Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Fox Spirit Kang Areum 2
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The girl who had introduced herself as the Fox Spirit—or Kang Areum—followed them into the Flower Mugwort Tea House without any objections. She even gave a brief introduction to the others, who were looking at her in bewilderment.
That alone wasn't enough to satisfy everyone's curiosity. Nati guided Kang Areum to a table off to one side and sat down across from her. The two of them began to talk.
It wasn't anything grandiose—just an exchange of information—but Nati seemed to think it was more efficient for them to speak one-on-one rather than having one person bombarded by questions from five others.
He hadn't sent the others away, so there was no harm in sitting nearby and listening in.
The girl revealed that she had come from Seonghwa City. It was a new development about two hours away from Woncheon City by subway, infamous for its tangled web of problems and the worst public safety in the region. It was so notorious that it even had the nickname "Crime City."
"Seonghwa, huh. That's a rough place."
"You end up living there anyway."
Kang Areum seemed a far cry from the drenched, pitiful figure she'd cut when she first arrived in the rain. The moment she stepped inside, she peeled off her soaked hoodie and hung it up to dry. Then she ducked into the bathroom and emerged having stripped off her stockings, leaving her legs bare.
The top she wore under the baggy hoodie was a form-fitting knit that clung tightly to her body by contrast. It was black, of course. With that off, her surprisingly voluptuous figure became apparent despite her petite frame.
The cloth that had covered her face was now tied around the nape of her neck. For some reason, she showed no intention of removing it entirely.
"Living there doesn't seem to be all there is to it."
Nati's words made Kang Areum raise an eyebrow.
"You can't just leave it at that. What do you mean?"
Her speech pattern was unusual, too. She mixed informal and polite language freely—what people generally called "half-polite" speech—but hers shifted back and forth haphazardly even within a couple of sentences.
"What was it... Some kind of team that patrols the city for citizens' safety and security. That's the rumor, right?"
"Well... yeah, that's me."
Kang Areum scratched her cheek with a finger, looking a bit embarrassed.
"I'm glad you know about it... but I didn't propose starting the team. One of my friends who loves the attention did that."
Aerin had set out a few desserts on the table.
Nati spoke matter-of-factly.
"That can't be easy. Seonghwa's genuinely dangerous, after all. I don't usually say things like this."
"True enough. I've even fought a real devil of a guy."
"So why bother with it at all?"
Kang Areum took a few half-hearted sips of the tea in front of her before picking up a fork and relentlessly devouring the cake right in front of her.
Somehow, her small mouth contained an enormous space—one with just a few forkfuls, nearly half the cake had vanished into the abyss.
After thoroughly chewing until her cheeks bulged, she finally swallowed. Then she demurely pulled out a napkin and dabbed at her mouth. Anyone seeing her now would never imagine the savage massacre that had just taken place; she looked every bit the refined young lady from a proper family.
"No grand reason or anything. Figured it'd make my turf a bit more livable. Can I have more of this?"
Kang Areum abruptly stood with her empty plate in hand. When Aerin shrugged from the table across the way, she opened the display fridge and piled it high with snacks before returning. Then she dug in with gusto.
"Are you Seonghwa City's Domain Lord?"
"......"
The hand reaching for a snack paused, just for a moment.
"...Well, that's how it ended up, yeah. But it's not something I do because I'm the Domain Lord."
"......"
A short distance away, Ibi quietly sorted through the information she'd overheard.
Seonghwa New City, infamous for its dangers. Even the police couldn't do their jobs properly there, or so she'd heard. In response, there were rumors of a few civilians stepping up anonymously to fight crime—Ibi had caught that much on the news.
But to think one of them was this slender girl. No, that wasn't right. Her movements earlier had been anything but ordinary. She definitely wasn't some average person. Still...
Ibi recalled the word the girl had given as her name. It had been two months since she'd started staying with the Ghost Bridge Society, and she'd picked up a fair amount in that time.
'Fox Spirit' referred to a bewitching fox yokai—a kitsune, essentially. The pointed animal ears twitching atop her head right now made perfect sense of it.
With a 'little sister' nearby whose body bristled with shark-like teeth all over, and another who looked like she'd stepped out of outer space, it was a bit late to be surprised by a single pair of fox ears.
Next came the term 'Domain Lord.' In simplest terms, it meant the boss of a region. If she was Seonghwa City's Domain Lord, that position oversaw all the ghosts, yokai, and wandering spirits in that city.
And this tiny girl, who didn't look much older than Ibi herself, held that role? Even Nati had said Seonghwa was no place to take lightly.
As Ibi mulled it over in her own way, Nati and Kang Areum continued their conversation.
"...What an ironic twist. And foxes make it awkward, too."
Nati muttered like it was a complaint. Kang Areum openly scowled, clearly not amused by the remark. She didn't seem like the type to hide her emotions skillfully during a conversation anyway, and this time she wasn't even trying.
Finally, she spat it out.
"Are you still hung up on that goblin fox who abandoned you and ran away?"
Ibi was puzzled to see Aerin flinch at the words out of nowhere. But Nati's response that followed made even her tense up.
"...Never."
It was the first time she'd heard Nati's voice turn so icy with rage. Even Kang Areum, who had been conversing straightforwardly without backing down, recoiled in surprise.
"Never... speak that name again."
Strictly speaking, Nati had been the rude one first. But Kang Areum had poked at an overly sensitive spot in response.
Of course, this was their first meeting. Still, Kang Areum knew who Nati was. In a way, it was insider knowledge, and mentioning it personally was meant to signal, 'I know who you are.'
She hadn't expected such a violent reaction. Nati's fists clenched on the table, veins bulging visibly.
In the end, she had no choice but to avert her eyes and apologize.
"S-sorry. I didn't... I really didn't know."
It took a few more seconds for Nati to calm down. He bowed his head, let out a sigh, and downed the cold tea in one gulp.
"Forget it. Moving on."
He reverted to his earlier demeanor and asked another question.
"Why has a Domain Lord from another city come to our nest?"
Kang Areum looked baffled at that.
"I already told you, didn't I? I'm here for fun."
"...You mean that literally? No hidden meaning?"
Kang Areum blushed slightly, looking embarrassed as she twiddled her fingers.
"Well, they say the vibes here are better than in Seonghwa. And since it's Halloween anyway, I thought I'd have some fun..."
"Do people usually go on solo expeditions like that?"
"One of my big sisters was supposed to come with me, but she had sudden overtime, so I had no choice."
"And that's normal?"
"...Can you stop? It hurts my feelings."
From her reaction, it seemed she hadn't even gotten that 'fun' she'd been after. She pouted with genuine disappointment, lips pursed. It made Ibi think her personality was quite different from the first impression.
Ibi had pegged her as stiff and emotionally flat. But Kang Areum was proving surprisingly clumsy, with a hidden girlish side emerging bit by bit.
...Wasn't she just a normal girl? Compared to the cunning image usually evoked by the word 'fox,' she almost seemed a bit dim.
Haewon must have thought the same, because he patted Ibi's knee and said,
"Noona. That fox girl kinda reminds me of you."
"...What do you mean by that?"
Haewon didn't answer, leaving Ibi with a nagging unease. From behind them came the sound of Nati clapping his hands.
"Alright, good enough. Let me sum it up. Seonghwa New City's hero of justice and Domain Lord. Dreamed of being a party girl this Halloween, but it all fell through. The young lady known as Fox Spirit or Kang Areum."
"......"
Kang Areum bared her fangs slightly and let out a soft growl, clearly displeased with the phrasing. Maybe she was still smarting from being somewhat overpowered earlier.
"I've explained myself plenty. I know something weird is happening in this city, but if you want my cooperation, you need to tell me exactly who you people are. Ghost Bridge Society? What's that about?"
"Eh, nothing that grandiose. Think of it as a sort of social club..."
And with that, Nati began a concise explanation. He clearly had no intention of dragging it out.