Is My Kneading Really That Good?
Leaving Baek Arang's place, Cha Eunwol swept her gaze across the officetel building and nodded.
"Hmm... the security doesn't seem bad."
"Right. The guards here look pretty familiar too."
Cheon Yura nodded along with Cha Eunwol's words, studying the guards stationed at the officetel entrance. Every single one of them was a former hunter who'd made quite a name for themselves in their active days.
"Yes, I've heard they hired former hunters."
"Well, that's even better."
Cha Eunwol assessed the guards' auras and nodded. Unless a mid-sized guild came at them with serious intent, the security looked like it could hold its own.
"Hmm... this really is the best option. The security's not bad."
As Cha Eunwol muttered with her arms crossed, Cheon Yura also looked around and nodded.
"I agree. It's close to the major guild headquarters, so if anything happens, we can rush over immediately."
"And it'd be easy to send guild members too."
As their conversation carried a tone of relief, Cha Eunwol suddenly turned her gaze toward Cheon Yura as if something had occurred to her.
"Oh, right. I heard Georang has been going around purging all sorts of shady guilds lately."
"I know. They've been sweeping them out in the open. Well, every single one of those guilds had dirty hands and bad reputations, so the Association and government aren't really making any moves to stop them."
Cheon Yura shrugged as if it were no big deal. But Cha Eunwol's expression remained heavy. She looked up at the officetel where Baek Arang was staying and narrowed her eyes.
"They're probably the ones targeting Arang. That mad dog Georang has no reason to suddenly clean up random scum otherwise."
"That's correct. I checked the list of guilds they took out, and every single one was on our radar as groups we'd been monitoring for targeting Arang."
At Kim Hyeona's words, Cheon Yura let out a small sound of acknowledgment and stroked her chin.
"Hoooh... so he doesn't like other people eyeing his prey, so he's doing some pruning for us."
"Right. He hasn't bared his teeth at us directly yet, but we don't know when he might."
"Like that time?"
At Cheon Yura's remark, Cha Eunwol's face crumpled and she ground her teeth.
"That wasn't your fault, so why don't you just let it go?"
"...Shut up."
Cheon Yura shook her head at Cha Eunwol's sharp killing intent and took a step back.
"Come on, don't get so prickly with your friend. Arang told us to get along."
"...And then a so-called friend calls me up to brag about being called her sister?"
"Wouldn't you do the same?"
At that, Cha Eunwol had nothing to say and clamped her mouth shut. The thought that she probably would've done the exact same thing crossed her mind.
"Tch. Fine, whatever..."
"Don't be so upset. I'm obviously the more sister-like one to Arang."
"I swear, shut up already."
Cheon Yura dodged Cha Eunwol's fist, wrapped herself in lightning, and vanished.
---
After everyone left, I roamed around my spacious new home, swishing my tail.
Swish, swish.
Starting with the living room sofa, then the dining table chairs, and even the edges of the wallpaper — I rubbed my scent glands against every surface.
"Sniff sniff... Mmm, good."
As the whole house absorbed my familiar, cozy scent, a strange sense of stability finally welled up from deep in my chest.
Mmm... it feels like my home now.
The new house smell had felt a bit awkward and uncomfortable at first, but once my scent covered it all, I could finally relax.
"This is why I work hard, right here."
With a satisfied expression, I flopped down onto the plush leather sofa in the middle of the living room.
"...I'm going to have to knead this too."
It was soft and the leather felt nice, as expected for the price, but it was nowhere near as good as the bed I'd reinforced with my kneading.
...At this rate, I won't be able to live without kneading.
As I stared blankly at the ceiling, basking in drowsiness—
Zzng—
The smartphone on the table vibrated briefly. I turned on the screen to see a text from Livia.
"Oh, Iris is doing much better!"
We'd exchanged a few texts now and then since I gave her the kneading treatment last time. Seems like she's recovered a lot now. Well, her body was mostly fine even when I first saw her — her heart was the real issue.
I immediately typed out a reply and sent it.
After sending the text, a thought occurred to me.
'But still, it's a hospital visit. Isn't it a bit rude to show up empty-handed?'
Sure, I'm her benefactor and all, but should I at least buy some fruit juice or something? People's hearts naturally warm up when you give them something extra, you know. She's a valuable global connection of mine, so I should take care of it. I'm about to become well-known for real, so the more connections like this, the better.
As I was debating whether to buy an expensive fruit basket, I quietly got up and headed to the kitchen.
"Whoa..."
The refrigerator was packed full of premium ingredients that Hyeona must have stocked in advance, all gleaming brilliantly. French high-quality fermented butter, fresh fruits, nuts — everything.
"With ingredients like these, I don't need to spend a bunch of money buying something from outside. I'll just bake some simple cookies to bring."
Bringing homemade cookies would look more thoughtful and would probably suit Iris's tastes perfectly.
Humming a tune, I started pulling out the ingredients I needed onto the countertop. High-quality butter, dried coconut flakes, sweet chocolate chips, and fragrant almonds — the perfect setup. With this combo, no one could complain no matter where I brought them.
I started by putting the butter in a mixing bowl and gently loosening it with a whisk. Once the butter softened to a mayonnaise-like consistency, I added the sugar in two or three batches, mixing slowly until the gritty sound faded away.
'Cookies are nice. Easy to make without overthinking.'
The recipe is simple and doesn't require any difficult techniques.
"Now add the eggs, sift in the flour..."
My experience from my baker days naturally guided my fingertips. I divided the dough into three portions and generously mixed coconut flakes into one, chocolate chips into another, and almonds into the last.
"Coconut flavor, chocolate chip flavor, almond cookies. Perfect."
I shaped them into round, appetizing balls, placed them on a baking tray at even intervals, and slid them into the oven preheated to 180 degrees.
As time passed, the rich, sweet, nutty aroma of butter filled the entire house.
With a ding, I opened the oven door to reveal the cookies, beautifully baked to a golden brown.
"They baked up fast. And they smell insane."
I put on thick gloves, took the cookies out of the oven, and set them on a cooling rack to let them cool down. Once they were cool enough, I picked up a chocolate chip cookie.
"Mmm... I guess since I didn't use kneading, there's no effect at all."
Well, this is what normal is supposed to be like. Sometimes you need something ordinary. Actually, a regular delicious, sweet snack is probably way better for a change of mood.
"As long as it tastes good, that's all that matters."
I took out a pretty gift box and carefully arranged the three flavors of cookies inside, stacking them nicely.
---
The next morning, after finishing my preparations to go out, I came down to the first-floor lobby of the officetel to find a sleek black luxury sedan waiting for me, sent by Olivia.
'...Should I hire a driver too?'
It's annoying to catch taxis, and I think I can afford this kind of luxury now. A driver in a crisp uniform politely opened the car door for me.
"Thank you~"
I quietly settled into the back seat, and the car pulled away smoothly without a single jolt. I buried myself in the plush seat, swishing my tail, and before I knew it, we'd arrived at the large hospital where Iris was staying.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
At the sound of Olivia's voice from inside, I carefully opened the hospital room door and stepped in.
"Hello!"
Once inside the room, I checked the bed and my eyes went wide. The pale, fragile complexion that looked like it could shatter at any moment was completely gone. She was looking at me with pretty, rosy skin and much more lively eyes.
"Wow... you seem so much better now! Your complexion has really improved."
As I approached with my ears perked up in surprise, Olivia, who was standing by the bed, greeted me with a bright smile.
"Welcome, Arang. It's all thanks to you. She's improved a lot because of you."
"Really? I'm so glad."
I casually set the box of cookies I'd brought down on the hospital room table. Iris, who was sitting up in bed, gave me a gentle smile.
"Thank you... I've gotten a lot better because of you. Arang... Arang-ah."
"Hehe, it's nothing."
I slid the box on the table toward Iris.
"I felt a little awkward coming empty-handed, so I baked some cookies at home. Would you like to try some?"
"...Cookies are nice, but if it's okay... could I ask for a massage... like last time?"
...Is my kneading really that good?
I stared at her, speechless, caught off guard by the earnest look in her eyes.