A Commission in the First District
Late at night. The luxury sedan pulled up in front of the park bench where I sat with a soft creak. She stepped out of the car and bowed politely in my direction. I returned the gesture with a light nod of my own.
“You must be Miss Jiyun’s friend. Please get in.”
“......”
I opened the door and looked at the secretary waiting inside. He had sharp features—handsome, at a glance. He had been Cha Jiyun’s secretary since elementary school, all the way until she turned seventeen. Naturally, she considered him one of her own. But he was a Demonic Human. Because of him, there were countless routes where Cha Jiyun met her end.
The problem was… even if I told her he was a Demonic Human, she would never believe me. That was only natural. She had known him for over a decade. I had only met her face-to-face less than a month ago.
“Haa…” A heavy sigh escaped me before I could stop it. How on earth was I supposed to explain this to her…
“Then let’s depart.” The secretary started the car.
“....First, I should express my gratitude.” She bowed her head toward me once more.
“Pardon?”
“...Thanks to the dungeon information you provided last time, our guild was able to clear another dungeon successfully.”
“Ah! No need. You’re the one giving me a ride all the way to Elixir Village, after all.”
“....If you say so.” She bowed again. A long silence followed. This was… awkward.
I pulled out my KakaoTalk. The only messages were spam advertisements. Nothing worth showing anyone. Yet I could feel Cha Jiyun’s gaze flicking toward my phone from the side. I quickly hid it behind my back. Startled by my reaction, she turned to stare out the window, pretending she hadn’t been looking.
“......”
I might as well look at the distant mountains outside the window too.
Before long, Cha Jiyun and I arrived at Elixir Village.
“Welcome. It is an honor to have you visit our Elixir Village, young lady.” The man bowed deeply. He introduced himself as the mayor of the city. The fact that he had rushed out the moment he heard she was coming spoke volumes about the influence of the Samhwa Group.
“Elixir Village is divided into five districts. I’ll explain the details as we go.” According to him, the village was split into five zones. The first district was little more than a slum, while the fifth was an extremely wealthy area. That much was obvious as we drove through. The first district was filled with shabby buildings that looked ready to collapse, whereas the fifth was lined with gleaming skyscrapers.
“Everyone living in this city is an elixir alchemist. However, their skill levels vary greatly, which is why they reside in different districts.” He explained that the first district housed alchemists so incompetent they couldn’t even secure commissions. The higher the district, the more skilled the alchemists living there.
“Naturally, you’ll be heading to the fifth district, young lady? Allow me to guide you.” The mayor led us to the fifth district and into a luxurious restaurant.
“While you dine, I’ll find a suitable elixir alchemist in the fifth district. Please wait a moment.” He bowed and left. Only Cha Jiyun and I remained in the restaurant.
Well… I was hungry anyway.
“What would you like to order?” I asked her. She stared at the menu for a long while.
“...Hmm.” She didn’t seem to have anything particular in mind. She kept studying the menu. I looked at it too. Shark fin—700,000 won. Foie gras—900,000 won. Everything was expensive, high-end cuisine.
“....” Ridiculously overpriced. A waiter in a suit approached.
“Are you ready to order, sir and madam?”
“Shark fin and foie gras. For the drink, an iced Americano with four shots.” Cha Jiyun spoke with a dignified expression.
“...And what will you have?”
I stared at her blankly before glancing back at the menu. Fried chicken—20,000 won. Cola—5,000 won. I was craving chicken and beer, but as a student, I couldn’t afford it.
“I’ll have the chicken and cola.”
“...Pardon?” The waiter couldn’t hide his confusion. I was probably the first person to order chicken and cola at this upscale restaurant. I looked at Cha Jiyun. The corner of her mouth twitched upward ever so slightly.
“Understood. It will be right out.” The waiter withdrew. Another long silence settled between us.
“....” She really didn’t talk much. Sitting with her felt awkward. Yet she wasn’t on her phone or doing anything else—just sitting quietly, waiting for the food.
“Here is your order.” The waiter’s voice broke the silence. “Your shark fin and foie gras.”
“Thank you.” She stared blankly at the food in front of her, then looked at me. Was she waiting for me…?
“You may eat first.”
“....No. Let’s eat together when yours arrives.” She was impeccably polite. It was clear she had been raised with strict etiquette from a young age.
“Here is your chicken and cola.” A plate of crispy, freshly fried chicken was placed in front of me.
“Alright, let’s eat.” I said. She picked up her fork and took a bite of the shark fin, but her expression wasn’t pleased. When she sipped her iced Americano, she grimaced. It clearly didn’t suit her taste. I poured cola into a glass of ice. Fizz— The carbonation rose instantly. I gulped it down.
I glanced at Cha Jiyun. She was picking at her food while her eyes remained fixed on my cola. At some point, she stopped eating altogether and just stared at it blankly. I looked ahead. There happened to be an extra glass of ice.
“Would you like some?”
“...No?” She snapped out of it and shook her head, forcing her own food into her mouth. Her discomfort was obvious. She looked so cute that I couldn’t resist teasing her a little more. I picked up a steaming chicken leg. Her gaze stayed on her plate, but she kept stealing glances at the chicken in my hand. I took a big bite. At that moment, I saw her pupils tremble.
“Are you sure you don’t want any?”
“...Yes. Of course. I don’t particularly like that sort of thing. Shark fin and foie gras suit my palate just fine.” Despite her words, I could feel her eyes constantly flicking toward my chicken.
“Alright, if you say so.” I ignored her and kept eating. Her pupils began to shake more violently. Before long, the chicken in front of me had completely disappeared.
“.....” She stared at my empty plate with a dazed expression.
As the meal was winding down, the mayor returned.
“Young lady, I’ve arranged for an elixir alchemist in the fifth district.”
“...Yes, thank you for your trouble. Ah, but the one who needs the introduction isn’t me.” She looked at me as she spoke.
“Ah, so this gentleman is the one requiring the introduction.” The mayor turned to me.
“Yes. But I’d like to commission someone else instead…” I said.
“Oh? Do you have someone specific in mind?” The mayor’s eyes sparkled.
“Yes. Her name is Asel, in the first district.”
“..Pardon? The first district?” The mayor’s eyes widened in shock.
Cha Jiyun, the mayor, and I headed toward the first district. The mayor spoke with a puzzled expression.
“Are you certain the person you wish to meet is here?”
“Yes, that’s correct.” I entered the first district. Unlike the gleaming buildings of the fifth, it was little more than a rundown shantytown.
“Someone with access to the fifth district… Why on earth would they come here…” It was understandable that he couldn’t comprehend it. The first district was where alchemists too unskilled to receive commissions lived.
As we walked, I spotted a street stall.
“Hey, miss, are you joking? A potion from the first tier costs a million won?” A man shook an elixir bottle as he spoke.
“One million won is the fair price for the potion I measured. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to buy it.”
“Ha. Look at this girl. If you were that good, you’d already be selling potions in the fifth district and living the high life, wouldn’t you?”
“My potions are in no way inferior to those sold in the fifth district. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to buy it.”
“Puhaha— Look at this girl. She’s hilarious.”
“If you’re going to mock me like that, please leave. You can just buy potions in the fifth district.”
At her words, the men’s expressions turned menacing.
“Hey. What did you just say, miss?”
“Pardon?”
“I said, what did you just say? Are you calling us losers who can’t even enter the fifth district?”
“I didn’t say that… Kyaa!” The men suddenly threw her potions to the ground.
“No! What do you think you’re doing? Throwing away someone else’s hard work like that!”
“Tsk— You’re really unlucky. Hey, do you know who we are? You know ‘Gihan’ Semiconductor, the mid-sized company famous for semiconductors lately? That’s our dad’s company.” He pulled out his Elixir Village membership card. It read: Third District Access Permitted.
“If you get on ‘Gihan’ Semiconductor’s bad side, do you know what’ll happen to you? You’ll be kicked out of this village immediately. We can enter up to the third district.”
After hearing that, she couldn’t say another word. The gap between her position and theirs was absolute. Just by opening their mouths, they could have her expelled. Cha Jiyun frowned as she watched the scene unfold. She clearly didn’t like what was happening.
“That’s enough.” I stepped in. The thugs glared at me.
“What? Who the hell are you?” They approached with menacing looks.
“...You have very crude mouths.” Cha Jiyun spoke from beside me.
“What? You wanna die—” They stormed toward us, fuming. But the moment they noticed the person next to me, they turned away.
“Hey, hey. The mayor’s right there. Let’s not cause trouble. We only have third-district access; we could get it revoked if we’re not careful.”
“Hey, I remember your faces.” He glared at me with burning eyes. I smirked. I extended a hand to the fallen alchemist.
“Are you alright?”
“...Yes. Thank you for your help.” Her clothes were worn and tattered. It was obvious at a glance that she was very poor.
“Is this really the person?” The mayor asked me again, his expression doubtful.
“Yes, it is.”
“I’d like to speak with her for a moment.” I said, looking at Cha Jiyun and the mayor.
“Understood. We’ll wait in the car.” She and I headed to a nearby café. I knew her. Right now, she was being looked down upon in the first district because no one recognized the true value of her elixirs. But the potions she created were in no way inferior to those made by alchemists in the fifth district. In fact, they were superior. In the future, she would become an unparalleled figure in the world of elixirs—someone even presidential-level figures would have to wait months to commission. Building goodwill with her now would bring enormous rewards later.
“What would you like to drink?”
“I’ll… take anything. I’ll eat well.” We sat at a table.
“Thank you for helping me, but… may I ask why you wanted to meet me alone like this?” Her voice was weak, like an ant crawling. She must have endured countless blows to her self-esteem in the first district.
“I’ll get straight to the point. I’d like to commission a custom elixir.”
“Yes!!!?? Pardon? From me?” She looked utterly shocked, as if this was the first time anyone had ever placed an order with her.
“Yes. There’s a specific elixir I want made.”
“You probably don’t trust me, so I’ll make just one first! You can decide after checking the quality! I’m actually quite skilled, you know.” Hearing that someone wanted to commission her, her voice regained its energy. She continued speaking. “If you trust me with just one, I’m sure you’ll keep ordering from me. So this time, I just need to make one, right? What would you like me to create?”
“Pardon? You’ll make just one?”
“Yes? You said you wanted to commission me, didn’t you?”
“I won’t be ordering just one.”
“I’d like to place a bulk order.”
“H-How much?” I checked the bank account where the money from selling Gae Baek’s sword had been deposited.
[Shunhwa Bank - 30,000,000 won]
“I’d like to order thirty million won worth.”
“!!!!” Her face twisted in shock. For a long moment, she was speechless. I needed to extend her a helping hand now, while she was still struggling. Gratitude received after someone had already succeeded would feel like an obligation. But someone who reached out when she was at her lowest would remain in her memory forever.
“You’ll accept the commission, won’t you?”