation that terrified his very soul, and even with the screaming of the spirit that drove one mad, the man did not stop.

In truth, there was no reason for him to stop. From Yu-ha-jin’s perspective, whether curses rained down on him or negations poured down, there was no way to know. Yu-ha-jin could not see ghosts.

Nevertheless, Yu-ha-jin endured it all silently.

And yet, he did not leave Kim Sojin.

“Tsk, those cowards who hate me but dare not stand against me all cling to this man. He retaliates to the point of annoyance even while I’m right next to him. Instead, the frequency of attacks against me has decreased.”

Kim Sojin looked at Yu-ha-jin. However, Yu-ha-jin smiled brightly as if nothing was wrong.

“Why are you smiling like that? Don’t you resent me? Yet, why are you standing by my side? Why are you so kind to me, teaching me letters and information?”

Of course, Yu-ha-jin had no other reason to smile brightly. He had learned about Kim Sojin’s incredible bodily vision and agility, and he was planning to make use of that. But Kim Sojin had no way of knowing that.

“Well done.”

Yu-ha-jin smiled brightly and patted Kim Sojin’s head. Then, Kim Sojin had no choice but to hurriedly lower her head. It was because tears had welled up.

“Why are you so kind to me like this? I really don’t understand.”

Kim Sojin felt an emotion she had never felt before, not knowing what to say, and shed tears. Bak-il and Na-yoo also began to feel a sense of respect towards someone for the first time.

Teaching an abandoned child. Protecting them from all the attacks that would rain down on them. Sacrificing oneself for someone else. Bak-il and Na-yoo were watching all of these scenes.

Their hearts had been heavy for months. But in order to not acknowledge this heaviness, they said to Yu-ha-jin:

“Can you handle teaching Sojin about letters and the internet?”

But Yu-ha-jin said that Kim Sojin’s nature wasn’t bad. Since she had done something wrong, the adults should teach her better. He promised that he would not give up on the child and would not make excuses.

The words “I will not make excuses” stabbed them like a dagger in their hearts.

Bak-il and Na-yoo knew about the abuse Kim Sojin had experienced. Those were the days when she was so worn out from crying that she couldn’t even shed tears. But Kim Sojin had not become a complete demon despite those days.

Bak-il and Na-yoo felt ashamed upon hearing those words.

And they decided to acknowledge the heaviness in their hearts.

“I’m ashamed… I’m ashamed! It should have been us who taught him a lesson. No one else but us!”

“I’m so ashamed…”

With these words, Bak-il and Na-yu both contemplated every request to assassinate Kim So-jin.