Hyperspace Operation VVIP Porter - Chapter 4

Even if transitioning to dungeon work wasn’t pushed through with, it was a waste to leave this new ability to rot, so Jihoo started a moving service just as Yoojin originally planned.

With a feeling of atonement, Seungho decided to join as well.

However, it wasn’t an easy feat to launch a moving service without proper systems and an established contact network.

Clients weren’t coming in, primarily because their promotional materials didn’t work.

There were already well-established moving services after all.

The only competitive thing that they have was their price, so they lowered it as much as they could.

Thanks to Yoojin’s Photoshop skills, they worked hard to turn their business around.

And finally, they got a call.

It was a large family with several generations living together so they had a lot of luggage with them.

What’s more interesting is that the oldest person in their household was a famous calligrapher.

Among the luggage that they have were lots of calligraphy words finished with high-quality frames, and the family made sure to put emphasis on handling them carefully.

On the day when they were about to sign the contract, Jihoo and the others confided in what kind of ability he would use.

He needed to let them know in advance so that it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore on the day of.

Jihoo demonstrated it, putting some items into his subspace and saying “This is how we’ll proceed with the work.”

One problem though, the items that Jihoo took happened to be the old calligrapher’s favorite works.

He thought he was simply putting a large frame in his subspace.

The old man’s eyes threatened to pop out, and he quickly got heated up, bursting into a fit of rage.

“Yah! You bunch of thieves! Give us back our stuff!”

The old man wielded his long bamboo cane and shouted angrily.

Jihoo got beaten up by the sudden cane attack, and he hurriedly took out the frame and put it back in its original place but the old man’s anger just didn’t subside.

Of course, the contract wasn’t signed and they got kicked out.

Rather than being surprised that their things disappeared before their eyes, the family seemed more anxious and angry; What if they don’t get their items back? Or what if they take them away?

The general public generally didn’t see Jihoo’s ability in a positive light.

In a world where gates open and transcendent abilities of hunters have become a common thing, it seems that making things disappear in a second wasn’t at all amusing.

Rather, they saw the ability as perfect for a thief.

When another request came in from a cool-headed lady, they managed to convince her despite her initial display of wariness.

And then she asked a sharp question.

“We have a lot of people in our household, so how can I believe that you will put all their stuff in that thing and return them all? How can I know you won’t steal?”

“I can look at my subspace and tell right away if there’s still anything left.”

“You can see it. How can we believe you?”

“Well, even standard moving services are…”

“In a standard moving service, we can see the whole process with our own eyes because everything is in a box. How can they steal from that?”

“Then if you right down the list of things…”

“Everything? Take a look. You expect us to write everything in here?”

They failed to give the lady a reassuring answer, and so the contract was eventually canceled.

Another request came in, another huge family this time.

The problem with that one, Jihoo belatedly realized that he couldn’t move large-scale at once with his 8,000 liters of space.

Five to six large beds, uncountable clothes, sofas, large appliances, and more.

Just by looking at it, he knew that his capacity was insufficient.

The place that the family would move into was quite a long way from their original place, and Jihoo couldn’t offer to proceed knowing that he’d have to go back and forth several times.

Everything wasn’t as easy as they thought.

He struggled to explain his ability, reassure clients about their possessions, and convince people that they could work without any ladder or truck.

After experiencing a few more moments at rock bottom, they eventually had to give up on the moving service.

The second thing they looked into was cargo transportation.

Just the same, it was difficult from the start.

People were still anxious about their cargo disappearing right before their eyes.

He explained diligently that the items would fall into his subspace, and then he’d move in a regular car to the location, and then take out the items again.

However, only rejections came his way.

Not only that, the cargo transportation business was already solidly organized into its own leagues, so there was no room for Jihoo and his truckless crew to squeeze in.

In the end, the three were exhausted without winning a single client.

“I don’t think this is it, hyung.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I think it could work in theory, but it’s not easy.”

“Honestly… I’m worried about getting a work successfully too.”

“Why, what’s the matter if it goes well?”

“You know, what if the moving service or the cargo transportation works well and we got a lot of requests? Just how much less work are those businesses gonna have? Can I really steal from those people’s plates for no reason? It’s already hard to live as it is.”

“Hey… that’s you meddling in their business. How can you think of them when we can’t even differentiate good food from bad.”

“Why, we can just go back to collection team jobs again.”

“…”

With things not going as well as she thought, Yoojin felt conflicted.

* * *

In the end, Jihoo and Seungho decided to return to the dungeon collection teams.

On the day of their return, Seungho spoke to Jihoo.

“You know you can’t just put stuff into your subspace, alright?”

“Of course. It’s gonna be a mess. I’ll get stabbed if they find out.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“Sigh… This special ability seems perfect for shady work.”

People used to say that if you give people the power to be invincible, they would be up to no good.

Even if an invisible man brags about the good things that he’s done, he’d only be suspected that he would eventually use his power for evil.

Anyway, Jihoo’s subspace ability was perfect for theft, so it doesn’t seem easy to use it for something proper.

He has to go to the dungeons but… he’s at a stalemate with Yoojin.

And so Seungho and Jihoo started work again, and Jihoo would come back home exhausted from work.

He’d apply pain relief patches to his body as he struggles and whimpers.

The sight of him only made Yoojin’s heart more conflicted.

She hated the thought of her brother doing dangerous work, but she also doesn’t want him to exhaust his already weak body with work.

She felt mad at herself for being unable to make much money.

Yoojin studied hard to reduce the financial burden and she succeeded in getting a full scholarship every semester, but that could only help as much.

And then, after a while, unbeknownst to Jihoo and Seungho, Yoojin’s mind changed.

It started with two events;

One was the accidental deaths of students in Yoojin’s department.

It was said that the student’s class had a Membership Training (MT).

Their school always held safe MT trips every semester.

Although the student only drank a can of beer at night, they managed to hide the pain of a heart attack and survive until morning.

The school was turned upside down, and MTs for all departments were canceled one after another.

Their whole department was gloomy, and Yoojin went back and forth to the funeral home for her hoobae’s funeral.

The other incident was the collapse of a construction site just 10 minutes away from their home.

A building suddenly collapsed one evening, and although there were no workers at that time, the casualties were a few high school students who were on their way home.

They were buried under the rubble.

The National Police Agency announced that it would form a dedicated investigative team to look into the construction company’s compliance with safety rules, poor construction, and work negligence.

But such a thing wouldn’t bring back the lost lives.

Yoojin couldn’t take her eyes off the television when the news was reported.

Those two incidents turned her quiet.

Yoojin got more and more down, and Jihoo only got worried.

He thought that she would need time to recover because those two events were close to her.

And one day, Yoojin gathered everyone.

“Oppa, call Seungho oppa over tonight. Let’s all have dinner together.”

“Oh, Seungho hyung? It’s okay with you?”

“Of course. Seungho oppa isn’t a stranger you know.”

“Oh… okay. He’ll probably say yes.”

Seungho hasn’t been able to visit their house since the last time.

Yoojin cried that night, and Seungho remained cautious.

Seungho and Jihoo breathed a sigh of relief at Yoojin’s invitation since it was a green light for them to reconcile.

Yoojin prepared some braised short ribs, showing off her culinary skills.

After the three of them gathered for the first time in a while, they finished their pleasant meal and washed the dishes.

Yoojin then made some coffee.

As if she was setting some sort of tone, the atmosphere was rather awkward.

“There’s… there’s something on my mind.”

“Yeah… Sorry, Yoojin-ah, I’ve been short-minded. I’m not gonna ask Jihoo to come to dungeons anymore.”

“Yeah, Yoojin-ah. We’ve been doing well with collection teams.”

Yoojin smiled helplessly.

“My hoobaes passed away, and two students whose names I don’t know also… I’ve been thinking a lot. I don’t think life and death is something that a person controls.”

Yoojin spoke as she grabbed a cup with both of her hands.

“No matter how careful you are, it doesn’t ensure your safety. And we’ll really never know how or when a person would leave. I thought people would be safe as long as they avoid dangerous work but… I don’t know. I feel empty.”

Gulp.

Jihoo swallowed, unsure where Yoojin was going.

“People come back from battlefields, and there are people who die even if they are extremely careful. I think that’s exactly what it is. So I don’t want to be too stubborn and greedy.”

Yoojin, who was staring at her coffee mug all this time, raised her head.

“Go, oppa. Go to the dungeons. I’ll stand down.”

“Wah!”

Sungho shouted hurrah, Jihoo frowned and gave him a hint.

Seungho received the signal and put down his arms quickly, faking a cough in the process.

“You don’t have to, Yoojin-ah.”

“No, it’s really okay. But promise me one thing. Promise me you’ll only go to dungeons that are as safe as possible.”

“Of course, that’s a given. But is it really okay…?”

“Yes. I’ve made up my mind. And sorry, Seungho oppa. I said so many things last time…”

“Uhh, cough, no it’s nothing. I went overboard. It’s alright.”

“That’s all I have to say. Anyone wants some fruit?”

“Yeah, that’ll be great.”

When Yoojin left her seat, Seungho smiled silently and gave Jihoo a thumbs-up.

Jihoo kept frowning and calmed Seungho’s overreaction.

When Yoojin came back with the peeled fruit, she said something firmly.

“Oppa, you have to pay your debts once you get money. But you have to buy armor first. The best kind.”

“Uh… But… Do you know how much the best armor is?”

“Only the best one!”

“Y-yeah, alright. Alright.”

Jihoo immediately promised so that Yoojin wouldn’t change her mind anymore.

While chewing on the sweet fruit, Jihoo asked something.

“Hyung, but no attack team would suddenly take me in, right? How can I go inside dungeons? And will anyone entrust me with their expensive equipment?”

Seungho contemplated for a while before giving an answer.

“First, I think you should go to the association and re-register your abilities. That way people would believe it. It’ll be better if a guild takes you in instead of you becoming a human warehouse.”

“Gasp…”

“And it will be hard to survive if you are driven to steal hunters’ equipment.”

“That’s for sure. I should start with the association first.”

The three decided to go to the association early the next morning