[Urgent/Same-day Pay] Overnight Building Security Twilight-Tier Daily wage 220,000 won.
Location – Construction site near Sanmun University
Work details
-Access control, patrols
-10:30 PM to 6:30 AM the next day
Night snack, Twilight-Tier Site Manual provided as basic
I went in as if possessed.
220,000 won a day?
Minimum wage keeps going up, sure, but part-time jobs paying over 200,000 a day aren’t common around here.
Probably because there are so many college students.
College students devour the good part-time jobs near campus like termites chewing through wooden beams.
But something in the job posting caught my eye.
The word repeated as Twilight-Tier.
Is that some kind of slang in the security world?
「Twilight: A pure Korean word meaning ‘a slightly dim state’ or ‘the time when the day is fading’」
That’s what came up online.
It means darkness, evening, nighttime—so maybe it refers to ‘night security.’
More importantly, if I didn’t call fast, I might lose the job to some money-starved college student.
I quickly dialed the number written in the job posting.
#
“You’re Ha Yuseong, right? These days college students just quit and run off whenever they feel like it, which is a real problem. The last student talked big and then stopped answering calls entirely.”
A container office.
A middle-aged man in a black vest made a cup of mix coffee in a paper cup and handed it to me.
It was iced coffee with ice cubes floating in it.
“Pay is given in cash after work ends at morning dismissal. If you run off midway, you don’t get paid, so work diligently.”
“Yes.”
“Good, I like a solid answer. You do any sports or something? You’ve got a good build.”
I sipped the iced coffee and answered casually.
“Just do some home workouts as a hobby.”
“Home workouts… push-ups and stuff? Back in my day I used to go up to Gyeryusan Mountain and do pull-ups. Now that I’m older, my joints ache, so I—”
He trailed off as if about to say something, then glanced at the clock hanging on the office wall.
He smacked his lips like he was trying to shake off the aftertaste of the sweet mix coffee, then handed me a file folder with a leather cover.
“A few simple rules are written in there, so take a read. Well, it’s about time for me to clock out, so I’m heading off. There’s nothing difficult, so just relax. Relax.”
The man took off the vest draped over his shoulders.
Then he switched into a pair of comfortable slippers.
He was clocking out, and I was clocking in.
My shift hadn’t even started, and I was already envious of him.
I opened the file folder to steady my nerves.
On A4 paper that was a bit crumpled and discolored from age, letters were written.
「Dori Building Security Rules」
- Control access of outsiders and vagrants
Maintain full closure of the site. If trespassers (Mytubers, vagrants, etc.) are found, remove them immediately.
- Prevent safety accidents and inspect materials
Inspect hazard zones such as falling-object areas and internal puddles, and patrol to prevent theft of remaining materials.
3. Absolutely no entry to the basement
After 10:00 PM, the basement entrance is fully sealed and patrols are intensified. If the basement door is found open, offer the sacrifice to the altar below.
3-1. Sacrifice management guidelines
An ample supply of sacrifices is stored in the storage box inside the basement.
4. Survival rules upon encountering Wogijagi in the basement
Remove everything with your name written on it.
If you make eye contact, you must say “Komori.”
If you encounter body parts such as legs or arms, offer the clothing worn on that body part.
5.━─━─━───.
Odd must become even, and even must become odd.
Wogijagi-nim, Wogiwogijagijagi─.
Whoa, what is this.
The first two rules were pretty much what I expected from a security manual.
Starting from rule three, things got a little weird, and from rule four on, it was all incomprehensible.
As for rule five, the text itself was barely readable, like someone had scratched it with their fingernails.
“Hey, sir. I’d like to ask about rule three, the basement.”
I asked the previous security guard, who was about to leave.
He was combing his hair, which was flattened from wearing a cap for so long, and raised an eyebrow.
“Rule three? What are you talking about. And this building doesn’t have a basement.”
“Excuse me? It doesn’t?”
“See that over there? The lien exercise banner. They built up four floors, and down below they were working on an underground parking lot, but the architect went bankrupt and construction got shut down.”
Banners fluttered beyond the container office window.
「Lien exercise in progress」
「Trespassing/damaging property/vandalizing postings will be punished under relevant laws. – Dori General Construction」
The half-finished building was wrapped in construction cloth.
Cloth covered the steel frames and concrete, glowing in the moonlight. Looking at it, the building looked like a ‘mummy.’ It was unsettling.
As I stood there frozen, the man opened the office door and said as he stepped out.
“There’s nothing to it. Every once in a while, some punk Mytubers or whatever will come by and try to get into the building. Just stop them, that’s all. If you’re sleepy, get some sleep.”
An overnight gig where I can sleep if I’m tired?
220,000 won a day?
This is a total cakewalk—
I wanted to say that.
But I couldn’t.
3. Absolutely no entry to the basement
3-1. Sacrifice management guidelines
4. Survival rules upon encountering Wogijagi in the basement
5.━─━─━───.
**The letters trapped in bold.
Because I thought I understood what they meant.
This was probably something invisible to others, visible only to me.
In a way, it was like ‘Boribori.’
Something out of the ordinary.
Just as I reached that conclusion, the security guard shut the door with a thud and was gone.
Sheeeeeng—
The old wall-mounted fan spun in the container office.
I was left alone in that place with the flickering fluorescent light.
No, two of us if you count Boribori huddled in the corner.
Boribori kept staring at the water dispenser where the coffee sticks were, curious about the mix coffee.
“Ugh, fine, I’ll make you one, but you have to behave tonight.”
Sway sway—
Boribori’s upright tail wagged like reeds.
#
Rules marked with ** that only I could see.
That’s what I said, but actually, I think I need to correct myself.
Because someone wrote these rules.
Besides me, the person who wrote them must have been able to see them too.
Which means—
There are other people besides me who’ve seen and experienced weird things?
I hadn’t had a chance to think about it until now, but it felt entirely possible.
Beep beep beep, beep beep beep beep—
“Gah!“
The sudden sound made me jump.
When I flinched, Boribori got startled too and leaped about 5 centimeters into the air.
“……!”
And then it glared at me.
Like it was scolding me, saying “You scared me!”
I rubbed my chin awkwardly and calmed my pounding heart.
“The alarm went off, so it must be patrol time.”
I picked up the red plastic lantern and stepped out of the office.
In front of me stood the building, its cloth rippling in the breeze.
Wooooooo—
It was a building I’d seen before, passing by while walking around the neighborhood.
Back then, I hadn’t thought much of it.
But now, the fact that I had to patrol a place like this felt like some strange experience.
Honestly, it was a little scary too.
Pat pat pat—
If there’s any comfort, it’s that Boribori slipped out of the office and was following behind me.
I’m being chased by a demon.
Depending on how you look at it, that might have been more dangerous and frightening than exploring an abandoned building.
But somehow, I found myself feeling relieved by it.
‘Yeah, how bad could it be?’
With that mindset, I circled around the building once.
Then I spotted a group shining phone lights across the building.
“Oh crap, it’s security! Oppa, what do we do?”
“Hey, be quiet!”
“Everyone shut up. I’ll handle this.”
One guy, two girls.
They’re young. College students? I was wrapping up that thought when a guy in a black t-shirt approached me. His build was similar to mine.
“Hey, I’m Jang Geunbeom, I run the Mytube channel ‘Ghost Story Tiger Channel.'”
A man introducing himself.
His form-fitting t-shirt emphasized a fairly muscular physique.
His face was somewhat dinosaur-like.
A loose smirk curled at the corner of his mouth, full of the typical bluster and swagger of a guy showing off in front of girls.
“Huh?”
He walked up, looked at my face, and suddenly his expression completely changed.
“Are you Yuseong? Ha Yuseong! Sanmun Middle School!”
What—? How do you know my name?
There was no name tag on the security uniform I was wearing. So while I was feeling puzzled, the guy smacked me on the back.
Guys usually slap each other’s shoulders or backs when they’re happy to see each other, but this touch carried more annoyance than affection.
And that annoyance stirred up old memories.
Back in middle school, there was a guy who went around pounding people’s backs with his fists.
He was part of the ‘so-called popular crowd’—a middle schooler who supposedly met high school and college girls, with rumors swirling about what he did and where.
Naturally, he was good at fighting, and with his build, nobody dared to mess with him, so even when he hit people’s backs, everyone stayed quiet.
His name was Jang Geunbeom.
“Hey, Yuseong. Good to see you, man.”
That Jang Geunbeom was acting friendly with me.
A guy I’d never even exchanged greetings with in three years of middle school.
And yet, reading the mood somehow, the girls cheered.
“Geunbeom oppa, you know the security guy?”
“Yay! Awesome! Awesome!”
Sleeveless tops and dolphin shorts showing off their legs.
They were young women flaunting their youth.
Their hair colors were flashy too—pink and yellow.
But why am I ‘security ahjussi’ and Jang Geunbeom is ‘oppa’?
As I was thinking that, the corner of Jang Geunbeom’s mouth twitched upward.
“He’s a friend from middle school. Yuseong, we’re trying to film a Mytube video here. Just let us into the basement real quick. Won’t take more than an hour.”
The self-proclaimed Mytuber Jang Geunbeom slung his arm around my shoulder.
I could smell his cologne and feel the force of his will.
But so what?
I’m security.
If I want to get paid, that means nobody gets inside.
“Just leave. For today.”
I slapped his back.
Smack—
“Ow!”
Jang Geunbeom’s face, which had been grinning at me like we were best friends a second ago, crumpled instantly.
I just gave back what I got. He’s overreacting.
“Ah, you son of a—”
It took less than three seconds for his true colors to show.
Expressing ten years since middle school graduation in a single curse word—what a talent.
“Hey. Seriously, no? We gathered the crew with a lot of effort to film here today. Those girls over there are all Mytubers too, so if this falls through, my reputation is really screwed.”
“No means no. And besides, this building doesn’t even have a ‘basement.'”
I don’t know what’s in that basement, but it’s not something you should know about, and definitely not somewhere you should go.
So I’ll go with ‘it doesn’t exist.’
I don’t know for sure, but I’m saving your lives here, you know?
“……”
The Mytuber Jang Geunbeom glared at me.
Back in middle school, standing in the front row by height order, I might have cowered here.
But I’m 25 now.
I have no intention of playing along with wannabe tough guys and thugs.
Whether he felt my resolve or not, Jang Geunbeom spat on the ground and backed off.
“Ha Yuseong, I’ll remember this.”
He’s retreating too easily.
He’s definitely going to turn around and cause some trouble.
Just in case, I searched the perimeter of the building even more thoroughly.
Then, at the back of the building, I found a heavy iron cover that seemed to connect to the underground.
Clank clank.
After confirming the tightly locked chain and padlock, I took a permanent marker out of my pocket.
Recalling my memory, I pressed down hard and drew the symbol of ‘Blockade’ that I’d learned recently.
With this in place, even a rat couldn’t get through.
Grrrrr—Boribori’s stomach growled loudly.
I should boil the cup noodles I got as a snack and give them to her.
And so.
Time passed.
It was around 2:00 AM by now.
Just when I was thinking I was bored to death, I felt a thudding vibration from beneath my feet.
“……!”
Boribori, who had been resting curled up in the corner, reacted instantly.
Boribori raised her tail stiff like an antenna, stared at the ground, and then said.
“…Wogi-jagi!”