Chapter 37
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Monster Tale Specialist Office: Child of the Centipede (17)
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After a brief bout of dizziness, Taeju was the first to get up and speak.
“Hurry and move. We need to get this hairpin to Sia as fast as possible.”
“Why?”
Hanseol asked in a puzzled tone at Taeju’s words.
“What I did was just a temporary fix. Only Sia can finish the ritual. Once she stabilizes the hairpin, it’ll be easier for your sister to possess it.”
“Can I watch the process?”
“You can’t miss it, actually.”
At Taeju’s words, Hanseol clutched the hairpin to her chest with a look of relief. It was only natural she’d still feel uneasy handing it over to someone else.
But leaving wasn’t easy.
“We’re gonna collapse at this rate.”
As Woli put it, getting the three of them down the mountain was far harder than expected.
Broken branches littered the ground everywhere, the path was rougher than yesterday, and now there were bugs too.
At least Woli’s climb back up had left other traces, which helped.
“How the hell did this happen?”
Seeing the branches in total disarray for the first time, Taeju felt baffled.
“I didn’t do it.”
Woli said that when she’d come down, the branches were already broken all over. She told Taeju it must’ve been an attempt to make her lose her way.
“So you jumped through the trees.”
“It was exhausting.”
“Impressive.”
Taeju was genuinely amazed. Seeing his sincere expression, Woli beamed with pride.
“This is nothing!”
“Honestly, you were kinda cool this time. The ending sucked, though.”
Finding pure praise embarrassing, Taeju added the tease playfully. Woli’s face froze instantly, and she dry-heaved again.
“Urp… Let’s just forget about that.”
Hanseol, not understanding their exchange, stared at Woli with wide eyes.
“Forget what?”
“I’m… not answering that…”
Woli turned away from Hanseol’s face and walked ahead. Thinking more about that centipede thing in her mouth would just start the nausea again.
Taeju leaned in and whispered to Hanseol, who was tilting her head at Woli’s back.
“If you’re curious, ask your sister or the centipede later. They saw it.”
“Really?”
“Hey, I can hear you!!”
The three walked slowly through the mountainside, chatting like that. But it was their last conversation on the hike.
They were too exhausted to talk more.
* * *
Taeju lay sprawled on the bus stop floor, half-dead from exhaustion, while Woli leaned on the signpost like a cane, looking drained too. Hanseol stood straight, but she looked just as worn out.
Soon, the sound of a car approached from afar.
“Ugh, finally.”
Taeju sighed in relief.
The car pulled up slowly to the bus stop, and the window rolled down.
“Looks like you sorted it out.”
Sia spoke upon seeing the item in Hanseol’s hand.
“For now. But that thing,”
“I’ll handle it, right?”
Taeju smirked at Sia’s quick read and opened the passenger door.
“Wow, you guys really went through hell…”
Sia said, eyeing their state. Up close, they looked even worse. Not as bad as when Hanseol first came down the mountain, but covered in dirt and twigs.
“It’s a long story. I’ll explain later.”
It was a lot for just one day.
Taeju stepped into the car and glanced back.
“Not getting in?”
Hanseol and Woli were whispering by the bus stop.
“Yeah, just a sec~.”
Woli replied casually and walked behind the stop. She then jammed the now-shorter signpost into the ground with all her might.
“Won’t it be a problem leaving it here?”
Taeju asked, but Woli was stubborn.
“What’s the big deal? It’s a souvenir.”
It wasn’t visible anyway, and behind the stop seemed fine. Taeju shook his head like “do what you want” and got in the car.
“This one was tough.”
Woli patted the signpost as she said it.
“Good work.”
“Uh… good work?”
Hanseol echoed her. For different reasons than Woli, but she’d relied on this signpost too.
Copying her somehow eased her mind.
The two grinned at each other.
“Hurry up if you’re done! We’re beat!”
They climbed into the car together. No worries about carsickness this time. They trusted the ride.
Hanseol straightened up and gazed at the receding mountain.
Just an ordinary mountain now. The boundary was shattered, and nothing remained inside.
“What’re you thinking?”
Woli turned to follow her gaze.
“Nothing, just.”
The car stopped at a small traffic light, and Hanseol looked ahead again.
Unconsciously, she clenched her fist tight once more. The hairpin was still warm.
Glancing at the three, Hanseol smiled faintly.
“Wanted to look back once.”
A subtle blue glow passed through Hanseol’s eyes as she spoke.
* * *
“This is your room.”
“Thanks!”
After showing her around the office building, Taeju opened the door to Hanseol’s room.
And so, this case wrapped up.
Her reward, as the Director demanded, was employment here. Just as everyone expected.
“This is the house we’ll live in now, my room, right?”
Hanseol stepped inside, not really seeking confirmation from Taeju.
Her face lit up with excitement, the hairpin still clutched in her hand.
“Rest up. We can deal with that tomorrow. Everyone crashed from exhaustion.”
“Yeah. Thanks for looking out.”
Click.
Taeju closed the door after seeing her nod. Hanseol sat lightly on the bed.
Then she looked down at the hairpin in her hand.
“Sister… I’ll do my best. So you can come out from there.”
Aside from washing up, she’d held the hairpin the whole time.
“I miss you…”
* * *
Knock, knock.
A tapping sound woke Hanseol. She must’ve dozed off.
Knock, knock.
The door tapped again. After a moment’s thought, she realized it was a knock and jumped up.
“Come in!”
“I’m coming in~.”
It was Woli at the door.
Delighted, Hanseol scurried to the door.
It was an inward-opening door, which she didn’t know, and she smacked her face right into it.
Thud!
“Ow!”
“What? Why were you standing there?!”
Woli yelped in surprise. Luckily, no serious injury—just a reddened forehead that Hanseol rubbed.
“Ow… my vision’s sparkling…”
“Sorry… you okay? Why stand right there?”
Woli said in a fluster.
“Where I lived before, it was fine to stand in front of the door… Hehe.”
Woli brushed Hanseol’s hand aside to check her forehead. Just a bit red, no bump. Phew.
“Phew, so what’s up?”
“Thought we could go downstairs and bug Taeju to make us something tasty.”
“Downstairs?”
“Yeah! I’m kinda hungry.”
Woli seemed on a mission to look after Hanseol. Probably making excuses to show off the first floor herself.
“Our first floor’s super comfy! Ask Taeju for coffee, he’ll make it. Other drinks too!”
“I’ve never tried coffee… Wonder if it’s good.”
Hanseol grew curious about this coffee she’d only heard of. Fragrant but bitter, they said, but she’d never tasted it.
“Hmm, well, if coffee’s no good, get something else. Let’s go down.”
“But I have something to do.”
Hanseol said she needed to wait for Sia to wake up for that stabilization Taeju mentioned.
“Sia’s still sleeping. She’ll probably head to the first floor when she’s up.”
“Really?”
Convinced by Woli, Hanseol followed. They descended the stairs to the first floor.
Taeju was already there, seated in case a guest showed up.
“Oh, you’re up already?”
“Yeah! Figured you’d be hungry, so I brought her.”
“You could’ve slept more if you’re tired.”
“No, I rested plenty!”
Hanseol replied, then scanned the cafe on the first floor again.
“Gimme that. Oreo frappe!”
Woli ordered casually from Taeju. Hanseol’s eyes widened at the fancy name.
“What’s that?”
“Uh… super sweet and delicious! Get one for Seol too!”
She must’ve looked up trendy drinks. Taeju chuckled.
Normally he’d whine it was a hassle, but since it was new to Hanseol, he’d make it without complaint.
Woli’s sly grin suggested she planned it, but he let it slide this time.
A loud blending noise erupted—grinding and mixing. The weird sound startled Hanseol, who grabbed Woli’s arm.
It sounded ominously crunchy just from the noise.
“Is this how you make drinks? That weird sound?”
Woli answered Hanseol’s question.
“It’s not weird—it’s just grinding something hard.”
Taeju finished two glasses quickly.
He handed Hanseol’s with a smile, but plunked Woli’s on the table with a thud. Woli stuck her tongue out at him when no one else saw.
“Wow… what’s this white stuff?”
Hanseol’s exclamation cut through their standoff.
“That’s whipped cream!”
Woli demonstrated by scooping some with a spoon.
Hanseol followed, taking a bite. A first-time taste—fluffy texture, sweeter than fruit, melting in her mouth.
“I like mixing it in. Tastier that way.”
As Hanseol reached for more in delight, a voice came from behind.
It was Sia.
Her outfit was different, so Hanseol almost didn’t recognize her.
Sia wore comfy green sweats and black slippers—a far cry from her usual neat look, leaving Hanseol flustered.
“Sia… right?”
“‘Sia-ssi’ works, but no need to be so formal. Call me unnie like Woli, or even Sia-nim’s fine, I guess.”
Taeju smirked at Sia’s joke, but Hanseol didn’t catch it.
“Uh… then Sia-nim? I’ll call you Sia-nim!”
Instead, she picked the weirdest title, making Sia’s pupils shake.
“…? How do you say that so casually…?”
“Huh? Sia-nim, what’s wrong?”
“S-Stop. I thought you’d say unnie, why ‘nim’? It’s awkward—call me unnie, please!”
The honorific embarrassed her; Sia waved her hands.
But now Hanseol looked troubled.
“Huh? But… unnie feels a bit…”
To Hanseol, “unnie” meant more than just older sister—almost like a mother.
“…Fine, skip unnie if it’s weird, but not Sia-nim. Feels off.”
Hanseol nodded at Sia’s words.
Pondering what to call her, Hanseol stirred her straw like Woli.
Then she slurped through it deeply. Unlike the cream, it was ice-cold and sweet.
Looking up at Sia, Hanseol said.
“You’re right, Sia-nim—this is delicious!”
“Yeah, glad you like it. No, seriously, fix that title…”
Unintentionally, Sia and Hanseol bonded quickly.
Taeju watched their chat with a warm smile.
Woli stifled laughs but still smiled as she watched them.
“If unnie’s too much, how about Sia-unnie?”
“Hmm… yeah, that doesn’t feel awkward. Hehe.”