The Hidden Gate to the Goblin Market

"Listen, if you just leave it to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me, Seo Jian—the top veteran broker in this field—everything will be taken care of!" She ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grabbed my hands firmly.

"Whether it's a commission for a Jugu or auctioning off the items you've crafted, I'll handle it perfectly! Just leave it to me!"

My head was spinning. My brain was already a mess from the flood of incomprehensible talk. So... she’s saying she wants to be my manager, right?

The scent of a subtle, alluring perfume. Seo Jian’s charming face staring intently at me. The neckline slightly visible through her lowered shirt.

"……!"

I snapped to my senses. Calm down. Let’s stay calm. Isn't this whole situation completely surreal? The occult world, evil spirits, spiritual artifacts, perception-blocking talismans. And on top of that, five million won? For a piece of junk brass bell like that?

'……Is this a scam… or something like that?'

Yeah, now that I think about it, anyone could set up a website like that if they put their mind to it. This is a textbook example of a honey-trap scam.

"Um, excuse me for a moment." I pulled my hand away and stood up.

"I’ll think about it and get back to you……."

"Oh, wait! Wait a second!" Seo Jian stood up as well, looking flustered.

"Is there something you don't like? I can adjust the conditions however you—"

"No……. It’s not that. I’ll contact you again."

I gave a slight nod and quickly headed toward the cafe entrance. Let’s just get out of here. My head was too cluttered.

Whoosh— As the automatic door opened, the cool outside air washed over my face. I felt like I could breathe again. A moment ago, I felt like I’d been bewitched. It was ridiculous. An occultist? What a joke. No matter how I looked at it, this wasn't right.

Was it a scam disguised as a job offer, or human trafficking? I felt like I’d seen something like that on the internet once. They promise high returns, take you abroad, steal your passport, lock you up, and make you run voice phishing scams ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all day. Or maybe they harvest your organs to sell, or take you to a remote island to work as a salt farm slave for the rest of your life. Yeah, I could have been in serious trouble.

'…….' Thinking that way made my head feel a bit clearer. Thank goodness.

I was still holding the half-finished iced Americano. I took a sip, but the ice had melted, leaving it tasting like plain, watery coffee. I tossed the cup into a trash can and started walking slowly along the street. A Gangnam street on a weekday morning. Office workers in suits brushed past me in a hurry. People glancing at their watches and heading back into cafes. People crossing the crosswalk while wearing earphones and talking to someone. Everyone was heading somewhere.

'……Where am I supposed to go?'

The thought suddenly crossed my mind.

Buzz-buzz— Just then, the phone in my pocket vibrated.

"Ah……."

My balance was running dry. After paying next month's rent, it would probably be completely empty. Actually, back when I played games, it wasn't that I couldn't earn money. My custom gear, crafted as a max-level blacksmith, was always in high demand among high-level users. There were times when I’d sell a single greatsword and see over a million won hit my account.

But the blacksmith profession had one fatal trap. That was! To make better things. In other words, to level up and improve my skills, I needed more expensive materials! I spent money like water to appease the eccentric NPC technicians hidden across the continent and to obtain legendary-grade blueprints. Usually, I solved those time-sinks with money. Later, as I set the goal of being the 'first max-level,' I spared no expense.

Except for essential expenses, I reinvested everything into the game. The result of pouring 10 years into that. Now, if I didn't find a new part-time job by next month, I’d be kicked out of my studio apartment.

'Mr. Moo-hyeok, I didn't think you were that kind of person…….'

Well. What can I do? Now that I know I can do blacksmithing work, I can just look for another forge. Someday, I’ll save up enough money to open my own forge. Surely there isn't only one forge in this vast city of Seoul.

Just as I was steeling my resolve and moving forward... wait. Isn't blacksmithing usually an apprenticeship system? What if they just make me do chores for years? If that happened, I wouldn't even know how long it would take to save up money from then on. When would I ever save enough to open my own place……?

Screech. My sneaker soles dragged against the paving stones as I came to a dead stop.

'……Five million won.'

She said that raggedy bell, the one with the uneven inner wall thickness, was worth five million won. Is it… is it for real?

'……But if a piece of junk bell like that is five million won.'

I could make ten of those bells a day. No, I felt like I could make things far more impressive than that with my eyes closed. That meant. If what she said was true. My skills, my 10 years of cyber manual labor, could be converted into a value of tens or hundreds of millions of won.

My feet wouldn't move forward anymore.

'Should I… hear her out a bit more?'

If it really was some weird pyramid scheme or a scam, I could just say no when the time came. As I was licking my lips and contemplating, *clack. Clack. Clack.* I heard the sound of urgent high heels behind me.

"Mr. Dohyun! Wait a second!"

Seo Jian, who had run out of the cafe, caught up to my side. It was amazing how she had run so fast while wearing a luxury suit and those expensive-looking high heels. She caught her breath slightly and said, "I think I was too sudden. I'm sorry."

"……It's fine."

"But Mr. Dohyun. Honestly, isn't it a waste to just leave like this?" Seo Jian flashed that bewitching smile again. "Just one place. Can't you just go to one place with me? If you see it and decide it's really not for you, you can just leave then."

"……Where?"

"It's close. About ten minutes by car?" She pointed over her shoulder at a red sports car.

"……No, wait."

Ride in that? As I hesitated, Seo Jian clasped her hands together and pretended to beg. "Please. You really won't regret it."

Seeing her look up at me, blinking those large eyes, I eventually ended up nodding as if I were reluctantly giving in. Well. I had already decided to hear her out anyway.

As I climbed into the passenger seat, the high-end leather seat wrapped softly around my body. A low engine hum settled in, and the car smelled of the same luxurious fragrance that had come from her. '……She looks about my age. To be driving a car like this.'

If all those absurd things she said in the cafe weren't lies, then being a broker must really be profitable.

"Make sure to buckle your seatbelt."

Vroom—! The car slid out onto the road. Unlike her delicate appearance, her driving was bold and skillful.

"But." She opened her mouth while gripping the steering wheel. "Mr. Dohyun. Just in case."

"Yes."

"What clan do you belong to?"

"……Clan?"

A clan. I quickly turned it over in my head. I am a Jeonju Lee… what was it… the 23rd descendant of Grand Prince Hyoryeong?

'……That doesn't seem right.'

Judging by the atmosphere, it didn't seem like she was asking about that kind of genealogy.

"……I don't have one."

"Hmm……. I see. Hehe. Understood." Jian smiled brightly as if she understood. "……Is that important?"

"Um……. No. It's better to tell you the details after you see it with your own eyes. We're almost there."

The car pulled over smoothly to the side of the road. I got out and looked around. It was an ordinary downtown area. The entrance to a narrow alley. Old villas next to it. A convenience store on the corner.

"……Here?"

"Yes."

"What's here?"

Seo Jian grinned. "What you see isn't everything."

An abandoned shopping arcade plastered with 'For Lease' signs. A narrow alleyway running between them. Seo Jian stopped in front of a brick wall at the end of the dead-end street. Then, she drew a strange pattern in the air with her finger.

And then.

Shimmer— The space rippled. The brick wall began to scatter like water, and each brick began to move and reattach to a new position.

Rumble, rumble. Soon, a massive arched entrance revealed itself.

"……Huh?"

I stepped back without realizing it. I rubbed my eyes vigorously. Is it a hologram? No, I’m not wearing VR gear, so how can I see this with my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠naked eyes? 'The stories she made up…… weren't made up? The occult world, this is all real?'

As I stood frozen in a daze, Seo Jian reached out, walking past the entrance first. "What are you doing? Come on."

Bewitched, I followed her footsteps. An old wooden nameplate hung above the arch.

***

"Now, welcome. This is the 'Goblin Market'."

Crossing the entrance, a world completely different from the outside unfolded. A thick scent of incense that stung my nostrils and damp air rushed in. A massive underground arcade so large I wondered how such a space could exist in the middle of Seoul. Under bizarre, colorful lights, countless people were coming and going busily. From people dressed in suits to old men in worn-out traditional Korean clothing, and even people wearing black monk robes and horsehair hats.

"……."

I couldn't close my mouth. Bizarre items lined every stall. Antique-like swords, colorful talismans, animal bones, mysterious medicinal herbs. And in the hands of the people haggling as they walked between them.

Bundles of checks, gold bars, and coins of forms I’d never seen before were being exchanged.

'……This is all real?'

I, who had been staring at the ceiling of my studio apartment just a few days ago, was now standing in the middle of a Goblin Market hidden underground in the heart of Seoul.

'……Life is truly unpredictable.'