Chapter 20: Suspicious Bodyguards (5)
“Are you really planning to give it to them like this?”
“There’s no other alternative, is there?”
“They must’ve had high expectations too.”
“This is a hundred tis better than lettuce.”
“Still…….”
I didn’t want to do this either.
But no matter how much I thought about it, this was the last resort.
So I connected a long power strip and internet cable, placed the POS terminal outside the window, and half-buried it in the ground.
The principle was the sa as the wrap vegetables we had eaten before.
Instead of seeds in the soil, I was going to rub the POS terminal to grow wraps… no, receipts.
Receipts filled with divine power.
“I’ll print it now.”
(Paynt completed.)
-Ziiiiing.
【Receipt】
[Store Na] Dangsari Café
[Business No.] 3341-249-9-601091
[Address] 21-8 Dangsan-ro, Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do
[Owner] Kim Jinseong
[Sales Date] 2024-11-08 00:21:48
==========================
Item Na Unit Price Quantity Amount
Ssanghwa Tea 5,000 1 5,000
Total Amount 5,000
After swiping the card, a short receipt ca out.
It was the first receipt printed since opening. It was a mont where I truly realized I was running a café.
And just as expected, it was filled with divine energy.
Who would’ve thought the first receipt of our café would be used like this…….
“This is about on par with the sacred object Sani gave us.”
“Hehe, I see. Just as worthless too.”
“It doesn’t matter. We made it, didn’t we? At least we’re not sending them empty-handed. Here you go.”
“Thank you! Really, thank you!”
The reason these people were bowing repeatedly as if they’d received a winning lottery ticket wasn’t far-fetched.
Carrying a sacred object increases divine power. But it only worked with the permission of the one who bestowed it.
That’s why I swiped the card using the shaman’s card.
It was my own little system to acknowledge ownership. It might not be a fair trade, but paynt was made.
“Well, that’s it then, right? Oh, and you don’t need to co protect the Divine Tree separately. It makes uncomfortable.”
“Are you sure about that…….”
-Pak.
Just as the shaman cautiously began to speak, a colorful fan made of peacock feathers opened in front of her face.
It was the fan of the Haedong Sinyuh.
“It is only right that we, who received a sacred object, perform our duty.”
“No need. Unlike Gyeryongsan, the Divine Tree here can take care of itself. The Elder is here too.”
I had to decline.
Their intention to protect was appreciated, but they’d already witnessed Ria radiate overwhelming divine power, hadn’t they?
diocre ones wouldn’t even make it close—they’d collapse just like these people did.
But Haedong Sinyuh, who stepped forward, didn’t seem ready to back down.
“If staying nearby is uncomfortable, we’ll set up a small altar at a distance and offer prayers. How about that?”
That alternative felt even more burdenso.
I said you don’t need to co!
“Let them. They always keep an altar set up in their car anyway. You won’t even notice it, and they won’t be out there dancing with knives in the cold wind. They’re here to lessen their karmic debt—let them do this much. It'll ease their conscience.”
“How can you lie so effortlessly every ti?”
“Hehehe, isn’t it fun to watch?”
They didn’t seem content with performing just a token ritual.
Especially in Haedong Sinyuh’s eyes, I could sense a certain determination. The kind that might lead her to slap a pig’s head down and start a full-blown ritual at any mont.
“If you must, then co as custors.”
“Custors?”
“In the end, protecting the Divine Tree is the goal, right? When I’m not around, the Elder is, so there’s no need for you to co all the ti. Just drop by for coffee occasionally. Not too often. I don’t want rituals or exorcisms.”
“It’s more dangerous when you’re alone. You said you have no divine power, so we……”
“I’m not in danger. The only ones who could hurt would be Elder or Sani.”
“Tsks, it’s true. There’s probably no one in the world who could harm this guy or the Divine Tree.”
“You heard that, right? If anything urgent happens, I’ll ask you for help. This should be enough, yes? Anything more is just a nuisance to .”
“If you insist, we’ll abide. And if you call, we’ll co running anyti.”
I probably wouldn’t need to call them, but if it ant they’d leave now, I’d make that promise a hundred tis over.
Finally, the once-crowded café could close its doors.
『Ssanghwa Tea (5,000) × 20
Total Sales: 100,000 won』
A pretty decent day’s sales.
Late evening, the shamans left the café and began walking toward the car they had parked so distance away.
“Tsk, this is kinda awkward.”
The monk muttered as he turned the faintly glowing blue receipt back and forth.
“What now?”
“Isn’t this worse than that acorn Elder San gave us? I an, it’s a receipt, even if it’s a sacred item.”
“You snatched it up all excited, and now you complain? You monks always change your tune the mont you leave the bathroom.”
“No, I like it! But it just doesn’t look cool, you know?”
“So people sprinkle rice with soju bottles—don’t be so picky. Just stick it between your talismans or sothing.”
“Oh! That’ll work! Man, anyway, I’ll finally be able to properly see divine visions! If we rotate shifts, we’ll be raking in cash by the sackful. We’ll upgrade our car. No, wait. Won’t it take ti for the word to get out that our divine power’s strong?”
“You really think this is great?”
“Of course! And she said we don’t even have to co that often. Instead of chanting scriptures all day, if we hit the ritual circuit, do you know how much that’ll make? It’s basic math, basic math.”
“There’s no need to do the math.”
“As expected from our money spirit priestess! You already did the calculations back at the café, huh? We’ll be making at least a hundred million won a month, right?”
“Nope, we won’t make a single cent for a while.”
“What? Why not!”
“You should’ve only taken the sacred object, but you ended up receiving sothing even more precious.”
“If you don’t want to be reborn as a pig or a dog from all the karma, you’d better get moving from tomorrow.”
“You said not to do offerings or rituals!”
“She only said not to do those two.”
“What are you talking about? If a shaman doesn’t perform offerings or rituals, how else are they supposed to lessen their karma? Hey, are you even listening?”
She didn’t hear him.
With a faint smile, Haedong Sinyuh walked toward the car, her mind seemingly free of any concern about karma.
‘She’s such a generous person. After giving so much, she pushed us away thinking we’d suffer.’
Haedong Sinyuh, considered one of the most spiritually gifted shamans in Korea, filled herself with admiration for Jinseong.
She was right about the generosity, but she didn’t even consider that the real reason they were dismissed was because he found them annoying.
After the sudden incident with the shamans, the café returned to its usual rhythm.
If anything had changed, it was that my workplace was no longer a company building nearly 50 minutes away by car, but a desk just a few steps away from my bed.
I initially volunteered to work overti out of concern that remote work might interfere with my job, but surprisingly, working from ho suited my tasks quite well.
Most of what I did involved wrestling with docunts, so there was no need to et anyone over awkward video calls.
Unless the conversation wasn’t work-related, of course.
(Manager Kim, can’t you show us your place by holding up the cara?)
“Pardon?”
(Just give us a quick sweep like this.)
(There you go again. Stop bothering Jinseong during work hours.)
(I’m just curious! He didn’t even throw a housewarming. It’s an old house, so I bet there are a lot of places I could fix up. I used to live in a house too, you know.)
“It’s fully renovated inside, so it’s basically new.”
(You wouldn’t know, Manager Kim. With houses, it’s all about the plumbing and wiring. They make the outside look nice, but keep using the sa thirty, forty-year-old stuff inside.)
(It’s Jinseong we’re talking about. I’m sure he’ll manage just fine. Let’s wrap up and go ho. Great work today, Jinseong!)
(Wait, don’t just cut the call like tha—)
The screen went off before I could even say thank you.
6:00 p.m. sharp—like a knife’s cut.
Normally, the year-end season is busy for all departnts. But since we had several long-term projects running over the past two years, our Strategic Planning Office hit an unexpected lull, allowing us to leave work on ti.
Alright, I should probably get moving too.
When I casually threw on my coat and went downstairs, I saw Ria and Sani playing enthusiastically with the Elder Gumiho’s tail while he was asleep.
“Elder, please wake up.”
“Huh? You’re already done?”
“It’s not already—it’s dinner ti. I asked you to watch Ria. When did you even fall asleep?”
“I never slept! I was playing with her, and just closed my eyes for a bit. But if you're done, you should eat. Why are you all bundled up?”
“I need to go out for a bit.”
“Still, you should eat! There's a leftover lunchbox!”
“I’m in a rush.”
Just as Sani said, a high-end lunchbox left by the Director was warming beside the stove.
He had considered my situation, having to make dinner for our unexpected family after work.
But sothing even more important than dinner awaited.
“Where are you rushing off to?”
“The supermarket. Ria needs to co, so go get bundled up and co down.”
“Yes!”
“Are you going to buy pork cutlets? Then we must hurry!”
“Sorry, but Sani, can you stay here for a bit?”
“Huh?”
He looked like he needed an explanation.
“It’s the first ti I’m going far with Ria, so soone has to stay and watch the Divine Tree.”
“Ehh! I want to go too! Let the Gumiho stay!”
“Hmph, you can’t even do transformation magic properly—how will you go?”
“I went last ti too!”
“You were in a box.”
Bringing Sani to a public place was reckless, no matter how I thought about it. His so-called transformation was just a raccoon dog in pants.
Sorry, but I had no choice.
I had to forcibly peel Sani off my leg several tis before I could finally get into the car.
-Thump thump.
“Sani’s at the back!”
On the rear cara, I saw Sani sadly pounding on the trunk, tears and snot running down his face.
“Poor thing……”
“It can’t be helped. If I bring sothing tasty back, he’ll feel better.”
“You’re surprisingly coldhearted, you know.”
“You know exactly what would happen if I brought him.”
“Hehe, but what do you need from the supermarket? In this day and age, you can get things delivered in a day.”
“Still, nothing beats seeing and buying things in person.”
“What are you buying?”
“A house for Ria.”
“A house?”
“Yes.”
These days, supermarkets have everything.
Even houses.
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