Chapter 2

"Hey, Mom. Why are you like this so early in the morning?"

"Why am I like this? Why are you asking? You don't know? You've been doing nothing for over half a year. You're 32 years old. Aren't you worried?"

"It's good enough that I came back healthy."

"You always have to be punished! Punished, I say!"

Miju picked up the 'filial son stick.'

Even Taesik, who didn't flinch at the Death Bringer wielded by the Demon King, couldn't withstand Miju's filial son stick.

"You! Get your act together, you brat! Once you get used to being a bum, it's hard to break the habit! How long are you going to laze around at home? Sanghyung, who used to play games all day, is making money by doing something with paprikans or whatever!"

"Ah, really. It hasn't been a year, not even a year. I almost died. I came back after defeating the Demon King in this world."

"Again! Again with that! If you say that one more time, I'll send you to a mental hospital! Stop talking about the Demon King and go out and work! Earn money!"

"Got it, got it. Stop being angry. Mom, your blood pressure will burst."

"It's because of you! And clean up all the gold in your room! The house is going to collapse, the house!"

Miju's filial son stick sliced through the air.

Even Mount Taesik would split in two.

Taesik quickly ran into his room.

"Clean up that gold when I'm in a good mood! Why did you bring so much gold that even dogs don't bite it anymore?"

"I'm keeping this! It's my compensation for 43 years of hard work!"

"Again with nonsense! Stop the nonsense and go out!"

Taesik's room was filled with gold.

The chair, desk, and bed were all made of gold.

He had collected the gold to live off and play, but now it was worth no more than the price of bricks.

At that moment, everything became a hassle.

It was the same feeling as the last day in the other world, Roa, when he was a veteran soldier about to be discharged, and the first week back home was also the same.

He became even more lazy than before he went to Roa.

After all the experiences and hardships, he didn't want to do anything.

If he really needed money, he could find a way to get it.

He wouldn't get hurt, and he could handle any accidents.

He wasn't in a hurry.

"Mom is really angry. Tsk, I guess that's understandable. It's understandable from her perspective."

It must be frustrating for her to see her grown son cooped up at home. I understand that completely.

"How much money do I need to bring home to ease her mind?"

Taesik opened his subspace. His weapons and items were still stacked there.

"Items are supposed to be expensive in places where they don't circulate."

"Mom."

"Why are you already back? Did you even listen to me? I told you to go out and earn money."

"The money~. I've brought it~!"

Taesik stretched out his hand, imitating a historical drama tone.

In Taesik's hand was a bundle of 50,000 won bills.

"Lady, is this not enough? I knew it, so I brought plenty. Hahaha!"

Taesik took out a stack of money from his pocket.

Like a magician pulling out cards, he took out several bundles and placed them on the table.

"Is this enough?"

Taesik stuck to the sofa as if he had finished his task.

"You-!"

Miju picked up the stack of money and threw it.

"Ah, why again-."

"Did you steal this! Did you rob a bank or something!"

"Rob a bank? I sold a few items."

"Speak sensibly, you brat. Speak sensibly!"

Taesik wondered if it really didn't make sense.

"Mom, items are more expensive in places where they don't circulate. And my items are special."

Taesik opened his subspace and showed the items stacked inside.

"Didn't I tell you to earn money for living expenses? I didn't tell you to bring money, but to show me that you're working. Get up when others get up, wash when others wash, and go to work when others go to work. Is that hard?"

Miju's eyes turned red.

Seeing her son, who used to be diligent in school and job hunting, now cooped up at home, made her heart ache.

She was worried that he might have a mental illness like PTSD, which made her so anxious that she couldn't sleep.

But she couldn't accept or acknowledge that.

She didn't even want to say it out loud, for fear that it might come true.

"Go out, take the money and go out. If you don't, I'll go. I'll go!"

Miju threw off her apron and tried to go out.

This time, it wasn't going to be a joke.

Taesik hurried to stop her.

"Ah, Mom. Got it, got it. I understand what you're saying. I'll work. I'll work. Do you know Yungju? He's my senior from school. He's in real estate. I went to his son's first birthday party the other day. He said he needed help and asked if I wanted to try. I'll call him and tell him I'll work now."

"Do it now. Call him right now."

"Got it. I'll call, I'll call. I'll call him now."

Taesik immediately called Yungju.

"Hey, senior. It's Taesik. Yeah, I'm doing well. How about you? Yeah. Actually, you asked me the other day if I wanted to learn the business. Yeah, yeah. Now? Is it okay? Yeah, got it. I'll come right away."

Taesik hung up after a brief conversation.

"Mom, did you hear that? I'm going now. I'll be back. I'm really sorry for making you cry, Mom."

Taesik quickly went out.

Taesik was still wearing his worn-out tracksuit and slippers.

Pawn Shop (2)

"Hahaha. So you borrowed all this from Mom?"

"Ah, don't laugh, senior. This isn't something to laugh about."

"Hey, from Mom's perspective, it's understandable to worry. No matter what you've done, you're still her son. Even a 90-year-old grandmother telling her 70-year-old son to be careful is a parent's heart."

"Ugh! Since you became a dad, you're really-"

Taesik held out his empty glass. Yungju laughed and filled it.

"Hey, no matter how much you try to understand, you can't know a parent's heart. You'll understand once you get married and have kids."

Taesik spent 43 years in Roa.

The marriage Yungju mentioned, Taesik had done it. He had a child.

A son who looked just like him.

That child was the only place of solace that could soothe his bone-deep loneliness.

He was his alter ego, everything.

Back then, he stood on the battlefield to protect his son and exterminated demons to protect his family.

If that son were still alive, he might not have returned like this.

"Hey, why are you so gloomy? I didn't say anything out of the ordinary."

"Ah, no. I was just thinking about the past. Don't worry about it."

"Anyway, what are you going to do? Really learn the real estate business? I don't want to. You can't handle it."

"It was just what I said because Mom was so insistent. I don't want to engage in labor in this capitalist society. Everything is a hassle."

"If everything is a hassle, why do you eat and breathe? Tsk. I don't understand you. With your abilities, you could be a top-class hunter or a special researcher at the National Science and Technology Research Institute."

"What's the point of all that? It's meaningless. As long as I don't starve and have a place to sleep, that's enough."

"Enough, man. Talking to you just hurts my mouth. Just eat the meat."

Yungju gave Taesik a piece of cooked meat and refilled the grill.

Taesik liked Yungju.

After returning to Korea, he met some friends for a while.

At first, they were happy to see him, but that didn't last long.

His disheveled appearance made his friends subtly ignore him.

Taesik didn't want to boast about his abilities to such friends and didn't want to see them again.

Dealing with people and worrying about such things were just a hassle.

Yungju was different, which was good.

Look at him now.

Even after bringing in a fortune and getting scolded, he didn't ask about the money.

He didn't think it was bragging or feel inferior.

He was a senior and a two-year older brother who was grilling meat for him.

He even said he would pay the bill.

Because of Yungju, Taesik could say things like this.

"Senior, so, do you know of any good properties? How much rent would a 10 billion won building bring in?"

"It depends on the location. Why, are you interested in being a landlord?"

"I can do it. My original goal was to be a landlord."

"Hey, hey, stop it. With your lazy personality, you'll die of boredom as a landlord."

"Why? Isn't it just about renting out and collecting rent?"

"Are you talking about the old days? There are a lot of hassles. And you don't like dealing with people. Dealing with tenants can be quite a hassle."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, man. That doesn't mean you should buy a building that requires a manager. For that, you need at least 100 billion won."

"I can earn more money."

"100 billion won?"

"It's easy, just a few times."

"Hey, if earning money was that easy, why be a landlord?"

"Who am I talking to? It's because Mom doesn't want to see me at home."

"Hey-. Then just open a pawn shop."

"A pawn shop?"

"Yeah, you're selling items for money anyway. So, it's a pawn shop. You're not going to open an online market or do internet ads. You just need to deal with the people who come in. It's perfect, a pawn shop."

Now that he thought about it, it made sense.

Even if it was a pawn shop, he could say he was the owner and a self-employed person.

"Sounds good? Senior, do you know any pawn shops?"

"Why would I know pawn shops?"

"Please, just check for me."

"Hassle, man."

"I'll give you 10 billion won. You can take the rest as your commission."

Taesik took out a stack of money.

"Hey, are you drunk? Don't take out money here!"

"Then will you check for me?"

"Fine, man. Do you want a secluded place?"

"Of course. Somewhere with few customers."

"I'm suffering because of a bad junior."

"I gave you a good commission, what suffering?"

"I don't eat money with a dirty nose, man."

"Hey, look at me. Do you want to see how much I used to spend?"

"This guy is drunk. Let's go, it's late. Sir, the bill, please." Yungju paid the bill and called a taxi.

Then he forced Taesik into the taxi, saying he would teleport.

"I'll have to go to Jongno for a pawn shop."

Yungju planned his schedule for the next day.

Ding-ding-ding.

At noon, his phone rang. It was Yungju.

"Hey, senior. Did you get in okay yesterday?"

-Not because of you.

"From the way you're talking, it seems you did. Why?"

-Why? Because of what you asked me to do.

"Already? Do you have a property?"

-This must be your luck. Properties don't usually come up in Jongno, but one just did. I was looking for a shop location, and there was a pawn shop. Properties for pawn shops don't usually come up in Jongno.

"Rarely?"

-Who sells a pawn shop these days?

These days.

In an era where a dimensional rift opened in the heart of Seoul, and an unknown world called the Inner Realm appeared.

An era where someone brought out artifacts, and Midas' hand turned a mountain into gold, making gold as cheap as dirt.

An era where people with superpowers, called hunters, explored the Inner Realm.

An era where people risked their lives to obtain items, objects, and artifacts.

This is the current era in Korea.

And the place that deals with items from there is a pawn shop.

Not a regular pawn shop, but an item pawn shop.

-It's two blocks away from Pawn Shop Street, but it doesn't matter. Thanks to that, the price is good.

"Where is it? Give me the address. I'll go right now."

-Call me when you get to Jongno 3-ga.

"Got it, I'll find it."

Taesik got up from his seat and put on his cap.

Normally, he would be rolling around on the sofa, but he was just fidgeting with his phone in his room, wary of Miju.

Taesik went to the living room. Miju glared at him.

"Don't even think about sitting on the sofa. It's my sofa."

"I'm going out."

"Where are you going?"

"To work."

"To work? Really? At that senior's company? But can you go in a tracksuit? You have a suit, you know."

"Senior said to come in something comfortable."

"Even so, a tracksuit?"

"This is a designer brand."

Taesik put on his slippers and opened the front door.

He recalled the image of Jongno in his memory. The rooftop of a building with a theater. That should be about right.

Taesik cut through space and moved to the rooftop of a building in Jongno.

There, he searched for Yungju's aura. He could find the familiar aura without any marking.

"Senior."

"What? You should have called. How did you find me?"

"I just saw you. So, where is it?"

"Follow me."