## Chapter 209 – Food Chain (1)
“Hoo…”
Five hours since returning to reality.
Completely drained in every way, I lay on the sofa, staring at the TV.
I turned it on but didn’t change the channel.
I just needed something on so it wouldn’t be so quiet.
“…That wasn’t easy…”
Still, this time was successful in many ways.
I learned a great sword technique and completed several quests.
I gained many new skills this time.
Most notably, the Soul-Slaying Sword Technique, along with the skills “Womanizer,” “Charm,” and “Hormones.”
Womanizer increased my stamina when sleeping with many women, Charm slightly aroused those I made eye contact with, and Hormones aroused those who caught my scent.
Somehow, I gained a lot of skills in that area this time.
…Well, the final version of me in the martial arts world was practically a womanizer.
I didn’t even use the sword techniques I learned, spending all night with women.
“Sigh… Should I get up…”
It wasn’t that I wanted to get up.
My stomach was urging me.
It demanded I eat something to replenish my protein, so I decided to have a meal.
Protein, huh?
Normally, I’d just order chicken, but I didn’t feel like it today.
I felt like going somewhere to eat.
A warm meal.
And I also felt like experiencing the modern world.
Being in the martial world for so long made me miss it.
It still felt strange not having a weapon at my waist.
I threw on a plain T-shirt and shorts and headed out.
It was warmer than I thought, making me feel a bit chilly.
“…Where should I go?”
I came out, but my feet wandered aimlessly.
I wanted to eat meat, though.
After some thought, I decided to head to a huge department store that had everything.
There was no better place to experience the modern world.
From high-end restaurants to frozen foods, it had a variety of food.
With that decided, I started walking, but…
The road seemed unusually flashy today.
“Wow…”
“Hey, take a picture.”
“Wow, that’s worth hundreds of millions.”
I was impressed too, and people passing by stopped to take out their phones and photograph the road.
More specifically, they were photographing the line of sports cars and luxury vehicles lined up on the road.
I’d seen expensive cars like that in Hongdae before, but I’d never seen them lined up so colorfully.
And they were all heading to the same destination.
“The department store?”
I wondered if there was some kind of car event today.
I had no idea.
I decided to watch the cars for a bit and then head to the department store.
Even someone like me, who wasn’t interested in cars, felt like getting one after seeing them.
I wanted to drive a convertible, roll down the window, and seduce women.
…Maybe that’s too old-fashioned.
Since winter was coming, I probably didn’t need a convertible anyway.
I stopped my silly thoughts and tried to enter the department store when a security guard stopped me.
“Please provide your name or membership card.”
“Huh?… It’s Sung-Han.”
I didn’t have a card, so I bluntly gave my name.
I was blunt because they stopped me from entering the department store.
I was just hungry and a little sensitive.
“Sung-Han…”
He searched for my name on his phone, then looked back and forth between the phone and me.
Then he stepped aside.
“Diamond level confirmed.”
“Yeah? Yeah…”
Diamond level, huh?
I remembered buying some furniture and clothes from this department store.
I bought some really expensive stuff.
I guess my level naturally went up.
Anyway, I was allowed in.
“It’s empty…”
It was usually crowded, but now it was so quiet I could hear my own footsteps.
Some of the stores were even closed.
Only a few luxury boutiques and brand shops were open.
And people were gathered around those places.
I wasn’t very interested in luxury goods, so I just glanced at them with a nonchalant expression.
“There’s no one here…”
There were more employees in the luxury boutiques than people in the hallway.
I passed the luxury boutiques and headed to the top floor.
Where the high-end restaurants were located.
I hoped they weren’t closed.
Fortunately, I could see the silhouettes of a few people, so it seemed like some places were open.
First, I saw a couple coming out of a restaurant in the distance.
And then—
Click, click.
Behind the railing, a woman was carefully taking pictures of them with a camera.
Secretly, she flinched and hid, snapping photos. I cautiously approached her.
She was so focused on the photos.
I was right behind her, but she didn’t notice, looking over the pictures she’d taken.
I glanced over her shoulder and saw that her skills were excellent.
I could believe she was a photographer or reporter.
But there was another word for women like her.
“…Paparazzi?”
“Eek?!”
The woman screamed in surprise and immediately sat down.
She also grabbed my hand and pulled me down.
As if telling me to hide quickly.
I was confident, but the woman’s reaction seemed so desperate that I just sat down with her.
“Shh, shush…”
We plopped down on the floor, hiding behind the department store’s railing.
The railing was quite high to prevent falls, so even someone as big as me could hide behind it.
The couple the woman had been secretly photographing seemed startled by the noise and glanced over here, then tilted their heads and started walking again, holding hands tightly.
They seemed like a couple very much in love.
…Enough to make me want to take her.
I shook off the dark thoughts and slowly stood up.
The woman watched me and slowly stood up as well.
“What is it?”
“I-I’m sorry. Please don’t report me…”
The woman was almost crying.
Report? Ah, I guess it’s illegal filming.
But I was also curious.
“Who is that person you were photographing?”
“Huh?”
She looked at me as if she couldn’t believe it.
“Don’t you know Junwoo, the idol? From Clutch… the main vocalist, who also composes…”
“…”
I didn’t know.
And she gave me information I didn’t want to know.
“Junwoo…? Clutch?”
Curious, I searched on YouTube and found that he was quite famous.
He was a famous idol who easily got millions of views.
The group’s latest song had been released a month ago, and—
“20 million?”
It had a very high number of views.
Even compared to other famous idol groups I knew, it was a bit higher.
The woman smiled, seemingly satisfied when she saw my surprised expression.
“He’s amazing, right?”
“Yeah.”
Then she looked down at her camera, and her expression quickly turned cold again.
I remembered the scene she had captured with that camera.
The man named Junwoo was shopping with a beautiful woman, holding her hand tightly.
Was the idol having a secret relationship?
And was he caught by a fan?
“Are you a fan of the idol Junwoo?”
“A fan… I guess.”
The woman smiled awkwardly as she said that.
“Actually… I’m Junwoo’s homma.”
“Homma?”
When I asked what that was, the woman laughed, saying she knew I wouldn’t know.
“It’s just following idols around to take pictures… things like that.”
“Sounds like a stalker…”
“No! It’s a secret, but before he became famous, the agency sometimes arranged spots for me at some schedules…”
The agency even supported her activities?
Well, her photography skills were exceptional.
And the camera’s quality was outstanding.
Taking good pictures of the idol with such a good camera would be a great promotional effect.
It seemed the agency had provided some support.
But they didn’t do that anymore now that he was famous.
Camera, huh…
I also liked photography and filming, so I asked.
“How much does a camera like that cost?”
“This? …About eight hundred million with the lens?”
“…”
I was speechless.
Eight hundred million for a camera slightly bigger than my palm.
Even if it wasn’t a cannon-like camera, it was expensive.
“Actually, I’ve… contacted Junwoo personally.”
“Personal contact?”
Was that possible?
He was an idol, and she was a fan?
The woman shook her head.
“It’s not usually allowed, but… I contacted him first. It’s been too obvious lately.”
“Obvious… about his relationship?”
The woman nodded.
She was a fan with a pretty tolerant heart.
She didn’t really care if idols were dating.
However—
“He absolutely can’t get caught. For the sake of the fans and the other members.”
“…Ah.”
I understood what she meant.
So she said she told him to be careful because it was too obvious lately.
But today, even though it was a department store only accessible to VIPs, he was walking around so openly that she took pictures.
“What are you going to do with the pictures?”
“…I don’t know… I just took them…”
“…Huh? Wait, let me see.”
The woman smiled bitterly.
I took the camera.
The idol named Jinwoo was handsome, but my eyes were drawn to the person next to him.
She didn’t pale in comparison to the idol.
“Do you know who the woman next to him is?”
“Huh? Just… seems like a regular person.”
A regular person, huh?
I didn’t think so.
“Send me these pictures.”
“What?! No! If, if these pictures spread online…”
The woman looked at me with suspicion.
But her eyes wavered at my next words.
“I’ll make those two break up.”
“…Huh?”
