Dopamine Addiction - Chapter 23

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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23.
“According to that person’s explanation earlier, probably?”
For Hee-ju, who always managed to take a wrong turn even while following a GPS, this was difficult to understand.
“I’m usually quite good with directions.”
“Are you sure this is the right place? We’ve only been passing through residential neighborhoods the whole time?”
Liam stopped in his tracks. Well, of course. Hee-ju nodded to herself. Now he was finally going to admit he’d taken the wrong way.
Hee-ju looked at him with a generous expression, as if she understood completely.
“To be honest, my sense of direction isn’t great either…….”
Liam pointed to the building ahead with his chin.
“I think it’s this one.”
…….
Hee-ju slowly turned her head.
The Pawn Shop sign next to the storefront written in Chinese characters. It was a pawnbroker. The sign with just the shop’s purpose written on it, devoid of any decorative language, was so like Noel.
But more importantly, the question was how he’d found this place. With just a single line of an address. This couldn’t be explained merely as having a good sense of direction.
Then she snapped to attention and opened her mouth.
“Right, there are some things you should know about Noel beforehand…….”
Ding.
But Liam had already opened the door and stepped inside.
Impatient bastard. Hee-ju rolled her eyes and hurried after him.
The shop, barely five square meters, was dim despite the bright daylight outside. A thick curtain hung over the window, and a single feeble light barely managed to illuminate the darkness.
A transparent glass wall, like those dividing a ticket booth at a train station, separated the inner and outer sections. A small face suddenly popped out from a circular opening.
“Welcome.”
A monotone voice, as if reading from a textbook, utterly devoid of inflection. Hee-ju stepped forward with a bright smile.
“Hey, Noel.”
Brown eyes regarded her with half-concealed wariness. The slightly furrowed brow seemed to be rummaging through memory.
Noel’s eyes widened with a flash of recognition.
“Natalie?”
“No.”
“Maegun?”
“Not that.”
“Masha?”
“No.”
“……Who are you?”
Brown eyes flickered with wariness once more. Hee-ju gave a light shrug.
“Hee-ju.”
“Hee-ju? The Hee-ju?”
As Hee-ju nodded, Noel’s eyes widened again.
“How is Hee-ju here……?”
“Who are Natalie, Maegun, and Masha? Did you make new friends?”
“No. They’re the ones running around threatening to kill me. I thought they’d finally found me.”
At words spoken without a trace of emotion, Hee-ju let out a resigned laugh. Her eyes curved warmly toward Noel.
Liam observed the figure beyond the glass wall with considerable interest.
Most likely ballistic glass. In a neighborhood like this, pawnshops didn’t only attract gentlemen.
A young person with a youthful appearance, neither distinctly boy nor girl. The figure had an androgynous quality that made their sex difficult to gauge at first glance.
The reddish, wiry hair, the bridge of the nose covered in freckles, and the purple-framed glasses only made this more pronounced.
Not just sex was difficult to determine. Age was also hard to estimate. At best, they might be around eighteen. Perhaps younger, or possibly older.
It seemed to be a trait of East Asians. The figure was clearly mixed-race, like Liam himself.
“How have you been?”
Hee-ju stepped toward the glass wall, her eyes taking in the surroundings. The walls painted jet black bore not a single decoration.
“Still the same?”
“No. I’ve changed a lot.”
At the somewhat sullen reply, Hee-ju burst into a light laugh. She then rested both arms on the counter for exchanging items.
“How’s the Social Skills Training going?”
“Really well. Since last month, I’ve been running the shop all by myself. Grandfather said I could.”
Noel puffed out her chest with a proud expression. Liam’s eyes narrowed. Now he was certain she was female.
“What about school?”
“I don’t go. There’s nothing to learn there.”
Hee-ju was about to mention that she should still make friends, but she held her tongue. She knew how cruel school had been for Noel.
Hee-ju swallowed the words hovering at the tip of her tongue and instead put on a deliberately playful expression.
“Can I test you?”
“Test me on what?”
“A social skills test.”
“Of course.”
Noel nodded with confidence. Her sparkling eyes resembled those of a child bursting to show off.
Hee-ju stood before the glass wall and looked at Noel. Then she suddenly put on a mournful expression.
“Hello. I need to pawn a watch because my child needs surgery.”
“Oh my. That is quite unfortunate.”
Even a robot would sound far more emotional than that. Noel rattled off the words as if reciting learned vocabulary, then turned her head toward Liam.
Cautious eyes slowly swept over him. Then she put on a triumphantly confident expression.
“Is the gentleman planning to pawn his watch?”
“He’s not my husband, though.”
“The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona—formally, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona—is famous as a racing watch because it has a built-in chronograph function.
The famous story of actor Paul Newman’s Daytona selling for seventeen million, eight hundred thousand dollars in 2017 is well known. In particular, the watch your companion is wearing is a 2024 Cosmograph Daytona model in Everose Gold with eighteen-carat diamonds set in it.”
“That’s not really…….”
“It features anti-scratch sapphire crystal, water resistance up to 330 feet, and a flexible metal bracelet overmolded with high-performance elastomer.
When it was released, it cost one hundred and twenty-seven thousand, six hundred dollars, but currently the market price ranges from one hundred and forty-five thousand to one hundred and sixty thousand dollars.
If you pawn the item at our shop, we can offer you one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. No other pawnshop anywhere would give you such a generous valuation.”
…….
Hee-ju glanced nervously at Liam’s wrist. Her eyes looked at him with reproach. At the man who’d walked in with a watch worth over two hundred million won while carrying a pathetically thin wallet.
So that’s why they say rich people are worse.
“Do Black Agents make that much money? I can’t even get proper overtime pay.”
“It’s the difference between an expert and a non-expert.”
At Liam’s remark, Hee-ju’s eyes went sharp. Just as her lips began to quiver, Noel’s voice cut across the space between them.
“Adding the price of the gentleman’s clothes and shoes as well……. Congratulations! Your child will be able to have surgery without worry!”
Clap, clap, clap. Noel suddenly started clapping. Liam, with his hands shoved in his pants pockets, pointed at Noel with his chin and asked.
“What is that?”
“Did you just call a person ‘that’?”
Hee-ju rolled her eyes and shook her head slowly at Noel.
“You don’t clap there, Noel.”
“Why not? With that money, the child would be able to have surgery safely, right? That’s something to celebrate.”
“Regardless, you don’t.”
Hee-ju shook her head firmly. With her arms crossed, she added in a somewhat stern tone.
“If you don’t understand, memorize it.”
“Okay. Just a moment.”
Noel picked up a pen and started scribbling something in her notebook. Then she glanced up and looked at Hee-ju.
“Can I say congratulatory words instead of clapping?”
“No.”
“So nothing works?”
“Don’t say anything to parents with a sick child except words of consolation.”
“Okay. I wrote it down.”
“You’ve memorized everything I wrote for you before, right?”
“Of course, Hee-ju. Smile and greet anyone whose eyes meet yours, report anyone who bullies me, and contact Hee-ju if I need help.”
“Good.”
Only then did Hee-ju relax, uncrossing her arms. Her voice took on a grave tone.
“Actually, I came to ask you for a favor.”
“Just tell me. I’ll do anything you ask. Should I bury someone?”
Noel said something sinister with an innocent face. To be honest, the likelihood of Noel burying anyone was low—she’d more likely end up being buried herself.
“What was the fourth item on the list I wrote for you?”
“When someone acts overly friendly, suspect their intentions.”
Noel pushed her glasses up and smiled smugly, as if to say she hadn’t missed a single detail of what Hee-ju had written.
Hee-ju nodded.
“Then why do you believe I’m Hee-ju?”
“……Huh?”
At the unexpected question, Noel’s mouth fell open as if she’d been caught off guard.
Hee-ju let out a quiet sigh. This was where she struggled.
Noel was the smartest person she knew, yet also the most naïve. Especially when it came to relationships between people.
Noel mumbled defensively.
“Because you know about me. The things you wrote in your notes are only known between us.”
“What if I hacked into your email?”
“Why would you?”
Noel looked up at Hee-ju with a genuinely innocent question. Then she asked carefully.
“Are you not Hee-ju?”
“……Yes, I am.”
Noel nodded as if she’d expected as much. Hee-ju, about to explain, gave up and got to the point.
“I need identification. Mine and this person’s.”
“Just say the word. Which country should it be?”
“America.”
“State ID, Driver’s License, Social Security Card, Passport—which one?”
“Driver’s License.”
“No problem. Just a moment.”
The black wall beneath the acrylic panel creaked open. It must have been a door, not a wall.
“Come in.”
Hee-ju bent down first and stepped through the glass wall. Liam passed through the opening with considerably more difficulty.

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