The Packages Have Arrived
Three boxes. Stacked in front of the door. I never got deliveries when I lived alone, but now that the three of us are together, there's stuff we need to order.
More precisely, stuff we have to order.
Kong-i's clothes.
She's still wearing my T-shirt like a dress. Oversized, hanging down past her knees. It's cute, but dressing her in the same one thing every day just isn't right, no matter how you look at it. Wash it, wear it, wear it, wash it. The washing machine might as well be hers alone.
The shock from searching for kids' clothes online is still fresh.
It's expensive.
Why is this so damn pricey? A 100% cotton T-shirt for ten thousand won. More than a full set of my training pants. Pants for forty thousand. Socks, three pairs for nine thousand. Socks. Just pouches for five toes. Adult socks go for a thousand, so why do kids' start at three thousand? Shouldn't they use less fabric since the feet are smaller?
The world's prices are brutal on people raising kids.
I filled the cart, emptied it, filled it again, emptied it again—four times. Final total: 147,800 won. Over ten percent of the subsidy gone. My vision went a little dark, but I couldn't keep putting her in the same outfit every day.
...So this is what being a parent is. Convincing yourself it's okay to drop three thousand on kids' socks.
And I made one mistake.
I bought clothes for Heukgu too.
In my defense, it was the recommendation algorithm. Searching kids' clothes brought up "pet dog apparel" on the side. A hoodie for small dogs. The model was a Shih Tzu—adorable. Blue. Bone print on the back. 29,900 won.
29,900 isn't bad, right?
And that's how the third box came to be.
I started with Kong-i's clothes.
White short-sleeve T-shirt and mint green shorts. Simple combo. No fancy decorations. Straight from the first "kids' basic outfit" result online.
Kong-i looked down at her new clothes. She touched the chest of the T-shirt with her hand. Like she was feeling proper clothes that fit her body for the first time.
"How's it feel?"
Kong-i looked up at me.
Her mouth was slightly open under the sunglasses.
"...This."
"Yeah. Kong-i's clothes."
"Kong-i clothes?"
"Yep. Yours."
Kong-i touched the T-shirt again. The sleeve this time. Then the pocket on the shorts. She put her hand in. It fit. Pulled it out. Came out. Put it back in. Out again.
She'd discovered pockets.
"Ha Yujin."
"Yeah?"
"Pocket."
"Yeah, a pocket."
Kong-i's hand darted in and out of both pockets. Left, right, left, right. The face of an engineer who'd uncovered some wondrous system. Couldn't see her eyes behind the sunglasses, but her mouth corners were definitely upturned.
...She's this thrilled over one thing. Proof that 147,800 won was worth it.
I put socks on her too. Pink ones. Kong-i looked down at her feet. Wiggling her toes. I could see them squirming inside the socks.
"This too, Kong-i's?"
"Yep."
"..."
Kong-i stared at the socks for a long time.
Then she climbed onto my lap. No warning. No words.
She was heavy. No, light. Unbelievably light for a kid. She didn't grab my pant leg. Just fiddled with the sleeve of her new T-shirt.
I couldn't know exactly what she was feeling. But.
Kong-i pushed her sunglasses up a bit and looked at me.
And.
"Thank you."
Three syllables.
First time she'd ever expressed thanks.
"...Yeah."
My voice came out weird.
Heukgu looked up from my feet. Tail wagging. Eyes saying, What about me?
"You too, hold on."
The third box.
Blue small-dog hoodie. Bone print on the back. Flipped it over—hood had ear shapes attached. Missed that in the product photo.
"Heukgu, come here."
Heukgu came. Tail like a propeller.
I spread the hoodie. Two holes for front legs, one for the head. Simple structure.
"Stay still."
Front leg into the hole. Left. In. Right. He squirmed, so not on the first try. Second time worked.
Head through. Black head popped out between the blue fabric.
Hood on.
But.
"..."
This.
What is this.
A small black dog sat there in a blue hoodie. Bone print on the back. The hood's fake ears stood right next to his real ones, making it look like he had four. Black eyes peeking out from under the hood. Tail sticking out the bottom, wagging side to side.
"Insanely cute."
It slipped out. Before I even thought it.
Heukgu tilted his head.
"No, wait, seriously. Insane."
I grabbed my phone. Click.
Kong-i was staring at Heukgu too. Mouth slightly open under the sunglasses. Same face as when she found the pocket.
Kong-i got down and squatted in front of Heukgu. Touched his hood.
"This."
"Yeah, Heukgu's clothes."
Kong-i touched it again. The hood's fake ear. Then Heukgu's real ear. Alternating. Fake. Real. Fake. Real.
Figuring out which is which?
"Heukgu."
Kong-i looked at Heukgu.
Heukgu looked at Kong-i. Tail wagging.
Kong-i's mouth corners rose.
Then, still squatting next to Heukgu, she turned to me.
"Ha Yujin."
"Yeah?"
"Click."
Click.
She wanted a photo. Not posing exactly, but sitting side by side with Heukgu, looking at me. Blue-hoodied Heukgu and freshly dressed Kong-i, together.
...I'd die without regrets now.
Click. Click. Click. Three shots.
All perfect. Three life shots. Felt like I'd used up all my luck for the day.
Set them as wallpaper. Lock screen too.
Tempted to post on the animal gallery again, but remembered the last one got deleted. Held back. Good enough for me to see.
Kong-i stuck her hand in Heukgu's hood. Scratched his neck. Heukgu half-closed his eyes.
Evening in the 7-pyeong one-room.
Park Doyoung read the report four times.
Once was enough for him. S-rank detection amplified info processing too. Read three times faster than normal. Memory proportional.
But four times.
Three because it was hard to believe. Fourth to check nothing was missed.
Nothing was. The report was clear.
A woman with zero mana treating a Calamity-grade like a dog. Management Bureau: cause unknown. A-rank hunter: "Subject appears unable to perceive anomalies as anomalies."
Appears.
Not confirmed. Appears.
Park Doyoung didn't believe in miracles. He'd survived plenty thanks to them, but didn't base analysis on them. If not a miracle, one answer.
Ha Yujin was hiding something.
Three days on the convenience store bench, triangle kimbap in mouth, reading Ha Yujin.
Results same daily. Zero.
But a different kind of zero. Not mana-less zero, but unreadable zero. Person clearly in detection range, no mana signature. Like pinging an invisible man. Device works, screen blank.
Yet that invisible fed anomalies "What do you want to eat?" right in front of him.
Certainty grew daily.
One way to prove it.
Park Doyoung stood from his office chair.
No coat. Jeans and short-sleeve. Convenience store outfit.
Out. Sun setting.
Reached a rooftop.
Wind blew. Night breeze.
Ha Yujin's one-room across. 4th floor. Light leaking through curtains.
Straight-line distance: about 30 meters.
Within Exploratory True Heart range.
Park Doyoung squatted on the railing. Awkward pose, but optimal for focus.
Exhaled.
Closed eyes.
Pulled up detection from conscious surface. Everyday sense floats on water; this sinks below. Deeper. Deeper.
Mana expanded. Resonance field from his body. Transparent ripples in circles.
10 meters. 20.
Nearby mana reactions. Faint bio-mana from downstairs resident. Residual env-mana in rooftop tank. Alley cat trace.
25 meters.
One-room building wall in range.
3rd floor. 2 people. Unawakened. Normal.
4th floor.
Hit.
Kong-i first. Danger-grade. Output minimal. Like sleeping mana. Under 1/10 active.
Next.
Black Dog.
Eyes closed.
Resonance dug deeper. Scraped suppressed mana shell.
Moment reaching Ha Yujin.
The thing—the Black Dog—cracked its eyes.
And met his gaze.
"?!"
....
I'm dead.
Dead...
Deadeadead.
Run—
Thud!
Park Doyoung fell flat backward. From squat on railing to rooftop floor. Back of head hit concrete. Stars. Real or impact flash? Couldn't tell.
"...Hah."
Heart pounding. BPM over 150 probably. Worse than lung punctured in Daejeon.
Spread-eagle on rooftop, staring sky.
Stars. Real ones. Pretty. No, stars not the issue.
Then.
Presence behind.
Metal slicing wind.
Blade at his neck.
Blade. Compact suppression type. 40cm. Mana-infused. Invisible boundary vibrating at tip.
"Don't move."
Woman's voice. Low, firm, restrained.
Park Doyoung turned head only. Slowly. Blade grazing jaw.
Black coat. Tied hair. Rigid posture. Hand steady, no tremor.
Her eyes confirmed his face. Pupils dilated slightly.
"...Hunter Park?"
"Haha. Long time no see, Seojin."
Lee Seojin's blade paused. Neither withdrawn nor pressed. Brain processing.
"What are you doing?"
"Night... walk?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"On the rooftop?"
"..."
Her blade lowered slowly. Hand to comms instead.
"Unauthorized subject contact attempt. Reporting to Director."
"Wait, Seojin, hold on."
Park Doyoung shot up. Knees ached. Head too. Heart settled, but new flutter. Director report. To Seo Taeho. Couldn't risk discipline first week back.
"Wait, wait. Misunderstanding. Total misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding?"
"Didn't touch. Just read. From afar."
Lee Seojin eyed him. Then his squat spot. Right at railing. Direct view of Ha Yujin's one-room.
"Unfurling Exploratory True Heart from 30 meters is 'just reading' by your standards, Hunter Park?"
"..."
"Anything else?"
"...Coffee on me, Seojin?"
"Report first."
"Fancy."
"Report first."
"Expensive."
Lee Seojin didn't release comms. Face unchanged.
But, very briefly.
Just a flicker, her gaze flicked to his left knee. Brace-wrapped. And his hand rubbing the head.
"...I'll hear your excuse."
Park Doyoung sighed relief.
He looked at the opposite building's 4th floor.
Shadow moving behind curtains. Probably setting dinner. Feeding Kong-i, Heukgu kibble. With Calamity-grade and Danger-grade anomalies. In a 7-pyeong one-room.
What the hell is that woman?
Park Doyoung's question matched the Bureau's.
But direction differed slightly.
Bureau asked: How can she handle anomalies?
He asked further: What is she hiding?
Same question, different angle.
And he was sure his angle was right.