Chapter 123
"I'll give you five million won, so throw in the rest too."
"What?"
"The hand axe, other knives, that sort of thing. Spears would be great. Just give me as much as you can hand over. Then the five mil's yours."
The shopkeeper tilted his head, staring at him like he was some kind of weirdo.
"Kid, you starting a war or something? Protesting?"
"I just like collecting weapons. Anyway, make 'em sturdy. So, what do you say?"
"Hang on. I'll check the warehouse for anything else."
Desperate to offload the sword for that five million, the old man disappeared into the back again. Han Yaseong's plain looks probably helped—no real threat vibe. He figured someone like that would just use them for decoration, not actual harm.
Times like this, an ordinary face came in handy.
Han Yaseong gave the sword a careful swing. It felt heavy and razor-sharp. Yeah, this thing would lop a head clean off. Better handle it with care.
He slid it back into the scabbard and tucked it into the wooden box. While browsing the other weapons, the shopkeeper returned with an armful of gear.
"This is all that's in the warehouse. Take it if you want—stuff that wasn't selling anyway."
There were short spears, daggers, some throwing knives, a bunch of worn hunting blades. Even a couple of bayonet-style greatswords. Looked like he was dumping rejects.
They seemed beat-up on the outside, but everything felt solid to the touch. As long as they wouldn't snap easily, Han Yaseong was satisfied.
Still, he really wanted that hand axe.
"Throw in that hand axe with all this, and the full five mil's yours."
"That one's officially registered."
"You can still sell it, right?"
He'd seen it online. Lax oversight meant blades like these circulated under the table. Pay up, and you could snag hunting rifles or revolvers too. But guns meant harsh penalties if caught, so he'd passed. Blades? As long as you didn't use 'em on people, no priors meant slaps on the wrist even if busted.
The shopkeeper eyed the pristine hand axe on the wall, then nodded.
"Fine, take it. I can order another later."
"Great. Box it all up. Here's your five million."
He handed over the fat envelope stuffed with fifty-thousand-won bills. The old man peeked inside, gave it a rough count, then fetched a long black bag from the back.
"This'll be better for carrying. On the house."
Han Yaseong packed the wooden sword box, short spears, hand axe, hunting knives, greatswords, and throwing knives inside. Heaving it up with both hands, it was seriously heavy. Perfect for ventures beyond the forest.
Slinging the bag aside, he glanced at the other blades on the wall, then at the shopkeeper.
"You do custom orders?"
"Why? Want one made?"
"Yeah. Thinking of a massive cleaver."
"Official master smiths are tough, but I know a metal shop that could hack something together."
"Ask 'em for me. Needs to be extremely sturdy. Like, shatter animal bones."
"That'll make it a beast weight-wise. You gonna be able to lift it?"
"It's for the collection. Doesn't have to be pretty—just tough as hell. I'll tip you for the hookup."
"Alright, I'll check it out and call. That number work?"
"Yeah. Ask if they can make it over 20 kilos, thick enough to smash rocks."
No telling what lurked beyond the forest in that world. Regular swords or blades might snap on tough bones. He needed something heavier, thicker, unbreakable.
Bag in hand, he left the gun shop, hailed a taxi, and headed back to the station. With half an hour till his bus, he grabbed a bowl of udon at a diner, then boarded the express back to Seoul.
It was late afternoon by the time he got home. Portal time loomed in a few hours, so he stashed the weapons bag in the attic and cabbed to a mart in another neighborhood.
Couldn't hit the local one again after yesterday's monthly haul—too suspicious. He loaded up another month's groceries, paid by card, and ordered delivery. But they were backed up—no way before 7 p.m., more like 8 or 9.
He grabbed the two idling taxis out front, piled in the goods, and hauled it home himself.
Dumping it all in the living room, he chugged some water and caught his breath when the doorbell rang.
Wondering who it was, he opened the gate. There stood Senior Choi Yujin, Rambo at her side.
"Already back in Korea?"
"Yeah. Missed you, so I rushed."
She gave a cool smile and strode inside.
She'd flown in yesterday, apparently. Not straight from the airport—looked like she'd stopped home first. Travel clothes? Nah.
"What's all this?"
She gawked at the mountain of food in the living room. Han Yaseong fidgeted awkwardly.
Of all the timing...
"You fleeing somewhere? Why so much? Damn, you really went wild with my card."
She clicked her tongue in disbelief.
He settled her on the sofa and fetched a drink.
"Here, have some. Rough trip?"
"You kidding? You must've had it worse, stuffing Eun-ah."
"......"
Here it comes, he thought.
But nah, no need to wilt. She was the one who'd ditched him for a Euro jaunt with friends. If anyone's betrayed, it's me.
"You left me behind. Didn't even do it once. You had your fun and ghosted."
"Oh? Listen to this guy. Turning tables now? So you just had to bang Eun-ah? I said I'd hook up when I got back. You couldn't wait."
"You told me to seduce someone. That's all I did."
"Seduce a stranger, not someone I know. What the hell? You think I'd tell you to hit on all my friends? Obviously strangers."
That was her beef. A known girl. Strangers? Fair game, maybe. Easier to ignore.
"Didn't think of that. It just happened with Eun-ah senior... Next time, someone you don't know. But you said everyone except Ban Hee-kyung, right?"
"I said that, but you can't actually do it. Avoid anyone I know. No, that's not... Ugh."
She shook her head, downed the drink, and fixed him with a stare.
"Seriously, what're you gonna do about Eun-ah? Fight her dad?"
"Gotta. I've practically claimed her body."
"You know how scary that guy's? Called a viper in our circles. Nobody wants the headache of crossing him. And you're picking that fight?"
"To climb the elite, don't you gotta beat guys like that?"
"Too soon. You're a nobody. What've you even got? Just your dick and balls."
She seemed genuinely worried. Maybe that's why she flew back so fast from Germany.
Still, no raging jealousy over the Eun-ah thing. Water under the bridge. Just fretting the fallout, from the sigh.
"Be careful not to get caught by that old man. If he finds out about you two, it's game over. You're toast somehow, and Eun-ah? Probably shipped to some overseas boarding school. So no meeting outside school. If at all, sneak it inside. She agreed, so you watch it too."
"You talked to Eun-ah senior?"
"Coming from her place now."
They'd already plotted. But she didn't know about the "inspections" from that viper dad. If she did, she'd be furious, demanding Han Yaseong crush the bastard.
No such rage meant Eun-ah had kept quiet. Even to a friend, too humiliating, soul-crushing.