I put a leash on Catastrophe

“I’d like to sell the gold and small jewels at market price here, and sell what’s suitable for auction at the auction. At the same time, I’d like us to be able to participate in the auction.”

“Well, that’s not difficult.”

He smiled widely and pressed a button on a device standing at the edge of the table. It seemed to be a communication device because soon after pressing the button, there was a click and a voice was heard.

– Yes.

“We have something for appraisal, come in.”

– Alright.

And again there was a click, the connection was cut off.

“In such deals, it’s better to do everything properly. I have some experience, but I’m not a professional, you understand.”

And along with a knock on the door, a neatly dressed middle-aged man entered. Probably this was the appraiser. The appraiser, slightly bowing in greeting, took the trays that Hwan-su had sorted, sat at a separately prepared table, put on something like wireless earphones and began the appraisal.

“This way you’ll be more at ease than if he took it somewhere for inspection. Don’t worry about business talk. Technology is advanced now, and when he puts these on, he can’t hear anything.”

It seemed to be closer to headphones than earplugs. Thinking about how thoroughly everything is done, Zhi-wu nodded, and the man asked:

“The goods for auction are clear, but how do you want to receive the money for what you’re selling here? In cash? Or transfer to an account?”

“To the account, please…”

Zhi-wu chose to transfer to the account, as it seemed it would be difficult to carry such a large sum with him. Not so much physically difficult as psychologically.

Although it’s unlikely, but if he accidentally loses them… Just the thought of it made Zhi-wu shudder.

Hwan-su observed Zhi-wu for a while, and then smiled widely again.

“Transfer? Then laundering will be required, and there’s a separate fee for that. You don’t mind?”

“You take that too,” Zhi-wu marveled. While Zhi-wu was admiring this spirit that didn’t allow any losses, the man, interlocking his fingers, leaned closer to Zhi-wu and said:

“Usually yes. But since this is the first deal, if you answer one question, I’ll do the laundering for free.”

“I can pay…”

“I’ll do it for free.”

His smile widened. Despite the tone as if he was doing this as a bonus after the deal, there was no friendliness felt in his voice. Zhi-wu looked at him with an unpleasant feeling, but the smile only got wider.

“…What do you want to ask?”

Seeing that he didn’t seem to be going to just let him go, Zhi-wu sighed and asked.

Then he, as if waiting for this, opened his mouth.

“You, how did you know about that passage?”

His behavior changed as if he had never been casual. On his face, which had become impassive, there was no trace of the previous friendliness left.

Zhi-wu was struck by how much a person can change. It’s not clear how he perceived this surprise, but his behavior was becoming more threatening.

“The passage – okay, it’s created in a place where anyone can come, even if in a remote area. But you couldn’t just know the password?”

“…”

“Who are you? Who sent you, you son of a bitch?”

He growled, baring his teeth, but Zhi-wu was simply bewildered. Not only because no one had sent him, but also because the only passage he knew was precisely this one.

“Are there other passages?”

“What are you pretending? This is a secret passage created for unforeseen situations. A passage that’s used only when everything goes to hell. It’s located in a building about 5 buildings from here, and you think it’s normal that you, coming here for the first time today, know about this?”

His face became even fiercer. Although his aggressive behavior continued, the two people next to Zhi-wu remained calm, perhaps because he hadn’t used force yet. Zhi-wu, relieved to note that these two weren’t interfering, said to Hwan-su:

“You might not believe it, but really, the only passage I know is that one. When I was told, I didn’t hear about any others.”

“What bastard… This bastard even told you the password?”

“Yes.”

“And who is it?”

His eyes lit up. It seemed he thought this was a chance to catch a traitor, but Zhi-wu’s subsequent actions could only stun him.

Because Zhi-wu simply pointed his finger at his business card, which he had given him earlier.

“I heard it from this person.”

“…From me? Are you joking?”

Hwan-su seemed to get angry when Zhi-wu, whom he met for the first time today, said that he himself had told him the secret. His face froze and began to redden when Zhi-wu took a pen lying nearby and began to draw something on the notepad on the table.

“A circle at the bottom… was it like this?”

Although he was muttering and seemed uncertain, he was drawing without hesitation. What was coming out was closer to a logo than a drawing, and was rather messy than neat.

It was something childish that a child might draw, but in the eyes of Hwan-su looking at this, there was no trace of a smile. They were full of only amazement.

“H-how…”

“The Black Reaper of Darkness.”

“Ah!”

“The killer slicing through the city’s shadows, fluttering his black long leather coat like wings.”

“Oh!”

Now Hwan-su’s breathing became almost ragged. The eyes of the pharaoh and Martin were asking Zhi-wu: “Who is this?”, but Zhi-wu didn’t answer.

He just continued to verbally hit Hwan-su.

“The enemy who killed the parents, forced to inherit the devil’s blood and became half-human, half-demon…”

“Enough!”

Hwan-su hurriedly stopped Zhi-wu, who was revealing someone’s secret of birth. With a face reddened for a different reason than before, he rubbed his face with his palms as if trying to calm down.

Soon his face took on a tired look, and he said:

“I told you this too, didn’t I?”

“Well… yes.”

Actually, it wasn’t quite like that… Zhi-wu swallowed these words.

Grandpa Kim, longing for past glory, was stuck in the past. He had fallen into senile dementia.

They say that when people suffer from dementia, they live with childhood memories, and it was the same with him. He began to live with the concept he had invented and played with as a child.

Since these weren’t the best years of his life, Zhi-wu didn’t want to talk about it.

“Indeed, only I know about this. These were fantasies I engaged in alone, so neither parents nor friends knew. As soon as I grew up, I burned all the evidence, so it remained only in my memory.”

Hwan-su seemed nervous about revealing his past “black period” and was tapping his fingers on the table. There were still suspicions in his eyes, but much less than before.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

“Could it be…”

“…”

“People with superpowers really exist.”

Hwan-su’s eyes, speaking in a trembling voice, shone. He was delighted to meet a being he had vaguely dreamed of in childhood.

His previous casualness disappeared, and the questions continued.

“So what’s your superpower? Mind reading… it doesn’t seem like it. Though, I myself buried this black history in the depths of my memory.”

“…”

“Then what? A prophet? Do you read the future? Or is this world a world from a book, and you’ve incarnated into it, or maybe you’ve returned from the future?”

He didn’t know that among what he said, there was a correct answer. This was thanks to Zhi-wu controlling his facial expression well.

Although he seemed a bit disappointed by the lack of reaction, his voice was still excited, as if he liked this situation.

“I always thought that one day such a day would come. So, how’s the future? Is it destroyed? That’s why you came to me to prevent it, right?”

Zhi-wu felt awkward because Hwan-su’s eyes looking at him were shining too brightly to just say that he came because he needed money. Seeing Zhi-wu hesitate, Hwan-su ruffled his hair, neatly styled with pomade, and reached out to Zhi-wu.

“Phone, give me your phone.”

Seeing his excited appearance, Zhi-wu confusedly handed over his phone, Hwan-su took it, did something, and returned it.

On the screen that looked like a contact list, one number was saved.

“This…”

“Now call here. When you come here or if you need something in the future. Of course, not for free. I’ll definitely get compensation.”

Zhi-wu was surprised why he was giving a phone number separately when he had already given a business card, but realized that this was a direct number different from the contact on the card. This was surprising.

“You… you believe me?”

“What? Well, I half believe, half doubt.”

“…”

“I’m doing this because even if you’re a fraud, it’s not a problem. I don’t do anything for free, and if you really are…”

Hwan-su paused for a moment, then continued.

“I won’t become that annoying secondary character. I swore I would never become one if something like this happened.”

Zhi-wu was speechless, seeing how seriously he was speaking. Considering Grandpa Kim’s age at that time, he should be about 50 now, and this was not something an adult, not a child, should say. He seemed to understand this himself, because he looked embarrassed.

At this moment, the middle-aged man, seemingly having finished the appraisal, stood up. Hwan-su, who was uncomfortable with the atmosphere becoming awkward, gladly accepted the paper that the man held out.

“Excluding the goods for auction, the total appraised value is 82.5 million won. If we subtract our 10% commission, it comes to 74 million and a bit more, but in honor of the first deal, I’ll round it up to 75 million. Are you okay with the price?”

Although it seemed that a lot was being deducted, since these were unearned money, Zhi-wu didn’t have major objections. When he nodded and signed the contract, soon another employee entered and put down something like a bankbook and a debit card.

Judging by the logo on the bankbook, it was a foreign bank that he had only heard of.

“As you wanted, a laundered dummy account. Although the name is different, it’s an account designated to you by the black market, so usually there won’t be problems. This is a partner bank of the black market. But if problems do arise, contact me. Oh, and internet banking works too, so read the instructions inside and use it.”

Hwan-su pointed his finger at Zhi-wu’s phone while saying this. When Zhi-wu was touched by his attempt to help, Hwan-su carefully asked:

“So… what happens to me in the future?”

“…”

“Well, tell me at least this.”

“…”

“You really won’t say? How petty!”

Zhi-wu just smiled, looking at the man just over fifty who was pouting.