We arrived at Baek Books in her car. CRIME SCENE, DO NOT CROSS, was taped all over the shop. "Are we allowed to enter the store?" I asked tentatively.
"I got permission," she assured me. Uh-huh.
We ducked under the tape and entered the shop. It was eerily quiet. Motioning for her to stay at the entrance, I winked, "I'll call you when I find him, okay?" She nodded in confirmation. To prevent her from seeing my eyes change, I turned away. I felt them tingle as I activated SENSE.
I identified the usual suspects. I recognised the cat and a few familiar spirits from my previous visit. I walked to the back. Unexpectedly, Soo was nowhere to be found, nor her husband. I guess I'll have to put my impressive inquisitive skills to work. I cautiously approached the cat spirit.
"Hey. Nice to see you again," I greeted him. "What happened here? Where are your owners?" He gazed at me forlornly. [Why do you want to know? What business is it of yours?] Does this cat hang out with Mars? What a brat.
"I want to find out what happened, for their daughter," I said through gritted teeth. It peeked behind me. [Oh. I guess I'll tell you.] My eyes twitched in minor annoyance.
[The mister was making his rounds. He retired, but still comes checking on the managers. Everyone had already left, so it was only him. Before we could blink, he was frantically clutching his neck, blood spurting everywhere!]
"Did you identify what killed him?" I beseeched anxiously. I require an answer because I desire my money.
[I merely saw a shape. But some said it was a monster. Others told me it looked like a man or a woman with a knife. Therefore, we're uncertain.] I sat back in frustration. That didn't help much.
"What about the Baeks?"
[Never encountered the ghost of the mister, but the missus vanished when she witnessed his murder.]
That's just great. Oh well, I tried. I returned to Mi-Cha and informed her that the cat briefed me. Her face turned from red to blue to white. I didn't know humans could achieve that.
"My father, my mother!" she sobbed. She grabbed my shirt and cried hysterically. "I'll double your pay. Please save my parents!" Removing her fists, I snapped, "I forewarned you earlier; I'm not a detective."
And heck I'm not a selfless hero and hate getting hurt. She continued crying. Grimacing, I eventually gave in.
"I will do it if you pay me triple." You never know, I might end up stabbed too. She let out a tearful smile. "Thank you. I won't ever forget this, I promise." You better not.
"Before all else, let's both go home for the day. I have to consult a professional before throwing myself into the fire." I suggested softly. She agreed and after dropping me off at my house she went home.
I fell onto the plush couch with a grunt. Mars peered earnestly at me. "What are you looking at?"
"Just searching for a red mark—" I threw a pillow at him. "Don't be foolish." Mars emitted a laugh.
"So, did you talk to Baek's ghost? What did he say?" Mars questioned after he calmed down.
"As if it was that easy," I muttered gloomily. Mars jumped up beside me. "Things went south I presume?"
"He wasn't even there. Nor Soo Baek. But because of that stupid cat spirit, Mi-Cha wants me to investigate further."
"I see no problem with that," Mars replied tartly.
"Hey Mars. I consider it a problem. It's a murderous entity. And I have no idea where to start either," I complained bitterly.
"You can take care of yourself just fine," he said curtly. What a caring partner.
"At least tell me what I'm up against," I whined. He swiped my arm. "Start acting your age. Tell me what happened at the store." He listened as I informed him. His ears twitched when I finished.
"Some of them observed one thing while the others witnessed something else. Hmm. Allow me to think for a moment." He hopped off the couch and strode away.
I leaned back and waited for his answer. Bored, I watched a documentary on Netflix. What's taking him so long?
I fetched a leftover chocolate bar from the fridge and consumed it as I wasted the day away. As dinner came, Mars at last returned. He looked disturbed. "Well, finally! Where were you? Do you know what killed Baek?" I asked impulsively.
"So impatient, aren't we?" he sniffed. Simply get on with it already. "I solely made a little inquiry. Baek was killed by the Geuseunsae."
"A what now?"
"A Geuseunsae. It is a murderous phantom that preys on lone humans."
"So where can I find this ghost? Did it kidnap the souls of Mi-Cha's parents or something?" I sincerely hope not. I didn't want to go all over town chasing one ghost.
"Why would it? It only kills them. As for the cause of the disappearance of her parents, that must be something else."
"Are you telling me I have to search all over the place only to find two old spirits?" I was exasperated.
"Aren't you being paid for it?" Mars reminded me. Yeah, well. "Should I send the Geuseunsae to the afterlife?"
"No use. Once dead, it became trapped as punishment for its crimes when it was alive. Nothing we can do can help it pass onto the afterlife." Mars said in a pitying tone.
"And what about destroying it?" I inquired. He glanced at me sharply. "Don't try. There's a reason why it's still on earth. Don't meddle." Okay, whatever you say.
"Hence we can't do anything about the ghost that killed Baek. But where should I start looking? Nobody knows what happened in his shop."
"There's a reason why you're dubbed an Investigator. Therefore go and investigate," Mars pointed out mercilessly. I muttered something under my breath.
"Sorry? I didn't catch that. State it again."
"It's nothing." I grumpily called Mi-Cha. I decided I required real help, since my own partner is being useless. "Hey sorry to contact you so fast after what you just suffered," I put on my brightest tone.
"No problem. Have you found something?" she asked. I gazed down at the indifferent Mars. "Not much. Mind coming with me for a little bit of investigating?"
"Are you sure? Won't I just be in the way?" she replied hesitantly. "Of course you won't," I reassured her. "Don't worry and pick me up. I think we'll be driving around a lot."
"You got it. I'll be there in ten minutes." She hung up. I smirked at Mars. "What a benevolent girl. Hey, Mars, don't wait up. We'll likely be gone for a few hours."
He made a face. "Don't harass the poor woman. She's barely lost her father, you know." I gritted my teeth and said, "I don't harass, I comfort. And what business is it of yours?"
I straightened. "Pardon. But it seems I forgot to prepare dinner. You need to take care of yourself tonight." Mars froze for a moment before pulling himself together. "I'll have chicken. It's nothing to worry about," he said nonchalantly. I grin wickedly at him.
"I haven't bought any groceries yet. Therefore, we don't have anything else unless you like bread and ham. Enjoy," I winked slyly. I watched gleefully as his whiskers drooped. He hated bread.
The doorbell rang and I hurriedly answered before he could argue. I smiled broadly at Mi-Cha. She looked disturbed. Oh yeah, she was mourning. I quickly wiped the smile from my face. "Sorry, habit," I apologised.
"Habit?" she frowned. In an effort to distract her, I slipped my arm through hers and told her about the spectre. Having no choice, I concluded that I had to research first. So as she drove I scrolled through Naver (South Korean version of Google), but nothing remotely showed me what I wanted.
"Mind going to the library?" I directed. She nodded and made a turn. I admit I liked having her with me. Even though she wasn't as beautiful as Min, she wasn't as irritating as her. Nor did she jabber like most Uber drivers either. We drove in silence.