Chapter 30: Ch 30: Salmon (scam) Market
The moment I thought about needing some serious cash, a message from an
unfamiliar profile asking if I needed money appeared.
But this is in the realm of a creepypasta.
– K.LEE : Mr. employee? haha
Blocking and leaving the chatroom immediately seemed like the smart
choice... but it also felt a bit too stereotypical.
Since I’m in a ghost story, I might as well get some ghostly advice.
I set my ’Good Friend’ plushie under the bed, turned off the lights, and
summoned Braun using the shadow trick, this time with a small flashlight
I’d bought on my way home.
– Oh, Friend!
Braun snapped to attention with almost no delay this time. After recalling
my escape from the previous creepypasta, he seemed rather pleased,
quickly grasping the situation.
An unfamiliar figure offering a large sum of money.
– How suspicious! But isn’t a touch of curiosity beyond suspicion the very
essence of a show?
– Especially if it’s accompanied by some sparkling gold!
Despite the plushie sounding like a dopamine junkie, his reaction assured
me that this wasn’t a creepypasta-related phenomenon.
In that case...
I typed a quick question into the chat.
Kim Soleum : May I ask who this is? –
The reply came instantly. Honestly, I was expecting something vague, like
[lmao just a friend~] but instead, he gave a proper introduction.
– K.LEE : This is Assistant Manager Lee Kangheon
from the C-squad haha
"...!!"
’C-squad?’
Another elite team. Why would they reach out to me... and why would he
reveal his identity and rank so openly?
– K.LEE : Heard you turned down A-squad’s offer
today!!! lolololol
Crap.
– K.LEE : Wow, gutsy! I’ve never seen such a
capable rookie lolol
– K.LEE : Sure, you turned it down this time, but
who knows, next year you might end up on another
elite team? Moving up right after promotion to
assistant manager! Could be you lol
Is he using some sort of speed-typing device? Sentences poured in like
bombs before I could type a single word in response. I quickly pulled
myself together and managed to reply with one line.
– Kim Soleum : It’s very nice to meet you,
Assistant Manager Lee Kangheon.
– K.LEE : No need to be so formal. If we run into
each other at work, let’s grab a meal sometime. I
know a great charcoal-grilled chicken place
nearby! haha
– K.LEE : Oops, too chatty, aren’t I? Anyway, the
reason I reached out!
The mood shifted.
– K.LEE : You need cash, right?
"..."
– K.LEE : It must be about time you’re wishing for
some extra funds... Right before promotion, those
with potential are often looking for ways to
acquire personal items lol
– K.LEE : Heard you already have your own special
equipment. Bet you’re scoping out ways to get your
hands on more gear, right?
I don’t need anything like that.
’Just checking out the alien marketplace I already knew about...’
– K.LEE : It all costs money, doesn’t it haha
– K.LEE : No need to waste time and money buying
meals or drinks for seniors when you can hear it
straight from me haha
Hmm.
Kim Soleum : I appreciate the offer, but may I ask
why you’re telling me this? –
– K.LEE : Because I want to get closer? haha
Could you at least try lying more convincingly...
– K.LEE : Curious? haha
I hesitated for a moment.
– Goodness! Mr. Roe Deer, I can smell a cheap salesman from these words.
Hardly someone who’d appear on a reputable channel.
– But... cheap things have their own uses. If you play him right...
I typed out my response.
Kim Soleum : No thanks. –
– ...?!
– K.LEE : ???????
– K.LEE : Oh, wow, Mr. Employee! You’ve got a
sense of humor! That’s fitting for someone
breaking records for rapid point accumulation haha
Kim Soleum : I’ll just ask my Section Chief
instead. –
Kim Soleum : Have a good night, sir. –
– K.LEE : wsit jyst
– K.LEE : hey wait just a minute
– K.LEE : ur not a cousin of section chief lee
jaheon are you?;; uve got the same attitude...
You might as well just curse at me directly...
In any case, since he didn’t know my personality well, my bluff seemed
effective. He hastily fired off more messages.
– K.LEE : hey im not charging for this just hear
me out. i swear i dont make these offers often!;;
T-T
Messages came pouring in with a steady stream of taps going dadada.
– K.LEE : (Link)
Along with a link to some webpage.
– K.LEE : if u need seed money or items just go
check this out. u can put me down as your referrer
–>hawaiib53<– just type that there n itll work
– K.LEE : u dont have to, of course, but since i
referred u, itd be nice if u could jus,, follow ur
conscience lolololol u get what im saying ryt?
hahahaha
– K.LEE : and pls keep this between just us! (Shy
emoji)
’...A template?’
It looked like a copy-paste job if I’d ever seen one.
– K.LEE : anyway, remember who gave u the tip ok?
[K.LEE has left the chatroom.]
"..."
’If he was worried about getting in trouble, why reveal his identity...?’
Maybe he wanted me to feel some sense of obligation.
I started typing, [What kind of site did you send me, sir?] but then erased it.
’Based on what he said about shopping, it seems like some sort of e-
commerce site.’
It wouldn’t hurt to explore alternatives to the alien shop. And his wording
was intriguing.
’Seed money, huh.’
It seemed like it might offer a way to earn some serious money.
’Is this some kind of exclusive gambling site?’
Regardless, there was only one way to find out. After safely running a
security check to verify the link, I cautiously clicked on it.
The screen of my smartphone went pitch black, and text slowly appeared:
SALMON
"...??"
Like salmon swimming against the currents of a flowing river,
We swim against this mad world.
’Cyworld...?’ [1]
With an effect that made it look like salmon were swimming across the
screen, the words faded, and new text appeared—
Membership available (requires referral)
Hmm.
This was (in more ways than one) suspicious, but I went ahead and entered
the referral ID from the employee who had referred me, creating an account
just to check it out.
The moment I logged in, I realized what this was.
Salmon Market
"So it’s a secondhand trading site."
This was a platform where people could buy and sell items directly to one
another—except the listings here involved mystical and occult items or
information.
[Dried Mermaid Meat for Sale (certified by Han Nuri Jade)]
[Looking For: ’Bloodlust Tile’ Pieces (Untainted)]
[$$Rare locations of Misfortune Vending Machines! Verified info
available!$$]
[Offering enchanted protective charms]
As I clicked around, I quickly got a sense of the site’s nature.
So, basically...
’It’s full of scams.’
Note/s:
[1] Cyworld is a Korean company that provides microblogging services. It
was very popular in the mid-to-late 2000s) ↵
From the perspective of anyone who’s read <Dark Exploration Records>,
this was nothing more than random trinkets, meaningless props, or outright
misinformation.
In short, it felt like a secondhand occult marketplace with minimal
professional credibility.
I rubbed my forehead.
"Is this place mostly run by non-professionals?"
– Ah, public platforms inevitably lose their credibility over time! To prevent
that requires considerable effort, but... this place feels purposefully
neglected.
– Amateurs often pay a high price for trivial items. Just like fans peeling off
bits of the stage floor where their favorite celebrity performed!
Well, at least that’s genuine memorabilia, but here it’s all fake.
Yet I noticed quite a few expensive transactions had actually been
completed.
"..."
’Right. The world at large doesn’t officially acknowledge supernatural
phenomena.’
Governments, worried about social disorder, and corporations, wanting to
protect trade secrets, investigate paranormal occurrences in secret. But even
civilians are frequently affected by these incidents.
There’s no doubt urban legends and personal encounters circulate within
society, so it makes sense that a site like this exists.
Judging from the sky-high prices for some items, it’s a wild place.
’One item for a million won...’
Money’s exchanging hands as if they’re paying for security deposits.
Maybe it’s survival anxiety, or maybe the Veblen effect[1] applies to occult
goods too...
’Could I actually sell something here?’
If that employee really was an assistant manager in the elite C-squad, then
Daydream Inc. employees were likely using this site to sell odd trinkets and
information.
That, however, made me uneasy.
’If I cross the line, I’ll definitely get flagged for an audit...’
I needed a secure setup.
So, I logged out of my current account and created a new one.
As for a username...
[Blue Friend]
– ’Friend’? Oh! Did you think of me? My, how touching!
Well, I guess so—I just combined whatever came to mind. For the referral
ID, I used the account I’d created earlier.
"Done."
– Hooh, so you’re creating a new identity to avoid tracking!
Exactly.
I’ll use this account for items a Daydream Inc. employee shouldn’t have or
for things that might be flagged during an audit.
’This way, any purchases can’t be tracked back to me.’
"Of course, I’ll still leave some transaction records on the first account."
– To avoid raising suspicion. Smart thinking.
On that account, I’d trade items that might appear to be within reasonable
bounds for a Daydream Inc. employee.
With that settled, it was time to think about what I could actually sell.
’Reselling items from the Alien Shop is out of the question.’
Seeing the amateur level of this site, that’d cause absolute chaos. Anyway,
I’m busy enough buying things I actually need there to worry about
reselling for profit.
I scrolled through the latest posts on Salmon Market, looking for something
low-key that I could still sell for a profit...
[Buying : Food from Paranormal Phenomena]
Oh?
--------------------
[Buying : Food from Paranormal Phenomena]
For research purposes
Strong preference for food originating from Fracture-sanctioned
phenomena (according to the Supernatural Disaster Management
Bureau’s classification)
40.0
--------------------
– there he goes again, this punk
– aaah ’Looking for food for research purposes. Fracture-sanctioned
phenomena only. (Pretentious glasses push)’ lolololololol
– Is this guy a bot? He posts every day.
– hey occult otaku, pls get out of your world. wtf even is the
supernatural disaster management bureau’s classification huh
Most of the comments were mocking or teasing.
However...
’...It’s real.’
The <Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau>.
In <Dark Exploration Records>, they’re one of the three major forces along
with Daydream Inc., a government agency dedicated to handling
paranormal events.
The phone accessory I have, my ’Memorial Popsocket’, is also issued by
this agency to their officials.
’And the bureau classifies creepypasta risks by ’sanction’.’
The classification level mentioned in this post—Fracture-sanctioned—is
indeed a real ranking. In the Daydream Inc.’s system, it’s roughly a little
above a C-Class creepypasta.
This person clearly knows their stuff.
I stared at the page.
’If this really is a legitimate contact, I probably won’t get ripped off.’
Using terms only insiders would understand, without explaining them,
lowered the chance that this was a scam. It boosted the post’s credibility.
And look at the price.
40.0?
’That’s 40 million won.’ (Approx. 28,500 USD)
At that price, anyone unfamiliar with the specifics might still contact them
out of sheer curiosity.
Sure enough, after digging through past posts, I found discussions in the
comments.
– Wow, but it’s 40 million won... Has anyone actually contacted them?
└
└ i tried bc i thought they’re legit, but after asking a few questions,
they just ghosted me LOL
└ everyone’s been left on read. just a poser. nah nahh im good
No, that’s not it.
’From what they’re saying, it sounds like the food they offered didn’t meet
the necessary ’Fracture-sanctioned’ level, so the person just ignored them.’
Conveniently, I happened to have something on hand that would likely meet
their requirements.
A food item with a mysterious origin and unknown effects that I certainly
didn’t dare to consume myself.
’...Yep, I’ve got it.’
In fact, I even had two packs.
<Blue Soda Churros>
A snack gifted by the blue dragon mascot at the theme park.
"..."
– Ah, that unsavory food!
It wasn’t that unsavory...
Well, either way.
’Even a good child sometimes needs a bit of funding.’
The mascot would understand. Uh-huh.
[BlueFriend : Hello there sir/ma’am ^^ I have the paranormal-origin
food item you’re looking for!]
Message sent!
* * *
The next day—
’It’s perfect that it’s the weekend.’
I was waiting near Gwanghwamun Station, holding a box containing one
pack of the ’Blue Soda Churros’ given to me by the mascot.
’I think I handled this well.’
I thought back to the messages I’d exchanged with the buyer yesterday.
They’d replied almost instantly.
[T : What kind of food exactly?]
This was a key moment.
I had two options.
I could show off my expertise, hinting that I knew what the Supernatural
Disaster Management Bureau and the ’Fracture-sanctioned’ level were, to
build trust with insider knowledge.
Or...
[BlueFriend : It’s kind of like churros? I’m honestly not sure... I got it
under some strange circumstances, and honestly, keeping it feels a bit
unsettling. I also really need the money. Could we maybe meet so you can
check it out? If it fits your needs, you can take it from there.]
I could play clueless and let the buyer make the call.
Fortunately, the second approach worked.
’To be fair, that message was pretty much the truth.’
I wasn’t keen on letting on that I worked for Daydream Inc., either.
So, here I was, waiting near Exit 5 of Gwanghwamun Station, seven
minutes ahead of our meeting time.
’If anything feels off, I’ll bail.’
I stayed alert. Soon, someone approached from the direction of Cheonggye
Plaza, glancing around near Exit 5.
’There.’
With the way they were scanning their surroundings, it was clear they were
here for a transaction.
Tall, dressed entirely in black, and wearing a mask, the person walked over
as soon as our eyes met.
"You must be the one from ’Salmon’..."
I nodded, opening the box to let them inspect the contents.
"..."
The person reached out a gloved hand. Their voice sounded young, but I
didn’t expect them to be this cautious with their identity.
’Not that I’m one to talk.’
I’d also dressed in a hat, sunglasses, and anything else I could think of to
obscure my face.
Hood pulled low, I kept my eyes on their movements. If they tried to take
off with the item, I’d move first.
The buyer ran their gloved hand over the box and nodded before taking
hold of it.
Hmm?
"This is exactly what I was looking for."
Then, they handed me a small box that looked like a sippy cup. When they
opened it just a bit, I caught a glimpse of 50,000-won bills inside before it
quickly closed again.
"..."
They looked at me as if to ask why I wasn’t taking it.
I couldn’t consult Braun, which was a shame, but...
’First things first.’
I set the box down on the ground.
"...?"
After nodding politely, I pulled out a notepad from my pocket.
"...??"
I showed the open page to the buyer.
[I don’t know the effects of this item.]
[It wasn’t dangerous to keep, but just in case, I’d recommend not
consuming it.]
[I know you said it’s for research, but I thought I’d mention it anyway.]
"...!"
I couldn’t see their expression, but they seemed a bit taken aback.
’Sure, this looks like some kind of random performance, but...’
Apologies, I’d rather not risk having my voice recognized.
After a brief bow, I showed the final page, nodded respectfully, took the
cash cup, and bolted.
[Have a nice day^^]
* * *
"Great."
Once home, I deposited the cash immediately.
It was the weekend, so it looked like Baek Saheon wasn’t around. Judging
by his comings and goings, he probably went back to his family’s home.
Anyway.
"It’s time to log into the Alien Shop."
I pulled up the link.
Note/s:
[1] Veblen effect – abnormal market behavior where consumers purchase the
higher-priced goods whereas similar low-priced (but not identical)
substitutes are available. This behavior stems from the belief that the higher
the price, the higher the quality. ↵