He attempted to sell Namjoo a dysfunctional item, only to find that his life was gravely in danger. Namjoo almost killed him for trying to fool him once. What would happen if he found out that he was trying to fool his friend too? The shopkeeper broke out into a cold sweat. He smiled nervously at Namjoo, “I wasn’t trying to sell any dysfunctional items. I promise.”
Namjoo pointed at the hemp shirt curiously, “Than what’s that over there? This looks like a dysfunctional item to me.” The shopkeeper hurriedly snatched the shirt away from Namjoo’s grasp and explained, “Did I mean this shirt? I must’ve pointed at the wrong shirt. I was just about to throw this garbage away. No one is willing to buy it.”
He tossed the shirt behind him and shrugged, “I don’t think the shirt I was trying to tell you about is back here. I must’ve gotten the wrong section of the store. It seems that I’m getting too old. Sorry for the inconvenience, customer.”
Namjoo smiled sinisterly at the shopkeeper, “No problem. Just as long as you don’t try to rip us off. You know what’ll happen if you try to
fool us, don’t you?” Namjoo gestured towards his throat to indicate that he’d chop off his head. Shopkeeper broke out into a cold sweat. He stammered, “O…Of course I wouldn’t fool you. I have the right product especially for you. This item is a VVIP Item that I don’t show to just anyone.”
Namjoo rolled her eyes at him, “Sure, sure. Just get to the point. We don’t want to waste any time here if you don’t have the right products.” The shopkeeper quickly went behind the counter and dashed to the storage room to get the gear. While the shopkeeper was busy looking for items, Namjoo spoke to Yuna quietly.
Namjoo whispered, “It’s not a good idea to act like a weak kid in front of the shopkeeper. He tends to scam his customers to get the maximum profit. Although he’s like that, he does have some high-quality items. He is a renowned blacksmith that knows his stuff. He just likes money too much. When he gets back, you should act carefully around him.”
Yuna asked, “Is he a scary person? It didn’t seem like he could lift a sword with his scrawny figure.” Namjoo burst out laughing when she heard Yuna, “He’s far from scrawny. You must not be able to tell since he isn’t as big as the warriors of our nation. He is very strong. He may look like a clumsy weakling, but he’s far from it. He tends to be clumsy in real life, but he changes into a different person the instant he lays his hand on a sword or weapon. He is the renowned Weapon Master Chong.”
Namjoo continued to explain, “He’s a commoner that has been bestowed the title of Weapon Master throughout the nation. He just isn’t good at advertising. Most don’t know his appearance because his usual appearance looks small compared to the normal man. He is known for his speed and quick lightning like reflexes.”
“He has mastered not only the sword, but many other weapons as well. He is also talented in the weapon-making department. He just sucks at running a business. You probably noticed when you first saw the front of his store. He didn’t find a great location for his shop. This location is usually the dangerous part of town. You probably didn’t notice.”
Yuna hadn’t noticed anything peculiar while arriving at the shop. It seemed that Namjoo was good at staying out of dangerous situations. Yuna was glad that she had Namjoo to accompany her. Or else, she might’ve come across some pretty bad people.
Namjoo continued talking about Weapon Master Chong, “He’s a
shady person, but in actuality he isn’t a bad person. He likes to scam a couple stupid people that visit. He doesn’t usually harm innocent citizens though.” Yuna could tell from her explanation that Namjoo was pretty close to the shopkeeper despite their quarrels.
As soon as Namjoo finished speaking, WM(weapon master) Chong dropped a large basket of gear on the counter top. He pulled out the items and placed them in an orderly fashion in front of them. The first thing that caught her eye was a black hanbok with purple flowers that was stylishly embroidered on the edges of the sleaves and bodice.
Yuna wondered if they were in a clothing shop instead of a weapon shop. Why did he have products that looked like ordinary clothes used for fashion purposes? Yuna pointed at the hanbok, “What makes that hanbok different from normal clothing? Why would you be selling that here anyway? I thought you were supposed to be selling armor, not clothing.”
WM Chong roared with laughter, “Little boy, you must not know who I am. I do not sell simple clothing at my shop. This here is an item that has been coveted by many noble families. I’ve refused the majority of them even if they had thousands of golds to give me.”
Namjoo scoffed, “Like you would ever reject money. Why would we believe you?” WM Chong sighed, “What do you boys know? You wouldn’t even know how much sweat and tears I poured into this garment. It took me nearly a month to get the material right.”
When Yuna looked at the garment closely, she noticed that the material was not made of silk. She felt the fabric and noticed instantly that some parts of the fabric replicated bullet proof vests. She was shocked to find an item in this world that could resemble a bullet proof vest. She pulled at the fabric to test if it was possible to rip.
WM Chong shouted, “HEY! Easy on the material! Are you trying to run my business to the ground? If you rip this garment, I’ll have you pay twice the cost, no 3. No 5 times the price!” Namjoo glared at WM Chong, “You dare to make us pay?” He coughed lightly, “I won’t make you pay, but anyways easy on the material. I worked so hard to create this masterpiece.”
Namjoo asked, “So what makes this so valuable?” He explained in detail, “This item here is the only one of its kind in the world. The material is light enough for people to think it’s an ordinary hanbok, but the inside is what differentiates the two.”
WM Chong folded back the fabric to reveal the thick material inside. He explained, “This hanbok can withstand slashes from the sword and many other weapons. It is nearly impossible to get even a papercut from wearing this particular hanbok. The fabric is quite thin making it seem like a normal hanbok. I believe that I’ve successfully found something for you. This hanbok is a bit big for the boy, but I could have it specially tailored to fit your shape. It wouldn’t be a problem.”
Yuna was definitely interested in purchasing the item, but she sure wasn’t going to let him know that she was interested. She knew that most salespeople would try to sell it for way more than normal, just to get the max profits. Yuna decided to ask about the other items, “What about the other items?”
The shopkeeper frowned when he didn’t get an immediate sale. He was sure that he’d sell the hanbok instantly after revealing its true value. He didn’t expect to meet such a difficult customer. If the boy wasn’t interested in buying this top-quality gear, what would he be interested in?
He wondered who this kid was and why he was looking for gear in the first place. He still had many other opportunities to sell his products. He was sure that he would be making some money today.
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