Penthouse Dreams and Cultivator Mockery
"Is this all your stuff?"
"Yeah. Pretty minimal, right?"
"For me, less is more. Places like this are mostly for sailors who are away a lot or folks on dispatch. You must travel a bunch too, young man?"
Travel? Nah, I'm a total shut-in NEET who hasn't stepped foot outside in ages.
"Haha. More stuff just means more hassle."
"Looks like we've got everything. Let's head out. Destination is Gangbuk..."
I accepted Cha Su-rim's offer, and three days later, I called a moving truck to pack up my things. I'd lived in that studio for quite a while, but it was only for personal reasons—no regrets. Besides, five pyeong was way too shabby for someone with a Heavenly Seedling talent like mine. A great talent deserved at least this much space.
"Whoa..."
The building had a sleek exterior blending gray and ivory tones. Terraces jutted out generously from each floor, paired with floor-to-ceiling windows. The entrance lobby screamed hotel luxury, complete with polished marble floors. This was the penthouse where I'd be living from now on.
“Just moving in?”
"Yeah. Hi there."
While hauling my stuff, I ran into a neighbor—a middle-aged guy with what looked like a 12-year-old boy in tow.
"Hewwo."
"Hey, kid. Hi."
The boy peeked shyly from behind his dad, clearly awkward around strangers. Adorable.
"Siu, don't be rude to adults. Greet him properly."
"Okay..."
At the man's scolding, the kid shuffled forward and bowed politely.
"Hello. I'm Kim Siu."
Up close, he had the makings of a handsome guy who'd break plenty of hearts someday.
"Nice to meet you. See you around."
"Yes, sir."
They say leisure comes from a full wallet, right? In a rich neighborhood like this, even the kids oozed class and manners. And soon, I'd be one of the residents.
Beep-.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside.
"It's so empty."
The living room opened up wide and airy. High ceilings, vast space. My stuff, which had filled my old five-pyeong place perfectly, felt insignificant in this 60-pyeong penthouse. Maybe the pre-move cleaning made it feel even emptier. I unpacked diligently, but it still didn't feel lived-in. Time to fill the voids with appliances.
Fridge, TV, PlayStation, top-tier massage chair, full-HD screen, and more. I'd ordered a ton.
"Boss, fridge goes here. One TV in the living room, one in the master..."
Money was great. I'd gone full "Just give me the most expensive you've got!" on my dream list, and the quality showed. Glossy finishes, subtle matte textures—pure luxury. Delivery was fast too. With each item slotted in, a swell of satisfaction filled my chest. Was this the taste of extravagance? I could get hooked.
"Delivery!"
No perfect day without jjajangmyeon. Black bean noodles double spicy, huge sweet-and-sour pork. I even splurged on kung pao chicken and chili shrimp, stuff I'd only lurked on before. How long since I'd ordered without checking prices? I'd been eating light unintentionally—couldn't handle more than the bare minimum. High-cal instant meals had been my staple. But now, I'd loosen the reins a bit. Downing a cola in one go felt like heaven.
A quick tidy-up here and there, and the place was sorted. Lighting some candles last made it perfect.
"This is home for the foreseeable future."
Bedrooms galore: three plus a master. Utility room, balcony too. The expansive living room and hallway gave a liberating openness. Perks of a B-rank awakener? I toyed with ranking up right then but shook it off. Dobby loves pleasure without obligations.
But the cultivators' reactions weren't what I expected.
Damn. By Earth standards, or Korean ones, this is spacious. Especially downtown.
Mocked by folks who've never touched modern civilization. Suddenly pissed.
Infuriating. But I couldn't back down.
Classic do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do hypocrisy. Blood boiling. Wanted to upload pics/videos to show them modernity, but it'd burn tons of Spirit Qi. Like massive data usage. Turns out, the items they sent me cost them big losses.
Myeolgeuk must've bottled up a lot. K-teenagers are pros at giving grown-ups heart attacks. My inner guilt triangle spun wildly again. But she'd shattered my mentality too. The pain of five straight losses lingered.
Strange hearing that from the clueless.
Whoa. Their scale dizzied me. 60 pyeong, humble indeed. My lovely penthouse, my sweet home, suddenly felt shabby thanks to their trolling(?).
"Long road ahead."
Maybe reaching Qi Refinement 4-star too easily made me forget humility. Ruling continents like them was a stretch, but S-rank meant private islands with villas easy. Source? Tower items. Answer's in the Tower.
"Time to cultivate."
I set aside the exciting new console and sat cross-legged. Bigger space meant more Spirit Stones piles. Deliveries came daily, but they vanished fast. Needed a bulk supplier. Or rent a lot—piles of rocks at my door daily was an issue. Poor delivery guys.
But later for that. First, circulate qi.
"Inhale—exhale."
Historic first session in the new place. Mind and body as one? Mood boosted circulation freer. Rough meridians smoothed to gravel road. Huge progress. Gotta pave that smooth highway soon. And definitely move to bigger digs.
With that resolve, I sat amid transparent Spirit Stones and sank into Intertwined Lotus Flame.
A week passed.
12 years ago. An awakener was deemed irregular right at awakening. Mastery of four elements, vast mana. People didn't hesitate to nickname the 13-year-old boy.
Cha U-jin, the Quad-Color Archmage. The prodigy chasing The One, reclaiming rankings fiercely. S-rank hope for the next gen, Korea's treasure.
And Cha Su-rim's pride...
"Team leader? Cha Team Leader."
"...Huh?"
Her subordinate's call snapped Cha Su-rim from reverie.
"What's up?"
"Monthly report here. New awakeners, crisis response calls, oddities summarized."
"Oh, end of month already? Thanks."
Still lost in nostalgia, Cha Su-rim replied languidly. Rare daze from the ice queen. Her female subordinate eyed her curiously, then gasped brightly.
"Team leader got a boyfriend!"
"Pfft!"
Spray of drinks everywhere at the shout.
"Not like that."
"Sure it isn't? That's the face of missing someone."
Male staff perked ears at the push for details, catching every rustle from miles away.
"Spill. Got a guy?"
"You seen me meet anyone off-duty?"
Subordinate took it as "office romance."
"That's why the three-day field trip..."
"...!!"
Crash—someone toppled chair-over from leaning too far.
"Cha Team Leader, your awakener housing support and bonus payout processed. Additional requests queued."
Perfect timing—accounting fanned flames. Anyone could see perks proxy-applied for a crush.
"Whoa... devotion."
"Late bloomers burn hot."
Cha Su-rim, the association's Ice Flower—cold, curt, beauty like frost blooms. Men nursing crushes felt skies fall. Gossip girls cooed, signaling dig deeper.
"Ahem. So, dating?"
"Yeah. Let me in his place, thankfully."
Eyes widened.
"Age?"
"Mid-twenties."
"Younger guy's fine. Job?"
"Hanging at home?"
"Hehe. Awakener now? Life set. Looks?"
"Solid build. Hair too long—face hidden."
"...Unscratched lottery!"
Subordinate hyped.
"Curiosity sated?"
"Huh? Haha, yeah..."
"Back to work."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Cha Su-rim propped chin boredly. Whispers inevitable, ignored. Misunderstood as lovers? Fine—spreads benefits faster.
"Should give more. Anything else?"
Her mutter hit radars, deepening rumors. No feelings between them, but who cared? Curiosity about the guy melting Ice Flower ran wild.
And the star of the show, right then, eyed Qi Refinement 6-star.
One week. Short or long. Enough for some to leap realms.