Chapter 121…
The Face Was Found
When I showed the photo, I expected a reaction like “That’s me!” or “Ah, I remember now!” — with eyes suddenly brightening.
But he said he couldn’t really see it.
Turns out, it wasn’t that he was blind — he just couldn’t recognize faces.
At first, I thought maybe the features were too blurry… but no, he simply couldn’t perceive faces.
It wasn’t like the ghost had face blindness or anything…
[I’m sorry.]
“There’s no need to apologize.”
I was at a loss for words seeing a ghost apologize.
Well, I guess that could happen.
It’s not like there aren’t ghosts who can’t see.
I’ve seen spirits who were blind in life stay blind even in death.
I don’t know the mechanics, but it seems their state in life affects them afterward.
Of course, with time, some turn bizarre — like the ghosts who played jacks with their own eyeballs or played soccer with their heads.
Once they’ve been dead long enough, those things stop being strange to them.
“This guy should’ve had plenty of time by now.”
But despite being around long enough to become a seasoned ghost, this earthbound spirit hadn’t changed much.
Then again, Yeonju wasn’t the weird kind either.
[Plenty of time for what?]
“Ah, nothing…”
I stopped mid-sentence, looked down at the file in my hands, and then spoke carefully.
“Mr. Kim Cheol-gu?”
[Who?]
“Yoo Jin-sang?”
[Huh?]
“Yang Dong-sik, Lee Min-cheol, Koo Ji-hwan?”
[Uh… what are you doing…?]
Maybe one of them would get a reaction.
“Jang Cheol-su…”
[Huh?]
There it was — that tug on the line, like a fish biting the bait. Time to reel it in.
“Mr. Cheol-su?”
[Ah… yes?]
Gradually, the once-faint facial features began to come into focus.
That was it — I was on the right track.
“Manager Jang Cheol-su must’ve had a rough time at work, huh? Who’s the bastard who wronged our Manager Jang?”
[That’s right! I was wronged! Deeply wronged!]
Just like the first time we met, he shouted his injustice to the world.
And with each word, his face grew clearer and more defined.
I held up the personnel record of Manager Jang Cheol-su and smiled.
“Got it.”
He was indeed Jang Cheol-su.
He might not have been able to see, but he could hear, so my attempt had worked.
“You can see now? Your face?”
“Yeah.”
“Ah, I see.”
“What?”
“Well, some ghosts don’t have fixed forms. Those are usually people who took their own lives after suffering self-hatred under severe pressure or fear. Seems like he was that type.”
“Now you say that, huh?”
“……”
Seriously. Now that everything’s solved, he’s suddenly the expert.
Just like those side characters in web novels who explain everything after the protagonist figures it out.
He’s not some old movie narrator — I hate that kind of thing.
“Enough. Keep watch around here.”
“Uh… okay.”
Then, with his features mostly restored, Cheol-su looked straight at me.
[Who are you…?]
“You can see me?”
[Yes, I can.]
I hadn’t expected a Shin Blind opens his eyes moment, but still, it was oddly underwhelming.
“Uh… may I ask why you’re still here? Maybe I can help.”
[Sigh…]
He let out a long sigh before answering.
[It was when I worked at the electronics company.]
Honestly, I couldn’t catch half of what he said after that.
If only I could record this and play it back for Director Yoo — but it’s not like ghost voices record.
Still, I got the gist.
“So you got stabbed in the back?”
[Yes.]
“Someone else messed up, but you got blamed.”
[Yes. I even protested alone, but…]
But no one believed him. They pointed fingers, mocked him.
The real culprit was well-liked, had a spotless reputation.
He tried to clear his name, but every day his spirit grew smaller.
He said that on the day he planned another one-man protest at the company, he collapsed in the lobby.
His chest hurt.
Probably a heart attack.
And since then, he’d been stuck here.
“So that’s why it was recorded as a medical death, huh?”
If it weren’t for Director Yoo preparing that full death list, we might never have found him.
“So who was it?”
That was the real question.
[Manager Lee Won-young.]
* * *
“Manager Lee Won-young?”
“Yes.”
When Secretary Yoo Ji-gwang heard the name, his face hardened.
“You know him?”
“…Not the manager. But I know President Lee Won-young.”
“Oh…”
Hearing that, Woo Soo-han’s eyes widened in shock.
Yoo Ji-gwang immediately gestured for him to follow.
“We should report this in person.”
Yoo was uneasy.
President Lee Won-young was famous for fairness and decisiveness — one of Chairman Yang Man-sik’s most trusted executives.
Even as he called the secretarial office to confirm which Lee Won-young had worked at the same company as Manager Jang, he hoped it was just a name coincidence.
But the answer came back—
It’s the same person. President Lee Won-young himself.
Exactly as he had feared.
When Chairman Yang Man-sik heard that the ghost’s identity had been confirmed, he was relieved — finally, the case was nearing its end.
But when he heard the name, his face froze.
“What? Won-young?”
“Yes, President Lee Won-young.”
Secretary Yoo briefed him on everything they’d confirmed, including the old audit reports.
Chairman Yang’s face darkened.
“You know him well, then?”
“Of course…”
Woo Soo-han kept silent, watching the old man’s conflicted expression.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No reason. Just… what are you going to do?”
“What do you mean?”
He said it casually, but his voice was heavy — the warmth gone from it.
That familiar blunt tone suddenly felt distant.
“We’ll have to confirm it. His reputation’s too good.”
“Yeah. The ghost said the same — that no one believed him. Everyone pointed fingers, mocked him. Apparently, that kind of emotional pain makes some ghosts lose their faces.”
At Woo’s glance, Park Man-su — who’d been quietly standing by — stepped forward and added,
“When others’ gazes become knives, this is what happens.”
“Gazes can indeed cut like knives…”
Yang agreed immediately.
“Beyond injustice, when isolation and pressure crush someone, they lose themselves.”
“Huh…”
“For example, when nobody believes you even though you’re innocent, you start hating yourself. I think that’s what happened to Jang Cheol-su.”
Yang nodded slowly.
People like that couldn’t bear false accusations.
Some even took their own lives because of it.
“So what, should we just hold an exorcism?”
“Huh?”
Yang blinked in surprise.
“I mean, have Man-su perform a purification ritual.”
“I called you so we wouldn’t do that.”
“Funny, you sound like you’d rather just do it and be done.”
“Hmm…”
Yang couldn’t even deny it.
After all, President Lee Won-young had been the man who led the electronics division to second place in the entire industry.
He was an icon of integrity within the group.
How could that man have framed someone to cover up his own mistake?
What unsettled Yang even more, though, was Woo’s attitude.
“Why do you look so gloomy?”
Yang barked at him, half-frustrated.
“What do you mean gloomy? I’m just being honest. It’s obvious you’re torn about this.”
“…If a man who’s lived his whole life clean turns out to have done something dirty, of course I’d feel torn.”
“Fair enough. Not like I can lecture you about it. And hey, that ghost — he’s still just a ghost.”
“Sigh…”
There it was — that look.
Understanding it, but still feeling uneasy.
A thin layer of awkwardness between two people who’d once spoken freely.
“I’ve done plenty of ruthless things in my life.”
“As long as you know that.”
“‘As long as you know that,’ huh… I get it.”
Admitting it — or not.
Yang finally understood Woo’s earlier coldness.
“Fine. Let’s summon him and grill him. Legal deadlines might’ve passed, but the injustice still stands!”
“Oh-ho, that’s the spirit, old man.”
“You brat, watch your mouth!”
“What now!”
Yang scowled, but when he saw Woo smiling again, he finally relaxed.
Yoo Ji-gwang couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.
Late that night, President Lee Won-young arrived at Chairman Yang’s call, bewildered by the strange atmosphere.
Woo Soo-han stood there — a celebrity from one of the group’s sponsored films — alongside his manager and Secretary Yoo.
It wasn’t the kind of scene you’d expect at such an hour.
Then Chairman Yang spoke.
“Do you know a Manager Jang Cheol-su?”
“Sorry? Manager Jang Cheol-su?”
The president’s eyes widened.
“You do?”
“Yes…”
He forced himself to stay calm. The name was unforgettable.
“There was a major issue with the AP Project back then, wasn’t there?”
“Yes.”
“The one that went bust because of a control error. It says here that it was Manager Jang’s fault.”
Digging up a ten-year-old incident — it left him confused.
Had he done something wrong recently? Why bring up the past otherwise?
“That matter…”
“Was it his fault or not?”
“…”
Pressed by the chairman’s gaze, he hesitated — then finally answered softly,
“There was such an incident.”
“And was it really Jang’s mistake?”
“…I’ll need to confirm that.”
“He says he was framed.”
“Excuse me?”
The president looked utterly taken aback.
“I’m not trying to pick a fight here,” the chairman said quietly. “You’ve worked hard and done well. But tell me honestly.”
Finally, President Lee met his eyes — eyes heavy with disappointment.
He lowered his head.
“I’m sorry.”
“…Huh.”
“It was my fault.”
