24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 39

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Dimensional Item Specialty 24-Hour Friendly Market Episode 39

Episode 39. Lee Hae Universe (3)

Alessandro, who had been standing guard in front of the information center door, spoke quietly.

“You’re here. Just one person as requested.”

The time for the decisive battle had arrived.

“Huuu…”

I let out a long sigh and steeled my resolve.

I had acted incredibly cocky to avoid showing my nervousness, but remembering that my opponent was a human of unknown identity made me regret it belatedly.

But since I had already become an unprecedented show-off, this was all a disaster I had brought upon myself.

Knock- Knock- Knock-

Three monotonous and slow, steady knocks.

The unhurried sound of knocking conveyed the other party’s composure, which only made me more anxious.

However, since I had dared to adopt the insane concept of claiming to have a “fainting condition” against Park Ji-woon, I had to be more confident than anyone else while inside the information center.

‘…Is that even possible?’

Am I thinking too positively about this?

Suddenly feeling anxious, I looked up at Alessandro and said,

“Alessandro, if it looks like I’m about to be killed, you have to save me.”

This giant man was the only safety net I could rely on.

But despite my pitiful expression, Alessandro spoke firmly with a helpless tone.

“…I can’t use aura in here either.”

‘This man, really…’

I enlightened him to reality more firmly.

“If I die, Alessandro won’t have a home either.”

“I’ll save you no matter what happens.”

The homeless man nodded solemnly.

A bodyguard for any contingency – prepared.

A mask and robe to conceal my identity – prepared.

Mental preparation… wasn’t complete, but anyway, I was ready for a meeting with Park Ji-woon.

I took a deep breath and nodded at Alessandro.

Click.

As the information center door opened, cold air flowed inside.

And at the same time, someone’s voice was heard.

“Are you the administrator?”

A monotone voice that seemed unaffected by the unilateral appointment-like arrangement.

Even the gaze looking at me seemed emotionless.

I pretended to be nonchalant, raised my voice cheerfully, and stepped toward the doorway.

“You’re right on time, exactly 5 o’clock?”

“It’s an important meeting, after all.”

Park Ji-woon’s first impression, slowly blinking his eyes, was surprisingly very ordinary.

No, the expression “a civil servant worn down by work” would be more accurate.

His dark circles seemed to flow endlessly downward, piercing through the floor and reaching Earth’s core.

He looked like my friend Guk Min-seong just before quitting – someone who had joined the Babel Management Bureau burning with patriotism only to flee.

Sharp features with sunken cheeks, drowsy eyes, short stature with a thin build.

Park Ji-woon, standing there wearing only a black suit without any weapons as I had requested in my letter, looked less like an S-rank Hunter and more like a civil servant who couldn’t go home.

‘Wait, something looks different?’

Observing Park Ji-woon carefully, I noticed he had come without his glasses and gloves that he usually wore like totems.

Those must have counted as weapons too.

It meant he was fully complying with my proposal, having left behind even weapons I hadn’t noticed.

I turned my head slightly toward Alessandro to confirm.

The reliable bearded man sent a light signal with his eyes.

While we were secretly exchanging glances on the boundary between life and death, Park Ji-woon spoke first.

“May we go inside now?”

“Of course! Please come in! Was the journey here difficult?”

When I greeted him with a deliberately bright voice, Park Ji-woon hesitated.

His dry, emotionless eyes stared at me for a moment.

Just as I was analyzing him, he was probably analyzing me meticulously too.

Moreover, since my letter matched my actual way of speaking, he must have been quite flustered.

‘Or not.’

Actually, that’s just my wishful thinking.

There was no change in expression, so I couldn’t read anything.

Of course, since I was covered from head to toe, he probably couldn’t figure out anything about me except that I was a woman.

Anyway, I had to act calm and natural.

“It was fine. I was surprised that time was tighter than expected, though.”

“I’m busy too. Since you must be busy as well, Section Chief, shall we get straight to the point?”

“Right.”

“Please sit! It’s tiring to talk while standing.”

When I casually pointed to a chair, Park Ji-woon moved slowly.

From his cautious attitude, I could predict that this man was a higher difficulty quest than Lee Hwa-yeon.

To think I’d miss Lee Hwa-yeon, who had tried to kidnap me – Park Ji-woon, what exactly are you…

“But you really came alone? And left all your weapons behind too.”

“Isn’t it natural to follow the conditions?”

“Right! Promises exist to be kept. That’s why I came out like this too.”

Park Ji-woon stared at me intently.

He blinked very slowly – it was closer to a long, drawn-out blink than a normal one.

He was someone whose every action was slow and deliberate.

After staring at me intently for a while, Park Ji-woon opened his mouth.

“Are you the administrator of Friendly Market?”

“Of course. Who else besides me could open the information center door?”

“That’s true. But I need to confirm.”

“Mm, I understand. But is there any verification more certain than meeting inside the information center?”

“It’s a fascinating ability.”

“Right? I think so too!”

When I answered cheerfully like someone with a screw loose, Park Ji-woon’s brow, which had shown no change, furrowed slightly.

“What should I call you?”

“Mm, just Administrator? I’ll call you Section Chief too. Calling each other by name is a bit embarrassing, isn’t it?”

“…I didn’t come here to play word games.”

Displeased with the flow of conversation, Park Ji-woon muttered quietly.

His appearance wasn’t scary at all, but was I getting nervous because of an S-rank Hunter’s aura?

Even if that were the case, the attitude I needed to take was clear.

“Does this seem like word games to you?”

I spoke firmly and tilted my head.

Though my tone might seem playful to him, I was serious.

I had no intention of giving Park Ji-woon any information about “Lee Hae-won,” let alone “Lee Hae.”

‘Ah shit, I’m nervous.’

Of course, I couldn’t help but feel nervous.

I moved my hand inside the robe to carefully wipe away the sweat.

To be honest, not only Chae Geun-dam, but even Lee Hwa-yeon had been easy opponents to deal with.

Lee Hwa-yeon went around laughing heartily, and Chae Geun-dam was straightforward and easy to read, but Park Ji-woon in front of me was completely different.

I had no idea what he was thinking or what calculations were running through his head.

Up until now, I’d only met people who were easy to take advantage of, but it seems my luck has finally run out.

“Do you know what position you’re currently in?”

“I do. An ability user who turned Wolpae, which had been stuck in 7th place forever, into a pioneer of the Tower in one fell swoop, the owner of a miraculous ability to construct buildings inside the Tower where buildings cannot be built, and an administrator whose identity no one knows.”

When I answered immediately, Park Ji-woon’s eyebrows twitched.

I consider myself fairly good at viewing situations objectively.

No, to be honest, I’ve become quite skilled at assessing situations.

Perhaps my answer was too accurate, as Park Ji-woon slightly twisted his lips.

“So, why did you summon me?”

“Summon? I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Ah, it said ‘attendance request form’ on it. I couldn’t sleep for days because I was so scared.”

“……”

Park Ji-woon just tilted his head quietly again without any response.

‘Ah, this person is really exhausting.’

Since there’s no response at all, the crazy woman gauge I’d carefully charged up is gradually decreasing.

Just wait until I meet this guy again.

If I meet him one more time, I won’t be Lee Hae-won but Hae-won Martinez.

……Still, being able to lead conversations naturally in situations like this would be a virtue of a Friendly Market owner.

I pretended to be completely unaffected and calmly opened my mouth.

“So, what exactly did I do wrong?”

Park Ji-woon looked at me intently as if asking whether I really didn’t know.

It seemed like a gaze meant to create some tension, but unfortunately, it had no effect on me whatsoever.

“Yes?”

When I asked again cheerfully, Park Ji-woon let out a low sigh.

Then after a long pause, he opened his mouth.

“Friendly Market independently established a shopping district on the 50th Floor and selectively allowed companies to move in without government permission. Among the companies you allowed in, some are on the Babel Management Bureau’s blacklist.”

Blacklist?

I hid my flustered expression behind the mask.

‘I didn’t know about that.’

Among the 50 companies, I have no idea which ones might be problematic.

Do I need to screen the character of company representatives like it’s an idol survival show……?

Unaware of my sense of injustice, Park Ji-woon continued.

“Furthermore, both ‘Babel Square’ and ‘Bamanjang Store’ were established without government permission. You’re probably well aware that the 25th Floor operates under Babel Management Bureau rules……”

I’m not particularly curious about bureaucratic explanations like that.

‘And there’s a very critical error here!’

I urgently interrupted him.

“Wait, hold on. I’m an administrator certified by Babel. Isn’t it rather the Babel Management Bureau that’s arbitrarily claiming the Tower as state property? The Tower of Babel isn’t even national territory, is it?”

The South Korean government seems to naturally think of it as national territory, but from my perspective, it’s clearly a setting error.

However, even at my legitimate point, Park Ji-woon remained unmoved.

He just slowly blinked and stared at me.

‘What exactly are you trying to do?’

A man in his 30s staring at me intensely isn’t going to change the facts.

“You said the Babel Management Bureau is managing the Tower of Babel ‘without permission.'”

As if carefully choosing his words, Park Ji-woon began lightly tapping the table.

In the quiet information center, there was now only the rhythmic noise and Alessandro’s burning gaze.

Park Ji-woon slowly leaned back and added.

“That’s not true.”

“Oh, is that so?”

At this completely unknown fact, I grimaced under the mask.

“Because there’s someone who was asked by Babel to manage the order of the Tower.”

I was about to ask who that was but closed my mouth.

Right now, as the mysterious and enigmatic Lee Hae-won, I shouldn’t show signs of panic here and should probe instead.

“So it’s management by proxy. And that would be Executive Director Park Ji-woon, wouldn’t it?”

Park Ji-woon didn’t answer.

But I knew, and all South Korean citizens knew, that Park Ji-woon was the only person capable enough to be entrusted with managing the Tower of Babel by the Babel Management Bureau.

Park Ji-woon probably expected to be suspected once he brought up the topic.

Instead of answering, Park Ji-woon brought up something else.

“Since information about Friendly Market wasn’t conveyed to that ‘management proxy,’ wouldn’t it rather be that Friendly Market didn’t receive Babel’s permission?”

“Maybe it just hasn’t been delivered yet?”

“They didn’t know about you.”

“Who didn’t?”

Park Ji-woon slowly blinked once more.

At the same time, a red aura seemed to appear in his eyes, and Park Ji-woon quietly muttered.

“Those who watch over the Tower of Babel.”

Huh.

I was genuinely flustered.

I couldn’t even respond to the unexpected words.

‘Was this a constellation story?’

I thought it was just an ordinary tower climbing story?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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