Taking Down the Pervert (1)
It was the next morning.
After finishing my morning workout with Aqua, a guest was waiting when we got back.
“Hyunwoo.”
“Park hyung!”
He was the eldest son of Park Uncle, the owner of the banana boat rental shop—Park hyung, as we called him.
Park hyung had been waiting for me and was sitting on the bench in the yard.
“I heard you got a spirit. Congrats.”
“Thanks.”
Aqua, who had been riding piggyback on my neck, materialized and greeted him.
[Nice to meet you!]
“Whoa... a real spirit.”
Park hyung stared at Aqua in wonder. It seemed spirits were still unfamiliar to him, since he didn't work at his dad's shop.
Park hyung handed me a bottle of ion drink. It was refreshingly cold, fresh from the vending machine nearby.
“Just got back from working out?”
“Yeah. A light jog.”
I took a sip and passed it to Aqua. Her eyes sparkled as she started slurping it down.
Park hyung continued. “Didn't look so light to me. I thought you were training for a triathlon or something.”
“You saw?”
“By chance.”
Even F-rank awakeners had superior physical abilities compared to regular people. E-ranks went without saying.
“Mind if we talk a bit before you shower?”
He seemed to have something important to say. I sat next to him at a distance where my sweat wouldn't bother him.
“The neighborhood's buzzing about you.”
“About me?”
“You're already kinda hot stuff around here.”
“Me?”
“You didn't know? You're the first from around here to get into Awakener Academy. When you first enrolled, they even had celebratory banners up.”
“Haha, yeah, I remember.”
It was an unforgettable memory.
“The elders are all interested in you. You were already the talk as the dutiful son, and now you're the neighborhood pride.”
“Hahaha...”
I laughed awkwardly. Praise to my face always felt weird.
“So, what's with all the buildup? What's up?”
“Nothing major. You know I run the patrol squad, right?”
“Youth Patrol Squad. Yeah.”
Resort towns across the country had youth groups made up of local young people. They handled tourist squabbles, clashes with locals, even minor stuff like trash cleanup.
In Samcheok, it was called the Youth Patrol Squad, and Park hyung was the leader.
'That's why Park Uncle was always grumbling. His eldest son skipping work to play gang leader for no pay...'
But among us young folks, Park hyung was super popular. I'd helped out with patrol duties now and then while working part-time at his dad's shop.
Park hyung's face turned serious. “There's a pervert prowling the neighborhood lately.”
“A pervert?”
Aqua looked up at me.
[What's a pervert?]
“Uh...”
I chose my words carefully.
“A bad guy who does creepy stuff that makes people uncomfortable.”
[A bad human!]
That one word was enough for Aqua.
“Did you report it to the police?”
“We did, but no evidence, so they can't catch him.”
“No evidence?”
“He only strikes outside CCTV range. And he seems like an unregistered awakener who knocks people out somehow.”
Awakeners had to register their abilities and personal info with the government. Otherwise, pinpointing and capturing them in crimes like this was tough.
“Police are investigating. But unregistered awakener cases are dangerous and take forever. Victims will keep popping up meanwhile.”
“People come for a fun summer vacation, not to deal with creeps.”
“And everyone here lives off the summer season. This'll hurt business bad.”
Beyond the victims, it would damage Samcheok Beach's image as a whole.
“You want me to catch this pervert for you?”
“What can regular folks like us do against an awakener?”
True enough. Regular people didn't fistfight pro fighters, and awakeners were the same.
I nodded. “Give me a sec to check with my spirit.”
“Check with your spirit?”
Park hyung looked confused.
I smiled wryly. This was the common misconception about spirit users.
Spirits weren't summons—they were partners. You consulted with them.
“Spirits are partners. We do things together, so yeah.”
“Alright. Let me know.”
Park hyung stood up. I watched him leave through the gate, then turned to Aqua.
“What do you think?”
She tilted her head at my question.
[You're not gonna help?]
“You want to?”
[Of course! I figured you'd want to too.]
Spirits could sense human good and evil, and Aqua was drawn to my warmth and kindness. So she assumed I'd jump on this.
“Sorry, but I've got something more important.”
[What?]
“Your safety.”
Aqua's eyes widened.
Spirit users were unique among awakeners. The duo dynamic created all sorts of differences.
For instance, they had superior combat power but the lowest hunter ratio among professions.
'Risking your life alone to feed your family is one thing—doing it with them is another.'
A spirit user's death or a spirit's was a lifelong scar on the partner.
'Now that I'm a proper spirit user, Aqua’s safety and happiness come first.'
Spirits crossed worlds to meet their users. That tiny body had crossed an ocean-wide distance for me.
'Time in the human world should always be fun and happy for spirits.'
I couldn't expose Aqua to danger.
She beamed at me.
[As expected of my spirit user—you're a good human!]
Aqua crossed her arms, nodding contentedly, smile unhidden, like she deserved it and was utterly pleased.
[But don't worry! I'm a supreme spirit!]
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
[Thanks for the concern! But refusing help when asked? That wouldn't befit a supreme spirit!]
She wouldn't refuse aid. Classic proud Aqua.
I had no intention of stopping her if she wanted to. Secretly, I wanted to take down the pervert too.
Now, time to plan a safe win.
'A small-time crook won't be high-rank, so no real danger.'
Higher ranks earned exponentially more. Elites didn't stoop to petty perversion.
“Alright then, shall we go catch that pervert?”
[Of course! I'll protect this place's peace!]
Samcheok Sheriff Aqua was on duty.
* * *
We didn't know when we'd catch him on patrol alone. More victims could appear meantime.
So we dove into investigation ourselves.
I put Aqua on piggyback and headed to the sandy beach.
In the crowded area, I took a deep breath and shouted.
“Potato cakes three thousand won, corn four thousand!”
My hands were full of potato cakes and corn.
[Potato cakes three thousand won, corn four thousand!]
Aqua shouted enthusiastically too.
Selling snacks to tourists was a side gig for beach locals.
But a spirit doing it? That was a rare sight.
Tourists stared, some pulling out phones.
“Hey, handsome guy! Hungry? Try a potato cake!”
[Hey, pretty lady! Up for some corn?]
“Too late for a full meal, too early to starve—nothing beats potato cakes! One for the kids, and their bellies are happy!”
[No time for rice but hungry anyway? Corn's the best! Eat up, play harmonica—still fun!]
Aqua mimicked my hawking perfectly.
Tourists soon circled us.
Squeals and flashes popped amid them.
Awakeners and spirits were commonplace now, but to normals, spirits were wondrous rarities.
Especially one as cute as Aqua—the only one like her.
'And riding piggyback, no less.'
Irresistible photo op. Naturally, some got interested in our wares.
“One potato cake, please.”
“Thanks!”
“Two corns.”
[Thank you!]
Blazing sun, hot food in hand—but Aqua's cooling kept me comfy.
About fifteen minutes of hawking while strolling the sand, then—
“Um, over here.”
Two girls in rash guards approached boldly. Identical looks, just red and blue suits—sisters, probably.
[Sisters!]
Aqua grinned wide in welcome.
The red one clutched her chest. The blue one bit her lip.
Hearts hurting from cuteness.
“Oh, one corn please?”
“Yep. Here.”
I pulled a small bag from the big one—three corns for four thousand won.
Red rash guard pulled cash from her wallet. I shook my head smiling.
“Hands full. Give it to Aqua?”
“Aqua?”
[That's me! Hand it over!]
She jumped, eyes wide.
“Oh my god. What do we do?”
They held hands, flustered, wiped hands on hips, then handed Aqua a ten-thousand-won bill carefully.
Aqua took it, fished change from my shirt pocket wallet.
[Let me see...]
She stuck out her tongue, licked her thumb like Mom, counted thousands.
Squeals erupted again.
[Six! Here's six thousand!]
Red sister took change like holy scripture, face awed.
“...What even is this creature?”
Blue one had been muttering dazedly.
Red clutched her thousands preciously, mustered courage.
“C-can I pet you? Just once?”
Aqua grinned like she'd waited.
[Buy potato cakes first! Two!]
Aqua was better at sales than me.
Then—
Aqua whipped her head, staring somewhere.
I followed her gaze.
A scrawny rat-faced man leered at the rash guard sisters.
Our eyes met. Aqua nodded slightly.
'Spirits sense human good and evil.'
We'd drawn crowds to lure him out.
A pervert would scout targets in busy spots.
He'd walked right into our trap.