I’m Not That Villain

28 – Starting a Side Job (3)

Individual sellers in the black market don’t make as much money as you might think.

The places that rake in the money are the ‘group sellers’ who have secured numerous regular customers.

And of course, there are workshops there too.

Not individual sellers, but a legitimate business certified within the black market.

Getting that qualification is very difficult. Since the black market itself claims to be a secret burial ground, they don’t receive professional certifications…

Only after verifying the qualifications of the person who applied for workshop registration, they officially registered the workshop.

In other words, having the ‘workshop certification’ mark within the black market was tantamount to having guaranteed skills.

Uncensored individuals and censored groups.

That was the difference between individual sellers and workshops within the black market.

The quality difference is also undeniable. Why do most individual sellers emphasize low prices as their merit?

It’s because their skills are poor. They want to showcase their skills and make money, but they don’t qualify to join a black market workshop, so they move as individual sellers.

Ha Tae-won of the Steel Plate Workshop genuinely thought so.

No.

He used to think so.

But now…

What is this?

[Fixed it for just 100,000 won.]

[It’s super clean.]

[Seller, thanks to you, I saved money. True artisan.]

Among the curse comments, genuine reviews are slowly emerging.

These were the expected ones. I expected them to curse, calling him a scammer.

But…

Those who actually went there only left positive reviews.

[Is this 100,000 won quality? Wow.]

[Difference between before and after photos, amazing?]

[Honestly, it seems better than before.]

Something…

Something is changing in public opinion.

Ha Tae-won pressed his temples.

So, he was really skilled? Not a fraud?

Ha Tae-won quickly dismissed the possibility that suddenly came to mind. If he was that skilled, he would work elsewhere, why suddenly appear and do business at a low price?

Moreover, even if he was a truly skilled artisan…

I don’t like it.

An unreasonable price ruins the entire industry. Even if he is a true expert, if he lowers the price unreasonably…

What about the other sellers?

The sellers who used to charge the original price would see their income halved overnight, wouldn’t they?

It’s an act of ruining everyone else just to save himself. Moreover, from the beginning…

I don’t like his personality either.

Ha Tae-won looked up at the comment he had written. Then he casually checked the only comment left by the seller.

[If you don’t believe it, get lost.]

“…….”

Damn it.

Whether it’s real or fake, there’s no doubt he’s a rude b*stard.

Of course, he had cursed first. But instead of kindly explaining, he just told him to get lost.

“…Just…”

Whether he’s skilled or not.

Whether this is an unprecedented large-scale manipulation.

Since the relationship was already broken, it felt like it could only be an obstacle for him.

Moreover…

If he catches the eye of the steel plate workshop owner and ends up working in the same workshop…

Couldn’t it create a competitive structure between them?

Everyone here looks like a colleague, but in fact, they are enemies. Since there aren’t many customers, they have to attract even one more person to get paid.

It’s the same even if they belong to the same workshop. Since they sell products under the workshop’s name, most workshop creators don’t take their income fully and live on incentives.

In the end, the income varies depending on how many regular customers they attract. Since there is no stable income, dedicated equipment creators are always ready to steal others’ customers if they have the chance.

And he was no different.

“…Should I bury him?”

Even if he doesn’t become a member of the same workshop, it’s still a problem.

If it’s an unskilled manipulation, that’s a relief, but if he really has tremendous skills…

An ecosystem disruptor with both skills and low prices.

It can be summed up in one word. And always.

An ecosystem disruptor is a creature that should be dealt with.

“First… I need to see the estimate.”

Ha Tae-won, who was almost certain to be the next workshop owner of the steel plate workshop, picked up his phone. He immediately called his junior.

“Hey. It’s me. Yeah. No, it’s nothing special…”

Ha Tae-won leaned back in his chair.

“You know the ‘Hundred Eye’ thing? The large organization looking for a partner workshop. Yeah, that. I told you to deal with the minor craftsmen who could become competitors in advance… Oh. Right, right. The one about finding a hitman. How’s that going?”

[Not yet…]

The conversation dragged on. Ha Tae-won abruptly cut it off.

“Ah. Really? If you haven’t started yet, add one more name to the list. As a top priority. There’s someone called Heukgyeong… You know? Ah. You don’t know? Really?”

Ha Taewon stretched.

“I want to sort it out while there are still many people who don’t know, like you. Put it at the top of the list. You can set the reward a bit higher… Since we’re doing it, find someone who can cleanly handle it.”

. . .

These days, I’ve found a new source of amusement.

Watching the idiots who left malicious comments about me.

[Creator, please respond…ㅜ]

[I was wrong. Can I request a repair?]

[I would like to apologize in person…]

Yeah.

Why should I meet you? Idiots.

I absolutely won’t meet you. I ignored them all blatantly. If you ask if simple ignoring is the end of my revenge, I could definitely say no.

A gentleman’s revenge is never too late, even after ten years. First, it was important to stabilize the income that had started to increase gradually.

Possessors of supernatural abilities. Ironically, contrary to my expectations, there were quite a few possessors with specialized equipment.

The important thing was that the items each of them had were not really proper items. I didn’t realize it when I was in Busan…

Isn’t this a place where illegal weapons are rampant?

Among the possessors of supernatural abilities, specialized equipment seemed to be considered a kind of trend. It was a place where relatively cheap illegal weapons were blatantly rolling around compared to genuine ones.

The specialized equipment industry I felt in Busan and the industry in Seoul were completely different. As there were many illegal weapons, there were also many people with specialized equipment, and as a result, there were many people looking for cheap repair shops.

And as a result, most of the items people brought were naturally of poor quality. They were flashy on the outside but lacked substance.

It was similar to asking an illegal tattooist for an animal tattoo and getting a smudged drawing. It didn’t matter if the buyer liked it, but from my perspective as the repairer, it made me frown.

Of course, there were several parts that were helpful thanks to that. The low synchronization rate inevitably broke the items frequently, and as a result, the customers who came to me often returned within a month.

Still… still…

It was frustrating to watch.

“…Why did they make it like this?”

I lifted the specialized equipment in the shape of a knife. Synchronization rate 62%. A specialized equipment that breaks after a few uses.

Despite that, they used expensive materials. Did they say this one costs 11 million won…

Possessors of supernatural abilities are rare. That’s why they are called here and there. They earn a lot of money accordingly.

But that doesn’t mean they earn an absurd amount of money.

For them, money in the range of tens of millions of won is expensive. But to think that something they bought with such a large sum breaks after a few uses.

Despite that, they even engraved initials on it. It’s like boasting about their lack of skill.

It’s the first time that the initials of the creator, written so proudly, have been so hard to look at. Ah. But to think there are so many things to fix…

The craftsmanship is deteriorating. Ugh.

It’s succumbing to money. But money is a good thing… because with money, I can do what I want.

I sighed. Lily, who was casually checking her phone, also sighed.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“…It seems like there’s a lot more work to do.”

The young maid, who had jumped down lightly, stared at my work. She pointed casually at the furnace that was in full operation.

“It looks like you can make a lot of things.”

“Right? I can make almost anything.”

“Then how about making some self-defense items?”

“……?”

I stopped what I was doing and looked at Lily.

“Are you asking me to make one? Well, it’s not impossible…”

“No. I’m talking about yours.”

“Mine?”

She casually held up her phone. Her SNS account was displayed on it.

The profile picture was a single broom. The name was just ‘Lily’. The introduction read, ‘If you’re not maid-like, don’t follow back.’

“…Showing off your account?”

“Look at the post below.”

I checked the post she had shared.

A post with over five thousand likes. And it was…

It was posted along with a screenshot of my black market account.

“…….?”

No. Damn.

What is this?

I took her phone and read the post slowly.

Nickname Blackmask. The person, whether he or she, had posted a serious rant about the industry, along with a detailed explanation of how terrible my repair work was, accompanied by photos I had never seen before.

The comments were even worse. People who seemed to be fans of Blackmask were all flocking to insult me.

Recognition. I checked the account of the person named Blackmask.

“…Steel Plate… affiliated workshop…”

I once saw it on the internet.

A workshop quite famous even within the black market. And a renowned craftsman there.

“In Seoul’s SNS. It’s common for sniper posts to appear there. This is a place where the words of famous or powerful people become law, and their followers often bury someone. And such things are currently targeting ‘Heukgyeong’.”

“…….”

“Although public opinion is slowly reversing, there are still antis. Moreover, some companies are blatantly spouting false information to keep Mr. Lee Seo-jun in check. For now, it’s just talk… but this is Seoul. It could get worse later, to the point of direct retaliation.”

Lily took back her phone.

“To prevent unmaid-like incidents in advance, I think we need to restrict Mr. Lee Seo-jun’s freedom. But… that would be like cutting off his livelihood. Even though it’s a time to hold our breath, unavoidable circumstances prevent us from doing so… For his own safety, I think it’s right to make or buy self-defense items.”

“The photo that b*stard posted isn’t even equipment I repaired…”

“I know. But we can’t be sure the public knows whether it’s true or fake. What’s important is people’s reactions. Mr. Lee Seo-jun. Do you know what villains and heroes, criminals and problem solvers have in common?”

I looked at her. She raised one finger.

“Villains and heroes act based on what they believe is right. Their cause. That’s what they value most. Of course, there are crimes driven by pleasure. But if you pick the superpower crimes that happen much more in Seoul than in other regions, they are crimes based on what individuals believe is right.”

“…….”

“Justice. Personal justice. That’s what freely roams this city. Here, no one criticizes you for killing a murderer. They don’t even face the judgment of the law. The same goes for killing a scammer. Some even gain followers who feel relieved. There are even people who film themselves killing others, that’s how messed up Seoul’s public order is.”

Lily stared at me.

“Mature people are rare. The same goes for superpower holders. They only see what they believe is right. Drunk on power, they wield it, and now, if you’re not careful, Mr. Lee Seo-jun, you could become their target. By villains who call themselves ‘dark heroes’.”

“…….”

“And now that rumors of your success are spreading, ordinary criminals might also target you out of envy. You’ve become an easy target for both sides. Individual sellers are one of the easiest prey. Of course, I won’t leave you. Abandoning a client because it’s dangerous is not maid-like. But as the risk factors increase, I think it’s right to properly arm ourselves.”

Lily rolled her eyes.

“Of course, Mr. Lee Seo-jun’s opinion is the most important.”

“…You only said the right things.”

Of course, those b*stards who sneakily snipe on SNS should be dealt with. But, getting angry comes later.

Yes. Later. First, I need to deal with it. I have to postpone crushing these b*stards with my skills.

Public opinion? Whatever. It bothers me, but it’s just a temporary feeling. I wasn’t weak enough to be shaken by people who don’t know me talking nonsense. Eventually, everyone will recognize my value.

Let’s focus on immediate safety. Yes. She can’t always protect me. I also need to prepare myself…

“…Hmm.”

I looked at the AI I was continuously developing. I was thinking of giving it a proper body and arms as its outline was taking shape.

It seemed I needed to advance my plan to remodel the entire facility.

Why did I create her? To perform more precise processing work more quickly.

Let’s start practical deployment. After setting up the work system for her, I’ll make my self-defense items.

To be more precise…

I mean the prototype of my exclusive equipment.