Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 25 (Part 1): The Fall (5)

The explorers were cautiously looking around the department store. They seemed wary of spending their votes too freely.

Unless you were in the top ranks, recklessly using up your votes now would leave you short later. Votes were, after all, something that would prove useful in the future.

I strolled through the lobby. The first floor was mostly filled with luxury brand shops.

In other words, useless to me.

“……”

I paused mid-step.

—

[ A snowy white field. Spend a peaceful time in a place where nothing exists! ]

—

An advertisement panel hung on the department store’s wall. A vast white landscape stretched endlessly before my eyes.

They’d said hints would be scattered here and there.

“Hyaaah! Isn’t that Hermenian!”
[TL/N: “Hermenian” is a fictional luxury brand in the original text, likely inspired by real-world counterparts like Hermès.]

A loud voice caught my attention. It was Seo Ji-woo and Yoon Hwa-rim. The two seemed to have already become close, standing in front of a Hermenian store.

“What’s Hermenian?”

Seo Ji-woo asked Yoon Hwa-rim.

“The pinnacle of luxury! This bag costs 30 million won.”

“What?!”

Seo Ji-woo’s eyes widened.

“That’s insane. These people are crazy. This tiny handbag?”

Seo Ji-woo lifted the bag with trembling fingers.

Even I was surprised. How could a bag the size of three handkerchiefs cost 30 million won?

“But here’s the thing… Ji-woo.”

Yoon Hwa-rim covered her mouth with her hand and whispered meaningfully.

“Here, it only costs 3,000 coins.”

“3,000 coins?! This isn’t a knockoff, is it?”

It’s not a knockoff. They’re all genuine.

“Nope. This is all PPL. Trust me, it’s real.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. Ji-woo, do you own any luxury stuff?”

“Nope. Not a single piece.”

“Is thaaat so?”

Yoon Hwa-rim smirked and picked up the Hermenian bag.

“Then why not take this opportunity to get one?”

“W-what? What would I even do with something like this?”

“Oh, come on. You should at least have one bag for important occasions. Plus, it’s practically free. You’ve probably racked up tons of votes already, right, Ji-woo?”

“…That’s true.”

Seo Ji-woo was in the top ranks. She must have already accumulated hundreds of thousands of votes.

“Wait. If you think about it, wouldn’t reselling this be profitable?”

Seo Ji-woo muttered, already halfway convinced.

“Of course~! But once you use it, you won’t want to sell it.”

“…Hmph, hmmm.”

A smile crept onto her lips.

“Here~”

Yoon Hwa-rim draped the Hermenian bag over Seo Ji-woo’s fingers. Seo Ji-woo pretended to resist but eventually swallowed her pride.

“So… maybe just one? J-Just one?”

“Buy it!”

“Should I really get it?!”

“Get it!”

“Should I?!”

“Yes!”

“Well… I guess it would be nice to have something like this. It’s not a waste since it’s practically free, right?”

“Exactly~! Wow, your first luxury item is an Hermenian? Ji-woo, you’re in big trouble now~~”

“Hahaha~”

“Big trouble~”

“Hahaha~”

Yoon Hwa-rim clapped her hands, while Seo Ji-woo struck various poses like a performing bear.

I walked past their antics.

Taking the escalator up to the second floor, I headed to the travel goods section.

First, I picked out a suitcase.

“Hyung!”

Someone called me from behind.

“Oh, man, I’ve been looking for you forever. How can someone as tall as you be so hard to spot?”

It was Lim Hae-jun. He already had a handful of churros in his grip.

“Hyung. Listen.”

“What.”

“I’ve been thinking…”

Lim Hae-jun glanced around and whispered softly.

“I think it’d be good if we stuck together.”

“You saw the still cuts, didn’t you?”

“……”

Lim Hae-jun’s pupils wavered. He looked like he’d been caught red-handed.

“N-no, it’s not like that. It’s just… I feel like we’d work well together. And, you know, two people can gather more votes than one… Hyung, are you buying a suitcase~?”

Lim Hae-jun quickly changed the subject.

“Yeah.”

“Oh~ Are you going on a trip?”

I picked out a suitcase. The sturdiest one with the most capacity.

“What? Hyung, that’s way too much.”

“What’s too much?”

“The suitcase is ugly… Oh, wait, everything here is PPL, right? But even if it’s PPL, isn’t it too big?”

“It’s fine.”

I checked the price. 30 coins. Decent value for the cost.

“…Ugh. Hyung. But…”

Lim Hae-jun shivered as he looked around the department store.

“Doesn’t it feel kind of cold here?”

“……”

I nodded silently. It wasn’t just my imagination—it really was cold. Even though we were indoors, I could almost see my breath.

This was another hint.

“We should probably get some warmer clothes.”

“You should get a suitcase too.”

I pointed at the suitcases.

“Eh. I’m more of a backpack traveler. I don’t like dragging suitcases around…”

“Get one.”

I stared him down. Lim Hae-jun blinked a few times before nodding.

“…Alright.”

He reluctantly picked up a suitcase. It was a mini suitcase, barely reaching his thigh.

“Bigger.”

“This is enough for me.”

“Get a bigger one.”

Lim Hae-jun frowned as if resisting.

“What’s with you, hyung? Why are you being so controlling? This suits me better.”

I just stared at him. I didn’t say anything. Just stared.

“……”

Lim Hae-jun quietly picked out another suitcase. It was the same model as mine.

Dangun

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