The Poison Demon and The Black Market (1)
A few days had passed.
The news had been reporting on the 'Golden Tower' day after day.
And on top of that.
The American Secretary of State was flying over to meet the President of the Republic of Korea.
News had also come in that the Japanese Prime Minister, the Russian President, and the Chinese Chairman were all frantically calling the Blue House.
The internet was ablaze too.
[The whole world has its eyes on the Republic of Korea!]
Ahhh, the national pride is swelling. Golden Tower.
└ Republic of Korea's Golden Tower, your life is a Shit Tower
└ You son of a b*tch
└ Your mom is a Tears Tower
└ Lmao the rhyme scheme is oddly on point
[I accidentally applied for naturalization. Can it be cancelled?]
My cat pressed it.
└ Anyone who naturalizes deserves to get screwed
└ Get lost, you black-haired foreigner
└ Off to the hair salon. Going golden-haired starting today
From people rejoicing at the appearance of the Golden Tower.
[A story about going to see Murim Tower and getting locked up in Gukmubon for 5 days.]
Just went to sightsee, then suddenly got grabbed.
The interrogation was brutal.
They kept checking for energy.
The food was decent though.
└ What was the result?
└ Nothing at all. I have no energy. The ones who do are still stuck in there.
└ What did they ask you?
└ Classified.
└ But why'd you even go? Loser with no energy
└ I said I went sightseeing, moron.
└ Did you see Chief Han?
└ Yeah, drop-dead gorgeous boss. That's what kept me going.
All the way to posts about Gukmubon's interrogations.
Swish.
I glanced through the forum posts Kim Tae-yang had been browsing, then slipped the phone into my pocket.
Now I see why he was looking at this.
……It's entertaining.
Several days had passed since clearing 6th floor of the tower.
Another weekend rolling around.
The cash piling up.
"Five, please."
"Sure."
"Ten, please."
"Sure."
The Bungeoppang business kept getting better with each passing day.
Sanwang Technical High School was on break.
But plenty of students still came out specifically to buy some in front of the school.
They even started squabbling amongst themselves.
"Hey, if you buy ten at a time up front, the people behind you can't get any!"
"Then get here earlier if you're upset!"
"Owner, can you set a purchase limit? I haven't been able to buy any for two days now."
I addressed them.
"I'm sorry. We're already short on both ingredients and hands, so I've already reached out for help."
Specifically, I had asked the Grandmaster, the absolute Bungeoppang Sage.
"Grandma, please help me out."
"Why? Is business slow? With how good it tastes, you must be getting plenty of customers."
"That's not it."
……Business is too good, that's the problem.
The stubborn grandma didn't easily grant my request.
"I've worked here my whole life. If I leave this spot, what happens to my customers?"
"These days it's all SNS, they'll find you."
"Psh. I don't know about that. And I have no intention of selling them for 4,000 won apiece like you do."
"Wait? Is this how you're going to turn me into such an unscrupulous apprentice?"
"Bungeoppang is a thousand won, you brat!"
Grandma was a stubborn one.
Of course, she'd gladly help out for a day or two, but what I wanted was for her to run the stall with me through the whole winter.
But that wasn't what grandma wanted.
So, I had no choice but to give up.
On a side note, with the 100 million won I had given her, grandma had recently started going to an English academy.
She obviously couldn't become an English teacher, but she was learning little by little with the goal of going on an overseas trip with her son.
So then, who else was there?
"Mom."
"What?"
"Actually, I've been running a business lately."
"A business? What kind of business?"
"Bungeoppang."
Mom's surprised expression.
"Did you go into debt? Oh my……. How much?"
Come on, debt.
No, that's not it.
"No debt, only making money."
"That can't be easy."
"Would you be willing to help me out, Mom?"
"Me? If I can help, I will. But if I finish up at the mart, it'll be around 7, won't it?"
"Quit the mart."
Mom was startled again.
"Tae-yang. Even if it's a contract position, this is a job I fought my way into over all the other ladies trying to get in."
I know.
"You have no idea how many women are after my spot. Part-time positions that let you get home in time to make dinner aren't easy to come by."
I know that too.
She had chosen a position that would let her always be home with me in the evenings, in case I had any ideas.
"Tae-yang. Even if the pay isn't much, it beats a Bungeoppang stall. Mom makes 2.1 million won a month, you know."
"……"
"What could you possibly earn selling Bungeoppang. With that measly amount, making a living would be—"
"16.84 million won."
"Right, with that you can't possibly……. What? How much?"
"16.84 million won. Per month. This month looks like it'll be even more."
Mom went quiet, then pressed her hand to my forehead.
"Should we go to the hospital?"
Thud.
I placed the bag stuffed with cash onto the dining table.
"Why don't you open it, Mom."
Ziiip.
"Oh my goodness!"
Mom flung the bag away in shock.
She had never seen this much cash in one place before.
Her being startled was only natural.
Welcome. First time seeing a bundle of cash, isn't it?
"Mom, you saw it, right? I'm earning a lot. But I'm short on hands. They sell out as fast as I make them. You'd only have to work three hours a day, but the problem is the ingredients."
"Tae, Tae-yang!"
"If I just had someone to prepare the ingredients, I could sell so much more."
And so, starting from the next day, I received Mom's help.
My reason for choosing Mom was simple.
She's someone I can trust.
I couldn't just pass on the Sage Grandma's secret recipe to anyone.
Ah, of course, I had gotten grandma's permission.
"Grandma."
"Again? I told you I'm not running a stall with you. I'll always help out whenever you need—"
"That's not what I mean."
Grandma gave her blessing without hesitation.
"You're asking if I can teach your mom the secret recipe? Of course, you little rascal. Why are you even asking about something like that."
Mom picked up the recipe quickly.
She seemed more overjoyed by the fact that she was preparing things together with her son like this, than by the business itself.
Bubble bubble.
Perfectly cooked red bean paste.
Pat pat.
The well-aged batter mix that had been prepared in advance.
The ingredients that had doubled led to double the sales and double the income.
As my business boomed, all sorts of flies came swarming.
"Hey student, pass on your secret recipe to me."
"Hold on! I got here first!"
Random aunties and uncles begging me.
I turned them down flat.
Whoosh!
When I sent a little energy their way, they flinched and scurried off.
And so, after about a week like that, Mom had become a perfect master herself.
"How many?"
"Three, please."
"Enjoy."
Mom was cranking them out without even looking at the Bungeoppang molds.
Running a stall out in the cold winter air had turned Mom's nose and cheeks red.
But what other warmth could compare to the kind that comes from watching the cash pile up?
"300,000 won, 400,000 won, 500,000 won, 600,000 won……! Goodness!"
"Have we counted half yet?"
"Tae, Tae-yang!"
Nothing was more heartwarming than the sound of Mom counting money at the dining table in the evenings.
【Kim Tae-yang is happy. +100 Happiness】
……You feel the same way, don't you?
Ah, the Bungeoppang business was a secret between Mom and me.
Dad didn't know.
It was Mom's decision.
She figured that if Dad, a single-minded man who had spent his whole life working in a factory, were to find out, he'd immediately kick up a fuss telling us to quit the business.
Dad hadn't even been happy about Mom working at the mart.
If he found out she was selling Bungeoppang out in the streets, she said he'd take to his bed.
This was.
Not a matter of money.
It was a matter of Dad's pride—the man who called a 'factory' a 'company'.
So I had no intention of touching that.
Besides, Bungeoppang is winter business.
The new year had already come and we were already into mid-January, so only a few more months and it'd be done.
Ahhh, the fun winter business is winding down.
We'll have earned a decent amount, but once the Bungeoppang season is over, I wonder what I should sell next.
A few days later, Mom said,
"Tae-yang, I just can't get it off my mind."
"What's wrong?"
"That grandmother you mentioned. Shouldn't I go pay her a visit?"
Is that right?
Kind-hearted Mom seemed to think I had learned everything thanks to grandma's generosity, and appeared to see her as a benefactor.
"Sure, let's go sometime."
We picked a day.
Vroom. Screech.
"This is it."
Mom's old compact car came to a stop in front of grandma's house.
"There's nowhere to park."
"It wasn't like this before. Why are there so many cars?"
They were all black sedans.
We circled the block a few times before finally finding a spot.
"That's strange."
There were men in black suits that hadn't been there before.
Built and solid.
"Looks like thugs. Tsk."
I averted my gaze and pulled the fruit basket out from the backseat.
"Tae-yang, do I look alright?"
Mom got out and checked herself in the car window, tidying herself up.
"Yes, you're beautiful."
"Shall we go in?"
Ding dong.
"Tae-yang's here!"
Grandma greeted us warmly.
"Nice to meet you, grandma. I'm Tae-yang's mother."
"Oh my! You raised such a fine son."
"Please speak comfortably with me, grandma."
"Aw, come on……"
"You've done so much for our son. You need to speak comfortably or we'll feel awkward too."
"Well then, I will."
Grandma and Mom held hands and chatted for a long while.
They snacked on the fruit we had brought and bloomed with laughter.
"I have no idea how you raised such a wonderful son, I'm quite envious."
"Haha. Because Tae-yang takes after me."
【Kim Tae-yang is happy. +5 Happiness】
"And what a handsome face he has!"
"Haha. That's also because he takes after me."
"You're right, he really is a Bungeoppang of you!"
"Hahaha, you're right."
【Kim Tae-yang is happy. +5 Happiness】
"I heard when I asked, that Tae-yang wasn't much for studying?"
"That's because he takes after his father……"
【Kim Tae-yang is happy. +1 Happiness】
"Does Tae-yang have any siblings?"
"He has a younger sister. Tae-yang's little sister, and she studies well."
"Oh! She must take after her mom then."
"Of course. Hahaha."
【Kim Tae-yang dislikes this.】
"Still, Tae-yang has the better looks. In elementary school, there were even girls who would follow him around."
【Kim Tae-yang is happy. +5 Happiness】
Showered with compliments, Mom couldn't get a hold of herself.
I listened to their conversation and organized my thoughts.
Those suit-wearing men from earlier.
The way they kept making calls, it looked like they were searching for someone.
More than anything, the parked cars had been clustered around grandma's house.
Like they were waiting for someone.
Swish.
I got up from my seat.
"I'm going to step outside for a bit."
"Why? Are you bored?"
"Ha ha. Just a moment. Please keep talking."
I put on the mask at the entrance.
【Treasure Dark Moon Mask lv2: Considerably reduces the wearer's presence.】
The Dark Moon Mask, leveled up with accumulated Happiness Points.
The previous 'reduces presence quite a bit' had changed to 'considerably reduces presence'.
Time to test it out.
Creak—.
I opened the door and stepped outside.
The moment grandma's front door opened, the suit-wearing men all turned to look at once.
Isn't that a bit too obvious?
Their calls started.
I poured energy into my ears and listened closely, and their voices came through crystal clear.
"The door opened, but no one came out."
Just what you'd expect from a treasure.
Even with me here, it seems like I'm barely visible.
It's on the second floor, so I should be well within sight.
Thud!
I leapt from the second floor down to the first and immediately vaulted over the wall.
My target was.
The one who appeared to be the boss, the one giving out orders.
The guy with his hair slicked back neatly with pomade.
"Keep a close watch! Grab him the moment he comes out. The woman who came with him too!"
The boss-looking guy was giving orders.
Fortunately, it seemed the cold was getting to him, as he bounced on his heels outside for a bit before climbing into his car.
……Alone.
I grinned lightly and silenced my footsteps as I approached the rear of the car.
The side mirror hadn't been folded in, which meant the door was unlocked.
Click.
I opened the passenger door.
"Wha, what?"
The suited boss turned around.
"It's me."
Thwack!
I smashed him straight across the jaw.
Gushing nosebleed, jaw knocked sideways, boss knocked out cold.
So you should've kept the doors locked.
Looking in the back seat, I could see packing tape and cable ties.
They were obviously planning to use those to kidnap Mom and me.
Rage surged up in an instant. These bastards!
Riiip!
I tore off some packing tape and sealed the man's mouth shut.
Ziiip!
I bound his wrists with the cable ties too.
I rolled up his sleeve to check—no Artificial Dantian in sight.
I opened his wallet. I found a thick wad of cash, a name card, and some cards.
The name card read:
Jeoksapa Executive Manager Kang I-deuk.
Executive Manager, huh.
A smirk escaped me.
Calling themselves a sect but using the title Executive Manager.
In the Gangho I knew, it was things like Law Protector or Elder, so even the names are funny.
A fresh reminder that this really is a different world.
I slapped the boss guy's cheek to wake him up.
"Oh dear. You can't sleep here. Wake up."
The man opened his eyes.
The look of shock on his face was satisfying.
"Mmph mmph mmph!"
"I'm the one asking the questions."
"Mmph mmph!"
Press.
I pressed a finger firmly into the man's thigh.
The trained, muscular thigh yielded like tofu under my finger.
"Mmmmmph!"
"Shut your mouth. You ask my permission before you even groan. Nod if you understand."
The man nodded, trembling.
First question.
"Did Jeoksapa send you?"
Nod nod.
"To capture me?"
Nod nod.
"Now you answer in detail. Try anything funny and I'll pull out your femur and slit your throat with it."
The man trembled violently and nodded.
I ripped the packing tape off his mouth.
"The, the Chairman ordered it."
"Say it clearly, one word at a time."
"Well……"
The man gestured toward the tablet PC sitting on the dashboard.
I opened it and found CCTV footage, grainy but clearly showing me.
So they really are looking for me.
The location in the footage was the Happy Loan Office.
That's strange.
I had planted loneliness in those thug bosses and their men.
"Did the guys at that office rat me out?"
Shake shake.
"Say it in words."
"They're all dead. Except one."
Hm?
"Who killed them?"
"Our Chairman did."
"Who's the Chairman?"
"Chairman Park Jeok-sa."
Ha, Chairman Park.
Now why'd you go and kill them? I didn't even kill those guys.
"What kind of people are you?"
"We are…… A sect."
"I know, Jeoksapa. You're climbers. So why are climbers chasing after me?"
"That's…… Because the Happy Loan Office—"
Thwack!
I immediately cracked him across the face.
"Ggh!"
"Who doesn't know that? Why not just climb the tower, instead of coming to bother me over a measly 100 million won?!"
I snapped at him.
The man covered his mouth and then lowered his hand with wide eyes.
Sitting in his palm were two broken front teeth.
Before he could even collect himself, I pressed on.
"Jeoksapa is an unorthodox sect, isn't it?"
"Excuse me?"
"You're the kind that does dirty work."
"Well, um."
Swish. I raised my fist and—
"Y, yes! We do kidnappings, blackmail, and murders!"
"What else?"
"We, we also deal in the Black Market!"
"……What's that?"
"You don't know?"
Thwack!
Crack. A few more of the man's teeth went flying.
"I'm asking because I don't know, you bastard."
The man, bleeding heavily, trembled as he answered.
"The Black Market is an unlicensed place where Murim Tower items, martial arts manuals…… And information are traded."
What? Trading outside the Murim Tower is possible?
Thwack!
"Ggh. Why……"
"You should've told me sooner!"
"I, I'm sorry."
A Black Market.
In this world……
There's a place that wonderful?