The inside of Leejeong Bookstore was soft and serene.
It carried that pleasant familiarity of things well-kept through long years—an inviting warmth layered with the quiet, mystical weight that only time could give.
The small bookstore, barely eight pyeong in size, was filled with gentle light.
New and old books were shelved together, seemingly at random yet with a sense of care.
“Excuse us.”
Even back when I was infiltrating the Disaster Response Agency as a spy, I had never set foot in this place.
To think I’d be entering one of the Agency’s mysterious cooperating sites like this.
Hoo.
Even with a body that no longer had a heartbeat, I couldn’t help but feel an odd thrum of nervousness.
Recalling what this place was.
A site the Agency visits when procuring sacred artifacts related to print or paper.
More precisely, it was a kind of intermediary hub.
A gathering place for special books.
When the lights of Leejeong Bookstore are off, do not enter.
There is an 80% chance that a supernatural entity is visiting to trade.
According to testimony from a former clerk-agent, once the lights began to go out from the entrance inward, one had to hide behind the staff counter immediately.
But tonight, the lights were fully on.
I watched as the flame that touched my smoke flickered once and then steadied again.
“Please wait here.”
And, unusually for the team, it wasn’t Agent Choi but Agent Cheongdong who stepped forward first, walking toward the back of the bookstore.
A counter-style desk.
Beyond it lay what was likely the shopkeeper’s living quarters—a traditional layout.
A bead curtain separated the inner space, the area beyond obscured in shadow.
Standing before it, Agent Cheongdong bowed deeply.
Then—
The curtain’s beads parted, and from within emerged a white right arm clad in navy hanbok fabric.
“...!”
The owner of Leejeong Bookstore communicates only through written conversation using their right hand.
Unless you have experience working here as a clerk, do not attempt to identify whoever is behind the curtain.
The rest of the body was hidden in darkness—only the white arm, the draping sleeve, and the hand beneath, writing with a brush.
Dong has come. Have you been well?
“Yes, sir.”
I hear the steps of one familiar customer, and another new one.
What kind of book are you seeking?
The white hand, neat handwriting and all, gestured toward us with courtesy.
Beside Agent Choi—who smiled crookedly and bowed—stood me, the horned 130666, doing my best to conceal my black smoke.
[Hmm. Quite the atmosphere they’ve created. Though there’s only so much one can do in a humble space like this.]
Yeah, I figured you’d say that...
“This is my companion. ...Agent Podo.”
Hoo.
As we’d planned beforehand, I stepped forward.
When making an ambiguous request at Leejeong Bookstore, the owner’s interpretation may differ—resulting in a completely unrelated book.
Therefore, the agent most capable of clearly describing the desired material should make the purchase.
And right now, that was me.
Let’s go.
I picked up the pen on the counter and wrote beneath the owner’s graceful handwriting, as politely and swiftly as I could.
Good evening, sir.
What I needed:
Would you happen to have any book related to a great being that takes libraries or bookstores—repositories of knowledge—as its resting place?
I was looking for paper to replace the torn page of the talisman—
a substitute for the Hanbit Library Book Loan Card.
If Hanbit Library is inside Se-gwang Special City and I can’t directly name it to an Agency affiliate, this roundabout phrasing will do.
An indirect description.
And then—
Yes. It’s here.
‘...!’
Got it.
Buy it.
I hastily added another line.
If possible, I’d like something not overly dangerous to humans. Even if it can’t be entirely harmless, please, something with precautions available.
Because I wasn’t human.
The bookstore chose what was safe to read for the requester’s kind;
I added that line in the hope it wouldn’t hand me something lethal to everyone except me.
But then—
Of course.
If a human is making the request, I would never introduce a book recklessly harmful to humans.
Ah.
It’s classifying me as human...
At least here, inside Leejeong Bookstore.
I thought back to the fact that the lights hadn’t dimmed when I entered.
......
As long as a human doesn’t read its contents aloud, there should be no problem. Please don’t worry.
Thank you.
And thank you for finding this book.
Then the white hand vanished behind the curtain once more.
After a few seconds of stillness—
Here it is.
It returned, holding a book.
‘...!’
It was hardcover.
Neat, aged, and slightly worn, its title was printed in both Chinese and Korean—
with two unreadable characters blacked out.
〈■■ Decimal Classification〉
[Hmm. A book that records how libraries classify other books. A book for books—one could say a librarian’s own manual.]
Good grief.
It was disturbingly precise.
Even through the black gloves pressing against my shapeless mass, a chill crept up my arm as I held it.
Thank you. This is exactly what I needed. How should I pay?
Would you care to propose a price?
Right. This was the important part.
The price.
I looked at the white hand beyond the counter.
Leejeong Bookstore accepted a variety of payments—
objects, labor, gold, currency—
whatever matched the book’s value.
But everything depended on who was buying.
Small payments, for example, were usually accepted only from civilians or children.
Agents, on the other hand, often paid with Agency-issued items—or exchanged one book for another.
But since this was an unofficial visit, we couldn’t do that.
So maybe—
How about this.
Would you be interested in a dream vacation at a luxury resort?
Pardon?
A resort offering flowers, illuminations, spa access, and first-class VIP service. A suite voucher that includes an amenities gift set—catalog format, so it may even qualify as a “book.”
A book, you say.
......The shopkeeper seemed quite flustered but, after some persuasion, accepted the deal—
exchanging the book for a seven-night suite voucher.
The white hand took the catalog rather hastily, almost nervously.
Behind me, I could hear Agent Choi shaking with suppressed laughter.
[My, Mr. Roe Deer—what a one-sided trade!]
No,
it’s amazing enough that I can use contaminated material like this for profit at all...
Honestly, kind of a jackpot.
Though lately I’d been relying on this Flower Golden Mascot identity a bit too much—it left me feeling complicated.
Still, what mattered was that the book was now in my hands.
〈■■ Decimal Classification〉
“...Let me see that for a moment?”
The veteran of Black Tortoise Team Unit 1 took the book from me, examining it through various supernatural means.
Checking whether it was suitable for what we planned to do next.
Finally, he nodded.
“Yeah. It’ll work.”
“......”
We all turned our eyes to Agent Cheongdong.
Leejeong Bookstore wasn’t a library. Purchased books became the buyer’s property.
Of course, the owner didn’t seem to enjoy seeing books destroyed meaninglessly right before them—but reuse was acceptable.
That was one reason the Agency made frequent use of this place.
And—
In some cases, the store even “repurposed” books itself before selling—tailoring them to the buyer.
By stripping out pages for calendars, or reusing covers to create new meaning.
And this time—
“...Sir.”
Sometimes the clerk handled that task directly.
“Would it be all right if I stepped behind the counter for a bit? There’s a tool I’d like to borrow.”
Of course.
It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Take your time, Dong.
“...Yes. It’s been a while.”
Moving quietly, Agent Cheongdong—or rather, Ryu Jaegwan, the former clerk—lifted the counter partition and took his old seat.
Then he pushed aside the curtain and stepped into the darkness beyond.
Before long—
‘...!’
A sacred light shimmered.
Behind the curtain, the white silhouette of a man holding a brush briefly appeared—
Ryu Jaegwan himself.
The former clerk retrieved writing tools from the drawers, opened the book neatly, and tore out a single page—probably the table of contents.
Selecting the clean back sheet, he separated it into a loose page.
He placed it on the floor, set a paperweight upon it, and knelt.
Raising the brush.
Flash.
Amid the dimming light, the curtain swayed with the motion of a white figure—
each stroke of the brush a gleam along the string of beads.
A deliberate, reverent formation of meaning.
And then—
Tap.
The brush was set down and stored away.
The sacred glow vanished behind the curtain.
“......”
When he stepped back out into the cozy shop, pushing aside the curtain, Agent Cheongdong held in one hand the book, and in the other—
a freshly completed talisman.
“...It’s finished.”
On the stiff sheet, the character 護 (Protection) stood clean and sharp, the red and blue lines straight yet intricate.
A warding talisman.
“...!”
“I replicated it as closely as possible, but it’s somewhat unstable.”
Pale-faced and sweating, Agent Cheongdong quietly handed the talisman to his superior.
If you make a talisman inside Leejeong Bookstore, the site’s nature lessens the backlash on the creator. The owner’s power can assist too.
And so, it was safely completed.
“Good work, Cheongdong. Or rather—Dong.”
“......”
“Podo, did you know? The name ‘Cheongdong’ actually comes from this place. The owner used to call him that while he worked here.”
Agent Cheongdong sighed, neither embarrassed nor flustered.
Just slightly awkward as he said to me,
“...I didn’t plan it. It just happened to overlap.”
Yes, sir. Got it...
“Thank you, sir.”
And with that, we bowed politely and left the bookstore.
The talisman in hand.
Ding-a-ling.
“All that’s left... is the Will-o’-the-wisp.”
Only one step remained—to imbue the talisman with power.
“Hmmm...”
At that moment, Agent Choi, deep in thought, suddenly looked at me, eyes gleaming mischievously.
“Podo. About that resort of yours.”
......?
“How about we... pull one more job?”
Excuse me?
***
A few days later.
#26HU-0167 Situation Report (Draft)
Document Title: Reappearance of the “Flower Golden Mascot.”
Author: Agent Sumaksae
Summary:
At 23:15 today, the entity known as the “Flower Golden Mascot” was sighted near the temporary SDRA lodging for field agents in the outskirts of ■■ District.
Having previously vanished from the main branch’s supernatural containment zone after leaving only a brief letter, the entity presented Black Tortoise Team Unit 3 agents with a “gift of gratitude for their last stay.”
Afterward, the entity politely requested permission from Agent Haegeum to invite the Will-o’-the-wisp it met earlier to its resort.
It promised safety, and said the wisps could even bring their friends.
The Will-o’-the-wisp present accepted joyfully. Despite pleas and coaxing from on-site agents to “please wait a little,” it didn’t waver.
Moments later, five Will-o’-the-wisps appeared, pretending to pack luggage (no physical effect), then departed together with the “Flower Golden Mascot.”
Notable points:
– Risk level regarding the wisps’ disappearance: low.
– The “gift” is under analysis at Baridegi Workshop.
– Rumor spreading: depending on the outcome, the suspended registration of the “Flower Golden Mascot” as a divine entity may resume.
“...That’s what I wrote in the draft—and then deleted it. But I pulled it straight out of the trash and read it again, Podo!”
Hoo.
I suppressed a sigh as I saw off the Will-o’-the-wisps who had just returned from a blissful vacation at the resort.
At least they had fun...
Agent Haegeum was looking at me with an expression somewhere between disbelief and exhaustion. I really wanted to crawl into a hole.
Still, the good news was that Flower Golden Resort turned out to be an excellent place for Will-o’-the-wisps to stay for a day or two—
as long as their paths were managed carefully.
And besides—
It’s done.
The talisman we’d made was complete.
I looked at the page torn from the 〈■■ Decimal Classification〉 held by Agent Cheongdong.
Now a finished, sacred talisman.
Empowered by the five Will-o’-the-wisps who’d returned from their happy stay, it gleamed bright blue, the paper stiff and alive.
Proposal: Custody by 130666.
“Oh no, that won’t do. This kind of thing goes by seniority.”
Of course.
He was going to stash it midway.
I nodded calmly at Agent Choi, then reviewed my thoughts.
Let’s see.
Most of the other Baekilmong team members are busy with company reports right now.
Apparently, my proposal about the Dream Collector had caused quite a stir within the organization.
Even Ho Yuwon wasn’t in his office today.
Though he had left me a message earlier.
—Researcher Kwak Jaegang keeps asking to contact you, Mr. Roe Deer. Shall I connect you?
Hmm.
Come to think of it, I wondered if Director Cheong had gotten into trouble for telling me his whereabouts earlier.
Even a mad researcher had limits.
Still, staying in contact had its benefits.
After some thought, I decided to leave a single email address.
And then—
“So, shall we enter that library ourselves?”
Negative.
No.
We wouldn’t be entering that way.
Hanbit Library is far too unpredictable for us to go alone.
Se-gwang Special City itself was unstable.
When we informed Ho Yuwon of the plan to restore the agent’s talisman, who knew how he’d react?
And besides—
That high school already has a definite way to enter.
A method used by both Baekilmong and the Disaster Response Agency.
Proposal: Use the illicit text version of 〈In the Black Shadow〉.
“...!”
Exactly the same one.
And so, on the coming new moon—
We slipped photographs of our own high school days beneath our pillows
and fell asleep to enter the ghost story once more.
Into the nightmare of the new moon dream—
Segwang Industrial High School.
And within that school,
one single night was all it took for every hidden story to be revealed.