Chapter 9
[Title : Which problem customer among problem customers would you name as the toughest?]
A post that had gone up in the gallery.
I had seen it before while poring over information about problem customers.
Dozens of comments had already been posted.
Thinking there couldn't be a better place to learn about real-world problem-customer cases in advance, I clicked in immediately.
[Comments]
ㅇㅇ(223.39) : For me, it's the drunk orc bastards who smash the displays. They can't control their strength and break every display case. Fucking hell.
Excommunicated Paladin : Elves are pretty damn tough. Once they become problem customers, you can't reason with them, and they're stubborn as mules.
Convenience Store Gallerist : For me, it's fire elementals. They throw a fit about being cold when you crank up the air conditioning, then burn down the entire magazine section.
ㅇㅇ(57.42) : └ I know what you mean. Water elementals flood the floor, so you have to mop it three times.
ㅇㅇ : Ghosts are tough on the night shift. I swear these people live to mess with part-timers. They float cup noodles in midair, turn off the lights, and sometimes make up their own rules just to cause trouble. It's fucking awful.
NormalSexDrive : You guys haven't dealt with exhibitionist slimes yet, have you? They walk into the store stark naked, peek toward the counter, and drool slime everywhere. Fuck…… It feels weird to call the police on them;;
SlimeFucker : └ Where is that? I need the address ASAP.
NormalSexDrive : └ I'm not telling you.
Night Shift from the Mage Tower : All of you are spoiled. Those are cute compared to the real worst of the worst. The undisputed number-one problem customer is a doppelgänger.
ㅇㅇ(118.235) : └ Doppels are pretty manageable since there are ways to deal with them.
Night Shift from the Mage Tower : └ I got scammed by one of those bastards. Face phishing, for fuck's sake.
ㅇㅇ : └ Isn't that because you were an idiot who fell for it?
Night Shift from the Mage Tower : └ These bastards have gotten meticulous lately. They copy the victim's memories and face, too. Asking for the reservation number and phone number doesn't work anymore.
Convenience Store Gallerist : └ They've evolved, for fuck's sake.
ㅇㅇ : Didn't you call the police?
Night Shift from the Mage Tower : You clearly haven't dealt with a doppelgänger before. When those bastards show up, they put up a barrier around the area, so you can't get any outside help at all.
ㅇㅇ : ?? They can do that?
Night Shift from the Mage Tower : That's why there are victims every time.
A doppelgänger that copied its target's appearance exactly.
Thinking that there really were all kinds of problem customers out there, I closed the gallery.
But then.
That doppelgänger came to our store as a customer.
The battered silver breastplate, the shallow sword scar on his right cheek, the bloodshot eyes.
Two identical hunters were glaring at each other and growling.
One was the customer who had come to pick up the holy-attribute greatsword that had arrived yesterday.
And the other was a doppelgänger who had copied that customer's face and memories.
“I’m the real one, I’m telling you! That bastard was in the same party as me, and he copied all my biometric information by partying with me for a week!”
“Don’t be ridiculous! That’s exactly what I’m saying, you scam artist!”
“Order number A-1185243! Choi Deok-pal! That’s my name and order number!”
“This fake bastard is stealing the words right out of my mouth! Hey, part-timer, take this. It’s the receipt I received when I placed the order.”
Both of them insisted they were the real one and came at me.
‘But I really can’t tell them apart.’
I could understand why the gallery users called them one of the toughest problem customers.
How was I supposed to distinguish them?
This wasn't something a mere convenience store part-timer like me could figure out.
Right.
Let's contact the manager.
The manager would definitely be able to solve this.
‘This isn't something I should handle alone.’
“Could you both wait a moment?”
I picked up my phone and immediately called the manager.
Brrring, brrring.
-Uuugh, what is it?
A hoarse, groggy voice came through, as if she had only just woken up.
“Manager, a customer came to pick up the greatsword that arrived yesterday……. But one of them seems to be a doppelgänger. They’re both claiming to be the real one and waving receipts around. Should I call the police?”
-……A doppelgänger?
Her answer came half a beat late, as if she were still drunk on sleep.
-……Uuumm. Huh? A doppelgänger came?
“Yes. I couldn’t tell which one was real, so I contacted you first.”
-Grrr, those insolent demon bastards. How dare they try to scam Jinjo while she’s away.
“Are you coming here, Manager?”
-I’d like to, but unfortunately, that’s impossible.
“You can’t?”
-Look out the window. Can you see what’s outside?
Following her instructions, I looked out the window.
The window, which normally showed the streets of the city, reflected the inside of the convenience store.
The counter, me standing behind it, and the two men standing in front of me.
“It’s only showing the inside of the convenience store.”
-That phenomenon occurs when a doppelgänger uses its power. They isolate the space to cut off contact with the outside while they carry out their scam.
“Then what should I do?”
-There are two ways. One is to forcibly tear open the barrier. The other is to distinguish the doppelgänger and see through its disguise.
“Can’t you tear open the barrier and come inside, Manager?”
-I’m sorry to say this, but I can’t. There’s an agreement I made when I established the convenience store.
The manager's voice sank even lower.
“Then you mean I have to identify the fake?”
-That is correct.
A loud sigh came through the receiver.
-Jinjo has always managed the store herself, so I let my guard down. A doppelgänger has never come before.
-The one fortunate thing is that the doppelgänger’s target is here with it. Ask the two of them various questions and look for anything out of place. No matter how good a doppelgänger is, it couldn’t have copied everything.
“Is there anything else I should know?”
-Jinjo can’t tell you anything more than this. The doppelgänger can hear everything I say right now.
At that, I looked at the two men arguing at the counter.
“Bring it out right now! I’m the real one!”
“You bastard, you still haven’t come to your senses!”
The two men looked exactly alike.
They seemed too distracted to think straight as they faced off with the greatsword between them, but.
-It’s still listening to the conversation between my retainer and Jinjo.
So it was listening to us.
Then it would hear the manager's solution and prepare for it.
-I can’t tell you through my voice. But, my retainer, you do have a way to learn how to deal with this, don’t you?
“A way?”
-The gallery. The community you joined when you got hired at Jinjo’s convenience store.
“How do you know about that, Manager…….”
-There is nothing Jinjo doesn’t know. Heh-heh!
The manager's smug voice came through the receiver.
-Anyway, ask the users there for help.
“Understood. Since you trusted me with this, I’ll make sure to solve it properly.”
-I’m counting on you.
“But, Manager.”
-Hmm?
“Are you a user who posts there, too?”
-That’s a secret.
With those words, she hung up.
I had confirmed that there was no way to get outside help.
I looked at my face reflected in the window.
A thick fog so dense that I couldn't see the scenery outside.
My face, as clear as if it were reflected in a mirror.
Find the incongruity.
That was the hint the manager had given me.
I sighed and opened the gallery.
[Title : A doppelgänger just appeared in real time. What am I supposed to do?]
Two customers just came into my store, and they look exactly alike. One is definitely the real customer and one is a doppelgänger. They're fighting and calling each other fake. Any tips?
Less than a minute after I posted, comments began pouring in like crazy.
[Comments 36]
Night Shift from the Mage Tower : Wow, you got the exact same case I didㅋㅋㅋㅋ Are the doppelgänger and the real one facing off one-on-one?
Convenience Store Gallerist : The newbie is about to quit already. Hey, look closely at their clothes first. Doppels often can't copy the brand labels when they transform.
Confessional Nun : Doppelgängers are often mirrored left to right, so focus on that.
ㅇㅇ(223.39) : └ Exactly. Check the engravings inside their armor and the direction their breastplate buckles are fastened. The real one usually fastens the buckle in the way their hands are accustomed to, while the doppelgänger usually fastens it in the opposite direction.
NewbieShredder : └ That method doesn't work anymore. They're an evolving species, so these days they even figure out whether the target is right- or left-handed and account for it.
ㅇㅇ(223.39) : └ How the hell do you know that?
NewbieShredder : └ I wish I didn't.
NormalSexDrive : Try pricking their fingers. If the transformation isn't perfect, the blood sometimes comes out a different color instead of red.
Night Shift from the Mage Tower : You can distinguish them if you managed to pick up on the person's habits when you first took their order.
Advice of all kinds came pouring in.
But there was one problem.
Every method they explained was useful, but I had never met this customer, Choi Deok-pal, before.
I examined the two men.
Following the gallery users' advice, I checked the engravings on their armor, their buckles, their hairstyles, and the arrangement of their belongings, but.
‘They’re all identical.’
They must have spent an incredibly long time perfecting the copy, because I couldn't detect the slightest incongruity.
“Could you give me one of your hands?”
Following the advice, I even drew some blood, but.
“Ow!”
“Ghk!”
The blood was bright red in both cases.
‘We’re fucked.’
The two men were now glaring at each other as if they were about to draw their swords.
If I didn't resolve this now, they looked ready to start fighting right there in the convenience store.
[Title : I’m fucked, aren’t I?]
I tried everything, but their blood is red, and their belongings and behavior are all identical. Fuck, what do I do?
Night Shift from the Mage Tower : You’re fuckedㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Let’s suffer together. Just tell them you’ll give them the item later and send them both away.
Convenience Store Gallerist : Wouldn’t that be a problem if it’s an expensive item?
ㅇㅇ : Still better than getting scammed.
NewbieShredder : Fuck, doppelgängers are insanely tough these daysㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㅇㅇ(223.39) : Just give up. You’ll feel better.
NormalSexDrive : That’s a little harsh on the newbie.
Convenience Store Gallerist : Haven’t these doppelgängers gotten way too precise? Even holy power doesn’t work on them.
The comments came in as if there was no other option.
Apparently, this was a first even for them.
Transformation.
Transformation, huh.
The methods the users had recommended were ways to deal with monsters that transformed into an identical copy of their target.
Memories and appearance.
They had even copied the color of the blood that came out when pricked.
What would a doppelgänger like this have the hardest time transforming?
‘A shadow.’
Unlike things that remained fixed once transformed, a shadow had to change its appearance every time according to the position of the light.
I hurriedly left a post in the gallery window.
What if I shine a light on both the doppelgänger and the target at the same time and check the shadows they cast?
Unlike the real person, wouldn’t the doppelgänger’s shadow be shaped like a monster—or be missing entirely?
Night Shift from the Mage Tower : Ooh?
Convenience Store Gallerist : Ooh?? Now that you mention it, that sounds plausible.
Excommunicated Paladin : Are you a genius? But the shadows would be too faint under the store’s ordinary fluorescent lights to distinguish them clearly.
ㅇㅇ : You need an insanely strong light that will cast a definite shadow.
A definite light, huh.
It was just as I was looking around the store at those words.
Ding!
[An anonymous user has sent you a private message.]
-Anonymous User : Swing the holy greatsword and shine its light on them. That’ll expose the fake.
It was the same grateful user who had told me the list of problem customers so I could adapt to Taepyeong City and carefully explained the precautions for using the gallery.
‘Wait a minute.’
How did they know there was a holy greatsword in our convenience store?
The holy-attribute greatsword had been one of the items delivered yesterday.
The item that was supposed to be sold to this customer.
There was only one person who could have told me to use it at this exact moment.
‘……Manager?’
No matter how I thought about it, it had to be the manager.
When I had asked her earlier whether she posted in the gallery, she had dodged the question by saying it was a secret.
But I wasn't rash enough to blurt out the thought that had occurred to me.
She must have had a reason for not telling me outright.
But one thing was certain from this message.
The method worked well enough that even Jinjo, the manager, was certain of it.
-ㅇㅇ : Thx thx. That helped.
I picked up the greatsword that was still lying on the counter.
“Hold it.”
I raised the sword as I looked at the two men who had been growling at each other, ready to fight at any moment.
“???”
“What the hell?”
“I’ve found a way to distinguish the real one from the fake.”
“You’re not going to cut us with that, are you?”
“Of course not.”
I shook my head.
“It’s nothing like that.”
Actions speak louder than words.
I swung the greatsword in my hand.
And at that moment.
Fwoosh!
Light filled the convenience store, and.
“Aah!”
“W-what the hell?!”
The shadows of the two men's bodies grew darker.
And.
‘Just as I thought.’
One of the shadows had taken the shape of something other than a human.
“No matter how perfectly you transform, I guess you can’t do anything about your shadow.”
At my words, the doppelgänger, which had covered its eyes, looked at its own shadow.
The creature's face twisted when it saw its nonhuman shadow.
“Ah……. Fuck, I’ve been caught.”
Its face began to twist little by little.
“You fake bastard! I knew it!”
Mr. Deok-pal grabbed the collar of the one trying to run away.
“Ghk!”
And at that moment, the barrier came down, and.
The view outside the window returned to normal.
In front of the door stood.
-We’re from the Police Bureau. Doppelgänger, Revri-ra. You’re under arrest for being caught in the act of face phishing.
Two golems wearing police uniforms stood there.
“Phew.”
I had resolved the situation without incident.