An Expensive Misunderstanding
"It is exceedingly grand."
Asin's head turned this way and that.
The ceiling was so high it seemed distant, and the lights were so bright they made her eyes sting, though they couldn't actually hurt her.
It was so sparkling and chaotic that one might wonder if this was what heaven was like.
"Tell me about it..."
Noel hadn't been able to lower his head since they walked in.
It was a place to buy things, but it looked like some kind of temple.
No, even a temple wouldn't be this extravagant.
His eyes were dizzy.
And why were there so many people?
Where there were many people, there were also many ghosts, so he narrowed his eyes slightly.
The noise felt doubled—no, quadrupled.
Noel's eyes followed Yeong-hyeon.
He was looking around in wonder.
"Have you never been here either, brother?"
-I've been to big supermarkets a few times, but I've never been to a place like this. Our parents both worked, and I was always busy working too.
Yeong-hyeon giggled as he looked at Noel.
-I never thought we'd come to a place like this together.
"Are you having fun too, brother?"
-Of course.
Yeong-hyeon smiled, swallowing the words that almost slipped out.
He missed his family.
He didn't know why, but the feeling had suddenly washed over him.
Afraid his true feelings would show, Yeong-hyeon quickly changed the subject.
-But Noel, why did we come here?
"I heard this place just finished construction and is the hot new spot. I was curious. Besides, now that I've made some money, I should spend it. Don't you think?"
-What is it that you wish to purchase?
Asin asked.
To her eyes, Noel didn't seem to have much greed for material things.
He simply seemed pleased to receive proper compensation for his work.
"Just whatever catches my eye while looking around? I've always wanted to do something like this. Oh, I do want to buy a game console. I wonder if they have them here."
-What did I say you need at times like this?
At Yeong-hyeon's question, Noel pulled out his phone and gave it a light shake.
He had told him to search it up if he didn't know.
Asin watched them with a strange look in her eyes.
She knew there was an unspoken understanding between the two of them that she couldn't quite grasp.
How peculiar.
It was as if Yeong-hyeon was teaching Noel things one by one before he set off on a very long journey.
Asin looked away from the two of them and scanned the surroundings.
I feel a remarkably familiar power.
It wasn't on this floor, but perhaps somewhere higher up.
Looking upward, Asin saw someone approaching Noel.
They didn't seem to harbor any ill intentions.
"Greetings."
Noel stared at the man who greeted him so warmly for three seconds before bowing his head in return.
He had no idea who this was.
"I am an employee here, sent on behalf of Mr. Shin Jang-yul."
The man carefully handed over a business card, mentioning the name.
My secretary has contacted them, so they will serve you with the utmost sincerity.
...Ah, so that's what he meant?
Noel's mouth hung open slightly.
This kind of treatment was incredibly awkward.
Wasn't it already a massive profit for him to have rented the first and second floors of his building for practically nothing?
I freed him from an evil spirit, and that should have been the end of it.
Noel raised an eyebrow.
He had received what he was owed, and he had delivered what was promised.
Could it be?
...Ah, hell. I can't even read fortunes.
How was he supposed to know the future?
Unless they were actual fortune-tellers, other shamans didn't clearly know the future either.
Even in the videos he'd watched, they always spoke in vague, ambiguous terms.
If anything, they seemed much better at guessing the past than the future.
He shouldn't be expecting that from me.
Tsk.
Noel pursed his lips.
"I ask for your understanding for wearing plain clothes. I worried that wearing an employee uniform and name tag might disrupt your shopping experience."
Though he didn't bow excessively low, the employee's greeting was deeply polite.
"Please pay no mind to me and enjoy your shopping at your leisure."
"Aren't you going to keep following me, though?"
"I will do my absolute best to remain unobtrusive."
Noel was about to say more but stopped himself.
The man's gaze, attitude, and tone were consistently respectful.
If he complained to him here, he felt like he would be the one looking strange.
Since the man said he would stay out of the way, Noel decided to just ignore him.
However, there was one thing he was curious about.
"Brother. People don't usually tag along like this when you shop, right?"
He asked, looking directly at Yeong-hyeon.
He might look like a crazy person to others, but he was simply curious about the employee's reaction.
-Of course not. That Shin Jang-yul guy must be incredibly rich. I've seen this kind of thing in dramas, but it's my first time seeing it in real life too.
Listening to Yeong-hyeon's answer, Noel glanced at the employee.
He was quiet.
The employee acted as if he weren't even there, pretending he hadn't heard a single thing.
Impressive.
"Ah, I need to start watching dramas too."
Noel spoke casually as he began to walk.
Right now, he was focusing on adapting.
Sometimes, the knowledge of the two worlds overlapped so closely that it caused him confusion.
The reason he had asked Yeong-hyeon just now was because, although he hadn't experienced it himself, such a thing was common in his original world.
There was a caste system there, and slaves existed.
As long as one had money, people would turn a blind eye to how many servants they ordered around.
-Once we get back home, this big brother of yours will draw up a list of absolute masterpieces.
Yeong-hyeon proudly pointed a thumb at himself.
"Then let's watch them with Asin too."
-I have already been watching them. I, too, shall offer you my recommendations.
Noel was somewhat shocked by Asin's revelation.
What? Am I... the only one left behind by civilization?
-While you slept, I often watched them alongside Yeong-hyeon.
At her subsequent words, Noel glared at the two of them with a disgruntled expression.
How petty. They could have woken me up to watch together.
As Noel quickened his pace, both Asin and Yeong-hyeon burst into laughter.
"...Mmm."
Noel watched a small wooden factory model in motion.
Lights flickered on, and it repeated the same movements over and over, but it was more than enough to capture his attention.
Yeong-hyeon called it a "wood puzzle."
It was quite expensive, but the price didn't matter.
Some were shaped like books, with highly detailed three-dimensional scenes inside, while others had a flower in the center that spun continuously.
Noel briefly shifted his gaze to the left.
Outside the shop, the employee was holding his shopping bags, pretending to wait for someone.
His quick wits and natural way of taking the bags off Noel's hands were truly impressive.
It certainly is convenient.
Especially since one of his arms was currently injured.
I should just buy this and head home.
He couldn't keep pretending not to notice the employee forever, and he had already bought plenty.
A game console, some clothes...
He had walked and walked, blending into the peaceful, bustling atmosphere, and this was the place he had been drawn into.
-This is remarkably fascinating.
Asin also stepped closer, staring intently.
-Right?
An elderly man sitting quietly in the shop smiled with a warm, gentle face.
-Of course. There are so many truly beautiful things here.
Yeong-hyeon replied with a smile of his own.
Weaving effortlessly through the gathered crowd to look around, Yeong-hyeon caught sight of the price tag and gasped.
-...Gasp!
He had thought they were gorgeous and intricate, but they easily cost well over a hundred thousand won.
It wasn't even his money, but his heart fluttered at the cost.
That's really expensive.
-There are many interesting things to see here.
The old man gently approached Noel.
"Is there something you want?"
When Noel asked, the old man shook his head.
-I merely plan to stay a little longer before I go. Before this place became so grand, my shop used to be here. I ran a small stationery store. I loved watching people browse and smile, so I kept lingering, and before I knew it, winter had returned once more.
Was it a lingering attachment?
These were the best kinds of ghosts.
They were kind and quiet, knowing they would soon move on to the afterlife.
-There are a few items that people buy quite often. May I recommend them to you?
"Price is no object, so please choose for me."
-It has been a long time since I felt this joyful. It truly brings back memories of when I still had my shop.
As the old man moved, Noel followed.
-Back then, I wasn't happy. Every moment was so sorrowful.
"Why is that?"
At the question, the old man replied happily, perhaps surprised that Noel would even ask.
-I couldn't earn as much as others, nor could I live as respectably. I constantly resented my socks with holes and my worn-out shoes.
-Because you felt like it was your fault, Grandfather?
When Yeong-hyeon asked gently, the old man nodded.
-Since a tiny stationery store was all I had to my name my entire life, I felt as though my wife and children looked upon me with resentment.
He hadn't been able to dress them in nice clothes like others did.
He hadn't been able to take them out for a decent meal.
Having nothing else to give, he had simply smiled a little more and hugged them a little tighter.
-But life, you see, is much like these puzzles. I only realized that when I died.
The old man pointed to a wooden puzzle.
-The tiny things we give and receive, piece by piece, come together to form something truly magnificent. I was actually quite a wonderful person. Before I passed, my wife and children told me so.
Where the old man stopped, there was a wooden puzzle of two cats holding hands and spinning around, illuminated by a soft light from behind.
-If only I had known that sooner, I wouldn't have spent those days in sorrow. I would have rejoiced with all my heart. I would have smiled for them much more.
Looking at the old man's gentle smile, Yeong-hyeon quietly gazed at him.
He looked like someone who had cast off all his burdens.
-...Oh dear, I got carried away because I was so happy. People seem to buy this one and that one the most.
The old man pointed at the wooden puzzles.
While Noel was picking them out one by one, the old man looked at Yeong-hyeon.
He stepped closer and gently took Yeong-hyeon's hand.
-You, too, must have lived a splendid life, young man. Just like the spring.
It was a sudden remark, but it brought tears to Yeong-hyeon's eyes.
Spring.
Was there any word more beautiful to describe a life cut so short?
"...Huh?"
A slightly familiar voice caught his ear, but Noel remained seated and didn't look back.
His legs ached terribly, and it certainly wasn't the employee he was waiting for.
In times like this, it was best to sip coffee and pretend not to notice.
-It was you! No wonder I felt a familiar power lingering about!
At Asin's delighted voice, Noel finally turned his head.
Huh...?
A familiar face came into view.
An elderly woman was looking at him with a noble, dignified posture.
It was the Guardian Deity he had met at Sumi's Side Dish Shop.
Hadn't she helped Asin find her sacred sword?
-It is good to see you, and you as well, child.
The Guardian Deity responded with a warm smile.
-No wonder the energy felt so familiar. To think it was you! How long has it been!
Asin rushed over, embracing the Guardian Deity with a bright laugh.
They knew each other?
Seeing Asin so happy, Noel couldn't help but smile too.
"Excuse me."
Only then did Noel turn his head to look at the woman calling out to him.
She was holding a couple of shopping bags.
He had far more bags than her, which was why the employee had asked him to wait here briefly while he prepared everything so they could head home comfortably.
"Yes?"
"Back then, that line-cutter... I mean, we met at Sumi's Side Dish Shop, didn't we?"
Though she corrected herself mid-sentence, the woman's expression was bright.
She didn't seem to have any ulterior motives.
Since Asin clearly liked her Guardian Deity, it would be better to get along with her rather than be hostile.
"Yes. It wasn't line-cutting, but I did tell you to throw away that large mirror in your house. Did you throw it away?"
At Noel's words, the woman slid into the seat next to him.
"Honestly, I felt incredibly uneasy the moment I heard that."
The corners of her eyes curved upward.
"Understandably so."
"But I did throw it away."
"You did well."
"Do you know what happened after I threw it out?"
Instead of answering immediately, Noel looked at the Guardian Deity.
She looked flustered.
-My apologies. The child is terribly impatient.
-Setting that aside, shouldn't you tell us why you told her to discard the mirror?
-Ah.
Hesitating for a moment at Asin's words, the Guardian Deity nodded and spoke.
-...One day, she received it as a gift. Though the child was pleased with it, there was something sinister attached to the mirror. I cannot tell if it was flawed from the moment of its creation, or if the one who gifted it had tampered with it.
Sometimes, there were objects like that.
During delivery, during manufacturing, or, as the Guardian Deity said, when it was gifted, something malevolent could attach itself to it.
Since such things were invisible to the naked eye, they would enter a home, gleefully spreading negative energy and tearing families apart.
If it was intentional, that's incredibly malicious.
Noel clicked his tongue inwardly.
It could easily become a slow, traceless murder.
"I stopped having nightmares. And I stopped suddenly tripping over nothing, too. Before, it always felt like someone was grabbing my ankles right before I fell."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"By any chance, are you a shaman?"
"Yes."
Noel answered, glancing briefly at the Guardian Deity.
She held the woman's hand again.
-Child. Do not speak of me. She must not know. It must remain so.
"You seemed to be in some kind of trouble, so I wanted to help if I could."
Noel smiled warmly.
"Thank you. And I'm sorry for shouting at you back then. As a token of my gratitude, let me buy you something. I don't care how much it costs."
The woman spoke with determination, waiting for Noel's response.
But Noel could buy whatever he wanted himself.
More than that, I'm concerned about her Guardian Deity.
It seemed the Guardian Deity's troubles hadn't been fully resolved yet.
He figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a Guardian Deity owe him a favor.
"In that case, could you tell me who gave you that mirror? You don't have to tell me right this second."
Thinking of the Guardian Deity, Noel pulled out his phone and typed his number into a memo app.
"This is my number. Let me know whenever it comes to mind."
The woman blinked in surprise, then quickly pulled out her phone to save the number.
-...Child, thank you. Perhaps heaven itself guided our meeting.
The Guardian Deity's voice sounded quite profound.
His guess might have been correct.
-Do not merely offer empty thanks; prepare a handsome reward. You know as well as I do that there is no other child who can see and hear us as clearly as he does.
Asin spoke proudly to the Guardian Deity.
She wanted to boast a little, but she wasn't just saying it to show off.
It was the absolute truth.
-Of course I know. That is why, even though I knew the child might be startled when we first met, I could not help but speak to him.
Before the Guardian Deity could even finish her sentence, Noel stood up.
The employee was rushing back toward him.
"Well then."
Noel followed the employee out.
...Whoa. What in the world? He must be incredibly famous.
How much money would someone have to spend to get this kind of treatment?
Otherwise, there was no way an employee would be escorting him like this.
She couldn't even begin to fathom just how famous of a person he was.
Her trust in him, which had already been building, skyrocketed.
The woman immediately saved Noel's phone number.
I was already feeling uneasy because of that mirror, so this is perfect. Should I ask him for a fortune reading too? I wonder if... it's expensive?
The woman smiled happily.
She couldn't believe such an opportunity had come her way.