Chapter 91

'What could have come out so much?'

I scanned the prices of each item.

The TV was priced at 20 million.

The wash tower, consisting of a washing machine and a dryer, was 8 million.

The rest added up to nearly 10 million.

'Expensive, indeed...'

I gathered my thoughts and asked the staff member,

“What’s the final price here?”

“Oh, for the customer's payment. We offer two premium air purifiers and various gifts, and the rest is paid back with HN Department Store gift cards. After all that, this is the final amount.”

“I see.”

The final price was 27 million... Okay.

There was no reason to haggle further on this estimate.

“I’ll pay for it.”

“Sure, great! I’ll guide you to the payment counter.”

The staff member led me with an incredibly satisfied look on their face, and suddenly someone came to mind.

[ Thanks to my overspending, it seems another person has become happy. ]

Mr. Big.

How are you doing?

*

Next was the furniture floor.

I lay down on a spacious bed.

Swoosh──

Wow, the bed cushion was almost like a cloud.

“Really good.”

“Isn’t it? I dream of getting one of our company’s beds someday. So, will you go with this one?”

“Hmm...”

But, as I suspected, it was indeed the case.

Unlike electronics, it wasn’t easy to choose a bed.

Online reviews were all over the place.

Some said a soft spring mattress was good for a good night’s sleep.

Others said a mattress with the right amount of rebound was better for the spine.

Ultimately, the conclusion was that it depends on the person, and the best bed is the one that fits your body.

But you couldn’t know that just by lying down once.

‘I’d need to lie down for at least a month, maybe a year, to know.’

It seemed best to leave the choice of bed to the ultimate curator, Tamcoco.

‘Bed, “Hot Hand” hit!’

I got up and told the staff member,

“I’ll go with this one.”

“You’ve made a good choice, sir!”

“But I’ll also buy four more mattresses.”

“Four more mattresses? Separately?”

“Actually, four might be a bit too few.”

No, it’s not like “Lucky Strike,” but with “Hot Hand,” five should be enough.

“No, I’ll just add four more.”

“Man.”

“If you don’t want to, I’ll buy them from the next store.”

“Oh, that’s not what I meant. Alright, I’ll do it.”

Thus, the shopping for accessories and lighting was also completed.

I loaded what I would carry myself.

I arranged for delivery of the rest.

After finishing everything,

I finally moved on.

‘That place is right in front of the tableware wholesale store, right?’

A bit later.

In front of an old vintage shop.

I looked at Tam and Coco.

──Coco?

──Pewpewpew?

The foxes just tilted their heads.

‘Coco... why aren’t you causing a fuss today? Last time, you went wild even on the street.’

──Cocoro?

Ah... so last time was just luck.

It’s unrealistic to expect such antiques to be found in Namdaemun Market.

But since I’m here, let’s go in and see.

If nothing else, I can buy a few pretty plates. After all, this shop owner is a benefactor in a way.

“Is the owner here?”

A store that looked like a warehouse with plates stacked up.

The owner, who had been adjusting his glasses, replied,

“Welcome. Is there something specific you’re looking for?”

“No, I’ll just look around a bit.”

The owner seemed suspicious of my constant glancing around.

“Ah, I left my wallet in the car. It’s in my pocket here. I’ll just look around a bit.”

“Sure, sure.”

I went to a corner and started picking up vintage plates from the boxes.

“Oh, these are nice.”

“...”

I felt a sharp gaze on the back of my head.

But the problem was Coco.

I needed her to either buy or verify these items.

‘Tam! Do you know where Coco is?’

I glanced at Tam, but he was just happily buried in the largest box, which was full of something.

‘Yeah, you’re playing... looks good...’

Without Coco, there was no reason to be here.

I gathered a few sets of cups that seemed to have character and went to the counter.

“Owner, I’ll pay for these. How much are they?”

“Let’s see... all three together are 177,000 won. You have good taste.”

He said something similar last time... but sir, I sold them for 7 million dollars.

‘Well, thank you, sir.’

“Owner, just a moment.”

While the owner carefully packed the cups, I picked up a few more plates.

“I’ll pay for these too.”

“Sure, I’ll pack and calculate the total. By the way, sir, have you been to our store before?”

Ah, you remember.

“Yes. I bought a set of cups for 730,000 won before.”

“Ah, those. Are you using them well?”

His tone was still stiff, but his face showed a warm smile, as if asking how the cat he had given away was doing.

Should I lie and say I’m using them, or should I tell him I sold them and made a fortune?

‘That would hurt his feelings.’

Well... I bought them with my own money, so there’s no need to lie.

“I haven’t used them myself. I put them up for auction...”

But then,

Ding, ding, ding──

The door burst open, and foreign customers flooded into the store.

“#*#&*@#*&.”

“)(#*#@*@^@&^.”

“*#*@*!”

It wasn’t just one or two.

It looked like almost ten tourists.

They started rummaging through the store, speaking in what sounded like an alien language, not English.

‘Damn! Coco, come on! They might take them!’

I called out to Coko in a panic, but there was no response.

But the owner was even more flustered.

“Oh... you shouldn’t touch those so carelessly... Ah...”

His scholarly and meticulous face turned bewildered, and his complexion paled.

And to make matters worse,

A foreign customer with a nose like the Eiffel Tower picked up a plate and asked the owner,

“#(**#@(#@*(#@?”

“Oh...”

The owner couldn’t answer.

The customer’s voice grew louder, and the owner looked increasingly distressed.

‘Hey, if you’re in Korea, you should speak Korean!’

I stopped the customer and asked,

“Where are you from?”

“Hein?”

“No, which country are you from? Where are you from!”

“Ahah, France, from France.”

France?

This calls for a connection to Mr. Essential.

“Wait a minute.”

I took out my phone.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind.

‘...What if?’

I immediately opened the 《Store》.

──────────

《Glory Store》 ─Available Glory: 14,700G

──────────

I had plenty of Glory left.

I’ve been using quite a bit lately to collect “Lucky Strike” coupons, but this should be enough.

‘The more commonly used the language, the cheaper it is, right?’

Isn’t French widely used?

I know it’s used in Africa too.

Even if it’s not an official language, there must be a lot of people who use French worldwide.

‘It would be perfect if it’s available now.’

I scanned the 《Store》, hoping for the best.

And finally,

──────────

◇ Pakiti ya lugha ya kiswahili: 190,000G

◇ Íslenskur málpakki: 780,000G

◇ Pack de langue française : 13,000G

──────────

...I found a useful foreign language pack for the first time.

‘Doesn’t the one starting with “fr” mean French? People say “Phreng, Phreng,” right.’

If not, it would be a waste of 13,000 Glory.

But what’s the point of learning a language if you can’t use it?

──Do you want to purchase the 「Pack de langue française (13,000G)」? No exchanges or refunds due to a change of heart.

──The 「Pack de langue française」 has arrived. Do you want to open it?

Purchase, and then open.

At that moment,

I felt goosebumps all over my body.

At the same time, a strange sensation washed over me.

‘Hein...?’

It felt like the cap of a beer bottle popping off.

It felt like a clogged toilet finally flushing.

And then, the front of my head felt refreshingly tingly.

It was as if a locked door in my mind had clicked open.

‘Phew...’

For the first time in 30 years, I felt the air of freedom.

The customer spoke to me again.

“Pouvez-vous parler anglais? (Do you speak English?)”