Chapter 2. Reunion (2)

Translator: Lili

Weekly Chapter 3/5

— Hello? Is this Yoon Seopjae’s residence?

The landline on the wooden-floored hall rang for the first time in ages.

After his grandfather passed away, Yoon Dam had planned to disconnect the landline, but he kept putting it off.

“Who is this?”

The receiver felt sturdy, unlike the angular smartphones he was used to.

— I need to speak with Yoon Seopjae. It’s urgent.

“…”

Someone calling for his grandfather, who had long since passed, made him wary.

“Who are you?”

— …My name is Lee Seongheon. Do I need to make an appointment over the phone to visit?

The moment he heard the word ‘appointment’, Yoon Dam wondered if the caller was someone unaware of his grandfather’s passing. But then, how did this person know the home phone number?

During his lifetime, his grandfather had been extremely secretive about his actual residence. Hardly anyone knew not just the phone number but even the house’s location.

— Is this not Yoon Seopjae’s residence?

Hearing no response, the caller’s voice wavered with unease.

“It is, but my grandfather passed away last year.”

— …Ah, is that so? Then, are you his grandson?

“That’s right.”

— Are you really Yoon Dam?

With the receiver pressed to his ear, Yoon Dam looked out at the yard. It wasn’t strange for someone to ask for his grandfather, but the fact that a stranger knew his name was unsettling.

“What is the reason for your call?”

His unease seeped into his voice, making it sharper than intended.

— I’d like to speak to you in person. May I visit you?

“You want to come here?”

— Yes. Since you’re home, I’ll be there shortly.

*Click.*

The call was cut off.

Yoon Dam instinctively furrowed his brows and stared at the receiver. The dial phone, marked with the Goldstar logo, was nothing like a cell phone—he couldn’t check the caller’s number.

Things had been peaceful for a while. But now, was it happening again?

Standing on the wooden-floored daechongmaru (an open wooden-floored hall in a traditional Korean house), Yoon Dam kept watch outside.

Though more than a week had passed since the summer solstice, the daylight was still fleeting. Before it was even 7 PM, the sun had already sunk behind the mountains, and moths had begun to gather, flitting around the glowing lightbulb.

“Mr. Yoon Dam, are you there? I’m the one who just called.”

The same voice from the phone now came from outside the barred gate. The caller had evidently been nearby when they made the call,

“I know this is an intrusion, but I must speak with you.”

The man’s voice grew louder, determined not to be dismissed easily. Yoon Dam hesitated for a moment.

The house where he had lived with his grandfather since childhood was a traditional Korean home, with a main house, a guest house, and a storeroom. It had originally been built halfway up the mountain, but calling it a mid-mountain house now felt odd. A few years ago, the lower slopes of the mountain had been cleared to make way for an apartment complex.

As compensation for the construction noise, the apartment developers had built a road leading from the house to the complex. As a result, children from the apartments and camera-toting strangers often loitered nearby. The house’s proximity to a graveyard also attracted YouTubers and streamers looking for paranormal content.

Was this person just another one of them?

“Mr. Yoon Dam, I know you’re inside! Please, I’m begging you. Just meet me once.”

Yoon Dam slipped on the sneakers he had left under the daechongmaru and crossed the yard.

The wooden gate, secured with a latch, rattled slightly in the wind. He didn’t open it. Instead, he raised his voice to match the man’s.

“Tell me your reason for coming first. And before that, how do you even know where I live?”

A white, rectangular piece of paper slid under the wooden gate.

He glanced down at it. It was a business card. Before the wind could carry it away, he picked it up and read the contents.

【Hoseong Security Co., Team Leader Lee Seongheon】

Yoon Dam pulled his phone from his pocket, searched for the Hoseong Security website, and checked if Lee Seongheon was listed.

He was.

Lee Seongheon was indeed a member of Team 2, and a profile photo showed a man who appeared to be in his early forties.

“Why would a security company’s team leader be looking for me?”

“There’s an issue with one of the people we protect.”

“Then you should be talking to the police.”

“We’re grasping at straws right now. Please, I’m asking you.”

Yoon Dam curled one side of his mouth slightly—an unconscious habit when he was troubled.

Even if he refused to open the door, the man didn’t seem likely to leave easily.

Finally, he sighed and unlatched the wooden bar, propping it to the side.

When he pulled the handle shaped like a dokkaebi’s mouth, the man in the photograph stood there.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Yoon Dam. May I come inside?”

“No. Say what you need to from there.”

Yoon Dam held up a hand, stopping the security team leader from stepping in.

Lee Seongheon nodded in understanding and instead picked up the parcels stacked outside the gate, placing them just inside the entrance.

Yoon Dam thought about stopping him, but there were only two boxes—the man was quicker.

“Now, tell me why you were looking for my grandfather and me.”

The man’s suit concealed a well-built frame, but his hollow cheeks suggested exhaustion.