By Zephyria 
“Welcome.”
As I opened the glass door and entered, a person inside the shop greeted me with a smile. He scanned me and Lee Kyung-jin following behind me, quickly assessing us before starting his pitch.
“You’re a bit young to be looking for wedding jewelry, so you must be here for couple rings? You’ve come to the right place. No one does it better than our shop. Prices vary wildly from store to store due to crafting fees and such; if you come to Jongno to buy cheap but get ripped off at the wrong place, it’s actually a loss. We’ve been in business in Jongno for 40 years. There’s probably no other place that does business based on trust as much as we do.”
Even after forty years in business, it seemed the shop owner’s eye for detail was lacking. I clicked my tongue at the owner’s stubborn insistence on treating Lee Kyung-jin and me as a couple, despite the fact that we hadn’t exchanged a single friendly word since entering the store.
“I’m here to buy a gold bar.”
“……A gold bar?”
Perhaps it was an unexpected answer, as the shop owner wore a momentarily skeptical expression.
“Do you not sell gold bars here? I was told they do at jewelry stores.”
“No, we do. We do, but… it’s not the kind of price a student would be thinking of. Ah, are you looking to make something like a one-don gold bar? Our shop does low-weight gold bar production too. Then again, gold bars aren’t just for the wealthy these days.”
“No, I’m looking to buy a one-kilogram one.”
I felt like there was a communication breakdown with the shop owner. I wondered for a moment if the problem was Cha Soo-kyung’s youthful face, or if the problem lay with the owner.
“Student, did you just come here to look around? You shouldn’t do this in a place of business. Stop playing around and tell me quickly what you’re actually looking for.”
Wait, why the sudden agitation? Did I say something wrong? I thought about it for a moment, but by my standards, I had spoken politely. I couldn’t understand why I was being attacked by the shop owner like this.
“I really came to buy one. I even searched for the approximate price before coming. But I guess you aren’t very keen on doing business?”
“You really intend to buy a one-kilogram gold bar? A student?”
“Yes. But not from here.”
Do I emit some kind of pheromone that triggers a fight-or-flight response? I don’t know why every person I encounter seems to ignite a sense of combativeness. Seeing as this continues even after entering Cha Soo-kyung’s body, it seems I really am the problem.
“Mr. Lee, let’s go. It seems they have no intention of selling here.”
Ignoring the shop owner’s rambling in the background, I swept out of the store. Lee Kyung-jin, following close behind, looked at me with eyes full of curiosity.
“Why the sudden urge to buy a gold bar?”
“Just… because I want one. I want it, I just want one. So stop asking and let’s go to the next shop.”
Lee Kyung-jin looked bewildered, but at my urging, he stopped questioning and walked toward the next store.
It seemed every shop lacked the will to do business; whenever I mentioned a one-kilogram gold bar, everyone’s expression turned strange and their attitude shifted.
I mean, a chance to sell such a high-priced item comes along—shouldn’t they be bowing and scraping as a customer? Even if they didn’t go that far, shouldn’t they be enthusiastic? But since I kept receiving oddly offended or condescending looks, my desire to buy vanished.
Do I smell like poverty? I wondered if the poverty that still clings to me is visible to them, even while I’m wearing Cha Soo-kyung’s shell.
“Shall I go in and speak for you?”
“I guess I look poor. Do I smell poor? I’m wearing a suit and an expensive watch, and what else is expensive? Maybe I should have brought more stuff like that.”
“That is not the case. Since you look young, they likely assume it is an amount you cannot afford. It is actually a relief that you didn’t buy from people with such narrow perspectives. There will surely be a place that welcomes you properly, Young Master.”
As I spoke in a sullen, slumped manner, Lee Kyung-jin waved his hands, trying to comfort me. He scanned the surrounding shops more enthusiastically than I was and led me toward a slightly smaller store.
“Actually, large stores focus too much on appearances and lack substance. Let’s try that place.”
I doubted the size of the store was the issue. Nevertheless, I trudged along, led by Lee Kyung-jin into the cozy shop.
“Welcome.”
“We’ve come to buy a gold bar. My Young Master intends to make a purchase, so please guide him well.”
Lee Kyung-jin spoke loudly to the shop owner before I could even open my mouth. The owner, who had initially looked a bit skeptical, seemed to see something in Lee Kyung-jin’s face, as he quickly changed his expression and approached me.
“You’ve come to see gold bars?”
“Yes.”
“Please, have a seat over here.”
The owner guided me to a chair in front of a glass display case and then walked around the counter to the inside.
“May I ask what amount you had in mind? These days, we produce low-weight gold bars of one don or five don, so there is absolutely no need to feel burdened.”
“One kilogram.”
“……One… kilogram. You’ve come looking for a one-kilogram gold bar. Have you looked into the price range? Gold prices have dropped recently, but the base price is still quite high.”
I quietly searched for today’s domestic gold market price on my phone and showed it to the shop owner.
“My, the internet is wonderful these days. Everything comes up.”
The standard of one don or two don was confusing, but the wonderful internet provided the price in grams as well. Since 1kg is 1,000g, I just had to add three zeros to the end.
“This might not be a necessary question, but may I ask the reason for purchasing the gold bar? I’ll tell you why I’m asking after I hear your answer.”
“Just… because I want it? And I’m thinking of selling it for cash later if something unexpected happens.”
In truth, the latter reason was the main one—actually, the only one. I stole a glance at Lee Kyung-jin, but he was staring through the store window as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
“I see. Gold is practically the same as money. When you buy an item and resell it later, gold is the only thing where you can get the purchase price back. That’s why they call it ‘gold-tech.’ Our customer is very deep-thinking for such a young age.”
The shop owner praised me soulessly and pulled something out from under the display case, placing it before me.
“The reason I asked was that most people buy gold with the intention of cashing it out later. But one kilogram is too large. It’s fine if you sell it all at once, but if you suddenly need a small amount of money, you’d have to sell the whole kilogram or damage the bar, which is inefficient. That’s why I wanted to mention that you could buy them individually in fifty-don or ten-don increments.”
“Now, look here,” the shop owner said, drawing my attention in a tone reminiscent of a kindergarten teacher. Somehow, I was drawn in. It was addictive. I followed the owner’s hand with my eyes.
Inside the case the owner opened were gold bars of different sizes. The glittering golden light hurt my eyes. It was dazzling. Yet, despite the glare, I felt happy. It was a dazzling happiness that swept away the depression I had felt until a moment ago.
“This is a ten-don gold bar. Quite cute, isn’t it? If you store them like this, it’s satisfying to take them out and look at them occasionally, and it’s easy to take one out and sell it when you need money. Also, since ten don isn’t a burdensome price, people who save up to buy them say there’s a joy in filling this up one or two at a time.”
The shop owner brought a jewelry case used for earrings or rings and tucked the dainty ten-don gold bar inside. If I filled this up with those gold bars, it would certainly be a sight to behold.
“About six fit in one row. There are five rows, so thirty in total. Thirty of these would be 300 don, right? Since one kilogram is about 266.6 don, filling one of these is actually more than a one-kilogram gold bar.”
I had wanted a gold bar that felt heavy in my hand, but listening to the owner, I felt that buying gold this way might be a good idea. Whether he noticed my wavering heart or not, the owner gestured to the next case.
“This is a fifty-don gold bar. It’s definitely larger than the ten-don one, right?”
“Surprisingly… small.”
The ten-don gold bar had a certain charm in its daintiness, but the fifty-don one felt neither here nor there—it just felt small.
“I see this one isn’t to your liking. Then I’ll show you the one-kilogram gold bar you wanted.”
The shop owner pulled out a phone-sized case and, after a brief pause, opened it. I let out a small gasp of admiration at the gold bar inside.
Right, this is what I wanted.
The dainty ten-don gold bars vanished from my mind. They wouldn’t let me touch it, but I didn’t even feel the need to… I felt a sense of awe.
I never imagined in my life that I would be standing before a one-kilogram gold bar, debating whether to buy it or not. I felt a surge of emotion.
“I’ll buy it. I’ll take this one.”
I spoke, barely poking the edge of the case with my finger. My voice trembled slightly at the end, but no one pointed it out.
“Please charge it to the card. Can I just take this?”
“Oh my, you’re in such a hurry. You need to fill out the purchase ledger, and since gold prices are volatile, wouldn’t it be better to buy when it’s even a little cheaper?”
“It’s not going to drop drastically anyway, I’ll just buy it. Tell me what I need to write.”
My heart was already on its way home with the gold. While I sat there, unable to calm my restlessness, the shop owner prepared the necessary paperwork for the purchase.
An ID was needed, a signature on the ledger, and most importantly, the card.
By the way, is it okay to buy gold with a credit card? He hadn’t asked about my limit; I hoped I wouldn’t hit the limit here. I should have asked what the limit was. Anxiety crept in belatedly.
If it doesn’t work, I’ll just buy a ten-don gold bar. It won’t meet my expectations, but if I collect ten-don bars one by one, the day will come when I can fill that case with thirty of them.