The Mansion Clearance Sale
Hanam-dong Street.
Kim Hwang-je gazed at the Gaya Group chairman Jo Chun-ki's mansion from a distance.
The feeling was very different from the last time he had come.
Back then, he had been amazed by the expensive golden pine trees planted around the well, the stairs, and the garden.
But now…
“…What the hell is that?”
A large banner hung from one of the expensive golden pines.
[Grand Reopening Event!]
[Warehouse Clearance! All Items 20% Off!]
[Our Great King Has Gone Mad!]
Why hang banners that belonged on a crumbling gray concrete building on those expensive golden pines?
And who was calling who crazy?
That wasn't all. Psychedelic lights danced across the ancient mansion, accompanied by EDM that clashed with the solemn forging music that once filled the halls.
“…But what exactly are they selling at a discount?”
“It seems they are clearing out inventory.”
Seo Jun-seo pressed lightly on his trembling eyes, even though he wasn't short on magnesium.
“Clearance?”
Kim Hwang-je, whose body remained young while his mind had aged prematurely from worrying about feeding his kingdom's citizens, suddenly recalled shopping at the supermarket with flyers in hand for green onions and pork.
He looked at the long line of people stretching from the entrance.
The queue was so long it wound through the entire neighborhood.
“Boss… Do you see that man over there?”
“Hm?”
Seo Jun-seo, hat pulled low, pointed at a man standing in line.
“…He is the youngest son of a chaebol family living nearby.”
“…”
“And over there… and there as well. Hunters and children of influential families are all standing in line.”
Just what were they selling that even these people were queuing up?
The hunters' faces were flushed with tension and excitement, and the noisy chatter from every corner of the neighborhood was enough to give anyone a headache.
Not only that, but a massive number of reporters and broadcasting vans had gathered, shoving cameras forward.
Police cars waited nearby with their lights flashing.
Listening to the interviews out of curiosity, he heard things like:
“I never expected such a wonderful win-win event from the Gaya Group!”
“Not only are they opening dungeons, they're selling off their household items at just 20% of the original price? What kind of chaebol does something like this?”
“Apparently some grateful genie-like fairies are doing it… They said to thank the Great King!”
“The Gaya Group chairman's nickname was the King of Garak, after all. Hohoho—”
Such interview snippets echoed from all directions.
Ah.
Jo Chun-ki really had rotten luck.
Even clapping with one hand makes no sound, but when coincidences piled up, the noise became deafening.
Of all things, he had to make his nickname “Great King.”
Kim Hwang-je looked up at the mansion.
Even just standing near the gate, the hunters' gazes were sharp, as if wary of anyone trying to cut the line.
If Seo Jun-seo, dressed in a suit beside him, hadn't been there, they would have seen him as competition.
Just then, a hunter emerged carrying a sofa on his back.
The leather sofa gleamed under the light.
“Uwooooh!”
“Waaaah!”
“A sofa! A sofa!”
“He scored big!”
The hunters erupted into chaos.
Kim Hwang-je also let out a genuine gasp from deep in his lungs.
What on earth were they selling?
“Hey, bro! Is that sofa real?”
“Of course! It's an Alex Number Five from a chaebol household.”
“No way, isn't that sofa worth 300 million won? How much did you pay?”
A young man tapped on his phone and replied.
“They said it's a warehouse clearance at 20% off! It's written right there. Too bad they only sell one per person… Ugh!”
The man quickly hoisted the sofa and dashed away.
Kim Hwang-je's jaw nearly dropped from sheer disbelief.
“Heh… heh heh heh…”
So they were really selling off everything in Jo Chun-ki's mansion?
This wasn't even like distributing enemy property during the Japanese colonial period—how could they just liquidate everything like this?!
“Ah, I want to buy something too! This line is never going to move!”
“What's taking so long inside? Just grab whatever and come out!”
The waiting people shouted in frustration, yet they still stood obediently in line.
A moment later, someone emerged carrying a massive speaker system on his back.
“Oh! It's the Charnel Gburinard Sound Office Full Race System!”
“This explanation-obsessed bastard, that's impressive? So how much is it?”
“900 million won!”
“Mister, you just bought yourself an apartment!”
“Ugh, my heart's racing. I hope my turn comes soon.”
Of course the chaebol heirs of Hanam-dong would line up when such items were available at 20% off.
They were selling off Jo Chun-ki's entire collection…
“Next customer! Two people!”
One of the Gujiga spirits stepped forward.
With a slightly receding hairline and wearing only an apron over his naked body (…), his lower half fortunately transformed into a rippling, lamp-genie-like shadow.
Overwhelmed by the surreal, supernatural atmosphere, greed burned in the hunters' eyes.
“Me! Me!”
“Yes! My turn too!”
Two hunters who had been waiting raised their hands and jumped excitedly as they entered.
A nearby policeman muttered in disbelief.
“There are no people in the mansion, only… genies?”
“Uh, Captain, are those really genies? They look a bit…”
“Then what, are they monsters? Huh? How could the Gaya Group, a major conglomerate, keep monsters in their house? They must be summons! Besides, aren't genies originally naked old men? Or are you discriminating against bald people?”
“No, no. On second thought, it fits perfectly. That hair is just decoration. Of course.”
The young officer desperately tried to flatter his balding superior.
Thinking about it, that made sense.
People trapped by animation stereotypes and prejudices needed to reflect on themselves.
“If they're fake, we're screwed. Do you think the Gaya Group security or the government would just leave them alone? That's the Gaya Group headquarters. It's swarming with an armed organization on par with SWAT.”
From the Senate to the strike teams.
If any problem arose, Gaya Group hunters stationed nationwide would swarm in at a speed incomparable to regular police.
Central command naturally belonged to the Gaya Group Strategic Management Office.
Thus, the police simply accepted this quiet madness as an ordinary reality.
But Kim Hwang-je, who knew the inside story, turned to Seo Jun-seo in disbelief.
“The Gaya Group is really not saying anything?”
“Yes, they remain silent as of now. The Gaya Group organization is maintaining silence.”
“What is this, some country that suffered a coup…? Wait, what day is it today?”
Kim Hwang-je pulled out his phone and checked.
Then he realized.
The Gujiga dance inside the dungeon still hadn't ended.
The Gaya Group Strategic Management Office, the Senate, and their various armed organizations that had entered with Jo Chun-ki were still trapped inside.
And the Gujiga Village that had fallen from the sky had subdued all the personnel here.
“This is… really a coup. Wait a second, if that's the case, let's disguise ourselves and go in.”
“Boss?”
Kim Hwang-je and Seo Jun-seo teleported away and reappeared.
They now wore the appearance of Jo Chun-ki himself!
Kim Hwang-je hid his face with a hood and stepped forward, shouting loudly.
“I'm here!”
“He came out, pfft…”
“Who's that guy? A hunter?”
“Is he staff?”
Kim Hwang-je was certain.
The genies wouldn't miss it.
Even if it felt awkward at first, they wouldn't fail to notice the crown.
Kim Hwang-je shouted again.
“It's me!”
Finally, the hunters at the front of the line exploded.
“Hey, you! Get in line properly! Do you think we're all idiots who won't stop line cutters?”
“Yeah! If you don't want to get beaten to a pulp, just—”
They glared and gripped their weapons.
Clang—
Rumble!
Just then, the firmly closed gate swung open, and the sound of something rolling down from afar echoed.
Wasn't that a rolled-up red carpet unfurling as it rolled out?
The carpet stopped precisely in front of Kim Hwang-je.
Then, twenty fairies emerged, rolling like cotton candy, and lined up ten on each side.
This was the reception ceremony usually seen in dramas when a chaebol chairman visited headquarters.
“…Uh…”
“…What?”
The chaotic psychedelic music cut off abruptly, and the noisy hunters fell completely silent.
The ten Gujiga spirits lined up on both sides simultaneously bowed their heads deeply.
“Great King! Welcome!”
The voices rang out in unison.
Exactly as expected.
Kim Hwang-je then dramatically removed his hood for all to see.
Jo Chun-ki's figure appeared, with his salt-and-pepper white hair.
“Gasp! Chairman!”
“Chairman! Please say a word!”
Pandemonium broke out.
As reporters rushed forward, the Gujiga spirits blocked them with their massive bodies.
“Heh heh, enjoy the win-win event.”
Kim Hwang-je spoke solemnly and stepped inside.
The genies hurriedly erected a human curtain to block the view.
Kim Hwang-je entered, and the door closed.
Then one Gujiga spirit shouted loudly.
“Hey! Everyone! Our master has arrived! We will receive the Great King's command and open the gates again, so please wait a moment!”
When a giant spirit the size of an ogre blocked the main gate and spoke, the hunters clicked their tongues but obediently pulled out chairs and set them on the ground.
Some even set up personal tents.
“Ah, so it really was the chairman? Well then, we should wait.”
“Chairman! Thank you! You'll be blessed, I'm sure! Absolutely!”
Indeed.
These weren't mere early adopters—they were true naturals who camped out in dungeons.
There was no reason they couldn't camp on Hanam-dong streets with heated floors installed.
The policeman sighed deeply.
Since the chairman himself had come, this was real.
When would this chaos finally end?
He needed to go home…
Honey…
***
When Kim Hwang-je entered the building, the first thing he saw was Jo Chun-ki's mansion, looking as though thieves had swept through it.
The spirits had driven out all remaining guests.
“Whew, it seems they've fooled everyone.”
His entire body, starting from his salt-and-pepper hair, transformed back.
The chandeliers decorated with jewels had all been taken, leaving the interior pitch black.
Someone had even removed the fireplace entirely (how had they managed that?).
Decorations, artworks, expensive tableware, and jewelry—everything had been bought up.
Whenever someone scraped together an old-looking jar or antique that others hadn't claimed yet, a genie would process the payment.
Cash only. Checks and cards were not accepted.
“This is where that guy told me to kill myself.”
Kim Hwang-je clicked his tongue at the empty reception room, its table long gone.
The table must have been expensive.
Then the spirits huddled together, whispering.
“Yes, as expected, the Great King desired the table! We should have offered it first.”
“What do we do!? Are we going to be punished?”
“No, who's going to punish you… And you don't even have butts right now, do you?”
“Should we make some?”
“Shut up!”
What kind of sophistry was this—spirits that would grow butts if told to?
“By the way, how did you set the prices?”
“Eh?? Your Majesty. These days, even elderly people play StarCraft in senior centers. Moreover, as Korean-born spirits, how could we not know how to use the internet? If you ask Google, it tells you everything. How much is this~?”
The spirit pointed at the table with his phone and spoke.
The phone answered.
“Yes. This table is a work by author Ma Jong-seok, valued at 340 million won.”
“See?”
Kim Hwang-je found the phone in the spirit's hand more fascinating than the table itself.
“Hey, spirit, where did you get that phone? Are you going to pull out an ID next?”
“Hehe, Your Majesty. Even if I'm a fairy, how could I obtain an ID?”
Kim Hwang-je stared silently.
Intimidated by that gaze, the spirit pouted.
“Ah, this. The dancing folks looked tired, so I helped them.”
“Helped them?”
“I lightened their load! When dancing, one should only dance. That's the way of dance.”
Bringing up “the way” now?
“You're just dressing up theft in fancy words.”
“Hehe. Great King. How could we dare to be fancy in front of Your Majesty? We're embarrassed.”
That wasn't a compliment!
The spirit showed him a large box filled with phones.
“Well, well. Now I know why no one was answering calls.”
All the Strategic Management Office phones were in there.
Then the spirit spread his hand wide, and his fingerprints kept changing.
He had collected every single fingerprint.
“Well done, well done. How are you so good at stealing?”
“Hehehe, thank you. We got to become kings because we're good at this!”
Even if he said it wasn't a compliment, it was meaningless.
Well, these spirits who obtained a king through threats…
Maybe he should take one of the thick-fingered ones and make him study.
Anyway, Kim Hwang-je narrowed his eyes.
“Now then, what should I do with these phones to earn some praise?”
It was a mutter to himself, but Seo Jun-seo flinched.
Whatever it was, it would be Seo Jun-seo's job to handle.