Chapter 103
Chapter 103: Traveling Is Easy for the Poison Demon (3)
Bo-reum asking if I'm the Nameless Hero.
In that instant, my face stiffened.
Bo-reum spoke as if it were absurd.
"You're the Nameless Hero? Huh? Why are you here in France causing a commotion!"
Oh, that startled me.
For a moment I thought my identity had been discovered.
That was when it happened.
Ding!
[The citizens of Paris are overjoyed by your visit to France. +1,000,000 Happiness]
Oh my. Better than Korea, as expected.
[The people of France are dancing with joy. +3,000,000 Happiness]
Another message followed in succession.
Oh goodness. Wonderful, wonderful!
France is definitely a country that knows how to be happier than Korea.
"Oppa, why are you suddenly smiling?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
"Are you crazy?"
"The crazy one is you. Apple. Bye, I'm Bo-reum—."
"Aaack! Be quiet!"
"What's your NuTube ID? Let me subscribe."
"Absolutely, never! I won't tell you."
Toot—.
Past the café where we sat, a group of Parisian citizens marched by blowing trumpets.
They held picket signs and walked along shouting with excited expressions.
"What does it say over there?"
"Hold on."
Bo-reum took out her phone, opened a translation app, and told me.
"It says they're striking in commemoration of the Golden Tower."
"Striking?"
"Yeah."
"They should be holding a festival, so why strike?"
"I don't know. Don't try to understand these people."
"How strange."
We were eating coffee and dessert when Bo-reum's phone rang.
"Yes. Manager. Ah, yes. Understood. Yes. I'll see you then."
I asked her.
"Who is it?"
"The person overseeing my life here. We were supposed to meet at lunch, but they want to change the date. To tomorrow's lunch. I'll just have to kill time today."
"Is it someone who supported your study abroad or something?"
"Yeah. They found me a room too, and have been looking after me in various ways."
Since Gukmubon had supported Bo-reum's study abroad, it was probably a dispatched employee or travel agency manager.
"And school?"
"Enrollment is next month."
"What are you studying?"
"Japanese literature."
"……A Korean person comes all the way to France to study Japanese literature?"
"None of your business. Mind your own."
As she said.
I figured I'd better give up on trying to understand Bo-reum or France.
"Oppa. But why did you really come here?"
"To see if you're living well."
"Is that all?"
"While I was at it. I have an employee in Paris too."
"Who?"
"I sent someone to learn chocolate-making."
"A woman?"
"Yes."
"Oho."
Bo-reum made a meaningful expression.
"She's just an employee."
"You came all the way to Paris just to see a mere employee?"
"You too."
"Well, let's say that's true then."
She put a slice of cake in her mouth and sent me a meaningful smile.
"Oppa, which hotel are you staying at?"
"Tell me your NuTube channel and I'll tell you too."
"Hmph! I don't need to know."
"Let's get up."
"Where are we going?"
"Your place. This older brother needs to check whether you're living well."
* * *
"What is this. This cramped little room."
The room Bo-reum was living in was shockingly small.
"The 7th arrondissement of Paris is expensive. The Eiffel Tower is here."
"Still, it's too cramped isn't it? It's barely the size of a study room. A tiny place with a kitchen too. Can't even fit a single chair. There's no desk either—how are you supposed to study?"
"I can just sit on the bed and do it."
"Yeah right, that'll go well. The bathroom?"
"Shared."
"Good heavens. How much is the rent?"
"4,500,000 won."
"What?"
I was shocked when I heard the price.
The high price was one thing, but I couldn't believe that the government had the nerve to give my little sister a room like this.
Supporting our family was Chief Han's responsibility.
I couldn't imagine her handling things this sloppily.
"How much living expenses support is coming in per month?"
"How would you know about living support payments coming in?"
"Answer first."
"600 euros."
Roughly about 1,000,000 won.
It could be considered adequate, but it was far too little compared to the rent.
"Something's suspicious."
"What is?"
"That manager person—are you sure they're a good person?"
"Yeah. I've already been pickpocketed twice here. They helped me file police reports each time, and brought me kimchi and food too."
I found Bo-reum's room, where there was nowhere to sit, suffocating.
But she sat perched on the old bed by the window and gazed at the Eiffel Tower visible through the window with an enchanted expression.
"Do you really like it that much?"
"Of course, the Eiffel Tower has something that stirs a university girl's heart."
"What about the Murim Tower?"
"Not all towers are the same tower."
Bo-reum pointed to the Eiffel Tower.
"That one is hope."
This time she pointed toward the opposite wall. The direction where the Murim Tower would be.
"That one is despair."
Hmph.
She's right.
"Still, it's too cramped here. There's even mold in the kitchen."
"The very place where even mold is lovely—that is Paris."
"Sounds like actual flies could live here."
Ah, I can grasp the Two Principles Limitless Divine Art, but a university girl's sensibilities are an absolutely incomprehensible domain for the Poison Demon.
Ding dong ding dong—.
Just then my phone rang.
There's only 1 person who would contact me on this phone.
"Omar."
—Boss! How could you do this!
"What?"
—You're really terrible. That was fake!
"I never said it was real."
—Wow, Koreans really do pull the rug out from under you!
"Where are you?"
—Why!
"You contacted me wanting to meet again. I'll send you an address so come there."
—No. Boss……!
"I'm hanging up."
I sent him the address of the café I'd just been at with Bo-reum.
"I have some business to take care of so I'll be back. You just look at the Eiffel Tower here."
"Oppa, you really did come here for work huh."
"This is how I put food on the table."
I pressed a thick wad of cash into Bo-reum's hands and stepped outside.
"Kyaaa, 2,000 euros! Oppa, je t'aime!"
I went to the café and met Omar.
"Boss!"
Omar sat down across from me with a deeply agitated expression.
"How could you deceive me!"
Instead of answering.
Thunk—.
I placed the dagger on the table.
"……!"
Omar's expression stiffened in an instant.
"I hadn't handed the pickpocket over to the police without pressing charges, and even gave you a generous exchange fee—and you're getting angry?"
"Ah, Boss. That's not it……."
"What I gave you was indeed a fake gold ingot. But that doesn't mean I deceived you. You jumped to conclusions on your own."
"……Ugh, come on."
Clack.
This time I placed a real gold ingot on the table.
"This one is real. My offer from yesterday still stands. Handle the tasks I entrust to you and follow me around, and I'll give you this."
"……Really?"
This time it was my turn to show good faith.
Crack—.
I split the gold ingot in half.
"Ah! If you split that! The value drops."
Omar made a regretful expression, but I didn't care at all.
Gold ingots were plentiful, and I knew that someone this quick-witted was hard to come by.
Even so.
This fellow's surprising points are peculiar, aren't they?
Normally, shouldn't he be more shocked that I split the gold ingot with my bare hands?
Swoosh.
Anyway, I pushed the half-broken gold ingot toward Omar.
"Are you giving me this?"
"Yes. Advance payment."
Omar bit the gold ingot and widened his eyes.
"Finish the job and I'll give you the other half too."
He thought about it for a moment, then pocketed the gold ingot.
"What should I start with?"
Of course.
"Find out the monthly rent for a room about 2 pyeong in this area, a room where you can see the Eiffel Tower."
"Yes. And?"
"The things I mentioned yesterday."
"Finding a house and vehicle then."
"Forget the house. Just get the vehicle."
Omar said with a smile.
"The rent would be around 3,000,000 Korean won."
"How do you know?"
"I've worked around here a bit. It's an expensive neighborhood so I know it well."
Information obtained through pickpocketing, no doubt.
"I already brought the car."
Omar pointed to a car parked across the street. It was old but serviceable enough.
"You really are quick."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"I'm saying you did well."
"Hahaha. Omar does everything well."
He had already planned to work under me anyway, but having done a little back-and-forth and even received advance payment, he wore a self-satisfied expression.
I knew that fact but said nothing.
And I handed Omar a business card.
"Find out what this bastard is up to."
It was a business card I'd found at Bo-reum's room.
The card belonging to the Manager said to be overseeing Bo-reum's daily life.
Eiffel Travel Agency, Representative 'Kim Han-yang'.
"Understood."
"Meet here tomorrow at 10 in the morning. Where he lives, his reputation—everything you can find out. And."
Thud—.
I gave him 1 more whole gold ingot.
"Exchange this for cash too. Same conditions as yesterday."
Omar stared at me intently.
"Boss. Why would you trust Omar?"
"Hahaha."
"You don't really know what I've been doing here."
This time I looked him in the eyes.
"And you don't know either. What kind of person I was in Korea."
"……."
He stared at the dagger on the table for a while, then grew misty-eyed.
"Boss. The truth is I need a lot of money."
"Why?"
"Just……. Anyway, I'll work hard. Boss!"
He looked like he had something to say, but I didn't ask.
"Omar! I will keep my promise."
"I'll keep mine too."
Omar stood up.
He wore a self-confident expression.
Since Omar would be connected to some sort of underworld, it seemed he had ways to find out that much.
I went back to Bo-reum's place, took her along, and got a hotel room.
That was also why I'd told Omar there was no need to find a house.
"What is it, oppa. Why are you having it booked in my name?"
Since I didn't have a passport, I couldn't book a hotel.
"Book 2 rooms. For a week each."
"This place is incredibly expensive?"
"Your oppa is a CEO. Forgot?"
"Still……. I have a room. Do we really need to spend the money."
"Book a suite room with a view of the Eiffel Tower."
"Kyaaa! Really?"
"Yeah. This older brother can't have his sick little sister staying in a place like that."
"Wonderful! But why am I sick? Ah! Hey! Kim Tae-yang!"
We entered the hotel room.
It was quite expensive, but it didn't feel like a burden. Money was overflowing.
The next day Bo-reum ate a hearty breakfast and filmed hotel vlogs,
And I went ahead to meet Omar first.
Omar was already waiting at the café.
"Boss. I found that out."
"What does he do?"
"He does run a travel agency, that's true. He mainly deals with Koreans, but something's off."
"How so?"
"Regular Koreans are almost never his clients—he seems to only deal with special people."
"Who?"
"Government officials? Anyway, his background stinks. Lately it seems foreigners are coming and going too. Young women especially—lots of them, and every single one had glazed eyes. I'll dig deeper."
"Where does he live?"
According to the information Omar provided.
This Kim Han-yang fellow was living in a quite expensive Paris apartment.
His car was a luxury sedan too.
He was clearly someone affiliated with Gukmubon or contracted by them.
If he were an ordinary Gukmubon employee, his lifestyle would be predictable, but living lavishly like this—
He seemed to be living by embezzling government funds as his main income source.
And Omar held out a bag.
"I exchanged it for cash. 29,000 euros."
"I said 27,000 euros would be enough."
"Boss trusted Omar. Omar gives trust back."
I smiled faintly and took the bag, then took out 2,000 euros and gave them to him.
"Take this."
"……Really?"
"You kept your promise. This is your reward."
Omar took the money and bit his lip, staring my way for a long moment.
"Omar! I promise. I will do right by you, Boss."
He had made up his mind firmly—his eyes didn't waver at all.
"Off you go."
I gave him instructions to go fetch several items.
Spirit grasses, poisonous herbs, and various other things from the Murim Tower.
Whether he could get them or not didn't matter.
The real intention was that I wasn't fully trusting that fellow yet—
And for that reason, I didn't want to show him my little sister Bo-reum, who would soon arrive here.
Omar got in the car and drove away.
A short while later.
Vroom—.
A high-end German sedan parked in front of the café, and out came Bo-reum and Kim Han-yang.
"Hello."
I stood from my seat and greeted him.
"Ah, this must be Tae-yang. I've heard a great deal from Bo-reum."
Kim Han-yang appeared to be in his mid-thirties.
He was a man with a sizable belly, but dressed to the nines.
He also wore a large silver cross necklace.
"How did you come together?"
"I went to Bo-reum's place and she wasn't there. When I called she said she was at a hotel, so I went to pick her up."
"Do you just drop by my little sister's place whenever you feel like it?"
"……Ah, I was going to give her some fruit. I know a place that sells produce cheaply."
Kim Han-yang seemed momentarily flustered, and Bo-reum shot me a warning look.
"Oppa, what are you doing?"
Instead of answering, I asked him.
"And the fruit? I don't see it. Perhaps it's in the car?"
"Ah, that……I left it at Bo-reum's place."
"Do you also have a key to my little sister's place?"
"Hahaha. No special reason for that. If it bothers you, I'll return the key."
Kim Han-yang laughed and took out the key and gave it to Bo-reum.
Bo-reum glanced at my face once, then took the key and put it in her bag.
Bo-reum sat beside me, and Kim Han-yang placed a large designer bag on the table and sat across from us.
Kim Han-yang ordered in fluent French, and we conversed while waiting.
"Bo-reum is very pretty and bright. You must be proud to have such a remarkable little sister."
"Yes. She's the family's pride."
At my words, Bo-reum glanced at me sideways.
"I run a small travel agency. Here."
He handed me a business card I already had.
"Is this your first time in Paris? If you have any trouble while traveling, please don't hesitate to say."
"Of course."
The food came out, and Kim Han-yang rattled on about what kind of business he was doing here and so on and so forth.
It all seemed greatly exaggerated, with no way to tell fact from fiction.
Bo-reum laughed along with him, agreeing with his every word, and each time he did, Kim Han-yang would sneakily tap her hand here and there in little shows of physical contact.
On top of that, his gaze kept lingering on the neckline of Bo-reum's dress and her collar.
[Kim Tae-yang determines that this fellow cannot be left alone. +1 Happiness]
"Excuse me, I'll just pop to the restroom."
Bo-reum got up from her seat.
The moment she disappeared, Kim Han-yang glared at me.
"A young man who has a talent for making people uncomfortable, I see."
"……."
A completely different, ice-cold attitude from just moments before.
"This isn't Korea. Unnecessary suspicion won't do your little sister any good either."
"Kim Han-yang."
"What? A little greenhorn. Hey! How old are you—."
"You don't know who I am."
"You little—how dare you!"
Thwack!
With lightning speed I drove the piercing needle into his pressure point.