IMCT 05

Chapter 5

“Do you smoke?”

“I quit. Let’s go up to the rooftop.”

After going up to the rooftop with Hwang Su-ho, Si-min watched the man smoke, puffing away at the cigarette as if it were some delicious food.

“By the way, new guy, did you hear? Apparently, we have a new Representative now. From what I heard, he came in around the same time they recruited you. You really do see all kinds of things in this world.”

“Is it really that strange for the company to have a representative?”

“It is strange. Our company has been operating without a representative for a very long time.”

“What changes now that we have a representative?”

“Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see. I don’t think things will change all that much, though. It’s not exactly a company that can disappear.”

It was a strange company, and its legal advisor was even stranger.

Come to think of it, Si-min was the representative of that strange company.

“Anyway, if you happen to meet the Representative while you’re working, put in a good word for me.”

After hearing that, Si-min thought about it and realized there might have been something like that in the contract.

Article 6 (Special Provisions)

1. The Representative Director has full authority to make all decisions regarding the operation of Lighthouse Co., Ltd.

“Isn’t it natural for the representative to have authority over personnel matters?”

“That’s true, but this isn’t an ordinary company. Spend a little more time here, and you’ll understand what I mean.”

He burst out laughing as if he found something incredibly amusing.

“Anyway, you heard what I said, right? Put in a good word for me with the Representative.”

“Yes. I’ll do that.”

“Good. Then I guess I’ll have to work hard to help our new guy.”

It seemed the secretarial office had more influence than Si-min had expected.

Then again, when he thought about it, the way people looked at him whenever he headed for the eighth floor had seemed a little different.

“First, let’s have you go to the police station three days from now. There are a few things we need to look into before then.”

Si-min nodded.

For the next three days, he met with Kim Sun-bok and Jin-su and talked with them about various things. On the third day, he arrived in front of the police station with Lawyer Hwang Su-ho.

“So, are you nervous?”

“No. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Laws can be tricky. Sometimes they can be interpreted one way or another depending on how you look at them. You need to be careful about things like that. Our company has one foot on each side of the line, so to speak. That’s why you need to be even more careful with this side of things.”

Si-min could not fully understand what Hwang Su-ho meant, but he nodded and followed him to the Criminal Affairs Division, where Investigator Na Jae-ho was waiting.

“My name is Kim Si-min.”

“Ah, Mr. Kim Si-min. Please come in. And the person with you?”

“Oh, I’m Hwang Su-ho, legal advisor for Lighthouse Co., Ltd.”

“You’re a lawyer…?”

“Yes. I heard one of our employees had a problem, so I came along.”

“Do lawyers usually represent company employees as well?”

“Well, our company does things that way.”

The detective seemed a little flustered by the sudden appearance of a lawyer. After making an awkward expression, he began writing the report.

“So, Mr. Kim Si-min says he acted that way to stop the metal pipe that was being swung at the grandmother. And there’s no evidence from the surrounding area.”

“That’s correct.”

“This is troublesome. The injured party filed a report, but there’s no real evidence.”

“Aren’t you supposed to investigate those details yourselves? That Cha Jin-san swung a pipe at an elderly woman in her own home. Looking at the damaged property, shouldn’t it be possible to confirm what happened?”

“Well, yes, but there’s no proof that he broke those things.”

“You could ask the grandmother.”

“Of course, we did speak with the grandmother as well.”

Na Jae-ho hesitated, as if something was bothering him.

“If there’s no evidence, you could settle the matter between yourselves.”

“Why should I settle when I didn’t do anything wrong?”

“Usually, in cases like this, it’s easier to handle things as a civil matter and reach a mutual settlement. Going to court will only make things exhausting. Is there really anything to gain from it?”

He looked exactly like someone who simply did not want to do any work.

“If I hadn’t been there, who knows what that man would have done to the grandmother? Do you really think this makes sense?”

“Well, you’re not a detective yourself. It’s a little unfair to say that.”

“What exactly is unfair? He was a man who came to threaten his elderly mother and extort money from her. This time, he even threatened her with a metal pipe. I was trying to protect an elderly woman who was collecting scrap paper just to survive with her young grandson. And you’re telling me to settle with him? Does that make any sense?”

“Hey! Do you even know where you are right now? Why are you raising your voice?”

The detective glared at Kim Si-min with an intimidating attitude.

Si-min was speechless at his behavior and stared straight back at him.

Tap. Tap.

Hwang Su-ho, who had been silently listening with his arms crossed, lightly tapped Na Jae-ho on the shoulder.

“What… What is it?”

Hwang Su-ho had an indifferent expression that was strangely irritating to look at.

“Take a look at this.”

He handed over a USB drive.

“What’s this?”

“Evidence. It’s evidence.”

“Evidence? I thought there wasn’t any CCTV or dashcam footage nearby.”

“Our employee didn’t notice it because he was caught up in the situation. I secured the footage myself.”

Na Jae-ho connected the USB to the computer on his desk.

The footage clearly showed Cha Jin-san swinging the metal pipe and threatening the grandmother.

“….”

Na Jae-ho fell silent.

The evidence was almost unbelievably perfect.

“Ahem… Ahem…”

“Well, anyone can see he was threatening her with a weapon. We’re thinking of filing a report for false accusation and special intimidation as well. What do you think?”

“….”

Na Jae-ho let out a deep sigh.

“I’ll keep the evidence on file. Mr. Kim Si-min, you can leave.”

Seeing the detective, who had been so intimidating just moments ago, suddenly back down was quite satisfying.

And so, the two men left the police station after settling the entire situation with a single USB drive.

“Thank you for helping me, Lawyer Hwang.”

“It was only natural for a senior to help his junior. But I’m serious. Put in a good word for me with the Representative.”

“I will. And since you’ve already helped me, could I ask you for one more favor?”

“What?”

“I want to make sure the grandmother can properly pass her money on to her grandson. If we end up filing a lawsuit this time, I’d appreciate it if you could make sure that matter is properly taken care of.”

“Ah, don’t worry about that. I’ll make sure it’s handled properly.”

He suddenly draped an arm around Kim Si-min’s shoulders.

“Well, everything seems to have worked out. Shouldn’t we go grab a drink?”

Si-min chuckled.

Hwang Su-ho was much more suited to being a fixer than a lawyer.

“New guy, I don’t like that laugh of yours. I know a good place, so let’s go there!”

He dragged Si-min along by the hand and led him into an area that looked like a traditional market district.

That night, the two of them drank so much at an old but cozy gukbap restaurant that they could barely keep their heads straight.

“So, little brother, what brought you here?”

“Me? I only came here because of the old lady who runs the neighborhood supermarket.”

“The grandmother from Daedong Mart?”

“You know her?”

“Of course. All our employees probably know her.”

“….”

Si-min had thought she was no ordinary person.

“Anyway, what did our little brother do wrong?”

“Me? I don’t think I really did anything wrong.”

“Huh. Then were you specially recruited?”

“Specially recruited?”

“That’s right. People who have something hanging over them come here.”

“Really?”

“Just drink. Thinking about it will only give you a headache. You must have a feeling about our company too, right? It’s a company caught somewhere between the living world and the afterlife.”

“Well… I did have that feeling, more or less.”

He had only gone to the company twice, but there was Daedong Mart, this bracelet, contracts that suddenly disappeared, and the way they talked about the living world and the afterlife.

Kim Si-min was not stupid, nor was he that slow to catch on.

He simply had not gotten used to it yet, and it still did not quite feel real.

“Come to think of it, you’re unusual. Usually, people desperately try to figure out where they are and what this place does.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. They keep searching for answers that never turn up. But you act as if you already knew this place.”

Come to think of it, that was strange too.

He had lived an ordinary life for thirty-three years, but he did not feel particularly shocked by what was happening now.

“What do we receive in return for helping the grandmother? She doesn’t have much ability to pay us anything.”

Hwang Su-ho smiled at Si-min’s question.

“That grandmother has a lot.”

“Pardon?”

“Do you have any idea how many children she has helped while collecting scrap paper despite barely having enough to live on herself?”

“….”

She must have had enough trouble raising her own grandson, yet she had still been helping other children.

“Life is strange. She failed when it came to raising the children she gave birth to herself, but that’s not the whole story.”

“How do you know all that?”

“You learn everything once you’ve been with our company for a while. Anyway, that’s why the grandmother has a lot waiting for her in the afterlife. So you don’t need to worry about the payment.”

“You mean the price for the opportunity is paid with money from the afterlife?”

“That’s right. That’s why people call the opportunities we give them miracles. Though they’re not really miracles. They’re simply opportunities given to them because of the lives they’ve lived.”

The living would never know that the price for the opportunities they received was paid with money they could not see from the afterlife.

So naturally, they would think of it as a miracle.

“Look at it that way, and it’s rewarding work. We’re people who lend miracles. The job is really fulfilling. It makes you feel good, too.”

“I suppose it does.”

Kim Si-min nodded.

Seeing the grateful expression on Kim Sun-bok’s face had made him feel the same way.

As they continued drinking, both men became thoroughly drunk.

“Little brother, let’s do our best. Looking at you, I think you’re going to become a very important person. Remember me when you get big someday. Hahahaha!”

He laughed heartily, his scruffy beard sticking out in every direction, giving him the look of a genuinely good-natured man.

“I’m looking forward to working with you too. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing each other often.”

“Yeah. If you ever need anything, just let me know. Hahahaha!”

Heh.

Kim Si-min clinked his glass against Hwang Su-ho’s.

It had been a long time since he had met someone whose warm laugh made him feel good.

That night, Kim Si-min returned home and leaned against the sofa, his head spinning from the alcohol.

[Low-Rank Request, ‘The Grandmother’s Handcart,’ has been completed.]

An unfamiliar message window appeared in front of him.

[Rewards will be provided. Three blue lucky pouches have been provided.]

‘Lucky pouches?’

His drunken mind suddenly cleared.

Three lucky pouches were now in his hands.

“What are these?”

“Users receive different rewards from other employees.”

“Different rewards?”

“Yes. They are listed as performance-based incentives in the contract.”

A reward for completing the request.

“What do the lucky pouches do?”

“You can think of them as a type of random reward box.”

“Like a gacha?”

“That is correct.”

He opened one of the lucky pouches.

It emitted a bright light and then disappeared from his sight.

[₩1,000,000 in cash]

‘One million won…? In cash?’

Without hesitation, he opened the remaining two pouches as well.

[A slight enhancement to physical abilities has been granted.]

[₩1,000,000 in afterlife currency]

Two messages appeared.

An enhancement to his physical abilities and one million won in afterlife currency.

What on earth was this?

“Users can receive a wide variety of rewards. I cannot provide information about what you will receive next.”

Unable to resolve all of his questions, Si-min stared at the one million won that had appeared before him for a long while.

Then he collapsed and fell asleep.