I'm Not an Alligator, Though (3)
“Hmm... what an interesting fellow.”
“Boss, looks like he caught your eye?”
“Wouldn't you say? That familiar face with a completely different personality...”
“I was a bit startled at first myself. I wondered if it was some kind of scheme.”
Quaker.
To him, who remembered the man's face from his younger days, it was quite the shock.
He definitely doesn't have any family.
From the outside, he looked similar to when they'd first met—young enough to pass for a son or nephew without raising eyebrows.
But...
The face is the same, but the vibe is different.
He remembered that day when Quaker had lost his lover to the government's secret experiments.
A bitter smile crossed his lips as he recalled how the man had changed after that day of vowing revenge.
He used to be like that once... but now...
Thinking of his friend consumed by vengeance, he sighed and sank deeper into the sofa.
“Who knows what scheme he's cooking up now...”
“Shall I keep tabs on his movements?”
“Keep an eye out, but don't get too close. He's like a wild beast with sharpened fangs—he'll notice right away.”
“Understood. And about Park Isak...”
“As long as he's set up in the Swamp Zone, we'll cross paths plenty. Just check in casually.”
After issuing his orders, he tapped the glass on his desk with a finger. Frost began to form on its surface.
A small office, a signboard, and a bit of cash... how modest.
He lifted the chilled glass to his lips without a care.
The biting cold clung to his mouth, but he ignored it.
It was the chill he'd created with his own ability, after all.
“There's a decent spot on the edge of Alligator Gang territory. Clear it out and hand it over. Send someone from the Baek family to make the signboard...”
“Should we put surveillance on it?”
“He's in Alligator Gang territory now—right in our palm. And have Sweetie analyze this.”
“Got it.”
His loyal subordinate turned and left the office without delay.
Left alone in the vast room, he leaned back in his chair and gazed out the window.
An unexpected encounter.
No one could predict what this meeting would bring.
“I hope it brings good fortune to the Swamp Zone, at least.”
His worried mutter dissolved into the air like cigarette smoke, never reaching beyond the room.
Luckily, the deal went smoother than expected...
The moment I stepped out of Alligator Gang territory, I let out a sigh of relief.
Not a bad haul from this trade, at least.
A decent place to live and work as an office, a signboard, and some cash.
I planned to build a business on that foundation.
Business sounded grand, but it just meant setting up under Alligator Gang protection to scrape by comfortably.
Sure, a big lump sum would keep me fed for a while.
But money had a way of vanishing if you didn't keep piling it up.
Steady, thin streams of income beat quick, fat windfalls—especially for me.
Even knowing the original story, my knowledge was fragmented, and who knew how far it applied.
Practical, immediate-use info had its limits.
The protagonist's main stage wasn't here—it was Seoul in the end.
Unless I planted myself there, profiting off that scene was near impossible.
I could dip in and out briefly, but without residing there, my options were limited.
So, first: secure a base here, build a livelihood, then slowly milk Seoul for gains—or hole up quietly in this backwater like a dead rat.
With Quaker not playing villain and staying put, the original plot wasn't unfolding anyway.
...Come to think of it, there were a few nagging things.
Wait, am I really Quaker?
A question I'd shoved aside while hustling to secure my livelihood.
The ability felt subtly off, and the timeline too.
The original never specified dates, so pinning down how many years before was tricky—but judging by Mina, it didn't seem like ages had passed.
Unless Mina stayed looking that young into her thirties despite the nonsense age, but...
First things first: once I had the office, gather intel.
Collect clues to guess the timeline, organize applicable original knowledge, and pluck profits one by one. That'd keep me fed.
Hell, just working normally would suffice in this world.
Being a powered ability user with combat skills was a huge merit here.
Develop the power further, and I could live quite comfortably.
“Head back, tell Mina the news... and brief the boss so we can prep to leave.”
Not right now, but they'd deliver in three days—time to pack up the hotel and settle the bill once the cash came.
With plans stacking up neatly, my worries eased a bit.
Truly a relief.
One slip, and surviving the research institute would've been for nothing—I'd be a corpse.
Lost in those thoughts, I found myself at the hotel before I knew it.
There by the entrance, the boss sat smoking by the door, just like our first meeting.
“Deal go well?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, we'll have a solid place in three days.”
“Congrats. Can't think of another outsider hunter who scored a residence that fast.”
“Thank you.”
“Guess that means saying goodbye to the girl too. She was sharp—handled jobs without being told, popped up to clean whenever needed...”
That ain't sharpness.
Looked like she'd been using her powers on the sly for work.
Huh, you could use it like that.
Obvious in hindsight, but seeing a story villain—who was utterly depraved—use her ability for mundane chores felt weird.
In the original, that power was for surveilling targets, torture via stolen sight, overloading brains with other psychics, vision distortion...
All horrific stuff. Pretty illustrator bait of a girl, but readers were always raging, When's this bitch dying?
In the end, she met a gruesome fate at her arc's close, per fan demand.
Won't happen here.
She wasn't turning villain.
She'd grow into a normal woman. I'd teach her the ropes until she could stand on her own.
I wasn't great at studies, but basics? Sure.
Whether she'd follow along was another story.
“So, what line of work you planning?”
“Stick with hunting for now. Gotta learn the Gray Forest layout... need living expenses. Save up, then start a business.”
“Business, huh...”
The boss eyed me like it was unexpected.
That surprising?
“Didn't peg you for the type.”
“Hunting's a business too, right? But it's got limits... I'll take side gigs for extra cash.”
“Gigs...”
“Hunter guild fees are steep—lots can't afford it. Plenty more can't even file requests.”
“Dangerous line.”
He was right.
Risky as hell.
But in this era, few did it.
A world where letting your guard down meant dying and getting looted clean.
Everyone barely scraping by as is.
“Whatever you do—minus crime—I'll root for you.”
“No plans for that, so don't worry. I'm a model citizen, see.”
“In the Swamp Zone? Far from model, per those lofty Seoul types.”
“Fair point.”
He flashed a wry smile and stubbed out his cigarette underfoot.
“Head in. Time to work.”
Boss to the counter, me to the room.
And by chance, on the way, I bumped into familiar white hair.
“Mister... back safe?”
“They accepted more readily than I thought.”
“As expected. Ah, I mean—I figured it'd go smooth after hearing Alligator Gang's rep from the boss.”
...What?
“Boss knew the top brass too?”
“Y-yeah.”
“Guy's got wider reach than I figured. Anyway... Mina. Got something to say.”
I explained the deal to her.
New home secured.
Moving there in three days.
She avoided my eyes, covering her face with both hands.
“T-t-two... us two...”
“Yeah... pretty much.”
We're already sharing a room.
That big a shock?
Well, sensitive age—fair enough.
I chuckled and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“So, let's prep to move.”
“...Yeah!”
Brimming with excitement, we headed back to the room.
The room we wouldn't occupy much longer.