The Civilian Problem

Min Jae stood frozen in the doorway, holding a gift bag full of enchanted noodles, kimchi, and panic.

Jin Hye-jin, the calm stranger who had somehow received a coin from another world and tracked it back to him, gestured toward her tidy living room.

"You're here. Good. Come in," she said like she wasn't casually unraveling the biggest secret of Min Jae's life.

Min Jae cleared his throat. "I, uh... just wanted to talk."

"Obviously." She turned, heading back inside. "Don't forget your goat."

Goji peeked out from Min Jae's backpack, blinked once, then waddled in like he owned the place.

---

Living Room Interrogation

Her apartment was warm and sterile. A few plants. A bookshelf arranged by genre, then author, then spine color.

Goji immediately jumped onto the sofa and began gnawing on a decorative pillow that said "Live, Laugh, Lunge."

Min Jae sat awkwardly on the edge of a leather chair.

"So," he began, "let's... talk about the coin."

Jin Hye-jin nodded. "It arrived in that snack box I ordered. I thought it was just a quirky addition at first. Then it pulsed. Then it glowed when I spilled soju on it."

Min Jae winced. "Right. Copper enchantments react to fermented liquids."

She reached into a drawer and pulled out a small notebook.

"After that, I did some digging. There were runes on the edge. I matched them online with old magic symbology. Korean? Nope. Japanese? Close. But then I stumbled on a screenshot from a blog post about a fantasy tabletop game. That's where I saw your logo."

He blinked. "Wait. You figured this out… from a fan forum?"

"Technically, four forums, a Discord server, and an obscure Reddit post about 'urban wizards who sell vibes.'"

He dropped his head into his hands.

---

The Extortion That Wasn't

"I'm not here to blackmail you," she said calmly, sipping her tea. "I'm just curious."

Min Jae looked up. "You tracked down a dimensional coin, stalked a snack wizard, and handed the most sensitive magical artifact on Earth to my mom because you were curious?"

She nodded.

"Do you... understand what this is?"

"Not really. But you clearly do. Which is why I wanted to talk."

Min Jae looked at the ceiling.

"Please, for the love of all snack gods, don't tell anyone."

"I won't."

He blinked. "Just like that?"

She shrugged. "People would think I'm insane. Besides, I don't want to ruin your business. I liked the glow chews."

---

Goji Causes an Incident

Goji, meanwhile, had discovered a bag of uncooked rice in the kitchen.

He dragged it halfway into the hallway before Jin Hye-jin noticed.

"Is he... okay?"

"No," Min Jae said. "He's powered by chaos and fried seaweed."

Goji bit into the bag. Rice exploded across the floor like a crunchy snowstorm.

Min Jae sighed. "I'll clean that."

"You won't."

"Fair."

---

Setting Boundaries

Min Jae stood and gently took the coin from her coffee table.

"Thanks for not doing anything dumb with this."

"I thought about licking it," she admitted.

He stared.

"I didn't! Just thought about it."

He tucked the coin into his hoodie pocket. "Look... I'm going to be honest. You're not supposed to have seen this. Ever. And no one else can use the portal. Just me. That's... kind of the whole deal."

She nodded. "Understood. I'll forget it."

Min Jae narrowed his eyes. "Really?"

"I already have a job. I'm allergic to adventure. And frankly, your goat terrifies me."

Goji burped ominously.

---

The Exit

He offered her the gift bag. "On the house. Consider it... damage control."

"Thanks. I'll feed the noodles to my neighbor's awful child."

He turned to leave, but paused at the door.

"You didn't tell anyone else?"

"Nope."

"Not even like... a blog post titled 'I Met a Real-Life Wizard and He Smelled Like Soy Sauce'?"

She smirked. "I'd use a better title."

Min Jae nodded once and left without another word.

Goji followed, dragging the half-shredded rice bag behind him like a trophy.

---

Debrief with the Team

Later that night, back in the chicken shop basement, Min Jae gathered his small crew.

Minji was on her phone, Sunwoo was sketching sticker ideas, and Seojin was organizing backup receipts into folders labeled "Possible Future Trouble."

He dropped the coin onto the table.

"So," he said, "we had a leak."

Three heads snapped toward him.

"I accidentally sent a coin to a civilian. She tracked me down. She knows some stuff, not everything. Says she'll keep quiet."

Minji groaned. "Do we need to erase her memory?"

"We're not the Men in Black," Seojin muttered.

"Yet," Sunwoo added, completely serious.

---

Conclusion: No Threat

"I don't think she's a threat," Min Jae said. "She seemed more... nosy than anything. She didn't even ask for money. Just tea and answers."

"So she's gone?" Seojin asked.

"Yep. Out of the picture," Min Jae confirmed. "No more contact. I told her we'd call if we needed her. Which we won't."

Goji sneezed glitter all over the inventory labels.

Everyone paused.

Then Sunwoo said, "Cool. So, are we going to the next street fair or what?"