Chapter 538 – Life Cut

Roman quickly read the thick wad of bills with his eyes.

I raised my head and clicked my tongue.

“I was told to eat in moderation, but I think I ate too much.”

“Uh huh, they say it’s a deficit if you give more.”

“Why don’t you think of it as a congratulatory gift and give me more? You haven’t even come to the wedding.”

“Mr. Punishment… Without even calling and forcing it.”

Grunting, the bald man took out several more 50,000 won bills.

Only then did Roman show a satisfied smile.

‘It’s not bad.’

The imperial gold coins are not made of pure gold.

I have no intention of letting people know that gold coins are from another world, and no one will believe me if I flutter about them. It is not an object with historical significance in this world.

Therefore, although the gold coins did not receive a satisfactory price, the prices for the accessories were quite generous.

“That lame guy. When you launder your identity, don’t you accept things other than cash?”

“Persimmon oatmeal?”

“What are you talking about, bald head?”

“Keuhum, a word that young people use these days. Don’t you know?”

“Ah. Isn’t there anything more pitiful than pretending to look young? Doing things you never did… And your son won’t play?”

The owner, who couldn’t even get his money’s worth, didn’t refute but gave a polite answer.

“When did this floor ever have a set price tag? They asked for a discount if all the customers behind us were going to do the same.”

The owner said he would come soon as he had contacted me and fixed his gaze on the checkerboard on the screen.

Roman also stared at it for a moment, but didn’t find it amusing. What I’m interested in right now is somewhere else.

“What about those who practice sword fighting or something?”

“Oh, those bastards? They come unexpectedly and inspect the goods of pawn shops and fence men. It’s not like they’re hitting or stealing… But it’s a matter of pride that requires them to comply with such requests.”

“What are they doing in a place where even the country doesn’t touch anything? What are these people who leave it alone?”

It is a rule and unwritten rule not to touch the people doing business here.

This is because there are too many people who would be in trouble if one broker disappears, as they not only provide illegal firearms but also deal with bloody requests.

In response to Roman’s question, the owner lamented as if he should know.

“The trend here has changed a bit in the past few years. All the people who could step forward have gone abroad, so there is no news. Recently, even country people have been coming in and out of the passage… Hmm?”

As Roman, who had been listening, turned his gaze towards the entrance, the owner’s eyes also moved.

After waiting for a while, a man with a limp and an awkward gait opened the door of the hardware store with a bag and laptop at his side.

“Let’s stop talking next time.”

There is an atmosphere of not wanting to mention it as the number increases.

Roman nodded and fully raised his upper body.

“Boss? I’m here.”

“Okay. This is the customer. He’s a bad-tempered guy, so be nice to him.”

“Oh my, I’m good at Eunje. Thank you for calling me.”

Roman glanced lightly at the person limping towards him while bowing politely.

Considering that he mentioned that Bald Man is back and called him out, his skills can be trusted, but Roman, who laundered his identity in Busan, is someone I’ve never seen before.

‘Where are you from? It feels like Southeast Asia…’

After Roman lightly shook hands with a lame man who spoke an unknown dialect.

“A gathering of pretty girls.”

He gathered the women who were touching tools they had never seen before and seriously guessing their uses.

“Oppa. Is the story over?”

“I’m sorry. Were you all bored waiting?”

“Not at all! There were a lot of new things, so it was fun to watch!”

– Hiss!

Beautiful women who don’t fit the rough picture of a hardware store flock in.

The lame man looked very surprised.

“Uh, um… Everyone here…?”

The lame man with a sharp accent asked as he laid out his laptop on the floor.

“Yes. There are a total of 8 people, including me. Let’s put the address on the second floor of the hardware store, so we can change it later.”

“Boss. Shall we do that?”

The bald head waved her hand, telling her to do as she pleased, with her eyes fixed on the Go channel.

Start with permission.

After rummaging through her bag, the lame person connects devices of unknown purpose to her laptop and starts tapping them.

“If you have an ID photo, my colleague can make a resident registration card for you at a low price. I can guarantee Ara’s skill in handling counterfeit bills and seals on official documents.”

“Oh, then it must be convenient… Was there a photo studio near here?”

“Here, at the hardware store, take the aisle to the right, and you will find a store with a photography machine. It will take some time to prepare, so please go there.”

How did this lame person live her life as an outsider?

I don’t know who I learned the dialect from, but I’m glad I can somehow understand it.

Roman and her wives left the hardware store, saying they would come back quickly.

Atra showed the curiosity that everyone was thinking about.

“Honey. What is the picture?”

“Hmm, it’s a bit difficult to explain. Should I say it preserves the scene like a drawing on paper?”

I continued the explanation by adding a few more words, but I don’t think everyone understood it properly.

In the end, it’s best to see things like this with your own eyes.

Jeez. Jeez. Jeopuk.

Let’s step on the discolored sidewalk blocks, pass through the big guys guarding the entrance, and exit through the passage opening in the other direction.

One by one, innocent passers-by with no connection to the shadows begin to appear.

The place the lame man was talking about was a small shopping mall across the street.

Inside, there were not only ID photo machines but also many sticker photo machines.

I see a group of female students just coming out of the store making squealing noises.

“This is a traffic light. When the light turns green, you pass. When the light turns red, you stop and wait like you do now. Simple, right?”

“Is it because that moving lump of scrap metal is dangerous?”

Seria raised her hand and asked, and Roman smiled and nodded at her cute gesture.

“We won’t bump into anything, and even if we get hit, we won’t get hurt at all. But if an average person gets hit, they get seriously hurt or even die.”

“These are rules for safety and order!”

“That’s right. You’re smart.”

The green light just came on.

Everyone is weak, and this world needs a lot of religious orders, leading Atra, who is worried, to cross the road.

··

··

While the women played with the glasses, headbands, funny hats, and dolls placed in the store.

Roman takes out a 50,000 won bill and exchanges it for a 1,000 won bill.

Toad, toad!

The friendly sound of falling banknotes.

Roman held a large pile of bills and approached the ID photo machine sandwiched between the sticker cameras.

When Roman moved, without needing to say anything, the women came rushing in.

At that picture, Roman opened his mouth with a happy smile.

“I’ll show you something fun. Just wait.”

Roman went into a container with a red curtain, made a clicking sound, and came out while doing something.

I handed the stiff paper that fell down the side of the machine to Eclair right next to me.

“What is this… Wow!”

Eclair’s red eyes widened as she looked at the paper.

It’s rare to see someone exhaling like this and being surprised. Roman’s reaction is just lovely.

Women who couldn’t contain their curiosity about Eclair’s reaction flocked in.

Everyone started showing their own funny reactions.

“It’s my brother! My brother is inside!”

“Brother…?!”

“Hey, this isn’t a painting, is it?”

I finally understood what photography was.

Everyone was jumping up and down and showing excitement.

“The larger machines here, other than that machine, will take bigger and clearer pictures. Because their purpose is different.”

“Well, honey… Isn’t this really expensive…?”

“With technology like this, you’ll definitely need at least a bag of gold coins…”

Everyone conveys their words earnestly with regretful words and looks.

The fact that the wives show an honest desire to take pictures together gives Roman a subtle touch.

“It’s a completely affordable price. Should I take a picture?”

Knowing what everyone wanted, Roman smiled and offered.

No one could hide their happy feelings.

Everyone crammed into a narrow box twice.

Then, once with Roman.

Sisters Roman and Dritna once. Sisters Roman and Electra once.

I take pictures with sisters and friends and take pictures in various combinations without stopping.

Perhaps because of their innate sense, everyone got used to it and the poses started to become more diverse.

Sticker photos were stacked to create a thin book.

After taking pictures to everyone’s satisfaction, we left the store.

Just before I crossed the street and went back to the passage, I remembered that I had forgotten to take my ID photo because I was taking sticker photos.

*****

“Senior. I have received the information you mentioned earlier.”

“Uh, leave it there. Go home from work now.”

“If you work like that, you’ll get sick… How about leaving work early and having a can of beer on a day like today?”

“It’s okay. I have no thoughts.”

Then she forced her second-in-command, who wanted to stay and help her, to leave work.

She read her material while drinking the coffee left in the bathroom.

‘It’s a pain these days because there’s no one around…’

It is the second day that the three people who went on a Jangsan tiger hunt have lost contact.

I want to run right away, but this place is a bit of a mess.

Since you said you are considering additional support, now is the time to focus on your own work.

“Ha.”

Most things in the world are good things you don’t know.

This is one of her ideas when she started her work.

Do ordinary people even guess?

The fact that monsters and ghosts exist in the world.

And the unrealistic story that there is a special group created by the country to handle it.

Probably less than a hundred people in Korea know of their existence.

‘If you include the people who died while working, it’s barely around three figures.’

The pay is good enough to risk your life every day, even if it’s for the government, but you don’t have time to spend it.

On holidays, I spend everything sleeping to replenish my strength away from home.

Saruk─.

As I flip through the stack of documents, I re-imprint the information that had become blurred due to fatigue.

‘···Geomgye(劍契).’

When I wondered where these new gangsters got their name from the Joseon Dynasty, not only their whereabouts but also their timing were strange.

Approximately two years ago, the Iris sword, which had a magical energy comparable to that of Muramasa in Japan and was kept in special storage without being able to go to the museum, was lost.

There was a strong hypothesis that the item was actually used by the leader of the Geomgye group.

The suspect who stole the sword was caught on CCTV on the same day two years ago.

The person who was organizing the warehouse suddenly froze, grabbed his sword, and disappeared at incredible speed.

We were tracking him down, but the person was still missing.

‘I told you not to stay in the warehouse alone. I must have been possessed by some yogi.’

A person possessed by a sword would not have high intelligence. So, they must be operating under the name of an organization called Geomgye.

There is a high probability that it is an act close to instinct performed by the vengeful spirit in the sword.

However, apart from intelligence, Yogi (妖氣) has the power to deceive people, and the power of force is something that ordinary people can never match.

It has already been confirmed above that the sword world organization is connected to the lost sword.

In the end, they had to step into the shadows where the country was hesitant to reach out.

After a lot of hard work, a faint assortment was created.

‘What are you looking for in the shadows?’

She quickly exorcises one of the mischievous spirits assigned to her.

She felt the need to continue the investigation.