189 Chapter
189 Chapter
Something feels off.
I looked around the table. All these distorted versions of myself, shaped by different ghost stories.
These manifestations of my contamination—made visible through the Universal Shopping Mall’s VIP shopping service, so I could recognize them.
And when I asked to remove them all, the lizard had said—
‘…Are you requesting the permanent destruction of a part of yourself?’
That felt… like he was suggesting destroying my very mind—my corrupted consciousness.
Like amputating a limb to stop an infection from spreading.
Sure, sometimes that is necessary.
But that’s usually only when there’s absolutely no hope of recovery. It’s a last resort—a choice you don’t come back from.
"…Is it not possible to simply remove the contamination? I mean, to restore the corrupted mind back to its original state. Permanently."
"That is not a service the Universal Shopping Mall provides."
"…Can it be done somewhere else?"
"That is not information we are able to provide."
I turned my head.
The yellow mascot was shaking its head at me.
Don’t
I looked down at my right arm.
In this ghost story world, where physical restoration is often possible, severing a limb isn’t such a big deal.
But cutting away and destroying part of your identity… that’s a far more irreversible act here than losing a body part.
"……."
Was this really what Assistant Manager Lee wanted to recommend to me?
"Let me change the question."
Probably not.
‘In that case…’
I looked up.
"Rather than destroy the contaminated parts of me, I want to be able to recognize them—and manage them."
The real danger of contamination is how it turns you into something else without your awareness.
But if I know exactly what mutations exist inside me, I can suppress them—or, in the worst case, use them.
"…I want to be able to control myself."
The grey lizard met my gaze and nodded.
"I see."
"I’d like to buy something that can help with that. Is that possible?"
"Yes."
The lizard moved its hand instantly.
As if I had picked the correct answer.
“…!”
From the far end of the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) table, one of the mist-covered items was suddenly carried toward me—by a very excited tentacle.
"By the authority of your personal shopper, I’ll recommend an appropriate item."
It was… a small device.
It looked like a precision surgical tool—at the tip of a robotic arm was a finely crafted needle, and above that, a crescent-shaped lamp shone down over the machine.
I recognized it immediately.
It resembled the tattoo machines from Moonlight Tattoo Shop.
An item crafted like a miniature version of those strange, emotional ghost story devices.
Single-Use Automatic Moonlight Tattoo Machine
"A product of limited production shortly before the closure of all Moonlight Tattoo Shops, save for a handful of surviving artists. You've obtained one of the three remaining units."
So pretty
So unique
The tentacle flailed its ends like arms in excitement, as if bragging, then hesitated—as if checking the lizard’s reaction—before disappearing into the mist again.
My heart thudded in my chest.
"…What exactly does this do?"
"A Moonlight Tattoo Artist’s spirit, infused within the machine, will inscribe a tattoo tailored to the user’s needs."
So, like the Moonlight Tattoo Shop, then.
"The tattoos created with this device are dynamic. They adapt to the environment and change to the most appropriate form based on the user's situation."
That’s… different.
But for someone like me—who’ll continue entering ghost stories and facing ever-changing contamination risks—this might actually be better.
‘Was that the intent behind this recommendation?’
"Would you like to purchase it?"
I nodded.
"Yes. I’d like to buy it."
"Thank you. The price is 159,999,999 won."
"……."
I nearly choked.
"Is there… any other way to pay? Like, maybe trading an item you accept…?"
"What item would you like to offer?"
Wait a sec.
‘These guys clearly aren’t a pawn shop operation.’
I had no idea what alien purpose all this money was going toward, but prices at the Universal Shopping Mall were notoriously brutal.
Given their sharp business sense… I had a feeling they’d lowball me on anything I tried to trade.
‘Not that I’m ungrateful for them selling this to me at all.’
In the end, I hesitated… then took out the jade badge.
A reward I’d received from Team Captain of Team Hyeonmu-3 at the Cheerful Theme Park.
Crafted at Baridegi’s Workshop, distributed by the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau.
"How about this?"
"This is not an item the Universal Shopping Mall purchases."
"Hmm, have you never seen this before?"
"Correct."
As expected.
‘So the alien shopping mall isn’t affiliated with the Bureau at all.’
Actually… that worked in my favor.
"This isn’t for sale—it's currency."
I held out the jade badge to the lizard.
"It’s a widely accepted form of payment. You should be able to use it to buy plenty of items wherever your merchandise circulates."
"Please provide examples."
I gladly gave a few.
Mostly, it had worked in ghost stories rooted in East Asian myths and folktales. Sometimes even in old European or North American fairytales—they had accepted it as currency.
‘Huh. Looking at it that way, maybe it works best in ghost stories derived from cultural folklore.’
The lizard examined the jade badge in silence.
Then, after a brief pause—
"Confirmed. We accept this as valid currency."
Of course.
‘Nice.’
…Except they took all five jade badges I offered.
‘…Not nice.’
But considering the price, maybe it was still a fair deal.
And just like that, the machine was mine.
Single-Use Automatic Moonlight Tattoo Machine.
"Would you like assistance with usage?"
"I’m fine."
I brought the device to my arm.
Planning to inscribe the tattoo over one of my existing ones.
‘Looks like pressing this switch activates it—’
But then—
Bzzzzzzzzzzzz—
With a soft glow and hum, the tiny tattoo machine floated off my arm and began hovering in the air.
“…!”
It drifted toward my left collarbone and began engraving something.
As if searing it in with collected moonlight.
Bzzzzzzzzzzzz—
In that moment—
I could feel the sorrow and artistic insight of the Moonlight Tattoo Artist’s spirit within the machine.
The customer’s wish was clear.
To master themselves!
The most primal and important of needs. But when the heart is filled with multiple identities and conflicting thoughts, it’s difficult to bring them into one.
Assign each a tag. Define their junctions.
So they can be rearranged and reassembled at will.
And for that… where better than just above the heart?
A burning sensation bloomed in my chest.
As the light of the tattoo machine faded, I quickly undid my buttons to check my skin.
"……!"
A star of letters had appeared.
Like an intricate mandala made of symbols—a circular tattoo formed like a wooden gear, repeating in complex, overlapping rings.
Words in unrecognizable languages were interlocked, densely packed to form several layers of concentric circles.
There were still plenty of gaps between them, and I understood immediately…
Now that the tattoo had formed, the conflicting thoughts within me would begin checking and balancing one another.
Through the tattoo, I could recognize myself—and regulate who I became.
The single-use tattoo machine fell completely silent, both in light and sound.
And with a click, the crescent-shaped lamp above it switched off.
"Usage complete, confirmed."
"……."
I turned my head to look at the seats around the table.
There was no one there.
No—there never had been.
They were all just me.
And now that I had recognized them as parts of myself through the tattoo, there was no longer a need to physically see them to make decisions.
"…Phew."
I looked back down at the tattoo.
And I reached out to touch one of the characters in it—a warped, corrupted word, like a font glitched out by a computer error.
The bell of Segwang High School rang out.
"…!"
I realized—I could become that being again. Put on my school uniform, step back into that horror game world, and live inside another time and light as a creature that preyed on intruders.
Regardless of the side effects.
‘…Wait a second.’
So this tattoo doesn’t just help organize my mind?
It sorted out my contamination—so I could pull them out and use them whenever I wanted?
That’s insane.
‘Okay, yeah. That price tag was actually worth it.’
Of course, whether or not I should use it is a separate issue. But for now, the important thing is—I wasn’t being swept away by the contamination anymore.
‘Good.’
I carefully pulled my clothes back into place, making sure not to touch the weathered gothic-looking letters that clearly belonged to the mimic from the Nameless Radiance Cult.
Fortunately—or maybe unfortunately—larger text in golden, baroque script and claw-scrawled handwriting sat proudly in the center of the tattoo.
‘The mascot… and the cat?’
It felt oddly comforting.
Were those two actually on my side?
…Anyway, for now, this situation was at least temporarily resolved.
Phew.
"Would you like to proceed to the next shopping session?"
The lizard asked as if he’d been waiting for me to finish.
I looked down at the fragment of the Nameless Radiance Cult’s sacred law still sitting on the table.
‘Yeah, I still have to deal with that.’
Like maybe buying something that could contain it safely.
Problem was, I didn’t have the money for another big purchase.
The best-case scenario would be rushing over to Daydream and selling it off right away, but I was undercover—and the timing didn’t exactly work out.
"If I finish shopping now… do you think I might forget about that item again?"
"There is a statistical probability."
Hmph.
Being broke, I hesitated and asked:
"Do you offer storage services?"
***
"Mr. Kim Soleum."
"……."
"Mr. Kim Soleum."
Gasp.
I opened my eyes.
The lizard was looking at me from across the table.
But this time—he wasn’t grey.
"Assistant Manager."
"Yes."
White lizard head. Red pupils. It was Assistant Manager Lee Jahun standing in front of me.
Phew.
"Did you encounter any inconvenience during the VIP shopping session?"
"No. It was really helpful…"
And then I noticed.
A pink plush toy was now seated on the table in front of Assistant Manager Lee.
"……??"
Why was Brown there?
"Um, I thought I… had him in my pocket."
"I removed him so he wouldn't interfere with your shopping."
"……."
I asked carefully.
"Don’t tell me you can still hear Brown— I mean, the plush talking?"
"Yes."
"I can’t hear anything."
"I see."
"Wh-what is he saying?"
"Sighing. Overexcitement. Accusations and threats."
Oh god!
"I deemed it unworthy of further attention as information."
"Right. Yes…"
I quickly and carefully lifted the plush from the table and tucked him back into the front pocket of my jacket.
And the moment I did—
–My goodness. Finally.
"…Brown?!"
–Mr. Roe! Oh, we can finally speak again—
Startled, I pulled the plushie back out to inspect it.
But the voice cut off immediately.
‘Huh?’
I put Brown back into my pocket.
–Mr. Roe? Can you hear me?
Only one thing had changed.
The tattoo over my left chest.
So being near that spot must make him register as “within the ghost story.”
Holy shit.
"Yeah… Looks like if I keep you here, we can keep talking."
–Near the heart? How poetic! I forgive you for leaving me alone with that dreary lunatic for 23 minutes. I am a Good Friend, after all!
Now throw him out. Quickly.
Now throw him out. Quickly.
"Hold on a sec."
I soothed Brown, then spoke to Assistant Manager Lee.
"Um… Assistant Manager, during shopping, I saw someone who looked a lot like you."
"That was not Assistant Manager Lee Jahun. But…"
"But it was still part of the ‘We’?"
"Yes."
"Then that means you already know everything I did while shopping?"
"Yes."
I asked, slightly embarrassed.
"So… you know what I did at the end, too?"
"You mean your request for item storage?"
Right.
–I’d like this item stored securely, please.
–Acknowledged.
–Acknowledged.
I had entrusted the root of all evil—the Nameless Radiance Cult’s sacred scripture fragment—to the alien shopping mall.
‘Figured that would be cheaper than buying an item to destroy or control it.’
And that turned out to be true.
…Even if it was still expensive.
–The cost, based on your current planetary standard, is 8,999,999 won per 100 days.
–…Do you offer installment plans?
–…Do you offer installment plans?
Installments.
I never expected to use a financial service I’d never touched in the real world—inside a ghost story.
‘Daydream will probably buy it off me for more anyway, so this is fine.’
When the time comes, I’ll go cash it out.
Thankfully, according to Assistant Manager Lee, I’ll be able to access the item again whenever I want.
The SIM-like chip I placed under my tongue had completely vanished, but now I could reconnect to the Universal Shopping Mall at will.
"Mr. Kim Soleum, you are now connected with us."
…Part of me wanted to ask if that counted as contamination too, but it hadn’t shown up in my tattoo, so I decided not to be rude.
This was the same guy who crushed steel with one hand, after all.
Not to mention—he’d always sensed my contamination before I did, and taken care of things on my behalf.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I’ve come back to my senses a bit."
"Understood. However, the choices are yours to make."
"…Do you think I made the right one?"
The lizard’s snout curved into a slight smile.
"Yes."
"……!"
"You made a good choice."
Just like before.
"……."
Yeah.
Back during shopping, I couldn’t really tell—same lizard head, same voice, same tone—but now that I was looking directly at him, I could feel it.
‘He’s different.’
There was something… intellectual about this one. Emotional. Unique. I couldn’t put it into words.
Maybe I was projecting, since Assistant Manager Lee had bonded with me more than the other instances of “We.”
‘He’s not even responsible for Team D anymore, but he still checks in on me.’
I’m sure he does the same for the other Team D seniors too.
A curious, thoughtful boss—one I was deeply grateful to have.
"Thank you, Assistant Manager."
I thanked him once again and saw him off as he wrapped up his visit.
Rather than use the door, Assistant Manager Lee vanished quietly through the window.
–If any problems arise, contact us.
That was the last thing he said.
"……."
–Is it over?
Yeah.
–Whew. Finally gone.
So… are we planning to get out of this horrible place soon?
So… are we planning to get out of this horrible place soon?
Heh.
"Yeah."
–Oh?
"I’ve got work tomorrow."
And on top of that—
"I’m an undercover spy now. In a national agency."
–Show business. Good. God.