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

Not an urgent one, not marked with danger runes, and definitely not addressed to him. In fact, Min Jae found it stuck between the pages of a shipment ledger—one that Goji had suspiciously chewed half of before dragging it under the spell-desk.

The scroll was sealed in midnight blue wax, stamped with a symbol he didn't recognize: a coiled serpent wrapped around a scroll, biting its own tail.

> To the Gatekeeper of the Lower Path,

We see you. We respect the quiet enterprise you build. But beware: others see opportunity in your shadow. Accept our offer, and you remain independent. Deny it, and your goat may no longer walk alone.

Then he said, quietly, "What the hell is the Third Market?"

Goji responded by chewing the corner of the scroll.

The team assembled within the hour.

Seojin was already in librarian mode, flipping through an old interdimensional market registry.

"Nothing recent," she said, squinting. "But the name shows up in older records. The Third Market was a rogue merchant network banned from all major trade hubs. Their specialty was enchanted contraband—unlicensed charms, illegal curses, black-market familiars."

Minji added, "Rumor says they operate in the gaps between portals. Stuff even your basement can't track."

Sunwoo blinked. "So, like fantasy-world eBay for criminals."

Min Jae sat down hard. "And they want to partner with me."

Seojin tapped the scroll. "Because your operation got big. Fast. No one else on Earth is selling interdimensional goods so efficiently. You've got a portal. You've got a mascot. You aren't controlled by a guild."

"They probably think you're easy to manipulate," Minji added. "Or at least bribe."

Goji burped up a mana gummy and looked very pleased with himself.

Not the front door of the chicken shop. The back alley.

A small box, wrapped in black silk, sat on the steps with no delivery label. No footsteps. No sound.

Inside: a handful of golden spice stones, an enchanted mirror the size of a hand, and a tiny glass bottle labeled: Truth Fog – Use on Liars.

Min Jae held it up. "They're already sending 'gifts.'"

Sunwoo looked at the mirror and whispered, "Cool."

Min Jae slapped his hand. "No. Bad."

"We need to know how they found us," Seojin said. "And how long they've been watching."

Minji was already setting up magical tripwires around the portal room.

"If they're hiding between portal rifts," she said, "we need an anchor pulse."

Min Jae frowned. "Is that dangerous?"

"Only if you value having eyebrows," she muttered.

That night, Min Jae stood in the basement alone, staring at the glowing edge of the portal.

The mirror from the black box sat on the table, still wrapped in silk.

He hadn't told the others, but there had been one more thing in the box:

Leaning out the chicken shop window. Smiling. Talking to a regular customer.

Taken from a distance. Blurry. But unmistakably him.

He slipped the photo into a drawer.

Goji snored peacefully from his hay pile.

"If anyone ever kidnaps you," Min Jae whispered, "I am going to burn their entire black market to the ground."

Goji rolled over and kicked glitter in his direction.

The Uninvited Audience