Escape from the Goshiwon — Part 2
Gwanak District, Seoul.
In a real estate office, I sat across from the agent, a desk between us.
“So, security is your top priority.”
“Yes. After going through so rough experiences, safety beca my number one concern.”
“As you probably know, hos with good security are quite expensive. You’re not planning to buy, are you?”
“No, I’m looking to rent.”
“Hmm, rent, huh…”
The real estate agent scanned
from head to toe, as if sizing
up.
Worn-out clothes. A similarly worn-out bag. His gaze lingered for a mont on my bulging bag, then he cautiously asked, “What’s your budget? I’ll try to find sothing that fits.”
“I can afford a deposit of 10 million won and a monthly rent of 1 million.” (TL Note: Around US$7.6k deposit with a rent of around US$760… Yeah, not gonna happen buddy)
“Ten million for the deposit, and one million for rent… That’ll be tough.”
“Really?”
I thought that should be enough for a decent officetel. Even though housing prices in Seoul were insane…
No, wait.
I frowned, suddenly rembering a fact.
Housing prices in this world were almost double or even triple what they were in my original world.
Even the one-pyeong goshiwon I just left today cost a 5 million won deposit with 400,000 won in monthly rent. (TL Note: Around US$3.8k deposit with a rent of around US$300)
How does that make any sense?
The two-pyeong goshiwon I lived in back in the original world wasn’t even close to this expensive!
It was all because of overcrowding. The population of this version of South Korea had surpassed 100 million people.
Sure enough, the agent dropped another bombshell.
“With that budget, you won’t be able to get into an officetel.”
“What? Even if the room’s small, it’s fine. I just need a place to sleep.”
“You’re aware this area has relatively low housing prices, right? But still, to rent a five-pyeong officetel here, you’d need at least a 30 million won deposit and 1.5 million won in monthly rent. Ten million and one million simply won’t cut it.”
My head started to spin.
Back in my original world, with a deposit of 10 million won and a monthly rent of one million, I could’ve gotten a one-and-a-half-room officetel, maybe even a two-room if I found a good deal.
It felt like the cultural shock I experienced on my first day was hitting
over the head again.
“So, where can I live with that budget? Preferably sowhere with good security.”
“Well, officetels and apartnts tend to have the best security… Can you afford to pay a bit more rent?”
“Well…”
Technically, yes. I had 1.2 million won in cash and plenty of mana cores I hadn’t synthesized yet.
But that money was ant for acquiring new traits. I couldn’t get bogged down with housing expenses!
Seeing my hesitation, the agent’s eyes darted around before he spoke again.
“Well… there’s an option.”
“What is it?”
“You could move into a ‘managed studio.’”
A studio? But what’s a managed studio?
The agent lowered his voice as if he were sharing a secret.
“A managed studio can, in so ways, be better than an officetel or apartnt. Officetels and apartnts have ard security guards, which makes them expensive, plus there are high maintenance fees.”
“That’s true.”
“A managed studio, however, is fully controlled by the owner from top to bottom. There are ard guards as well, and if a cri happens, they’ll definitely take revenge. That’s why thieves and robbers won’t dare break in. They’re too scared of losing a hand.”
Sothing felt off as I listened.
Revenge? Losing a hand?
My voice dropped too.
“Who are these owners?”
“There are several… but around here, you’d be dealing with the Dagger Gang or the Iron Fist Gang. The Dagger Gang is cheaper, but the Iron Fist Gang is more expensive, though their managent is more reliable. The two are competing, but the Dagger Gang is losing ground.”
The Dagger Gang? The Iron Fist Gang?
Was he seriously suggesting I move into a place run by a gang?
I let out an audible sigh, prompting the agent to hurriedly backtrack.
“Sir, with a budget of 10 million won deposit and one million rent, the only option for good security is a managed studio! A regular studio? A goshiwon? You’re asking to get stabbed in your sleep. You’d be lucky to just lose your money! Managed studios might be in sketchy areas, but they’re clean, spacious, and safe. As long as you stay on the gang’s good side, you’ll be safe on the streets too.”
“Hmph, I’ll think about it.”
“Yes, yes. Unless you plan to live in a hotel 365 days a year, a managed studio is your best option. Or you could increase your rent to around 2 million.”
I stood up to leave, and the agent gave
a thorough capitalist smile as he saw
out.
The sight of it made
shudder.
It reminded
of the real estate agent who had helped scam
out of my deposit in my original world, soone who also wore a friendly face.
‘People like him are all the sa.’
A managed studio? If it’s so great, why don’t you live there?
There’s no way a place run by gangs could ever be safe.
He claid they’d treat their clients well because they need to make money? Nonsense. I’d rather sleep on the streets than spend a single night in a gang-run building.
“What should I do?”
Maybe I should check out another real estate office?
Squatting on the sidewalk, I opened up a real estate app on my phone.
Just like when I checked earlier, every listing was two to three tis more expensive than what I was used to.
How is anyone supposed to live in a world with housing prices like this?
“Rent is sky-high, wages are terrible… ugh.”
No wonder people were flocking to goshiwons, multi-family hos, and studios.
The only thing keeping this society from collapsing into riots was the relatively low cost of living essentials and the cheap prices of electronics like smartphones.
At least people could eat and have so fun.
‘Let’s go to a hotel.’
I finally made a decision.
If I couldn’t find a place to live, staying at a hotel was the next best option.
A hotel, after all.
They had ard security guards, and top-tier hotels even employed superhumans.
‘But maybe not a luxury hotel.’
The reason? They’re expensive.
Way more expensive than in my original world. After checking a hotel booking app, I found that a regular deluxe room in a five-star hotel cost hundreds of thousands of won per night.
And that wasn’t even a suite.
‘What about a business hotel?’
Still pricier than back ho.
Depending on the hotel, it ranged from 300,000 to 400,000 won per night.
But that was manageable. If I focused on mining for traits, I could easily pull in hundreds of thousands a day.
With my decision made, I headed for the nearest business hotel.
As I approached the revolving doors, two large security guards blocked my way.
“Good day, sir. Welco to Blue Stay Hotel. How may we assist you?”
Their words were polite, and they smiled as they spoke, but their eyes were cold.
Especially toward the large bag I was carrying. One of them even had his hand in his pocket, ready to pull out a gun if things went south.
“Oh, I’d like to check in.”
“Do you have a reservation?”
“No, I didn’t make one.”
“Since it’s a weekday, we should have vacancies. Please, this way to the reception desk.”
“Thank you.”
Once inside the hotel, I could feel eyes on
from every direction.
Do I really look that suspicious?
I guess so. With my shabby clothes and an overstuffed bag, anyone would be suspicious.
But it made
feel reassured. At least I wouldn’t get robbed here.
“I’ll take a deluxe room for ten nights.”
“Certainly. Could I please have your ID and a credit card for paynt?”
“Can I pay in cash?”
“Of course, sir.”
The check-in process was quick.
As I opened my bag to take out the cash, a glimpse of the money was exposed, but the security guards didn’t bat an eye.
They simply smiled and wished
a pleasant stay as they stepped aside.
They had more or less figured out my situation.
Once the check-in was complete, the receptionist handed
two keys with a warm smile.
“Room 1909, sir. We hope you have a comfortable stay.”
“Two keys?”
“Yes. Here at Blue Stay, we use two types of locks for security purposes. If you want convenience, you can use the digital key card, but if you want extra security, you can use both the digital key and the physical key.”
Now this is what I’m talking about.
In a world full of superhumans, psychic powers, and all kinds of criminal organizations, a digital key alone wouldn’t be enough to secure a room.
More robust security, like magical locks or biotric systems, would be ideal, but I couldn’t expect that from a business hotel.
Maybe at a luxury hotel that charges hundreds of thousands per night.
“Thanks. Have a good day.”
I took the elevator straight to the 19th floor.
Once inside my room, I imdiately stashed 9 million won in the room’s safe and finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew!”
Now I felt safe.
With the tension gone, I took a mont to examine the hotel room.
There wasn’t anything particularly different from what I’d seen in hotels online back in my original world.
Not that I’d ever been to a hotel in person before, but I’d seen plenty on the internet.
Fwoosh!
“Ahhh!”
I threw myself onto the bed, and the soft, cloud-like sensation welcod .
Now this was a bed! This was what a real bed felt like!
Compared to the goshiwon bed in my original world, and even more so the bed in the goshiwon of this hellish world, they were nothing but piles of straw next to this.
Like a child, I rolled around on the bed for a while before closing my eyes.
‘Ti to rest.’
Though I’d forced myself to stay active, I still hadn’t fully recovered from the side effects of the Mutant trait.
As soon as I closed my eyes, I fell into a deep sleep.
I slept for three whole days.
It wasn’t a restful sleep, though. My body was clearly resting, but my mind, my brain, was half-awake the entire ti, making it even more exhausting.
Just like at the goshiwon, I lingered between wakefulness and sleep, barely aware of my surroundings.
“Ugh…”
Even after three days, when I finally woke up, I still didn’t feel great.
I lay in bed for a while, staring blankly at the ceiling. It wasn’t until after I ordered an extravagant room service al that my mind started to clear.
“This is tough.”
I couldn’t keep abusing this power.
Unless it was an ergency, I resolved not to use the Mutant trait anymore.
“Phew!”
Smack!
I slapped my face to clear my head.
“Ti to get to work.”
I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.
I’d already spent 3 million won on hotel fees.
At least I got a discount for staying long-term, otherwise, the regular rate was 330,000 won per night.
Maybe I should’ve just rented an officetel for 2 million won per month?
But wasting ti moving in and all that would’ve been inefficient, so staying at the hotel for a while was fine.
‘First things first…’
I turned my bag upside down and dumped its contents onto the bed.
Mana cores spilled out.
Most of them were worthless Level 0 mana cores.
After counting them, I had exactly 131.
“Hoo…”
I took a deep breath.
With one breath, I switched my traits.
I removed the Strength trait and activated Synthesis.
The world montarily turned red as red threads of energy crackled between the mana cores.
I pressed pairs of them together like molding clay.
Zzzap!
Tiny sparks of mana crackled as the energy pulsed.
My strength drained from my body, and a dull ache spread through my chest.
Ah, this is draining my mana.
‘Switching out Endurance, Toughness, and Wound Recovery for Mana Absorption, Mana Core, and Deep Breathing.’
With the Vigor trait still active, my mana rapidly replenished.
Even though mana density in the city was low, it was better than nothing.
Swoosh…
As the mana glow dimd, the result of the synthesis appeared.
A mana core about the size of my pinky finger.
Still Level 0.
In the ga, only when I got lucky would I get a Level 1 core right off the bat.
Can’t expect too much too soon.
I had plenty of mana cores and lots of ti.
With patience, I continued synthesizing.
Though it consud a lot of mana, I decided to think positively.
‘It’s actually good.’
Heavy mana consumption is always a condition for unlocking new traits.
Sure enough, after about an hour, I felt a tingling sensation as my mana surged back into my body.
The [Mana Recovery] trait.
I replaced the now unnecessary [Contamination Resistance] with [Mana Recovery].
I could now synthesize mana cores even faster.
Combining Level 0 cores with other Level 0 cores.
Then combining the Level 1 cores with other Level 1 cores.
Even using the Level 1 core I’d taken from the Hedgehog mutant.
In no ti, the 130-sothing mana cores were almost gone.
“Phew!”
It took
an entire day.
But I finally held the result of all my efforts in my hand.
It wasn’t the size of a pinky finger anymore.
It was almost as big as three fingers, and the mana inside was so concentrated that rainbow-like mana sparks bubbled up just from holding it.
“A Level 2 mana core…”
I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t Level 3.
After all, superhumans are only truly recognized once they reach Level 3, and mana cores reach their real value at that level too.
But still, it was fine.
Even a Level 2 mana core could fetch
several hundred thousand won.
Collecting those trashy Level 0 mana cores and turning them into a few hundred thousand won? That’s pure profit.
‘Should I sell this or not?’
That thought crossed my mind.
It usually takes about 10 to 20 cores to synthesize a higher-grade mana core.
Obviously, a single Level 3 mana core is worth several tis more than 20 Level 2 cores.
So in theory, it would be smart to hold out, but my gut told
otherwise.
‘Let’s not push it.’
When you let things drag on for too long, you’re bound to get caught.
If I suddenly showed up out of nowhere selling a Level 3 mana core while still working as a janitor cleaning up Level 0 monsters?
Soone would inevitably figure out that I had the ability to synthesize mana cores.
And after that, I’d end up in a can, forced to synthesize cores for the rest of my life.
No, I’ll stop at Level 2 for now. I’ll make a Level 3 core when I have the strength to protect myself.
“Heh…”
Still, I couldn’t deny the sense of satisfaction.
Chuckling to myself, I packed the mana core and my bag and left the hotel.
I planned to sell the core, grab a nice al with the money, and then head back.
“Huh?”
Just by chance, I locked eyes with a man standing in an alleyway beyond the hotel.
Early June.
It was a gloomy, sticky day.
Yet the man was wearing a long coat with the collar turned up.
His baseball cap was pulled low over his eyes, and he wore a black mask that concealed his face.
Was it my imagination, or did his eyes seem familiar?
He didn’t look away, nor did he seem interested in .
After a few seconds, his gaze shifted back to the hotel.
The guards at the hotel entrance were on edge, clearly sensing sothing off about him too.
“Thanks for your hard work.”
I deliberately greeted the guards, who bowed their heads in return.
“Take care, sir. We have a bad feeling about this.”
“Thank you.”
Surely, he wasn’t here for , right?
There’s no way. Why would anyone bother with a small fry like ?
But just in case…
I touched my bag and glanced at the guards’ bulging pockets.
I decided then and there—I needed to buy a weapon.
Especially a gun.
–TL Notes–
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