Chapter 40
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: The Missing Gown
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Seol Yu-wol leaned back against the soft bed, nibbling on the mooncake he'd left behind like a baby bird pecking at crumbs.
- *Nibble nibble.*
A soft sweetness spread through her mouth.
And with that sweetness came the physician's voice echoing in her mind.
'What do you want to do now, Yu-wol?'
What she wanted to do.
She mulled over those words more seriously than ever before in her life.
Become the Murim Alliance Leader?
Repay her mother's grace?
But beyond those two options, her mind was a blank slate.
Seol Yu-wol's life had never once included something she wanted to do.
Her days began before dawn with a sword in hand.
Thousands of sword forms.
Until the sensation left her arms.
Hundreds of martial arts manuals.
Until her head throbbed like it might split open and the words no longer registered.
It was the path her mother had set for her, her goal.
There were no feelings of wanting to do it or hating to do it.
Only the duty that she had to fulfill.
That hadn't changed even after her mother vanished overnight.
To fill her mother's empty place.
The Murim Alliance buzzed with preparations to elect the next leader, and Seol Yu-wol was naturally among the candidates.
But the name spat out by the elders wasn't hers.
'We nominate the Iron Blood Sword Emperor of the Elders' Council as the next Murim Alliance Leader!'
She had failed.
She considered it her own failure.
She blamed everything on her own shortcomings.
From that day on, she shut herself away from the world.
Secluded training.
She madly recited the passages of the martial arts her mother had left behind, over and over.
But nothing changed.
No progress in her techniques, no advancement in her realm.
'What in the world do I have to do...'
A suffocating hopelessness where she couldn't see even an inch ahead.
Without her mother, she couldn't do anything.
She could only endlessly repeat the passages left behind.
Months passed like that.
Finally, her mind broke first.
A heart demon descended.
Amid excruciating pain, her consciousness faded.
A horrific sensation like all the blood in her body surging in reverse.
When she opened her eyes again, she had no idea how much time had passed.
Throat burning with thirst, she staggered toward the sound of water deeper in the cave.
And there, she saw her reflection in the still pool amid the darkness.
Half of her black hair had turned snow-white, like dead ashes.
To Seol Yu-wol, it was the mark of failure.
That horrific memory tightened around her throat once more.
Suddenly, unbearable anxiety gripped her.
The silence in the room felt like it would swallow her whole, just like the darkness of that cave back then.
At that moment, when her arms trembled so badly she could feel it.
- *Rustle.*
Seol Yu-wol reflexively snatched the mooncake bag beside her.
With shaking hands, she took out the last remaining piece and slowly pushed it into her mouth.
The cold pastry gradually melted on her tongue.
"Ah..."
That sweetness began to slowly wash away the bitter taste tormenting her.
Seol Yu-wol still hadn't found an answer to the physician's question.
However.
One desire had been born.
"Will you... come tomorrow...?"
I hope you do.
I want to see you again.
It was the first thing Seol Yu-wol had ever wanted of her own will.
A morning with no alarm.
"Ah..."
Today was Sunday.
Actually, yesterday had been Saturday too, but she couldn't rest.
It was the day right after the Otherworlder variable had appeared, so she had to work.
But it was fine.
The talk with Seol Yu-wol had ended successfully, and the meeting with Lee Seo-ryeong had wrapped up reasonably well too.
And today was finally a perfect, official holiday.
I got out of bed.
Today was a day to spend as just plain old Seon-woo, not Counselor Seon-woo.
I went to the kitchen, poured cereal into a bowl, and added cold milk.
Lately, I'd been living way too exhausted.
Sleep was always short, and I often pulled all-nighters researching materials.
I'd only just become a counselor, so I'd get used to it eventually.
I comforted myself like that as I brought the spoon to my mouth.
The TV I'd just turned on filled the room with the announcer's voice.
- As of yesterday, the dimensional erosion incident around Seoul Forest has been stabilized...
Fortunately, the erosion caused by Seol Yu-wol's arrival had been safely resolved.
The Association announced that Seoul Forest would reopen to the public next week after thorough safety checks.
I chewed my cereal blankly while watching the news.
Recovery from incidents was swift.
This world had now fully adapted to the existence of Otherworlders.
Back when I first came here, a single dimensional transfer would paralyze an entire city, leaving people trembling in fear.
But now, unless it was a massive one, it was just a minor hiccup.
Citizens evacuated according to protocol.
The Association swiftly controlled the scene.
Hunters quietly did their jobs.
And the aftermath from there on... that was now my domain.
I rinsed the empty bowl under running water.
To reiterate, today was a holiday.
So what now?
What do you mean, what?
Time to study.
The mother-daughter pair had both become my clients at once.
Which meant double the study material, naturally.
With some rare free time, I could leisurely review without pulling an all-nighter.
How great was that?
But first.
"Laundry first..."
The household chores I'd been putting off for days.
I grabbed the laundry basket and started sorting the clothes.
Towels, underwear, whites.
But then.
- *Rummage rummage.*
- *Rummage rummage.*
No matter how I dug through the pile, the one thing that should be there wasn't.
My gown.
"Wait... it's not here?"
I'd thought it was home since it wasn't at the office.
But it wasn't.
"Not here either."
Where the hell did it go?
I tilted my head.
- *Sniff sniff...*
"What the heeell..."
Luna plopped down right in front of the dryer door, where a lingering warmth still emanated.
This was already her third time.
The doctor's gown she'd swiped—no, borrowed from Teacher's office yesterday.
To ease her guilt, she'd come straight home and washed it with the best detergent, as cleanly as possible.
Even loaded it up with fragrant fabric softener.
When the first dry cycle finished, she triumphantly pulled out the gown.
And Luna jumped in shock.
Teacher's pleasant scent lingered ever so faintly.
Well, it was Teacher's clothes, after all.
The problem was, when she came to her senses and sniffed again.
A thick layer of another scent had been slathered right on top.
Absolutely not a smell that should come from a freshly washed and dried white gown.
Thick, heavy... the sweet, blatant aroma unique to beastkin.
Pheromones.
Post-wash, so she couldn't pinpoint who, but it was definitely pheromones.
'Did I... unconsciously...?'
Luna's mind went blank at the realization her body had reacted on its own.
To leave such a strong trace on Teacher's belonging.
Teacher was a regular human, so he might not notice. But other beastkin would.
Elise or... the other beastkin at Union would sniff it out instantly...
Just imagining it made her face burn like it might explode.
Luna quickly ran a second wash.
Double the detergent.
- *Ding ding ding~*
The dryer finished.
- *Sniff sniff...*
"Ah."
Same result.
- *Ding ding ding~*
Third time was the same.
It just wouldn't come out.
She couldn't return it like this.
"Nooo..."
Right then, as she hung her head in despair.
- *Click.*
Elise yawned as she opened the laundry room door.
"Yaaawn... Sis, what're you doing there?"
Luna grabbed her little sister with a face on the verge of tears.
Right, Elise was more mature than her.
"Elise...! Big trouble! Do you know... how to get rid of pheromones?"
Of course, Elise was just as clueless.
"Pheromones? What do you mean, you and pheromones..."
Elise chuckled incredulously and brought her nose to the gown in Luna's hand.
She sniffed once, and her expression froze solid.
"Uh...?"
This wasn't Sis's scent.
Incredibly thick and heavy.
Couldn't identify exactly, but...
This is...
Me?
Last night, after confirming her sister's bedroom door was shut, she'd snuck into the laundry room.
And for a long, long time while Luna slept, she'd sniffed away.
Being in that enclosed space the whole time must've let her scent soak right in.
No one knows their own scent better than themselves.
Elise buried her nose deep in the gown again, as if in disbelief.
This time, much more seriously.
And confirmed it. No room for doubt.
It was hers.
"What do I do... It's too strong, right? Too obvious?"
Luna stomped her feet beside her, on the brink of tears with worry.
"......"
It's mine.
"I must be going crazy lately... My body's acting weird..."
Tell me about it.
"......"
Elise couldn't bring herself to say a word.
Her innocent sister was taking the fall for her own pervy deed.
She quietly opened her mouth.
"Yeah... You gotta be careful, Sis..."
"Eeeeng..."
Luna finally collapsed to the floor, burying her face in her hands.
- *Pat pat.*
All Elise could do was pat her sister's back with a terribly complicated expression.