Chapter 4

"Then, what would be the appraisal value?"

He was at a loss for words when he finally asked about the appraisal value. After all, he had never done an appraisal before.

Tae-sik recalled the item appraisal program on TV he often watched, called 'Famous Items'.

On that show, the standard for appraisal value was the dark matter capacity, unless there was a truly special aesthetic standard.

Based on that, Tae-sik roughly estimated the appraisal value.

"About 1,200? I think it would be around that."

"R-Really? Other places said they could only give about 250! The lowest offer was 800,000 won!"

The young customer was shocked.

Tae-sik couldn't help but smile.

The young customer had no idea how to haggle. Without this, there would be no fun in the back-and-forth bidding.

"Excuse me, just a moment. Don't you need to see my ID?"

Look at that. He was ready to sign a contract without even checking.

Tae-sik was about to say he hadn't agreed to buy it for 1,200, but then he saw the ID the customer handed over.

"Daegok High School, Lee Seung-ju"

It was a student ID.

Even though the Abyss Item Pawnshop didn't usually ask about the origin of items, minors were a different story.

"You're a student?"

"It's my dad's."

"Did you get his permission to bring it?"

"Yes. I got my mom's permission. My dad is in the hospital now. I brought it to get money for the hospital bills."

"So your father is a Hunter?"

"Yes, a B-rank."

"A B-rank Hunter, quite a well-known one, I see."

But to sell familiar equipment because of a lack of hospital funds?

This was a bit puzzling.

"Can I show you? It's registered at the Hunter Bureau."

Seung-ju quickly logged into the Hunter Bureau app.

"Look, a top-ranked B-rank Hunter."

Seung-ju logged in with his father's ID and showed the performance records. They were packed.

"From this, it seems he was really active without taking a break." Tae-sik appropriately praised the son's father.

"But the hospital funds are short?"

"Ah... Well, this time, my father pushed himself a bit to get an A-rank promotion."

Being a Hunter isn't that dangerous if you just try to earn a decent living.

But to rank up, the risk increases exponentially.

Especially to rank up, you need to form an expedition team and challenge a goal suitable for that rank, a process similar to climbing Mount Everest.

It means it's expensive and you have to risk your life.

Seung-ju's father is a case of falling at that very point.

"Oh, that's unfortunate. I hope he recovers quickly."

"Thank you. Ah, but... If this were full of dark matter, how much could I get?"

"It depends on the capacity, but you can only know that by putting it in. Let's see, how much can it hold?"

Tae-sik naturally injected dark matter into the dagger.

It absorbed it well, like a sponge absorbing water.

"This is going in well."

Even after the dark matter was fully charged, Tae-sik tried to inject a bit more.

"This is a good item with high durability. To put it simply, it has an overcharge ability. So, about... 4,000? If it's good, it could go up to 5,000."

"Wow-. Really?"

"As long as you don't get scammed, that's the case."

"Ah... I... Then, Seung-ju's expression became awkward.

He hadn't sold the item yet, but Tae-sik had injected dark matter, significantly increasing its value. Asking for more money wouldn't make sense, and refusing to sell would be embarrassing.

"Then, I'd like to receive about 10 million won."

Seung-ju looked at the sign above Tae-sik's head, "Buy at half price, sell at half price," and said.

He was greedy for 4 million won more.

But in Tae-sik's eyes, that greed was incredibly modest.

"Because the hospital bill I need to pay immediately is 10,280,000 won."

Even without this cute excuse.

"Then, I'll make a profit."

Tae-sik pretended to rummage through the safe.

"Oh dear, what can I do? I just ran out of cash."

"Excuse me?"

"This, this, there's no money in my account either. This is quite a dilemma. Customer, I'm sorry, but I can't buy the item."

"You can't buy it?"

"What can I do if I want to buy it but don't have the money? I just ran out of cash. Sell it somewhere else."

"Ah, I..."

"Try to go with an adult, and even if you pay a fee, get an official appraisal and bring the appraisal document for bargaining. That way, you'll get a fair price."

Seung-ju's eyes darted around, confused. Then he bowed his head.

"Thank you! Thank you! Mr. Owner!"

"What's there to thank me for? I'm the one who's going to be upset."

"Thank you. I'll definitely come back later. Thank you!"

Seung-ju bowed several times, his face flushed.

Tae-sik took a cigarette and looked out the window.

There, he could still see the young customer walking down the alley.

"Mom, it's true! Really. Why would I lie about something like this! Dad? The surgery went well? I'll go to the hospital first!"

Tae-sik, who had lived in a world of despair, liked to hear hopeful voices.

Tae-sik exhaled a long, sweet puff of cigarette smoke.

"Guess the habit of being a hero doesn't go away, huh?"

Tae-sik put out his cigarette and went outside.

Since he was out, he decided to have lunch.

Maybe because it was an old food street, there were many old restaurants.

Today, he chose Soon's Kimbap.

Even though it was past lunchtime, there were many take-out customers, and the pot was simmering with crab broth.

He really liked that.

Tae-sik sat at a wall table in the narrow shop.

"What's good here?"

"The beef kimbap is the best."

One roll of kimbap was 4,000 won. Two rolls were 8,000 won. It wasn't exactly cheap.

Tae-sik watched the owner wrap the kimbap.

The hand that put in the beef was generous.

"I'll have two rolls of beef kimbap. Ah, and one serving of fish cake, please."

"Sure, just a moment. Mom~ Two beefs."

It turned out to be a shop run by a daughter-in-law and mother-in-law.

The mother-in-law had big hands, and the daughter-in-law was quick.

They were a good team.

"Here you go. Enjoy your meal."

The fish cake was just an ordinary fish cake, but the broth was excellent.

The reason they only gave two fish cakes in a large bowl was probably because of this broth.

He first sipped the broth to whet his appetite and then put the end of the kimbap in his mouth.

"Delicious?"

It tasted better than what his mom used to make.

Especially, the side dish of pickled radish was excellent.

Tae-sik quickly finished two thick rolls of kimbap and felt a bit regretful, wanting to order one more roll.

But he held back.

Eating too much at once gets boring. The tastier it is, the more you should save a little.

"Thank you for the delicious meal. I'll come back."

"Sure~ Thank you."

The daughter-in-law was very polite.

Her greeting alone made him feel good.

"Every successful business has a reason, right, Mom?"

Tae-sik, feeling good, patted his stomach and noticed Mi-ju coming towards him.

Mi-ju's hands were full of packages.

"Why are you out? The shop?"

"I came out to grab a quick lunch."

"Is that so? But why are you wearing joggers again?"

"Huh? Ah, ah. Well, this is because. I have a lot to organize right now."

Mi-ju looked suspicious but didn't press the issue.

"Where's the shop?"

"It's here, but what's that?"

"I brought some side dishes."

"Why bother? You can just buy them here. This is a food street."

"You need kimchi with ramen, right? I made your favorites, so don't complain."

"Then, I'll just say thank you."

Tae-sik led Mi-ju to the shop.

Mi-ju didn't seem to like the shop.

"It's too old, kid. Don't you think it needs a new coat of paint?"

"Our lady doesn't know. A pawnshop should be a bit... You know, the feeling. It needs that feeling."

"Is that all you have in the fridge? Look at this, kid. Get something better."

"It's fine. The more it's used, the better it works, you know."

"Whatever."

Mi-ju put the side dishes in the fridge.

"Why did you bring so much? The fridge will be full."

"It didn't take long to make. This is only enough for four days with what you usually eat."

"I don't eat that much."

"You don't? You eat a whole bowl of clams when I make them."

"You made clams?"

"Yeah, you brat. Don't keep them too long."

"Wow! I was going to have kimbap tomorrow."

"I also made clams with perilla leaves."

"Really? Which one?"

"Don't rummage. I'll get it for you."

The moment Mi-ju opened the container with the clams, there was a loud crash.

"Mom, surprise!"

The front door was smashed open.

Mi-ju, startled, threw the container she was holding.

The container, spinning in the air, fell on Mi-ju's face.

'Huh? This scene... Where have I seen this before... Ah, in "The Sister's Temptation."'

A scene from the morning's melodrama came to mind.

"Mr. Park, you bastard! How dare you stab me in the back!"

Two menacing men entered the shop.

One had tattoos from his neck to his sleeves.

Worse, one of them was holding a katana, a real one with a sharp blade.

"Hey, you tiger-striped bastard! Who's Mr. Park!"

Mi-ju, ignoring all that, shouted.

Her white pearl cardigan, which she rarely wore, was now covered in chili sauce.

"Brother, did you call?"

"Yes, Bang-woo. Get ready to go out."

Yu Jang-chun was dressed in a suit, uncharacteristically neat.

"Is it about Mr. Do-hoon? You're dressed so formally."

"No. I need to meet someone."

"Is it business?"

"Yes."

"Really? Who's so bold as to tell you to come and go?"

When Yu Jang-chun first came to Seoul, he entered the call of Kim Do-hoon, the boss of one of Seoul's three major organizations, with just a sushi knife.

Jang-woo had seen this side of Yu Jang-chun over the past 15 years.

"It seems to be a matter that could affect the survival of our organization. We need to see first."

"Can you at least tell me what it's about? Shouldn't I know?"

"Since it's you, I'm letting you drive and come along. They said to come alone."

Ten years have passed since they came to Seoul. Back then, they were small-town thugs, but now they are one of the three major organizations in Seoul.

This is largely due to a nationwide, or rather, a global event.

The dimensional rift.

The day five years ago when a dimensional rift suddenly appeared in the center of Seoul, monsters appeared, and people with superpowers, called Special Types, emerged.

Jang-chun was one of them.

It was a stroke of luck.

Being the first among the thugs in Seoul to become a Special Type.

But from then on, the rise to today's Yu Jang-chun was purely due to his abilities.

Jang-chun was tense.

Jang-woo knew this was no ordinary matter.

"Understood. Where are we going?"

"Let's go to Daeho Hotel."

"Could it be that Daeho called?"

"You'll see when we get there."

The top-ranked conglomerate in South Korea, Daeho.