Sinuiju Free Market (6)

“…….”

The two still silently watched each other and read the room. The clothing-store customer was subtly darting glances around, seemingly looking for an opening to run if things went south.

“I can see your eyes moving just fine.”

Hyeonyeong said in a low voice as she draped an arm over the clothing-store customer’s shoulder. The customer jolted in surprise.

“W-Why are you really doing this? What did we do wrong……!”

The customer protested in a small voice. There was a sincere sense of grievance in the expression.

“Well, just think of it as being unlucky. Everyone has at least one unlucky day in life, right? So what does that napkin mean? I think this is already the third time I’ve asked.”

Hyeonseong replied vaguely, then asked again. Unsurprisingly, the two fell silent once more.

“Um, asking something like that here also kind of looks weird…….”

Haesu slipped into the conversation as he set down the tray of drinks he had just brought.

“It’d be awkward to go somewhere else just to talk too.”

“Well, if you answer like that, I guess I don’t really have anything to say…….”

At Hyeonseong’s reply, Haesu mumbled timidly.

“Well, if you insist you’ll only talk if we move somewhere else, we can do that. But I really do need to hear what this thing means……. So what’ll it be?”

Hyeonseong asked, lightly tapping the napkin on the table with her fingertips.

“You can keep holding out if you want…… but, well. Both she and I are pretty good at enduring things.”

When Hyeonseong’s fingertips pointed at Hyeonyeong, the clothing-store customer flinched as if having a fit. It seemed the memory of being helplessly dragged along in Hyeonyeong’s grip had come back.

The two exchanged glances busily again. After fiercely communicating with their eyes and small nods, the two soon turned their gaze back to Hyeonseong and Hyeonyeong.

“You just want an explanation, right?”

The person who had handed over the napkin asked carefully.

“Yes. An honest one.”

Hyeonseong put emphasis on the word honest. At that, the two started exchanging glances busily again.

‘Your thoughts are painfully obvious, you idiots.’

The sight of it looked pathetic, but Hyeonseong did not bother saying so out loud. She could understand why they were acting that way.

‘If that really is the coordinate to the entrance or a waypoint leading to the auction house, it’d be hard for them to reveal it carelessly. How are they supposed to deal with the aftermath?’

After frantically signaling each other like that, the two soon turned back to Hyeonseong and Hyeonyeong again.

“W-Well, you see…….”

The one who spoke first was the clothing-store customer.

“The truth is, it’s like a code that tells you a place connected to the black market…….”

The moment those words came out, Hyeonseong turned to Hyeonyeong. Hyeonyeong nodded. It seemed they were nervous, but not showing any signs of lying outright.

“Well, that’s within expectations. The problem is which place exactly among those black markets it means…….”

At that question, the two men’s eyes shifted again. It meant that even among black markets, this was a place especially sensitive about information leaks.

“Hmm, should I just take a guess? If it’s somewhere hard to talk about…… then is it Heukwol after all?”

Her patience was starting to run thin. Hyeonseong openly spoke the name Heukwol. At that, both of them visibly flinched.

“That’s the right answer, Unnie.”

Hyeonyeong immediately gave the answer.

“That’s what they’re saying.”

“H-How do you even know that from before?”

The clothing-store customer asked in bewilderment.

“She’s got pretty sharp senses. So, what exactly are these coordinates for? Do they take you straight into the auction house? Or are they an intermediate waypoint?”

Hyeonseong demanded another explanation.

“Well…… if we’re being precise, it’s more like a waypoint…….”

“Then do you get the method for entering the auction house from there?”

“Umm…….”

The clothing-store customer’s gaze shifted to the person who had handed over the napkin. It seemed to mean the other person knew the details better from this point on.

“Please explain.”

Hyeonseong immediately switched targets with her question. The person who had handed over the napkin rolled his eyes around in thought, then let out a deep sigh.

“To be exact, they verify your entry qualifications at the place you move to once. You have to carry out something the auction house requires…… basically, a sort of quest.”

“A quest?”

Hyeonseong frowned slightly.

“Yes. It sounds grand, but they don’t usually make you do anything that difficult…….”

“So what exactly do they make you do?”

“Like doing a job the black-market shop owner asks of you, or bringing back a token hidden somewhere in the Free Market……. That kind of thing. Usually. But why are you asking……?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

That was all Hyeonseong said in response. At that, the person who had handed over the napkin fell into thought with a complicated expression.

‘Looks like he’s trying to figure out whether we’re prospective customers or undercover investigators.’

She waited until he reached a conclusion.

“Just in case, were you looking for a way in?”

A question came back after a short while.

“And if I was?”

“No, well, it’s not exactly a nice place, so going there…….”

“And you? Is it such a nice place that you’re going around handing out the coordinates?”

At Hyeonseong’s sarcastic tone, the person who had handed over the napkin closed his mouth.

“So what’s the method?”

Hyeonseong asked again. At that question, the person who had handed over the napkin let out a long sigh and started explaining.

“There’s a gatekeeper who serves as the first checkpoint. If you go to that person and have the prescribed conversation, they tell you a place where you can make contact with an intermediary like me. Then after that, at that location, we give you the coordinates leading to the second checkpoint…….”

“I get the process. So what exactly is that code and the method of contact?”

“That…….”

Judging by the troubled expression, this time he really seemed not to know.

‘So he’s like a day laborer whose only job is passing on coordinates.’

If that was the case, then the one she needed to ask about the code was the customer who had gone into the clothing store and talked with the manager.

“Then you explain it.”

The customer flinched at Hyeonseong’s question.

“I barely managed to find it out myself, and now you’re telling me to just hand it over?”

“Instead of the code, I could just take this.”

Hyeonseong picked up the napkin with the coordinates written on it. The clothing-store customer hurriedly reached out, but Hyeonseong was faster in lowering the hand holding the napkin beneath the table.

“Give it back!”

“I said I’d return it if you explain it.”

A struggle went back and forth between the two. It was quite a tense contest of wills, but in the end the victor was Hyeonseong, backed by Hyeonyeong’s support.

“Damn it.”

The clothing-store customer ground his teeth in frustration, but Hyeonseong did not even blink. When Hyeonseong deliberately fluttered the napkin with the coordinates on it in front of him, the customer gritted his teeth and pulled out a slip of paper.

“Here.”

Hyeonyeong took the slip the customer held out and checked it. After confirming the contents, Hyeonyeong pulled down the corner of her mouth as if displeased.

“What?”

“No, it’s just, the contents are kind of…….”

Hyeonyeong handed the slip to Hyeonseong. Hyeonseong immediately checked what was written on it. Then she understood why Hyeonyeong had said that.

‘Something something black moon……. They really go all out, from the auction house’s name to the secret conversation.’

Even the form of the code was antiquated enough to sound like something out of a classical novel. It felt like this had only added to her prejudice against creepy people.

‘Putting that aside, this code itself isn’t a lie. It overlaps with the bits and pieces of conversation Hyeonyeong said she overheard there earlier.’

Now the problem was whether this coded conversation was the same for everyone, or whether it changed depending on the person or the time.

“As far as I know, it doesn’t change from person to person. I heard it changes irregularly.”

The clothing-store customer answered Hyeonseong’s question right away. Hyeonyeong also signaled with her eyes that it was not a lie.

‘At least that’s what this person believes.’

Looking down at the slip, Hyeonseong considered. After thinking for a moment, she spoke again.

“How did you get this coded conversation?”

“T-That? I really wandered around like crazy and only got it by chance……. I think there’s probably someone going around distributing just that too, but…….”

The clothing-store customer also did not seem to know the exact method of making contact. Since Hyeonyeong’s reading again said it was not a lie, there was no point pressing further.

“The gatekeeper is at XX Apparel on the fourth floor, right?”

Instead, Hyeonseong confirmed the information that could still be verified.

“That’s right, but……. How did you know that too……?”

“I’ve got my ways. Then…… you don’t know exactly where the auction house itself is, right?”

Hyeonseong asked the last question to the person who had brought the napkin. The guy frantically shook his head.

‘……I don’t even need to ask Hyeonyeong about this one.’

It was such an honest answer that there was no need to check his pulse or iris response or anything of the sort.

‘Well, normally not knowing would be the natural thing. They made the entry method deliberately complicated so just anyone wouldn’t come. Then…….’

Hyeonseong looked down at the slip with the coded conversation written on it again.

There was no obvious way to get a new clue. It seemed she would have to try this as it was.

“All right, then. I’ll return this.”

Hyeonseong held out the napkin with the coordinates written on it to the clothing-store customer. The customer snatched the napkin away in a flash.

“Then we’re leaving. Both of you go back on your own.”

Hyeonseong put the code slip into her pocket and drained the rest of her drink. Once the cup was empty, she stood up from her seat.

“Uh…… can we really just go……?”

The person who had handed over the napkin asked with a disbelieving face. Hyeonseong left with a casual shooing gesture, as if driving him away.

After coming outside with Hyeonyeong and checking, she saw that both of them were gathering their things. Judging by how they were watching what was happening outside, they seemed intent on moving only after confirming that Hyeonseong’s side left first.

“Let’s go back up too.”

Hyeonseong took out the slip with the coded conversation written on it again.

“You’re really going to try it as is?”

Hyeonyeong asked.

“Yeah. There’s no particularly good way to find another route. From what they said, if we’re unlucky, it sounds like it could take ages just to find the person who hands out the code.”

There was no telling when the item they needed might be sold. She could not afford to waste more time just finding one entry method.

“If this doesn’t work, then we can look again after that.”

At Hyeonseong’s answer, Hyeonyeong nodded.

Hyeonseong took Hyeonyeong and Haesu and headed back to the fourth floor.

‘So in the end, one of the places whose camera security level was suspiciously good really was the answer.’

She had tried the easiest method to think of just in case, and fortunately, it had worked out.

The group soon arrived back on the fourth floor. Having memorized the contents of the coded conversation, Hyeonseong led the two straight to the clothing store in question.

“Welcome. Is there something you’re looking for?”

When Hyeonseong’s group went inside, the manager greeted them.

“Ah, yes. Well, that is…….”

Hyeonseong went to the counter and addressed the manager. The moment she said the first line of the coded dialogue written on the slip, the manager’s expression turned sly.

‘Looks like I really did find the right place.’

Hyeonseong continued the conversation just as it was written on the slip. The manager also gave the exact answers confirmed on the slip.

After exchanging a few lines like that, Hyeonseong was able to hear the name of a convenience store on the first floor.

‘Then now we just have to go back down.’

Since the matter was concluded, all they had to do was go back down. But there was one thing bothering Hyeonseong.

‘……This guy’s expression really isn’t great.’

Hyeonseong looked at the manager’s somewhat sly smile with dubious eyes. Anyone could see he seemed to be plotting something.

‘Did he pick up on the route by which I got the code?’

It was entirely possible. After all, she had loitered around outside the store for several minutes, disappeared, and then come back with the code phrase.

But even if the manager’s attitude looked suspicious, Hyeonseong was not in a position to do anything about it. Even if she suddenly pressed him, the manager would only pretend not to know and deny everything.

Hyeonseong glanced sideways at Hyeonyeong. Sure enough, Hyeonyeong also had her arms crossed, looking displeased about something. But she did not seem to be thinking of confronting him directly. She had reached the same conclusion as Hyeonseong herself.

Hyeonseong took Hyeonyeong and Haesu and headed to the first floor.

“It’s probably better if we brace ourselves, right?”

On the way down, Hyeonseong said to Hyeonyeong.

“Yeah, looks that way.”

“They said it was something like a quest…… so maybe we’ll get coordinates that make us do something difficult or annoying.”

“That’s the most likely option. Or they might even try to send us to some completely unrelated coordinates.”

“I’d really rather it not be that.”

“Um…….”

Haesu cut into the conversation between the two.

“Do I have to keep following you around?”

“Well…… I guess you probably do? We still have to keep wandering around the black-market side for a while.”

Hyeonseong answered Haesu’s question lightly. The place she had agreed not to take him to under the contract was the Heukwol Auction House, not other black-market areas.

“I’ll definitely let you go once we’re about to head to the auction house, so don’t worry.”

“Okaaay…….”

Haesu answered in a dissatisfied voice.

“So then, the convenience store the owner mentioned earlier was…….”

Once on the first floor, Hyeonseong went to the convenience store whose name she had heard earlier. While standing there and pretending to browse the shelves, she waited, and someone bumped into her in passing.

Instinctively, Hyeonseong shoved her hand into the pocket closest to where she had been bumped. A slip of paper had appeared in the pocket that had been empty. She pulled it out and checked what was written on it.

[-27, 15, -41, B]