Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Friendly People
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I unpacked my luggage at the lodging and stepped outside.
The wooden houses, nowhere to be seen back in Korea, filled the air with a genuine vacation vibe.
Even under the cloudy sky, my mood lifted on its own.
"Time to seriously start hunting for the second tool. Where do you plan to begin?"
Se-hwa stretched her arms and asked.
Unfortunately, the only info I'd gotten from the entity was that the second tool was somewhere in this village.
No other clues to go on.
"The entity didn't give any specific hints. Looks like we'll have to wander around the village blindly."
"It told us to find the first one in the mountains, and now we have to scour the village. At least the place is small, so that's something."
"I did all the work finding it in the mountains anyway. Se-hwa didn't lift a finger and just complained the whole time."
"Ugh. You nailed it out of nowhere. Yeah, you're right. I just tagged along, and everything worked out? Seo-hwa really is the best!"
Se-hwa, stung by my jab, tried to gloss it over with flattery.
Does she think showering me with random praise will cheer me up?
What a cheeky attitude.
But honestly, the compliments did lift my spirits a bit.
They say even a whale will dance for praise, so I'm not weird for feeling good.
"So, we're just gonna wander around aimlessly for now?"
"Yeah. If we get near the entity, I can sniff it out. We'll cover a bunch of spots."
Se-hwa glanced at me after hearing my answer.
What was she about to say?
"They say even Mount Geumgang is best after a meal. How about we grab some food first and think it over?"
Se-hwa flashed a sly smile and suggested eating.
Talking about grub before we've even started searching was a bit deflating.
Still, she had a point.
You need a full belly to hustle, and maybe we'd spot something at the restaurant.
"Sure. Let's hit a restaurant first."
"Great, it's settled. But this isn't just about eating. It's all for intel gathering. Got it?"
"Not sure we'll get info from a restaurant."
"What are you talking about? That's where you always get the good stuff."
"Where's that rule from?"
"Movies do it all the time. Info always comes from restaurants or bars. No reason we can't too."
I followed Se-hwa's elaborate self-justification as we headed to a restaurant.
Soon, we arrived at a rustic log cabin built from massive timber beams.
The old-fashioned wooden structure made it feel like we'd stepped into a fantasy world.
I pushed open the wooden door and entered the restaurant.
"Welcome~! Oh, tourists?"
The kindly restaurant owner greeted us warmly.
A decent crowd of other patrons sat scattered around, suggesting it was a popular spot.
As we walked in, eyes turned our way for a moment before everyone returned to their meals.
"Yeah. I'm on vacation with my little sister."
Se-hwa handled it smoothly and took a seat at an empty table.
We must look totally out of place to the locals—easy to spot as tourists wherever we go.
"I'll go with meat soup and rye bread. What about you, Seo-hwa?"
"Same for me, please."
Se-hwa ordered bread and soup, and soon the owner brought it out.
I dipped the bread into the steaming soup and dug in.
The rye bread had a coarse texture laced with nutty flavor and a pleasant tang, while the meat soup warmed me up with its hearty chunks and veggie broth.
First meal on vacation: satisfying.
Even in a rural spot, the crowd made sense—this was damn good food.
I finished up and went to pay the owner.
"Mind if I ask one question?"
Se-hwa slipped in her query while settling the bill.
"Of course."
"Any recent rumors about entities showing up in the village?"
I hadn't expected Se-hwa to ask so directly.
The owner's face darkened slightly.
"Oh, rumors are a dime a dozen. Entities kidnapping folks, people heading out to work and never coming back after getting lured... That stuff's always floating around."
The owner answered with a worried look.
Do outsiders always live in fear of entities like that?
Holed up in the lab all the time, I have no clue what normal people think.
"Not those old tales. Looking for something fresh. Any new buzz lately?"
Se-hwa pressed on.
The owner pondered for a bit, then spoke.
"No new entity rumors. Lately, everyone's fixated on the Kuiscaus Festival instead of that gossip."
"Got it. Thanks."
Was it the long chat?
I felt the patrons' stares.
Everyone had stopped eating to watch Se-hwa and me.
"We'll head out now. Great food!"
As Se-hwa turned to leave, the customers resumed eating.
Like they'd never stared at all—totally natural.
We left the restaurant after a satisfying meal.
"Hmm. Struck out on info. But the food was good, so not a total loss."
"Didn't Se-hwa notice?"
"Huh? Notice what?"
"When you were talking to the owner, every single person in the restaurant was staring at you."
"...What?"
Se-hwa looked skeptical.
"You serious?"
"Yes. They all stopped eating and stared right at you."
"Let's move somewhere else first."
Se-hwa and I walked in silence.
We soon reached a quiet empty lot with no one around.
"According to you, Seo-hwa, everyone in the restaurant was staring at me?"
"Yes. Not a single one missed it."
"Even as foreigners, there were a lot of people in there. I didn't cause a scene, so them all staring can't be coincidence."
Se-hwa fell deep in thought, going quiet.
Eventually, she nodded slowly and spoke.
"Alright. Not sure exactly, but there's definitely an entity in this village. Let's investigate. If it's a bust, we can try elsewhere."
"I think so too. Let's search the village thoroughly."
I walked the empty lot with Se-hwa.
Rustic and peaceful, as you'd expect from the countryside.
And, countryside-like, it carried an eerie chill.
"By the way, how'd the princess pick up on that? You were looking at the owner with me."
"There are plenty of ways to sense without looking. Sounds, movements—they don't rely on sight."
"Incredible. Superhuman senses."
"Hehe. I'm pretty amazing."
With our plan set, Se-hwa and I left the lot.
We poked around the village hunting for the entity.
Not much different from the original goal, but the villagers' odd behavior sharpened our focus.
"Let's check the shops first."
No big chain stores in this rural village.
Not even a convenience store—the wooden shops felt like stepping back in time.
We asked around various stores about entity rumors.
"Phew. All 'no idea.' Are they clueless, or hiding something...?"
The shopkeepers' reactions were all the same.
Friendly at first, but once Se-hwa brought up entities, quick "not sure" and end of chat.
Another bust—we had no choice but to head back to the lodging.
"Did the whole village get enthralled by an entity? Not impossible, but that's huge scale."
"I didn't catch the entity's scent either. If it's controlling people, it'd have to be hiding somewhere. But I couldn't find it."
"You didn't sense it, Seo-hwa? Did I jump to conclusions? Maybe the villagers were just nice folks curious about foreigners."
Se-hwa stood up.
"Let's drive around outside the village too."
"Okay."
We left the lodging to search beyond the village.
I got in the car and turned the key.
"Huh? What's wrong with this?"
Se-hwa kept turning the key, trying to start it.
Vrrr... click.
The engine coughed weakly, then went dead silent. No start.
"The car's busted."
Se-hwa muttered quietly.
"Of all the timing...? No car means we can't leave the village."
We couldn't get out until it was fixed.