Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Constellation Gallery EP.55
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Every time he handed out a single cigarette, the men's eyes snapped wide open.
To be precise, life returned to their dying pupils, and one of them looked almost on the verge of tears.
"Th-this precious thing... you're really giving it to us?"
"Of course."
I lifted the corner of my mouth just enough.
But a bit of humblebrag was essential.
"They were my reserves, but it's a token of my gratitude."
At those words, all three men let out sighs almost in unison.
Faces that knew exactly what "reserves" meant to a smoker.
At that moment, Kang Harin spoke up quietly from beside me.
"Juhan, do you usually smoke?"
I was pondering how to respond when Tulip jumped in helpfully.
"It's a world where they're hard to come by, so he saved and cherished them. Right?"
At her words, the men's faces changed completely.
He'd already called them reserves, but now they realized these were truly precious ones he'd hoarded carefully.
That realization poured out from their eyes, their snorts, their sincerity.
"Something you cherished and saved so preciously... how could we accept all of them?"
"We'll take just one each."
"Yes, yes. We can share one among us. In this world, what's sharing a filter?"
Gestures trying to hand back two cigarettes.
In response, I deliberately made a generous expression and waved for them to keep them comfortably.
"No need to feel burdened."
"Oh man, thank you."
Bows followed one after another.
I slipped my hands behind my back.
'Summon lighter.'
I brought my hands forward again and flicked my thumb.
Flick-flick—
The small spark lit the tips of their cigarettes, and awed gazes turned to me.
"Even the light... oh man..."
"Thank you, truly."
One puff, two puffs.
As the smoke dispersed into the air, their tension eased, and their lips curved upward.
'Good, that's enough.'
Now was the time to get to the main point.
"Actually... we have one more companion. Mind if they join us?"
The three exchanged glances, then nodded at me.
"Oh, sure, sure."
"Well... we don't all know each other from the start anyway."
I turned my head back.
"Elder!"
The Elder Goblin came scurrying from a distant street corner.
The one I'd ordered to provide cover just in case.
'Pretty far away, but communication worked fine even at this distance.'
The reason I'd kept it far was simple.
To test if agitation worked over distance too, and to avoid getting all wiped out if they decided to suppress us as a group.
'Even if they were good people, bringing it along would've made them way more guarded.'
'Even if I disguised its face to look like a kid, those status markings blooming through its clothes in this weather couldn't be hidden.'
And most importantly.
Like Tulip, it specialized in ranged attacks over close combat, so if things went south, I planned to feed it a freezing shot.
"Cough! Cough!"
"Gah! Hack! Kergh!"
Coughing fits from the men choking on their cigarettes.
Their faces filled with panic, tension, anxiety.
"...M-monster?!"
I raised both hands to calm them.
"Ah, we tamed it by chance, so don't worry. It doesn't bite."
Even with my explanation, their wariness didn't fade easily.
"Really. It's so docile it even understands words."
I turned to the Elder Goblin.
"Sit."
It lowered itself with a blank expression.
"See? I promise it won't harm the people inside."
After a long silence, one of them finally spoke.
"Y-yes... alright..."
A reluctant consent squeezed out after agonizing between fear and trust.
It was a tough sell even after the cigarettes.
Without that, they might've foamed at the mouth in rage.
"Thank you."
*
"But how do you check if a place is empty?"
"Instinct."
"Instinct?"
"Kidding. Aura sense isn't foolproof in layered structures like apartments."
Aura sense was the most reliable method.
But if they held their breath in a multi-layered wall setup?
If their aura was too weak to detect?
'Need another way.'
First, check the water meter.
A transparent glass window in the attached metal box.
The needle inside trembled faintly.
"It's moving. Pass."
"But... that might just mean they haven't used water recently."
"True. Still a useful filter."
We moved to the next door.
Meter stopped.
I pressed my ear to the door.
'Quiet.'
No presence either.
"Keep this one for now."
"Empty?"
"Not confirmed yet. Need more checks."
"But how do you be sure it's truly empty?"
Tulip asked again.
"Smell."
"Smell?"
"Empty houses have a distinct odor. Human scent fades slowly, replaced by dust, dampness, mold."
Furniture present, but people absent—a unique air.
One that only builds over time, not from a couple days empty.
But Daegu was different.
Weather on another level from normal.
'Mold spreads way faster here.'
"Definitely smells empty. No presence. Meter's stopped too."
"For real?"
"Just need to open it now."
I nodded.
"We're staying overnight anyway. Wanna pry it open?"
"No!"
Tulip and Kang Harin freaked out.
"All that sneaking to avoid trouble goes to waste."
"No choice. Can't enter quietly."
"I'll try."
Kang Harin's eyes gleamed as she summoned her car key.
It soon turned into a thin, long hairpin.
"Hey... with that...?"
"Can make another if needed."
She calmly retorted and inserted the makeshift pin into the lock, focusing.
And soon enough.
Click!
The door opened.
"Whoa."
"Wow! Unnie's skills are insane!"
"Wait, doesn't that mean you could've hotwired cars like that?"
"Would that work?"
"Why didn't you even try back then if you're so handy now?"
Kang Harin scratched her head.
"Didn't know I was good at it then..."
Guess making armor gave her confidence.
Whatever, good she discovered her talent now.
"Well done anyway."
Kang Harin blushed.
The interior was indeed empty.
"But why lock the door if it's abandoned? Wouldn't they leave it unlocked?"
"Might not be abandoned. Could be they couldn't return, against their will."
Silence fell briefly at my answer.
"Don't get gloomy. Everyone wash up first. Saw plenty of meters still running."
"Thought that was my last shower."
"Lucky us."
They took turns showering.
Water sounds through the door crack, shampoo scent—oddly peaceful.
For this brief moment, it felt like reclaiming normal life.
Once they finished.
I headed to the bathroom with the goblin.
"You gonna shower with it?"
"Yeah. Gotta clean it too."
"It's not a pet. You'll get attached fussing over it like that."
"Right. If you bond and it dies... you'll be sad."
"Just leave it. Doesn't even smell."
Tulip and Kang Harin spoke in unison.
"No smell doesn't mean no germs."
"No germs."
Tulip cut in firmly.
Hard to argue when the doctor who knows all poisons and diseases says so.
"Still, cleaner the better."
"What if agitation wears off mid-shower?"
"Then we die."
"No, ajusshi, don't joke like..."
"Shut up. Enough chatter."
I entered the bathroom with it.
A short while later, as I emerged from the shower, I was already drained.
"Even when it's docile, washing it is a pain in the ass..."
Back in the living room, ramen again.
I knew better than to be picky in this world a hundred times over, but it was getting old already.
As I slurped the broth thinking that, my eyes widened unwittingly.
"...What? Tastes different. What'd you put in? Not splurging in this apocalypse, right?"
I glanced and asked; Tulip giggled.
"Ajusshi, you just noticed?"
"Noticed what."
"The orphanage kids knew right away? Don't you remember them asking if it was real ramen?"
"......Was talking seriously with the director then, no time to taste."
"Broth's richer, right?"
"Stop dodging. What is it."
Kang Harin hesitated, then spoke.
"......Cr, craftler tenderloin. Boiled it in."
"Pfft!"
I nearly spat out everything in my mouth.
It took heroic effort to hold it for the broth's sake.
"Ajusshi! Freshly showered."
"Didn't splash. Craftler? You put that in?"
"Yeah. Tulip said it's safe? No poison, fine to eat."
"Hey."
Tulip smirked while eating her ramen.
"You said you couldn't eat ghoul even if it killed you."
"That was corpse-like. Craftler tastes a bit like shrimp and lobster. Surprisingly good. Protein-packed too."
"You're insane..."
"Ajusshi, it saves our rations! Be grateful!"
"Yeah. Thanks a ton."
Honestly, delicious.
Tenderloin melted into the broth for umami; neutralized ramen's artificial saltiness.
After the meal.
We set watch shifts again.
Harin first. Me middle. Tulip last.
Familiar routine wrapped my mind lightly.
"Alright, hit the sack."
Lying down, sinking into the quiet air.
Water stopped running, lively voices gone—peaceful silence.
An inexplicable chill hit me.
'......Chilly.'
Just paranoia.
Overthinking it leads to insomnia.
How long after drifting off?
"Juhan!"
Urgent voice shattered the silence; my eyes flew open.
Ah, this was no longer just a hunch.