Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Rainy Days Are for Jeon (3)
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* * *
* * *
“Too delicious!”
Tutun’s shout made Seonal swallow a sigh that bubbled up instantly. What could he say when they were calling it delicious?
But that wasn’t how he really felt.
“…This is brutal.”
Seonal frowned at Edinal, Irang, and Tutun, all lined up to his right.
“They really only ordered the expensive stuff.”
Seonal let out a deep breath.
As fellow civil servants, what could they possibly afford on that salary?
Especially seeing the stack of plates piled high around Tutun, nearly touching the ceiling—it brought on something close to despair.
The shop owner’s beaming smile only made him angrier for no good reason.
“Seonal, aren’t you being a bit too gloomy?”
Edinal nudged a plate slightly toward him as she spoke.
It was hard not to want him to eat just one more when he was barely touching the tasty jeon.
“No booze, just water—it’s killing the vibe.”
Seonal tapped his glass with a finger, staring at the perfectly clear water.
“Better than being sick, though. Gotta hit the hospital tomorrow anyway.”
At the mention of the hospital, Seonal’s shoulders twitched, and he smoothly changed the subject.
“But what’s with today? I thought you’d clocked out early.”
“With a mess like that? How could I go home? So much to do.”
“Oh, that?”
Seonal casually twirled his chopsticks, scooping up a big piece of jeon and chewing it slowly, as if it were no big deal.
Today, there’d been an incident aimed at tarnishing the Civil Complaints Division’s image.
The culprit was a werewolf who’d been gearing up to transform others using a charm spell.
“They’re probably investigating now, but anything turn up?”
“Nah. It was total chaos. Lucky we stopped it, or it could’ve been a disaster.”
Edinal took a sip from her glass.
*Gulp.*
The booze tasted bitter tonight.
“But why are you so calm, Seonal?”
Edinal set her glass down, her tone laced with a hint of complaint.
After swallowing his jeon, Seonal twitched his right eyebrow.
“Is this your first time dealing with something like this?”
“Yeah.”
“…That’s unusual.”
“Unusual how?”
“When I was in Special Ops, it happened a lot. Threatening letters showing up at home, or them actually coming by—super annoying. Ended up moving.”
“Th-they came to your house?”
Edinal froze mid-sip, horrified.
“Yeah.”
Her furrowed brow deepened at his nonchalant reply.
“What the hell was your team lead doing?”
“Hmm. He was the type who thought weaklings didn’t belong in Special Ops, so we kinda agreed I’d just survive on my own.”
“That’s insane.”
“And Team Lead.”
Seonal lowered his voice, mindful of Irang and Tutun.
Edinal’s eyes sharpened toward him in response.
“I’ll handle it.”
“…How?”
“You can’t make the world all clean and perfect. We’ve already warned them. So just one day.”
Seonal gripped his glass, making the water inside vibrate.
“I’ll bail.”
“No can do, Seonal.”
Edinal grinned and clinked her glass against his.
*Clink.*
Her dark eyes bubbled with anger.
“I don’t burn through my team. They’re not disposable tools to begin with. I’ll do it. I’ll fix it. That’s why I took the team lead spot. This time, you sit it out.”
In the crowded, rain-pattered shop, her words rang out crystal clear.
Seonal twirled his glass lightly.
“Won’t it cost you?”
Those simple words carried a lot of weight.
A Special Ops mage.
Perfect for getting things done.
But even if it was a loss, Edinal had no regrets.
“I’ll handle that too.”
Seonal’s lips curved up slightly at her resolute tone.
“Got it. But heads-up: if I get pissed and storm out on my own, I’ll call it a half-day off then.”
“What are you two whispering about? Come on, try this too.”
Irang placed a fresh plate of jeon between Seonal and Edinal, giggling.
Maybe a little tipsy—her cheeks were nicely flushed.
She looked ready to burst into song any second.
‘That’s the one I ordered.’
All the credit-grabbing.
Seonal snorted softly.
“Seonal.”
Edinal spoke with a gentle smile.
“Yeah?”
“You settling in okay here?”
At the question, Seonal’s gaze shifted briefly from his jeon to Irang and Tutun.
Irang chattering away happily to Tutun, who grinned endlessly while eating—Seonal looked back ahead.
*Sizzle.*
Watching the jeon cook, Seonal slowly smiled.
“…Yeah.”
What more was there to say?
His faint smile looked more at ease than ever.
Edinal silently pushed the jeon Irang had passed toward Seonal and smiled.
Steam rose gently alongside the jeon.
* * *
“…Damn it.”
The bright sunlight made Seonal unreasonably irritated.
‘It’s Saturday! I wanted to sleep in.’
He hated how old habits woke him early even on weekends, like clockwork.
Too young for his sleep to be this short in the mornings.
Seonal scratched his shoulder and grabbed his phone.
He opened the app and checked off the prompts one by one.
Had nightmares this week?
‘No.’
Any seizures this week?
‘Once.’
Feeling tired this week?
‘Often.’
Wanted to drop everything and run this week?
Seonal hesitated as he marked it.
‘…Almost every day. Problem is, I can’t tell if it’s work or not.’
He picked the middle option and waited for the result.
Caution advised.
‘Same as always.’
He closed the phone and got out of bed.
Always the same outcome.
Not getting better, not worse—just stuck in limbo for who knew how long.
‘At least it’s not getting worse. Time for the hospital.’
He needed to check on Maeve’s bracelet anyway.
Annoying, but what could he do?
The Mestus Hospital incident was over, but Maeve’s mana flow was still messed up.
* * *
“…Have you taken any other meds?”
At Maeve’s question, Seonal nodded, eyeing her as if to ask how she knew.
“How wouldn’t I? Don’t forget I’m a doctor.”
“No, I mean—it’s impressive you spotted it just from the exam.”
“…Oh.”
Maeve suddenly gripped her hair tightly with both hands. She could feel her ears turning red.
Jumping to conclusions again.
“…It’s because I’m a Dream Demon.”
She mumbled.
“No clue.”
“I mean, uh. I’m more sensitive to symptoms than other races. Like, when I touch someone, I can feel their condition? Or sense life pulsing? Something like that.”
‣Good at reading emotions
Seonal recalled Dream Demon traits, then quickly added to his phone notes.
“Pardon me.”
‣Not limited to just reading emotions. Possibly interprets bodily changes via unique sensitivity unrelated to personality, deducing various symptoms.
Maybe remnants of the Dream Demons’ lost powers.
The heteromorphs had appeared in this world out of nowhere one day. Aftereffects or adaptation—opinions were still divided.
“What… are you writing?”
At Maeve’s question, Seonal showed her the notes.
“My job’s eliminating discrimination and conflict for heteromorphs, so I can’t miss even the small stuff.”
“But what if I’m the only one who fits that description?”
Maeve’s eyes shook with anxiety as she clutched her hair.
Her fluffy, cloud-like curls shrank instantly in her grip—quite the sight.
“I’ve only met a handful of Dream Demon doctors. So for now, it’s canon.”
“…True. The stares still sting. But that’s for me to endure. I wouldn’t have become a doctor without that resolve.”
“Admirable, but you don’t have to tough it out.”
Seonal smiled, recalling the note on the exam room door.
I’m a Dream Demon doctor.
Next to it were cute sheep stickers in various expressions and poses. Maybe because Maeve’s horns resembled ram horns.
They were flashy enough to catch everyone’s eye—hard to forget.
But Seonal didn’t pity Maeve. Who was he to pity anyone when he was the same?
“Don’t hold back—come to Civil Complaints. We’ve got a notice up too, so I get it a little.”
“You too, Seonal…?”
Maeve blinked, confused, fiddling with her mouth with one hand.
“I use different magic, right? You were surprised at first.”
“F-forgot about that. I won’t be anymore—I promise!”
Maeve’s wings suddenly flared wide, her ears reddening again.
“Well, anyway, plenty ignore it, but we still gotta post it.”
“…Yeah. Better to have it up.”
Maeve folded her wings at last, bowing her head with a shrinking voice.
She fiddled with her horns, then lifted her head.
Ears still red, but she forced the words out.
“Anyway, tell me ahead if you’re on any meds. It could be bad.”
Maeve exhaled deeply and fixed Seonal with a steady gaze.
The intensity made him lean back slightly.
“What?”
Maeve beamed as if she hadn’t just stared.
“You’ve been through a lot. No more pain now. But watch for relapse.”
Ha.
Seonal exhaled deeply at that, his face brightening a bit.
“Then can I check too?”
“Oh, the bracelet?”
“Yeah.”
“Tell me. I’ve been wondering every day.”
With permission, Seonal scanned Maeve’s mana flow.
One eye ignited, slowly reading the currents.
As the flame died, Maeve clutched one hand tightly, gazing hopefully.
Seonal’s lips curved up.
“Good work. Two more days, then ditch it.”
Finally, true closure. The real victim from Mestus Hospital was free.
“Am I really back to normal?”
“You probably felt it yourself at this point.”
“…….”
Maeve stared wide-eyed, speechless.
She pressed her lips tight, then glanced away.
“Don’t take meds right after removing the bracelet—wait a day. That day lets the forced mana settle naturally.”
Maeve nodded at Seonal’s explanation.
“Got it. Remove bracelet, rest a day, then meds?”
“Yeah. And, uh.”
Seonal suddenly remembered next week’s joint op with Special Ops.
While investigating the twin vampire case, a charmed werewolf had tried to bomb them.
During Tutun’s case, he’d asked Maeve to check if a high-ranking werewolf civil servant was charmed—same or different?
“Go ahead.”
Maeve looked ready to help with anything.
“Last time, I asked you to check if those werewolves were under charm.”
“I remember. Different charms, right?”
“The second one—the later test, not the official—ring any bells?”
“Yeah. They didn’t match.”
“Did anyone else ask about that charm specifically?”
“Hmm… We usually log it? Just me that time.”
“Then, could you check again? See if it matches?”
Seonal pulled out a tiny vial of blood.
He’d snuck a sample from the blood the werewolves prepped for humanizing.
—You can investigate. Civil Complaints has authority. But Seonal—no freelancing without reporting to me. That’s an order from your team lead.
He’d gotten Edinal’s okay over jeon yesterday.
Anyone bold enough to use charm openly had to have backup.
Best lead he had: coordinating with Special Ops on the twin vampire case. Separately, the Dream Demon suspect from the bombing-suicide incident had died.
Could be unrelated, but he wouldn’t miss a thing.
“Ah. Check if anyone accessed it, and if their charm matches this vial?”
“Yeah. Can you help?”
“Of course. Easy. But the cooperation request form…”
“Right here. Thanks.”
Maeve’s wings fluttered in surprise at the instant paperwork.
“Y-you prepared it already?”
“Let me know results whenever. Hit Civil Complaints anytime—I’ll help.”
Maeve blinked repeatedly, clutching the form in bewilderment at Seonal’s smile.
“Uh… sure. If anything, I’ll come straight to you.”
Seonal stood, hearing her reply.
No more entanglements, hopefully.
Nothing good came from dealing with him.
He straightened his hat and stepped out.
* * *
“…Hmm.”
Seonal paused, considering.
He’d come near the community center partly for Maeve’s bracelet.
He’d spotted a big river nearby but never had time—or the mental space—to visit.
But today being Saturday, he suddenly craved it.
Maybe because his place lacked a river, or he just wanted to sit and watch it flow.
Seonal savored the rare peaceful vibe, strolling calmly toward the riverbank.
He glanced at tree branches shedding leaves for winter, then turned.
The sun-glinted water eased the tightness in his chest instantly.
Drawn forward, he let the gentle flow soothe his ears, the fresh scent tickle his nose.
Ducks floated leisurely along the bank like they were on a walk; others darted fast, something in their beaks.
‘Having a race?’
Seonal squatted by the water to watch a duck approaching from the left.
‘So peaceful.’
He chuckled softly.
The duck had something in its mouth that looked just like a head—Seonal’s thoughts froze.
‘…A head?’
No way.
*Patpatpat.*
A white-furred figure dashed up frantically. Seonal whipped around, eyes widening.
‘…A fox? Out of nowhere?’
“Catch the duck, please!”
The familiar face and voice clicked—it was Dodo, the Dullahan who’d aced the interview last time.
“The duck’s got the Dullahan’s head!”
‘…What?’
Seonal raised his eyebrows as high as they’d go.