episode_0081

“… As you said, this is my first time coming to Donggureung,”

Shihyuk turned his eyes away from the toy – the low-level magic stone – dyed in red dye and sprinkled with glitter, and looked straight at the man.

“[Rare Grade Amulet] is a strange thing. Are you sure?”

The man flinched at the low gaze and voice and slowly averted his eyes.

“That, yes, sir. It’s a specialty known only to those who know it because the acquisition rate is not high, but it’s certain. Oh my, it’s such a shame that you can’t see this mana flowing… !”

The tip of the lying voice trembled slightly.

There was a lot of awkwardness, such as the way he turned his eyes away and his exaggerated behavior.

Despite his fluent speech, he sounded somewhat awkward. He was a sly conman, even if he wasn’t a craftsman who could immediately tell the true value of an item. Anyone who was quick-witted would have noticed right away.

… But, there was one more unexpected fact. Sihyuk tilted his head.

The thing is that this man had no idea that he was an Awakened One. From the moment he first approached him, he had treated Shihyuk like a complete novice tourist.

Why? Even without any fancy equipment or items, mana is like this… .

“Ah.”

“Teacher? What’s the problem?”

“No, don’t worry about it.”

He had become so accustomed to it that he had forgotten that he was suppressing his mana and hiding his expression.

Although he wasn’t a complete master of onomatopoeia, he seemed to be able to make others mistake him.

Shihyuk nodded. As he hesitated, the man, who had mistaken something, appealed a little more strongly.

“How about it? If you buy it now, it will be only 180,000 won, or even lower, and I will give it to you for a clean 150,000 won! Teacher, this opportunity is really rare!”

In the meantime, the intention was to make a profit of more than 100 times the original price.

If you look closely, you can see that there are inexperienced tourists loitering around the entrance to Donggureung and the Awakening. Their tricks to target people they have never seen before are quite elaborate.

“… … .”

“Oh, maybe you need more time to think, sir? Thinking about a reasonable purchase is good, right? But please know that I won’t give you much time to think!”

Now that I know the truth, the bright smile I was trying so hard to put on seems fake.

What should I do?

Shihyuk thought as he crossed his arms and tapped them with his fingers. In fact, as the man said, there was no need to worry too much.

You could just push them away without saying anything, or you could openly reveal that you are an awakened person and let them off the hook, or you could report the fraud to a patrolling police officer or an awakened person in the management office.

… Is it because I spent an unusually long day observing and looking around at so many people and places?

There were things that I saw differently with my field of vision widened compared to usual.

The colorful gear the man was wearing had many flaws, such as cracks and loose gaps at the corners, despite its gorgeous colors. It had stains everywhere, as if it had never been cleaned, let alone repaired, and it reeked of a musty, sweaty odor.

The corners of the man’s mouth were trembling slightly, his appearance shabby and shabby. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and occasionally licked his dry lips with his tongue as if he was nervous, looking around. His weak and cowardly nature was clearly visible.

In that case, they shouldn’t have committed fraud in the first place. It was so pitiful.

When Shihyuk followed the man’s gaze and glanced sideways, he saw a few people who had left early glancing in his direction from a corner where they would not be noticed. Some clicked their tongues in displeasure, while others smiled uncomfortably, as if they had swallowed something sour or bitter.

Heheheehe, look at that guy.

Shh, don’t look at that and look over there.

A muffled laughter reached his bright ears.

Bonnie, some of the tourists who were watching the Awakened people’s exit procession over the man’s shoulder were pointing and looking down at me.

The conman’s ridiculous attire and exaggerated gestures seemed to have caught everyone’s attention.

“… … .”

When Shihyuk looked at them, they folded their fingers in a dazed manner and pretended not to know anything.

“Me, teacher?”

“… … .”

Did she become anxious seeing him not speaking? The voice of the man asking revealed the anxiety she had been hiding.

Shihyuk felt uncomfortable for some reason. Something was bubbling and rising. It was a miserable feeling.

The gazes they sent were gazes, but more than anything, it was the man’s right arm that was covered by the shield. That was what particularly caught my attention.

It only moved up and down, without turning left or right or bending at all.

… Sihyuk, who had been examining the equipment’s memories, closed his eyes.

He should have been angry. But he was foolish and generous, knowing full well his true intentions, and still allowing himself to be deceived. Some might click their tongues at this frustrating and inadequate craftsman.

“… I will purchase by bank transfer.”

But the kind-hearted blacksmith was willing to give the poor man 150,000 won worth of sympathy.

=====

A few people approached the man who was looking at Sihyuk with a bitter gaze as he put the [Rare Grade Amulet] in his pocket and walked away, and patted him on the shoulder. They were the Awakened ones who had been glancing around from a corner earlier.

“Why are you standing there blankly? If you get caught, you’ll be fined and suspended from the game for a month. Hide in a bathroom somewhere and come out.”

“… … .”

“Oh my, the smoke is so obvious that I feel uneasy watching it.”

“Still, you did well for a first time. No, did you catch the fool well?”

“… … .”

“How much did you call it? 20? Hey, it would have been okay to call it 30 out loud. Koreans go crazy when they hear that it’s good for the body and good for stamina, so they just boil it and drink it, even if it’s just magic stone powder.”

“These days, they say they even use the doraji that comes from the gate as a herbal medicine. They charge hundreds of times more than the original price.”

The man did not hide his displeasure with a sigh and a bitter voice towards those who congratulated him on his humble first offense.

“It was my fault for being taken in by your words… . I feel bad. I will never do something like this again.”

Someone shrugged at the man with his hair down.

“So what? I’m not telling you to do this every time. Does your conscience feed you? We have to eat to live.”

“That’s right.”

“… Still.”

Someone raised a voice as if frustrated at the man who was speaking ill of his conscience.

“Honestly, how many of the awakened people who live off of this gate are upright? If they haven’t made any money and have been wasted, then this is what they should do.”

“Hey, the monkeys at the zoo sometimes get bananas thrown to them by people. We get to watch this and don’t get paid a penny. We have to do everything we can.”

“You have a child too. Inma, you have to be more vicious. This is a world where good guys get taken advantage of.”

“… … .”

Despite the advocacy from those around him, the man couldn’t straighten his furrowed brow. He let out a deep sigh as if spitting out boiling phlegm.

“I don’t know.”

“Ugh, you annoying guy. The tinkerer said he’s buying noodles today. Bring the kid out. I’ll go first.”

“… I’m done. I have to go home and put the baby to sleep.”

“I’m full, so I’ll give up the free drinks.”

“Leave it alone, I have to put the kid to sleep. I’ve been cussed out a lot. Don’t worry too much about today, and you should go home and rest quickly.”

“… Yeah.”

The group each spoke in unison, patting the man on the shoulder or comforting him, and then walked away into the distance.

The man, who had been biting his lips in discomfort as if there was pepper powder stuck between his teeth, turned around and let out a long sigh for the umpteenth time.

The gate raid was over and the sun was setting, but there was still a lot of work to be done.

I have to go home and do laundry and prepare dinner, even if it’s late. After putting the kid to bed, I have to go out at dawn and find something to do to pass the time so I can pay this month’s rent.

Starting next year, I will have to be even busier as my child will be entering elementary school.

Just as he was about to take a weary step, someone grabbed the man and stopped him.

“Excuse me for leaving. Mr. Park Gwang-deok. Are you sure?”

“? Yes, yes. That’s right, but… .”

It was a police officer.

Man – Park Gwang-deok stuttered involuntarily. It was because he was anxious.

Without having to search his memory for too long, he remembered the mistake he had made just before. Report? Complaint? Arrest? He swallowed dryly.

“Oh, it’s because I got a report.”

My back was soaked with cold sweat and my breathing became rapid.

Contrary to Park Gwang-deok’s thoughts, who was wondering if he should ask for forgiveness even now, fortunately or unfortunately, the reason the police arrested him was not because of the fraud.

“I came here because of a missing person report. Are you the guardian of Park Han-byeol? Are you the father?”

It was a completely different matter. Park Gwang-deok felt chills down his spine from the worry and fear that had been treated as if it were the anxiety he had felt just a moment ago.

He couldn’t leave his young daughter home alone, so every time he went in and out of [Chakgapsa], he would bow his head to the rest stop staff and ask them to look after his child.

It’s been almost a year since I bought a bag of snacks for my whining daughter, gave it to her, and told her to wait a little longer, while receiving the glares of an employee who clearly had annoyance on his face.

I was feeling relieved because I had been commuting to and from work through the gate without any problems.

A thousand thoughts and ominous images flashed through my mind.

Park Gwang-deok, his eyes rolled back, hung on the police officer’s arm.

“-Yes, yes! That’s right! I’m the father, Hanbyeol’s father! Teacher, is Hanbyeol okay? Is she hurt? Is something wrong?!”

The police, who were startled by the burdensome sight of him spitting questions one after another, backed away and tried hard to calm him down.

“Oh, don’t worry. Fortunately, a kind person brought the child to the hospital. We are currently keeping the child safe. The child is fine. It’s okay, so calm down.”

“Oh, I see. That’s fortunate… .”

Park Gwang-deok was able to relieve some of his worries with the police’s definitive answer. Phew, he let out a heavy breath and relaxed his shoulders, which had barely risen in relief.

The policeman, who had straightened his clothes, cleared his throat and looked around him.

“Let’s go together. We need to check on the child and go through the procedures.”

“Thank you. Thank you very much, Officer. I have to go. I have to go right away.”

-And when Park Gwang-deok entered the police station following the police’s instructions,

“Oh, you’re here at just the right time. That person over there, that person is the guardian of Park Han-byeol.”

“… Is that so?”

“Still, it’s fortunate that you came early. Mr. Park Gwang-deok? This is the person who found Ms. Park Han-byeol.”

“… … .”

“Mr. Park Gwang-deok?”

He had to lower his head in a gloomy manner, his face becoming complex and indescribable.

“Oh, I guess your father was worried.”

“Still, the person who reported is a rare good person. How many people would come back to check on Mia again because they are worried?”

The police officers’ warbling rang in Park Gwang-deok’s ears as he bowed his head. The weight of his heart that had dropped to his navel as he met the man’s gaze was the weight of remorse on his conscience.

The kind person who found my little daughter.

… and the man who was fooled by his lies and bought a low-grade magic stone at a high price.

“… Nice to meet you. My name is Lee Si-hyuk.”

The poor father, who was once again faced with the tall blacksmith, was at a loss for what to do with himself due to the shame and pain he felt.

It was a coincidence.