I Returned, and Now I See Strange Things-Chapter 54: It’s Cheap, Really Cheap

“...Then I’ll buy that thing in your hand.”

“Ah, an excellent choice, customer!”

Ayun felt like she was being coerced into it, but still—this world was all about give and take.

She stared blearily at the spray bottle in the clerk’s hand and thought:

...Maybe that was the whole point from the start.

She let out a silent sigh. The clerk’s hand was visibly trembling, as if they were overjoyed to finally make a sale.

...Ayun held her tongue, not wanting to rain on their parade.

The clerk stepped up to the register and picked up the barcode scanner.

Ayun felt a sudden wave of nausea at the memory of what she’d seen earlier.

And rightfully so—it was something she never wanted to see again.

Ayun asked carefully:

“...There’s not going to be a repeat of that earlier situation, right?”

“Of course not! I may look like this, but I’m a professional!”

Had this guy already forgotten she’d just helped him?

Beep—!

Ayun flinched at the sound of the barcode reader, but unlike before, the clerk remained normal. She glanced at the monitor.

(C-Through – $999)

Ayun blinked.

Then, she recalled that the symbol before the number meant dollars.

The product name was written in Korean—so why the price in dollars?

...Ayun gave up trying to make sense of it.

This mart had always operated outside the bounds of logic.

Anyway... 999 dollars? How much is that even in won?

The clerk, noticing her scrunched brow, gave a sheepish smile.

His expression looked a little nervous.

“W-Well? Isn’t that a steal for something this valuable?”

He rubbed his hands together, trying to pitch the product with all his might.

Ayun scratched her head and asked:

“Uh... sorry, I’m not really sure, but how much is $999 in won?”

“Ah! So that’s what’s been bothering you!”

Tack tack tack tack.

The clerk punched a few buttons on the register, and the price on the monitor began to change in real time.

(C-Through – $11999)

(C-Through – m1341659)

(C-Through – ₩1,341,657.00)

Once the updated price appeared, the clerk beamed proudly.

“Well? What do you think!?”

Unlike the clerk, who was clearly hyped, Ayun’s expression froze solid as she stared at the monitor.

It was way beyond what she’d expected. Her heart—unfazed even by vengeful ghosts—started pounding in panic.

When Ayun didn’t speak and just kept staring at the monitor, the clerk seemed to misunderstand.

He started pressing more buttons again.

The display changed once more:

(C-Through – 1,341,657 won)

...That’s not the issue.

Ayun sighed internally as the price became more readable.

To buy something called “C-Through” just so she wouldn’t disappoint the smiling clerk...

Why the hell is it so expensive?

It was far beyond what Ayun could afford.

She didn’t want to ruin the mood, but it had crossed the line.

Trying to calm her racing heart, Ayun carefully spoke:

“...Do you have anything else?”

“Oh! Looking for something different, are you?”

“Y-Yeah... something, uh... yeah.”

She didn’t want to outright say she had no money, so she awkwardly expressed her discomfort.

But the clerk didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.

“Actually, I was planning to let you use the sample # Nоvеlight # as a thank-you for helping me! In that sense, this is a smart shopping move! A decision truly worthy of our mart’s one and only customer! So then, what can I get you? I’ll find it right away!”

“Ah...”

Seeing the ever-eager clerk, Ayun felt a strange pang of guilt.

...What do I even need at home?

Food felt too risky.

Thanks to that lemon with eyeballs she'd seen last time.

Who the hell would be happy to get “bonus protein” with their fruit?

Sure, judging by how much the clerk cared, it might not happen again—but you never know.

If she hadn’t seen the clerk’s transformed body, she might’ve considered it. But now? Trusting them completely was out of the question.

Better go with something inanimate.

Obviously.

Though there was no guarantee that would be safe either.

After much deliberation, Ayun chose a small foldable tray table.

She felt it was finally time to stop eating on the floor or at the sink.

It was also a practical choice with future streams in mind.

Whatever I do, having a table like this will help.

The clerk, delighted by her choice, disappeared into the store and returned with the item.

It was a dainty little table—sized perfectly to match the buyer.

Isn’t it a bit small...?

Apparently Ayun didn’t think so.

But after seeing the price flash on the monitor, she gave up on switching to a different one.

If it got any more expensive, she’d have to start over.

Ayun hadn’t even received her donation payout yet, and her wallet was still painfully light.

All the more reason to inspect it thoroughly.

“It’s a normal one, right?”

“Of course! All the items sold in our mart are perfectly normal!”

“...Right.”

Ayun felt uneasy.

It was obvious that the clerk’s definition of “normal” differed wildly from hers.

So before paying, she gave the table a full inspection.

She extended the thin legs, tapped on the flat surface.

...Seems fine.

She was half-expecting it to unfold its legs and walk around, but despite its strange appearance, it was a perfectly solid, ordinary little table.

Testing it for movement was a ridiculous criteria... but Ayun found herself strangely pleased it didn’t move.

“I’ll take this one.”

“Thank you so much!”

The clerk was grinning ear to ear, simply overjoyed to have made a sale.

Ayun handed over her card. The clerk took it with trembling hands and slid it into the reader.

...Wait, does this place even accept cards?

A small doubt passed through her mind.

But maybe because this was a space beyond normal logic—

The payment went through, and the receipt printed out.

“If you’d like a refund, please be sure to bring the receipt with you.”

The clerk’s serious tone caught Ayun off guard. She nodded instinctively.

Only then did the clerk break into a joyful dance.

Watching a full-grown adult bounce up and down like a child left Ayun with a strange feeling...

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.

But she clapped her hands together anyway to congratulate him.

“Ah, thank you. Today has truly been a joyous day. Even if that lemon with eyeballs appeared again, I think I could handle it with a smile.”

“...I see.”

So those show up often, huh.

Ayun let out a silent sigh of relief—she’d made the right choice after all.

Now that the item was bought—

Ayun pulled the card back out of her pocket and spoke to the clerk.

“Then could you spray this now?”

“Of course!”

At Ayun’s prompt, the clerk disappeared behind a door labeled “STAFF ONLY” and returned with a small spray bottle.

The label read: C-Through – Trial Edition

After accepting the card from Ayun, the clerk placed it on the counter.

“Could you please take a step back?”

“Sure.”

He shook the bottle, then sprayed it over the card.

As the unknown substance touched the card, a dark smoke rose into the air.

...Good thing I didn’t buy it.

Not that she could have afforded it anyway.

Soon, the smoke that had surrounded the card vanished, and a symbol slowly came into view.

Ayun stepped forward to check—but the clerk held out an arm to stop her.

Then, as if timing something, he counted under his breath.

“You may approach now.”

With his permission, Ayun examined the card.

...What the hell is this?

On the white card was a Möbius strip.

The loop, shaded in green, was covered in patterns that looked like scales.

A snake...?

Was it the insignia of some organization?

Then a question remained.

If they wanted to reveal themselves to Ayun, why go about it in such a roundabout way?

A warning? Or a test?

The intent was still unclear. Scratching her head, Ayun slipped the card back into her pocket.

As she puzzled over it, the clerk approached again.

“Weren’t you curious about what that is?”

“Oh, right. You said you knew, didn’t you?”

When Ayun looked up at him with hopeful eyes, the clerk awkwardly averted his gaze.

“Rather than knowing what it is... I’ve seen it before. People holding that card once came to this place.”

“...What?”

“They didn’t come inside like you did, but I remember them dropping it just outside the entrance.”

The clerk mimed a gust of wind with his hand as he continued.

“But... I can’t leave this place either, so the card eventually disappeared. I think... it might’ve blown away in the wind.”

So he didn’t know anything after all.

Thinking it through, the clerk had never actually lied.

He just hadn’t said anything Ayun had wanted to hear.

...So he already knew what was printed on it?

Ayun felt like she’d been played. The urge to demand a refund rose up to her throat—

But she took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

...Well, at least I got to use that expensive spray for free.

She told herself she’d come out ahead and, still muttering it mentally, carried the table back home.

After unfolding it and checking it once more, she pulled the card from her pocket.

She planned to search the symbol online using her smartphone and the neighbor’s Wi-Fi.

But now, the image that had been printed on the card... had completely disappeared.

“Ah, for fuck’s sake.”

Should’ve known not to trust a damn salesman.

At this point, she really was just a sucker who fell for a bait product.

Still, the table did fit her body perfectly.

Ayun hurled the card onto the table in frustration and tried to calm herself down.

I remember what it looked like anyway—maybe I’ll ask Hyeyeon about it later...

Resting her head on the table, she thumped her fists down on it a few times.

That’s when her eyes landed on her smartphone.

...Maybe I should start a stream.

The neighbor’s Wi-Fi seemed stable for once.

Ayun reached out toward the phone.