Park Tae-hyun and Dr. Im Yoo-jin stepped out of the theater, the cool evening air of Tongmyeong brushing against them.

  At seven o’clock, the night was still young, but the Hanam Mall beyond the cinema was a tomb—shops dark, corridors swallowed by shadow. Dr. Im walked silently beside him, her presence steady but distant.

  Park Tae-hyun’s mind churned, words forming and dissolving. I told her we were done yesterday, he thought. If I’m too eager now, will she think I’m unhinged?

  "Let's head to the bookstore…" he started, voice tentative.

  "Hmm..." she hummed at the same moment, her tone soft but searching.

  Their words collided, a shared spark to cut through the awkwardness. A brief smile flickered between them, warm and fleeting, like a shared secret. They turned toward Kim's Bookstore, footsteps falling in sync on the cracked pavement.

  As they neared, Park Tae-hyun's gaze drifted to Baek Cheong-won's noodle shop, its steel shutter locked tight—an uncommon sight that stirred unease.

  Was Baek still inside, lost in the grief that had consumed him earlier? The question hung unanswered as Park Tae-hyun fumbled with the bookstore key, the bell above the door chiming a gentle welcome.

  Dr. Im glided to a rack, selecting a fashion magazine with a practiced ease, and settled into a chair behind the counter. Her movements were fluid, almost ceremonial, as if grounding herself in the moment.

  Park Tae-hyun grabbed a novel—its title a blur—and sank into the seat beside her, flipping pages without focus. Two ceramic cups of hot barley tea steamed on the counter, their earthy warmth sending tendrils of vapor into the air, softening the shop's stillness.

  He stole a glance at her, her profile serene, then at himself, a wry chuckle rising in his throat. He'd mocked Kim Min-woo's mundane existence, yet here he was, orchestrating a first date so restrained it felt like a scene from a minimalist drama.

  What am I doing? he thought, half-tempted to shake himself for crafting something so painfully polite.

  This deserves a smack for effort alone.

  "Are you closing up?" Dr. Im asked, her voice gentle, carrying a subtle nudge—an invitation to end the evening.

  Night had settled over Tongmyeong, and lingering felt like tempting fate.

  "Oh, I keep it open late," Park Tae-hyun replied, oblivious to her hint, his tone matter-of-fact.

  The bookstore was his haven, a place where ghosts and odd hours blurred together, and he hadn't learned to clock out like the living.

  Dr. Im's lips parted, then closed, a faint smile masking her surprise.

  She brushed a strand of dark hair from her ear, the gesture delicate, and returned to her magazine, letting the moment slip away.

  Park Tae-hyun's stomach sank as he realized his misstep, the air between them growing thick with missed chances.

  Idiot, he cursed silently, wishing he could rewind.

  A sharp squeak broke the quiet as the door swung open, admitting three strangers—two men and a woman, early twenties, their laughter tinged with soju's looseness.

  One man, face flushed and eyes glassy, swayed as he stepped inside, clearly deep in his cups.

  The woman, steadier, scanned the shop with a quick glance.

  "Ajusshi, got any water?" she asked, her tone friendly but direct.

  Park Tae-hyun nodded toward the dispenser against the wall, its hum a familiar drone.

  She poured three cups of hot water, passing them to her friends, then approached the counter, phone in hand.

  "How much?"

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  "Thirty thousand won," he said, keeping his face neutral.

  She laughed, a playful glint in her eyes.

  "Yah, ajusshi, charging Chuseok prices for water? Thirty thousand for three cups?" But she scanned the payment code without complaint, turning to her companions.

  "Rest here a bit. Flip through something, make it worth 30 thousand won at least, sigh...."

  They treated the bookstore like a late-night café, the fee a pass to linger—a practical transaction Park Tae-hyun didn't mind.

  The drunk man flopped onto a plastic bench, his voice cutting through the quiet.

  "Books? Got any ghost stories? Horror stuff?" He grinned, amused by his own boldness.

  Park Tae-hyun sighed, retrieving two worn horror anthologies from under the counter. He handed them over, his finger brushing the man's hand—a subtle check.

  Human, not a ghost.

  A quiet relief settled in.

  This date was already stumbling; he didn't need another spectral incident like the migrant workers' eerie visit weeks ago.

  The drunk, loud as he was, had a clumsy charm, human and harmless.

  The trio sprawled out, phones glowing, books opened more for show than interest. The thirty thousand demanded some effort to justify.

  The drunk tossed his anthology aside, landing it near the dispenser, where spilled water soaked its cover and pages.

  The woman sighed, picking it up.

  "Ajusshi, how much for this mess?"

  "Wholesale Price, twenty percent off," Park Tae-hyun said, a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

  If they ruined his stock, he'd clear it faster—a small victory.

  She paid, muttering under her breath, then nudged the drunk.

  "Come on, Lee, enough chaos now. Let's move."

  "No ghost story!...." Lee slurred, defiant.

  "Whoever wrote this damn novel has never met an actual ghost...haa...."

  Park Tae-hyun's lips twitched.

  "Oh, you have? Seen a Ghost Standing right in front of you?"

  "I'm not going home!" Lee bellowed, lurching to his feet, his voice raw with something deeper than liquor.

  "If I sleep, I'm done. I'll stay here, read all night—no ghosts'll get me!"

  The words landed heavy, their irony sharp.

  Dr. Im set her magazine down, her gaze fixed on Lee, curiosity sparking in her eyes.

  "Yah, Lee, you got a ghost at your place? hahaha," his friend teased, leaning back with a smirk.

  The woman shot him a warning look, urging silence, but Lee snapped, "Your house has ghosts!" He stood, swaying, his anger laced with despair.

  "Every Chuseok, it's me—only me! I've got brothers, a sister, parents, grandparents—nobody else!"

  "Oh, let me guess, is it a Female ghost?" his friend prodded, grin widening.

  "Would've been better!" Lee's face twisted, a mix of grievance and absurdity.

  "It's a… female.......dog!"

  Laughter erupted—his friends snorted, barely holding it together.

  Park Tae-hyun coughed, masking a chuckle, while Dr. Im ducked her head, her shoulders shaking with silent mirth.

  Lee's wounded expression, paired with female dog, was comically tragic.

  "Every Chuseok, it's there," Lee ranted, oblivious to the humor.

  "Last Seven years, soon as I sleep—bam! Its there........More punctual than my Landlord asking for Rent!" He sank to the floor, clutching his head, tears welling up, mixing with soju's haze.

  "I......I can't live like this anymore."

  "What's with this female dog?" his friend asked, voice softening, sensing the shift.

  "It was ours," Lee mumbled, eyes distant.

  "One night......Got into Dad's Hidden stack under the bed—five million won—chewed it up. So we….. killed it. Hahaha"

  The laughter died, the air growing heavy.

  "That's Disgusting," his friend said quietly. "She must be out getting revenge on you."

  "But why me?" Lee's voice broke, raw and pleading.

  "We all killed it—me, my brothers, Dad, Grandpa. We all killed him! Five million's worth a dog, right? I asked them—nobody else gets haunted by that damn dog. Why me?"

  "You're drunk," the woman said gently, kneeling to lift him.

  She nodded to their friend, who helped hoist Lee up, guiding him toward the door.

  "Let's get you home."

  They shuffled out, leaving the shop starkly quiet, the weight of Lee's story lingering like smoke. Dr. Im turned to Park Tae-hyun, her eyes thoughtful, searching.

  "Why only him, you think? Something special about him?"

  He blinked, caught off guard by her investment.

  "You're really into this?"

  "Yes," she said, a faint smile curving her lips, warm and genuine.

  He leaned back, rubbing his chin, letting the question settle.

  "To understand a dog, you'd have to think like one. Not simple, but… a ghost dog's grudge? It's like a human's. It wants what's fair."

  "Then why not the whole family?" she pressed, leaning slightly closer, her curiosity a bridge between them.

  "Maybe…" He paused, piecing it together, his voice low, introspective.

  "Maybe.....This Lee Guy took some of that money. Stole it, lost it—who knows? The dog got blamed, killed, and was a part of the crime. But Lee? He walked free. That's not right to a dog's heart, dogs thought animals, they share some level of intelligence. Loyalty for one. So it comes back, every Chuseok, for him alone."

  Dr. Im shook her head, a soft laugh escaping her.

  "It was just a drunk's ramble, but you spin it like it's real."

  Her eyes held his for a moment, a spark of connection that made his chest ache.

  He shrugged, standing to tidy the trio's mess, and spotted a wallet on the floor, half-hidden by a bench.

  As he bent to grab it, the woman hurried back, breathless, her coat flapping.

  "Sorry, did we—"

  He held out the wallet.

  "Here."

  "Thank you!" She bowed deeply, relief flooding her face.

  "If he had lost this, his family would've had his head tonight. haha"

  "No trouble," Park Tae-hyun said, waving her off with a half-smile.

  She waved back and started jogging to catch up her friends.

  Tae Hyun Saw, in the moonlight spilling through the window, her coat shifted as she ran, and for a split second, he saw it—a fluffy yellow tail, swaying gently beneath the fabric, then vanishing as she turned the corner.

  His breath caught, the night's mysteries coiling tighter, the Secrets he couldn't yet unravel.