Return of the Genius Photographer

“Weren’t we going to Yongsan?” asked Young-ho, puzzled.

“We need to buy something first.”

Instead of taking Young-ho to Yongsan, Woojin had brought him to a stationery store near their school.

After giving a vague answer to Young-ho, Woo-jin started to look around for something.

“Boss, do you have any badge holders here?”

“Badge holders?”

“Yes, the ones that you wear around your neck.”

As looking around yielded no results, Woojin asked the store owner and finally found what he wanted.

“This will do.”

Woojin held up an acrylic necklace-type badge holder, the kind typically worn by civil servants or company workers for their ID cards.

Young-ho couldn’t understand why they needed a badge holder on their way to buy a camera.

“Why are you buying that?”

“I’ll explain once we’ve got everything.”

Curious, Young-ho asked, but it seemed Woojin had more items to purchase.

“Boss, do you sell photos of celebrities here?”

“Photos of celebrities? Are you talking about the cards with their pictures on them? Check over there.”

Woojin then headed over to a section filled with celebrity photo cards and began scrutinizing them one by one.

“This one’s too flashy. This one’s face is too clear…”

After carefully picking through them, Woojin selected a photo of a man in a suit. The image quality was poor, making the man’s face appear blurry.

Young-ho wouldn’t have taken it even if it were given to him for free.

“Is that everything?” asked Young-ho.

“Yeah, I have the rest at home. This should be enough.”

“What are you planning to do with that?” Young-ho pressed, eager for an answer.

Woojin smiled and said, “An ID card.”

“What?”

Young-ho’s curiosity only grew with Woojin’s cryptic reply.

His curiosity was finally satisfied when he met Woojin again after changing clothes.

“Here, take this,” said Woojin.

Young-ho’s eyes widened in surprise.

Woojin handed him a very convincing ID card. It was a white plastic card with the SBC broadcasting company logo, a small photo of the man in a suit, and Young-ho’s name.

Even knowing where the materials came from, Young-ho was momentarily fooled by how well-made the ID card was.

“Kim Young-ho, SBC Reporter? You made this with the stuff you bought earlier?” asked Young-ho, astonished.

“Yeah. How does it look?”

“It’s amazing. How did you make it?”

“Don’t just look at it. Examine it closely.”

Following Woojin’s instructions, Young-ho took a closer look and noticed some telltale signs.

“The plastic is from the back of the celebrity card. I printed out the front and pasted a photo on top of it,” Woojin explained.

“From now on, you’re SBC Reporter Kim Young-ho. If anyone asks, just say that. Keep the ID card in your front pocket.”

Woojin hung the ID around Young-ho’s neck and tucked it into his jacket pocket.

Despite the explanation, Young-ho was still puzzled.

“Okay. But why are we doing this?”

“Have you ever been to Yongsan?”

“Of course not. I’ve never had a reason to.”

Woojin sighed lightly, then spoke with a serious expression.

“Yongsan Electronics Market isn’t a place you can go to unprepared.”

“Huh?”

“If you don’t know the prices, they’ll overcharge you as a matter of course. There are plenty of people ready to rip you off.”

“Really?”

“Watch the news sometime. There was even a report about it recently.”

Young-ho thought back and vaguely remembered a news segment about Yongsan Electronics Market.

It involved a reporter undercover at Yongsan Market who almost got scammed while trying to buy something…

“The easiest targets for those people are high schoolers like us. Especially you.”

“Me? Just me?”

“You said you’ve never been there.”

“Ah…”

Young-ho finally started to understand.

In summary, the plan was to avoid looking like an easy target by appearing more authoritative.

“Make sure you wear your hat low to cover your face.”

Seeing Woo-jin prepare everything as if going into battle made Young-ho chuckle.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s just amusing,” Young-ho replied with a smile.

It did seem a bit over the top, but it was quite entertaining for him.

“Do you think this will really work?”

However, despite enjoying it, Young-ho was skeptical about whether this plan would succeed.

When asked with doubt, Woojin nodded confidently.

“Normally, it might not, but given the recent news coverage, it should work.”

“Really? Can I trust you?”

“Yeah, man. And when we get there, don’t talk unnecessarily. Just keep a stern face and stay quiet.”

Woojin advised to the naive-looking Young-ho.

This should be enough….

They hadn’t even left yet, and Woo-jin was already worried.

While it might seem excessive, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy without these preparations.

Going alone was one thing, but bringing an unknowing Young-ho into this was a different matter.

Yongsan Electronics Market had a notorious reputation. People often said it was best to avoid it altogether. Its reputation would only improve years later with the rise of online shopping.

For now, it was known as the go-to place for the latest computers, games, and cameras, but also as a place where scams were rampant.

If you were buying something small, maybe worth a little over 100,000 won, it might be fine. But for expensive cameras costing over a million won, thorough preparation was necessary.

“Remember what I told you. Let’s go.”

“Got it.”

With everything ready, they headed to the electronics market.

* * * * *

Yongsan Terminal Mall.

Crossing the overpass from Yongsan Station to reach Yongsan Electronics Market, this is the first place one encounters.

As the entrance to the market and a pathway for people commuting from the station, it was always the busiest area in Yongsan Electronics Market.

Although this place bustled with people from afternoon until the last train, Ki-tae, a merchant there, sighed as he watched the passersby.

“It seems like the number of people has really decreased…”

It was about a month ago.

A reporter, who had been undercover in the market, had an altercation with a merchant, which was recorded and aired on television.

Since then, the number of visitors had been gradually decreasing.

Especially because the incident occurred right here in the terminal mall, more people started avoiding the area. Ki-tae could feel the impact firsthand.

“I told that jerk to control his temper…”

Although Ki-tae hadn’t witnessed the incident himself, most of the merchants knew each other well.

He was very familiar with the story.

“This is already a tough place to make a living, and now it’s even more frustrating.”

Ki-tae grumbled, scowling.

The outlook for Yongsan Electronics Market had never been particularly bright.

With Hi-Mart and Electroland superstores continuously popping up around the market, the competition was fierce.

Moreover, as online shopping gained popularity among people, the number of customers visiting physical stores was steadily decreasing.

It was apparent that the market was losing its vibrancy day by day.

And now, the incident had even made the news.

The golden days of Yongsan were truly over. The stories of the predecessors who used to pocket over 30% margins and live extravagantly had become nothing but legends.

Take Ki-tae, for instance. He hadn’t sold a single item today. If this continued, he wouldn’t even make enough for a meal.

“Isn’t there any sucker around?”

Ki-tae looked at the passing people with greedy eyes.

He knew the image of the market’s merchants wasn’t good, but he couldn’t just sit and wait for customers to come. Sitting idle wouldn’t bring in any money, and there was a high chance someone else would snag the customer first.

So, he had to set aside his uneasy feelings and actively seek out potential suckers.

Even selling one MP3 player to a gullible customer would cover his meal cost, and selling a computer or a camera would earn him more than a day’s wages.

A little bit of cursing was not something Ki-tae was concerned about.

“Let’s catch at least one sucker.”

As he scanned the crowd, Ki-tae’s eyes caught someone who seemed like a potential target.

Although he couldn’t see the face clearly because the person had pulled their hat down low, the way they looked around showed they weren’t familiar with the place.

“Excuse me, are you looking for something in particular?”

Ki-tae approached him quickly, before anyone else could get to him.

“Huh? No, I’m just waiting for a friend and looking around…”

Okay.

Ki-tae thought he had found a perfect target.

The way that guy talked was the epitome of a gullible customer.

“Come on, just tell me. I’ll make sure to give you the best deal.”

“Really… I’m just here with my friend to look at cameras.”

“Oh! You’ve come to the right place. We specialize in cameras here.”

“Really?”

Not really.

Ki-tae was now certain that the person he was dealing with was a sucker.

“Of course! Did you have anything specific in mind?”

“No, I’m not sure. My friend mentioned something about a DSLR…”

The person Ki-tae had pegged as a sucker was Young-ho.

While Woo-jin was briefly away, Young-ho had been approached by the merchant and, forgetting Woo-jin’s advice, answered whatever the merchant asked.

“Looks like you’re after the latest models. I can explain everything. When your friend gets here, just tell them what I said.”

Ki-tae spoke with a kind smile. If this guy was a sucker, his friend was probably one too.

If he could reel this guy in, his friend would follow easily.

“This model is really popular these days.”

Before Young-ho knew it, Ki-tae had led him to his shop and was flipping through a catalog, explaining things to him.

“This is the Fuji S3 PRO, a model I highly recommend. We have plenty in stock, so I can give you a good price.”

“Oh…”

Seeing Young-ho nod along to his words, Ki-tae hid his smile.

The catalog Ki-tae was showing featured cameras that had long been discontinued, either leftover stock or used items being resold.

These were cameras that no consumer was actively looking for, regardless of their performance.

That’s what Ki-tae was trying to sell.

“This here is the Pentax MZ-D! A high-end model known only to real enthusiasts. Ours is the only shop that has it. You won’t regret buying this one. Doesn’t it just look amazing?”

“Yes…”

Young-ho looked awestruck at the actual camera on display in the shop.

“Do you know how much your friend is prepared to spend?”

“Huh? Why do you ask?”

Talking about money made the sucker a bit jumpy.

But this was exactly the reaction Ki-tae had anticipated.

“This model usually goes for over 1.2 million won, but if you decide to buy it, I’ll cut it down to 1 million won for you.”

“Really?”

Young-ho’s eyes sparkled at the offer. Seeing this, Ki-tae put on a friendly smile.

‘He’s almost hooked.’

Whether it’s ten or a hundred, everyone likes a discount. Even those without any intention of buying would hesitate at the thought of saving money.

It was easy to sweet-talk a sucker into buying something.

“You know what? I’ll bring it down to 950,000 won. You’re my first customer today, so I’m practically giving it away.”

Ki-tae sealed the deal.

Limited edition, special discount, lowest price. He used all the words to confuse the sucker in a short conversation.

Young-ho, clearly swayed by Ki-tae’s sales tactics, looked ready to pay as soon as he had the money.

Even if his friend showed up, Ki-tae had him wrapped around his finger, ensuring he would serve as the perfect wingman.

In most cases, eight out of ten people would end up buying the product, mesmerized by Ki-tae’s sales pitch.

And if they didn’t buy it, he would switch to other items or small accessories like tripods, ensuring a sale every time.

This way, every single one of the ten would end up doing what Ki-tae wanted.

‘I’ve earned my meal today.’

This was salesmanship and skill.

Ki-tae felt a sense of pride.

But just then, someone appeared next to the sucker and spoke.

“Sir, all those are used items, aren’t they?”

It was Woojin.