Yokai Come to the Countryside Café

Chapter 3: The Culprit Always Returns to the Scene of the Crime

In the end, I couldn’t find him.

I ended up spending my whole Sunday afternoon, precious enough to wish even the clock hands would stop, just to search for that lunatic.

I had to return this bundle of money somehow, but finding someone who showed up out of nowhere, drank a cup of coffee, and vanished was harder than I thought.

“Assistant Manager Kim, Assistant Manager Kim!”

“Yes?”

“We’re clocking out—what are you doing? Huh? Cosplay? So you’re into this kind of thing?”

“No. Someone came to my house dressed like that.”

“Huh?”

Even I couldn’t make sense of what I’d just said.

“Oh, right! You said you moved recently! I guess that’s the new MZ generation trend—doing housewarming in cosplay?”

“That’s not it…”

“Wow, that’s fun. In our day, housewarming meant endless rounds of go-stop. Anyway, go on and head home.”

The Manager cut me off and drew his own conclusion.

Interpretation over fact.

Always eager to keep up with the younger generation’s culture, the Manager disappeared into the crowd clocking out, now armed with another false piece of knowledge.

I could imagine him in the elevator, going, “Did you know? These days, the MZ generation…”

Given his age and rank, no one would dare correct him, so it’d probably be a while before that got cleared up—but I didn’t have the luxury to worry about that now.

He was so handsome, I thought he must be a famous cosplayer, but no matter how hard I searched online, I couldn’t find anyone who looked like him.

Left with no choice, I wasted my weekend and had to go to work, so on edge that I barely noticed how the day passed.

On my way back, I figured I should check the neighborhood one more time.

So I drove around near my house in circles, thinking it was a long shot, and finally came home late in the evening.

And at last, I saw him again.

The cause of all this!

“Ah! You!”

It was definitely him.

Wasn’t it said that the culprit always returns to the scene of the crime?

There he was, looking through my window with his hands cupped around his eyes as if nothing had happened, and I couldn’t help but shout.

“You’re just opening now? The sun’s been down for ages, and a young man being this lazy with business... Oh my.”

“Here, the money! And where do you live? No, what’s your parents’ contact info?”

“W-What’s the meaning of this, you rascal!”

“You don’t know? No phone?”

It was the predictable situation.

In the end, I might have to call the police.

Just as I reached into my pocket for my phone, gripping the guy’s sleeve tight in case he ran off again, a middle-aged man got out of a parked car in the distance and came rushing toward us.

“Excuse me!”

“Are you this young man’s guardian?”

“What? Guardian? What are you…?”

“Yes, that’s right. He said he wanted coffee, so I brought him here.”

Perfect. I didn’t even have to report it to the police—we found his guardian right away.

They looked nothing alike, so he probably wasn’t his father. Maybe a chauffeur from some rich household.

Still, there was an unexplainable air of familiarity between the two, even as they bickered.

“Here, this is the money the young man had with him.”

“I heard he paid for the coffee. You don’t need to return it.”

“I can’t accept this money. Please, take it.”

I forced the envelope of money into the middle-aged man’s hand as he tried to wave it off. This beast had finally been returned to its rightful owner.

“This wasn’t about the money. Also, this place is no longer in business. The building has changed owners. I’d appreciate it if the young man didn’t come by again. Take care.”

“W-Wait!”

– Ding-a-ling.

Leaving the two, mouths agape as if they had more to say, I quickly shut the door.

If he kept showing up saying he wanted coffee, I’d be in trouble. Whether I liked it or not, he was still an unwanted intruder.

And somehow, I had the feeling getting involved would lead to a big headache.

Never mind the weird outfit and odd way of speaking.

At first, I hadn’t noticed because of the overwhelming first impression, but both the cosplaying youth and the middle-aged man clearly radiated an ominous aura.

Like a team leader handing you an urgent assignment just before the end of the day—people who made your stomach turn.

But in any case, it was all over now.

The money was returned, and I politely asked them not to come back.

“Oh, right! The salt!”

Almost forgot.

Let’s see, the salt should’ve been here somewhere…

If I remembered correctly, it was in the kitchen drawer among the spice containers.

– Rattle, rattle.

I pulled out each spice container with similar-looking powder, shook it, tasted it—and finally found the one with the salty flavor.

But there was a small problem.

『Seasoned Salt』

It said so on the lid of the seasoning container.

Will this work? Well, it’s still salt after all.

I didn’t hesitate for long.

I poured nearly half of the seasoned salt from the container at the entrance and only then could I return feeling relieved.

Back in the car, the two men were silent for a while.

Though they’d somehow managed to get into the car after being turned away, it seemed the recent events had left quite a shock.

“Did you see it too?”

“Yes, I saw. He didn’t lose consciousness even after meeting your eyes, Elder.”

Far from losing consciousness, he’d even grabbed the edge of the robe and argued.

If he hadn’t come out panicking and cleaned up the mess, something really troublesome might’ve happened.

Yet, the one who actually suffered that unimaginable humiliation was the very one who now curled his lips in amusement.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone with the spiritual eye since Yi Do, tsk tsk.”

“I have it too, Elder.”

“Hmph! You only got a tiny glimpse because we forced it on you. A guy like him, who awakened it on his own, you’d be lucky to find even down to your grandson’s generation.”

“That’s a relief, then.”

“Oh ho? And why are you pleased?”

“I retire soon. Time to bring in a junior.”

The middle-aged man in the driver’s seat scoffed at the youth’s comment.

“Hah! A junior? Don’t be absurd. That kid acts on instinct when he sees divine signs. Even if you tried recruiting him for national service, do you think he’d budge? Forget it and keep working another twenty years.”

“You’re saying dreadful things. I need to rest too.”

“Tsk tsk, such whining from someone with such a long life.”

“More importantly, what will you do about not getting your coffee today? It seemed like he wouldn’t serve you again, either.”

“Exactly. Imagine seeing someone who refuses money. I gave it generously, too.”

It was a troublesome situation.

They had assumed that since they acquired the teahouse, the business would naturally continue.

But judging by Jinseong’s firm attitude today, that seemed highly unlikely.

He’d even directly said he’d prefer they didn’t return.

Whether fortunate or not, they hadn’t seen the teahouse owner scatter some strange white powder after getting back in the car.

Even if they had, it wouldn’t have changed their situation much.

“If not, I’ll send someone to learn how to make coffee from him.”

“If that could be learned so easily, I would’ve done it long ago! And what? It’s a problem if I come back? Ha! If he knew who I really was, he’d beg me to return! Wait a minute.”

“Yes?”

“Why didn’t I think of this? I just need to send someone truly troublesome.”

“What do you mean by that?”

The man had no idea why someone would obsess over a single cup of coffee, and couldn’t make sense of this cryptic talk.

“Let’s head to Gyeryongsan. It’s been a while since I saw the raccoon.”

Deep in the ridges of Gyeryongsan.

Following the winding mountain road with not a single streetlight, they arrived at a heavy iron gate guarded tightly by soldiers.

【Military Protected Zone】

Maybe to deter the occasional wandering hiker?

Signs reading “Military Protected Zone” in bold red letters all around showed just how secure this place was.

Most military gates had only two or four guards at most, but this rusty gate at Gyeryongsan had eight sentries.

Each wore a bulletproof helmet and what looked like expensive night vision goggles, and as the car approached, their fingers instinctively moved to their triggers.

One of them approached cautiously with a signal baton and gestured for the window to be rolled down.

“What’s your purpose here?”

“Appreciate your hard work. I’m Director Baek.”

Sitting in the driver’s seat, Baek Mahyeon showed his ID to the soldier.

Upon checking the ID, the soldier snapped to attention and saluted.

“I’ll open the gate immediately! Loyalty!”

“Thanks, much appreciated.”

– Clink. Rattle rattle.

The lock hanging on the thick chains came loose, and the massive gate, as tall as a two-story building, creaked slowly open.

“It’s been a while since I came here.”

“Do you remember the way?”

“I’m not that old yet. We have to go pretty deep inside, right?”

But the car came to a stop not long after passing through the gate.

Because someone stood in the middle of the road with arms outstretched, blocking their path.

Short, barely past the knees, with fluffy brown fur.

It was unmistakably a raccoon. A chubby one, at that.

“The gumiho, why have you come here?”

Instead of a greeting, the raccoon spoke gruffly with the voice of a boy no older than three or four.

Even while asking, its outstretched forelegs seemed to declare that it wouldn’t let them pass another inch.

“How’ve you been? Eating properly?”

“I just ate a forehead’s worth of acorns.”

“Acorns? Tsk tsk, I just had something incredible, and you—lord of Gyeryongsan—settle for acorns?”

“You’re underestimating autumn acorns! So, what did you eat?”

“Want to know?”

“N-Not really interested! Gumiho are full of tricks, I mustn’t be fooled!”

“That’s too bad. I came all the way here to tell you because it was so delicious.”

“Was it… really that good?”

“When have I ever lied to you? Just one bite and it’ll haunt your dreams for three days.”

Still resting his chin on the car window from the back seat, the gumiho tempted the raccoon with a knowing smile.

“Maybe you could tell me where to get it?”

The raccoon, whose stern expression had melted away, smacked its lips and lowered its outstretched paws.

“Hm, I don’t know. I feel too possessive to share. Just turn the car around.”

“Yes, Elder.”

“That’s unfair! I want to try it too! Tell me!”

– Thump thump.

As the car wheels began to turn, the panicked raccoon rushed forward and banged on the car door.

‘Now, let’s see if this one can chase him out like I was, tsk tsk.’