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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 18: Dongdaemun Labor Market (3)
When I caused a ruckus, the shift supervisors were caught off guard. At first, they were thinking, “Who the heck is this guy?” But as I shouted confidently, they started wondering, “Is he for real?” and glanced at each other's uncertainty.
I raised my voice even more, making a show of it.
“It's been a while since I’ve been here, and look at this mess—no one's managing the guys at all. Tsk tsk.”
“Uh, who exactly are you?”
“Am I your buddy? Do I have to answer just because you asked?”
“It’s not that…”
Some of the shift supervisors started to look deflated.
The people who came to the labor market had their own reasons and backgrounds, but the unspoken rules were simple:
There were the ones who exploited, and the ones who got exploited.
The more they took advantage of young, inexperienced awakened ones, the more money they made. It was a problem that arose naturally over time.
“What the hell is this noise so early in the morning, you brats?”
At last, Mr. Park made his way over. Like the other men, he was wearing a navy-blue work uniform and didn’t look all that different on the outside.
But in Dongdaemun, everyone knew the face of Park Dae-sik, the head of the Dongdaemun Awakener Labor Market Association and the owner of Yuhan Labor Office.
The shift supervisors who had been looking uneasy suddenly perked up, though that didn’t last long.
“Well, if it isn’t Su-Hyuk!”
“Long time no see, Mr. Park.”
“Yes, yes, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? If you’d told me you were coming, I’d have prepared some tea or something.”
“I-I…!”
One of the shift supervisors, who had been watching me cause trouble just moments ago, clutched his neck, clearly flustered by my sudden change in demeanor.
“Just don’t cause any more disturbances, alright?”
“Haha, I was just having a bit of fun after being away for so long.”
Though he arrived late, Park Dae-sik didn’t seem entirely unaware of the situation. Of course, he was the top authority here, at least as long as the Dongdaemun labor market was open.
["What’s this? Why is the union chief treating you with such respect?"]
‘Back when I was working construction here, too many of these jerks were ripping people off.’
["And?"]
‘After a few rounds, I figured it out. They were all in on it together.’
Back then, Park Dae-sik was just the head of a small labor company. All the other companies were basically the same, but he was at least reasonable, and you could talk to him.
I had only one criterion for the people I worked with: character and background didn’t matter as long as they didn’t play games with money.
Because money was what I needed.
‘So, I played along as their “patsy,” collected evidence, and then teamed up with Mr. Park for payback.’
What Mr. Park and I had in common was money. I needed it, and Mr. Park hated seeing people mess around with others’ hard-earned cash.
Back then, I had an even rounder, softer look than now; just by looking at my face, people thought I was an “easy target.” I went around gathering evidence, and soon enough, Mr. Park and I cleaned up a few companies notorious for exploiting newbies.
The money we got, including interest, was pretty satisfying.
["Seriously, you should have just reported them to the Association. Why go to all that trouble?"]
My master didn’t seem to understand my actions. If you looked closely, he actually had a certain moral side in these situations.
‘Would that actually solve anything?’
["That’s what the Association’s for. Even if it takes time, you’ve got to think long-term."]
‘Thinking long-term is a luxury for people who have the time to spare.’
If reporting them to the Association had worked, there wouldn’t be any predators taking advantage of newcomers.
Reporting would only bring a pile of paperwork, a complicated process, and a light slap on the wrist, if anything. If they did manage to get a business suspension, it would only turn people against anyone who used that office, and word would spread quickly.
So, I chose to use Park Dae-sik, whose goals aligned with mine. And he used me too.
Thanks to Park Dae-sik, the Dongdaemun labor market became the largest labor hub in Seoul within a year. People from everywhere flocked here because, whatever else, at least they could be sure of getting their pay here. This caused a bit of a ruckus in other areas.
Sure, it quieted things down in the same way—just pretending to be a fresh, clueless recruit and busting them the same way I had before.
“Care for a cup of coffee?”
“I’d love one.”
Park glanced over at a shift supervisor, who quickly caught on and brought me a coffee.
“Uh, Mr. Park, who exactly is this guy?”
“Oh, have you heard of the ‘Red Demon of Dongdaemun’? This is the guy who made that name. Haha, you guys better behave—this guy’s no ordinary maniac.”
“Wait! Are you talking about the legendary ‘Red Demon’ who helped you take down the former union boss and seize Dongdaemun?”
“Exactly. If it weren’t for him, the Dongdaemun labor market wouldn’t be what it is today.”
“Looks like a pushover though…”
“Yeah, I get that a lot,” I replied casually, and the supervisor quickly turned his head. Well, it’s not like I can do much about my face.
Honestly, in the world of awakened folks, a rough appearance was a huge asset.
I suppose it’s like how patients prefer older-looking doctors in hospitals—there’s this bias that rough-looking people must be tough fighters, and that assumption worked in my favor here, too.
“Haha, it was even worse back when he first came around. Plenty of guys took one look and thought he was an easy target, only to get their butts handed to them. And don’t get me started on how good he is at acting.”
“Alright, enough with the compliments.”
“Oh? Aren’t you here to lay down the law?”
Park threw it right back at me. He hadn’t changed—still the same old, ornery guy. I finished my coffee and crumpled up the empty cup.
Park suggested we talk inside, so I followed him into a small nearby office.
“Since my guys gave you coffee, I won’t offer you more, alright?”
“Talk about stingy. But this office hasn’t changed, has it? I’d heard you made quite a bit of money as the union chief.”
“Didn’t you say you’d never come back to Dongdaemun, and that you’d return as a success? You’ve got a bit more polish now, but you’re far from ‘success,’ huh?”
Sitting in an old metal chair, Park crossed his legs and looked at me.
“Do you need money?”
“It’s not like that. People might think I’m always begging for cash.”
“Oh really? How much?”
“Seriously, I’m not here for money. And besides, Mr. Park, your interest rates are way too high—I’m never borrowing from you again!”
“Not like you can talk, borrowing from me four times already. Then what’s this about?”
He wasn’t wrong there. I realized again just how much support I’d received from those around me by working hard.
Yeah, we went through tough times together, old man. Just hang in there a bit longer. Next time, I’ll come back as even more of a success.
But anyway, this time, I really did have another reason. I scratched the back of my neck and spoke cautiously.
“I’d like you to find me a job.”
“All I’ve got is construction work.”
“Yeah, that’s what I need. A D-rank gate or a clean, safe dungeon.”
There were always some troublemakers among the low-level runners who made rounds. Even though they said that the time difference would be minimal on the lower floors, I couldn’t help but worry.
Plus, I promised Oh Yeon-Su I wouldn’t cause trouble, so I wanted to stick to a safe area as much as possible.
“Hm, I should charge you a finder’s fee, then.”
“How can you charge a finder’s fee to someone here to make money?”
“What do you think I’m running here, charity? Ever heard of a hazard fee? It’ll cost you five percent of the magic stone earnings.”
He was basically saying he'd take half my day’s pay.
"Fine, let’s do it."
I agreed without complaint. I knew Park wasn’t the type to really make me pay a finder’s fee.
He knew I wasn’t just borrowing the dungeon for a simple reason.
“Come back in 30 minutes, and don’t start any trouble like you did before!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I replied half-heartedly as I left his office. My mentor was fluttering around in front of me. I hate to say it, but when someone’s reminiscing, having something flying around nearby is like having a fly buzzing in your face.
[Here’s what I think.]
‘Yes?’
He couldn’t have heard me thinking that, could he? I felt a cold sweat, fearing he’d caught on. Thankfully, it seemed he hadn’t.
[You have a talent for drawing people in.]
‘Who knew that kind of useless talent even existed?’
[Why is that useless? It’s one of the best talents you could have. I’ve lived long enough to know that no matter how good you are, there are things you can’t accomplish alone. It’s rare to find others who think like you do. So, having the fortune of meeting good people—that’s one of the greatest blessings and talents anyone could have.]
I guess that’s true. I didn’t realize it back then, but looking back now, I see I wasn’t exactly unlucky in that regard.
There was Chief Choi, who often gave me work, Cha Woo-Jae, Oh Yeon-Su, and Park Dae-sik—all of them came to my aid. But my greatest stroke of luck was still…
‘Looks like I used up all my luck.’
[Why?]
‘I mean, I met you, didn’t I? You’re my biggest good fortune.’
[It might actually be misfortune.]
‘Well, only time will tell.’
[Kid, where does that unfounded confidence come from? Even my other students didn’t act like you.]
‘But I’m your student too now, so I should count, right? And would you like to try returning a thousand times in two days like I did?’
After that much, I think it’s fair to say I’ve come to terms with life.
[Looks like those two days of regression just improved your silver tongue.]
Seeming a bit sulky, my mentor stopped talking. Fortunately, he wasn’t actually upset; he was just pretending.
Maybe I’d come out a bit too early, because I started feeling sleepy. Just as I was debating whether to go get another coffee, someone sidled up next to me.
He was a guy about my age, wearing regular clothes with an unassuming face.
“Um, excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“I noticed you talking to the supervisors and then going into Mr. Park’s office.”
“Yes.”
And…? He looked a bit unsure but then introduced himself.
“I’m Yoon Seo-Jin. I’m 25.”
Twenty-five? No way—he didn’t look a day over twenty. In a school uniform, he could pass for a student.
“I’m Lee Su-Hyuk. I’m 22.”
“...”
“What? Something wrong?”
“Oh, I just thought I was the younger one for sure.”
Was he saying I looked older than my age? Not that I usually get called old-looking—I think he just looks unusually young.
“What’s this about, anyway?”
Even if he looked younger, he was technically the older one, so I decided to be polite.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just, did you find a job?”
“Yes.”
“Lucky you.”
“...”
“Sorry, I’m bad at hiding my thoughts.”
It wasn’t so much "bad at hiding" as it was almost rude. Though he was clearly upfront about his feelings, he seemed hesitant when it came to actually asking for something. Maybe he was just cautious by nature.
'He doesn’t seem like a bad guy, at least.'
After a moment’s thought, I offered him an invitation.
“If you’re still looking, want to come with me? There’s an extra spot.”
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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