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Griffin Scans
Translator – Hero of death
Proofreader – Sleepyhead
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Chapter 1 - Figure restoration specialist
“What? That’s it? Feels kind of lacking to end like this.”
Smacking his lips in dissatisfaction, the man closed the final chapter of a novel he’d been enjoying on his favorite web fiction site.
At first, he was annoyed by what seemed like an abrupt ending, but after giving it some thought, he admitted to himself that it had wrapped up reasonably well.
“Well, I guess going any further would’ve pushed it beyond the retro gaming era.”
Still, he wished he could’ve experienced more of the unique game systems the protagonist had created. The story felt like it wrapped up in a hurry, leaving behind an uneasy sense of something unfinished.
“But still, the part where the main character really started making games, especially the horror one—that was a blast. Hehe. Maybe I should reread the Uchimura of the Empty Streets episode?”
The novel he had just finished reading was titled Game Market 1983—a retro gaming genre story targeting readers in their mid to late thirties, as of 2017.
The story followed a man who had traveled to the past and made a name for himself in the industry by developing games with unique mechanics.
Chuckling at the memory of past episodes, the man was scrolling back through them when the doorbell rang, cutting him off.
“Mr. Yoon Tae-jun? Are you there?”
“Yes, coming.”
As soon as he opened the door to his studio, he saw the deliveryman struggling to balance over a dozen boxes that leaned dangerously to one side. Tae-jun swiftly grabbed the top five boxes with lightning-fast hands, prompting the sweat-drenched courier to bow slightly in gratitude.
“Thank you.”
“No problem. It must’ve been rough carrying all this up here in this heat.”
At the far end of a steep hill in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun District stood Tae-jun’s studio—perched at the very top of a three-story villa. It was notorious among delivery drivers as one of the toughest destinations. Some had to make two trips, hauling anywhere from five to twenty boxes at a time.
To support those hard-working couriers, Yoon Tae-jun always kept a stash of cold sports drinks ready.
“Here, take one for the road.”
“Thank you. Honestly, it’s tough hauling deliveries up here, but little gestures like this make it worthwhile.”
“Aw, I’d feel worse if I didn’t offer at least something. Thanks again for your hard work.”
Clearly parched, the deliveryman twisted open the bottle and chugged it down before glancing over Tae-jun’s shoulder into the studio.
“Wow… this place is a toy paradise. Are all of these yours?”
“Well, some are mine, but most belong to my clients.”
“What do you even do, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Me? I’m a figure restoration specialist.”
“You mean those risqué anime girl dolls?”
That was the typical stereotype people had of figures.
Having spent nearly ten years in the industry, Tae-jun knew better than to get into lengthy explanations. He simply nodded with a faint smile.
“More or less.”
“Damn… Do you actually make money doing this?”
If he were to answer honestly—it was quite a lucrative job.
High-end figures could cost hundreds of thousands of won, even up to the millions. And if one broke—especially at the joints collectors would do anything to get them fixed.
In that respect, Yoon Tae-jun was a true craftsman who had carved out a job with skill alone.
On his blog, he documented before-and-after photos of every restoration—figures, plastic models, and more. The visuals spoke for themselves, and word of mouth spread rapidly. Now, he was buried in so many commissions that even ten of him wouldn’t have been enough.
Each damaged figure took a day or two to restore. Even after the sculpting was done, drying the paint could take quite a while.
His base fee started at 50,000 won(Approx 40 USD), with prices scaling depending on the complexity.
Looking at the boxes just delivered, it was obvious they were filled with broken toys awaiting his expert hands.
“Ten boxes today. Looks like I’ve got plenty to do.”
After confirming the number of boxes and signing the delivery receipt, the courier adjusted his sweat-soaked cap and took his leave.
“Well then, I’ll be off. Thanks for the drink!”
Watching the cheerful courier disappear down the hill, Tae-jun picked up a box and headed back to his workbench.
“Whew… I’ve really let work pile up, haven’t I?”
He let out a dry chuckle. Getting hooked on that nostalgic novel had cost him valuable time but he couldn’t regret it. It had stirred up fond memories.
He picked up a utility knife and began cutting through the tape, mentally prioritizing the order of tasks. In the past, he used to stack the boxes, but after one stack toppled and caused a mess, he’d learned his lesson.
The room was cluttered with parcels, but he hardly minded anymore.
“Let’s see. This one’s got a broken finger… Oh dear, this one’s lost its head. Did a dog get to it?”
Just by looking at the damage, Tae-jun could guess what had happened.
Some had fallen from high shelves.
Some were chewed by pets.
Some were botched by owners who thought they could repaint them.
Others had melted or sagged due to the summer heat and humidity.
The list went on endlessly.
But once they passed through Tae-jun’s hands, these figures didn’t just return to normal—they sometimes came out even better than before.
“Ah… Chuseok’s coming up soon. I better clear some of these before the holiday hits.”
Like every business, there were peak seasons. For Tae-jun, that meant the days following holidays like Lunar New Year or Chuseok, when commissions spiked.
TL/N: Chuseok is a major traditional Korean holiday, often referred to as Korean Thanksgiving.
Why? Because family gatherings meant nieces and nephews invading homes—and they always laid their sparkling eyes on their uncles’ figure collections.
Without the faintest idea how valuable those pieces were…
Once those sparkling eyes turned toward an aunt or grandmother, the figure’s fate was sealed. It's no better than a candle in the wind.
You’d be better off handing the kids some pocket money and saving yourself the grief.
If a kid spotted an Iron Man smashing around in a display case, they’d throw tantrums until they got their hands on it.
The moment holidays rolled around, collectors like Tae-jun wished they could disappear but when you’ve got things worth guarding at home, even that small luxury is out of reach.
“Alright… Time to get to work.”
With just a pair of nippers, a utility knife, a brass rod, and some paint, he could handle almost any job with ease. In the world of figure restoration, Tae-jun’s skills were practically legendary.
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Sometimes, while repairing figures, there were instances where parts had completely vanished.
Usually, it was small parts like fingers or armor pieces causing trouble, and in such cases, I had to craft a new part from scratch.
It was a very meticulous task, but for Yoon Tae-jun, who had repeated this work dozens of times, it was nothing more than a regular job.
This time, Boa Hancock's arm from the popular manga One Piece had completely fallen off, with even the pointed finger lost.
After briefly inspecting the broken parts, Tae-jun inserted a small 0.3mm brass rod into the detached finger and lightly applied a hardening agent over it.
He gently smoothed the transparent silicone material, shaping it into a straight finger, and waited for it to harden. While waiting, he completed the masking process for painting, and when he touched the finger that had been reattached with the hardener, it had already become solid.
Next, he painted it in a tone that matched the skin color as closely as possible, and finally added a manicure effect to the nail.
The first challenge was solved. The broken arm was fixed in a similar way by inserting a brass rod to form the bone structure and using the hardening agent to reattach it.
Any excess paint around the attachment was dried by the air, then gently sanded down with fine sandpaper.
Although much of the original paint was peeled off during this process, Yoon Tae-jun didn't mind and quietly focused on his work. After all, he could always repaint using the reference photos he'd taken earlier.
After a while, Boa Hancock was positioned in her characteristic pose, her back arched from her high nose.
Once the work was complete, Tae-jun took photos of both the repair and the full figure, sending a text to the client.
"Work completed. Please check."
Moments after sending the message, a reply came as if expected.
"Wow~!! This is amazing. I didn't think it would be restored this well."
"I'm glad you like it. Should I send the product by courier?"
"Yes, please do."
"Understood. Once the final payment is made, I'll ship it right away."
"Okay, I'll send the payment now."
After finishing the call, a notification of payment arrived on his phone. In just an hour of work, he earned 30,000 won. The price varied depending on the figure's size and the extent of the damage, but the Boa Hancock figure was relatively simple to fix.
"The really difficult stuff starts now..."
Taking a cigarette to calm himself, Yoon Tae-jun puffed out smoke and stared at the figure on the workbench.
Iron Man Mark 44, the Hulkbuster.
Though it was scaled down to one-sixth of the original size, the Hulkbuster's sheer size was impressive.
It was about the size of a four-year-old child. On top of that, it was made using die-cast metal, so it was quite heavy.
The right leg was shattered from the knee down, likely due to the impact from a fall and the weight of the upper body. The worst part was that the internal wiring had been torn out as well.
Yoon Tae-jun roughly stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and picked up the broken leg.
Staring at the Hulkbuster, which was impressively detailed on the outside but hollow and poorly constructed on the inside, he sighed deeply.
"Typical of these Chinese manufacturers..."
Fixing the torn wiring was the priority. The LED lights, a hallmark of Iron Man's design, were embedded in the eyes, back, palms, soles, and even the calves.
Using wire cutters, he stripped the insulation and connected the torn copper wires.
After flipping the switch, he was relieved to see the blue light turn on in the knee and calf areas. If that hadn't worked, it could have been a major disaster, so he felt lucky in the midst of his misfortune.
"Alright, this part is fine..."
To secure the twisted copper wire, he carefully stripped some insulation and wrapped the wire, taping it down.
The first task was complete, but the most important challenge remained. How to fix the entire detached leg...
If he just patched it up loosely, the same part would surely break off again. But giving up and returning the figure to the customer was not an option. Yoon Tae-jun's pride wouldn't allow it.
"There has to be a way... There must be a way..."
After brainstorming various solutions in his mind, Yoon Tae-jun suddenly slapped his knee and stood up.
~~~~~~~~~~~Chapter End~~~~~~~~~~~~
