Please Let Me Freeload Through Life (2)
Ho Jun opened his eyes in the darkness.
His eyes, having manifested the traits of a nocturnal animal, shone with sharp clarity even in the pitch black.
I thought it was just Ha Yun being a busybody.
Ha Yun had left the office full of confidence, declaring she was going to recruit a potion maker. When her call came through, he’d planned to tease her about failing. Instead, she made an unexpected request.
She really did come.
He filtered out the parts about her seeming afraid of hurting others, or looking like she had a kind heart. He knew better than anyone that Ha Yun’s eye for people left a lot to be desired. Still, he went along with her words because the situations she predicted usually came true. And just as predicted, someone was skulking around in front of the potion maker’s house.
A man was trying to pick the lock on the front door. Breathing roughly in his excitement, Ho Jun clicked his tongue and approached. Before the startled man could even draw the weapon from inside his coat, Ho Jun’s hand brushed past his chin.
Thud.
As he pondered what to do with the collapsed man, his ears twitched. Beastman form. Dead of night. His heightened senses had caught something. His gaze turned to the window covered by curtains. A moment later, the curtains parted slightly, and something appeared—the eyes with deep dark circles that Ha Yun had mentioned. And when those eyes met Ho Jun’s—
Thud.
The other party fainted on the spot.
“...”
Ho Jun silently made a call. Despite the late hour, the other party answered immediately.
“How did it go?”
“What? You weren’t sleeping?”
“I was doing paperwork.”
“You’re gonna die like that.”
“What about the request I made?”
Thank goodness I didn’t take the clan leader position. Thinking that, Ho Jun said,
“She fainted.”
“...I’ll be right there.”
“I’m truly sorry.”
When I came to, Ha Yun, who had been tending to me, said that and bowed her head.
What is this situation?
I slowly retraced my memories.
I saw a tiger.
Because of the noise from the front door, I’d tried to check the situation through the window. And when I pulled back the curtain, there was a tiger.
“...”
I wanted to believe it was a weird dream, but that tiger was kneeling right next to Ha Yun.
“I feel wronged. I didn’t do anything.”
“Director, your face itself is violence.”
Even at Ha Yun’s sharp remark, the tiger beastman didn’t seem to mind, staring straight at me. Even knowing he was someone I could talk to, I couldn’t meet his eyes. Honestly, I felt like I might faint again right now.
Ha Yun watched my reaction carefully as she explained. When she came to find me, she had sensed something off from the other residents. Feeling responsible since it was because of her visit, she had entrusted security to Ho Jun, the tiger beastman in front of me. And that prediction had been correct. The one thing she hadn’t expected was that I would faint upon seeing him.
After hearing Ha Yun’s explanation, I looked at the tiger beastman. His visuals were still suffocating, but I had to do what I had to do.
“Th-thank you.”
“Mm.”
He didn’t show much emotion, but he seemed not displeased, tapping the floor with his tail. As the atmosphere wasn’t bad, Ha Yun sighed in relief and said,
“And I also apologize for entering your home without permission. Given the circumstances…”
“It’s fine…”
Actually it wasn’t fine, but what could I do. Given the intent, I should understand. Come to think of it, shouldn’t I be the one apologizing? For making them see me like this…
“...?”
Sensing something odd, I looked around and felt something empty. Noticing that, Ha Yun explained.
“I thought it wouldn’t do to leave the materials as they were, so I stored them separately.”
As she said that, she pointed to a refrigerator large enough to fill an entire wall, along with a small generator to power it.
“It’s a cold storage unit procured from a government research lab. It has temperature control for each compartment, so…”
Ha Yun was explaining something, but it wasn’t registering in my ears. You have to exceed expectations moderately for me to react. I saw a tiger in the city, right in front of my house. That’s the kind of thing you just faint over. But they installed equipment used in government research labs in my house. I had no idea how to even react to this.
After finishing her explanation, Ha Yun watched my expression and spoke.
“Exposing your identity was our mistake, so if you wish, we can support you in moving to a new residence.”
At those words, I turned to Ha Yun in surprise. Looking at her eyes, it didn’t seem like she was just saying it.
I was worried about that point, but…
The fact that someone tried to break into my house and was stopped would spread through the apartment. If that became known, would they think, Oh, it’s dangerous, better not go!? Nine times out of ten, they’d get interested, thinking, What the heck was there that made them try to go in even after getting beaten by a tiger? Since that tiger wasn’t going to guard the front door forever, I did feel the need for a countermeasure. But to have a solution offered like this.
Still, I couldn’t accept it right away.
Even so, this is too much.
Saying she’ll compensate because she made a mistake? To a level beyond just resolving the cause? Even if someone’s kind, there’s a limit. It was right to assume there was some ulterior motive here.
As I was deliberating, the tiger beastman scratched his chin and said,
“Anyway, living here any longer will only make things hard for you, right? How about just moving into an apartment managed by our clan?”
Ha Yun looked at him with a disapproving gaze. Meaning it was too blatant, perhaps. Interpreting that look somehow, the tiger shook his head.
“Association apartments won’t work. We’d get flak for lacking fairness.”
Ha Yun closed her eyes for a moment as if at a loss for words, then looked straight at me and said,
“Let me introduce myself again. I’m Ha Yun of the Yeomyeong Clan.”
“Jeong… Jeong Sua.”
Thanks to having thought about what name to use, I could give my name without panicking this time. Ha Yun took something out from her clothes—an empty glass bottle.
“The reason we came looking for you, Sua, is because we found out that you are the maker of this potion.”
“Ah…”
“I’ll be direct. Please join our clan.”
The value of the potions I make. What can be done with them. The compensation given to me. Ha Yun began skillfully delivering a presentation. Her skill was so polished that even Ho Jun listening beside her looked proud. As I listened to Ha Yun’s explanation, I couldn’t hide my guilt.
They drank that, huh.
Suddenly I felt sorry for the two of them. Because the potion I used at first was made with rainwater and rusty water. But I purified it, so it should be fine. Probably…
“How about it? Though I say so myself, these are conditions that would be hard for any other clan to offer.”
Ha Yun’s eyes looked at me. I felt like I was being sucked into those blue pupils, but I steeled myself. I have experience with social life too. I know that no matter how good an offer comes in, deciding right away isn’t good. Especially now when my market value hasn’t even been properly measured. There are countless recipes unlocked after obtaining monster byproducts. Since I don’t know the value of those, contracting right now would be nothing short of hasty.
I’m grateful, but let’s refuse for now.
I came up with a logical response in my head, but—
“W-well… I’ll think about it.”
The words that actually came out of my mouth weren’t what I’d thought. Ha Yun’s disappointed expression. Watching her carefully, I brought out the words I’d prepared.
“But I’ll take the house. Thank you.”
Even I thought it was shameless, but it couldn’t be helped. I have to take what I can get.
The move proceeded quickly. In any era, money moves people. A transport company formed by those who awakened physical enhancement skills but didn’t want to do dangerous work delivered everything in Sua’s house to the designated place in an instant.
“Water and electricity bills will be charged at the end of the month, but just send them our way and we’ll process them as expenses. If there’s anything else you need…”
Ha Yun personally explained about the new residence next to Sua. Sua seemed half-listening as she kept looking around the house in a daze. Seeing that, Ha Yun decided not to let go of her expectations.
Naturally, Ha Yun hadn’t provided the housing out of pure intent. She was, after all, a clan leader running a clan. She wasn’t selfless enough to use the clan’s public funds for charity. This was purely an investment for recruitment.
She’s a kind-hearted person. If I put her under a debt of gratitude like this, I might even be able to secure an exclusive contract.
Sua seemed reluctant to belong to any organization. In that case, she planned to proceed with talks in the form of the Yeomyeong Clan buying all the potions she made. That’s why she offered a particularly good place among the residences they held. Someone like Sua who had lived in harsh conditions would surely be satisfied. As Ha Yun expected, Sua couldn’t help but marvel at the new residence.
Having just finished showering, I couldn’t help but space out for a while.
“Clean water comes out…?”
Proper water facilities. After washing with rusty water, using fluoridated tap water felt so luxurious I was speechless. That impression continued even as I used the provided hair dryer.
“I can use electricity just to dry my hair?”
Electricity supplied constantly without interruption. Of course, before I couldn’t use it even if it was supplied because I had no money, but whether it was possible or not made a big difference. Besides that, with all the various conveniences that let me experience the amenities of pre-Gate civilization, I couldn’t help but recall the rumors that circulated like urban legends—the ghost story that the government and hunters were already living while enjoying restored infrastructure. I thought it was nonsense back then, but it was true.
“...”
If it had been before, when I learned this fact, I might have burst into tears like a child at the injustice. Even if the world is messed up, is this okay? Don’t you have any human heart? I would have shouted. But the current me is an Awakened. I became part of the class that can enjoy that injustice, so is there any reason to complain…?
If you’re jealous… you know?
Like that, I lay down on the bed where sunlight poured in and prayed earnestly to the sky.
Please let me freeload through life…
And the sky answered by making a Gate appear at the refugee apartment where I had lived.