Chapter 140

Goh Daehoon grimaced as he watched Kang Jin’s approach and asked, “Did some big guy with a round face tell you that?”

Kang Jin chuckled softly and nodded at Goh Daehoon’s description. There is always someone who rubs us the wrong way, and it seemed like this was such a case for Goh Daehoon.

“Anyway…

That bastard Kang Taesuk…

Goh Daehoon internally cursed under his breath before turning to Kang Jin again.

“As per your request, we did receive complaints from previous buyers about strange occurrences, but… there’s nothing mechanically wrong with the car.”

Kang Jin noted how Goh Daehoon addressed him respectfully as ‘Sir.’

“But even if there’s no mechanical issue, people claim it’s haunted by a ghost.”

“Where can you find ghosts these days?”

“But considering this car has had four owners…”

Kang Jin chuckled as he glanced at the vehicle before getting behind the wheel and gesturing to the passenger seat.

“Please get in.”

Goh Daehoon’s expression showed slight discomfort at Kang Jin’s request.

‘Huh?’

Kang Jin internally smiled, picking up on Goh Daehoon’s unease.

He claims there are no ghosts…yet he seems scared. Has he ridden in this car before?

Muttering to himself, Kang Jin pointed again at the passenger seat.

“Please get in.”

With a nervous lick of his lips, Goh Daehoon reluctantly climbed into the front seat.

“Have you driven this car before?” asked Kang Jin.

Goh Daehoon nodded in response.

“I take it for test drives whenever we receive new inventory to ensure everything is working properly.”

“Oh…then you must have ridden it often.”

“Not really—”

Goh Daehoon trailed off with a click of his tongue as Kang Jin inserted the key into the ignition.

“May I take this for a test drive?”

“Well, due to insurance issues, that might not be possible. You can start the engine though. Based on your thorough inspection earlier, I’m guessing you’ll know enough just by listening to the sound.”

Seeing how Kang Jin could detect subtle details even experts might miss, Goh Daehoon assumed he had extensive knowledge about cars.

Kang Jin turned the key at Goh Daehoon’s suggestion.

Vroom!

The smooth purr of the engine prompted Kang Jin to glance through the rearview mirror. There, he made eye contact with the male ghost and subtly gestured toward Goh Daehoon.

Go ahead, bother him.

As Kang Jin’s gaze shifted to the male ghost, the female ghost straightened her posture and blew gently into Goh Daehoon’s ear.

“Hwoo!”

“Ahh!” Startled, Goh Daehoon quickly turned around.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing… I suddenly felt chills.”

Kang Jin turned off the engine as she watched Goh Daehoon rubbing his ears with wide eyes while looking back. She then started the car again.

“Wanna try one more time?” Kang Jin muttered this not at Goh Daehoon but towards the female ghost.

Vroom!

As the engine roared back to life, the female ghost leaned forward and this time blew air onto the nape of Goh Daehoon’s neck.

“Hwoooo!”

“Ackkk!” Goh Daehoon hastily opened the car door and bolted out.

Thud!

“What happened?” Lee Sangsub, unaware of what just occurred, rushed to help Goh Daehoon, who quickly stood up, rubbing his neck.

“What was that?” Seeing the fear-stricken look on Goh Daehoon’s face as he scratched his neck, Lee Sangsub tried to calm him down when Kang Jin emerged from the driver’s side, frowning.

Was it too intense for him? Is this some form of punishment?

Kang Jin felt slightly worried, considering startling someone could be seen as a wrongdoing. However, she soon shook her head.

‘Selling this haunted car to others would actually be dangerous. If they suddenly saw a ghost while driving, it could lead to a major accident.’

Only Kang Jin could drive the possessed vehicle without fear. What if someone spotted a ghost in their rearview mirror at night? It would almost certainly result in a crash. While her justification might have been somewhat self-serving, there was truth to her concerns.

Only Kang Jin could handle it safely. If someone drove alone at night and saw a ghost through their rearview mirror, it would inevitably lead to an accident. While Kang Jin rationalized his decision, he wasn’t entirely wrong.

…Right, this might actually prevent Goh Daehoon from committing any sins.

Trying to sell something harmful as beneficial is itself immoral.

In any case, Kang Jin got out of the driver’s seat and looked at Goh Daehoon.

“Did you see a ghost?”

“N-no…” Goh Daehoon rubbed his neck nervously.

Kang Jin then proposed, “How about five…fifty million won?”

He increased his original offer by fifty million. Despite being haunted, based on what the ghost said, the car was worth over ninety million won.

Goh Daehoon glanced at Kang Jin and then turned his gaze towards the car.

“I can get 70 million won from other used-car dealers.”

Kang Jin responded, “There must be a reason you haven’t sold it yet?”

Kang Jin’s words made Goh Daehoon squint suspiciously. In truth, he was correct. Even ordinary people who bought this car experienced strange phenomena or claimed to see ghosts, causing them to scream and demand refunds… Imagine the chaos if fellow industry professionals encountered such issues.

In fact, once before, another used-car dealer had returned the vehicle after selling it unsuccessfully. Normally, used-car dealerships do not offer refunds once a sale is completed… However, there was a problem when he initially sold the clean and well-maintained car to a close friend.

I shouldn’t have sold it to him back then.

If he sold it to someone unknown, he would have ignored them and refused any refund or exchange as per usual practice. However, since this was his close friend who complained of feeling unwell after driving the car, hearing voices, etc., Goh Daehoon decided to give him a partial refund, keeping only about 100 won for himself.

The second buyer was a prickly man who threatened to kill Daehoon with a knife unless he got a full refund. The third buyer was another used-car dealer. Tired of dealing with the car, Daehoon sold it at cost price. Unfortunately, things went awry when the wife of that dealer praised how clean and well-maintained the car was.

The fourth person who bought the car dragged it to the parking lot two months ago, doused it with gasoline, and threatened to set it ablaze.

Thus, Goh Daehoon was fed up with this car. However, despite his disgust for being a salesman, he hated taking losses.

“How about six hundred and fifty?” suggested Goh Daehoon.

Kang Jin nodded at his proposal.

“Let’s make it six hundred then. Please consider my situation as a newbie.” Kang Jin smiled and bowed slightly, appealing to Goh Daehoon’s sense of empathy.

This was a form of push-pull negotiation tactic. By starting strong and ending weak, the opponent would feel like they received some consideration from him. It’s similar to feeling more grateful when a usually harsh boss shows kindness once compared to feeling disappointed when a generally kind boss criticizes you just once.

Goh Daehoon hesitated briefly before sighing at Kang Jin’s plea.

“Then let’s do that. In exchange, you need to sign the contract and deposit payment right away.”

“Of course. Where should I sign and make the deposit?”

Goh Daehoon shook his head at Kang Jin’s question and pointed towards the office.

“Please come inside.”

Lee Sangsub watched as Goh Daehoon quickly completed the transaction and headed back to the office.

“You only came here for this car?”

“Yes.”

“Well, since you’re already here, why not check out a few more?”

It seemed like he was going to make a decision after just one glance despite it being such a significant purchase.

“You have good taste in cars.”

“Are you knowledgeable about them?”

“A bit,” replied Kang Jin.

As Lee Sangsub inspected the car, he asked,

“What did you mean by ‘haunted’ earlier?”

“I overheard someone say that when hyung went inside your office.”

“Then let’s buy another car.”

Kang Jin looked at Lee Sangsub after his suggestion.

“Hyung, do you believe in ghosts?”

“It doesn’t matter whether I believe or not. If we’re going to buy one anyway, it’d be better to get a car without any ghostly rumors attached. There’s no reason to purchase this particular vehicle.”

“But they gave us a million won discount!”

“That aside…”

“And where can you find ghosts in this world?” Kang Jin glanced back as he spoke, smiling at the two ghosts staring blankly from the rear seat.

Actually, right here.

As Kang Jin muttered to himself, Lee Sangsub chimed in:

“I still feel uneasy about it.”

“I don’t mind those things.” Kang Jin then turned to Lee Sangsub. “Please head to the government office first.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll just take one last look at the car.”

“I’ll be off now.”

“The government office is that building over there.”

“Yes.”

With that, Kang Jin sprinted towards his car and opened the door. Two ghosts observed him closely.

“You summoned it by trickery?”

“Yes. Bae Yongsoo, Bae Yongsoo, Bae Yongsoo.”

In response to Kang Jin’s call, Bae Yongsoo appeared.

Hwoosh!

As Bae Yongsoo scanned his surroundings, wondering where he was, Kang Jin spoke up.

“Stay with these two.”

“Huh?”

Baffled, Bae Yongsoo looked at Kang Jin, who then turned to the male ghost. The male ghost stared back at Bae Yongsoo, surprised by his sudden appearance.

Kang Jin addressed this reaction, “Never seen a ghost before?”

“I’ve seen one, but only from inside a car…”

“Don’t judge him by his appearance; he’s not that bad.”

Bae Yongsoo squinted at Kang Jin’s remark.

“What do you mean by my appearance?”

In response, Kang Jin scanned Bae Yongsoo from head to toe. With blood continuously flowing from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, it was clear why Kang Jin had made such a comment.

“It’s quite…odd.”

Bae Yongsoo frowned at Kang Jin’s assessment of being ‘quite odd.’

“What do you mean?”

Kang Jin replied with amusement, “Well, anything I ride with you becomes haunted anyway.”

“That’s…true.”

“And it’ll be handy for long trips so we don’t get bored.” Smiling, Kang Jin then turned to address the male ghost. “If you have any questions, ask this guy.”

With that, Kang Jin looked back at Bae Yongsoo.

“Get in.”

Bae Yongsoo hesitated briefly before climbing into the car. Kang Jin closed the passenger door, spun around, and sprinted towards the government office.

Kang Jin was driving towards his company in the car he had recently purchased. Buying a car turned out to be simpler than he thought. He paid for it, registered insurance, filled out some paperwork at the government office, and that was it. Having completed all the procedures, Kang Jin headed towards the company while driving his new car. As he drove, Kang Jin glanced at Bae Yongsoo sitting on the passenger seat.

Bae Yongsoo was conversing with the ghosts seated behind him.

“The Underworld Restaurant? I didn’t know such a place existed.”

“It does exist… However, since you’re tied to this vehicle, it’s uncertain if we can enter the restaurant.”

“Can’t we go inside?”

“Well, first, you can’t leave the car. Moreover, the car itself cannot enter the restaurant…”

In response to Bae Yongsoo’s words, one of the female ghosts hastily interjected:

“We can actually venture a short distance away from the car.”

“Excuse me?”

“That is…” When the female ghost glanced at her male companion, he pondered briefly before responding.

“I think we can move about ten meters away.”

“That’s quite far, isn’t it?”

“Is it really?”

“Land-bound spirits typically have a wide range of movement, but those tethered to objects cannot stray too far from them. Could it be because the car itself moves?”

Bae Yongsoo considered whether being bound to a mobile object extended their activity range. The male ghost observed his thoughts and asked:

“With ten meters, could we possibly enter the restaurant?”

“If you park the car near the road, I believe we might manage.”

Although the sidewalk wasn’t particularly wide, having ten meters would allow them sufficient space within the restaurant.

The ghosts let out sighs of relief.

“That’s good news.”

“Yes, being able to eat…”

Seeing their smiles, Kang Jin asked them, “What would you like to eat?”

“What?”

“I’ll cook something delicious for you as a celebration of my car purchase. What do you want?”

At this, the two ghosts exchanged glances before the male ghost spoke up.

“Crew member, what sounds good?”

The female ghost, Crew Member, pondered his question briefly.

“Seaweed soup.”

“Seaweed soup?” The male ghost looked puzzled by her choice. “But you don’t even like seaweed soup.”

Crew Member hesitated slightly before responding. “It was your birthday…when I died.”