Gold into Cash
Siwoo stepped into the storage room and slid the shelf aside.
He checked the door handle and unlocked it.
During the quiet hours he had decided to leave the door open like this, so he would know at once if anyone arrived from the otherworld. At other times, or when the store was busy, he always kept it locked. That was the only way to keep the two worlds from overlapping.
Leaving the shelf only slightly ajar, Siwoo returned to the main floor. He sat at the counter and worked through the inventory ledger; time slipped by quickly.
As evening settled in, the air of Gangnam’s nightlife district began to change. Neon signs flickered on one by one, and the alley filled with more voices. Siwoo glanced toward the glass door, then headed back to the storage room.
The door was trembling ever so slightly.
When he drew closer, a familiar voice reached him.
“Siwoo… it’s me.”
It was Liria.
Siwoo hurried out to the main floor and locked the glass door. Click. Only after he had sealed it completely against any outside customers did he return to the storage room.
He opened the door. Liria stood on the threshold. Her silver hair caught the moonlight, and a small cloth pouch rested in her hand. Gold coins clinked softly inside it.
“I brought more gold coins today… and I wanted to buy some things from your store as well.”
Liria stepped carefully inside. Siwoo did not close the storage door behind her, but the glass door of the main shop remained locked. There was no chance of the two worlds mixing.
She opened the pouch and laid several gold coins on the inventory crate that served as a makeshift counter.
“Would this be enough… for the sweet water, the food wrapped in strange paper, and the cold drinks?”
Siwoo picked up the coins and nodded.
“More than enough. Tell me what you want.”
A soft light kindled in Liria’s eyes. Siwoo brought back sports drinks, triangle kimbap, chocolate, and jelly from the main floor and set them on the crate. Liria touched each item with wonder. When she closed her fingers around the chilled sports-drink can, her eyes went round.
“It’s… cold. Like magic.”
Siwoo smiled faintly and opened the can for her. Liria took a careful sip, then looked startled.
“It’s sweet… and so cold. Our world has no taste like this.”
She peeled the wrapper from a triangle kimbap and bit into it. Her expression brightened with every bite. Watching her, Siwoo slipped the gold coins into his pocket. Once enough of them piled up, the worry of monthly rent would vanish.
After she finished eating, Liria looked up at him. The tips of her ears had turned faintly pink.
“Siwoo… may I stay a little longer today? You locked the door, so no one from outside can come in, right?”
Siwoo checked that the glass door was still locked and answered,
“Yeah. No one can get in right now.”
Liria took a step closer. The sweet scent of flowers rose again. She carefully caught the sleeve of his uniform and spoke in a low voice.
“Then… may we continue the conversation we couldn’t finish yesterday? And… our bodies, too.”
Her gaze drifted briefly toward his pants. In the atmosphere that had not yet fully cooled, the two of them began to draw near once more.
Liria stepped closer still. The hand holding his sleeve slid slowly upward. Her silver hair brushed his arm, and the floral scent thickened.
“I still remember your body from yesterday, Siwoo… the inside of my mouth, and down below… how it tingled.”
She brought her hand near his belt and touched him carefully. He was already responding. Siwoo asked in a low voice,
“Here?”
Liria nodded.
“You locked the glass door. No one can come in.”
She gently pushed him toward the inventory crate. When Siwoo sat, Liria knelt between his legs. The hem of her white dress spread across the floor.
She lowered his zipper and drew him out. Wrapping her palm around him, she stroked slowly up and down.
“Like this… is this right?”
Siwoo exhaled shortly.
“Yeah.”
Liria brought her face close and licked the tip with the end of her tongue. Clumsy yet earnest, she wet him thoroughly with her saliva. When she parted her lips and took him in slowly, Siwoo’s hips twitched. A soft sound escaped her.
She moved her head forward and back, gradually taking more of him. One hand held the shaft; with the other she slipped the shoulder straps of her dress down. Her white breasts spilled free, the soft pink nipples already standing.
When Siwoo reached out and cupped them, Liria let out a thin moan, twisting her waist slightly without releasing him from her mouth.
A moment later she pulled away and rose. She hiked the dress all the way to her waist, revealing bare, glistening flesh with no panties. Settling slowly over him, she rubbed herself against the tip. The slick heat enveloped him.
“May I… put it in?”
Siwoo nodded. Liria lowered her hips and took him inside, inch by careful inch. The hot tightness made both of them hold their breath. Fully seated, she gripped his shoulders and moaned softly.
“Nngh… it’s all the way in…”
She began to move her hips—up and down, side to side. Her breasts swayed; Siwoo gathered the soft flesh in both hands. Her rhythm quickened. Wet sounds echoed through the storage room. When Siwoo thrust up from below, her silver hair swung wildly.
“Siwoo… there… aah!”
Her inner walls clenched hard. She buried her face against his neck as she climaxed. Hot fluid spilled out, and the sensation pushed Siwoo over the edge as well. They shuddered together, clutching each other tightly.
For a long while Liria leaned against his chest, breathing hard. Her face was flushed; sweat traced the line of her collarbone. Slowly she lifted herself free. Mixed fluids slid down her thighs. Resting her forehead against his chest, she whispered,
“…It feels good. Better than yesterday.”
Siwoo stroked her back. Liria raised her head and gave his lips a brief kiss.
“I’ll leave the gold coins here. Next time I come… I’ll bring more.”
She straightened her clothes and looked toward the door.
“I should go back now. If I’m gone too long the guards might grow suspicious.”
Siwoo nodded and opened the door for her. As Liria crossed the threshold she glanced back once.
“Siwoo… until we meet again, keep the door locked carefully.”
When she vanished down the stone path, Siwoo closed and locked the door, then unlocked the glass door of the main shop. The store was once again an ordinary convenience store.
He sat at the counter and picked up the gold coins Liria had left. Their weight was substantial. He murmured,
“With these… I can hold on a little longer.”
The night of Gangnam’s pleasure quarter continued, and his secret passage had closed safely once more.
Siwoo sat at the counter and counted the coins one by one. Eight in total. Added to what he had received yesterday, more than ten. Their heavy weight tugged at his wrist when he laid them in his palm. He slipped them deep into his pocket and sighed.
“Now… how do I turn these into cash?”
He could not simply walk into a gold shop. If they asked where the coins came from, he would have no answer. He needed Gangnam’s black market, or some trustworthy channel.
He pulled out his phone and typed a few words into the search bar: “gold coin purchase,” “antique gold trade,” “private exchange.” Results appeared, most of them legitimate businesses or shady ads. One post stood out—a private buyer who operated only in the Gangnam area. Contact was limited to a specific number, and meetings were possible only late at night.
Siwoo saved the number in his notes. He did not call yet. He would watch a little longer before moving.
Time passed; it became one in the morning. Customers had almost stopped coming. Siwoo prepared to close and checked the storage room once more. The door remained locked and silent. He pushed the shelf fully back into place, turned off the main lights, and locked the glass door.
As he walked out into the alley, the familiar click of high heels sounded behind him. Siwoo turned. Sera stood there. Tonight she wore a thin cardigan instead of a leather jacket, though the hem of her dress was still short. She smiled and approached.
“Manager, working late again. I came on purpose to match this hour.”
Siwoo stopped and looked at her. Sera slowly caught his collar and lowered her voice.
“What we did in the storage room yesterday… my body still remembers. Want me to walk you home tonight? Or… in the car?”
Siwoo was silent a moment. The weight of the gold coins in his pocket, Liria’s silver hair, and Sera’s red lips all flashed through his mind at once. He answered briefly,
“…Sorry. I need to go home and rest tonight.”
Sera pushed her lower lip out slightly. Disappointment was plain, yet she did not press. Instead she laid her hand over the back of his and whispered,
“All right. Then tomorrow night, leave the door open and wait for me. Next time I’ll come to the manager’s place.”
She brushed her lips lightly across the back of his hand, then walked away down the opposite alley. The sound of her heels faded. Siwoo watched her back for a moment before starting home.
On the way he made up his mind. Tomorrow he would contact the number he had saved. Turning the gold coins into cash—that was the first key to keeping this secret for a long time.
Back in his one-room apartment, Siwoo washed and lay down on the bed. He stared at the crack in the ceiling, then closed his eyes. Tomorrow would be busier.
The next afternoon Siwoo opened the convenience store, then used a quiet moment to leave the storage door unlocked. He slid the shelf slightly aside, returned to the main floor, and sat at the counter. He took out his phone and looked at the number he had saved the day before—the private gold buyer who operated only in Gangnam, meetings only late at night.
Siwoo drew a deep breath and sent a text.
A reply came after about ten minutes.
Siwoo took out one gold coin, photographed it from several angles, and sent the pictures. Another reply arrived.
Evening arrived and Gangnam’s nightlife district came alive again. Siwoo ran the store as usual, yet kept checking the clock. At half past eleven he saw the last customer out and locked the glass door. He checked and locked the storage door as well, then secured the pouch of gold coins deep inside his clothes.
He arrived in front of the Nonhyeon-dong Motel at exactly midnight. In the dark alley, beneath a streetlamp, stood a man in black. Mid-forties, expression blank. The man looked at Siwoo and said shortly,
“You’re the one who sent the photos?”
Siwoo nodded. The man glanced around, then stepped into the side alley beside the motel. Siwoo followed. The man held out his hand.
“Show me the gold coins.”
Siwoo took several from his pocket and handed them over. The man examined them quickly with a small loupe and a portable densimeter. After a moment he nodded.
“High purity. Better than ordinary market gold. How much are you thinking for ten pieces?”
Siwoo named a price based on the weight he had checked online. The man calculated briefly, then produced a black envelope thick with cash.
“Here. I already counted it—no need to check. If you have more later, contact only this number. Taking them elsewhere could get a little dangerous.”
Siwoo accepted the envelope and quickly verified the contents. The amount was more than enough. The man added a final warning.
“I won’t ask where they came from. In return, don’t try to track me either. Staying quiet is how these things last.”
When the man disappeared down the opposite alley, Siwoo slipped the envelope inside his clothes and left at once.
He returned to the convenience store well after one in the morning. Sitting at the counter, he opened the envelope. The stacked cash looked almost unreal. With this money, rent and living expenses would not be a worry for a while.
Siwoo put the cash back into the envelope and went to the storage room. He ran a hand over the door, then pushed the shelf fully into place. The locked door was silent.
He returned to the counter and leaned back in the chair. For the first time, the strange door had brought him a clear, tangible gain. He murmured low,
“Now… I can hold on a little longer.”
Beyond the glass, Gangnam’s night still glittered.