Financial Therapy, Gourmet Therapy, Beastman Therapy (4)
As soon as the automatic doors slid open, the department store's signature cool, pleasant air vanished, replaced by the heat of the outside world. Both of my hands were laden with spoils. My left held shopping bags filled with high-end cosmetics to care for my precious skin—my flawless body. My right clutched premium body-care products for grooming the fur of my little ones, who were probably rolling around on the association floor right about now.
Most women would have groaned about the weight, but to a C-class hunter of South Korea, this was nothing more than a feather. If anything, the satisfying heft in my hands only heightened the sense of shopping well spent. I adjusted the bag straps lightly and lifted my head. The sun blazed overhead as if trying to bore straight into my crown.
“Hmm~”
Looking around, the crowds that had swarmed like ants when I arrived had noticeably thinned. The footsteps of people entering and leaving the department store had slowed to a leisurely pace. The timing was obvious.
‘Heh, must be lunchtime.’
No need to check my phone. My stomach-clock—my intuition—told me so. Office workers had drained away like the tide toward nearby restaurants. Honestly, I wasn’t starving. I’d already loaded up on sweet cookies and coffee in the VIP lounge earlier. But what completes true healing? If shopping filled the hunger in my heart, then gourmet food must fill the hunger in my stomach. Only then would the day be perfect!
‘Yes, that sounds right!’
Last night I’d burned calories dancing a deadly tango with monsters, and today I’d turned the entire department store into my personal runway with shopping cardio. My exercise quota was more than met. So rewarding myself with a perfect lunch was only proper etiquette—and an obligation—to my hardworking body.
“Mm-hmm! That’s the way. Absolutely~”
I nodded to myself, finishing my flawless self-justification. Swinging the heavy shopping bags as elegantly as designer handbags, I set off. Click, click. My heels carried me toward a real forest hidden within the concrete jungle of apartments and buildings.
After crossing the traffic lights and walking until the department store looked like a toy block behind me, a modest building nestled beside a park lush with fresh green trees came into view.
“Hehe~ Getting younger really does improve the memory, doesn’t it~”
I hummed a little tune and headed straight for it without hesitation. The closer I got, the more distinct the energy felt. Even the air seemed softer, fluffier. This was a restaurant run by beastkin—one I truly loved.
‘The sleek, idol-like beastkin in my Team 1 are a feast for the eyes, but sometimes you need the sturdy charm of a giant stuffed toy or a fluffy pillow you just want to hug and sleep on.’
I stopped in front of the building housing the restaurant to catch my breath. Just then, the door opened and a family stepped out. They weren’t the type with only ears or tails—they were fully covered in soft fur from head to toe. The moment I saw the little furball toddling along holding its mother’s hand, my cheeks nearly lifted into a maternal smile.
‘Whoops… Myungmin, keep your dignity. What era is this?’
I quickly composed my expression. In this world, seeing a bipedal rabbit or dog was far more common than running into a foreigner. These days, a blond foreigner speaking English was rarer than a rabbit beastkin fluent in Korean.
‘Still, what can I do? To someone who remembers the world before it flipped upside down, it’s still fascinating.’
I wasn’t staring with any strange prejudice or ill intent. It was simply that characters I’d only seen in old comic books and fantasy novels were now walking, breathing, and meeting my eyes right in front of me. The world was so beautiful it moved me.
“Alright, self-justification ends here! Time to eat~”
I readjusted my shopping bags and slipped inside the building, where the rich, savory aroma of meat that beastkin adored wafted out. With light steps I climbed straight to the second floor. Sliding open the transparent glass door, a gasp escaped me before I could stop it.
“Oh~”
A woman with the sturdy build of a white tiger, dressed in a neat restaurant uniform, greeted customers. I approached her and held up one finger.
“Do you have a table for one?”
Her gaze swept over my slender frame and the shopping bags in my hands, then her large ears drooped slightly.
“Ah…? Miss, our portions are rather generous…”
‘Oh my, she’s worried about my delicate figure.’
It was a pleasant misunderstanding. I gathered the bags to one side and waved a hand casually.
“It’s fine~ Really. I’m an awakened, so I can easily finish that much and still have room left.”
She burst into a hearty laugh at my answer, her white-furred mouth curving into a bright arc. The white tiger beastkin politely extended a hand and guided me to a bright window seat, even pulling out the chair with perfect manners. Once I sat, she bowed slightly and added,
“Awakened guests usually prefer our unlimited refill course where we bring the meat to the table and slice it for you. Shall I prepare that?”
‘My, even the way she speaks is quite refined.’
Her gentle, intelligent tone contrasted charmingly with her massive frame. The crisp fit of her uniform was also impeccable. Suddenly, the image of my Team 1 members lounging in the waiting room flashed through my mind.
‘Should I try putting them in sharp uniforms like that too?’
But I shook my head at once.
‘No, no. My kids’ charm lies in being cute and adorable rather than sturdy and mature. Uniforms? Pretty casual clothes are the way to go.’
When I nodded silently, the server quickly jotted the order in a small notebook and placed it on the table.
“I’ll prepare it deliciously for you.”
After a polite bow, she turned toward the entrance. At that moment, a long, fluffy, enormous tail extending from the back of her neat trousers caught my eye. It wasn’t the tiger tail I’d expected—it was much longer and luxuriously thick with fur.
‘Oh… not a white tiger, but a snow leopard?’
A leopard beastkin. And a snow leopard, whose tail was its pride! I’d heard snow leopards had the habit of biting their own big, fluffy tails when bored or anxious. The thought of such a dignified, uniformed beastkin crouching in a corner gnawing on her own tail made me smile.
“Hehe…”
Resting my chin on my hand, I drifted into a fluffy, adorable daydream. Waiting for the ordered meat wouldn’t be boring at all~
Various beastkin in animal forms bustled between the tables. Whenever one sliced a juicy, dripping steak onto my plate, I responded with the prettiest, most elegant smile and popped the meat into my mouth. After savoring one piece, another fluffy server would approach with a new cut, and I happily took another bite.
The awakened-exclusive unlimited refill course cost several times more than what ordinary people paid, but nowhere else in Seoul could satisfy both my eyes and my mouth so perfectly. With service this good, the price was practically a bargain.
‘And they’re incredibly perceptive. They already noticed I was just a little thirsty and set an empty wine glass in front of me~’
I marveled inwardly at the neatly placed wine glass on the table. No matter how veteran a human server might be at a high-end restaurant, they couldn’t match the keen senses of beastkin.
Just then, the sturdy snow leopard server who had guided me earlier began making her rounds with a wine bottle. After elegantly pouring a glass for guests at other tables, she spotted me and approached. I lifted my empty glass, ready to enjoy the excellent service.
But my perfect lunch was shattered in a single second.
Bzzt~! Bzzt~!
The oblivious smartphone in my shoulder bag rang loudly, shattering the sweet atmosphere.
‘Ha… Seriously, who is it? The timing is unbelievable.’
Swallowing my irritation, I rummaged through the bag and pulled out the phone that was desperately searching for its mother. My brow twitched when I saw the caller ID. Unfortunately—annoyingly—it was the Hunter Association number I absolutely had to answer right now.
“Charon, speaking.”
A cautious voice came through the receiver.
[Ah… I’m really sorry to call right after you got off work…]
At that moment, the snow leopard server approached and poured red liquid into my wine glass with a gentle glug. To preserve the elegant mood, I lowered my voice.
“So? Did you need a healer in a hurry?”
[Haha… Of course not. I’m calling about the jurisdiction overlap between Team 4 and Team 1.]
“Aish, tsk…”
I clicked my tongue without thinking. My peaceful day-off lady mode shattered, and the fierce nature of Big Mama—the Charon who devoured monsters in the field—nearly burst out.
‘Whoops… I can’t act like this outside.’
I quickly fixed my expression and glanced around. Fortunately, the snow leopard server had already moved to another table. Though… was it just my imagination, or was the wine glass in front of me filled a little less than usual?
‘Mm, right. She probably stepped away quickly so I could take the call comfortably.’
I decided to think positively and focused on the call again.
“Team 4’s area is northern Gyeonggi, isn’t it? Our Team 1 handles the south. They’re completely opposite directions.”
[That’s exactly why I’m calling. We’d like Team 1 to take over the northern sector for the time being.]
Northern Gyeonggi? It was unfamiliar territory for Team 1, which specialized in other races.
“If it’s where the other races live, it’s usually in the less urbanized outskirts, right?”
[As expected of Big Mama. Your situational awareness is impressive. The truth is, there are many important association facilities in that area, so we really need your touch there.]
‘My touch, my ass.’
They just wanted a healer who could grab people with severed limbs by the collar and keep them alive, so they were dumping it on me. I lifted the wine glass and took a sip, soothing my displeasure at the association bastards who had ruined my perfect rest with the fragrant alcohol.
“Well, if the higher-ups say jump, I jump. Do I have the right to refuse?”
[Thank you. We’ll brief you on the details at the next meeting.]
“Yeah, yeah~ Take care~”
The moment the call ended, I drained the remaining wine in one go.
“Haah… On a day that should’ve been perfect healing, they just had to bring up work.”
If it were up to me, I’d turn my phone off completely on days like this. But what could I do? When your job is saving lives, you can’t just ignore it.
‘Right. That’s who Baek Myungmin is.’
I gazed down at my reflection in the now-empty plate on the table, pressed my index finger to my cheek, and forced the corners of my mouth upward.