Chapter 26

Translator: True Detective

Chapter 26. Hong Chae-yeon Custom Production

As soon as I woke up, I went straight into the workshop and made burn medicine.

Green liquid sloshing inside a transparent bottle.

"Phew...... It's a success for now."

I aimed for an Epic grade, but unfortunately, it stopped at Rare grade.

To think it treats up to 3rd-degree burns and even fades scars.

I called Hong Chae-yeon with the phone she gave me and asked to meet at night.

The appointment is set.

Then what do I do now?

Ah, I should pay off my debts first with the money I received yesterday.

Lying on the bed, I turned on the mobile banking app.

The number stamped on the screen is 1 billion.

A huge sum of money I might or might not touch even if I worked my whole life was sitting quietly in my bankbook.

I immediately paid off the loans I had borrowed so far.

"Ha......."

Along with the short notification sound ringing from the phone, I felt a heavy something pressing down on my shoulders disappear.

The days I struggled to pay interest every month and my heart sank at urging text messages.

The nights I lamented when I would escape this hell while making do with convenience store disposal lunchboxes.

All that shabby past was settled.

"Wow... I really paid this all off."

Who knew just paying off debt would make my insides feel this refreshed.

I lay blankly looking at the ceiling, then suddenly jumped up.

Since I paid off the debt, shouldn't I give a prize to myself who has run without rest all this time.

"They say money is spent by those who have spent it...."

Now that I actually have a huge sum of money, a brain freeze came over what to do first.

Even after paying off the debt, there was still over 900 million won left in the bankbook.

"Should I buy a house?"

I stared at the mold blooming in the corner of the wallpaper.

I had a chimney-like (strong) desire to escape this beggar-like place that is humid in summer, cold in winter, and where even the next room's snoring can be heard.

I knew from the news that Seoul housing prices were going crazy these days, but when I actually searched, it wasn't easy to find a house I wanted around 1 billion.

Of course, I could find one if I searched, but...

"Ha... I never dreamed the day would come when I'd think 1 billion is not enough?"

Human greed is truly cunning.

Just a while ago, I thought I'd have no wishes if I just had 100 million.

"Then should I buy a car?"

I thought about getting a supercar and making the exhaust sound ring, but soon shook my head.

Let's buy a car when needed, right now not really?

"Then what should I do...."

Then suddenly I saw my reflection in the full-length mirror.

A short-sleeve T-shirt with the neck all stretched out showing the collarbones clearly, and gray sweatpants.

Anyone could see it was the outfit of a room-corner shut-in or a jobless person going to the convenience store.

"......Should I buy some clothes?"

Come to think of it, I hadn't properly bought and worn a suit of clothes for 10 years.

Always bought 10,000 won T-shirts from the market floor and wore them until they got holes.

Walking around in this outfit, sometimes people ignored me.

I got up from the bed and headed straight to the department store.

A famous department store's luxury hall in downtown Seoul.

Despite being a weekday afternoon, glamorously dressed people were coming and going.

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠marble floor sparkled like a mirror, and looking down, my real face was reflected.

How hard do they polish it...?

"Hmm... Is this the trend these days?"

I entered a luxury brand store and browsed clothes.

As I was touching a jacket with a unique design, I felt someone's gaze.

Turning my head, a store employee was staring at me.

The employee dressed in a neat suit scanned my shabby outfit up and down, then twisted the corners of his mouth and snickered.

'What's with that beggar?'

He didn't say it out loud, but he was saying that with his eyes.

When I approached to talk, he blatantly turned his head and pretended to organize somewhere else.

An attitude as if treating me like an invisible person.

Even when I spoke, he answered half-heartedly or consistently gave short answers as if annoyed.

"What sizes do you have for this?"

"What's hanging there is all."

"What about other colors?"

"None."

The employee didn't even look at me and just fiddled with his phone.

Uh... Is this that?

A typical third-rate drama cliché?

That action everyone imagines at least once in their life.

A refreshing scene where you flatten the nose of the person who ignored you by throwing money.

The day comes when I get to say these words?

"Excuse me."

When I called, the employee approached reluctantly.

His expression was full of annoyance saying, 'Bothering me when you don't even have money'.

"Yes, what is it? If you're not going to purchase, please don't touch. It damages the products."

"No, I will buy."

I pointed at the hanger where clothes were displayed near the store entrance.

"From here."

And I walked slowly to the far end of the store, pointing my finger all the way.

"To here. Please give me everything."

"......Yes?"

The employee's expression turned blank.

He blinked as if he couldn't understand my words.

"Excuse me... Customer? You're joking right now, right?"

"I'm not joking. Please pack them all matching size 100 or 105."

The employee let out a hollow laugh as if dumbfounded.

"Customer. Do you even know how much all the clothes here combined cost? Don't act tough pointlessly and please leave. Before I report you for obstruction of business."

"Acting like a Karen when you don't even have money...."

I heard his small muttering clearly in my ears.

Instead of replying, I took out the card Hong Chae-yeon gave me from my pocket.

Then, the manager who sensed the commotion ran out hurriedly from inside.

"What is the matter, Customer!"

"No, this person is asking to give everything from here to here. Because he's talking nonsense...."

The employee snitched to the manager as if feeling wronged.

The manager looked at me and paused for a moment, but professionally put on a business smile quickly.

However, even in that gaze, there was a doubt of 'No way'.

"Customer, will you really purchase everything? The amount will be substantial."

"Yes, please calculate."

I handed the card to the manager.

The manager accepted the card and headed to the POS machine.

The employee crossed his arms and sneered with an expression of 'Let's see if it goes through'.

He looked ready to kick me out immediately if 'Insufficient Balance' popped up.

"Um... Customer. Since the amount is large, how many months should I set the installment to?"

"Ah."

I smiled and said.

"That's a debit card."

"......Yes?"

The eyes of the manager and employee widened as if they would pop out simultaneously.

Swiping hundreds of millions of won worth of luxury goods in a lump sum?

The manager swiped the card half-doubting.

The sound of the receipt printing broke the silence in the store.

The face of the employee ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠watching the lengthening receipt was turning pale white.

The expression that was sneering at me just now was nowhere to be found, and only fear and bewilderment remained.

"P-Payment is complete, Customer...."

The manager bowed his back 90 degrees and politely offered the receipt and card with both hands.

I took the card, put it in my pocket, and turned my head toward the blankly standing employee.

Then I curled up the corners of my mouth fully and sneered at him.

The employee flinched and bowed his head.

I took out just one set of clothes to wear right now and headed to the fitting room.

Changing into new clothes and coming out to look in the mirror, I finally looked somewhat human.

As expected, clothes are wings.

"Please send the rest to my home."

"Yes! Understood, Customer! We will send it by same-day express delivery!"

The manager answered, bowing and scraping.

Before leaving the store, I threw a passing remark to the manager.

"Ah, and."

I pointed at the stiffened employee with my chin.

"You should educate your employees properly. You shouldn't judge a customer just by their outward appearance, right? Isn't that so?"

The employee's face turned red like a carrot.

He had his head down, not knowing what to do.

The manager glared at the employee and apologized repeatedly.

Probably that employee will get chewed out by the manager today or write a letter of apology.

Or both?

Mood shouldn't become attitude.

"Then keep up the good work."

Thinking it served him right, I left the store with light steps.

Honestly, it didn't matter if I spent all the money I have now.

Because the staff sales money will come in anyway, and if I sell Epic or Unique grade items in the future, earning tens of billions will be ridiculously easy.

After splurging to my heart's content without worrying about money and even teaching a power-tripping employee a lesson, it felt like a 10-year-old indigestion was going down.

Spending money, I lost track of time.

Before I knew it, the appointment time with Hong Chae-yeon was right in front of my nose, so I took out the cloak from the inventory, put it on, and headed to the meeting place.

An alleyway where darkness had settled.

Hong Chae-yeon received the green potion I handed with trembling hands.

"What... is this...?"

Calling her out suddenly and throwing a potion different from before made Hong Chae-yeon slightly flustered.

"I like your work handling, so it's an incentive."

Still not understanding what I meant, Hong Chae-yeon looked at the received potion's information.

[Clear Cooling Potion]

Grade: Rare

Reading the information, her eyes visible beyond the mask were shaking violently.

"Is this... a burn medicine?"

"Yeah. You can drink it, or applying it directly to the wound will be effective."

As soon as my words ended, she rolled up her sleeve.

On her white forearm, terrible clumped burn scars were revealed.

It was the wound from trying to save her sister 10 years ago.

She opened the potion stopper without hesitation and poured it onto the wound area.

—Sizzle.

As the cold potion touched the burn scar, white steam rose.

She bit her lip and moaned.

"Ah......!"

An amazing thing happened.

The wrinkled and clumped scar tissue melted away and disappeared, and pure white new flesh began to sprout in its place.

The heat that had flushed red cooled down, and her arm was regaining smooth skin as if asking when it was ever hurt.

"D... Disappeared...."

Tears flowed down from Hong Chae-yeon's eyes.

She stroked her arm and muttered as if she couldn't believe it.

"It's gone.... That tiresome scar... the pain...."

I also exhaled a sigh of relief.

I was worried because it was Rare grade, but the effect was certain.

With this much, her sister too....

But it was that moment.

—Fwoosh!

"......Ugh?!"

An ominous sound was heard from Hong Chae-yeon's arm.

Underneath the newly sprouted pure white skin, crimson light wriggled.

As if an ember thought to be extinguished was flaring up again.

"Uh... Uh?"

Hong Chae-yeon's face was dyed with fear.

From under the skin, red solid lines crawled up like earthworms and began to gnaw at the just-treated area again.

—Sizzle! Sizzle!

"Ugh! Kuuugh!"

She grabbed her arm and screamed.

The smell of burning flesh vibrated.

The potion's coldness desperately tried to suppress the heat, but it was insufficient.

The red energy swallowed the potion's green energy in one breath and eventually re-engraved the exact same scar mark that was originally there.

No, rather, as if it was the price of resisting, it burned darker red than before.

"Ah ah... No... Please...!"

Hong Chae-yeon screamed and poured the remaining potion onto the wound.

But it was useless.

The potion evaporated as soon as it touched, and the scar remained clearly in its place as if mocking her.

She slumped to the floor and wrapped her trembling arm.

Her expression changing from hope to despair was an instant.

I watched that sight with a stiff expression and came to my senses.

What is this......?

Did I make it wrong......?

No, the burn was clearly treated completely right before my eyes.

But from under the treated skin, the ember revived as if waiting and started burning the skin again.

"Haa... Haa... Ugh...!"

Hong Chae-yeon sweated bullets and fumbled the floor.

To forget the pain, the hand searching for remaining potions was urgent like a drug addict.

But the hand trembling with fear and pain cruelly dropped the potion bottle.

The sound of the transparent glass bottle rolling on the floor echoed in the alleyway.

The bottle stopped only when it reached my feet.

I silently bent down and picked up the potion.

I approached Hong Chae-yeon and quietly handed the potion.

"Drink."

Hong Chae-yeon took the potion as if snatching my hand and downed it in one gulp.

As the refreshing coldness flowed down her esophagus, only then did her rough breathing calm down little by little.

She wiped her sweat-drenched forehead and struggled to raise her head.

The eyes beyond the mask smiled forcefully and said.

"......Thank you. This is the first time seeing an effect like this in 10 years...."

Her voice was trembling faintly, but there was no sign of resentment.

Rather, the sign of trying to comfort the failing me was evident.

Who is worrying about whom right now.

The person is too soft-hearted.

"Ah... By the way, how much is the potion...? I will transfer it immediately!"

"......Never mind."

Ah.

In my bewilderment, my usual tone popped out without me realizing.

But in the current situation, lowering my voice and acting arrogant again is also a funny thing.

It was hard to maintain because it was cringey anyway, so this is actually better.

I gave up the concept acting and asked seriously.

"......Was it not an ordinary burn?"

At my question, Hong Chae-yeon paused.

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded as if resigned.

"......Yes. It's a burn caused by my own skill.... More than that, why suddenly polite words...?"

"Ha...."

I sighed shortly.

A burn caused by her own skill.

I never imagined a Fire Mage would be burned by her own flame.

If so, the story changes.

It was natural that general treatments or cooling potions didn't work.

If the fundamental cause isn't solved, no matter how much good medicine is poured in, it's just pouring water into a bottomless jug.

"I roughly know what the problem is."

I crossed my arms and fell into thought.

Since I know the cause, I have to find a solution.

There is a limit to potions made according to existing recipes.

If so, there is only one way.

The newly created ability when [Primeval Craftsmanship] rose to Level 3 this time.

'Custom Production'

Couldn't I make a treatment specialized for Hong Chae-yeon's burn with this?

I activated the skill without delay.

But instead of the expected production window, a red warning window blocked my eyes.

—Ding!

"......Umm."

I stared at the empty air with a troubled expression.

This cloak is the only device hiding my identity, and you're telling me to take this off?

If I take off the cloak here now, my face will be exposed nakedly.

My identity will be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠discovered by Hong Chae-yeon.

But before my eyes was her, forcing a smile while enduring pain.

And behind that is her sister who must be suffering as much as her.

If I run away here saying I'll hide my identity, she has to live in that pain for the rest of her life.

Whatever, I don't know.

I took a deep breath.

"Close your eyes."

I slowly pulled back the hood I was wearing and approached her.