#26
“Welcome.”
As I opened the glass door and entered, the person inside the shop greeted me with a smile. He looked me and Lee Gyeongjin, who followed behind me, up and down, making a quick assessment before starting to speak.
“You seem a bit young to be shopping for wedding rings, so you must be here for couple rings? Welcome, welcome! No place will treat you better than our shop. Prices vary wildly from store to store with craftsmanship fees and whatnot, but if you came to Jongno for a good deal only to get ripped off somewhere else, that would be a real loss. We’ve been in business in Jongno for 40 years. You won’t find a place more trustworthy than ours.”
It seems that despite 40 years in business, his observational skills aren’t that great. I clicked my tongue at the shop owner’s stubborn insistence on treating Lee Gyeongjin and me as a couple, even though we hadn’t exchanged a single affectionate word since entering the shop.
“I’m here to buy a gold bar.”
“…A gold bar?”
The shop owner’s expression soured momentarily, as if my answer was unexpected.
“Don’t you sell gold bars here? I heard jewelry shops sell them.”
“No, we do sell them. We do, but… it’s not the kind of price that a student like you would be thinking of. Ah, are you looking to make something like a one-don gold bar? Our shop also makes small-weight gold bars. I suppose gold bars aren’t just for the rich these days.”
“No, I want to buy a one-kilogram bar.”
I felt like communication with the shop owner wasn’t going well. Was it because of Cha Sukyung’s youthful appearance, or was it the shop owner’s problem? I wondered briefly.
“Kid, did you come here just to browse? You shouldn’t do this in someone’s place of business. Stop joking around and tell me what you’re really here to see.”
Why is he suddenly getting upset? Did I say something wrong? I thought about it for a moment, but I was certain I had spoken politely by my standards. Yet I couldn’t understand why I was being attacked by the shop owner this way.
“I really came to buy one. I even looked up approximately how much it costs. But it seems you’re not very interested in doing business?”
“You’re really saying you want to buy a one-kilogram gold bar? You, a student?”
“Yes. But not from here anymore.”
Do I emit some kind of pheromone that provokes people to fight? I don’t understand why everyone I encounter becomes so combative. Since this is still happening even after entering Cha Sukyung’s body, it must really be my problem.
“Mr. Lee, let’s go. They don’t seem to want to sell here.”
I ignored whatever the shop owner was saying behind me and walked straight out of the store. Lee Gyeongjin followed me out and looked at me with questioning eyes.
“Why do you suddenly want to buy a gold bar?”
“Just… because I want one. I want one, okay? I just want to have one. So don’t ask and let’s go to the next shop.”
Lee Gyeongjin still looked like he didn’t understand, but he stopped asking questions at my urging and moved on to the next store.
It seemed like none of the shops were interested in doing business. As soon as I mentioned a one-kilogram gold bar, everyone’s expression would change and their attitude would shift.
I mean, shouldn’t they be eager to sell such an expensive item? Something like, “Thank you, customer, for this opportunity.” Even if not that subservient, shouldn’t they be more enthusiastic about serving a customer? But instead, I kept getting these strange looks of annoyance or contempt, which made me lose my desire to buy from them.
Do I smell of poverty? I wonder if the poverty that still clings to me is visible to their eyes, even though I’m wearing Cha Sukyung’s shell.
“Should I go in and talk to them instead?”
“I must look poor to them. Do I smell poor? I should have worn a suit, an expensive watch, and what else is expensive? I should have brought those kinds of things with me.”
“That’s not it. They just assume you can’t afford it because you look young. It’s actually fortunate that you didn’t buy from someone with such a narrow-minded view. I’m sure there’s a place that will treat you properly, young master.”
When I spoke with drooping shoulders and a gloomy expression, Lee Gyeongjin tried to console me, waving his hands. He looked around at the nearby stores more enthusiastically than I did and led me to a slightly smaller shop.
“Actually, the larger shops focus too much on appearances and lack substance. Let’s try that one.”
It’s probably not an issue of store size. Nevertheless, I trudged along behind Lee Gyeongjin toward the modest shop.
“Welcome.”
“We’ve come to buy a gold bar. Our young master here intends to make a purchase, so please guide us well.”
Lee Gyeongjin spoke loudly to the shop owner before I could even open my mouth. The shop owner, who had initially looked a bit displeased, must have seen something in Lee Gyeongjin’s face, because he quickly changed his expression and approached me.
“You came to see gold bars?”
“Yes.”
“Please sit over here.”
The shop owner guided me to a chair placed in front of a glass display case, then went around behind the display to the inside area.
“May I ask what size you had in mind? These days we also make small-weight gold bars like one don or five don, so you don’t need to feel any pressure at all.”
“One kilogram.”
“…One… kilogram gold bar is what you’re thinking of. Did you perhaps look into the price range? Gold prices have gotten cheaper recently, but they’re still basically expensive.”
I quietly searched for today’s domestic gold price on my phone and showed it to the shop owner.
“My, the internet these days is really something. You can find all sorts of information.”
The don standard might be difficult to understand, but that nice internet also showed prices in grams, not just don. 1kg is 1,000g, so I just needed to add three zeros.
“This isn’t necessarily an important question, but may I ask why you’re buying a gold bar? I’ll tell you why I’m asking after you answer.”
“Just… because I want one? And if something unexpected happens later, I might sell it and use the cash.”
In truth, the latter reason is bigger, no, it’s the entire reason. I glanced at Lee Gyeongjin, who was looking out the shop window as if he couldn’t hear anything.
“That’s right. Gold is as good as money. When you resell something you’ve bought, the only thing that will get you the same price you paid is gold. There’s a reason they call it ‘gold tech.’ Our customer is very forward-thinking at such a young age.”
The shop owner, who had complimented me without much enthusiasm, took something out from under the display case and placed it in front of me.
“The reason I asked about your purchase intention is because most people who buy gold are thinking about converting it to cash later. But one kilogram is too large. Unless you’re planning to sell it all at once, if you need a small amount of cash urgently, you’d have to sell the entire one-kilogram bar or damage the piece, which is inefficient. So I wanted to mention that when purchasing, you could also buy individual pieces like fifty don or ten don.”
“Here, look at this,” the shop owner said in a tone like a kindergarten teacher, drawing my attention. Somehow, I was drawn to it. Addictive. I moved my gaze following the shop owner’s hand.
Inside the case that the shop owner opened were gold bars of different sizes. The dazzling golden color hurt my eyes. It’s so bright. Despite the brightness, I felt happy. It was a happy brightness that washed away all the gloom I had been feeling until just moments ago.
“This is a ten-don gold bar. Isn’t it cute? If you store it like this, it’s satisfying to take out and look at occasionally, and it’s also convenient to take out and sell one by one when you need money. And since ten don is not too expensive, people who save up to buy them enjoy filling up their case one by one, two by two.”
The shop owner brought out a jewelry case used for earrings or rings and showed me how the adorable ten-don gold bar fit snugly inside. If I filled this case with those gold bars, it would definitely be satisfying to look at.
“About six pieces fit in one row. With five rows, that’s thirty pieces. Thirty pieces is 300 don, right? A kilogram is about 266.6 don, so filling this case would be more than a one-kilogram gold bar.”
I wanted a gold bar that would feel heavy in my hand, but listening to the shop owner, I thought this way of buying gold might be good too. Whether knowing or not knowing my wavering heart, the shop owner gestured to the next case.
“This is a fifty-don gold bar. Definitely bigger than the ten-don one, right?”
“It’s… surprisingly small.”
While the ten-don gold bar had a cute charm to it, the fifty-don one was neither here nor there—it just seemed small.
“You don’t seem to like this one. Then let me show you the one-kilogram gold bar you wanted.”
The shop owner took out a phone-sized case and, after building some suspense, opened it. I let out a small “Wow” at the gold bar inside.
Yes, this is what I wanted.
The cute ten-don gold bar vanished from my mind. Although they probably wouldn’t let me touch it, I didn’t even want to touch it—it inspired almost a sense of reverence.
I never imagined that in my lifetime, I’d be in a situation where I was deciding whether to buy a one-kilogram gold bar. It felt a bit emotional.
“I’ll take it. I want to buy this.”
I timidly poked the edge of the case with my finger as I spoke. My voice trembled slightly at the end, but no one pointed it out.
“Please charge it to my card. Do I just take this with me?”
“My goodness, you’re in such a hurry. You need to fill out the purchase ledger first, and it would be better to buy when the gold price is a bit lower, wouldn’t it?”
“It’s not like it’s going to get much cheaper anyway, so I’ll just buy it now. Please tell me what I need to fill out.”
My mind was already on taking the gold home. While I couldn’t calm my excitement, the shop owner prepared what was needed for the purchase.
I needed an ID card, had to sign the purchase ledger, and most importantly, needed my credit card.
By the way, is it okay to buy gold with a credit card? I didn’t ask about the card limit—I hope it won’t be declined for exceeding the limit. I should have asked what the limit was. Anxiety hit me belatedly.
If it doesn’t work, I’ll just buy a ten-don gold bar instead. It won’t meet my expectations, but if I collect one or two ten-don gold bars at a time, someday I’ll be able to fill that case with thirty of them.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
