Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: The Switch Buried Inside Turned On
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"If it were me, I wouldn't put this up at the auction house."
"...Why?"
In truth, there was no need to even ask the reason.
'This thing could save someone's life... or completely upend someone else's fate.'
I just needed confirmation from an expert.
"It's an item whose value can't be measured in money, isn't it? If it were me, rather than selling it to some stranger I've never met for a fortune... I'd keep it in my own hands and reap the benefits myself."
The appraiser flashed a knowing smile as he lightly rolled the stem of the Awakening Ginseng between his fingertips.
"Rather than grabbing a quick profit right away... there are ways to gain even more, for even longer. Though, well, you'd know better than me, Healer."
Ways to gain even more, for even longer.
...No matter how much I racked my brain, only one option came to mind.
"Of course, this is just my personal opinion, so feel free to ignore it. I'm just saying that's what I'd do."
I nodded quietly.
'So that's the path I have to take, after all.'
I could feel the nagging unease that had been weighing on a corner of my mind slowly start to fade.
"Thanks to you, appraiser, I've got the conviction I needed. Thank you."
I bowed deeply and stepped out of the Awakener Management Bureau.
'In the end, it's not about the money.'
News of variant gates popping up was coming in almost daily.
A promising top-rank awakener vanishing overnight.
Someone giving an interview one day, only to appear in a memorial video the next—it wasn't uncommon.
A single variant gate opening abruptly in the middle of a city could swallow hundreds of everyday lives in an instant.
...In a world like this, trying to live like a lone island might just be like slipping a noose around your own neck.
"......"
If I went straight home now, my head would fill up with all sorts of tangled thoughts for sure.
So, to clear my mind a bit.
And to check if the kids were doing okay.
I decided to drop by the Sprout Guild for the first time in ages.
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"Sis! Why'd it take you so forever to come visit?!"
"You didn't even text!! I was dying to see you!"
The moment I opened the door, the Sprout Guild kids spotted me and came rushing over, tugging at my arms and throwing themselves into my embrace.
"It's been a while, everyone. You all doing good?"
"Of course! Now that we each have our own rooms, we don't fight anymore!"
"Uh, no. We kinda argued with Chae-eun yesterday over shower order?"
"Sis, did you know? We even got a new guild member...! Heehee."
Their voices overlapped from all directions as they poured out updates, making my head spin.
Still, it was nice—no room for complicated thoughts to creep in.
"Chrog sis! Wanna see my room!?"
One of the kids hanging off my arm suddenly dragged me off somewhere, flinging open a door with a flourish.
It was a cozy room with a neat little desk piled high with cute knickknacks.
"Decorating my own room was my lifelong dream... You made it come true, sis! Oh, and I've been bowing toward your place every single day without fail! Did you feel the vibes at all!?"
The kid's face beamed with pure joy, eyes sparkling.
She was so adorably bright that I couldn't help but ruffle her hair.
Then.
"What!? Gil So-eun! Why are you hogging all of sis's love!?"
"I didn't even ask for pets! Sis just did it on her own!"
"Sis! Check out my room too! And pet me!"
The other kids who saw it started throwing full-on tantrums.
They were at that age where their voices could really belt out—my ears were ringing.
"Hey, let's show sis the training room!"
After bickering for a good while, the kids' eyes lit up at the mention of the "training room," and they grabbed my arms, pulling me along like it was nothing.
"Sis, you won't believe how awesome our training room got!"
"It's not the old one anymore!"
The old Sprout Guild training room was a training room in name only—basically just a storage closet.
The floor mats were torn in spots, and the straw dummies in the corner were caked in dust and mold, barely hanging on through the years.
The space was so cramped it was hard to even stretch properly.
'Wonder how it's changed.'
The instant I stepped into the revamped training room.
It was like a whole new world.
Fresh mats covered the floor evenly, and the latest training gear lined the walls in neat rows.
Best of all, the expanded space made it easy to warm up—or even have multiple people running drills at once.
And there, in the distance.
Sprout Guild Master Choi Han-ul caught my eye.
He was demonstrating moves with his whole body for a group of kids I didn't recognize.
Spotting me, he froze mid-motion, eyes widening, then came dashing over.
"Chrog! What brings you here without a heads-up?"
"Just... missed the kids, so I dropped by."
Choi Han-ul let out a deep sigh, his face full of regret.
"If you'd given me a heads-up, I'd have run out to grab something nice... Not much to offer you today. What do we do?"
"No, it's fine! I wasn't planning to stay long anyway."
Truth be told, that's why I'd come without warning.
If he'd known, he'd have gone shopping and grabbed gifts and all that.
I just wanted to see the kids thriving—no need for fanfare.
"Well then..."
I was about to say I should head home.
"Oh, right! I just remembered—we bought meat yesterday!"
Choi Han-ul snapped his fingers like something had clicked.
"Chrog, you haven't eaten yet, right? Hang on! Let's see what else we've got..."
"Sis! Eat with us!"
"Our guild master's an amazing cook!"
"Kyaa— Eating with sis!"
Before I knew it, I was plopped in a dining chair, hands awkwardly folded in my lap as I glanced around.
Clink—
Bubble bubble—
From the kitchen came the sound of a pot lid rattling, and a mouthwatering aroma slowly filled the air.
The kids started chiming in with playful guesses about the menu.
"Today's... lobster butter grill!"
"Idiot, anyone can tell this is meat."
"Then... Hanwoo two-plus!!"
"Pineapple pizza gets my vote..."
Listening to them... it felt less like guessing and more like listing what they wanted to eat.
I just sat there blankly, idly spinning my water glass with a finger.
Gurgle—
'...I am kinda hungry.'
Soon, steaming dishes started piling up on the big dining table.
"Guild master, so today..."
Choi Han-ul and the kids swapped stories from their day, laughing warmly.
Little mishaps from training.
School exam talk.
Plans for the next gate run.
The conversation flowed endlessly.
Questions came my way now and then, but wrapped in this strange mood, I gave half-hearted replies, counting rice grains instead.
...Have I ever sat around a table like this for a meal?
Probably sharing rice cakes with neighbors—that was my first and last.
Even that was less a meal and more forcing down food to ease a tense atmosphere.
I've never once shared a meal like this, trading bits of daily life.
'Is this what it's like eating with family every day...?'
I never realized before.
Eating alone just felt like normal routine.
I thought I was some steel-hearted person, miles away from words like "lonely."
"So-eun, no picky eating. You've gotta eat your mushrooms."
"The squishy texture's gross...!"
"Chrog sis! Try this too. My cucumber kimchi!"
Sitting here among people looking out for each other and laughing... a strange ache bloomed in my chest.
I guess I'd lived with loneliness so long, it became too familiar.
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After the meal, as I helped tidy up, Choi Han-ul approached me.
"Chrog, got any plans later?"
"No? Nothing scheduled..."
"Wanna come volunteer with me?"
The unexpected offer made my eyes widen.
"Y'know how the Lumina Bells you've been supplying have boosted our guild's value a ton? We've even got room for new recruits now..."
Come to think of it, there were a few new faces in the training room earlier.
"But rather than just filling spots, I figured it'd be better to help kids who need it. We bring them over from the center whenever we have openings."
He added with a warm smile.
"Today's when we pick up the new guild member, so I was gonna swing by after dinner... The kids at the center are huge fans of yours, actually. They'd lose their minds if you came along. Haha."
"The kids are my fans...?"
"Something like that. They've got this fantasy about healers. Pretty magic, healing people—it's super cool to them or whatever."
I found myself staring at my palm without thinking.
A Heal skill I used without much thought looked like "pretty magic" in innocent kids' eyes.
A smile tugged at my lips.
"If you're taking me, count me in."
He burst out laughing and hopped to his feet.
"Great! It's gonna be chaos!"
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Choi Han-ul opened the door to the protection center, and a cozy warmth mixed with a faint soap scent wafted out.
"Welcome, Han-ul!"
Short-cropped hair, comfy tracksuit.
The director, with soft wrinkles around her kind eyes, greeted us warmly.
"Hello, Director! Guess who I brought today—!"
"Huh? Who'd you bring...?"
She glanced at me, then clasped her hands in undisguised shock.
"H-How is the Healer here in person..."
Trailing off, she spun around hurriedly to clear a path.
"Come in, come in. Tea? No, no—gotta introduce the kids first."
Flustered by her enthusiasm, I slipped off my shoes and stepped inside.
At that moment, the kids in the living room looked up one by one.
Sparkling eyes turned my way in an instant.
"Whoa! It's the healer from TV!"
"Hi, big sis!"
"Wooow! Magic sis!"
Tiny hands tugged timidly at my clothes, while another kid peered curiously into my palm.
"Can you show the pretty magic? The light from your hand—just once?"
"I wanna see magic come from your hand!!"
I couldn't resist their pleading and lifted my palm slightly.
Shiiiine—
A warm glow bloomed above it, drawing awed gasps from the kids.
"Light really comes from her hand!"
"Can I touch it?"
"Me too, just once!"
I shaped the light into a little butterfly.
As the glowing butterfly fluttered up, the kids laughed and chased it around the room.
Then, the director sidled up quietly and spoke softly.
"These kids lost their guardians suddenly to rampaging gates. This place helps them grow up safe and independent."
Her words hit like a weight sinking into my chest.
The dangers inside gates didn't just threaten awakeners.
They stole families, left kids like these all alone.
'If I'd cleared more gates diligently...'
Could some of these kids still be living normal days with their parents?
Was it okay to hate going into gates?
Monsters scary, fighting sucks.
Just hole up at home, dreaming of comfy days—was that allowed?
"......"
Honestly, gates still terrified me.
But I couldn't pretend not to see the reality right in front of me.
...Yeah.
In the end, there's only one way.
As I silently resolved myself.
Amid the kids chasing the butterfly with gleeful abandon, one sat quietly in the corner, staring blankly into space.
The director followed my gaze and sighed softly.
"She came in a week ago. The shock of losing her family... Hasn't said a word since arriving. We're really worried."
Worn clothes, blank face, empty eyes.
It was like looking at my own childhood.
Hesitating a moment, I approached her carefully.
"Hi?"
No response.
She kept staring vacantly into nothing.
"Like butterflies?"
Another try, but only silence.
What should I talk about?
What do kids like?
...What did I like as a kid?
Suddenly, I remembered envying a friend who bragged about a birthday party at a burger joint.
Leaning in like I was sharing a huge secret.
I whispered just loud enough for her to hear.
"Wanna sneak out for burgers without the director knowing?"
That instant.
Her eyes finally turned toward me.
"...Bur...?"
She hesitated forever, peeking at me, lips trembling.
Finally, she whispered cautiously.
"Can I... have fries too?"
Her words made my heart thud heavily.
And at the same time.
Click—
The switch buried inside turned on.