Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Our House Monster (3)
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The next day, Choi Yerim saw my text and immediately replied that she had time, then showed up right in front of my house.
But once she actually arrived at the front door, she didn't come inside. She just stood there blankly staring at my front door.
"...You said you were going to show me a monster. What is this place?"
"...It's my house..."
"I'm leaving."
"Wait a second. It is my house, but!"
I quickly grabbed Yerim as she turned to leave.
Yerim sighed and came back.
After staring quietly at the door for a while, Choi Yerim finally spoke.
"Um... Kim Minjun-ssi."
"Yes, yes?"
"I'm really sorry, but I'm only interested in monsters. I truly appreciate the sentiment, but I'll politely decline."
She coldly turned me down.
It seemed like there was a solid misunderstanding.
She must have thought I was luring her to my house under the pretense of showing her a monster because I had some ulterior motive.
And what was that about only being interested in monsters if they weren't monsters?
Anyway, I hurriedly waved my hands and explained that it was a misunderstanding.
"Ah, no! That's not it! Really! I know it looks suspicious, but there's a good reason."
"A reason?"
"Yes. There's... a monster in my house."
At my words, Choi Yerim looked at me like I was an even weirder person—or maybe a dangerous one.
"Pardon? An exploration team member has a monster in their house? Why? Don't tell me... you have the same tastes as me?"
"...Not exactly..."
Her eyes glimmered faintly.
I denied it for now at that look.
No, denying it completely wasn't right either... I did quite like and cherish the two at my house, so in a way, I was a monster enthusiast.
But not the kind she was implying.
As I made an ambiguous face, her expression turned icy cold.
"...Or are you capturing pitiful monsters and experimenting on them on a whim?"
The misunderstanding was heading deeper into the mountains.
To clear up all these misconceptions, I explained like I was making excuses while leading her inside.
"Ah, absolutely not! Just come in and see! I ended up raising a monster completely by accident..."
"...Raising one?"
I brought her into the house.
Now, my heart pounded with anxiety over what reaction she'd have when she saw Leo and Daeho.
As I opened the door and entered, the two monsters, who had been lounging on the sofa and bed, came trotting over with their familiar pitter-patter footsteps to greet me.
But the moment they spotted the unfamiliar guest standing at the entrance, Choi Yerim, both froze in place as if on cue.
In an instant, a suffocating tension arose between Choi Yerim, Daeho, and Leo.
Standing right in the middle, I awkwardly swiveled my head back and forth in the taut standoff, trying to figure out why this atmosphere had formed.
"Um... Leo? Daeho?"
After quietly scanning the two for a while, Choi Yerim finally nodded in satisfaction and spoke.
"Indeed. They are monsters. And quite unique specimens at that."
I was surprised by her words and asked back.
"Pardon? You can tell... just like that?"
Daeho hadn't even emitted any light yet, and Leo hadn't summoned his shadows, but she already seemed convinced they were monsters.
She looked at me like I should know that too and calmly began explaining.
"You can tell at a glance. That little tiger over there looks like a cub, but when it slightly opens its mouth, you can see fully grown adult teeth. And that black cat that looks ordinary has paws that are abnormally large and sturdy for its size. Like a black panther's. Plus, that cat is under fluorescent lights right now, but its shadow is unnaturally dark."
She demonstrated incredible observational skills.
They were details I had never properly noticed before.
Who intently stares at a cat's shadow, anyway?
Had she honed such observation skills while managing the Monster Gallery?
"In a world where understanding monsters well boosts your survival rate, it's basic."
'...Then what does that make me, the exploration team member and owner who never noticed?'
I felt a bit annoyed for no reason.
I was the owner, yet this first-time visitor had pierced the secrets of my housemates at a glance—secrets even I didn't know.
By the way, why were Daeho and Leo staring so intently at Choi Yerim?
It seemed like wariness, but not quite. Women had come to our house before.
Just the other day, when Han Sora visited, neither paid her any attention.
So why this strong reaction only to Choi Yerim? I scanned her face and realized why.
Choi Yerim was staring at the two without even blinking much.
If someone stared at me that intently, even I'd feel wary.
For someone who had sung praises about wanting to see monsters, Choi Yerim sat on the sofa with astonishing composure, just staring blankly at Leo and Daeho.
It was a bit unexpected.
She'd always seemed a little emotionally dry since we first met, but when talking about monsters, her voice had a hint of liveliness, so I'd expected a much bigger reaction upon facing real ones.
"A little disappointed? They seem too ordinary for monsters..."
When I cautiously asked, Yerim shook her head.
Then, with an utterly deadpan expression and voice, she dropped a bombshell.
"No. I'm more excited right now than I've ever been in my life."
"...Ah, I see."
I was at a loss for words.
What do you even say when someone claims to be more excited than ever in their life?
I decided not to comment on her emotional expressions anymore.
Then she praised me while asking a question.
"You're raising them even though you know they're monsters? Impressive."
I nodded calmly.
"Yes. And I'll keep raising them from now on."
Honestly, I couldn't picture life without the two anymore.
Monster or not, they were already precious family to me.
As I said that, I subtly referenced what Yerim had said before.
"And my kids are good monsters. They don't harm people."
At my words, Yerim murmured softly, "Monsters that have become good, perhaps?"
That was irrefutable.
I didn't know what they were like before coming to my house.
Then she hesitated a moment before getting to the point.
"Could I... come visit here occasionally?"
"Pardon?"
I fell into momentary thought.
Leo and Daeho had looked visibly burdened by her gaze from earlier and seemed quite fatigued.
As I didn't answer right away, Yerim added one condition.
"In exchange, I'll steadily provide useful info I've gathered from hacking the Monster Gallery and other sites?"
Info... that was a hard offer to refuse.
Plus, info from her perspective was quite intriguing.
Like the item and ancestral god monster theory, or that good monsters exist.
I pondered briefly, then compromised with reality.
"...If it's just occasionally, sure."
At that moment, Leo at my feet and Daeho on the sofa both lifted their heads to look at me.
Their eyes held deep hurt and betrayal, as if asking if I'd sold them out.
'Sorry, kids. But it's just occasionally.'
I apologized inwardly to my two housemates and deliberately ignored their sad gazes.
Having struck the info deal with Choi Yerim, I asked about something I'd been curious about.
The entities the system had warned about when I completed the quest a few days ago.
"Do you know anything about Dongto's Team 1 and Team 2, by any chance?"
At my question, Choi Yerim answered fluidly, as if she'd been waiting.
The depth of info she'd amassed managing the gallery was beyond imagination.
"Dongto Team 1 is literally their top elite unit with full corporate backing. They specialize in hunting massive monsters that could threaten an entire city. Most of Dongto's real firepower is probably concentrated there."
A unit specializing in giant monsters. Definitely intimidating.
How huge were the monsters they hunted?
Bigger than Daeho, probably?
"Then what about Team 2?"
"Dongto Team 2... is a bit different from Team 1. They're known as an exploration team targeting humans."
"...Pardon?"
An exploration team targeting humans? What did that even mean?
Unable to let that combination of words slide, I furrowed my brow and asked again. She added more details, cautiously.
"It's just what I've seen floating around communities... but Dongto Team 2 is said to handle people hostile to Dongto or those who've uncovered their secrets."
Pushing aside the vagueness that it wasn't confirmed, I engraved the info on the two groups deep in my mind.
Dongto's ruthlessness surpassed my imagination time and again.
Anyway, good info obtained.
Even if unconfirmed, where there's smoke there's fire—no way it's baseless rumor.
The next day.
Our Team 10, upon arriving at work, received our first non-rescue mission.
Team Leader Park's briefing went like this.
"A monster has appeared at a famous tourist spot drawing crowds. This mission isn't rescue—it's subjugation: swiftly neutralize the monster before civilian casualties mount further. Another team is already on-site controlling civilians, so we focus solely on eliminating the target."
Our first subjugation mission.
It would be entirely different from rescues so far.
With an inexplicable tension, I hurried to prepare for dispatch with the team.