Chapter 224
Chapter 224
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: It'll Be Tough, Won't It?
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"…Here. 40,000 won."
Winter handed him the crumpled wad of 1,000-won bills.
"You sure?"
"…Yes."
"Gonna have to check."
At Yoo Ji-tae's words, Winter's face turned sullen.
"…Don't you trust me?"
"Winter. Money makes strangers of friends, parents, and kids alike. So show me properly."
"……."
Is that so…? Winter counted the words in her head before approaching and placing the bills one by one on the desk.
"…One, two, three, four……."
All of it was 1,000-won bills. Diligently counting them out, it came to exactly forty.
"But why are they all 1,000-won bills?"
"…So it looks like more?"
"You changed them on purpose?"
"…Yes."
What a thing. Yoo Ji-tae pocketed the bills.
"Alright. Got it all properly. Guess you don't need the helmet anymore."
"…Hehe."
"Go on."
Winter nodded and turned to leave the room.
But right before going out, she glanced back and stared at him.
"What."
"…It was nice."
"What was."
"…Selling the umbrellas together."
"I liked it too."
The sound of Winter's laughter as she clutched the money excitedly. And the rain pattering in harmony with her joy—it had left a pleasant memory. Had it been the same for her?
"…Help me next time too."
"For free?"
"…Huh?"
"Gotta pay. Every hour. I'm helping with your work."
"……."
Winter clamped her mouth shut.
She stared blankly as if deep in thought, then shot him a suspicious look.
"…Mister, how much per hour?"
"A thousand won."
If anyone from the Association heard, they'd be floored.
No matter if someone offered billions. Commandeering Yoo Ji-tae for even an hour was impossible.
But Winter shook her head with a pout.
"…That's expensive……."
"Expensive? My worth isn't even a thousand won?"
"……."
No answer, just a regretful look.
Was she trying to haggle?
Seemed like it. The muttering Winter cautiously opened her mouth.
"…1,000 won for 30 minutes."
The regressor was dumbfounded.
This little blue kid was already a full merchant.
"Fine. 500 won per hour. How's that."
As if to prove it, even when he countered, she looked dissatisfied.
She might haggle it down to 300 won at this rate.
"Half price and still no? Then forget it. Guess I won't."
Only then did Winter frantically shake her head.
"…N-No, okay. Fine. 500 won."
Having won the haggle, Winter grinned like a shady boss.
Peep peep. Meow. Peep. Meooow! Chirp. Meeeooow!
The chick and the cat were conversing.
The dog spirit beast was absent.
Five minutes ago, it had gone through the rift beyond the interstitial space. Now, only the two remained in the lair.
The cat spirit beast vented furiously.
I'm only waiting for the boss 'cause I'm nice. That dumb mutt ditched us. If you cared about me even a little, would you still be doing this?
The chick kept apologizing. Just wait a bit more, it pleaded.
I can't stand you birdbrains. No wonder they call you featherheads. The cat spirit beast fumed.
Peep would say then: go ahead first anytime.
The cat was incredulous. What if the interstitial space collapses? It'd be left alone. Was peep telling it to live it up happily?
Oh, super fun, meow! I'll order chicken!
Eat lots. My owner likes it too.
From the talk, their bond ran deeper. Peep was a spirit beast that didn't hesitate to use violence for its ideals. The cat spirit beast had been saved by peep right before getting lynched to death by other cats.
Staying till the end seemed to be out of loyalty to its savior.
But even that had limits—the cat was at its wits' end with the stubborn chick.
Meeeooow—!!
Finally snapping, the cat lunged and clawed and bit at peep wildly.
Clawing (D)
[Sincere assault]
It was serious, so the chick fled bleeding from its forehead.
Chirp!
As it fled, peep insisted.
We will go. Definitely.
Just not now.
Wait a little longer.
Room 301.
Yoo Ji-tae said to Gaeul.
"For now, practice mainly what Bom taught you."
"Okay."
"Don't push too hard. Focus on reducing the output somehow."
"But if my output's already big, why practice reducing it? Wouldn't it be better to amp up the big stuff?"
"Can't control small power, but think you can handle big? There's an order to these things."
"Ah, oh…!"
"And looks like you're getting the hang of it now. Motivation kicking in?"
Gaeul smiled faintly at the ongoing talk.
"…Kinda feels like it?"
Right next to them.
Yeoreum, listening casually to the everyday chat, felt Gaeul's last words snag like a speed bump.
The voice? Or the vibe from her words?
Either way, it was off from usual Gaeul.
After breakfast, Yeoreum called Gaeul to the rooftop.
"Yeah. What's up, unni?"
"Learning magic, huh."
"Yup."
"How is it? Manageable?"
Yeoreum asked, lighting a cigarette.
"Yeah. Not sure yet."
"Not sure about what?"
"Doesn't feel real… But the popping bangs are kinda fun."
Definitely weird. Was she always this calm?
About two weeks since she'd last seen her—it felt like the kid had changed a bit.
"Hey."
"Hm?"
"Come here."
"Why?"
Gaeul approached. Yeoreum, cigarette in mouth, tickled her sides with both hands. "Eek…!" Weak to tickles, Gaeul twisted and laughed kyahaha—only then did Yeoreum feel satisfied.
"Wh-Why suddenly…! Huff huff…!"
"Nah. Whatever. So, is Ji-tae teaching well?"
"Hm? Actually, it's weird…."
"What."
"Bom unni scolds me a ton? So I think, just for today, then quit. But when it's over and I'm dead tired, mister praises me like I did great."
"…Praises? So?"
"Makes me wanna do it again next day. Hm… Thinking now, feels like both are taming me?"
"……."
"But I don't hate it."
As always, Gaeul grinned innocently. Yeoreum exhaled a long stream of smoke.
"Praises you? Often?"
"Yup! Like, every day?"
"……."
As Yeoreum blankly puffed her cigarette, Gaeul asked if she could go.
"No. Hold on."
"Why again. Why."
"What. Got complaints? Tired of your unni?"
"Yeah. Annoying as hell! …Kidding! Hehe…."
When Yeoreum's face hardened, Gaeul rolled over belly-up and wagged her tail. Yeoreum, pleased, asked.
"You thinking of dyeing your hair?"
"Huh? How'd you know?"
Yeoreum's eye twitched.
"Maybe lighter blonde."
"Damn…."
But no. Yeoreum clicked her tongue.
"Fine. Light blonde, dark blonde, whatever. Just not black."
"Hm? Why?"
"Don't. Unless you wanna see someone die."
"If I dye it, someone dies?"
"Yeah."
"Gray then?"
"What? Gray…? No. Nope. No way."
"Light gray? That's silver, so okay?"
"Just stay banana. If you don't wanna die."
"O-Okay…."
Gaeul nodded and left.
Seemed she went for a walk. Far off, two silly chicks bounding away. Visible from the rooftop.
Whew….
Alone now, Yeoreum sank into thought.
Black-haired bitch.
Yoo Ji-tae, you bastard.
Yoo Gaeul doing magic? Might come fight with me…?
Such thoughts cascaded, then blanked out. Oddly, Gaeul's words resurfaced.
About daily praise from Ji-tae. It lingered strangely.
Yeoreum muttered amid thick smoke.
"No wonder…."
That guy doesn't praise easily.
"Hm… I had this thought."
In the forest where light poured down.
In a world scented faintly with woods. Bom, perched on a tree branch, spoke.
"There's the word 'sequence.' Like, inevitable events in order on a timeline."
Bom hesitated, stumbling over words.
"Sequential order. I'm first. If there's a girl after me."
Her speech was slow.
Like an idol fumbling for words, with something to say but no expression.
"If I don't give the first time…. Wouldn't that work?"
Bom said it and smiled awkwardly.
Opposite her, a white-haired old woman chuckled.
She was Ri Hwa.
"Then maybe. The sequence itself could be totally wrong."
"Wrong sequence?"
"Like this example. The future we saw was just a dream. Both of them."
"Hmm."
"I didn't cling. The black-haired girl didn't either. It was all a dream…."
The aged superhuman sighed at the young girl's desperate rationalization.
"If so, the future ahead becomes totally opaque, right?"
"Yes. But giving the first feels like it'd end psychologically."
"So."
"Thus, it's all a dream. A dream. I know cases like that existed. Rare in history, but they did…."
Listening, one pitied the child.
Ri Hwa clucked her tongue.
"Kid. Bom."
"Yes?"
"You deeply cherish that young man."
"Hm… Yes."
"How much?"
"How much?"
"Yeah. Try expressing it."
"Hm……."
Bom gazed distantly into the forest, eyes hazy, and spoke.
"I pick all mister's menu items."
"Menu?"
"Yes. Meals, of course. Drinks too. Otherwise, he never tries new stuff. Predictable choices. Chinese? Fried rice. Chicken? Fried. Pizza? Pepperoni. Drink? Americano…."
"Young folks' tastes are bland."
"Right? Always. So I pick various things. Sometimes mister gets annoyed. Scolds me even. Says just eat anything. Then I think, maybe annoy him more?"
"Ah, why?"
"To get smacked by mister. Cheek or butt or whatever. Playfully sadistic. Of course, hard would hurt. Scary, might cry. But that proves it."
"Proves what?"
"I'd like even that side of mister…."
Her hazy gaze drifted further.
"But mister would never hit me. So I can't prove it. That's regrettable."
Ri Hwa had no reply.
"One important thing. He doesn't love anyone but me."
Finished, Bom slowly hugged her knees.
Before this talk, Bom had said: 'I didn't like him this much before. How'd it become like this?' The long-lived elder knew but hadn't answered.
Deep emotions twist endlessly at some point. Like her loving her husband more after death. Or this child before her.
Truly tragic. Clucking her tongue, Ri Hwa asked the key point, voice bittersweet.
"If you cherish him that much. When he wants you, think you can refuse him?"
Her eyes drooped.
Lips curved faintly up.
Bom smiled sadly.
"It'll be tough, won't it…."