Chapter 24
Han Chasu drove the Exilis Guild members out, telling them to say something that made sense.
But it was only a stopgap measure. Even after that, they came by tirelessly for four days straight. Still, if there was one small mercy—
“What is it today?”
“We’re sorry about last time!”
—it was that on their next visit, they showed up not with the apartment key, but with the repair costs for the front door.
After that, their visits continued as naturally as water blending into wine. Lee Jihun in particular came by every day under the pretext of checking whether the repair work was going well.
By now, even kicking him out was a bother, so when Han Chasu greeted him half-heartedly, Lee Jihun smiled with his usual affable expression.
“You haven’t seemed to have much energy lately.”
Instead of saying, That’s all because of you, Han Chasu accepted the bag.
“When I mentioned I was worried, the guild master told me to make sure to bring you this.”
When he opened the bag, he saw a plump chicken lying with its legs crossed in a milky broth.
It was baeksuk.
“……”
Am I imagining it, or is what he’s doing starting to overlap more and more with Jeong Iheun?
Still, refusing food would be impolite. Even if he sent it back, they would obviously say they would throw it away.
These were people who had abandoned a brand-new car in his parking lot in the same way.
He couldn’t let even the baeksuk meet such a fate. Han Chasu willingly took the bag.
“But how long are you planning to keep doing this?”
“Pardon?”
“I think it would be better if he just came in person.”
It was becoming annoying, having them show up every time under the excuse of apologizing. The fact that they brought something every time bothered him too.
Their goal was obvious, so wouldn’t it be quicker and more efficient to set a date and talk it out? ‘I’d like to make it clear that I have no intention of sharing an earring with anyone else.’ But the person who actually needed to hear that resolve hadn’t even shown his nose.
It was good for his mind and body in many ways that the original protagonists weren’t coming to see him personally, but if things continued like this, it would be troublesome.
“I don’t need gifts. I’d like to meet him once.”
When Han Chasu said that while lifting the heavy shopping bag, Lee Jihun shook his head with a troubled expression.
“As you know, he’s very busy with the irregular gate matter. Still, I’m relaying every word you say to him without omission.”
Right. Thinking about it, he should be grateful they weren’t simply breaking down his door and demanding he hand over the earring.
Compared to when his car door had been ripped off, this was tremendous progress. ‘Jeong Iheun told me to leave it alone too, so let’s stop caring.’
The day they had smashed up his entryway floor while begging him to please accept the car. Han Chasu had contacted Jeong Iheun about it as well.
When he told him that the Cheonryeong Guild wanted him to take the car, the answer he got was a sight to behold.
—Just keep it.
“Pardon?”
—Geum Myeonggyeol is at his most reasonable when he’s at least trying to read the room. Leave him be. It won’t be bad for you, Han Chasu-ssi.
As if proving he really was a pushover, Jeong Iheun firmly believed that Geum Myeonggyeol was in the middle of atoning.
Since he had also taken charge of all the aftermath related to the irregular gate last time, Han Chasu could understand why he believed that.
His influence was probably the reason no government officials had called Han Chasu in either. ‘In that regard, he really is fairly useful.’
Aside from that, Jeong Iheun had left him with one more reassuring statement.
—Ah, and. The insect found in the potion last time turned out not to be a gu.
“Pardon?”
—But it’s clear someone tampered with it, so we’re investigating that internally. Don’t worry about it, Han Chasu-ssi, and focus on recuperating.
Even if he hadn’t said so, Han Chasu intended to rest plenty.
“It smells good. Where did they buy this?”
Perhaps because this place now felt like his home, Han Chasu transferred the baeksuk into a pot with practiced ease and turned on the heat.
Soon the broth began to boil, and a delicious aroma filled the house. It was a scent that stirred his hunger.
Han Chasu smacked his lips, then turned the heat to the lowest setting and entered the laboratory.
On the large desk, all sorts of chemicals were scattered in a dizzying mess.
It was because Exilis had suddenly visited while he had been sorting them by use.
“Where did I get to again? Hmm, was I up to the anesthetics?”
His hands moved carefully as he checked the labels and sorted them one by one.
The reason he had suddenly decided to organize the laboratory was none other than the irregular gate.
Should he say he had realized that even if he avoided the people the original Han Chasu had harmed, he couldn’t avoid gates that suddenly appeared? ‘I need to prepare everything I can in advance.’
So first, he decided to identify the chemicals he had at home by use and keep them ready.
Even at A-rank, assassination types tended to lag behind other direct combat types.
This was meant to supplement that.
“Then this should be enough sorting.”
After filling his stomach a little, he would go to the item exchange.
With light steps, Han Chasu ran toward the baeksuk waiting for him.
***
The taxi carrying Han Chasu stopped in the center of Yeouido.
“Have a good day.”
After getting out of the car, Han Chasu looked around with familiarity.
Between the dazzling buildings, he saw a neat signboard.
[Korea Item Trade Association]
Among the nationally certified item exchanges, it was considered the best. ‘Last time, I needed miscellaneous items, so I didn’t come here. I went somewhere else.’
The Korea Item Trade Association, abbreviated as KITA, was a very haughty institution.
Unlike other exchanges, it was famous for not handling petty items.
If one had to define what they dealt with, it would be items with an acquisition difficulty of grade 3 or higher.
Among those, they mainly preferred weapons or items that supplemented a hunter’s stats.
In other words, they were saying that ambiguous miscellaneous items should be sold to small- or medium-sized item exchanges. ‘People who don’t know anything. Miscellaneous items can be incredibly useful.’
Hadn’t he himself escaped the shackles of the diary thanks to the scribble notebook item?
As Han Chasu pushed open the heavy glass door and went inside, he thought of the notebook in his inventory.
Instead of the original diary he had definitively destroyed, that one would remain safely in his inventory forever. ‘I told you, you shouldn’t look down on miscellaneous items.’
The mask was the same. Hadn’t it helped him in that urgent situation after escaping the irregular gate?
Thinking anew about the value of underestimated miscellaneous items, he examined the directory.
The first and second floors were management offices and staff offices. The actual item trading seemed to take place from the third to the twelfth floors. ‘Equipment items with an acquisition difficulty of grade 3 are on the fourth floor.’
Han Chasu moved lightly.
And he felt deeply grateful that the owner of this body, villain though he was, had diligently saved money.
“The belt, bracelet, and shoes come to a total of 130 million won.”
Perhaps because they were all A-rank items, the price was downright brutal.
But he could handle this level of expenditure.
After all, the Cheonryeong Guild was a fairly generous workplace when it came to salaries.
On top of that, the real Han Chasu had even siphoned off company supplies from time to time and sold them on the black market.
To put it in one sentence—
“I’ll pay in full.”
—his wallet was extremely fat. ‘The only advantage of possessing a villain, I suppose.’
Han Chasu smiled boldly as he handed over his card.
***
However, there was something even a villain’s abundant wallet could not resolve.
“…7.5 billion won?”
“Yes. The current price of the ‘All-Purpose Escape Stone’ you inquired about is 7.5 billion won.”
It was the All-Purpose Escape Stone, the only item that allowed one to escape an irregular gate without clearing it.
“7.5 billion…”
When he muttered in disbelief without realizing it, the information desk employee smiled brightly.
“Would you like to participate in the auction?”
“……”
Han Chasu pressed his lips shut. He had stopped by just in case he might be able to buy it. But not 700 million—7.5 billion?
And it wasn’t even a fixed price, but the current bid. ‘The world of auctions is terrifying.’
Then again, it was an All-Purpose Escape Stone that had dropped for the first time in twenty years. Han Chasu turned away with a regretful expression. ‘I knew it would be hard to get, but to this extent….’
In the original work, Jeong Iheun had managed to get them just fine. Had that all been protagonist correction at work?
In the end, Han Chasu had no choice but to give up on the All-Purpose Escape Stone.
No matter how shameless a villain the original Han Chasu had been, he hadn’t saved up that much money. ‘It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped. It’s not like I’ll get caught up in another irregular gate in my life anyway.’
Just as he was soothing his bitterness and about to press the elevator button for the seventh floor—
“Han Chasu-ssi.”
Along with a deep voice, someone suddenly reached out from behind him.
“What are you doing here?”
The slightly sly voice was somehow familiar.
“Haa… Guild Master Geum Myeonggyeol.”
Han Chasu slowly turned around with a low sigh.
Only after barely calming his thudding heart.
He had nearly driven his elbow into that bastard’s side.
“That’s what I should be asking you. What are you doing here?”
Why was a supposedly busy man suddenly popping up here?
Despite Han Chasu’s sigh-laced reply, Geum Myeonggyeol wore a grinning expression.
“I wonder. What did I come here to do? Maybe I came to ride the elevator with you, Han Chasu-ssi?”
Come to think of it, Geum Myeonggyeol’s hand was already overlapping his own.
The moment Han Chasu became aware of it, Geum Myeonggyeol put strength into his hand.
Then he pressed the button that had been lit red once more, canceling it. ‘I really have no idea what he’s trying to do.’
“Guild Master Geum Myeonggyeol, perhaps—”
“Han Chasu-ssi.”
Just as Han Chasu tried to speak, wondering if this was because he hadn’t returned the gifts, his words were cut off.
“Yes, go ahead.”
Fine. Let’s at least hear why he’s doing this.
When Han Chasu answered calmly, Geum Myeonggyeol asked with an expression that said he was dying of curiosity.
“Was I that unappealing?”
“…
Pardon?”
“I thought I’d put in quite a bit of effort to look good to you all this time.”
Looking down at the confused Han Chasu, Geum Myeonggyeol let out a deep sigh as if making sure he heard it.
Then he grabbed Han Chasu’s arm and pointed to the nameplate hanging in the hallway they had just passed.
[Specialized Exchange for Matching Couple Items]
“…
Ah.”
This bastard ran over here thinking I was going to get couple earrings with someone else.
It was not a particularly pleasant realization.
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