Chapter 57
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Monster Tale Specialist Office: Mangnyang Stray Cat (6)
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Ding-a-ling-.
The door opened with a chime. Thinking it might be Sia returning, Taeju glanced toward the sound.
“I’m hooome~.”
“It was you.”
Taeju said to Woli, who was coming in with that inexplicable greeting.
“What if someone was already here?”
“What’s the big deal? If they are, they are.”
Of course, Seol-i was right there beside her.
“I’m back.”
The two hadn’t gone anywhere else; they’d returned right away. It seemed to be because of Taeju’s request to come back quickly.
“Nothing’s happening right now, right? I’m just insurance anyway.”
Taeju nodded at Woli’s question.
Truth be told, the reason he’d asked them to hurry back wasn’t so much for Woli, but for Seol-i.
Excluding Siwoo, Seol-i would be the first to notice if Mangnyang showed up.
Mangnyang was so special that it was hard to even tell if it was there or not. That’s why Seol-i would be a big help this time.
As for Woli, she was insurance, just like she said. Hoping they wouldn’t need it, Taeju replied.
“You’ve got it exactly right. We’re not starting the moment that guy arrives, so we’ve got some time.”
Woli nodded at Taeju’s words, then immediately turned to Seol-i.
“In that case, I should change clothes right now for the timing. Let’s go, Seol-i!”
With that, Woli grabbed Seol-i and dashed upstairs. Seol-i went along, mumbling in surprise.
Not long after the two headed up, the bell rang again. It was by mere seconds. This time, it was the person Taeju had initially expected.
“I’m back.”
“...Hello.”
In contrast to Sia’s casual demeanor, Siwoo was extremely tense. It was understandable. Taeju smiled and said.
“Come on in. See anything strange on the way?”
She looked fine on the surface, but he asked out of courtesy anyway. The expected answer came back.
“Yes, it was fine.”
Siwoo was just a bit tense—otherwise perfectly okay. Besides, if something had happened, Sia wouldn’t have come back so nonchalantly.
Taeju felt relieved that the worst-case scenario—running into Mangnyang unprepared—hadn’t occurred.
“Relax. We’re not starting right away anyway. How about we chat a bit to loosen up? Any favorite drinks?”
“Oh, I’m fine...”
Siwoo declined, as if it were mere politeness. But Taeju insisted.
“No need to hold back. Sure, it looks like this, but we’re not really in the business of selling stuff. Making this kind of thing is one of my hobbies anyway. Something sweet okay? Caffeine’s fine, right?”
Siwoo hesitated at Taeju’s question, then nodded.
“In that case, I’ll gratefully accept. Any drink is fine. Just... nothing too strong like heavy coffee.”
Taeju nodded. The weather was getting warmer, so a light iced latte would do. Sia naturally placed her order too.
“The usual for me.”
“No, sis, you always get something different.”
He said that, but Taeju knew it just meant whatever sweet thing.
It didn’t take long for Taeju to set out the drinks. Light iced cafe lattes with maple syrup for sweetness. He’d put less in Sia’s, since she didn’t like it too sweet.
“Drink up while you listen. I’ll go over today’s precautions.”
As he handed over the glass, Taeju said. Siwoo didn’t touch her drink, still tense. Taeju didn’t push her. She’d drink eventually when her throat got dry.
“First, never step outside the designated area. Second, don’t try to look at Mangnyang. Third, no matter who speaks to you, don’t respond. Since we can’t tell what’s Mangnyang, even if it’s us asking, don’t look and don’t answer.”
It was simple, but firm—the rules not to break.
“...”
Taeju waited for a reply, but Siwoo stayed silent. Tilting his head in wonder, he soon realized why.
“No, it’s fine now. The rule starts later. We haven’t begun yet, so it’s okay.”
“Ah! Haha...”
At Taeju’s words, Siwoo’s face turned bright red. Taeju chuckled.
“Well, tension does that. Anyway, just do like you did just now. But if everyone’s like that, how would we know if the situation’s over?”
So Taeju handed Siwoo a pen and paper.
“Write a code word in here. Anything’s fine—best if it’s nonsense. Fold it so it’s hidden and give it to me. I won’t open it until it’s all done.”
“And then?”
“If you can’t hear the word you wrote while inside, the situation isn’t over. Ignore everything until you do.”
“...So what I write in here is really important?”
“Yes. But it’s not the content that matters—it’s that you know it and others don’t. Just write something no one else knows.”
“As long as it’s not so long you forget it.”
Sia chimed in. She’d already finished her drink somehow.
Siwoo carefully wrote something on the paper. Taeju didn’t know what, but it was fairly long—a sentence, probably.
“Like this?”
Siwoo folded it multiple times so the inside wasn’t visible and handed it to Taeju. He nodded.
“Yes, that works. Absolutely don’t forget what’s inside.”
Taeju slipped it into the wallet he carried. Now, only one person knew what was in there.
“Anything else to watch out for?”
“Well, there are other things, but they’re more about mindset than precautions.”
Taeju thought for a moment, but the rest depended on them, not Siwoo. Still, if there was one thing to say.
“Stay relaxed.”
“Relaxed?”
Siwoo echoed, puzzled.
“Yes. Being relaxed won’t solve the problem, but it keeps you from overestimating it.”
That was true. Siwoo still hadn’t taken a single sip of her drink. She’d get to it eventually, but even now, she hadn’t.
“I know it’s hard not to be tense even if I say don’t, but it’s okay to loosen up a little. You haven’t done anything wrong—why so wound up?”
At Taeju’s words, Siwoo managed a strained smile. She took a small sip of her drink. But honestly, she didn’t look any less tense.
“Well, it’s not like words alone can make it go away.”
Sia said to Taeju. He scratched his head, agreeing it couldn’t be helped.
If mere words could ease tension that easily, no one would ever ruin important moments by freaking out.
“I’ll try. But we’re doing the Mangnyang encounter here?”
To Siwoo, the place didn’t seem all that prepared.
“Yes, that’s the plan. But not exactly this spot.”
“Then where?”
“One floor up. I’ve set up a suitable space there.”
At Taeju’s words, Siwoo glanced up, even though there was nothing to see but the ceiling.
“Up...”
“This floor is completely isolated from the rest, unlike others. I made it that way on purpose. Open the door, and it’s connected; closed, and it’s cut off from the world. Perfect for this.”
That made the floor ideal for spells. The one downside: true isolation meant no electricity.
There was a reason Sia always came down bored.
“A couple more people will come down soon. We’ll start once they do.”
* * *
Just as Taeju said, the second floor was like another world. Climbing the stairs with flickering lights led to a genuinely dark place.
“It’s kinda creepy.”
Surrounded by two near-strangers and two even stranger ones, Siwoo entered the room, tense as ever.
In the center of the room sat a single chair, with two candelabras in front. And around the chair, a circle was drawn on the floor.
“Have a seat there.”
At Sia’s words, Siwoo sat in the chair at the circle’s center.
No electricity on this floor meant plenty of windows out of necessity. Otherwise, it’d be too dark all the time.
Right now, only one window was open. Faint light filtered in, illuminating the two large candelabras before Siwoo.
Sia stood in front of the candelabras first, while Taeju approached Siwoo’s side.
“This circle is a boundary. It makes it hard for non-humans to see inside clearly.”
“Didn’t you say boundaries don’t mean anything?”
Taeju nodded, agreeing with Siwoo’s question.
“To them, this boundary will feel like a wall of water. Not sturdy, more like an obstacle. So they can break through without much trouble.”
Then why stay inside and ignore the outside? Siwoo asked.
“This boundary isn’t to protect you, Siwoo. That’s this kid’s job.”
Taeju pointed to Woli as he spoke. Woli beamed at Siwoo and waved. Siwoo eyed her dubiously—not very reassuring. She looked like an ordinary high school girl, after all. But Taeju didn’t bother explaining. Woli’s reliability was something you couldn’t grasp without seeing it.
“Uh... hello?”
“Hello!”
Woli greeted brightly, utterly untense. Her nonchalance seemed to come off as confidence to Siwoo, who loosened up a bit.
“The wall’s role is to make it impossible to tell for sure if you’re really inside or not. Soon, we’ll release a scent carrying your smell. You’ll be like something obviously hidden behind a curtain. What do you think they’ll do?”
Siwoo imagined it at Taeju’s question. The curtain would stand out hugely.
“They’ll... think I’m in there. Not for sure, but.”
“Yes. That’s what we’re aiming for. They’ll wonder if you really are. But with Woli there, they won’t approach easily.”
That hesitation, that moment of doubt—they needed it.
“That’s why I warned you. If you convince them you’re definitely inside, we lose any strategic edge. Remember what I said?”
“Yes. Once it starts, don’t leave the circle, don’t react to anything you hear from outside, and don’t try to look even if you can’t help seeing something.”
Siwoo nodded. He’d emphasized it several times; she seemed to have it memorized now.
Taeju was tense too, though he didn’t show it. They had to summon the unknown relying only on minimal safeguards.
Taeju pulled a glass orb from his pocket.
“What’s that?”
“Our last resort.”
The orb was fist-sized, with something sloshing inside. Like a glittery glass ornament. Taeju handed it over carefully.
“It’s important, so be careful.”
She took it since he gave it, but had no idea what it was. Siwoo looked baffled.
“Simply put, it’s like a mix of smoke bomb and flashbang. Play any games?”
“A little.”
“No need to explain more, then. Pull it and it’ll make a loud bang, flash bright, and give off weird smoke. Won’t hurt humans, but it’ll startle you good.”
“This?”
It didn’t look like much. Siwoo doubted it could do that.
But it was the real deal. Not for biting people, but a special one that worked on Mangnyang.
“Yes, it’ll break if dropped, so careful. We’re giving it in case Mangnyang gets too close and we can’t stop it. To scare it off. Even fear-eaters jump at sudden surprises.”
Siwoo peered into the orb and nodded that she understood.
“Keep what I told you in mind.”
With that final word from Taeju, no more talk. They were ready to begin.
Siwoo carefully sat straight in the chair at the circle’s center. The candles around her lit up. A strange smell enveloped her once, then spread out.