1) Iri’s Curio Rental Shop
[Five roots of pokeweed, a handful of white pheasant feathers, two 15mm snake horns]
Plus two bundled packs of 2-liter bottled water—six bottles each—that he’d just paid for.
Dojin checked the list saved on his phone and shut the screen with satisfaction. It was the first time he’d managed to gather every ingredient his master had sent him out for in just half a day. He’d found pokeweed on the slopes of Duryusan, the natural habitat of white pheasants, secured the feathers, and on his way down the mountain, he’d even run into a horned snake. It was a lucky day.
If he went back now and received praise from his master, Immortal Iri—and if that praise happened to come in the form of a head pat, or even a kiss—then today would unquestionably be the luckiest day of the entire year. And it was only March 5th.
When Dojin was younger, Immortal Iri used to kiss his forehead or cheek often, but over the past few years, he’d only offer his small, pretty lips with a look of reluctant indulgence if Dojin begged. Truly stingy, yet affectionate.
This time, I’m definitely asking for a kiss. At minimum, I’ll get head pats—and maybe even a hug.
Making such a blatantly self-serving vow, Dojin lifted the two six-bottle packs of water with one hand. On top of them, he balanced a cloth bag treated with special preservation magic.
People glanced over in surprise at the sight of a man casually carrying such heavy cargo in one hand—and then gasped when they saw his face. Was it really fair for someone built like that to also be so handsome?
His eyebrows were thick, his features sharply defined, and the bridge of his nose flowed in a clean, elegant line. He was striking in a bold, refreshing way. However, there was something fierce and oppressive in the faintly red-tinged gaze of his eyes, discouraging people from staring too long.
Feeling the looks brush against him and scatter away, Dojin turned into an alley. After walking for about ten minutes, he reached his destination. The quiet residential lane was wrapped in pale mist, and at its center stood a detached house stubbornly maintaining its old tiled roof.
A black gate, white walls, and an oak tree spreading its branches overhead. Dojin read the signboard hanging beside the gate.
[Iri’s Curio Rental Shop]
It was a sign invisible to ordinary humans.
Located in a residential neighborhood, this rental shop lent out mysterious objects called ‘Curios’ to anomalous beings known as ‘Wia’. In other words, it was essentially an all-in-one service center exclusively for Wia.
‘Wia’ referred to every existence other than humans, animals, plants, and inanimate objects. From beings humans commonly called ghosts or Yokai, to merchants, Taoists, spiritual creatures, Divine Spirits, Dokkaebi… even Immortals residing in the lofty realms above—all of them were classified as Wia.
The owner of the rental shop, Immortal Iri, was also a Wia.
Kim Dojin had spent more time in this shop than he ever had at home.
Until recently, he’d still been a minor, so after school he could only help out for a few hours at a time. But as soon as he passed his birthday this year, he signed an official contract and became a proper full-time employee. Immortal Iri said it was the first time he’d ever hired a full-time worker. Dojin knew very well how many Wia wanted to work here, so he was meticulous, determined not to make a single mistake.
Even so, he didn’t receive particularly good evaluations from customers. The reason lay in his overbearing personality.
Memorizing all 721 Curios in the shop along with their auxiliary materials, as well as the characteristics of thousands of Wia species, was grueling enough—but suppressing his temper and treating the Wia customers kindly while they stared at him with their wide, unblinking eyes was even harder. His disposition was fiery, arrogant, and overly sensitive, after all…
No matter how much he reminded himself, Hold it in, I’m cultivating myself, Don’t get angry, the moment always came when his temper snapped.
This situation was a perfect example.
Dojin stopped short of opening the gate and turned around instead. The person who’d been irritating his nerves for a while now froze the moment their eyes met, letting out a small hii— before ducking behind a parked car in the alley.
Human female form. Disguise?
Even in that brief instant, Dojin assessed the other’s appearance. Brown hair tied back into a single ponytail, a lettered cotton T-shirt, and jeans—clearly the form of a human woman.
She’d been loitering around here for days.
Some Wia barged in by kicking down the gate without hesitation, while others skulked around timidly like this. Dojin couldn’t understand it, but he forced the most polite tone he could manage.
“Excuse me, you there—are you someone disguised as a human? Or… perhaps a wandering spirit. Either way, a customer?”
He heard another sharp intake of breath.
“I work here. You don’t need to be afraid.”
“……”
“Customer?”
Dojin set the bottled water down in front of the gate, slung only the cloth bag over his shoulder, and strode toward where she was hiding. The person—whether a human spirit or a Yokai disguised as a human—was crouched between the parked car and the neighbor’s wall, eyes wide. She looked startled, but rather than fear or terror, her expression was filled with curiosity. Despite having just hidden, she didn’t avoid his gaze at all.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“……”
“You don’t, right? The shop is located in a human neighborhood, so Immortal Iri has repeatedly announced that you can’t loiter out front like this. If you keep this up—”
Dojin stopped mid-sentence. His gaze landed on the woman’s peach-colored skin. Then on her sharply focused eyes, and her red lips.
At least she wasn’t a wandering spirit. Then was she a Wia in human disguise? She had to be. She absolutely had to be. Please.
I’m screwed.
As Dojin took a step back, seized by a bad premonition, the woman suddenly sprang up and rushed toward him.
“E-excuse me!”
Her eyes sparkled.
“What do you mean, ‘human territory’? You just called me a spirit, didn’t you? What does that even mean? Are you talking about ghosts? And—you carried those twelve bottles of water with one hand, right? How is that even possible? Who are you, and what kind of place is this?”
Dojin cursed internally. As his instincts had warned him, she wasn’t a Wia at all—just a completely ordinary human.
This fog-covered alley should’ve been difficult for a normal human to approach. He had no idea how she’d even made it here. Still, Dojin responded calmly.
“Do you believe in the Tao?”
“…What?”
“This is the location of the Grand Earth Cosmic Truth Sect, a place that venerates spirits and souls. I am a deacon of the Grand Earth Cosmic Truth Sect. Are you a new believer who has come to place your faith in our Tao?”
“The… Grand Earth Cosmic Truth Sect…?”
“Congratulations on entering our Cosmic Truth Sect. Did you bring your Spirit Offering Ledger, which will bring fulfillment to your soul?”
“…What’s a Spirit Offering Ledger?”
Dojin formed a circle with his thumb and index finger.
“Money.”
“……”
“Our revered leader firmly believes that upon the foundation of the believer’s abundant Spirit Offering Ledger, he shall grant you even greater spiritual fulfillment. Now then—how much have you brought?”
“Ah, um. I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”
“Haven’t you been wandering around this area for quite some time? Your soul is already connected to our Cosmic Truth Sect.”
“No, it’s not that. I thought you were the person from that video.”
“You’ve seen the revival sermon video of our Grand Earth Cosmic Truth Sect! By great fortune, I appeared briefly at the edge of the frame. We wholeheartedly welcome you. Please, come inside. Now then—how much is in your Spirit Offering Ledger?”
“No, I mean that ghost video from a couple years ago. The one people call the ‘Exorcism Video.’”
“A ghost? Then you must be suffering from spiritual attachment. With only a sufficiently abundant Spirit Offering Ledger, our leader will surely resolve your troubles. Now—how much have you brought?”
After several rounds of such completely misaligned conversation, the sparkle in the woman’s eyes gradually cooled, leaving only discomfort and a desire to leave as quickly as possible.
“I just realized I forgot my, uh… Spirit Offering Ledger? I left it behind. I’ll go grab it real quick!”
“Oh, we also have an ATM in the courtyard, and we accept direct bank transfers.”
“Oh dear. How could I forget money of all things? I’ve been doing that a lot lately.”
Laughing awkwardly, the woman turned and hurried away. Dojin didn’t move an inch, simply repeating the words ATM machine to himself like a mantra. From within the fog, he heard her disappointed mutter: “What the hell. It was just some cult.”
Fortunately the cult diversion always worked on humans. However…
The Exorcism Video, huh.
She meant that video from two years ago.
The live-streamed exorcism-themed broadcast he’d filmed together with Iri.
It had been quiet for a while, but recently, after a celebrity mentioned it on TV, it’d become a hot topic again.
Since Dojin’s face had briefly appeared in the footage, people occasionally recognized him as one of the people from the video. Including this time, he’d been approached on the street four times now. At least the video no longer existed anywhere—that much was a relief.
I should tell Master.
Dojin’s lips twisted. Because he had a strong feeling he wouldn’t be getting a kiss.
Iri’s Curio Rental Shop, as befitting a mysterious place run by an Immortal, was different inside than it appeared from the outside. From the street, it looked like a modest two-story detached house—but once you opened the gate and stepped in, a vast property unfolded, with an 80-pyeong courtyard and 60 pyeong living space.
The first floor was the work area, the second floor the living quarters. Immortal Iri, the shop’s owner, lived on the second floor. As for Dojin, he had his own apartment nearby, but lately he’d been making excuses to stay and live together in one of the other rooms upstairs.
Passing through the garden with its massive oak tree and pavilion, he checked the large front window of the first floor. No one was at the worktable.
“Master, I’m back.”
Dojin placed the supplies on the worktable and was about to head upstairs when he stopped midway on the stairs. He could hear Immortal Iri’s quiet breathing. He was probably doing something in the True Mortal Realm.
The True Mortal Realm—a sacred world ruled by ‘the Sovereign’—was a place difficult to enter and even harder to leave, yet Immortal Iri could come and go freely, unbound by time. There were only a handful of beings in the world capable of that, and Immortal Iri was one of them.
Let’s prepare the work in advance. That might increase my chances of getting praised.
Fueled by ambition, Dojin returned to the work area.
What needed to be prepared were the ‘Feather Flute’ and the ‘Eardrum of the Vermilion Butterfly’. Beyond two doors lay the Curio display shelves. These shelves, too, were strange objects, their length and width constantly expanding and contracting. However, they weren’t classified as ‘Curios’, but as ‘Rare Objects’. Dojin was still studying the difference.
The display was arranged by the date each Curio was created, with the most recent items placed higher up. According to the Immortal, the newest Curio here was already five years old. Since Dojin had memorized all 721 positions, he quickly found what he needed.
The ‘Eardrum of the Vermilion Butterfly’ was stored in a transparent glass tube, but the “Feather Flute” had been left uncovered on a plate, allowing dust to pile up thickly. Dojin brought both to the worktable and carefully wiped the glass tube with a soft, clean handkerchief. He considered brushing off the dust from the ‘Feather Flute’, but decided against touching it carelessly. Instead, he washed the handkerchief and hung it to dry. Ever since the time he’d absentmindedly touched something as a child and lost two fingers for two whole months, he’d made a point of never repeating that mistake.
As he waited for Iri to come down he went about organizing request forms, consultation records, and rental logs. Finally, he heard footsteps descending the stairs from the second floor.
“Dojin. You’re back?”
A pretty young man with jet-black hair and pale skin came down with a gentle smile.
