By the 31st century, humanity had already mastered the technology of space inventories using special materials retrieved from Mars during deep-space expeditions. As a result, even the smallest purse-sized space was so outrageously expensive that ordinary people would never dare to dream of owning one.
Among the wealthy, however, space keys had long become a symbol of status.
Most chaebol heirs used them as bags and accessories purely to flaunt their power. That was why only small-capacity space keys were ever mass-produced and sold to the public.
In this era, people could mock luxury clothes, seasonal jewelry, and designer brands all they wanted—but no one dared to underestimate the trend of space keys.
Even stealing a wallet-sized space key would earn a criminal an immediate death sentence. Every unit came with a traceable serial signature. The cheapest model could still sell for tens of millions of won, even second-hand.
If Hyejin's judgment was correct, then this… poop—no, this object in her hand… was a space key with a capacity exceeding 200 square meters.
A one-of-a-kind prototype.
She didn't know the exact size, but she knew one thing for sure: this was absurdly valuable. More importantly, it would be incredibly useful for stockpiling supplies.
Yet logically, this model should not even exist yet.
Even in her past life, its launch had failed. The product unveiling had been scheduled for New Year's Day—but that day never came.
'The event was canceled after the descent of spatial cracks and monsters…'
She remembered overhearing her father say that only three units had been successfully created, yet only two ever appeared on the auction list.
Her eldest brother's furious words were still vivid in her mind:
'Some sneaky bastard stole my most spacious artifact before I could finish setting the serial key. If I ever find that spawn of evil, I'll wipe out his nine generations and piss on his ancestors' graves!'
Ha…
So the missing space key had been taken by this brat?
And the reason no one ever found it… was because he turned it into a poop-shaped keychain?
Hyejin almost laughed.
'I really want to see my eldest brother's face when he finds out. Seo Ha-joon would vomit blood if he knew who stole his masterpiece… and what it became.'
Of all possible customizations…
A brown poop.
Pfft.
'I wonder if he'd really dig and piss on our forefather's tomb or something.' Hyejin tried to stop herself from giggling.
"Seo Yoojin, you've gotten real bold, haven't you?" Hyejin pretended to snap. "Trying to pacify me by giving me something you stole from Brother Ha-joon? Are you trying to drag me to my death with you, you crazy brat?!"
"Ah—?! Ouch! Noona! Noona, wait—ouch! Stop hitting me! Why are you only hitting places that can't be seen?! Don't pinch! Don't pinch! Agh! My shoulder's on fire!"
Yoojin instinctively shielded his face with his arms. In the past, his sister always targeted his face whenever she got angry. This should've been the correct defense…
So why did it feel even worse now?
"Noona, I won't do it again! Stop pinching my sides! I'm wrong, I'm wrong! I'll return it to Hyung when we get home, okay? Boohoo!"
He wailed pitifully, but soon his ears twitched—and his crying stalled.
Hyejin had stopped.
Instead, she gently placed both hands on his head and patted his hair, as if comforting a beloved pet.
"My foolish little brother," she said softly. "Who said anything about returning it to Ha-joon Oppa?"
She was smiling like a benevolent Buddha.
But Yoojin only saw evil.
"Y-You… didn't you want to return it, Noona?"
"Huh? Of course not." She barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes. "This is a priceless treasure. If Big Brother was careless enough to lose something this valuable, that just means fate intended for it to change owners."
She lifted the poop-shaped keychain between her fingers.
"You picked it up fair and square. Then you gave it to your beloved sister to comfort her. That means the heavens are clearly on my side. As family, shouldn't we help safeguard his belongings when he fails to do so himself?"
Yoojin frowned, scratching his head.
Something about this logic felt very wrong…
But at the same time, strangely convincing.
"…Er. Okay?" He nodded slowly. "If Noona's keeping it, then… that's fine." I guess.
At least she had stopped crying. In all honesty, Seo Yoojin doesn't really care about other things.
"En. Good boy."
Hyejin patted his head in satisfaction.
Feeling the soft warmth of her palm instead of a painful strike, Seo Yoojin felt a strange sense of triumph rise in his chest. This alone was enough for him to brag to his father later—the same father who never tired of nagging him about getting along with this household tigress.
'Sister dotes on me more now.
She's even playing with my hair instead of yanking it.
Hmm. That skeleton really knocked her brain straight.
Maybe I should've let her get hit earlier.
…It feels kind of nice.'
Completely unaware, Seo Yoojin had already started purring like a contented kitten.
They remained like that for a while longer, the atmosphere unusually peaceful, until the car—still in autopilot—slowed to a stop inside the underground parking lot.
Starlight Mall.
The second-largest mall in Soul City.
It was managed by their maternal aunt, Lee Mi-kyung, their mother's younger sister.
Which was precisely why their mother, Lee Myung-hee, detested coming here—yet had no choice.
The only designer shoes she had worn since childhood were a brand tied to the Lee family for generations. Thus, she can only gnash her soles and send over her poor Yoojin.
Seo Yoojin let out a heavy sigh and pushed open the car door.
He still had to pick up his mother's shoes. Forget about meeting some bad energies, there's no helping it anyway.
It was only after stepping away that a realization struck him like lightning.
"Wait. Didn't Noona said she was keeping the space key? And she said she wouldn't tell Hyung. So, then…"
Huh? Where's his sister?
Amidst the confusion, Seo Yoojin's face gradually twisted with injustice like he had just overcome a bad constipation. But the culprit was already on the ru, far away to even bother.
"Seo. Hye. Jin! Stop right there! Where are you going?!"
"Hey! I'm not done with you, Noona! Aish—come back here!"
Argh!
Unfortunately, Seo Hyejin has long been gone into the lift and pressed the elevator button, closing and leaving the fuming Seo Yoojin.
"That woman! If she was going to keep it anyway, why did she beat me up so badly?!"
She totally did it on purpose, he'll bet his toes she did!