Chapter 114. Cafe (1)
I stepped out of the guesthouse with Aqua and Terra cradled in my arms and Mandu perched on my shoulder.
"Mom, I'm going for a walk."
"Alright. Watch out for cars... Oh my."
Mom spotted the hats on Aqua and Terra and smiled warmly.
"Who are you off to meet? You look all dressed up so nicely."
She stroked Aqua, Terra, and Mandu in turn.
[Hehehe!]
[Mm...]
Terra kept her usual stoic face, but a faint joy glimmered beneath it.
Outside, the bright summer sun poured down from the clear blue sky. At the same time, a barrage of camera flashes rained down from the reporters.
"Kang Hyunwoo!"
"Spirit user Kang Hyunwoo! Just a quick word, please!"
"Did you really go to the Spirit Realm?"
I had no idea where they'd been hiding, but nearly ten reporters suddenly surged toward me.
Freelancers, probably.
If they were from any organization, the warnings from Union Guild and Phoenix Guild would have kept them at bay.
[Eek...]
Aqua buried her face in my chest, half startled, half flustered.
[Mm.]
Terra furrowed her brow. She hated noisy crowds.
I was just about to toss out a few polite words to slip away without stressing the spirits when—
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"Get away from our resident!"
A group of young men pushed through the reporters.
"Who are you people?! The public has a right to know!"
"This isn't just about the Spirit Realm—it's a global event!"
The young men didn't back down.
"Our residents have a right to protection!"
"Who do you think you are, shoving cameras in our friend's face? Ever heard of portrait rights? Portrait rights?!"
They formed a protective semicircle in front of me—familiar faces all.
The youth patrol squad.
They prevented summer vacation mishaps and picked up trash on the beach every morning—a solid group of local guys.
A few weeks ago, I'd helped them catch a molester.
"Hyunwoo."
The patrol leader, 'Park hyung,' stood by my side. I grinned back.
"You guys handle this stuff now too?"
"Protecting local VIPs? That's patrol territory."
"Local VIP? Me?"
"If you're not a VIP, who is? Kids around here might not know the mayor's name, but they all know yours."
"Plus, big bro Hyunwoo is our squad's honorary member!"
One of the guys blocking for me—one who'd caught the molester with me—flashed a toothy grin. I smiled and nodded back.
"Back off now! You wanna see your faces on air for real?!"
"Try it! We'll sue for portrait rights invasion!"
The tension between reporters and patrol was escalating when tourists approached.
Not tourists.
They looked the part in their clothes, but those sturdy builds screamed otherwise. Bodyguards hired by Jang Gilsan.
The reporters shrank back at the sight. The patrol, meanwhile, perked up.
"What? Keep talking! What's 'airtime' mean?"
Park hyung chuckled at their reaction.
"Go on. We'll handle the reporters."
"You sure?"
"Don't worry about us. Drinks next time."
"Haha, thanks."
I led the spirits away from the reporters. Half of Jang Gilsan's bodyguards followed; the rest stayed to guard the guesthouse.
The reporters couldn't breach the double wall of patrol and guards.
"Thank you."
The bodyguards bowed nonchalantly and dispersed, blending back into tourist crowds—but never straying too far.
So now we need escorts just to stroll the neighborhood.
The reporters' fervor wouldn't last forever, but caution was wise for a while.
Aqua glanced back at the patrol still squaring off, then turned to me with a blooming smile.
[Such good people!]
"Yeah, they are."
Aqua hopped down from my arms, beaming.
-Woof! Woof!
A dog barked joyfully from behind a wall, catching Aqua's scent.
[Long time no see! Come borrow my back anytime!]
Recognizing Aqua's materialized voice, the homeowner—an elderly raw fish restaurant owner—poked his head over.
"Oh! Isn't that the neighbor's Spirit King!"
[Nice to see you!]
"Here, eat this!"
He tossed Aqua an orange. She caught it deftly.
[Thank you!]
"I'm the thankful one! You too, Hyunwoo!"
"Thanks."
"Have fun! Swing by the shop sometime!"
"Will do."
Aqua's presence had boosted tourist numbers at Samcheok Beach this year. Locals' faces glowed brighter than ever.
I peeled the orange and split it between Terra and Mandu.
[Chit!]
Mandu gulped it down whole, eyes curving into happy crescents like it was the best thing ever.
[Mm.]
Terra chewed slowly, then nodded.
[Tasty.]
Aqua peeled hers and offered me half.
[You eat too!]
I leaned down with a grin and opened my mouth.
"Ahh~."
She popped the segment in. Juicy sweetness burst as I bit down.
"Tastes even better when you peel it."
[Hehehe!]
Her smile outshone the summer sun.
* * *
We strolled the beachfront road of Samcheok Beach. Shops lined the left, sand stretching right.
A road I'd seen my whole life, but today felt special. Maybe the sun's gentle warmth. Or folks snapping distant photos of Aqua. Or...
Maybe because I'm walking behind Aqua.
Aqua held Terra's hand, toddling ahead. Their waddling steps drew every eye.
[What's that?]
[Streetlights! They glow at night, lighting the road!]
[Glow? ...Oh, like bulbs inside?]
[Bulb? What's that?]
[Heard it's a ball that makes light.]
[Ooh! I get it! Terra's so smart! Knows all this without ever leaving the Spirit Realm!]
They were lost in their own world. I cherished the sight of their tiny backs.
Always carried Aqua before—never followed like this. Matching their pace slowed me, but warmed my chest.
Is this what owning the world feels like?
I glanced up. Mandu preened his wings on my shoulder.
"Heh heh heh..."
An uncle-like chuckle escaped me.
Tourists filled the road, locals dotted among them. They nodded hellos, gazing at Aqua fondly.
Aqua's fully one of us now.
No more wide-eyed wonder from locals—just warm, neighborly looks.
"Look, it's that spirit."
"Thought she'd gone—nice to catch her on the last day."
"Photo together?"
Tourists treated her like a landmark. Both reactions were welcome—Aqua was loved by all.
"Who's the brown one next to her?"
"So cute too."
"That hat—adorable!"
Terra would win hearts soon enough. She was as lovable as Aqua.
Vroom!
A car sped by. Terra stared, transfixed.
[Aqua. How do cars move?]
[Uh, yeah?]
Aqua blinked and looked back. I smiled, scooping them up.
"Car mechanics? Takes an hour to explain. Grab a cafe seat?"
I gently bonked my forehead to Terra's.
"Guests arrived anyway."
[Guests?]
I nodded to the roadside cafe. Familiar faces at an outdoor table.
Aqua's mouth rounded.
[Ah! Sylphs!]
[Long time, Lady Aqua!]
[Lady Terra too?]
[Hey Mandu!]
Three sylphs stood with arms crossed atop the table.
"Huh? Kang Hyunwoo?"
Jeong Ri-on, Phoenix Guild's Spirit Knights captain—back to us in an aloha shirt—removed his sunglasses.
"Whoa. Talk about coincidence."
Anyone could see it wasn't.
* * *
We joined Jeong Ri-on's table. His eyes sparkled at Terra.
"Who's this cutie?"
"Terra. My new contracted spirit."
"...Hyunwoo, you're multi-attribute?"
"Trait evolved recently."
"Congrats."
He meant it.
"Looks like your Spirit Affinity leveled up too."
"Yep. B-rank now."
"Insane growth. Artifact or something?"
He sighed.
"Man, what a shame."
I knew why—no need to ask. His guild had wanted a contract.
He turned back to Terra.
"She doesn't seem ordinary. Mind sharing her origins?"
"Uluru's successor. Like Aqua, she'll be Earth Spirit King someday."
"Whoa, this little one..."
He gazed at her in awe. My turn to ask.
"What brings you here, Ri-on? Heard you're swamped."
"Was. But curious about something."
He leaned in.
"How was the Spirit Realm?"
Phoenix Guild must have sent him for intel—he was closest to me there.
But he'd have come anyway. All spirit users dreamed vaguely of it.
Academy profs called it 'inner affinity' or 'homesick nostalgia for the homeland.'
"Best ever."
He was my senior, and owed him favors—no holding back.
"Fitting for the spirits' home."
He smiled too. I shared how we got there, what happened.
He listened, pitying losses, marveling at triumphs.
"Great work."
"Just what a spirit user should do."
"I'll look into Kazami Akira too."
As Korea's top spirit guild member, his help was reassuring.
While we talked, spirits chatted too.
[Wind Spirit King's relic!]
[Heehee! Never thought we'd see it in the human world!]
[Chit!]
Mandu proudly flared his wings. The cute appendages drew praise.
[So you can fly?]
[Of course!]
Aqua beamed, jumping in.
[Mandu's super fast! Never lost to sylphs in the Spirit Realm!]
[Nah, that's exaggeration!]
[Why?]
[We're wind spirits! Sky's our domain!]
[Wasn't Pompeii faster than you?]
Sylphs clammed up. Hit a sore spot.
They glared at Aqua sullenly.
[...Huh?]
Aqua blinked, confused—no malice intended.
But fire ignited in sylphs and Mandu.
[....]
[....]
A strange, now-familiar silence blanketed the table.
A decisive battle, sky's master at stake.
Flap—Mandu spread wings.
Up—sylphs leaped.
Terra raised her hand like a referee right after.