Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Praetorian Guard Farming (1)
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Ding-dong.
After agonizing over it for a good long while, I finally went to Cha Se-ra's place and rang the bell. I immediately sensed her presence, and the locked door swung wide open before me.
"Come on in!"
"......"
Truth be told, I hadn't wanted to come at first.
Even after twenty years living as a guy, crashing at a woman's place during her prime years felt downright awkward.
But Cha Se-ra was a successful B-rank hunter, living in a pretty spacious house with three bedrooms and three bathrooms to boot.
So if I was extra careful... it shouldn't be a problem, right?
"...What've you been up to?"
"Just tidying up the room a bit and thinking about what stuff you might need."
I slipped off my shoes and stepped inside. Nearly new pajamas strewn about in pairs, board games still in their unopened packaging scattered everywhere.
It screamed excitement no matter how you sliced it, but since I was the one mooching off her, I graciously pretended not to notice.
"Wanna shower first? Or eat?"
"I'll wash up first."
"How about we hop in together, then?"
"...?"
I shot her a look like What kind of nonsense is this? Cha Se-ra averted her eyes with an embarrassed chuckle.
I headed to the bathroom she'd shown me, gave myself a quick rinse, and came out to find her bustling around preparing dinner.
Bubble bubble bubble.
Sizzle!
The familiar aroma of scorched rice from the pot, japchae loaded with meat, and that soul food of Koreans—miso stew.
Impressed by the decent spread, I picked up my spoon expectantly. I scooped up a bite of the stew she'd ladled for me and popped it in my mouth.
Slurp.
'Hmm.'
It was godawful.
Looked decent enough on the surface, but it tasted about ten times worse than I'd braced for.
Did she even taste it while cooking?
As far as I could tell, Cha Se-ra was either disastrously bad at cooking or the type who never bothered with it.
Slurp.
Still, to honor her effort, I meekly lifted my spoon again—only for her, who'd sampled her own cooking in the meantime, to grimace and grab my hand to stop me.
"Whoa... should we just toss it and order something new?"
"Hang on a sec."
Her reaction gave me a pretty good idea of what had gone down.
I asked where the ingredients were, took the stew and japchae back to the kitchen, and got to work with my Restoration Magic. Less than twenty minutes later, dinner was actually edible.
Cha Se-ra took a tentative taste, then stared at me like I was a god. Feeling smug, I laid out my new terms.
"I'll handle the cooking and dishes, so you just do your own thing."
"Huh? But even so..."
"No kitchen access for anyone under A-rank."
I could handle it fine. After all, I was the once-in-a-generation weathermancer genius destined to shake up the international hunter scene someday.
People tend to cause accidents when they try stuff they suck at, so for the kitchen's peace, it was best if Cha Se-ra stayed out.
Shhhh.
Click.
Thud.
We finished eating, I wrapped up the dishes, then fired up the Archive to binge the backlog of channel posts.
Cha Se-ra sidled over, watching me with curiosity before asking,
"Oh yeah, you know Yi-rin too?"
"What about her?"
"You've got rare pics of her, and you're mutuals."
"......"
Did I know her? Sort of.
We'd exchanged more than a passing glance on the street, but it wasn't like we had any real connection.
Still, admitting that in front of Cha Se-ra felt lame, so I threw in a bit of swagger.
"We even heart each other."
"I've gotten those too."
"......"
Wait, were Yi-rin's heart emojis not as rare as I'd thought?
Grimacing with an odd sense of defeat, I pondered for a moment before logging into Clam and gifting her a coffee milk icon.
Ding!
- wldks_08: (photo)
A moment later, she replied with a raccoon bowing its head emoji, along with a chocolate milk giftie as thanks.
I held up my phone to show it off. Cha Se-ra's eyes wavered as she stared.
"Gasp..."
"I've even got a Chanju selfie. Don't get cocky."
It was a pic of a doll's finger instead of her face, but hey, a giftie's a giftie.
Facing my petty bragging, Cha Se-ra let out an awed sound, her confidence visibly dented.
"That's wild. Yi-rin isn't the type to chat it up with just anyone..."
"Yeah?"
"She's not rude or anything, but she's kinda blunt and otherworldly. Hardly anyone at work seems close to her."
If even Cha Se-ra—the Forest Guild's well-connected vice-master—said so, it was probably true.
It just proved my cuteness was genius-level, irresistible even to someone like Yi-rin.
"Oh, while we're at it— what's your job? I won't pry if it's secret, just curious."
"Hmm."
Joo-on Ha and I went way back, so no big deal there. But telling Cha Se-ra meant some thought.
Reveal my class, and it'd out me as an unregistered awakener who skipped association procedures.
"It's a secret, but nothing I can't share."
"Whoa, really?"
"Comes with a ton of conditions, though. Like... this much?"
She had to be unconditionally on my side, prioritize my needs over guild or association business, and back me up 100% even if it clashed with societal norms or ethics.
Cha Se-ra read over my list, tilting her head in confusion with a worried look.
"Uh... things that rough for you? You didn't commit some dangerous crime, right?"
"......"
Skipping registration on purpose—wasn't that technically a crime?
As I hesitated, a startled Cha Se-ra fidgeted, agonizing over what to say.
"Ah, you're still okay for now, right? Since you're a minor. It's not some major felony, is it?"
"......"
So misdemeanors were fine? And I'd definitely said I was twenty last time—what was she even hearing?
Her flustered reaction was kinda fun, so I decided to tease a bit more.
"Plenty of victims, yeah."
"Gasp."
"Some took a real financial hit too."
"Gasp..."
It wasn't even a lie—plenty of folks had called cabs or bought umbrellas thanks to my surprise rains.
Seeing her go dead silent with a groan, I figured it was time to clear the air before things derailed.
"Kidding."
"Huh?"
"Situation's complicated, but not like that... So, whaddya say?"
I'd reveal it if she'd go all-in, but otherwise, best left unsaid.
Like I'd hammered home, no secrets last forever. That's why I needed an influential ally like Cha Se-ra.
This was serious business for me.
"Uh... I could help if I'm enough..."
"Nope, disqualified."
"Why!"
"Can't spill with that wishy-washy attitude. Just tires us both out."
That's how people are.
Even those starting out with pure goodwill flip the second the effort or sacrifice exceeds expectations.
I wasn't banking huge on Cha Se-ra anyway. No point stressing her with half-measures.
"So what kinda attitude works...?"
"Full-throated support. Unconditional acceptance. Total cooperation."
Put simply: back me blindly, no matter the headache.
She mulled it over seriously, then nodded with resolve.
"O-okay... I promise all that. That good?"
"Hmm."
I'd asked, but her agreeing to that was almost absurd.
Still, a Bucheon man's word is his bond. And who else fit the bill better than her?
'......'
Truth be told, my mouth was itching more than anything.
I hadn't shown it, but yeah, I kinda wanted to tell people my job too.
I didn't crave headlines, but that sneaky urge to brag about my feats? Human nature.
'...Ahem.'
A brief internal debate.
Decision made, I strode grandly to the balcony door, flung it open, and savored the mild night air while expanding my sensory range.
Just one person watching, but showing off a prodigy weathermancer's power had me smirking ever so slightly.