"Is there a number on it?"
Lim Soohyun turned the note over, flipping it over and over again, but the note only had words on it. How was he supposed to contact the spirits of this house?
"To complete the connection, contact the spirits of the haunted house. Reward: Promotion to a 'Pair'. Penalty: Incapable."
Staring at the note, Lim Soohyun thought hard and long. The penalty was a demotion? But more than that, how could he contact the spirits?
CLANG
Putting the bowl and spoon in the sink, he walked back to the table and checked the capsule ball. Besides the note, there was also a rolled 1000 won currency note. Lim Soohyun immediately stuffed the money in his pocket and took a picture of the note.
"Will I get a million or billion won by the end of these quests? Tune in to find out!"
Mumbling all to himself, he searched the internet for ways to talk with spirits. Scrolling on the forum, he quickly found a few ways. The first was an Ouija board. These were famous for almost always working, but the danger level was also high. The second method was to conduct a séance, which was considered somewhat safe if done correctly. Lim Soohyun didn't care as long as he could complete the quest, but playing with a board alone didn't seem all that fun either.
Scrolling further down, he found a person talking about how they were able to talk to their dead grandfather through a medium during a séance. The medium was a professional and had done many séances in the past, therefore guaranteeing success. Lim Soohyun copied the phone number, saving it in his contacts. He had bought a haunted house for these quests. Hiring a medium was nothing to him at this point.
He had enough savings to last a few years, even without working. The future was uncertain, so Lim Soohyun chose not to dwell on it. Instead, his days slipped by in a quiet search for the next source of amusement—anything to fill the growing emptiness between hours. He couldn't remember when it had all begun; the days had blurred together long ago. By now, this listless, drifting existence had become his normal—something he had adapted to without realizing how hollow it truly was.
Lim Soohyun couldn't last a single day without some form of stimulation. The silence gnawed at him, the stillness unbearable. By now, he'd already gone through an entire pack of cigarettes just to feel a flicker of dopamine.
"He didn't get lost, did he?"
After thinking how long it took him to find the house while he kept calling Yunho for directions again and again, he realized the medium he had called hadn't once called for directions. He was solely surviving on the live location he had shared with him. There was a possibility he was lost but didn't want to admit it just yet. In that case, he should call him first for a check-up.
Dialing the medium's number, Lim Soohyun tapped out the last cigarette from the pack and leaned against the counter. With one hand, he pushed open the kitchen window, letting the heavy smoke curl out into the cooling air. The faint scent of tobacco and burnt paper lingered around him as he held the phone to his ear. The call connected just as his gaze drifted to the window—outside, the sky was bleeding into shades of gold and crimson, the kind of sunset that looked almost too vivid to be real.
"Hello?"
["Mr. Soohyun, can you please open the front door."]
"You're here?"
Surprised, Lim Soohyun immediately walked out of the kitchen to open the front door of the house and cut the call. Gripping the handle, he pulled the door open. A figure stood there—a bit taller than him, cloaked in the dim light of dusk, his posture unnervingly still. As their eyes met, the medium's eyes instantly shifted to behind Lim Soohyun, staring into the hallway that led to the kitchen.
A flicker of skepticism crossed Lim Soohyun's face as he took in the stranger's appearance. He didn't step aside, keeping one hand braced against the doorframe to block the entrance.
"I will have to see your identity card."
The medium didn't answer. Without a word, he reached into his wallet and produced an ID card, handing it over with an almost unnerving calm—no hesitation, no sign of impatience, only that steady gaze fixed on Lim Soohyun's face.
"Om Kiho, that's a unique name..."
Taking the ID card, he scanned it over his eyes. The name matched the one given by the medium on the phone, and then his eyes fell on the birthdate.
"21?! Is this real?"
"Yes, Mr. Soohyun."
Om Kiho replied, his voice low and gravelly—more suited to an underground gangster than a spiritual medium. Lim Soohyun blinked, momentarily thrown off. He had expected the man to be at least in his thirties, someone seasoned by years of experience. But the ID said twenty-one.
Twenty-one.
How young had he been when he held his first séance?
Shit, this isn't a scam, is it?
There was no time limit for the quest, but Lim Soohyun preferred to have it finished by tomorrow. The sooner, the better. He was counting on the séance to be his source of entertainment for the night.
"I would like a tour of the house, Mr. Soohyun. You mentioned that you want to contact the spirits of this house, correct?"
"Yes, come inside. I didn't know you were this young..."
Handing the ID card to its rightful owner, Lim Soohyun muttered, stepped aside as Kiho entered the house. Wearing a black suit, he almost blended into the shadows of the house.
"Why are all the lights off, Mr. Soohyun?"
Taking two steps into the house, Kiho started complaining.
"There is some daylight out. I didn't feel like I needed to turn them on. Want me to turn them on for you?"
Thinking the kid's eyesight was on the weaker side, Lim Soohyun didn't mind brightening up the place for him. Switching on the light of the hallway, Kiho knocked on the door under the stairs. That was the basement—utterly useless to him. He hadn't even bothered to open the door much less clean it, but it seemed to catch Kiho's eyes.
"Have you been down there, Mr. Soohyun?"
"No, I only moved in recently. This is the basement, if I remember correctly."
Nodding, Kiho tried to open the door, but it appeared to be locked. Lim Soohyun wanted to try it himself, but he also couldn't open it.
"Should I call the previous owner and ask him?"