Auction (1)
Kim Jaeho vanished like he'd never return, but sure enough, he was back after just two days. And the first thing out of his mouth? "Food."
I burst out laughing at that. Then I served him a meal.
"Y-you can talk?!"
Han Seohyun finally noticed and shouted at him. Of course—he'd thought Kim Jaeho couldn't speak.
Han Seohyun circled around Kim Jaeho, who was clutching the bowl I'd given him like a lifeline, and unleashed a torrent of questions.
"You've understood everything all this time and just pretended not to? Are you back for good, or just here for a free meal? You gonna run off again?"
But Kim Jaeho ignored every word. He didn't respond until Han Seohyun wore himself out.
"Unbelievable! What a jerk."
"Leave him be."
Han Seohyun yelled at my calm reply.
"Boss, you're not mad? He just takes off whenever he wants, then waltzes back in like nothing happened. Look at that—he's climbing back into the cage."
Caked in dirt from whatever he'd been up to over the past two days, Kim Jaeho hugged his bear doll and settled in for a nap.
I shrugged.
"I told you, let him do what he wants."
"Even so..."
Han Seohyun shot Kim Jaeho's back a dirty look and clicked his tongue. I got why he didn't like the guy.
While Han Seohyun was grinding through grueling daily training, Kim Jaeho hadn't lifted a finger.
Kim Jaeho was a total freeloader. He'd sleep in the cage, wander off shooting at things, then ghost back home like clockwork for meals.
I kept feeding him without a word for several days.
And today.
"Kim Jaeho."
I called out to him. He ignored me, as usual, but today I was putting an end to this.
"If you keep running off like that, no more food."
At that, he trudged over with a scowl. He plopped down and glared at me insolently.
Yeah, this guy's been listening the whole time.
"You can't live like this forever."
Feeding him was no big deal, but we had bigger things ahead. I couldn't keep him in limbo indefinitely.
"You telling me to go?"
"No. Come or go as you please. But if you wanna stay, you gotta choose. No more doing nothing."
"I wanna be free."
"Freedom and recklessness aren't the same."
"What's that mean?"
"Running wild without taking responsibility—that's recklessness, not freedom. Real freedom means owning your actions."
I laid it out plainly, but Kim Jaeho just tilted his head like he still didn't get it.
Well, I hadn't dragged him here for a Korean lit class. Still, for his sake going forward, I needed to drill this in properly.
"If you wanna stay, you work."
"What work?"
"All kinds. And if you hate it, you can leave anytime."
He blinked at me.
"Anytime?"
"Yeah. Try it out. If it's not for you, bail. I won't stop you."
Kim Jaeho rolled his eyes, then nodded. I asked him several times more—really sure about sticking with us? Okay with doing what I say? Same answer every time.
Who knows if he fully grasped it, but I had his commitment.
"Leave whenever. But if you stay, you're mine to handle."
My goal was to teach this clueless wild child how to survive in the world alone.
Now, time to tackle the thing I'd been putting off.
"First up: shower."
"Shower?"
"Yeah. Time to clean up."
For weeks, Kim Jaeho hadn't bathed once. Stuck in that cage, there was no way anyway—and he never even thought about it.
He was beyond filthy, reeking to high heaven. His untrimmed hair draped over his face like a curtain, and his nails looked like some witch from a fairy tale.
I showered multiple times a day even out here in the mountains. Months without a wash from him was torture.
God knows what went through his head, but he threw a fit at my words.
"No!"
Then he bolted, dodging me.
Hey, I wasn't asking for anything sinister—just a bath.
"I said you have to!"
I had zero intention of delaying this any longer.
I channeled mana through my body and blasted him with water.
This two-stroke torrent was no weak one-stroke spray. I poured in the bracelet's mana too, letting loose.
"Haha! Feels great!"
━That's less a shower and more... uh... but anyway...
"Waaah."
If I thought I heard Kim Jaeho sobbing pitifully after the wash, it was my imagination.
Bathing feels amazing!
With Kim Jaeho clean, I called Han Seohyun over.
"You too—fix that bangs situation."
"My bangs?"
"Yeah."
Whenever the breeze parted them, Han Seohyun's face was surprisingly handsome. Gloomy and brooding, sure, but his features were sharp enough for "pretty boy" compliments—unlike his brother.
Yet he always hid it behind those bangs.
"If it's for hiding your identity, I respect that. But even then, those bangs are a mess. Might as well wear a mask like me..."
Should I get masks for both? Matching masks could look cool.
Great idea, right? But Han Seohyun freaked.
"No masks. That's not why I grew them out."
Tch, what's wrong with masks? Almost hurt my feelings.
"How about trimming them this time? Waste hiding that face."
"...Fine."
No salon nearby, so I'd cut them myself.
"You sure you can do it right?"
"It's just bangs. You really don't trust your boss?"
Han Seohyun sat, looking uneasy. I cleared my throat, grabbed the scissors calmly. Easy peasy.
Snip. Off came the bangs.
Hold on.
"Hm."
Dull blades? It came out crooked—left side longer.
Still salvageable.
Snip.
Damn—now right side's longer.
Fixable!
Snip.
Damn.
Snip.
Damn.
I set the scissors down with shaking hands.
"...Seohyun."
He silently pulled out a mirror.
"What the hell is this?!"
Ruined. Total disaster.
Han Seohyun's hair was a wreck. I'd just meant to even the length, but somehow the bangs were gone entirely.
I soothed the teary-eyed kid.
"B-before the auction, we'll hit a salon."
"How do I go out like this?!"
"Salon'll fix it. They use regen particles now. Regrow missing hair, no problem."
"Teleport there? I'm done for! Ruined!"
Kim Jaeho bolted at the sight of me with scissors.
Damn. Should've cut his first.
Late regrets hit hard.
"The auction's coming up, and guard duty's assigned around then."
Do Chae-hee scowled at Park Cheol-wan's words.
"I told you we're swamped with the murder case."
"That investigation with zero progress?"
She bit her lip in frustration. Kang Ishin had vanished like smoke—no trace left, not even a scrap of a lead.
Well, there was one, but everyone blocked pursuing it.
"What about letting us investigate the black market?"
"I told you—the black market stays open for our benefit too. Not a playground for Eachbeom Team."
"Damn it."
The government saw it as a necessary evil. Shutting it down would spark backlash, and worse, drive the crooks deeper underground.
"You're all just taking dirty money."
"That's grown-up business."
"I'm grown up too."
"Quit the kid talk."
Do Chae-hee narrowed her eyes.
"Is pulling me for guard duty 'grown-up business' too?"
"No more wasting taxpayer money."
"Wasting?! I've been busting my ass!"
"Busting ass gets you nowhere with no results. Brass doesn't care about effort—they want outcomes."
She clenched her fists.
"I'll find him. Whatever it takes."
Kang Ishin was weird. Nothing special before that day—Babel grad aside—yet he vanished flawlessly. No rookie mistakes.
Either a natural criminal or had help. She'd leaned toward accomplices, but leads only muddied.
One nagging thing: Han Jo-hee's brother, Han Seohyun, missing. She'd reported it—even to Park—but no one cared.
He wouldn't touch her brother too, right?
She recalled their hospital bond. Seemed tight.
Me and my brother too...
Do Chae-hee shook off the thought.
Anyway, nabbing Kang Ishin would unravel it all. But the world wasn't kind to her.
"Request denied."
She grimaced.
"Ugh, just let me go!"
"Watch your mouth with your superior!"
Park Cheol-wan sighed.
"Big shots from all over Korea'll be there—mind your manners. No picking fights."
"You think I'm some loose cannon?"
You are.
She snapped at his expression and spun away.
"Fine, I'm going!"
"Tch, that hothead."
Han Seohyun whispered to me.
"Biggest items at this auction: Scarlet Flame magic core and the Vampire King's Ring."
My eyes lit up. Auctions like this usually had one headliner. Two? Jackpot—even one would be huge.
"Oh, and security."
He rattled off details.
What a lucky charm.