Chapter 34
Chapter 34
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Studio Apartment (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In the dark basement, monitors flickered ceaselessly. Like a video art installation by some famous artist, CCTV screens filled every wall. Each one showed people of all sorts going about their daily lives.
Beneath the screens, people busily worked the controls without a break. They hammered away at keyboards with stiff expressions or sipped drinks to get through their shifts. The floor was sticky with melted donut crumbs from the machine heat, and discarded burger wrappers stained with sauce lay scattered about.
A fan whirred constantly inside the room. Someone grimaced after downing a cola packed with ice and spoke up.
"Man, it's cold. Turn off the AC."
"The machines'll overheat. That's why I told you to bring a jacket."
"Ugh, this sucks! When's winter coming?"
He shook his head and set his drink bottle back down beside him. Then he focused on the intense action unfolding beyond the CCTV. One guy had suddenly stood up and started stripping off his shirt. It was their top-priority surveillance target, Number One: Kim Chun-bae, aka "Hanakawa Misaki."
"Ah, fuck, that asshole's at it again."
The guy watching the CCTV smirked and said,
"Come out! Misaki-chan!"
Kim Chun-bae's booming voice echoed. A flash of light burst from his belly, forming a small portal. Out popped Hanakawa Misaki in a frilly dress. She landed lightly on the floor, flashed a V-sign with her fingers, and said,
"You've called for me again today! Alright then, shall we all do it together? Love and justice's hero, Love-Love~~,"
Kim Chun-bae started dancing enthusiastically, spinning his arms like a hamster on a wheel. Every time he switched feet, the room shook with thuds. When Misaki raised her hands high, he bellowed even louder.
"Misaki-chan!!!"
It was a bizarre sight that never got any less weird, no matter how many times you saw it. A man lounging in his chair with his feet up on the keyboard desk turned to the worker beside him.
"Hey, so who's Misaki-chan anyway? Is that thing for real? She's fucking gorgeous."
The guy next to him tapped his phone a few times and replied,
"She's a character from some anime called Flower Drum."
"Whoa, he summons an anime character? That's some next-level shit. How much of an otaku does he have to be?"
The man was genuinely impressed. Summoner Awakeners' mental worlds and summons were deeply intertwined. They usually called forth beings modeled after objects, animals, or people they felt the strongest bond with. Summoning an anime character meant his ties to cartoons ran deeper than to reality.
"Exactly why he's our top surveillance priority. The others are just third-string benchwarmers. Never gonna get picked."
The man pocketed his phone and got back to work. On screen, Kim Chun-bae had cranked up some music and was dancing. He waved penlights in both hands, moving his massive frame with surprising flexibility. Each step sent thuds reverberating through the floor.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Then, in sync with his rhythm, came knocks at the door. Chun-bae halted mid-dance, chest heaving. He lumbered to the front door and flung it open. The CCTV only caught his heaving shoulders.
As soon as the door opened, a seething voice from across the threshold tried to hold back its anger.
"Hey, Chun-bae. I don't care what you do with your summon, but honestly, jumping around like that in the apartment? It's a bit much, don't you think? And the music—put on something listenable. Not this weird mechanical noise spewing nonsense lyrics. Dude, this is shared living space."
Chun-bae exhaled slowly and peered across. Round glasses and sweat trickling down the forehead were clear even through the screen. His eyes trembled as he said,
"I-I'm... training my skill?"
"What?"
"I-I'm... tr-training my skill. This isn't play, it's training."
"Play or training, do it outside. Seriously, every weekend I can't even sleep because of you..."
The complaints dragged on. The neighbor seemed more interested in persuading Chun-bae than fighting. But Chun-bae looked ready for war. His body shuddered, and he yelled,
"A-alright. I'll... be careful."
But the rage bubbling to his chin couldn't quite spill over. Chun-bae hunched his shoulders, muttered that, and quietly shut the door. A small voice came from the other side, but he had no interest in more talk. Back at his spot, he turned down the speaker volume a notch. Waiting Misaki asked,
"Something wrong? No getting mad. Gotta smile! Okay, smile-summoning spell! Let's sing the Egao Song together! One, two...!"
Misaki started dancing and singing. Chun-bae joined in timidly at first, moving small and slow. But the remorse didn't last. He sank back into the music, jumping big again. The speaker volume crept up, and his chants for Misaki-chan grew louder.
"Uoooooh! Uoooooh! Egao! Egao! Misaki-chan! Egao!"
The CCTV watcher asked,
"What's Egao mean?"
"Smiling face."
"Holy shit."
The man glanced downward. The apartment below came into view. Another Hunter had come home, buried his face in his pillow, and was thrashing about. Irritated by the thuds from above and Kim Chun-bae's howls, he scratched his head, grabbed smokes, wallet, and phone, and geared up to head out.
"Yo, you around? Fuck, can I crash at yours for a bit? Whatever, fuck that psycho otaku Kim Chun-bae lives above me, blasting songs every weekend like a maniac. Can't even smack him around. Driving me nuts."
The front door slammed shut. At the same moment, the surveillance facility's door opened. Everyone turned. A neat-looking guy strolled in with a big grin. A worker fiddling with a computer said,
"Bro, heard you signed another new one-room lease?"
"Yeah. Why's no one biting on this cheap studio near the Academy? Fifteen pyeong, 70 deposit, 30 monthly—it's a steal, right?"
"Nah, man. People are suspicious these days. Looks too good, they think you're burying bodies in the yard. Just set it at 150 deposit, 40 rent—they'll come running."
The neat guy scratched his head.
"Dammit. Thought I'd hook one this time, but he said it felt off. Passed on the sweet deal for a 150/40 place. Makes no sense. Both buildings are ours anyway. And it's farther from the Academy. You know we got a few more studios over by Jangan-dong on the way here? He went there."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. Let's check him out anyway. He's moving in today. Oh, and HQ says we're overstaffed watching—pull CCTVs and drop surveillance on anyone who won't bite."
"Got it. Which room?"
"Jangan Villa 405."
"Hunter nickname and name?"
"Ada Bomber, Jeong Su-hyeon."
The guy flinched, then nodded like he remembered something.
"Ohhh, that dude! Yeah, him!"
The neat-looking guy chuckled.
"Funny part? First time we met, he introduced himself to me as 'Bomber.' If he's embarrassed, why pick that name? We all saw it from the audience at orientation anyway."
"Who knows. Drunk naming?"
"Anyway, pull up his feed. See what he's up to. If he's moping like a depressed drunk, add him to the list. If he's thriving, delete him now."
"Yes, sir."
The screen switched to Jeong Su-hyeon's room. Freshly moved in, he looked around with satisfaction. No wrinkles on his face, and his button-up-clad build was pretty solid.
He locked the door and started undressing on the bed.
"Shower time?"
"Nah."
Once naked, Jeong Su-hyeon sat cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes. Spotting the meditation, one guy said,
"Meditating, huh. Living clean—doesn't live up to his rep."
The three watched his meditation with bored faces. Deep breaths, eyes shut, until his body finally relaxed with steady breathing. They stared silently. Then suddenly, Jeong Su-hyeon's body jerked. Cold sweat poured down.
"What the—?"
"H-hey, that guy! That guy!"
Another watcher pointed and yelled. Jeong Su-hyeon was rock-hard, body shaking. The men forgot they could just shut it off, plunged into chaos. As they exchanged awkward looks, Jeong Su-hyeon snapped his eyes open and roared,
"Uoooooooh!"
Splurt! Spurt! Spluuuurt!
White fluid arced clearly across the CCTV. The men grimaced and screamed.
"Gaaah!"
"Fuck!"
They killed Jeong Su-hyeon's feed and struck him from the watchlist. Still reeling, one pointed at the blank CCTV and said,
"That psycho?"
"Fucking jerks it like a champ."
They decided to forget about Jeong Su-hyeon.
Jeong Su-hyeon had no idea.
Thanks to the Omnipotent Being's intervention, he had slipped from the clutches of that sinister secret organization.