Chapter 125
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: The Mayor and Waiting
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Seongsu-dong's streets were bustling.
Bustling meant noisy, and noisy meant agony for me.
I hunkered down in the corner of the sidewalk in front of the shop. I could feel the stares of passersby, but I ignored them.
"Buy some bread. Delicious bread."
A soulless voice. Mimicking a market vendor.
I didn't want to work. I intensely wanted to do absolutely nothing.
I'd just kill time like this and head home.
"Have some bread."
Just then, a group of high school girls in uniforms chattered as they passed by.
"Huh? Oh?"
"It's Singaram!"
"There's a cat too!"
Karruk-!
The high school girls let out dolphin-like squeals and rushed toward me.
"What are you doing here? The cat's so cute!"
"It's Nero! Real-life Nero!"
"Take a picture with us!"
In an instant, I was surrounded by the high school girls.
Even in the chaos, I responded calmly.
"I'm working part-time here right now. My hourly wage is in bread. The bread in that shop over there is really delicious."
At my words, the high school girls were drawn into the shop like they were hypnotized.
Another group of high school girls appeared right after, and I lured them into the shop the same way.
The result was a resounding success.
I felt like the Pied Piper.
Except with high school girls instead of rats, and a cat instead of a flute.
Peeking proudly into the shop, my eyes met Sugar Girl's, who was standing at the counter.
She strode toward me.
"Mayor."
"What."
"What... are you doing right now?"
"What do you mean? I'm drawing in customers. Just like you told me to."
"Then why are all the customers coming in high school girls?!"
"Misunderstanding. I just recommended the bread. The girls followed on their own."
"Don't make excuses! You went up to high school girls specifically and talked to them, didn't you? Betting on your looks!"
"No! It's a misunderstanding! I just promoted without discriminating by age or gender! The result just happened to turn out that way!"
"Then what's with those girls! They come into the shop and don't buy bread—they're just waiting for the mayor!"
I lifted Nero, who was nestled in my arms.
"It's because of Nero! Nero's so cute that high school girls are swarming! I'm innocent!"
Meow.
Nero tilted its head, making the most innocent expression in the world.
This guy's acting skills were improving day by day.
Living with me for so long must have taught it the essence of performance.
Sugar Girl bit her lip in frustration but couldn't argue further.
Thanks, Nero. You're the only one who saves me.
In the end, the consulting was a huge success.
By 3 p.m., the Pyongyang cold noodle bread had sold out early. The other breads sold out before sunset.
The reservation ledger was filled with over 50 names, and the shop was buzzing with Nutubers and broadcasters who wanted to cover it.
It had become Seongsu-dong's hottest spot overnight.
That evening, after all business was done.
The four magical girls lined up in front of me and Sugar Girl.
Their faces showed fatigue mixed with overwhelming emotion.
"Thank you so much!"
The four bowed 90 degrees in unison, as if rehearsed.
"Thanks to you, we can stand up again."
"Thank you for letting us dream again."
Sugar Girl crossed her arms at their sincere thanks.
"Hmph. This is just the beginning. Don't get complacent—keep at it with beginner's spirit."
Tsundere textbook example.
"Yes! We'll work hard to become Insimdang's official first franchise!"
Pink vowed with shining eyes.
I watched the heartwarming scene and quietly stroked Nero's back.
Nyaang-
Nero, nestled in my arms, let out a short meow like a farewell.
"Please come again, Lord Nero!"
The magical girls waved with bright smiles.
We left Magical Insimdang behind and caught a taxi.
In the car heading back to Neo Incheon, only Nero's steady breathing filled the silence.
The epilogue of this story.
On the way back to my territory(?) Neo Incheon.
Seoul's hustle blurred into faint light trails beyond the taxi window.
As the intense colors and city noise faded, a peaceful silence settled between me, Sugar Girl, and Nero sleeping in my arms.
A drowsy, satisfying atmosphere blending fatigue from successful consulting and a strange sense of accomplishment.
Hot spot status. Signature menu trending. Reservation ledger overflowing. Broadcast offers pouring in.
What should I do with this damn talent?
Why am I so capable? I want to be incompetent. Intensely incompetent.
Passing the Neo Incheon tollgate, the familiar sea scent rushed into my nose.
Sea smell mixed with the artificial ozone of a futuristic city.
Homey scent? Or prison stink?
"Drop us off at that intersection."
Sugar Girl said.
It was still a bit away from Insimdang.
"Why? It's easier to get off right in front of Insimdang."
"No. I just want to walk from here."
The taxi stopped, and we stepped out side by side onto the sidewalk.
"Today felt rewarding."
I broke the silence first.
Not because I had something to say, but because I couldn't stand the awkward quiet.
Silence is golden, but sometimes it's a heavier burden.
"The magical girls. They're much better than at first, right?"
Sugar Girl looked not at me, but at the sunset on the horizon.
"Yeah. Thanks to you. You trained them brutally. I thought you were a drill sergeant."
"It wasn't brutal—it was teaching the basics! Respect for bread, respect for customers. That's basic of basics!"
She replied curtly, but her lips curved up slightly.
Still weak to praise.
Good results mean her way was right.
No, it turned out right.
The world always justifies the process with results.
We walked in silence.
Streetlights flickered on one by one, stretching our shadows long.
Suddenly, a strong sweet scent hit my nose.
She always smelled like freshly baked cookies, but now it was more intense.
Like ripe peaches or melted caramel.
Anyway, suffocatingly sweet.
Sunset light illuminated her profile.
Her usually pale skin seemed flushed from the sunset—or something else.
"Hey, Mayor."
Sugar Girl stopped walking.
I stopped too.
She looked straight up at me.
No usual playfulness or crossed arms—just deep, serious eyes.
Neon signs reflected chaotically in her candy-like pupils.
Sip-
The sweet scent exploded, vibrating.
My sense of smell was going numb.
"Huh?"
The mood was off.
This was a bad flow.
My petty bourgeois senses were blaring warnings.
Run.
Say goodbye casually and leave quick—
"What are we?"
It came.
One of the world's hardest questions to answer.
A demand for relationship definition.
I had dozens of evasion scenarios prepped, but now my mind went blank.
"W-What do you mean 'what'? Why ask that suddenly?"
I made the dumbest, most innocent face possible.
'I know nothing' strategy.
My signature clueless look is one of my strongest weapons.
"Just curious. What we are."
Sugar Girl stopped and stared straight at me.
The overwhelming sweet scent thickened.
Sticky caramel floating in the air, hindering breath.
"What do you think of me, Mayor?"
I averted my gaze, racking my brain.
How to navigate this. What's the optimal answer.
Business partner? Co-worker? Boss and subordinate? Friends?
No, none fit. No word could define this weird relationship.
Saying any word felt like crossing an irreversible river.
"W-Well, you see."
Her eyes wavered slightly.
Disappointment? Anger?
Or something deeper.
"I-I mean..."
I desperately brainstormed.
Brain cells screamed, scrambling for a solution.
CPU at 100%. Memory overload. System crash imminent.
"Relationships are like bread dough!"
What am I saying?
"You can't rush it. It needs time to ripen and ferment. That's how you get delicious bread... no, good relationships! The beauty of waiting! That's key!"
What am I even saying?
"If you don't give the dough time to rise fully, it turns out hard and tasteless! Our relationship is the same, right? After proper fermentation and aging, it becomes like premium bread with the best flavor... a deep relationship..."
Rambling. Logic broken. Escapist nonsense.
But words once spoken can't be taken back.
I desperately babbled anything to escape the awkward, dangerous situation.
The beauty of waiting.
Yeah, that sounds profound.
"How much longer do I have to wait?"
Sugar Girl asked softly.
Her voice had sunk cold.
Oh? Real crisis?
Is this more serious than I thought?
Her eyes weren't smiling.
That eerie calm right before a switch flips.
Cold sweat ran down my spine.
At this rate, I might end up sugared and turned into Insimdang's new menu item today.
Then.
Nyaaang!
A sharp cry shattered the silence.
Ne-rooong-
Nero, who had been quietly nestled in my arms, suddenly stretched toward Sugar Girl's sleeve.
Crunch!
Nero bit into the cookie decoration with its small teeth.
"Ah! Hey! What are you doing!"
Nom nom nom. Chomp chomp.
Nero ignored her and started munching the sleeve too.
"Don't lick! It's getting soggy! This is limited-edition chocolate-coated!"
The tense atmosphere strangling me vanished.
The menacing mood was gone; she reverted to an artist distressed over her damaged work.
Phew. Saved.
Savior. Redeemer. Guardian angel Nero.
You're the only one who saves me in crises.
Raise. No, churu bonus.
"Haa... can't do anything with you."
After much bickering, Sugar Girl finally surrendered half the ribbon to Nero.
She lightly bopped Nero's head.
"Fine... the beauty of waiting, huh..."
She pouted in frustration but didn't press me further.
Crisis averted for now.
She seemed to decide to 'wait' for the time being.
We started walking again. Insimdang's lights were visible in the distance.
"Here we are. Head in."
I nodded at the familiar sign and said goodbye.
Clock out. Disband. Work over.
"Mayor."
She called softly.
"I'll be waiting. Until the bread bakes really tasty and sweet."
"Y-Yeah, see ya!"
I waved casually, forcing nonchalance.
Insimdang's decorations receded behind me.
I felt her gaze on my back but didn't turn.
Turning would make something irreversible happen.
'How much longer do I have to wait?'
Shiver.
No, no. Don't think. Ignoring unsolvable problems is good for mental health.
I'm a petty bourgeois. Complicated romance isn't my expertise.
My expertise is efficient slacking, building slush funds undetected, and safely getting impeached to escape—productive, constructive worries.
A faint scent lingered around.
Sweet, but... slightly bitter somewhere.
Like sugar overheated just before caramelizing, a bit burnt.
Dangerous smell.
"How did it come to this..."
Nyaaang!
I worked too much today.
Time to go home, flop on the soft bed, poke Nero's belly fat, and sleep.