Wasabi Melon Chicken?!
"Wasabi melon chicken?"
"Huh…? That's not it."
"What do you mean 'not it'! You just picked her up off the street, right?! Huh?!"
"What do you take your grandpa for…."
Whoa, it's Kang Se-eun!
When Grandpa grabbed my hand tight and we walked into the house, a woman with brown hair came rushing out. I recognized her face right away—it was familiar. She had a slightly sharp impression, but her beauty was on another level entirely. A-rank Hunter Kang Se-eun, who once dominated the Ditube short-form scene. I'd binge-watched her romance shows back in the day…. Though I quit after getting a sudden craving for Lax burgers midway through.
"I-it's not like that…!"
But watching Grandpa get grilled like this was kinda pitiful, so I stepped in to defend him. He might look like a bear physically, but he seemed like the soft type at home.
"Huh…?"
"Th-there was a Gate that opened, see? And Grandpa went waaang, killed the boss dragon, so we went to the Association…."
But the more I explained, the more Se-eun tilted her head like she wasn't getting it at all. I was pretty sure I was going in chronological order just fine. Grandpa just kept petting the top of my head while looking down at me fondly, and Se-eun alternated stares between his face and mine.
"Aigoo, what a smart cookie. Go sit on the sofa there, and Grandpa will order some chicken."
"Whoa, really?!"
"Just wait a sec~"
With my passionate explanation wrapped up, Grandpa plopped me on the sofa and headed into the master bedroom with Se-eun. I'd talked so hard I was sweating bullets. I could hear him explaining things step by step from inside, but… Why's he repeating what I already said? Whatever. I waited obediently, thinking about chicken.
― Pssshhh!
Oh right… what do I feed Absolmi?
A short while later, the master bedroom door opened. Se-eun came out with a deep sigh, while Grandpa followed with his hands behind his back, chuckling heh heh heh.
"So, your name's Shiro?"
"Yessir!"
"Shiro, do you know Sis's name?"
"Se-eun Sis?"
Se-eun naturally plopped down next to me. She stroked my hair and spoke in a soft tone. I never used to like people petting my head much, but was it the Childlike Innocence skill? It felt really good right now. And unlike Grandpa's hands, which were all rough and callused, Se-eun Sis's were moist and soft—way nicer.
"Whoa! You know my name? How?"
"Uh? Um…."
Oh yeah, amnesia concept. What do I even say…? Do you really forget stuff like this with amnesia…?
"D-dunno. I just know it."
"Just like that? Oh, right, you lost your memories? Then, do you know what Sis does?"
"Hunter…?"
"You know that but not this? But you're so cute!"
"Eep!"
Se-eun Sis kept petting my head, then squished my cheeks with both hands. Maybe 'cause my body's a kid now, but my skin was all soft and squishy.
"But your body temp's super low? 'Cause you're an Awakener?"
"Seems like it—something to do with ice and snow."
Meanwhile, Grandpa had ordered the chicken and sat on the sofa. He'd changed clothes too, into a white tank top that made him look every bit the grandpa. But his bulky muscles underneath gave off a weird vibe. Se-eun Sis didn't bat an eye, totally used to it.
"Shiro, can Sis come watch your test tomorrow?"
"Huh? Y-yeah…?"
"Yay! Shiro said it's okay, so no problem, right Dad?"
Grandpa just nodded without a word. Guess they'd talked about me in the bedroom and she mentioned wanting to tag along to the test site. Well… I didn't mind her watching. I'd heard you're supposed to keep detailed ability info secret, but Se-eun Sis seemed fine. She didn't seem like a bad person, and she's Yong-su Grandpa's daughter, after all.
― Pssshhh!
Absolmi, who'd been still in my arms, got bored and flapped into the air. Se-eun Sis and Grandpa both stared at her, tilting their heads in unison.
"Oh yeah, Shiro's got this bird she carries around."
"A bunting? But what's falling off it?"
"Ah, th-that's… sn-snow. It disappears on its own…."
"You made it?"
"Yup…."
Se-eun Sis's eyes sparkled as she looked back and forth between Absolmi and me. From the way her eyes lit up like when she fawned over me, she seemed to like Absolmi too. Sis cautiously reached out and tapped Absolmi's head with a finger. Absolmi didn't freak out and fly away like a normal bird would. Do buntings hover like that? Well, she's made from my mana anyway, so she might not be exactly like the real thing.
"But doesn't keeping her summoned drain your mana constantly?"
"Huh?"
Oh yeah, that was a thing. Most Summoners or Tamers had constant mana drain. Only a few Taming Awakeners had it just at contract time. But I didn't feel any drain with Absolmi summoned.
― Pssshhh!
"I-I'm fine, I think…."
"That's unusual. What's your job rank, anyway?"
"Eh."
The Association's ranking tests weren't the same as your actual Status Window ranks. They based Awakener ranks on your innate job/skills plus real performance. So a EX-rank job didn't automatically make you EX-rank Hunter. There were even famous S-rank Hunters with B-rank jobs.
"Uh, well…."
"Se-eun, you don't ask that. You know better."
"Tch, fine."
Yay, Yong-su Grandpa, nice save! I was hemming and hawing 'cause saying EX-rank felt awkward, and he cut in. No real reason not to tell, but it felt embarrassing. They'd probably think I was lying. Nobody'd heard of an EX-rank job, let alone skills.
Ding-dong!
The chicken arrived soon after. Se-eun Sis grabbed my hand and led me to the table. The chair was a bit high, but she scooped me up and plopped me down.
"What chicken'd you get, Dad?"
"This one looked tasty."
But when Grandpa opened the box, out came chicken slathered in something sour-smelling and green.
What even is this?
"Wasabi melon chicken?"
"What?"
"???"
Grandpa…?
But surprisingly, the chicken was good. Se-eun Sis took one bite and tossed the rest—guess it wasn't her taste—but I chowed down. She gave me some old pants and her smallest T-shirt to change into, and I slept in Yong-su Grandpa's bed. His was bigger anyway.
…A-and sharing a bed with a girl is kinda…
Even if I looked like this, I was still a strapping 20-something guy inside. Sharing a bed with an adult woman pricked at my conscience. Embarrassing too.
The day had been so long I crashed right away. Belly full, blankets cozy, even Grandpa's musty old-man smell lulling me to sleep. Absolmi snuggled in my arms too.
"Mmm…."
Morning came with bustling noises outside. My body felt refreshed—I'd slept well.
― Psssh!
"Hehe, you're full of energy too? But do you sleep?"
― Psssh-psssh!
What kind of creature even is she? If anything, she's like an onglaf or whatever. She was a massive snow golem before.
Whatever… I rubbed my eyes and headed to the living room. There was Se-eun washing up and doing her makeup busily, and Grandpa cooking in the kitchen.
"Morning, Shiro."
"Mornin'…."
"Puhaha, still sleepy? You can sleep more."
"No, I'm good…."
Breakfast was surprisingly normal—miso soup and rolled omelet. Grandpa's a good cook, so why'd he order that chicken? I ate anyway….
We finished quick and piled into Yong-su Grandpa's car to the Association. Oh, on the way, he stopped at a department store for "a quick errand" and bought me a ton of clothes.
He picked from the kids' section, especially girls' clothes. I was so embarrassed I wanted to die. Never thought I'd wear stuff like this in my life.
"All dolled up, eh Shiro?"
We got to the Association, and Jong-woo Uncle came out to greet us. Is the president supposed to run around like this? But he complimented my clothes first thing. My face burned—my low body temp made the heat feel even worse.
"N-nooo…."
"Hahaha, shy, huh? Shall we head in?"
"Lesgo."
Following Jong-woo Uncle's lead, we entered the building. The Korean Awakener Association HQ loomed huge near Namsan. That's 'cause Namsan Tower turned into the Namsan Awakening Tower. Gates had been around a while, but the tower popped up in 2010. Towers appeared nationwide proportional to population—Awakeners climb floors for rewards. Naturally, crowds flocked, so they built the new HQ to manage it. Super new building, city-block sized.
"Here we are. We'll do some basic tests and an ability check."
"Whoa!"
The test room Jong-woo Uncle led us to looked straight out of a sci-fi flick. A huge square room with pristine white walls. A glowing blue circular machine on the ceiling, and an incubator in the corner that screamed "android factory."
Isn't that the Muse maker?
As I spaced out on useless thoughts, Jong-woo Uncle cut in.
"So… first, Shiro, what's your job name?"
"Ah… um… Snow Woman…."
Saying it out loud was kinda embarrassing.