Chapter 79
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: A Handful of Eternal Cotton
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Naru Dong Mom Cafe.
A notoriously picky online community where parents of Saint Mary International School gathered to swap education tips while flexing their wealth—one of the toughest in Korea.
Lately, a few posts had been popping up here and there.
Has anyone checked out the signless cafe right in front of Saint Mary School?
Dropped by with my twins after school by chance, and the coffee was insanely good.
Plus, it was free since they weren't open yet, and the barista guy was a total hunk (psst psst).
But it was closed again today~ Anyone got the scoop on this place?
I tried it too... The aroma was straight-up Geisha Village champion level.
Geisha Village...? What's that? Different from regular Geisha?
Yeah... Hubby brought some back from his business trip, so I got to try it.
Heard the owner's the son of some big-shot landlord? That's why it's just a hobby shop.
Plz share when it opens ㅠㅠ
For days now, Jeong Ha-yoon had been pacing in front of the signless cafe during every lunch break.
But the door hadn't opened once since that day.
'When the hell is it gonna open?'
She was getting antsy.
Every morning, she downed an iced Americano like clockwork.
To Jeong Ha-yoon, coffee was just a caffeine IV drip, nothing more.
But something was off.
The more time passed, the more that coffee's aroma and taste haunted her.
And... was it just her imagination?
That day, her mind had been unusually sharp, her body light as a feather.
If she could just have that one cup, she felt like she could tackle the mountain of paperwork piled up right now without breaking a sweat.
'Guess I just got lucky that day...'
Looking back, picking that cafe had been a stroke of genius.
Without realizing it, Jeong Ha-yoon was pining for the mystery owner.
Jeju, entrance to Yeongsil Valley at Hallasan.
A forgotten spot that had been locked down as a contaminated zone not long ago.
Now, it was packed to the brim with crowds.
"Come on, this way! Second round of the Gorani-man Tour starts soon!"
Dozens of hunters and tourists swarmed toward the Jeju Bureau staffer's shout, flag waving high.
Ever since word spread that Gorani-man had visited a few days back, Yeongsil Valley had become Jeju's hottest spot.
"Alright, everyone! This right here is the historic bench where Gorani-man had his lunch!"
The staffer gestured dramatically at a plain wooden bench, launching into his spiel.
"We confirmed directly with Gorani-man himself: right in this spot, he enjoyed kimbap made from veggies grown in his own garden, washed down with spring water from the nearby fountain!"
"If I eat kimbap here, will I get as strong as Gorani-man?"
"Lemme touch that bench! Gimme some of that power!"
The crowd went wild, touching the bench and snapping photos like pilgrims at a holy site.
"And now, the highlight of the day!"
The staffer yanked away a tarp, revealing something massive.
Ta-da!
"Erected by the Jeju Bureau in just three days to honor his great deeds: the legendary Gorani statue!"
It towered five meters high.
Massive fangs, rippling muscles poised to leap—majestic yet with eyes that somehow screamed adorable mischief.
"Whoa, check out the size."
"Those fangs are badass! But it's so cute!"
Before long, Gorani had exploded into hunter world's new superstar, charming fans with its mix of cute and ferocious vibes.
"Spots for the Yeongsil Valley foraging experience are booked solid through next year!"
Rumors swirled that the herbs here had grown way more potent since Gorani-man's visit.
Mostly hype, sure, but it was breathing new life into Jeju.
Ever since the Tower appeared, low-grade rifts popping up everywhere had scared off tourists, turning the "beautiful island" rep into a relic of the past.
Valhalla's purification efforts and Gorani-man's pit stop had brought the crowds surging back.
"Okay, tour's starting soon!"
And thanks to the Jeju Bureau's quick moves to cash in while the iron was hot, the island was buzzing again.
Phantom Guild Asia Branch.
The guild was reeling from back-to-back scandals.
"Step down from Asia Branch Chief."
That was the icy order from HQ to Jayden.
"What? Give me a chance to turn this around!"
"A chance? You poked the bear with Gorani-man, lost an S-rank hunter, and blew billions. What chance?"
Jayden was on the chopping block.
"Just one more shot, please. If I fail again, I'll bow out clean."
"No, we're done."
"Hear me out!"
Jayden clung like a desperate salesman grabbing pant legs.
"Intel says Gorani-man's tight with MK's Yu Jin-hyuk. And I've got a plant inside MK ready to play ball."
"Hmph... MK's been strutting since Yu Jin-hyuk bounced back."
From Phantom HQ's view, MK Sphere surging from third place to threaten their number-two spot was infuriating.
"This time, it's a sure thing. Play Gorani right, and reeling in Gorani-man's easy as pie. Even if it flops, snagging that beast is a win."
"That confident?"
"Yes!"
"Fine. Last chance."
This time, he'd nail the Gorani capture.
That very night, Jayden met secretly with MK Sphere's Senior Executive Lee Jung-hoon.
Shin Seung-ah's old classmate from onboarding, now heading Strategy & Planning.
"Senior Exec Lee. You've got way more experience than those other guilds, nothing to bow to. Doesn't it grind your gears watching some young girl run the show?"
Shin Seung-ah's star had skyrocketed after curing Yu Jin-hyuk, no denying that.
Lee Jung-hoon just eyed Jayden with intrigued silence, no answer.
"Help with this one thing, and I promise you an executive spot at Phantom HQ. No need to rot in third-rate MK forever, especially when they can't even see your talent."
A temptation sweet as candy on the tongue—irresistible to anyone listening.
"Can I get that promise in writing?"
"...Hah. Normally impossible, but if you lure Gorani-man's Gorani to my spot... anything's on the table."
"Deal."
Lee Jung-hoon nodded.
"One more thing. You said you're capturing Gorani?"
"That's right."
"Tougher than most high-tier monsters, they say. How?"
Jayden smirked confidently and pulled out a small vial.
"Know what this is?"
"That's..."
A诡异 liquid swirled inside like the aurora—colors blending in unnatural ways. One look screamed "not normal."
"[Moonlight's Temptation], condensed honey from Moonlight Flowers that only grow deep in the Tower. The ultimate pheromone that lures any intelligent beast with irresistible pleasure. Even a big Gorani can't resist beastly instincts."
"Isn't Moonlight's Temptation banned in Korea?"
"Everyone uses it overseas. What do Korea's rules even matter?"
Lee Jung-hoon pondered, then nodded.
"That... yeah, that'll pack a punch."
"Wait for the good news."
On the way back, he called Shin Seung-ah right away.
"Hey, just hooked a big one."
-What?
"Thought I heard something weird, but turns out I'm closing deals now too? Haha!"
-What the hell are you on about this late?
Lee Jung-hoon was genuinely pumped.
A few days later, a Dang-geun-tap message pinged from Shin Seung-ah.
[Shin Seung-ah:] Gorani-man-nim. Phantom's targeting your Gorani.
[Gorani-man12:] Again?
Last time's mana disruptor fiasco with Phantom came to mind.
Things had been quiet since, but looks like they weren't done.
[Shin Seung-ah:] Last night, a proposal came through our MK insider to lure you out.
[Shin Seung-ah:] Jayden plans to spray massive amounts of a special pheromone called [Moonlight's Temptation] to draw in Gorani.
She'd heard of it.
Moonlight's Temptation—banned for its insane lure power.
But at the same time, Moonlight Butterflies drawn by that pheromone produced [Moonlight Honey Dew], an ultra-rare item even scarcer than the bait itself.
'Something you can't even buy... and they're gonna spray it themselves?'
Snagging [Moonlight Honey Dew] wasn't illegal.
But getting it meant risking the banned [Moonlight's Temptation], making it near-impossible. Even overseas trades were rare.
'And they're dumping it in bulk.'
No one dared try it, but Jayden was offering to do the dirty work for me.
[Shin Seung-ah:] Of course, if you don't give the okay, we'll handle it. What do you say?
[Gorani-man12:] Nah. I'll head over myself. With Gorani.
I grinned.
No reason to kick away a pumpkin rolling right to my feet.
"Was just needing ingredients for a recipe anyway. Perfect timing."
"Ki-yung?"
I stroked Gorani, who was glued to my side on the couch.
Lately, deep in thought, Bunny sat blankly on the living room sofa.
Just watching the cartoons So-ye had parked it in front of.
Bzzzzt!
On screen, a giant robot shrank down to palm-sized with a flashy noise.
Bunny's black button eyes sparkled.
'...!'
That's it!
The power to freely control its size and shape.
For Bunny, who'd lived eons, that was easier than pie.
Shhhk!
The massive plush shrank to a cute, tiny size in a flash.
Pat pat pat—
Tiny Bunny tottered off toward So-ye's room.
And settled in the bed's corner.
"So-ye-ya, you here?"
Kang-hyun poked his head in looking for her, freezing at the mini Bunny on the bed.
"!"
What the.
Why'd it shrink?
"......"
Don't tell me.
Kang-hyun recalled So-ye's words.
'Oppa, fourth grade means no big dolls to school anymore, right?'
He got Bunny's pure heart.
Shrinking itself to tag along to school with her.
The problem was...
"Huh? Oppa?"
So-ye walked in right then.
"So-ye-ya, where's Bunny?"
The key was whether she'd accept it no questions asked.
"Huh? Bunny? Isn't it in the living room?"
But sadly, So-ye totally missed the tiny Bunny right there on the bed in front of her.
"Um... So-ye-ya, what if Bunny could shrink?"
"Whaaat? Bunny's big and squishy—that's Bunny! Shrinky one's not Bunny!"
"......"
In that instant, Kang-hyun caught the corner-of-the-bed Bunny diving under the covers before So-ye noticed.
That night.
Bunny steeled itself with grim resolve.
No other way.
Snip—
Bunny tugged at a seam on its side with tiny cotton arms, pulling out stuffing—a handful, then two.
"......"
Chunks of its own cotton.
No pain, but tearing off a piece of itself was no small thing, even for Bunny.
But compared to failing to guard its tiny master? This sacrifice was nothing.
Rustle rustle...
Bunny rummaged its inner sub-space.
Pulling out soft fabric scraps and two stones dormant for ages.
Heavy with time's marks, yet brimming with unknown power.
Clutching them, it headed to Kang-hyun's door.
"Alright, my turn now."
He started clumsily stitching what Bunny handed over.
Kang-hyun's room light burned all night.
Next morning.
Kang-hyun, eyes hollow from the all-nighter, handed a palm-sized mini Bunny to So-ye as she rubbed her sleepy eyes.
"Here."
"What's this?"
"Bunny clone. Take it to school."
"You made it, Oppa?"
"Yeah."
So-ye glanced between the original big Bunny and the mini.
'...Doesn't look like it at all...!'
Crooked stitches, mismatched black eyes.
Oppa's handiwork screamed amateur.
But So-ye knew.
He'd seen her moping about no dolls at school and pulled an all-nighter for this.
"Whoa! It looks just like Bunny!"
Somehow, the mini felt familiar to So-ye.
"Sniff sniff. Huh? Oppa, smell this! Same scent as big Bunny!"
"Yeah?"
Possible because it used the same old fabric from Bunny's body.
So-ye hugged the mini tight, beaming happily.
The mini seemed to grin back at Kang-hyun with its wonky eyes, joyful.
Thank you, Master.
As if saying just that.