"And that's all of it."
Woojin had emptied the pockets of Bae Dohsoo's party members, and he was feeling happy. If someone had taken a look at him happily counting money, they wouldn't find the slightest ounce of guilt.
Across from him, Sunggoo couldn't even whimper out of fear. He just stood there, shivering. Sunggoo had gotten his feet wet in one star dungeons, but this was the first time he'd seen a person die in front of him. To make matters worse, the killing had happened at the hands of another person.
On the other hand, Woojin was as unconcerned as ever after killing Bae Dohsoo's party. He acted like he'd experienced it every day.
"They sure carried around a lot of cash." Woojin started to hum; he was feeling great about unexpectedly obtaining an extra 900,000 won in profit. At Woojin's humming, Sunggoo was startled into a hiccup.
Woojin turned to him, "You almost died because of me."
"N-no." Sunggoo stuttered.
If it wasn't for Woojin, he'd have died to the monsters already.
Woojin' smile grew wider, "Then why don't you double the amount."
"What?"
"I saved you twice now."
"...."
In summary, Woojin wanted 40,000 won.
But even if Sunggoo emptied every last corner of his savings account, he couldn't come up with 400,000 won. Sunggoo felt like he was about to cry as he nodded. Woojin ambled over to him and happily helped him remove the arrow. A quick exertion of will, and the undispersed souls of Bae Dohsoo and his party members turned into streams of energy that gently healed Sunggoo's wounds.
"Hoo-oop." Sunggoo gasped as he felt something flow through him. His wounds were regenerating at a visible rate. It was unlike anything he'd experienced before.
[Soul Extraction] was more effective if the soul came from a higher form of life. A human's soul was a better source of energy than a monster's soul.
"Th-thank you." Sunggoo mumbled.
Woojin grinned at him, "Ah, it was nothing. Everything I do will be charged."
Sunggoo looked away, "…yes."
Sunggoo quickly gathered all the Bloodstones before following Woojin out of the Mine.
When Woojin and Sunggoo exited the dungeon, the public service employee's eyes widened, "Huh? Why are there only two of you?"
Woojin's answer was casual, "They were all killed by monsters."
The public service employee's eyes narrowed, "Then how were you able to gather all the Bloodstones?"
Woojin cocked an eyebrow, "Even if others die, it doesn't mean one should leave all the valuables behind, right?"
The public service employee's eyes narrowed further at Woojin's confident answer. He could only guess that these two Awakened had stabbed their teammates in the back to monopolize the profit. However, he had no way of proving it.
He sighed and held out a ledger, "Haaa. Just sign here before you leave. The Bureau may contact you if they decide to hold an investigation on a later date."
Woojin and Sunggoo obediently signed the entrance ledger. The public service employee stamped 'Deceased' next to the names of the Awakened that had been a part of their party and let them go.
The next order of business for Woojin and Sunggoo was fairly straightforward. If one was near a subway station, there was always a decent Bloodstone exchange store nearby.
The price of Bloodstones almost never fluctuated. The exchange store took a fixed amount in tax, and it also took the commission due to the first person who'd cleared the dungeon. The balance was deposited into the customer's account.
When Woojin exited Shinrim Station's exchange store, his mouth was practically hanging from his ears.
I've earned over 13,000,000 won from a single dungeon.
He'd sold the Bloodstones for 12,300,000 won, and he'd taken 900,000 won from Bae Dohsoo's party. Originally, the profit was supposed to be split among eight people, but now, he had earned it all.
Moreover, he was still expecting 40,000 from saving Sunggoo's life, so there was more money on the horizon.
Next time I definitely have to go through dungeons by myself.
If he could make this much money at once, he didn't need to worry about entrance fees. He could clear a dungeon in an hour, so it would be much more profitable for him to clear it by himself.
Woojin slung an arm around Sunggoo's shoulder, "Put in your phone number."
Sunggoo didn't dare refuse, "Yes, yes."
Woojin immediately dialed the number Sunggoo entered. After he heard Sunggoo's phone go off in his pocket, he ended the call.
Woojin smiled, "Good, good. You have my account number?"
Sunggoo nodded, "Yes. I've definitely written it down."
Woojin patted his shoulder, "Alright. Travel safely."
Woojin reached into his now bulging wallet and took out 10,000 won. Sunggoo tried to dissuade him, but he forced the bill into Sunggoo's hand.
"Use it for bus fare." Woojin winked.
Sunggoo said uncertainly, "Th-thank you. Big brother."
"Oh yea. Remember I really hate bastards who stab me in the back." Woojin said slowly.
Sunggoo gulped, "I-I'll bear that in mind."
Sunggoo hung his head after he watched the happy Woojin stroll off. He looked like he'd lost his home.
"He said four… I'll be short even after I break open my savings account."
Hong Sunggoo had been an Awakened for two months, and he'd made a lot of money compared to his peers. Still, it was money he'd made risking his life every day.
He had visited one star dungeons daily, slowly increasing his savings to 200,000. He had successfully saved money, become proficient with his fireball ability, and decreased its cooldown.
It was an incredible amount of cash compared to a regular twenty one year old. But he'd put his life on the line for it, and his stomach churned at the idea that he would have to give it all away.
Still, he had been pulled from the brink of certain death. Was his life not worth the amount in his savings account? He could probably get a loan for the remaining 200,000 won.
"Ughh. When he said four bills, I hope he didn't mean the big four bills?"
Whether it was 4,000,000 or 400,000,000, he intended to give Woojin everything he had. However, he probably didn't have the ability to make 400,000,000. That was a figure that felt far in the distance.
He hoped Woojin hadn't put such a high price on his life. With a heavy heart, Sunggoo headed towards the bank to break open his savings account.
***
Woo Seunghoon was a fairly successful owner of a cell phone store. He'd worked as a salesman for eight years and had used the money he'd saved up to purchase and open his own store. Much to his satisfaction, his store was quickly becoming a neighborhood fixture.
"Ha-ahm. There are no customers today." Seunghoon had just let out a yawn when his glass door swung open and a man quickly ran in.
"Where's the restroom?! Is it here?!" He demanded, before running around the counter, throwing open the door behind the counter and rushing in.
Seunghoon was too surprised at first to respond, but then spoke, baffled, "What is this? Who is this crazy man?"
He rose from his seat and spoke in an annoyed tone, "Mister. That is the storage room. Please come out."
"...."
When silence greeted him, a vein started to visibly throb on Seunghoon's forehead. He wanted to make sure the man wasn't doing his business inside the room, so he opened the door to the storage room.
"Ah jeez, come out…AH!" Seunghoon's clothes were grabbed by a hand, and he was forcibly dragged into the storage room.
Koo-dahng-tahng.
When he was flung against the boxes that contained his products, Seunghoon knew something had gone wrong.
He's crazy. A lunatic stormed into my store.
Seunghoon quickly found his insane customer. Rather, his opponent grabbed him first. Seunghoon was lifted straight up by his collar. He dangled in the air, kicking vainly.
What- how strong is this bastard?!
Seunghoon was no spring chicken, but he was a big man. Yet his opponent treated him like a child.
Slap!
Seunghoon was suddenly slapped across the face, and he lost his train of thought. His ears rang, and all he could think about was the stinging spreading across his face.
Slap!
Seunghoon's head whipped the other way, and his consciousness started to blur. He could taste copper as the inside of his mouth started bleeding.
Slap!
Life surged back into Seunghoon's eyes as another slap sent his head violently to the other side. Fear grew unchecked within him, and he used every ounce of his will to open his mouth.
"H-help me." But only a whimper escaped.
Slap!
Instead of an answer, the hand slapped him harder than ever before. Seunghoon's cheeks had grown numb, but despair started to claw at his insides.
He has completely lost his mind. If I'm not careful, I might really die.
Hadn't he seen it on tv? Indiscriminate violence, innocent people getting beaten up for no reason? Had someone sent this person after him? Amidst the ringing in his ears, he realized the opponent probably entered the storage room since it didn't have CCTV coverage. He was sure this was a planned attack.
"Hey, you."
"Yes. Yes, sir!"
For the first time, the other person spoke instead of using his hand, and Seunghoon reflexively answered.
Crash!
The man in question forwent speech and threw Seunghoon against the wall again.
Seunghoon groaned, "Uh, auggh."
The voice was curt, "Get up. Attention."
Seunghoon scrambled unsteadily to his feet, "Guh. Yes, sir."
It had been a long time since he was last in the military, but his survival instinct made everything come back. He knew if he let out even a squeak, he might be beaten to death.
The man in question had such an atmosphere around him. His posture was that of a mafia boss in charge of several hundred underlings.
He growled, "The bastards who I hate the most are those who hit me in the back of the head. But those who try to scam me take a close second place."
"...." Seunghoon didn't dare even make an expression to protest his innocence. They hadn't even met before, so how could he have betrayed him?
Woojin glanced at him. "You're not going to answer me?"
Seunghoon cringed, "I, I'm sorry."
He really wanted to know what he had done wrong.
Woojin relented, "Whew, alright. Think of this as your lucky day."
Seunghoon didn't dare make a sound, "...."
"If this was Alphen, I probably would've killed you immediately." Woojin mused.
"...." Seunghoon really didn't know how the man could say he had lucked out in this situation, but he didn't dare protest.
Woojin continued, "Be thankful you were born in Korea."
Seunghoon snapped to attention, "Yes, sir! Long live the Republic of Korea!"
Woojin's eyes narrowed, "Don't overdo it."
"Yes, sir." Seunghoon shivered.
Fortunately, Woojin was in a country with human rights. He had to follow the laws and morality of this place, so he couldn't kill this man for such a transgression. So Woojin decided to end it.
Thunk.
The cellphone he threw fell right in front of Seunghoon's foot.
"You sold me this newest phone yesterday."
"...."
Fuck.
Seunghoon finally remembered this man. When he'd walked into the store, he'd looked like he'd walked straight in from the boonies, so Seunghoon had sold him a phone worth less than 10,000 won for 90,000 won. He had felt so great about the sale that he'd even remembered the guy's name.
The pushover from yesterday is this bastard?! How could a person change so much?!
Yesterday's pushover had come back as today's grim reaper. Moreover, it seemed like he was an Awakened. If he'd known that this ill omen was an Awakened, he never would've tried such a flimsy scam.
Woojin continued, "I bought the newest phone...."
"...." Seunghoon started to silently pray.
"However, when I went home, I was told it was an old one." Woojin's voice was dangerously even.
Seunghoon stammered, "Th-that is...."
Woojin wondered, "Was there an error on your part?"
In all his eight years as a salesman, this was without a doubt the closest Seunghoon had ever come to death. It only took him a few moments for the wheels in his head to turn, to realize what Woojin's intent was.
Seunghoon immediately rushed to speak, "I-I must have made a mistake."
"I knew that was the case." Woojin's voice was satisfied.
Bullshit. You beat me up like this because of a mistake?
But Woojin wasn't done, "Give me another one."
Seunghoon squeaked, "What-what kind of model…."
"How would I know? You choose it for me." Woojin frowned.
Seunghoon didn't dare speak, "...."
Woojin relented, "Give me the most expensive one."
"...." Seunghoon was now experiencing an entirely different sort of pain.
Woo Seunghoon racked his brain until it felt like steam would come out, but he was ultimately left without a choice. He had to take out the only smartphone he thought would suffice.
***
Woojin had a happy smile as he exited the cell phone store. "Hoo hoo. The world has become so much better."
It didn't even take a second for the map to load. The search bar was just as fast, and the directions were very fast and smooth. It felt like everything was at his fingertips.
Woojin sighed, "Huh huh. The latest phones really are the best."
Woojin opened his address book.
[Mother] [Do Jaemin] [Real Jaemin] [Forty Thousand] [Phone Salesman]
"That guy transferred it correctly."
For a person in the modern age, the address book was a list of one's human connections. Woojin smiled as he looked at the list of phone numbers. He'd told the phone salesman that he would be back again. He'd also ordered the salesman, Woo Seunghoon, to enter his phone number, and then warned him not to change his phone number.
Woojin called his mother to get the address of the restaurant she was working at. Luckily, it wasn't too far from his house. Woojin's steps were light as he made his way home.
Hoo hoo. After I save a little bit more, we'll have enough to move. Before all of that, I should probably make mother quit her job?
Woojin felt a bit spiteful about his mother's workplace, but it would be his first time visiting, so he bought a box of drinks as a gift.
[Soongmi's Restaurant]
"I think she said it was here?" Woojin had found the restaurant at around 4 p.m.
Even though it was in between rush hour, the small restaurant was half full.
Rrring.
"Welcome." When the door jingled, a young lady at the counter reflexively spoke a greeting, eyes still glued to her phone.
Pew pew. Pee-buh! Pew pew pew.
Soongmi had been in the middle of a game. She reluctantly saved and closed the game, and raised her head.
"How many…" Soongmi's reflexive words died in her throat as her eyes widened.
He had a trim body, with wide shoulders that went well with his tall frame. He wasn't classically handsome, yet he had a good looking face. At the moment, he had a heavy atmosphere around him that made him appear foreboding. When the picture came together, he looked like a gorgeously handsome devil of corruption with a dark aura swirling around him.
However, there was something about his face…
A flash of recognition passed through Soongmi's eyes, "Big brother Woojin?"
Woojin was surprised, "Uh? Why are you here, Soongmi?"
He thought back to the restaurant's name, and was easily able to infer what was going on, "My mother works at your restaurant?"
Soongmi's brain froze, "Uh? Your mother?"
Woojin clarified, "I'm talking about Mrs. Lee Soogyung."
Soongmi was flabbergasted, "The kitchen lady?"
The kitchen lady is Woojin's mother?
But Soongmi had to ask, "What happened to you, big brother? Five years ago, I'm sure that..."
Woojin grinned, "Came back home."
"Ah…" Soongmi sighed.
Her first love, who had disappeared five years ago, had returned.