Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Ibi 1
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That had been the plan, but the moment Nati stuck his head into the wardrobe, he clutched his head and groaned as if he'd bumped into something. And the exact same sound came from inside the wardrobe.
"Ow, shit... Hey! Watch where you're going!"
Nati spat out through gritted teeth, and a thick male voice responded from inside the wardrobe.
"You're the one who barreled into someone coming out just fine—what's your problem!"
"That guy's got a skull like a rock... whatever he grew up eating."
Soon, Haewon crawled out of the wardrobe, clutching his head just like Nati. It was obvious they'd collided perfectly—Nati shoving his head in from one side just as Haewon was trying to step out from the other.
Haewon grumbled as he straightened up. He was a tall young man in his early to mid-twenties. Slightly shorter than Nati, but compared to Nati's lanky build, Haewon had a very sturdy frame.
Outside the counter, two women watched the two men make fools of themselves with great interest.
"Serves you right, Nati. Kyarruk."
"Mina. When are you going to stop pronouncing onomatopoeia out loud?"
Nati shot back curtly for the moment. But he had to admit that in a situation like this, Mina's bizarre way of speaking was effectively grating on his nerves.
In the end, Nati smacked his lips for no reason, stepped back out from behind the counter, and flopped down into a chair. Haewon followed suit.
"Hold on. Let me see."
Suddenly, Aerin approached and grabbed Haewon's face.
"Wh-what's this, sis?"
Haewon panicked at the sudden action, but Aerin ignored him and pressed her thumb and forefinger to his chin.
"Open your mouth."
"Uh."
With no idea what was going on, Haewon was forced to open his mouth. Aerin confirmed his tongue was firmly attached, then closed it again.
"Hm. No problem."
She returned to her seat without any explanation, leaving Haewon utterly dumbfounded.
The others—Nati and Mina—glanced back once, but no one seemed inclined to explain.
"Well, since we're all gathered, let's have some tea."
"Heartwarming."
"I'll brew a pot—wait here."
Soon, the four of them sat together and began a simple tea gathering. Nati took a sip of his tea and addressed Haewon.
"How's the basement?"
"The storeroom? I was about to tell you... Most of it's fine, still in place."
"So part of it isn't?"
"That's the gist."
At that, Nati turned to Haewon with a somewhat serious expression. Haewon hesitated before starting to explain.
"One item's missing. A theft? But it's just this worthless thing gone—no other traces."
"What's missing?"
"You know that one. The wooden... music box? The kind that plays with a wind-up mechanism. Yeah, that's gone."
"The Wardrobe?"
Haewon looked puzzled at that.
"The square box about the size of your hand—looks kinda like a jewelry case on the outside. That's the one. Wardrobe...?"
But Nati didn't change expression.
"That's what the ones who made it call it."
"Are those bastards idiots?"
Mina was the one who said it. Nati lightly smacked her on the crown of her head to tell her to watch her language, narrowly avoiding having his hand bitten off, then began explaining.
"It's a Goblin-made item. True to form for those toy-loving folks, they copied mechanical tech from other races and made it. The original device's called a 'Wardrobe,' so that's the name."
"Even so, calling a palm-sized box a wardrobe... What clothes could even fit in there?"
Nati gave Haewon a sly smile.
"Open the lid once, and you won't say that."
Around then, Aerin cut in to redirect the topic.
"The item's nature matters, but doesn't this mean the Wardrobe got stolen?"
Her expression looked troubled as she said it. Unlike the others, who were mere guests, this tea house belonged to Aerin. From her perspective, it meant a thief had broken into her home right under her nose.
Sensing Aerin's anger, the others averted their gazes. They all knew she was usually mild-mannered, but once she got mad, she showed no mercy.
The only one remaining nonchalant, Nati, picked up a snack from his plate between his thumb and forefinger, pondering. He flicked it into the air with his thumb to catch it in his mouth, only to get smacked on the back of the head by Aerin for playing with his food.
The missed snack rolled on the floor. Nati calmly spoke up.
"Definitely not ordinary. The Ghost Bridge Society's Flower Mugwort Tea House boasts top security, yet the secret storeroom gets breached so easily."
"Just open the door and walk out with it."
"But of all things, the Wardrobe... Not particularly dangerous, but the intent's unclear."
"Maybe they just grabbed whatever at random?"
"They went all the way down there and picked that one thing out of all the junk? Nah, I doubt it."
"Then why steal that?"
Then—thwack—a crisp, elastic sound rang out. Nati had slapped his palm with a folding fan he'd somehow acquired.
"That's what we need to find out. Sure, it's a shoddy toy clumsily crafted by those immature Goblins at its root, but in this vast universe of myriad forms, even a blink can bring ten thousand changes. Who knows what it might become in whose hands."
"What're you yapping about? So we're catching them?"
Mina interrupted with a dissatisfied tone. Nati responded without offense, putting on airs.
"Catching the thief is part of it, but recovering it before it's misused comes first."
Everyone silently nodded inwardly. Nati might love spouting nonsense usually, but he wasn't incompetent. Those gathered had seen it plenty of times before.
Aerin spoke up. She seemed a bit calmer than before.
"Fine. If you're stepping up."
She glanced sideways at the calendar on the wall and continued. The date was August 31st.
"Already the end of the month. Probably nothing, but watch out for the Guest."
Nati's face grew relatively somber as he murmured the words back.
"The Guest."
August 1st.
In an area a few main boulevards removed from the bustling downtown, there was a street lined with neat cafes that social media flaunters would covet. It had sprung up a few years ago in a cheap alleyway.
Most were uniformly sized cafes, but one stood out for its considerable scale. At its front entrance.
22 years old, female, on leave from school, Kang Ibi cautiously opened the door and stepped inside.
"Uh, hello?"
Sure enough, the owner—who had been manning the counter—glared at Ibi with eyebrows raised like twin magnets the instant she entered.
It was just a look, but Ibi flinched as if she'd been struck.
This cafe's owner was far from patient. Even so, with customers in the hall, she couldn't unleash fully, so her thick brows twitched as she shot Ibi a glance. It meant come in.
Should she just turn and leave? The temptation surged, but Ibi had no choice—she followed behind the counter. Part-timer's fate.
"Didn't I tell you to arrive ten minutes before shift? So you can prep and take over right away? You making me work extra?"
"It's seven minutes early now... Three minutes is no big deal..."
Then something twitched in the owner's cheek.
"You the boss?"
"...Huh?"
"Who's the boss?"
"Uh... well..."
"Then why're you deciding shift times on your own?"
"......"
If not for the five-minute tirade that followed, her beloved shift handover would've been much quicker.
Finally escaping the owner, Ibi changed into her uniform in the bathroom, muttering every curse she knew. Why's that woman like that? She's insane. Should just quit for real. Does she think no other part-time jobs exist?
Once dressed, she stood before the sink mirror for a final check. Ibi wasn't particularly tall, but her proportions were good, so most clothes suited her well. She braced her hands on the sink and pulled her face close to the mirror.
Her eyes and overall facial lines gave her a sharp cat-like look. Wherever she went, people openly called her pretty. She thought so too.
The problem was her prickly appearance—it seemed to keep people at arm's length. And truthfully, her personality wasn't all that soft or affectionate either. She had a bit of a snappish side, so the impression wasn't entirely off.
Even so, in front of the real hysteric cafe master, what cat? She was just a trembling little mouse. Ibi let out a quiet sigh and hurried out of the bathroom before another scolding about being late.