The payment for completing the commission was deposited the moment the sun rose. Ian smiled brightly at the amount stamped in his bank account—an amount that quite literally made one gasp. Combined with the money he already had, it was an overwhelming sum.
He had spent a fair bit buying a house, but even setting that aside, he had more than enough financial leeway. Enough that he could barge into a department store in Seoul right now and clean out every luxury boutique without much trouble...
“Mm, no, not quite.”
Ian quickly reined in his mood. No matter how much money he had, it was not enough to cover the insane prices of luxury goods.
Even if luxury brands came with a high premium, the prices of unimpressive bags and rings were truly absurd. To be honest, he couldn’t understand why anyone bought such things. Wouldn’t it be better to buy a car with that money?
‘No, I guess the people buying luxury goods already have nice cars anyway.’
Thinking useless thoughts, Ian twisted the throttle hard. With a vroom, the bike shot down the wide-open national highway. Beyond the helmet shield was the beautiful winter scenery of the East Sea.
There was no need to hide it.
He was currently enjoying a motorcycle trip around the country. It was no different from a kind of vacation.
He had been pretending otherwise in his heart, but after experiencing the moon urban legend (not an urban legend), his mentality had been slightly shaken.
In truth, it was only natural. He had witnessed the world’s destruction firsthand and, as the sole survivor, even heard news of the deaths of those around him. Wouldn’t it be stranger if he were perfectly fine?
So after finishing only the necessary items on his schedule, he had set off on this rare vacation with nothing but a single backpack.
The timing was good as well, since the weather was slowly starting to warm. It was chilly once the sun went down, but during the day it was fairly warm. At the very least, it was not as cold as winter.
His destination was Busan. It was a city he had visited several times before, but this was his first time going there by motorcycle.
Most of his previous visits had been for businesslike reasons rather than tourism. So this time, he planned to visit Haeundae and also stop by the Cartel’s offline shop in Busan.
There was an offline shop in Seoul too, but because it operated by reservation, he would have had to wait another two weeks to use it. The shop in Busan, on the other hand, was a little smaller in scale, but it did not have many reservations, so he could stop by comfortably.
The reason he had chosen Busan as his destination in the first place was because of that Cartel offline shop. It might be a bit unfair to I Seo-a, whom he had arranged to meet midway, but to be honest, his curiosity toward the shop was greater than toward her. As a mage, it was only natural to feel more excitement toward a place he had never visited than toward a person he had already met a few times.
‘First, I’ll park the bike in I Seo-a’s apartment parking lot, have lunch with her, and then we can head over.’
Ian checked the time displayed on the motorcycle’s dashboard and nodded. He ordered the artificial intelligence to drive autonomously, then loosened his stiff wrists and rode in comfort. The AI changed lanes and controlled the speed on its own as it headed toward the destination.
About two hours passed like that. Before he knew it, Ian had entered the road leading into Busan. As expected of Busan, taxi drivers as notorious as their reputation swarmed everywhere, but the motorcycle moved on its own, avoiding them. Ian listened to the song playing from his helmet and turned the handlebars toward his destination.
A short while later, he arrived. He stopped the bike at the entrance to the apartment complex and called I Seo-a.
The ringtone sounded about three times before the other party answered.
[Hello?]
“Yeah. I’m downstairs. I’ll park inside, so start coming down.”
[Oh, you’re already here? Wait a bit. I’ll be down soon.]
“Take your time.”
Ian hung up and parked the motorcycle in the apartment’s outdoor parking lot. He took off his helmet and hung it on the lock, then waited quietly for I Seo-a. Soon, she came down from her home in neat clothes, spotted Ian, and trotted over.
“Hi. You’re early.”
Slap!
I Seo-a lightly smacked Ian’s forearm. Ian grinned as he looked down at her.
“It’s been a while.”
“It has. Isn’t this the first time since the cruise incident? I can’t believe more than a month has already passed.”
I Seo-a chuckled and began walking. Ian also checked that the bike’s handlebar lock was properly set, then followed her.
Busan in early March was quite warm compared to Seoul. It was not yet warm enough for cherry blossoms to bloom, but pink buds were sparsely forming on the trees. In just a few more weeks, those buds would fully open into flowers. It would surely be a magnificent sight.
Ian chatted idly with I Seo-a as he picked up a flower bud caught on a tree. When he brought it lightly to his nose, a faint fragrance drifted up.
“What do you want to eat?”
I Seo-a asked. Ian thought for a moment, then let go of the bud he was holding and answered.
“Gukbap? It’s famous in Busan.”
“Gukbap? Hmm... not bad. Then let’s go to a place I often visit. It’s good there.”
“A local’s recommendation is trustworthy. I’ll pay for the meal.”
“Oh... then I’ll buy the coffee. I’m not really the type to just be treated to things.”
At I Seo-a’s words, Ian smiled bitterly and nodded.
As it happened, lunchtime was almost over. The two headed straight to a pork gukbap restaurant, ordered food, and chatted while waiting for it to come out.
“You said this is your first time going to a Cartel market, right?”
“Right. There’s one in Seoul too, but the reservations were full.”
“Well, it’s a place where all kinds of people gather. Superhumans, shamans, the Administration Bureau, hunters, and so on. When every sort of person crowds in, it’s not easy to get inside.”
I Seo-a answered while sipping the cola she had ordered.
“On top of that, foreigners often visit the Seoul branch too. Being too accessible is a problem in itself.”
“By contrast, Busan is relaxed.”
“It has a large population, but compared to Seoul, there are almost no people involved in the mystic side of things. Well, thanks to that, the Cartel hasn’t built up much infrastructure here.”
As they talked, the gukbap arrived. The two seasoned it to their liking and slowly began eating.
“When are you going up to Seoul?”
“After I resolve the school urban legend.”
The school urban legend.
It was one of the phrases written in the last message I Seo-a had sent before her death last time. Ian poured salted shrimp into his soup and let out a low hum.
“Was it commissioned?”
“Mm... something like that. The Shaman Association asked me as a group. They begged me to please resolve the urban legend at the school.”
“...The Shaman Association?”
“It’s nothing special. Just a club made by shamans? Something like that.”
I Seo-a tied back the hair that had grown slightly and crossed her legs.
“It was originally a commission they received, but apparently three of them died in the process of trying to resolve it. So they asked me to handle it instead.”
“A subcontract of a subcontract, then. More importantly, is it all right if the shamans find out you’re a mage?”
“Not really an issue. It doesn’t matter if people involved in the mystic side learn that I’m a mage. As long as I avoid the eyes of Muggles and the Administration Bureau, it’s fine.”
Ian listened to her and nodded.
Come to think of it, anyone who had stepped into the underside of the world was bound to be aware of the existence of mages anyway. Apart from the Administration Bureau, which tried to track and manage mages, there was no particular disadvantage to being exposed as one.
Of course, there was the risk of retaliation, but that was not something limited to mages, so it did not matter much.
“The school’s name is Sayo High School. Originally, it used the sa for history and the yo for shining, but recently an anomaly latched onto it, and it changed to the sa for death and the yo for disturbance.”
“...That’s an extremely unusual case. I don’t think it’s common for even the meaning of a name to be twisted.”
“It can change like that if anomalies get heavily involved. Anyway, I’m also planning to leave Busan soon, so I intend to resolve it before I go, as if doing volunteer work.”
“How much are you supposed to receive as compensation?”
“About a hundred million?”
“...That’s a little low compared to the danger.”
“I told you. It’s like volunteer work. I’m not doing it for the pay in the first place.”
I Seo-a said so and grinned.
“What matters are the ghosts. I used up quite a few during the cruise incident, so I’m planning to collect a whole bunch this time.”
“...Of course.”
“It’s good for everyone. I’m happy because I can collect evil spirits, the school is happy because the urban legend gets dealt with, and the shamans are happy because they can get out of dangerous work. That’s how it is.”
I Seo-a shrugged and ate her gukbap. Ian also moved his spoon with a bitter smile.
After finishing their meal, the two stopped by a nearby café and got drinks to go. Since the reservation time for the Cartel shop was drawing near, eating in the store was a little awkward.
The sun was still hanging clearly in the sky. It had just begun to pass three in the afternoon. Guided by I Seo-a, Ian headed toward the place where the Cartel shop was located.
“How many times have you used an offline shop?”
“About three times? There’s nothing that grand about it, so don’t expect too much. It’s easiest if you think of it as going to a nearby mart.”
Answering like that, I Seo-a entered the pharmacy on the first floor of a medical building made up of an ENT clinic, an ophthalmology clinic, a dental clinic, and the like. A pharmacist with an ordinary impression greeted the two with a smile.
“Welcome. Is there any medicine you’re looking for?”
“A ghoul’s blood activator and a tonic made from a prisoner’s fingernails.”
I Seo-a answered without hesitation. The pharmacist’s face, which had been wearing a pleasant smile, instantly turned expressionless. The speed of the change was almost mechanical.
“I’ll help confirm your reservation. May I have your names?”
“I Seo-a, Shin Ian.”
The pharmacist took a terminal out of his pocket and tapped the screen. A moment later, he nodded.
“It has been confirmed. What would you like for your welcome drink?”
“We already brought drinks, so just give us something to chew on.”
“Understood. When you go down, an employee will be waiting in front of the door. You can receive it then.”
The pharmacist bowed his head and handed each of them a small coin. It was a silver coin engraved with the Cartel’s symbol. I Seo-a skillfully tucked the coin away, while Ian carefully examined the front and back.
‘There’s nothing particularly special about it.’
The front and back of the silver coin were the same. Perhaps it had received some special treatment, as the texture felt quite strange, but even so, it was not much different from an ordinary coin.
“Board the elevator, press and hold the first-floor button for twelve seconds before letting go, then press the second floor, third floor, third floor again, and basement first floor buttons in succession. That will move you to the shop.”
The pharmacist spoke while looking at Ian. Ian put the coin in his pocket and listened closely.
“If you show the coin to the gatekeepers there, you will be able to enter.”
“Does the one in Seoul use the same method of entry?”
“The details differ a little, but the general framework should be similar.”
At his explanation, Ian nodded. The two immediately left the pharmacy, called the elevator, and operated the buttons exactly as the pharmacist had explained.
Clank!
Then the elevator shook once and began descending underground on its own. On the red LED screen that indicated the floor, the words “Welcome” appeared clearly.
“...”
Thirty seconds later, the words changed to “Please come in.” At the same time, the elevator doors opened wide.
“Welcome.”
“Welcome.”
Beyond the doors stood two women who, instead of heads above their necks, had a single tentacle attached. Dressed in neat suits, they extended their hands toward Ian and I Seo-a.
“The coin.”
“The coin.”
The tentacle-heads spoke in completely identical voices and tones. Ian stared at the two creatures with a reluctant expression, then, after seeing I Seo-a hand over her coin, placed his own on the anomaly’s palm.
“Confirmation complete. Entry permitted. We hope you enjoy your shopping.”
“Confirmation complete. Entry permitted. We hope you enjoy your shopping.”
The moment the two creatures took the coins, they bowed deeply and stepped aside on their own. I Seo-a walked through the opened path as if she were used to it, and Ian followed her while muttering.
“...Does the Cartel raise anomalies too?”
“They say those two used to be employees, but became like that after violating the rules. I don’t know the details either.”
“...”
“Well, it’s the Cartel. Maybe they ended up like that after messing around with money?”
Hearing I Seo-a’s answer, Ian clicked his tongue.
It was truly a company he could never quite understand.