Chapter 60

24 hours later, what was to be revealed was not just the "Shop."

──────────

The quest "Shining 30s: Professionalism" has begun.

『If you earn money and give it all away to others, what will you do? You must be happy yourself to make others happy.』

◇ Secure a home within Seoul.

◇ Time limit: 7 days

◆ Reward: 500G

──────────

Oh, I almost forgot.

Securing a home! Of course, I have to do it!

Indeed, Korea is the best.

As I stepped out of the airport, the sunset was setting.

It was the sunset of Korea, so familiar to me.

‘Ah... I’m in Korea.’

Kim Gyu-tae also said his goodbyes.

“Thanks to you, I felt like I achieved a long-held dream. Please drop by the office sometime soon.”

Indeed, Kim Gyu-tae’s excitement and fervor were genuine.

“Mr. Lawyer, you’ve really worked hard! Please go in!”

After seeing Kim Gyu-tae off, I hailed the next taxi.

“Where to?”

“Sinchon Station.”

“Yes, please give me your luggage.”

After handing over the luggage and getting into the back seat, Tamcoco curled up on the seat next to me, her fluffy tail coiled into a circle.

‘Cute ones, you’ve all adapted now, haven’t you?’

At first, they seemed unfamiliar with the fox’s appearance.

They used to wiggle their fur like in the old days, doing triple axels in the air.

Sometimes they flew around the cabin like stiff taxidermy.

‘...You guys were a bit scary.’

So I showed Tamcoco fox videos using the free Wi-Fi in first class.

──Pew?

──Korororo...

They watched it for a long time.

Now they move quite like foxes!

They often open their mouths wide, walk and run on all fours, and sometimes sit curled up like this.

‘I want to touch the fur, it’s a shame...’

The only thing I’m curious about is where the materials go when they “convert”.

Since they are animals, do they eat it through their mouths?

They would have to open their jaws really wide, hehe.

Ah, and there was one more change.

A translucent window in the corner of my vision.

[ Professionalism - Secure a Home ]

It was the quest list window.

If I touched it, the initial quest description window would reappear.

[ ◇ Secure a home within Seoul. ]

[ ◇ Remaining time: 6 days 13 hours 39 minutes ]

Securing a home as a quest.

What a sweet quest!

‘Hehe... Just imagining it is great.’

A huge, comfortable home.

A home without worrying about rent or rising deposits.

A home where I can hammer nails into the walls and decorate as I please without worrying about the landlord.

A home with all the convenient facilities nearby, and a park or riverside where I can take leisurely walks!

‘I can smell it! The smell of success!’

I opened my phone.

I planned to browse real estate sites to check prices and locations.

‘It’s always the most fun to casually browse!’

But a message came up on the screen.

[ Lim Su-jeong: Boss, you finished the closing well today! ]

[ Lim Su-jeong: (Photo) ]

It was Lim Su-jeong.

She had been checking the opening and closing of the store while I was in New York, even though I didn’t ask her to.

‘I really picked the right person in Su-jeong.’

As I was about to reply, another message came.

[ Lim Su-jeong: But, Boss, did you come back to Korea yesterday? ]

What’s she talking about?

[ Shin Yu-won: No, I just arrived. ]

[ Lim Su-jeong: Huh... Then it doesn’t make sense. ]

What? Did a mouse eat my nails?

[ Shin Yu-won: What do you mean? ]

[ Lim Su-jeong: Ah... Something strange happened at the store, so I thought you had come back to Korea. ]

Strange things?

[ Shin Yu-won: What happened? ]

[ Lim Su-jeong: I arrived at the store before Su today, and the door was open. ]

[ Lim Su-jeong: The kitchen equipment was all messed up, and the coffee beans were out of their vacuum-sealed packaging. Nothing was missing or broken, but it was strange. ]

[ Lim Su-jeong: I thought you had come back and visited, so I was going to ask you when you came in today... ]

What’s going on?

Was there a burglar?

Did the landlord come in? No, there’s no way he could have broken in.

No, if the coffee beans were opened... did something go wrong with the “Macro”? That would be a big problem.

I quickly looked at Tam.

But Tam, who didn’t understand what was happening, just stuck out his tongue and smiled.

It’s good that I can now understand their expressions, but it’s the same as not being able to communicate!

[ Shin Yu-won: Ah, don’t worry too much. ]

[ Shin Yu-won: If you finished the closing, you can go home with Su. ]

[ Shin Yu-won: I’ll go check the cafe. ]

It was clear that something strange had happened.

I immediately told the taxi driver.

“Driver, I’ll give you the new directions.”

*

Arrived at Amuse Sinchon branch.

The cafe was dark.

“Thank you!”

“Yes, please go in.”

I dragged my luggage and bags to the front of the cafe and carefully opened the door.

What could have happened?

Did the “Macro” really malfunction?

‘Hmm.’

I turned on the lights by pressing the switch.

And I was shocked.

“Ah!”

As soon as the lights came on, people who had been hiding under the tables stood up.

“Boss, surprise!”

“Hehe, Boss. Did you have a good trip?”

The smiling duo, Su-jeong and Su.

The manager of Heungdeok Station branch, Jung Ha-eun, bowed slightly, embarrassed to be part of this.

“Welcome back, Yu-won!”

“Haha!”

And the newlyweds, Choi Jeong-hyun and Park So-jeong, who returned with sunburned faces from their honeymoon.

“Congratulations on your return, brother.”

Mina Chae-yeon, in a white T-shirt and ripped jeans, was also there, shining as always.

“What... How...”

I was speechless, and these rascals laughed and popped confetti.

“Hehe, it seems the Boss is surprised.”

“This is bad, leaving the cafe like this. Maybe we should get some training from our boss? Hehe.”

Finally, I understood the situation.

Sparkling decorations were stuck all over the cafe.

The words “Welcome back, Shin Yu-won” were written on the tablet screens on the tables.

‘...Oh.’

I was moved. I felt more grateful than cheated.

Everyone is busy, and Su-jeong and Su must have worked hard all day.

“Everyone... thank you.”

I was touched that they prepared all this for me.

I really felt blessed.

Actually, the journey back from New York wasn’t easy.

No matter how luxurious the first-class cabin, 14 hours of solitary confinement is exhausting. I was tired both physically and mentally, and I just wanted to go home and throw myself onto the bed.

But meeting these people made all the fatigue and loneliness disappear.

...They are all such good people.

“Eh? Shin Yu-won? Are you crying?”

Park So-jeong, except for you.

“...No, I’m not.”

“Come and sit down. We’ve already ordered food.”

Park So-jeong gestured for me to sit down.

Looking around, I saw only familiar faces.

“Did everyone come here for me?”

“That’s right, haha. How was New York?”

“New York was... enjoyable...”

It was enjoyable, but...

It was also lonely, navigating a city where I couldn’t communicate and didn’t know anyone.

But being surrounded by people I like as soon as I arrived in Korea felt strange.

“But Seoul is the best. Just a moment!”

I got up from my seat and ran to the cafe entrance.

“What, where are you going?”

“Just wait a moment.”

I rummaged through the bag I had left at the entrance.

Thinking of each person’s face, I brought out the gifts I had bought.

I felt that the effort and money were worth it.

I returned to them with my hands and arms full of packages.

“First, let’s have a gift-giving ceremony!”

*

After the gift-giving ceremony, delivery food started arriving one after another.

‘It’s not even a birthday party.’

Chicken, pizza, pasta, salad, tteokbokki... Amuse quickly turned into a kids’ buffet.

Of course, we had beer, soju, and wine to go with it.

“Everyone, enjoy your meal!”

“Thank you!”

Naturally, the topic turned to my New York trip.

Questions poured in: Why did you go? What did you do? What was the most interesting?

“The auction there was really amazing. It was more thrilling than a game and more sophisticated than gambling. The auctioneer was also incredible.”

Everyone was especially captivated by the auction story.

Even Choi Jeong-hyun, with his extensive social experience, was listening intently.

Of course, I omitted the details about my auction item. I just said I