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 a fan of disguises.

Too much effort. Too much sweat. And he always ended up looking like a suspicious cabbage vendor with anxiety.

Wearing a patched-up brown cloak, fake mud on his boots, and a mana-dampening ring to blur his aura signature, Min Jae walked into the charred ruins of the old Rivertown guild square.

The burned-out buildings loomed like ghosts. Wind whispered through broken tiles. The only light came from flickering charm lanterns.

> "Gatekeeper's Vault – Wares Beyond Worlds"

The inside of the tent was small but filled with enchantment residue. Shelves lined the walls, displaying knockoff versions of Min Jae's goods:

Cracked mana pebbles labeled "Signature Energy Bites."

Glowing tea leaves packed into fancy tubes.

Even counterfeit snack pouches—with a logo that looked suspiciously like Goji, but buffer.

Sunwoo, hidden under invisibility fabric nearby, whispered through the comm rune:

> "That goat has abs. Why does that goat have abs?"

Min Jae whispered back, "We're taking legal action later."

Behind the counter stood a figure in a gray robe, half-masked, eyes glittering with confidence.

"Welcome," the impostor said smoothly. "Seeking something beyond this realm?"

Min Jae forced a deeper voice. "Looking for power."

The fake Gatekeeper chuckled. "Aren't we all?"

The fake Gatekeeper showed off a pouch of "Rift Spice"—clearly just dyed rock sugar.

"It enhances awareness," he claimed.

Min Jae raised an eyebrow. "That's rock candy."

The impostor didn't miss a beat. "Only to the untrained palate."

From the back room, a goat trotted out.

It looked like Goji... if Goji had been to the gym, gotten into MMA, and glared at everything.

Min Jae's eye twitched. "He made a fake you."

Goji—listening from the basement via mirror—kicked over a tea pot.

"Impressive beast, huh?" the fake Gatekeeper said proudly. "Strong. Loyal. Very bitey."

He reached into his coat and tossed a mana seal into the air. It expanded mid-air and burst in a pulse of blue light—disrupting enchantments and cloaking fields.

The impostor staggered. "What the—?!"

Min Jae pulled off his hood. "The real Gatekeeper says hi."

Sunwoo popped out from the side and shouted, "Surprise audit!"

The impostor cursed and hurled a charm stone, which Min Jae caught bare-handed.

"You're lucky I don't charge for copyright violation," Min Jae said coldly.

The fake Gatekeeper dashed out the back, the buff goat bounding after him.

Sunwoo ran after them, but Min Jae stayed behind.

There was something more important here.

In the back room, he found a hidden box.

Stamped with the same seal as the Third Market.

> "To our new representative—use this persona. Build influence. When the real Gatekeeper arrives, we will make him choose. Or remove him."

So this wasn't just impersonation.

Back in the basement, he burned the fake letters and dropped the ashes into a containment rune.

Min Jae watched Goji happily chew the corner of a real snack pouch.

The Impostor’s Shop