Chapter 8
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Pepper
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Rain poured down from the morning sky as if a hole had been ripped right through it.
The sound of rain hammering the rooftop room's sandwich panel roof was as deafening as machine-gun fire.
"Ugh..."
I stretched my stiff back and opened my eyes.
Yesterday's explosion at the Gapyeong quarry, plunging into the Bukhan River, and the mad Hanwoo feast that followed.
The aftermath of that eventful day hit me all at once in the form of full-body muscle aches.
But a grin crept onto my lips anyway.
Out of habit, I turned on my smartphone.
[Balance: 10,850,000 won]
Even after stuffing myself silly with top-grade Hanwoo sirloin yesterday, I still had over ten million won left.
The string of zeros after the number felt more healing for my sore muscles than any painkiller.
This must be what they call financial therapy.
"Sleep well, Your Highness?"
I poked the yellow fluffball that had hogged my pillow and sprawled out starfish-style.
Fry's belly was bloated from yesterday's overeating.
His tiny body rose and fell cutely with each breath.
Of course, knowing he was a chick that incinerated monsters would kill any cuteness factor.
"Pek..."
He flapped his wings lazily in his sleep, swatting my hand away like it was a nuisance.
Cheeky little punk.
Who do you think let you taste that 1++ ribeye?
"Get up. Time for breakfast."
I opened the fridge.
All that was left after grilling meat yesterday was bottled water, kimchi, and a bit of Hanwoo scraps he'd left behind.
"Luxury beef ramen for breakfast today."
I set water to boil in a pot and stirred in the seasoning packet.
When I dropped in the red beef chunks, a rich, savory aroma filled the cramped room.
"Pek!"
Fry sprang up like a coiled spring at the smell.
He flew to the table and peered intensely into the pot.
"Wait. It's not done yet."
I held him back and stirred the noodles with chopsticks.
The patter of rain outside, the bubbling ramen, and that mouthwatering scent.
Perfection for a singleton's morning.
That was when it happened.
...Kiiing... whiiine...
A faint, odd noise mixed in with the rain.
Wind? Neighbor's TV?
But it persisted stubbornly.
A feeble, frail, vital sound.
"What the...?"
I turned down the gas and headed to the door.
The noise grew clearer from beyond the steel door.
Kiiing... whiiine...
I opened the door.
A blast of cold, rainy wind slapped my face.
And there, beyond the downpour, sat a soggy ramen box right in front of my door.
"......Huh?"
Inside the box, a pitch-black puppy shivered like a lump of charcoal.
Fist-sized.
Ears drooping from the wet.
Skinny frame with ribs poking out.
The moment she saw me, she wagged her tail weakly, eyes pleading for life.
"Kiiing..."
"Who the hell dumps a puppy here?"
This neighborhood had plenty of strays, but abandoning one right at someone's door in this storm?
Those bastards deserve divine punishment.
I scanned around awkwardly, but there was nothing but rain.
Closing the door felt wrong with those big black eyes staring up.
It reminded me of yesterday—pushing me to the surface as I drowned in the river.
That mystical, chilling gaze in the cold water.
Sure, what I'd seen then was a three-eyed monster, and this looked like a mangy country mutt...
But somehow, they overlapped.
"Pek!!"
A sharp screech from behind.
Fry.
He'd followed me to the door and was glaring at the pup in the box.
Not his usual dopey look.
Feathers bristled, emanating murderous intent like he was about to breathe fire.
"Pek! Piiiyak!!"
"Hey, chill out. It's just a little guy."
"Pek! Pek!"
Fry stomped and threw a fit.
But to me, it looked like the grumpy big bro jealous of a new rolling stone.
"Quiet down. She's freezing out here. We'll let her in till the rain stops."
I picked up the box and went inside.
Fry clamped onto my pant leg desperately, but I shook him off and tossed him onto a cushion.
"Just till the rain lets up, got it?"
I grabbed a towel and dried her wet fur.
She took it meekly.
Once dry, her coat gleamed jet-black.
Pure Jindo black tan, but no golden spot above the eyes.
Perfect all-black from head to toe.
"You're pretty handsome, huh?"
Female?
Yep, a girl.
She stuck out her tongue and licked my hand, like she understood the compliment.
Rough yet warm.
Grrrooowl.
Thunder from her belly.
She sniffed the air, entranced by the beef ramen scent.
"Hungry? Want some meat?"
As I went to wash a leftover piece for the ramen,
Thwack!
A yellow projectile flew in and smacked my hand.
Fry.
He snatched the meat midair like lightning and gulped it down.
Then planted himself in front of the pup.
"Pek. (No broth for you, mutt.)"
The pup drooped her head with a "kiiing."
"Fry, you greedy guts. You ate plenty earlier."
I scooped up Fry, chucked him on the bed, and pulled sausages from the fridge.
Blanched them to remove grease and set one before her.
"Eat this at least."
Chomp chomp chomp!
She inhaled it like a ghost.
Good appetite. Must've starved for days.
Belly full, she flopped on the warm boiler floor.
Eyes drooping sleepily.
Seeing her so peaceful eased my mind.
No way I could kick her out now.
"What to name you? Fry's little sis... Seasoning?"
Nah, too chicken-y.
Black one... Jajang? Charcoal rice?
"Pepper. Yeah, Pepper suits you."
Black, small, spicy-cute vibe.
Fry and Pepper.
Perfect combo.
"Hey, from now on, you're Pepper."
She cracked an eye and thumped her tail once.
Approval signal?
"Good. Welcome, Pepper."
I grinned and stroked her head, pointedly ignoring Fry's death glare from the corner.
A short while later, as Han-gyeol did the dishes, an eerie silence filled the room.
Only the rain and clinking dishes broke it, as the two beasts emanated invisible auras at each other.
The yellow chick perched arrogantly on the bed, wings folded.
The black pup flat on the floor, ears perked, watching warily.
Their exchange wasn't in human words, but spiritual waves.
[...Shameless cur. Do you know where this is, you filthy beast?]
Fry spoke first.
Her red eyes blazed with ferocious heat.
Not mere anger.
The overwhelming 'rank' of an immortal being that even incinerated death.
Pepper, feigning meekness, lifted her head.
As her eyes narrowed, a glimpse of a third eye hid in her forehead fur.
But it brimmed with fear.
[...Forgive me, Lord of the Sun.]
Pepper's voice was a calm, polite woman's tone, belying her looks.
She pressed her paws together and bowed.
[I merely sought shelter from the rain and followed the scent of food. I had no idea you were here.]
[Lies. Aren't you here for that human's energy?]
[I won't deny it. That human... he's special. His name's blurry even in the ledgers of death, a being with a twisted fate.]
Pepper glanced at Han-gyeol's back.
As a hound of the underworld managing life and death, she saw him as a walking bundle of vitality with a warped destiny.
[But after seeing you, I've decided. I have no intention of encroaching on your domain.]
Pepper flattened herself, tail tucked.
An immortal monster transcending death since ancient times, burning even underworld laws.
To the Three-eyed Dog guarding life and death, the Three-legged Crow was a 'calamity' that shattered rules.
Instinctual terror.
Absolute disadvantage in affinities.
But Fry's rage didn't subside easily.
[Hmph. Groveling as always. Trailing humans to the end, wagging your tail like the slave you are.]
Fry sneered coldly.
During the Human-Yokai Great War, while most divine beasts turned from humans, only the Three-eyed Dogs fought loyally till the end.
To Fry, Pepper was a traitor, spineless slave.
[Humans... are worth protecting, my king.]
[Worth? Ha! What worth do those vermin stained with betrayal and greed have?]
[Look at that human. You felt it too, didn't you? That's why you're staying here.]
Fry's eyes twitched.
Hit right in the core.
[...Shut it. He's my meal ticket, my elixir. Don't even think of dipping your spoon.]
Fry spat sparks from his beak in warning.
Pepper flinched back.
[Understood. I'll gratefully take whatever scraps remain.]
[And...]
Fry added icily.
[A name. 'Pepper'? You like that lowly spice name? So undignified.]
Pepper pondered, then wagged her tail.
[...Better than 'Egg Fritter,' no?]
[......I'll kill you.]
Whoosh!
Golden flames erupted from Fry's body.
The room temperature shot up five degrees in an instant.
Pepper yelped "Yelp!" and played dead, flattened.
"Huh? What's up? Fry, bullying again?"
Han-gyeol approached, peeling off rubber gloves post-dishes.
Instantly, the yokai duo switched modes in sync.
Fry doused his flames, pecked at a tablet screen, playing innocent.
"Pek? (I was gaming?)"
Pepper leaped up, clung to Han-gyeol's leg, acting cute.
"Woof! Woof! (Master, that chick scares me!)"
"Aww, poor Pepper. Big bro's got you. Fry's just prickly."
Han-gyeol scooped her up, rubbing cheeks.
In his arms, Pepper shot Fry a triumphant glare.
'See? Master's love is mine.'
'......That fox of a bitch.'
Under one roof, two irreconcilable beings.
The arrogant king who burns death, and the loyal hound guarding life and death.
Their awkward, noisy cohabitation began.
Yangyang's stormy night sea.
Screams of agony drowned unheard amid raging waves.
In a beach corner, a wrecked camper van lay grotesquely crumpled.
Atop it crouched a shadow darker than night.
Crunch. Grind.
Chilling mastication.
He pinned and devoured the meat lump that had been 'human' moments ago.
Red blood washed by rain stained the asphalt.
[...Tasteless.]
He grumbled, licking blood from his lips.
Modern humans lacked nutrition, reeked of chemicals. Just cheap snacks to stave off hunger.
As he lost interest and kicked the remains,
Sniff.
His nose twitched faintly.
Mixed in the storm, a whisper of sweetness—potent enough to pierce his brain.
[......?]
The black tiger's golden eyes slit vertically, gleaming eerily.
This scent. Pure spiritual power—from centuries ago.
Richer than prime Hanwoo, fresher than newborn life.
[...Towards Hanyang.]
He turned west, staring at Seoul's Gwanak-gu.
Hundreds of kilometers away, but his acute nose pinpointed the source.
[Found you.]
His lips split to his ears in a chilling grin.
Supreme prey, incomparable to the trash he'd just eaten.
[So that's where you were. My ultimate last supper.]
Grrrrr...
As he rose, harsh black winds whipped from his massive frame.
No mere gale.
The calamitous Sandstorm that pulverized all to fine particles.
Shhh...
The camper wreckage underfoot crumbled to iron dust and sand in seconds.
The monster cleaved the darkness without hesitation and charged forth.