24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 79

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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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24-Hour Friendly Market Specializing in Dimensional Items Episode 79

Episode 79. A Damn Unlucky Day (2)

‘Is she crazy?’

Ah, this isn’t my thought but me reading Nam Pureum’s expression.

She seems to have decided that I’ve gone crazy, unable to believe what a measly E-rank who’d die from a single poke just said to her.

I don’t know when or how it’ll happen, but I firmly believed that Park Jiun, whom I’ve made my reliable backing, would handle this situation well, so I raised my voice once more.

“You barge into someone else’s house, eat their potato chips, and then threaten them?”

Nam Pureum’s expression, which had been dry and emotionless throughout, twisted strangely.

“…What are you-“

“I’m the one who wants to ask what you’re doing! Don’t you know this is trespassing?!”

When I widened my eyes and shouted, Nam Pureum’s mouth gaped open.

She looked like she didn’t know how to react since she’d never been scolded before.

But to confess the truth, I also had no memory of scolding anyone.

I was always the one being scolded and criticized, never having tried to act like an adult.

Here were only someone who had never scolded others in their life and someone who had never been scolded.

I recalled several memories of being scolded by others to more vividly imitate scolding someone.

When I was 17 and tied up a flasher with rope and hung him on a telephone pole, what expression did Brother use when he scolded me?

“You just became an adult, do you want to ruin your life?! What confidence do you have to barge into someone’s house and act so brazenly!”

What about when I was 19 and publicly executed a classmate who drew vulgar graffiti in their textbook?

“You don’t look repentant at all, won’t you come to your senses?”

What about when I was 22 and put up a protest poster at the cafe that kept delaying my paycheck with a nice face?

“You!”

As various memories came flooding back, I was soon consumed by perfect rage.

I never knew that living through all those shitty experiences would be helpful at a time like this.

I didn’t care whether what was in front of me was Karma’s guild leader, an S-rank Hunter, Nam Pureum, or anyone else.

‘I’m suddenly really pissed off.’

Do I look easy?

Not just her, but why has everyone been treating me like that all this time?

I shouted loudly as if pouring out all the resentment of my life.

“What were you thinking when you did something like this!”

It was loud enough to split the studio apartment in half.

When I berated her to that extent, Nam Pureum muttered with an expression that showed she didn’t know what to do.

“Uh…”

“Speak properly!”

“No, well…”

Nam Pureum, who had been gaping with a bewildered tone, squeezed her eyes shut and opened them.

Nam Pureum’s facial expression was definitely more relaxed than when we first met, and my tension eased a little as well.

Unlike the first impression of being a strong and infinitely distant existence, Nam Pureum was now showing extremely human reactions.

She looked exactly like a girl her age, I suppose.

I deliberately ignored the fear still breathing in one corner and shouted even louder.

“You need to finish your sentences, are you a little kid?!”

Nam Pureum pressed her lips tightly together.

Small in stature with an expressionless face, Nam Pureum, who had hidden her emotions again, stared at me with cold eyes.

Her aura was sharp enough to make me wonder if she had been holding back until now.

‘Really, this little…’

An opponent not to be underestimated just because she’s young.

No matter how much I have Park Jiun as my backing or hold an EX-rank title, reality is reality.

This isn’t a safe zone.

If Nam Pureum swings her hand once right now, I could die just like that.

Perhaps because I dared to lecture an S-rank Hunter, my legs were trembling.

If I had some kind of mental control function like protagonists in novels, it would be different, but unfortunately, my heart without such a function was pounding like crazy.

However, at that moment, I caught a subtle change in Nam Pureum’s dry expression.

‘She’s right now…’

She still has a cold aura.

But something’s strange.

Excluding the fact that she’s an S-rank Hunter, considering that Nam Pureum is 20 years old, her aura is somewhat ambiguous.

I tried to hide my frightened appearance while staring intently at Nam Pureum’s face.

Her lips were sticking out strangely.

The kind where she doesn’t particularly want to show it, but it shows because she’s not skilled at hiding it.

So, in one word…

‘She’s sulking!’

Shocking.

Nam Pureum is sulking!

What did I even say to make the youngest S-rank Hunter sulk!

Once I realized it, the emotions reflected on Nam Pureum’s smooth face became transparently visible.

She can’t believe she got scolded, feels somewhat wronged, is annoyed but still thinks she should listen since the other person is an adult – exactly that expression!

It was the ordinary appearance of a 20-year-old, completely opposite to her reputation as an S-rank Hunter.

It was completely different from what I’d seen in the media.

Until now, Nam Pureum had only ever quietly maintained her position wherever she was.

Despite having a small build and cat-like features that would be called cute, many said she looked gloomy due to her title ‘Silent Executioner.’

Moreover, her gaze when staring at cameras was coldly inappropriate for her age, so everyone considered Nam Pureum a born Awakened.

Only the relatively human rumor that she liked potato chips seemed appropriate for her age; excluding that, she appeared to be the very embodiment of an overwhelming S-rank Hunter.

However, the current Nam Pureum showed an innocent side that seemed like she would obediently apologize if asked, or rather, bow her head politely with both hands clasped in front if scolded.

‘Should I smooth things over and send her away at this point?’

Just as I was about to open my mouth to do so, Nam Pureum’s past history briefly came to mind.

Nam Pureum has a dark past that forced her to lose her expressions.

Isn’t there something called an imprinting effect?

If I were to eliminate Nam Pureum’s bratty attitude and play the role of a good adult, the disaster of Nam Pureum remembering me as a truly good person might occur.

‘That absolutely can’t happen!’

I changed my mind.

I don’t want to get entangled with any more celebrities.

Even if I’m the head of a giant corporation wielding the Tower of Babel, even if I revealed information to Park Jiun in exchange for information, having another new person get involved is burdensome.

Especially if it’s Nam Pureum, whom I haven’t even properly figured out!

I firmly decided on my course and raised my trembling hand.

Then I dared to slap the S-rank Hunter’s shoulder and said.

“Get out!”

“…Huh?”

“Get out right now, how shameless!”

Nam Pureum was lightly pushed back with a bewildered face.

She had a blank expression as if she’d completely forgotten about restraining me with dark violet mana earlier.

I forcibly chased the small 20-year-old girl out to the front door.

“Wait…”

Nam Pureum, who had been dragged out while unable to do anything, muttered in confusion.

“Wait for what, get out! Before I call the police, don’t ever do something like this again!”

She couldn’t even continue speaking at my firm voice saying I wouldn’t let it slide.

I picked up the work boots neatly placed in the shoe rack and shoved them into Nam Pureum’s arms.

The white feet blinked in confusion at the suddenly reversed situation.

I delivered an ultimatum to her like someone truly angry.

“I’m only letting this slide because you’re young!”

Then I slammed the front door shut forcefully, as if I had no interest whatsoever in the frozen Nam Pureum.

So loud it made a banging sound.

I held my breath in that position.

Only after confirming through the door scope that Nam Pureum stood there dazed before leaving did I finally relax.

“Haa…”

I let out a groan and slumped down in the entryway.

My legs had given out and I couldn’t stand anymore.

‘Did that actually work?’

Even though I did it myself, I couldn’t believe what I had just pulled off.

This wasn’t just a case of being overly bold.

It was like I had removed my liver, polished it clean, then bragged “This is my liver” and even did some juggling with it.

I sat slumped in the entryway for quite a while.

A situation I couldn’t understand at all – how had things ended up like this?

After clutching my head in regret with nowhere to turn, I finally came to my senses.

[Manager Park Ji-woon, I just got home and Nam Pureum was here]

I couldn’t just brush off as bad luck a situation where the administrator of the anti-Friendly Market, protected even by the government, had been threatened with torture.

When I sent the message, Park Ji-woon seemed startled and replied immediately.

[> New Message

– Are you talking about the Karma Guild leader? Are you okay? Is she still there? Ι Manager Park Ji-woon (Dimension-Earth)]

I wondered if it was right to report my every move to Park Ji-woon.

But in this situation, Park Ji-woon was the only one who could help me.

Anyway, we had a strategic agreement, so my safety was an extremely important matter for Park Ji-woon.

If something like this happened again, it would cause major disruptions to future scenario strategies.

In addition to making arrangements to prevent the same thing from happening again.

[Nothing happened, I drove her away. Someone seems to have commissioned Karma to investigate me, and I think it was Ahn Yeon-seo from Aegis. I’m not certain though]

Park Ji-woon was the only one I could tattle to.

Actually, I wasn’t even sure if Ahn Yeon-seo had conducted a background investigation.

‘Still, I should throw out anything suspicious and see what happens.’

I’m a fragile E-rank Hunter, and I was so scared!

Whether it’s true or not, the side that promised to protect me would investigate it themselves.

[> New Message

– Wait, you drove her away? Ι Manager Park Ji-woon (Dimension-Earth)]

But this person’s focus went somewhere else entirely.

It was like someone reporting that a potato chip thief broke into their house, but worrying about the potato chips rather than the person.

As I stared at the message window in bewilderment, another message soon arrived.

[> New Message

– I’ll look into Ms. Ahn Yeon-seo. And I’ll manage things well so this doesn’t happen again, so don’t worry too much. Ι Manager Park Ji-woon (Dimension-Earth)]

It was a very urgent message, as if he was embarrassed too.

If I wanted to show off my good kid complex, I was grateful that he was looking out for me even while busy preparing for the 53rd floor strategy.

I took deep breaths calmly while listening to my pounding heartbeat.

Even though what just happened was surreal, I understood what kind of situation I was in.

‘What could there be to suspect about me that made them suspicious?’

Wasn’t it Ahn Yeon-seo?

I pondered for a long time before sighing.

Whether it was Ahn Yeon-seo who ordered the background investigation or not, from an ordinary person’s perspective, my identity was incredibly suspicious.

I’m E-rank but don’t work, when I enter the Tower of Babel there’s no word from me, and on top of that I drove away an S-rank Hunter.

By the time Nam Pureum reveals the investigation results to Ahn Yeon-seo, I’ll probably seem even more suspicious.

“Then there’s only one answer.”

Another deep sigh that could have drilled through the ground escaped me.

I didn’t force it out – it came naturally.

Because my life is so hard!

Life isn’t easy, but isn’t my life a bit too much on hard mode?

I took out my phone and selected one number from my sparse contact list.

After a short ringtone, a familiar voice came through.

-I’m busy, what do you want?

* * *

A part-time job that was so hard to find before Awakening?

“Hello, Ms. Lee Hae-won. You came through Mr. Guk Min-seong’s introduction, right?”

“Yes, hello.”

“Let’s work well together starting today. This is your uniform.”

Ta-da, I got it in one day using connections!

As expected, South Korea is a society of school and regional ties.

So where did I end up?

“Now, Ms. Lee Hae-won. You’ll be working over here. You’ll be sorting byproducts from the lower floors, and you must wear gloves when handling magic stones since they can absorb mana if touched.”

Right here in Aegis’s loot sorting room.

As they say, to avoid the tiger, you must enter the tiger’s den.

…Or not?

I don’t think that’s the right saying?

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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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