TGMC 08

chapter 08

Crunch, crunch.

At first, I didn’t mind when Hoya teased me.

But…

Bangul.

Even you, Bangul!?

I had no good excuse, so I hurriedly changed the subject.

“Is that one also a friend who lived here?”

[Yes. They said they were going out to see the world, and came back a few days ago.]

“Oh, so they don’t stay in one place all the time, and travel around occasionally?”

[Exactly. I also wandered here and there to meet friends and came back about half a year ago.]

“Wait, so some of your other friends live abroad too?”

[Yes! One of my friends lives far across the sea!]

Listening to Bangul, my curiosity grew.

I wanted to see what the other spirits looked like.

I wanted to meet them too.

[If you come here completely, you’ll eventually meet other spirits.]

“Really?”

[Yes! Like Hoya said before, this place is full of natural energy, so spirits are naturally drawn here. They’ll come on their own.]

Oh.

So this land was that special.

[When other friends come, I’ll introduce them to you!]

As expected, Bangul was the only one on my side.

I’d pretend I didn’t hear what the others said earlier.

By the way, Dumdum was still buried in the ground, only his tail flicking above.

“Why is he still like that?”

[He’s still not used to you, sir. Please understand.]

“Hmm… a shy one, huh.”

I decided to approach Dumdum slowly.

No need to force myself on a shy friend.

Waiting for him to open up seemed best.

“Bangul, you said there are spirits that travel the outside world often. So if I travel abroad, will I get to meet other spirits too?”

[If it’s a place full of natural energy, yes. Where are you planning to go?]

“Next year, I’m thinking of going to New Zealand. Mom and I will go while we remodel the house and the restaurant.”

[Really? Wow, can I come too? I’ve never been to New Zealand.]

“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter to me…”

As we talked, a question came to mind.

Looking at Dumdum, it seemed the spirits could freely travel the outside world.

Then why do they need to follow me?

If they want, they could travel anytime on their own, right?

[Not really. Once they go out, they need to rest in a place full of natural energy. Only then can they travel again.]

Ah, so like Bangul said, their bodies have some kind of battery.

It charges in places with natural energy, and traveling around depletes it. When it runs low, they must recharge before moving again.

Hmm, now I understood why they couldn’t just go anywhere freely.

But one question remained.

[If they come with me, that doesn’t fill their natural energy, right? So why do they want to follow me?]

[That’s because, if you make a contract with a human, you can roam around nearby without recharging in natural energy places.]

Huh?

What? That’s possible?

Wait. Bangul said something about making a contract.

‘Does this mean I could become a spirit master?’

I remembered the fantasy novels we secretly read in school.

Spirit masters were always supporting characters.

And Bangul said I could make a contract.

Could I really become a spirit master?

“Bangul, are you serious?”

[Of course! Why would I lie to you? I can never lie!]

Oh my god.

I could become a spirit master?

Is this real?

“How do I make the contract?”

[When I ask if you want to make a contract, just say yes.]

Not hard at all.

I nodded, and Bangul asked me:

[Sir, will you make a contract with me?]

“Yes. I will.”

The moment I said that, an invisible string seemed to connect us.

Our souls felt bound together.

And just like that, I became a spirit master.

It felt surreal.

What could I do now?

[Since you made a contract with me, you can summon me anytime, anywhere!]

Ah, I see.

Summoning a spirit.

This was the ability I gained by making the contract.

Not bad at all.

I could summon Bangul anytime, anywhere.

[Hoya! You should make a contract with sir too. You’ll come to New Zealand with me, right?]

Bangul tried to persuade Hoya.

Hoya frowned and muttered:

[I don’t want to make a contract with him…]

What did you say!?

Kid, I wasn’t going to ask you either.

No way I’m initiating that.

Then Bangul shouted urgently.

[Someone’s coming here!]

A moment later, I sensed someone’s presence.

It was Wooseok, my brother, entering the abandoned house.

He looked at me and asked,

“Minwoo, what are you doing here alone?”

“I wanted to take one last look before this house disappears.”

“Really? I didn’t get a proper look inside earlier. It’s bigger than I expected. About seventy years old, I guess?”

“Probably. And this was my grandmother’s actual house, so tearing it down felt wrong. That’s why we’re remodeling.”

This was a traditional hanok house.

‘L’ shaped, with the kitchen and living room in the center, bedrooms on each end.

Wooseok looked around and said:

“Minwoo, why not remodel it as a hanok pension, keeping the beams and roof?”

“A hanok pension?”

“Yes. With K-pop and Hallyu, foreign tourists have increased. Aesthetic stays are popular, and hanok pensions are common.”

A hanok stay didn’t sound bad.

The beams were the main charm of this old house, and my brother recommended preserving them.

“I’ll go back to Seoul tomorrow and send you the design draft. We’ll discuss how to shape the pension for a while.”

He said the construction would start in a month or two, after several meetings.

He was just advising; I, as the owner, would decide on the pension.

Two months passed.

The new year arrived.

I traveled to Seoul a few times for meetings with my brother.

After several discussions, the final design was ready.

We decided on a hanok pension, selected a construction company, and would soon start construction.

I didn’t need to worry too much, as the contract-based construction meant the company handled most tasks.

I had considered doing some self-remodeling, but hiring professionals was better than saving a little money.

Based on my brother’s design, I reviewed the specs, confirmed estimates, and signed the contract with the construction company.

Soon after the land survey, demolition would begin.

Would the hanok pension turn out as I envisioned? I was excited.

“Bro, what do we do with the demolition waste?”

“We separate by type, load it on trucks, and dispose of it. It costs a fair amount.”

This old house generated a lot of debris.

The day finally came.

Demolition began.

All the big and small items from inside the old house were moved to the yard.

They started with the outer walls, replacing rotted wood with new material.

Supports were added to prevent collapse, then interior walls were taken down.

Next, the roof tiles were removed.

A new roof was needed for insulation.

Only heavily corroded tiles were discarded; the rest would be reused.

Tiles were essential to preserve the hanok’s charm.

During work, debris continuously piled up.

More than I had imagined.

“This isn’t easy work.”

“Yeah, trying to save money with remodeling… disposal costs aren’t small either.”

“Unexpected problems always pop up. Who would’ve guessed so much waste?”

“True. Even our house will generate a lot of debris.”

While remodeling the old house, we also began remodeling my parents’ home.

This was just interior work—new flooring, wallpaper, and updated appliances.

Even that generated a lot of waste.

I stepped into the backyard with my brother.

“Is Jeomsuni doing well?” he asked.

“Of course. The kittens have grown a lot.”

The family still used the shed as a home.

Jeomsuni no longer hissed at me.

Still prickly, but at least friendly toward me.

She was still wary of Wooseok.

“Jeomsuni.”

She flicked her tail lazily when I called her name.

Next to her, the three kittens had grown to fist size.

I hadn’t named them yet, exhausted from naming Jeomsuni herself.

“Ouch.”

Wooseok scratched his hand trying to pet Jeomsuni.

“I don’t get why she’s so prickly with me, even though I see her as much as you do.”

“Maybe she recognizes her owner?”

Jeomsuni flicked her tail but didn’t scratch me.

Perhaps her behavior changed because of the contract with Hoya.

“Owners? Pfft. Cats don’t have owners. They just have humans feeding them.”

“…But some cats are attached to humans.”

I scratched my head, looking at Jeomsuni’s kittens.

I hoped at least one of them would be friendly.

Meanwhile, the demolition that began early in the morning ended as the sun set.

The yard was piled high with debris.

The disposal company would come the next day.

That night, something rolled into the pile.

Inspecting the concrete and scrap materials, it opened its mouth like a vacuum, sucking everything in.

A single sound echoed:

Crunch, crunch.

By morning, the debris pile was gone.