90. A Date with Na Yu-na
The air reeked of rot and decay.
The Back Alley.
Here, each stairway revealed a vastly different standard of living. On the highest floor, a man sat trembling with anxiety.
"Why...! Why could you not keep watch over that one beast...!"
The man's name was Na Jin-woo.
Expelled from NAVI in the past, he had built his own kingdom within the Gate. Now, he was gripped by the terror that everything he'd constructed might crumble to dust.
"Th-That..."
His men groveled pathetically before the enraged Na Jin-woo.
The Back Alley was a space inside the Gate. The role of these prostrate men had been to guard the boss monster's core to ensure the Gate's continued existence. But one day, the boss monster had simply vanished, and when Na Jin-woo discovered this fact, they could only cower in terror and beg for forgiveness.
"..."
Na Jin-woo sat in a grand chair, almost like a throne. Two emotions coexisted within him: fury and fear.
Perhaps sensing that trembling rage, his two subordinates slammed their foreheads against the floor and cried out.
"S-S-Sorry...! We have committed a sin worthy of death...!"
Voices of apology. But Na Jin-woo was not satisfied.
"Did I ask for an apology? I asked where the creature went. Is this how you repay my kindness for taking you in? A shame. Truly, a shame."
"S-Sorry...! If you would only grant us some time..."
"Time, you say..."
Time. Could he really trust these two with more time? Na Jin-woo considered it, but the answer came easily.
"It has already been eight long years since I first set eyes on you in that garbage heap."
"...It has."
The two henchmen nodded. They were individuals Na Jin-woo had picked up eight years ago in the slums. Because of that long history, they had expected they would not be killed here. Na Jin-woo looked down at them and murmured.
"What a regret this is."
"...Excuse me?"
"I said I regret picking up scum like you."
How dare they stir up trouble in my kingdom. A crime like this is punishable by death.
Na Jin-woo pulled out a small magic core from his sleeve and clasped it tightly. Seeing it, the men flinched in terror and scrambled backward.
"H-Hiik...! I-I don't want to die...!"
The two men ran. Na Jin-woo glared at them and unleashed the core's power. The core was from the boss of the Back Alley Gate. Though he'd been abandoned by his family for having low mana, this item let him wield power rivaling an A-rank.
"What a shame."
Leaving only those words behind, mana erupted from the core. The stench of decay pulsed through the air along with the magical aura. In an instant, the spreading mana swallowed them whole.
"Guaaak...!!"
The two men shrieked in agony. Even after eight years of watching over them, Na Jin-woo's eyes remained utterly cold.
"..."
The mana washed over them, and the two men vanished without a trace. Looking at the spot where they had disappeared, the King of the Back Alley, Na Jin-woo, roared inside his dazzling palace.
"Find it immediately...! That damn Magic Beast...!"
At his furious command, a group emerged from the shadows. The Back Alley Hunters. They were Na Jin-woo's direct subordinate unit, handling all manner of illegal tasks. As long as the core itself wasn't destroyed, this Back Alley world wouldn't collapse. But if the Magic Beast serving as its shell kept suffering shocks, the core's energy would rapidly dwindle. The Back Alley Hunters instantly scattered to find the creature.
Fwoosh—
The hunters vanished with a sharp gust of wind. Once they were gone, Na Jin-woo murmured uneasily from his throne.
"Before my father learns of this, it must be found..."
Where on earth could that Magic Beast have fled? Na Jin-woo's clenched fist trembled violently.
***
Morning sunlight streamed through the window.
"...Already morning, huh."
I rubbed my eyes and got up. Ban Ha-na was fast asleep beside me, breathing softly in a deep slumber. I decided to go through my usual morning wash-up routine.
Splish. Splash.
Wash my face, brush my teeth. Once the basic routine was done, I glanced at my phone on the desk.
"...She should be awake by now."
No way she's still sleeping. Her morning starts an hour earlier than everyone else's. I picked up my phone and tried calling her.
Ring... ring...
The dial tone hummed in my ear. Was she still asleep? No, that couldn't be right.
After a few rings, a flat, monotone voice came through the phone.
- Hello.
"Hey, Na Yu-na. You're up?"
Na Yu-na was the one I'd called. With so little time left before she hit rock bottom, I decided to reach out at this early hour.
- Han Si-jun. Why are you calling at this time? Do you have something to say to me?
"Just wondering if you had any free time today."
- ...?
'Free time?' Na Yu-na seemed to hesitate at my question. She was probably running through today's schedule in her head. She lived by a strict timetable, so the calculation had to be exact. About ten seconds passed before she answered, as if her mental math was finally done.
- ...I have some free time around lunch. About three hours or so.
"Three hours? That's more than I expected."
- ...Is there a problem?
Na Yu-na suddenly bristled. Maybe because she lived by a tightly packed schedule, calling it a light day seemed to bruise her pride. She was taking it the wrong way. I spoke naturally to her.
"So, you want to go on a date today?"
- Wh-What...?
Na Yu-na normally showed very little emotion, but right now she was clearly flustered.
'What's he suddenly talking about?' She was probably thinking something like that.
To spare her the embarrassment, I quickly added,
"No, I mean, let's just hang out as friends for a bit. I'm still officially your bodyguard, and I haven't seen your face at all since break started."
- ...Is that so?
She wasn't the type to agree to meet without a solid reason, so once I shoehorned one in, she finally responded positively.
- Alright. Let's meet at 12. But I'm not at the Academy right now.
"Huh? So where are you?"
- NAVI. I'm at the family residence.
"..."
I'd assumed she'd be at the Academy. Now I have to travel there...? For a moment, laziness clung to my body, but with a Will stat of 8, I powered through the feeling and answered.
"...Alright. I'll see you at 12. I'll call you when I'm close."
- Fine.
A cool, crisp reply. With that, the call with Na Yu-na ended, and I started getting ready at double speed. Na Yu-na considers punctuality as serious as a life-or-death matter. And the distance from the Academy to the NAVI headquarters is far. Will it take about two hours? No, probably longer than that.
"Haa..."
I hate troublesome things, but I had no choice but to hurry up and prepare to head out.
"Hnnnyaah... Hmm..."
Ban Ha-na was breathing evenly, sleeping completely at ease.
"You sleep well, don't you..."
Here I was, scrambling to get ready, and there she was, sleeping without a care in the world. Watching her, I oddly felt a bit proud of her.
***
'Si-jun. Where are you going?'
I left the newly awakened Ban Ha-na in Yu Ha-yeon's care. After finishing my preparations, I found myself standing in front of Na Yu-na's company.
"Why are there so many people...?"
The area around NAVI was packed. It must have been the time of day. 12 o'clock. Lunch hour, the prime window when office workers grab a bite, drink coffee, or smoke a cigarette. I called Na Yu-na from near the building.
Ring... ring...
A couple of seconds after the dial tone sounded, she picked up, almost as if she'd been waiting to call me herself.
- Hello.
"Ah, I'm in front of the building. Where are you?"
- I'm on my way out of the company. You said you were out front, right? Wait there.
Click.
Man, she's so efficient with words. Na Yu-na relayed only the necessary information and hung up. I secretly wondered if her brain was made of mechanical parts. I waited about three minutes.
"When's she coming out..."
The moment that slipped out of my mouth, Na Yu-na exited the NAVI building. These 'timing flags' really are reliable. She looked a bit tired as she walked out. Probably from all the work. Even though a student, Na Yu-na had gone for an office look.
She was wearing a white blouse and a black skirt, her blonde hair tied back with a butterfly-shaped hair tie. She gave off a neat, professional vibe—almost like an actual office worker. With the click-clack of her heels, she approached me and asked,
"So, what's the schedule?"
"Just follow me for now. I'll tell you as we walk."
Saying that, I turned to head toward our destination. But first, one thing.
"Na Yu-na. Hang on a second."
"...?"
I handed her a shopping bag. She silently shot me a look that said, 'What's this?' I was handing it to her precisely so she'd open it. So frustrating. If you didn't explicitly tell Na Yu-na to open something, she simply wouldn't. I spoke to her softly.
"Change into the slippers inside. You can't walk around in heels like that."
"..."
She immediately opened the shopping bag. Inside were a pair of slippers I usually wore.
"...I haven't worn them much, so don't worry about it. Go ahead."
"...Thanks."
This was basic consideration. Sure, part of my reason was to score a few points, but I couldn't, in good conscience, make her walk around in heels. My consideration here was genuinely real. Na Yu-na swapped her heels for the slippers and followed me.
The direction we headed wasn't toward the franchise chain restaurants, but into an alley lined with old-fashioned shops. When she saw it, Na Yu-na asked again.
"...Han Si-jun. Where exactly are we going?"
Wherever could we be going? Without a hint of embarrassment, I answered her.
"A tteokbokki shop."
"..."
I was planning to take Na Yu-na to a famous eatery in this alley: a spicy rice cake restaurant. Pasta on a date? That's just a cliché.