yaoigeek

Min Jae is an average guy from Korea, drifting through life in his cluttered house with nothing but instant noodles and unfinished DIY projects—until he discovers a trapdoor in his basement that leads to a peaceful fantasy village.

Mistaken for a legendary wizard, Min Jae uses duct tape, sarcasm, and Earth gadgets to solve the villagers’ bizarre problems. In return, they shower him with rare magical items—which he quietly trades back home to earn real money.

Now juggling a double life, Min Jae starts growing into someone he never expected to be:
a creative fixer, a village hero, and maybe even… a responsible adult.

THE OTHER WORLD IS JUST MY BASEMENT

Min Jae wasn't even out of bed when the first text came in.

> BRO. Turn on the news. RIGHT NOW.

Groggy, half-asleep, and still wearing his *"I Sell Vibes and Noodles"* hoodie, Min Jae rolled over, unlocked his phone, and groaned. Sunwoo had sent a link to a livestream.

The screen loaded to a shaky video of a Seoul street market.

A small crowd had gathered around a coffee truck.

The coffee machine on the truck was...

"Breathing fire?" Min Jae sat up so fast his back cracked.

He squinted. Jets of orange-blue flame were puffing out of the espresso nozzle in rhythmic bursts. People were clapping. Someone shouted, "IT'S ART!"

"No," Min Jae muttered, leaping from his bed. "That's not art. That's a cursed steam wand."

Ten minutes later, he was in the basement.

Seojin was already there, sipping coffee and reading reports.

She nodded without looking up. "The fire-breathing espresso machine? Yeah. It matches the description of a Class C enchanted nozzle. Only sold by Sootbeard's Supply Co."

Min Jae threw on a jacket. "I don't sell those."

He froze. "The package Goji smuggled?"

"Exactly. Someone's unpacked it. And they think it's a toy."

### Hunt for the Caffeine Sorcerer

With Sunwoo driving and Goji hogging the back seat, Min Jae hit the streets.

The coffee truck had already packed up by the time they arrived. But Minji had a friend who tracked delivery services, and within an hour, they had an address:

**Jung Hwan**, 24, amateur barista, full-time showoff.

They knocked on the door of a shared rooftop studio. No answer. But the sound of **magical steam hiss** echoed inside.

Min Jae grimaced. "That's definitely a Sootbeard hiss."

They broke in. (Technically, Goji headbutted the door open.)

* And Jung Hwan, wearing goggles and holding a mug labeled *"Barista King."*

He turned. "DUDE! You guys selling more of this stuff? It's AMAZING."

Min Jae grabbed the machine and yanked the rune chip out.

"It also causes hallucinations if you over-steam it."

"Where did you get it?" Min Jae asked.

Jung Hwan shrugged. "It showed up in a box with no return label. Thought it was a promo. It had snacks, this thing, and a recipe for something called 'Mana Foam.'"

Sunwoo choked. "You tried to make mana foam?"

"Tried? Bro, I NAILED it. My hamster glowed for two hours."

Seojin arrived just in time to confiscate a wand made from a chopstick and mana thread.

"We need to wipe this place," she muttered.

Min Jae sighed. "I told Goji no more deliveries."

Goji licked an enchanted cup and it exploded into glitter.

Back in the basement, Min Jae stared at the confiscated items.

Two espresso nozzles, three glowing coasters, and one self-stirring cauldron cup.

"This is just one box," he muttered. "What if there are more?"

Sunwoo checked his feed. "Well... a ramen shop in Gangnam just reported a ladle that won't stop singing."

"Okay," he said, voice flat. "New rule: We go full lockdown. No more open crates. No unsupervised portal crossings. And we interrogate Goji. Again."

Goji sneezed. A bag of glitter peanuts rolled out from under him.

The package that made it