CH 2

I raised my paddle, barely able to close my gaping mouth, and hoped that my client was the only one who would buy a single flower for 50 million won. But paddles were coming from all over the place like moles. The number of people must have reached 20.

The auctioneer skilfully called out the price of each paddle one by one. the price.

“Five thousand. Five thousand two hundred. Five thousand two hundred received. Call 201, five thousand three hundred. Five thousand three hundred. Five thousand five hundred. Five thousand six hundred in writing.”

The price went up at a rapid pace, as if he was simply counting the numbers. It was like a battlefield in terms of intensity. When the bidding reached sixty million won, the auctioneer spoke quickly, as if he had been waiting.

“I’ll raise the price to two million won from now on.”

Nevertheless, the paddle refused to go down.

Six thousand two hundred. Six thousand four hundred. Seven thousand. As the bidding climbed higher and higher, the competition dwindled, until finally, out of the auctioneer’s mouth came the words.

“One hundred million. 323, you’ve bid 100 million.”

“Any more?”

I wondered if this was what it would be like to jump on a slab of ice. My stomach churned and I felt like I was going to gag. One hundred million. One hundred million. Sixteen years’ worth of rent on a 1,000-insured, 50-unit apartment is on the line with a wave of my hand.

I nervously chewed my lip and glanced to the side. Luckily, there were no competitors. Even though it was under my budget, I was still happy to win the bid. I hoped the auction would end without anyone else bidding.

But things don’t always work out that way.

“New bids.”

The auctioneer pointed to a corner with his bidding stick and said.

“Number 99, one hundred million.”

What?

If you stop a passerby and ask them what the most famous artwork is, a hundred times out of a hundred they’ll give you the same answer. <The Spear of Longinus> This two-bladed weapon was the weapon that pierced the side of the crucified Jesus and was the first relic to be found.

Until the 19th century, the Spear of Longinus remained a mystery, until one day it suddenly appeared in the middle of Vatican Square. To be precise, it fell from the sky and stuck in the ground. A massive explosion followed, centred on the Spear of Longinus.

Under its influence, apparitions began to appear all over the world. In addition to real history, such as the guillotine that executed Louis XVI and ended his dynasty, legends such as <Manpasik>, which originated the peace of the Silla Dynasty, have been reborn as spirits.

All spirits are imbued with powers associated with their origins, for example, those who touch the <Fall of the Sun> will suffer the downfall of their family, and those who hear the sound of the <Manpasik> will enjoy good fortune. Thus, humans have experienced miracles time and time again through the power of artifacts.

However, there is a process that an ordinary artefact must go through in order to become a powerful spirit. It’s called “runaway”. When an artifact’s power explodes, it creates a rift in space and time, opening a gate to the otherworld. If someone does not enter the gate and subdue the spirit, monsters will emerge from within, causing evil effects in the real world.

The person who prevents the disaster is the Awakener.

When the <Spear of Longinus> exploded, humans with the abilities of spirits were born. They have the power to defeat monsters and have bodies that can withstand falling into rifts. These beings were given many names, including psychics, gatekeepers, and messengers of the gods. It wasn’t until modern times that the name was narrowed down to a single title.

Treasure Hunter, who collects spirits. Generic name, called a Hunter.

After entering the Gate and sealing the Spirit, the Hunter is at a crossroads. They can either keep it or give it away, if they choose the latter, put it up for auction due to the nature of the artifact, which is not easily priced.

The <Breath of the Firebird> on stage right now was probably acquired by a Hunter for a small fortune. But it would never fetch more than $100 million. Never!

“What kind of bastard….”

I quickly turned my head towards number 99, hoping to catch a glimpse of his smug face. I was expecting to see a rich man sitting there, but he was just an ordinary guy. He was probably a proxy like me. I immediately put down my paddle and texted my client.

[It’s over 100 million, what do I do, just walk away?]

While the auctioneer looked on, I texted back.

[Try to get to 150.]

I picked up my paddle and the auctioneer pointed at me.

“Oh, I got a 100 hundred bid from 323.”

I thought this would be the end of it, but the other paddle didn’t lower. Unlike my nervous glances, he didn’t even hesitate. And so it went, 120,000, 300,000, 40,000… The bidding, burning as fast as a tinderbox on fire, reached its limit again.

“Customer 99. One hundred and fifty thousand.”

Aah, I barely swallowed the lump in my throat. I lowered my paddle in panic, and the auctioneer gave me a silent glare. He was asking if I wanted to make one more bid. I raised my hand slightly to indicate that I’d like to wait a moment, and then called the client.

[They bid 150,000]

[Who?]

[I don’t know, I think they used an agent].

[Oh, no…. that’s probably them].

By those people, you mean some weird group that only collects cursed relics? I don’t really care who they are. Whether they’re a cult, an embassy of a great power, or a renowned hunter, they’re all bastards who want to take my food away from me.

After a moment’s hesitation, the client made a difficult decision.

[I can’t help it, I give up].

I closed my eyes tightly. I can’t help it if he’s giving up. I shake my head silently, and the auctioneer’s gaze moves away from me.

“Three bids, then. One hundred and fifty thousand. One hundred and fifty thousand…one hundred and fifty million.”

There were no more interruptions.

“Customer number 99. I bid you one hundred and fifty million.”

The sound of the bidding stick hitting the ground rang out cheerfully, and the owner of the Breath of the Firebird was now Number 99. With a hint of envy, I leaned up slightly to look at Number 99, but Number 99’s face was expressionless with no hint of joy. It was as if he knew he was going to win the auction.

“…Bastard.”

With Breath of the Firebird gone, there was no point in watching the auction anymore. I immediately stood up, left my paddle on the table, and walked out of the room. To my dismay, I was about to text my client with the results of the auction.

“Huh…?”

A man passed in front of me and headed down the corridor. He was number 99, the guy who had just won the spirit. He even had a sign on the door that said, “No unauthorised access”. As I stared at him, wondering if that was possible, I received a message from the client.

[Don’t worry, I’ll give you 8% of the commission]

Even though I failed to win the auction, they gave me 800,000 won! I guess the saying that there are a lot of people with a lot of money is true. I was instantly in a good mood, so I added an emoji that I don’t usually use.

[Thank you.^0^]

[By the way, is there any way to know for sure who won the auction?]

[Well, I did see the agent go down the hall earlier]

I wonder if he was on his way to meet with his employer.

[Do you think you could follow him?]

[That person?]

[Yes. If you find out, I’ll send you 100 million won]

Two months’ rent! I jumped to my feet and looked around. The outside of the venue was unguarded as the auction was in full swing, and only after carefully checking the CCTV locations did I follow 99 into the corridor. Soon after, I heard a few words coming from around the corner.

“Yes. The…… you mentioned.”

Judging by the firm use of honorifics, it was clear that 99’s interlocutor was his employer. I peeked my head out of the corner of my eye to make sure I wasn’t being spotted, and saw a man with a black mask covering his face across from me.

At that moment, I felt my blood run cold. There was someone I shouldn’t have seen, even in death.

“Why are you…”

The moment I muttered to myself, the black mask turned around. Instantly, my entire body froze. I must run away. If they catch me, it’s over. As soon as he took a step towards me, I turned around and ran. I ran out of the store, not even breathing.

Like the day I abandoned him seven years ago and ran away.

Even now, when I close my eyes, I remember what my mum said on my birthday.

“Hajae, your mum is leaving because she loves you.”

It was the most contradictory sentence I’ve ever heard in my entire life. I was seven years old, and I couldn’t make any sense of it in my stupid little brain that couldn’t add. She was just making excuses to make herself feel less guilty about leaving me. I was relieved when she gave up. I didn’t want to think about complicated adult situations.

After that, I tried to cut her out of my life completely. Of course, it wasn’t easy. Every time I saw her handprints around the house, or a neighbour said, “You look just like her,” the memories I didn’t want to recall were dragged up like a trout on a hook.

Resembling my mother? It’s just unpleasant. At least I will not abandon my loved ones the ones I love. Never.