The Documentary Broadcast and the Guild Master's Chair
The documentary shoot was finally over. The middle-aged man looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket but didn't actually light one. He glanced at me, then simply crumpled the pack in his hand. Had something gone wrong with the filming? He kept exhaling into the empty air, as if smoking an invisible cigarette. The heavy atmosphere made me uncomfortable, so I fiddled with the teapot filled with dandelion tea.
"Friend, how much does this tea cost?"
"The tea? It's free."
"Free? Even with the buff effect?"
The middle-aged man tucked the cigarette pack back into his pocket. The way his worries seemed to vanish told me he'd been concerned about the price. "I offered the tea first, so in cases like this, I don't charge."
"You only charge in other situations?"
"Yes. We sell it at the guild café."
Relieved to hear it was free, he downed the remaining dandelion tea in one gulp. "Kuh... How much does this normally cost?"
"About a hundred thousand won per cup."
"A h-hundred thousand won...?"
"Yes... Is that a bit expensive...?"
Even though the others had said it was fine, to me it still felt far too pricey. I knew the buff was the main selling point, but I couldn't bring myself to accept charging a hundred thousand won for a single cup of tea. Was I overcharging adventurers? I looked up at the middle-aged man hesitantly.
"Why is it so cheap...?"
"Cheap?"
"Yeah. I figured it'd be at least a million won. Since even a regular person like me can feel the effect."
"I-I see..."
Buffs were mostly percentage-based, I'd heard. Ten percent was a massive boost for adventurers, but for ordinary people it was barely noticeable. If even a regular person could feel it, just how powerful was this buff? I didn't know the details, but I could tell it was quite useful. Still, I had no intention of raising the price. A hundred thousand won was the limit I'd set for myself. After all, I could make as much tea as I wanted. There was no reason to get greedy.
"Man, thanks to you I'm living the high life, huh?"
The middle-aged man held out his cup with both hands in an exaggeratedly polite gesture. "Drink as much as you like. There's plenty."
"Haha, thanks, but I'll stop here. I'm not that shameless."
"It's fine if you have more."
"No, I've already had plenty. This is enough."
Maybe it was because I'd mentioned the price—after that, no one else came over for tea. Knowing they felt burdened, I didn't offer any more. If something like this happened again, I'd decided not to mention the price next time.
With that resolve, I watched the rest of the shoot with the children. Filming a documentary turned out to be more interesting than I'd expected.
**
It was the day the documentary aired. I moved to the living room with everyone to watch television together.
"Hmm... We don't have enough sofa seats."
"You can sit in the massage chair, Yeo."
"But won't that still be short?"
Han Yeoreum stood with her arms crossed, tapping her finger against my forearm. My ears perked up at the tapping sound, and I tugged at the hem of her clothes.
"I'll sit on the floor."
"No, I'll sit on the floor, little sister. We should buy a bigger sofa later."
Han Yeoreum slipped her hand under my arm and forced me onto the sofa. Levinas bounced over and plopped down beside me.
"Levinas has a solution!"
"A solution?!"
"Yeah! You can just sit on her lap!"
"Oh...! Then we don't need to buy a new sofa?!"
"Yep!"
Han Yeoreum clapped her hands as if she'd realized something. The crisp sound drew everyone's attention.
"How about the winner of rock-paper-scissors gets to sit on my lap?"
"Hmm..."
Wasn't it usually the loser who sat on someone's lap? Tilting my head, I held out my hand. Including me, there were three people small enough to sit on a lap. But four hands were extended. The owner of the much larger hand was Jeong Yuna, who was chuckling to herself.
"...Yuna, you're out."
"...It was just a joke. So mean."
Hmph. Jeong Yuna grumbled and stepped back. The rock-paper-scissors game began. Thanks to my good dynamic vision, I could see exactly what the children were throwing. I had no choice but to close my eyes and play—and luckily, I won.
"Gyeoul wins."
Pat pat. Han Yeoreum tapped her thigh. After a moment's hesitation, I sat down on it. Her arms wrapped around my waist, and my tail swayed on its own. I was used to it by now, so I didn't pay it any mind.
"Gyeoul, are you going to be on TV too?"
"Um... Actually, I'm not sure."
"You don't know?"
"They said they filmed us secretly to capture natural moments."
I hoped nothing strange or bad would show up. Worried, I watched the documentary. It showed the lives of adventurers without any lies—comparing the adventurers people admired with their actual daily lives. It even revealed how many adventurers died in dungeons each year. There were scenes of adventurers actually fighting inside dungeons.
"The visuals are nice."
"They are."
When would the children appear? I watched the documentary with anticipation. Yet even as the video neared its end, there was still no sign of them.
"It looks like it's almost over..."
"Hngh... Levinas didn't come out..."
Just as Levinas's shoulders slumped, the narrator began reciting something meaningful.
—There are no requirements to become an adventurer. Race and age don't matter either.
Along with the narration, the footage showed me and the children. It zoomed in on Levinas's carrot badge and the beginner adventurer badges Saebyeok and I wore, then pulled back to show the full scene. Levinas held my tail with both hands as if it were something precious. The tip of my captured tail swayed gently left and right. Saebyeok stood behind the bench, fiddling with my ears. The ticklish sensation made both ears twitch.
The documentary ended with our footage.
"Oh my, oh my."
"Hng, hngh..."
Han Yeoreum covered her mouth, repeatedly murmuring "oh my." Sofia wore a satisfied expression, while Choi Jinhyuk, Jeong Yuna, Encia, and Argo also seemed quite pleased.
"It was a truly heartwarming scene."
"Yeah. The community reaction is no joke right now."
Han Yeoreum chuckled as she looked at her smartphone. Wanting to see the reactions too, I pulled her hand in front of me.
This reaction wasn't bad at all. I was relieved the children hadn't been insulted by strangers.
"I'm glad."
"What's there to be glad about?"
"I thought people might say something after watching the broadcast."
"Hehe, who in the world would badmouth Gyeoul? If anyone does, big sister will scold them."
Han Yeoreum pulled me into a tight hug. The sense of security made all the strength leave my body.
"It's okay. I don't mind being insulted. I was just worried Saebyeok and Levinas might get hurt."
"...No, big sister does mind. If anyone says anything to Gyeoul, I won't let it slide."
"Mm... Okay."
Just as I worried about the children, Han Yeoreum was worrying about me. For now, I decided to accept her kindness.
"If anything happens, you have to tell big sister, okay?"
"Gyeoul-nim, please tell me as well."
"Yes."
Swish swish. My swaying tail tickled Han Yeoreum's chin. I was simply happy about the kindness my family was showing me.
**
The next morning, I headed to the top floor where the Guild Master was, carrying a box Yu Sang-ah had asked me to deliver. It was about the size of my head, but surprisingly light inside.
"Hello."
I greeted the guards waiting in front of the Guild Master's office door. Perhaps because we were fellow guild members, they smiled back at me.
"Here to see the Master?"
"Yes."
Just as the guard in the black suit was about to knock, the Guild Master's voice came from inside first.
"Come in."
"Okay."
I opened the door and stepped into the office. The Guild Master was gathering his car keys, as if he was about to go out.
"Delivery?"
"Yes. I came to hand over a package."
"Just toss it over there."
"Okay."
I set the package on the table and looked up at the Guild Master. He smirked and pointed at the guards by the door with his thumb.
"First time I've seen them smile like that."
"Don't they smile often?"
"No way."
"Huh...?"
They always smiled whenever we passed each other. He must have been mistaken. The Guild Master lightly pushed my back toward the desk—the only piece of furniture in the vast space that radiated authority.
"Try sitting in this chair."
"Me?"
Was it really okay for me to sit in a seat that symbolized power? After glancing at the Guild Master, I sat down.
"You're the temporary Guild Master for today."
"...What?"
"It's a job experience. Just handle any phone calls or visitors."
"......?"
Why all of a sudden? Was this some kind of prank? I stared at the Guild Master with my mouth hanging open.
"It's an urgent matter, so I'll be going now."
The Guild Master gave a quick farewell and disappeared out the door. As if to prove it wasn't a joke, I heard the sound of the elevator descending. I was left alone in the vast space of power.
Ring ring—!
The phone rang, but I couldn't answer it. I didn't even understand the situation yet, so there was no way I could pick up the call.