Bullying
In front of Dongdaemun Everything Shop.
"Huuuuh."
Oh Jae-gap exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke as he stared at the mountain of loot piled up.
"Too much."
"Isn't more better?"
"That's true, but... with this old body, it's not easy to haul it all."
Oh Jae-gap used his pipe to sort through the items.
"I can buy raw stones and ore fragments, but stuff like ogre hides and teeth? I can't take those. You planning to bring this much every time from now on?"
"Probably."
From the next floor on, Momo would collect them without missing a single piece.
The quantity would only increase, never decrease.
Oh Jae-gap pulled out a pen and jotted down an address.
It wasn't far from here.
"Go check this place out. It's run by my granddaughter. They handle bulk deals there, so it'll be easier to sell."
"Thanks. In that case, would you buy the raw stones?"
Raw stone items definitely offered good profit per unit compared to their volume or weight.
Jin-hyeok knew that, which was why he'd suggested it first.
"Thanks for thinking of me. But I'd be even more grateful if you sold them at my granddaughter's shop. She's been struggling lately because she's short on stock."
"Then I'll sell everything there at once."
"Much obliged. I'll treat you to something tasty next time. But how did you carry all this loot? Your inventory must've been full."
"We split it between us."
Oh Jae-gap's eyes shifted to where Jin-hyeok was pointing.
"Oh my. What the...? When did that get here?"
He looked at Momo with wide-eyed surprise.
Now that he thought about it, she might've been there the whole time... or maybe not.
Oh Jae-gap stared at Momo for a moment before lifting his head.
"Not bad."
"Not my daughter—my niece."
"Oh? Well, anyway, if you'd brought the kid along, you should've said something. Then I could've... Huh? Where's my pipe?"
Poke, poke, poke, poke.
Jin-hyeok jabbed Momo's shoulder, urging her to give it back quick.
"Ta-da!"
Momo held out the pipe atop her tiny palm.
Oh Jae-gap's eyes widened as he took back his pipe.
This little one—there was a glint of raw greed in her eyes that was anything but ordinary.
She was definitely going to make it big someday.
"See you again."
With a farewell, Jin-hyeok turned to leave.
"One more oddball joins the ranks."
Every visit, Jin-hyeok showed up with some fascinating companion.
He was already looking forward to who might tag along next time.
"Guess that's what being a runner on the Ladder of Glory does to you."
He blew out a plume of smoke.
Through the daily updates on the Ladder of Glory's floors and the loot Jin-hyeok brought in afterward, he was fairly certain by now.
Someday, when it came out that the runner was Jin-hyeok, he planned to run a massive ad.
"The Everything Shop favored by newbies and the Ladder of Glory runner alike."
Yeon Trading Company.
Confirming the sign, Jin-hyeok stepped inside.
"Hello."
A fresh, clean scent wafted into his nose.
The shop was so spotless you couldn't find a speck of dust, no matter how hard you looked.
The one fatal flaw? It was broad daylight, and there wasn't a single customer.
"Welcome!"
A woman with shoulder-length brown hair and glasses as round as cannonballs emerged from the back.
She looked about Jin-hyeok's age.
She greeted him again, her face apologetic.
"What do we do? I don't have anything to sell right now."
"I've come to sell you those items."
"Ah! The customer Grandpa mentioned! I just got the message on Kotok. Please, have a seat over here."
Guided to the sofa, he sat down.
"Wait just a moment," she said, then brought over coffee with its rich, savory aroma—the owner of the cannonball glasses.
"I'm so sorry—it's just instant coffee."
"It's fine. I like instant."
An essential for any solo liver.
Back in the days when he'd stay up late cramming in games to awaken, he'd downed it like water.
"I'm Yoo Soo-yeon. But... Huh?"
Soo-yeon, who had been staring at Jin-hyeok, adjusted her glasses.
When had she appeared?
A five-year-old girl was now sitting right beside Jin-hyeok.
"Sorry, little one! Big sis was so out of it!"
Spotting Momo late, Soo-yeon whipped up an extra cup of cocoa.
Momo sipped it happily, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.
"I'm Yoo Jin-hyeok. I'm a regular at the Everything Shop. The reason for my visit today is—"
Jin-hyeok pulled out an enormous haul of ogre byproducts.
On top of that, gloom ore and jade fragments that would sell out in a flash if displayed.
It was enough to make Soo-yeon's eyes bulge.
"I want to sell these. And from now on, a similar amount will come in every day, so it'd be great if you could buy regularly. I heard you're short on stock anyway."
"Uh..."
Soo-yeon, dumbfounded, alternated her gaze between the items and Jin-hyeok.
The hides were top-grade, testifying to how cleanly the tower had been cleared—plenty of them, too.
An unexpected windfall had rolled in at the perfect moment.
It was like rain in a drought.
But for some reason...
"I'm truly, endlessly grateful, but..."
Hesitation clouded Soo-yeon's flushed face.
"Oh, come on! What the hell is this?"
Just then, a group of people came barging into Yeon Trading Company.
They were shop owners from nearby.
"Boss! You selling those items? Why come here of all places? I'll take them off your hands!"
"How much were you planning to sell for? I'll give you 10% more than that!"
"You're still young—don't have the eye for a good shop yet! With all the great spots out there, why come to this backwater?"
Jin-hyeok narrowed his eyes.
This was abnormal.
Yoo Soo-yeon, the shop owner, was right there, and yet they were brazenly interfering.
"Thanks for the offers, but I'll pass. I'm selling to this shop."
"Tch. Even when we're offering more, you stick here? What, you a fool? Don't be stubborn—come with us! We'll take you to a real good place! What are you lot doing? Get him out of here!"
When the old man barked his threat, a few of the men who'd come in with him grabbed at Jin-hyeok's arms and tugged.
"Wh-what the...?"
No matter how hard they pulled, he didn't budge an inch, leaving the men flustered.
When Jin-hyeok shook off his arm, the ones straining with all their might tumbled backward onto their asses.
"Tsk tsk! Kid's got some stubbornness! In times like these, you gotta listen to your elders..."
"Seems like you don't catch on quick."
"Wh-what?"
"Even if you offered double, I'd still sell here. So."
Jin-hyeok pointed toward the door.
"Mind heading out? You're in the way. I'm busy."
"Shoo shoo!"
Momo, at his side, joined in with a wave of her hand.
The group finally noticed Momo and jumped in surprise.
"J-Jin-hyeok-ssi."
Soo-yeon tried to intervene, but it was already too late.
The shop owners scowled fiercely, glaring daggers at Jin-hyeok.
"You're making this ugly. Won't regret it?"
"Yeah. Never have."
The old man leaned in close to Jin-hyeok's face.
"Watch yourself. I read faces a bit, and yours says you're in for big trouble from all that youthful arrogance."
"Grandpa, you'd better watch out yourself. Won't be easy—looks like you're on your last legs already."
While Jin-hyeok remained utterly relaxed, the old man's face twisted in fury.
The followers tensed up, stealing glances at the old man.
"You'll regret this."
With those final words, the old man and his group stormed out of the shop.
Jin-hyeok shrugged and turned to Soo-yeon.
"This must be why you were out of stock. What, some kind of protection racket?"
Letting out a deep sigh, Soo-yeon nodded.
"Those were people from Sejin Guild. They control Dongdaemun. They've been hounding me to join since I opened, but I held out. This is the result."
Soo-yeon glanced around her empty shop.
"The high dues are one thing, but they demand insane price-fixing. It's not based on supply and demand—they control the quantities and set the prices however they want. Low-floor item trade is almost exclusively Dongdaemun, so they squeeze it to their liking. I priced things reasonably, but in the end, they branded me the market wrecker and pushed me to this corner."
Soo-yeon leaned back against the sofa.
"I'd love to move somewhere else, but Sejin Guild's even blocking the sale of this place. I was basically withering away."
"Does the Everything Shop grandpa know?"
"I didn't tell him so he wouldn't worry. A few times he tried to help, but it just caused him trouble."
Jin-hyeok wasn't the first the Everything Shop had sent here.
There had even been people who'd gotten furious at the bullying and stepped up to help.
But not long after, they'd met with unfortunate "accidents."
After that, they'd gotten scared and cut off all contact.
"It's like something out of a corrupt cop movie."
"Jin-hyeok-ssi, you need to be careful too. The guild master seemed really pissed."
Jin-hyeok nodded slowly.
Watching him, Soo-yeon gave a wistful smile.
No one would be dumb enough to sell here after hearing all this.
She'd driven away the drought-ending rain with her own hands—nothing but heartbreaking.
"But anyway, you'll buy these, right?"
"Yes? But..."
"No worries. I can take care of myself. So, then."
Jin-hyeok rubbed his hands together.
"Shall we talk business?"
He liked this place.
From now on, all item sales would go through Yeon Trading Company.
As the sun began to set.
Five or six burly men trailed behind Jin-hyeok.
They kept their distance until they reached a cornered alley, where they halted.
"What the? Where'd he go?"
"Huh...? It's a dead end?"
They scoured the alley top to bottom, but nothing changed.
"Whatever. He'll come back to sell more items anyway. We can smash him then."
"Damn, what'll the old geezers say now. Let's head back for now."
The men spat on the ground and turned around.
Their destination was the Sejin Guild building.
Creeeak.
"What? Why're you back already?"
The old man who'd blustered about physiognomy and such to Jin-hyeok—Guild Master Kim Geon-man—frowned deeply as he asked.
"W-We... lost him in a dead-end alley."
"You idiots! Can't even tail a single low-floor scrub properly?"
"Sorry. But he'll show up again anyway—we'll make sure to handle him next time."
"That cocky little punk! Beat him so bad he never sets foot here again! Got it?!"
"Y-Yes. Who do you think we are when it comes to pounding punks? We'll do it right next time."
Clicking his tongue, Kim Geon-man leaned back in his chair.
An ignorant, rude bastard who knew nothing of the world.
He should've stomped him flat today—such a shame.
"Looks like you were the ones following me, after all."
"Aaagh!"
The voice right beside him sent Kim Geon-man toppling backward.
How had he gotten here? Jin-hyeok stood before his eyes.
Kim Geon-man's pupils shook violently.
He couldn't possibly know about the stealth skill, so in a way, it was a natural reaction.
"Y-You rude little shit, do you even know where you—"
Crack!!
Kicked straight on, Kim Geon-man flew back and slammed his head to the floor.
"Like you said, I lack manners, so sometimes I skip the elder respect."
Jin-hyeok turned a leisurely gaze on the stunned onlookers.
The reason he hid his runner identity was to avoid the hassle.
But that didn't mean he'd hide his power, too.
If needed, he'd unleash it without hesitation.
And thoroughly, at that.
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T/N:
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