Artifact
Midday at Seo-Daejeon Park was lively.
People sat on picnic mats eating delivery food or reading books. Others let their pets run free. Among them, three animals at the far end of the park stood out.
A weasel, a raccoon, and a Bambi—though to be precise about their species, they were monsters. They were the ones Kwak Hye-won, owner of the Seonhwa Animal Cafe, had brought out. Even tamed, they still wore muzzles and other restraints here and there on their bodies. That was exactly why they had settled at the far end of the park instead of near the entrance.
"They're running around so well. Doesn't it bother them?"
A leisurely voice drifted over. When she looked up from the children, Choi Yeon was walking toward them. Unlike usual, he wasn't loaded down with holsters, a reminder that he wasn't on duty.
Kwak Hye-won smoothed out the wrinkled picnic mat and welcomed him.
"Welcome, Choi Yeon-ssi."
"Hello. Everything all right at the cafe?"
"Yes. Other than the customers increasing thanks to you."
"Thanks to me? Ah. Those little ones?"
Choi Yeon sat on the mat and watched the creatures bouncing around. All he had done for the Seonhwa Animal Cafe was leave the monsters in her care and restore peace to the Dongdae.
"That's right. Quite a few people come just to see them."
"That's good to hear… Wait a second. Then today being the weekend, isn't this your big day?"
"It would be."
"If you forced yourself to come out—"
"No. I brought the kids out because of that."
"…?"
"If there are too many people, they'll get stressed."
"Ah."
In other words, she had given up the money for the children's sake. There wasn't even a hint of regret on her face—only deep affection for the ones running free. Choi Yeon was honestly impressed. The reason the monsters could race around the park without straying far from her was surely because she treated them with that kind of love. Did it take that much to tame monsters? He doubted he could manage it even if he spent his whole life trying.
"…By the way, where did Sung-yoon-ssi go? I heard he was with you."
"He went to pick up Chae-eun and her parents. They said they were over by the Grandfather Tree."
"Grandfather Tree?"
"The Guardian Tree. Chae-eun calls it that."
"Ahh. Then they'll be here soo—ah, there they are."
Four figures entered Choi Yeon's view. Ko Sung-yoon and Park Chae-eun walked hand in hand, with Park Chae-eun's parents following behind. While Choi Yeon and Kwak Hye-won rose from the mat, the newcomers arrived and greeted them in turn.
"Hello, Mister!"
"Hello, Yeon-i hyung!"
"Hello. I'm Seo Yoon-hee, Chae-eun's mom."
"…Mm. Park Jin-soo, Chae-eun's dad."
Did they decide to greet in order of age? Pushing the thought aside, Choi Yeon introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Choi Yeon, hunter with Seonhwa Dongdae."
"I'm sorry for taking up your free time on a holiday. We just really wanted to thank the two of you somehow…"
"It's fine. I didn't have anything going on at home anyway."
"Same here! I already promised to show them the kids. Right?"
"Right?"
When Ko Sung-yoon tilted his head, the little girl copied him. Seeing how much closer they had grown since the instant dungeon, it was clear they had met a few more times in between.
Park Jin-soo spoke in a low voice.
"If it were up to me, I'd have wanted to treat you to something precious as a gift…"
"Just the thought is enough. If I accepted something like that, I'd get fired from the Dongdae."
"Yes. I figured as much…. Please take this at least."
Park Jin-soo held out the paper bag he was carrying. Ko Sung-yoon had an identical bag in his hand—he must have received his earlier.
"It's a health juice set. It's, uh, far too modest. I'm sorry."
"Modest? Health juice is more than enough. I'll enjoy it."
"And, well…"
Park Jin-soo's voice dropped lower. His gaze dropped with it. Choi Yeon knew at once what he was looking at. There was no way he could miss it. The whole reason they had made plans on a precious weekend instead of resting was to talk about that very thing—the sprout-shaped headband Park Chae-eun was wearing even today.
"…Sung-yoon-ah."
"Yes, noona?"
"Shall we take a walk around the park?"
"Huh? All of a sudden?"
"Yeah. All of a sudden."
After the brief nudge, Kwak Hye-won called over the little ones who had been headbutting each other in play. Realizing her intent a beat late, Ko Sung-yoon hurried after her. Park Chae-eun, still holding his hand tightly, went with them. Seo Yoon-hee bowed her head in thanks to Kwak Hye-won and Ko Sung-yoon, then told her daughter not to let go of Sung-yoon's hand.
"…I heard from Chae-eun," Park Jin-soo said in a low voice afterward. "She said the headband is a magic item."
"Mm…. It might not be a simple magic item."
"What…?"
"Actually…"
Choi Yeon continued slowly.
"So you're saying there was an item that activated a barrier?"
Dongdae Chief Kim Jaesang froze mid-cut of the pork belly. He glared across the table at Choi Yeon hard enough to pop his eyeballs out. Choi Yeon, chopsticks in his mouth waiting for the meat to be sliced, answered as if it were nothing.
"Yes."
"Hey. Why are you only telling me this now?"
"We rescued the kids from the dungeon, erased the instant dungeon, and just sat down at a meat place with Heeseok hyungnim who just got back. Was there really time to talk?"
"Even so, you little punk! Something like that, you should've picked the right timing and said it first!"
"I did pick the timing. I'm saying it now."
"No…!"
Hwaaah! Kim Jaesang let out a rough sigh. He wanted to pour out complaints, but Choi Yeon would just let them go in one ear and out the other. Talking would only tire his mouth, so he got to the point.
"But you didn't bring it out with you? Are you crazy?"
"Huh? No. I did bring it out."
"What're you talkin' about? You just said you didn't have it."
"Chae-eun has it right now. Remember? The sprout-shaped headband."
"That was it?"
What kind of item looks like that? The image of the lively sprout headband on the child's head rose in Kim Jaesang's mind, and he was left speechless. In more than thirty years of living, he had never seen an item that looked like that. Even the flashy gear young hunters designed with style in mind had a certain cool factor—he'd admired a few of them himself. Compared to those, the sprout headband was, at best, cute.
Swish.
Choi Heeseok, who had been waiting quietly for the meat, took the tongs and scissors from the chief's hands. While Kim Jaesang sat frozen in disbelief, Heeseok finished cutting the pork belly.
Snip, snip.
"…Why'd you leave it on her?"
The sound of meat being cut snapped Kim Jaesang back. He opened his mouth.
"Look, putting it on her in the dungeon was fine. But once you got out, you should've recovered it."
"I couldn't."
"Why? Did the kid cry and refuse to give it back?"
"No. The child handed it over. The headband rejected me."
"……What?"
"It activated a barrier and shoved me away. Then it dropped right back into Chae-eun's hand. Plop."
A piece of pork belly landed on Choi Yeon's plate. Choi Heeseok, finished cutting, had served him. As Choi Yeon thanked him, Kim Jaesang exploded.
"You crazy bastard! That thing…!"
He stopped short and glanced around. Thanks to the pork belly restaurant owner giving them the second floor for a Dongdae dinner, there weren't many people nearby. Still, there were ears, so he lowered his voice to a fierce hiss.
"That's an Artifact…!"
"…What?"
Choi Yeon blinked. He hadn't understood what he'd just heard. An Artifact? That thing?
Thump, thump. Kim Jaesang pounded his own chest in frustration.
"You said it rejected you yourself—how can you not know? An item that chooses its owner. What else is that but an Artifact, huh?"
"No, those are S-rank items. Ultra-rare things the world barely has any of. There's no way one would come out of a C-rank instant dungeon."
"That's true, but…. Ugh…"
Kim Jaesang made a sound that was half groan, half hum. He had declared it an Artifact with confidence, yet even he wasn't entirely sure. Choi Yeon was right—an Artifact appearing in a C-rank instant dungeon made no sense. If they came out that easily, they wouldn't be rated S-rank in the first place.
"Even if it is the real deal, it's a problem. It's already chosen an owner and come out with her."
"…That's not our problem to worry about."
"Then whose? The big shots upstairs?"
Kim Jaesang snorted as if he'd heard something funny, then clinked glasses with Choi Heeseok, who was smiling the same way.
"So… it might be something that incredible…?"
"Even when I thought it was just a magic item, I was already shaking…"
Park Chae-eun's parents murmured weakly. They clearly hadn't imagined the headband could be anything so extraordinary. Park Jin-soo swallowed hard and looked at Choi Yeon.
"Then… should we give the headband to you, Hunter?"
"No. If the headband really is that, then it belongs to Chae-eun. It chose its owner on its own."
"Ah…"
"Without Chae-eun's and the headband's permission, you can't even hold it. And even if you somehow took it, you couldn't use it. In short…"
Having it would be completely useless. Choi Yeon summed it up briefly and finished.
"Ahh…"
Park Chae-eun's parents let out anxious sighs. Learning they had obtained one of the rarest items in the world wasn't something they could simply celebrate. It felt like something far too grand for people like them. In their minds rose the image of a pig wearing a pearl necklace.
"Then… then what should we do?"
Seo Yoon-hee asked in a worried voice. It was their matter, so they ought to decide for themselves—but with an advisor right in front of them, there was no need to stew alone. Choi Yeon had expected them to ask for advice. So had Kim Jaesang, who wasn't here.
"The Dongdae Chief said he would follow Chae-eun's and your wishes."
"What…?"
"If you want to sell it, we can act as your agents. Even with an owner, there are plenty of rich people who would want to buy it."
Choi Yeon laid out the options so Park Chae-eun and her parents could choose among a few possibilities.
"If Chae-eun wants, she could become a hunter. She'd be starting from a much better position than most people. It's dangerous work, though, so think carefully."
"W-we'll do that."
Park Chae-eun's parents agreed with uneasy faces. A hunter? It was a popular job, but one that risked your life. They didn't want to put their daughter in danger.
"If you don't like either of those," Choi Yeon shrugged, "you can just keep living the way you are now."
"What…?"
"Whatever you choose, we'll help you."
Park Chae-eun's parents blinked. Like anyone who had just heard something unexpected, their eyes went blank. They could just keep living as they were? If that were possible, nothing could be better. And yet…
"Is that really all right…?"
"You said the headband is an incredibly precious item. We don't know much, but we do know hunters risk their lives to get things like that."
They asked worriedly. An incredibly precious item. Choi Yeon turned his head away from the two of them. In the distance he could see Park Chae-eun's group returning from their walk around the park. A weasel rode on her shoulder, repeatedly pawing at the sprout on her head as if it thought a sprout had grown on a human's head.
"No, you can't touch it!"
Park Chae-eun hugged the weasel on her shoulder tightly. The weasel didn't reject the child's arms, even though it could easily have dodged.
"Well…. To my eyes it's just a headband with a slightly unusual design."
With that, Choi Yeon waved to the returning group. Seeing his calm, unhurried manner, Park Chae-eun's parents realized he truly didn't think much of it. They also realized he valued their daughter more than any Artifact. That was enough to soothe their startled hearts.
"Um… how long do we have to decide…?"
"Chae-eun is eight right now, right?"
"Huh? Yes."
"Then I figure you've got about ten years to choose."
"What? What do you mean…?"
"Kids' dreams change in a flash. I hear Chae-eun's dream right now is to become a tree? And she talks with trees and everything."
"Ah, ahaha…"
Park Chae-eun's parents laughed awkwardly. For a moment their eyes met in empty air.
"Take your time deciding. We'll wait. We'll also provide a protection program."
"Really, really thank you, Hunter."
"We've only been receiving…. We really want to do something for you…"
"It's fine. This is what the Dongdae is for."
Choi Yeon waved his hands dismissively and added that anything more than the health juice set would just make him uncomfortable. But they knew. Choi Yeon and Seonhwa Dongdae had made a difficult choice. If it had been any other Dongdae, their lives would have become extremely hard because of the Artifact.
"Oh, and you know this has to stay secret, right? If other people find out, it'll get annoying…. No, complicated. People after the headband might show up, or it could end up under national management."
"Ah, yes! We won't tell anyone!"
"We'll make sure Chae-eun keeps it secret too!"
While Park Chae-eun's parents made their promises, her group arrived. Only Kwak Hye-won sat on the mat. Park Chae-eun and Ko Sung-yoon were still racing around the park with the weasel and raccoon. Even after all that running, they still seemed to have energy left.
"Is the talk finished?"
"Thanks to you. Thank you."
"Hehe, all I did was take a walk."
Stroke, stroke.
Kwak Hye-won stroked Bambi on her lap. Bambi accepted her touch quietly while keeping an eye on the weasel and raccoon. Watching that, Choi Yeon realized Bambi was the leader among the three monsters.
"Yeon-i hyung!"
"…?"
"Don't just sit there—come play with us!"
Play together? Choi Yeon offered an awkward smile. He simply couldn't picture himself running around with them. Not at all.
"Together—"
Ko Sung-yoon was about to continue when a small explosion sounded in the distance. Boom!
Choi Yeon's mouth twitched. On a golden holiday…
"Ah! This is Munhwa-dong, right? Haha. No need for me to step in…"
"Choi Yeon-ssi. I'm sorry to say this, but—"
"Then don't say it, boss."
"That direction is Yongdu-dong."
"……"
With Kwak Hye-won's firm voice, Choi Yeon buried his face in both hands. The smoke rising from Yongdu-dong was in the neighborhood Seonhwa Dongdae was responsible for. Now that he knew, he had no choice but to respond. Poor guy.
"H-hang in there! Yeon-i hyung…!"
Why was that? Choi Yeon suddenly wanted to punch Ko Sung-yoon in the mouth. It felt like the explosion in Yongdu-dong had happened because of that mouth.