Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: Theseus's Ship (1)
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"Ah, yes, yes. President. I'm sorry. I'll send someone right away."
As the Heavenly Demon arrived early in the morning and opened the door to the Bokbok Interiors shop, he saw Jang Chaewon at her desk, on the phone.
Jang Chaewon's usual arrival time was around 9:30 a.m.
But for some reason, she was already at her desk early, taking a call.
"Yes, yes. I'm sorry."
Click.
The moment she hung up, Jang Chaewon let out a sigh as if the ground had caved in beneath her.
"Haa. What a mistake."
"What happened?"
At the Heavenly Demon's question, Jang Chaewon scratched her head while clutching the phone.
"I forgot about the installation. Oh, it's not Shin-ui. It's for a regular upper-grade yokai customer..."
"I am here."
"You haven't learned it yet."
"There's no such thing as work that can only be done after learning it. There's something called improvisation."
Jang Chaewon's eyes sparkled.
Normally, such boasts from him would make her anxious, but in moments like this, he was truly reliable.
"Deco tile installation—can you do it?"
"Deco tile? Deco tile."
The Heavenly Demon furrowed his brow, recalling a book he'd read before: *Interior Materials Encyclopedia*.
"It's a flooring material named after the first letter of 'decoration.' It combines the advantages of tiles and sheet vinyl. PVC base mixed with plasticizers and additives, compressed firmly, then patterned to look like tiles."
Jang Chaewon's expression grew slightly uneasy at the Heavenly Demon's offbeat response.
"No, I mean, can you install it?"
"I saw Mr. Kim doing it just a few days ago."
Jang Chaewon's face openly darkened at the Heavenly Demon's vague reply.
"No. Can *you* install it?"
"Me?"
"Who else is here besides you?"
"I see."
The Heavenly Demon crossed his arms and shook his head firmly from side to side.
"Of course it's possible."
"Your body language and your words don't match."
"Saying it's possible means I can do it. Even a three-year-old could understand that."
"You're not the type to die before admitting you can't, huh?"
"Of course. Such words don't exist in my dictionary."
Jang Chaewon wore a gloomy expression.
In the end, the Heavenly Demon just couldn't admit he couldn't do it and was spouting nonsense instead.
"This is tricky. It has to be done today."
She plopped down at her desk, resting her chin and sighing.
"No matter how much I look, there's no flooring technician available for install today."
"The boss should do it herself."
"The site is two hours away in the suburbs. I have a site visit for an estimate soon, and a client meeting after that."
The Heavenly Demon replied flatly.
"Then explain the situation to the client."
"If it were that simple, I'd have done it already."
Jang Chaewon scratched her head with a troubled look.
"He's a yokai, sure, but... he's closer to a yokai god. And he's got a notoriously prickly personality and values promises highly. Miss the install date, and he'll harass you day and night for three days straight."
"Sounds rough."
"Hey, this isn't someone else's problem?"
"Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be my affair."
Seeing the Heavenly Demon lounging as if clouds were drifting by, Jang Chaewon clenched her fist as if she'd made up her mind.
"Fine. Better to send you than break a promise and get chewed out for three days and nights."
"With that personality, he'll nitpick even if the work's perfect."
"Don't worry. If he complains, I'll take the heat."
"Hm."
After a moment's thought, the Heavenly Demon nodded.
"Very well. I'll handle it."
"Good."
Jang Chaewon jumped to her feet and pointed to the stack of deco tiles in front of the shop.
"It's just partial repair anyway, so it won't be too hard. Just one room."
Jang Chaewon pointed to the boxes of deco tiles stacked in the corner by the entrance.
"Materials are all prepped here, so take them and install. Even if you mess up, Mr. Kim can fix it later."
"No need to worry about messing up."
"Yeah. Here's the address—I'm counting on you. And make sure to leave Nameless in the car during the install."
"By the way, I have one question."
"What?"
The Heavenly Demon asked with utmost seriousness.
"Is it okay to suggest changing materials on site if needed?"
One hour later, at a mansion on the outskirts.
The mansion, with its vast garden and even a fountain, looked like a painting come to life.
Vroom.
A small van glided to a stop in front of the mansion.
Click.
The door opened, and a burly man stood before the entrance. It was the Heavenly Demon.
"Hm."
He scanned the majestic lion statue by the entrance and the mansion's impressive facade.
Someone with the wealth for a place like this would surely have a butler or servants.
Yet they called an interior shop just to repair one room?
"I'm from Bokbok Interiors."
His low voice echoed, and with a buzz, the front door slid open.
Inside the mansion was a spacious living room, luxuriously appointed.
One unusual feature: instead of stairs, a gentle spiral ramp led to the upper floor.
"No one's here?"
As the Heavenly Demon looked around and murmured, a mechanical whir came from the second floor.
"Come in."
The sound grew closer, revealing an elderly man in an electric wheelchair, with a youthful complexion.
Strikingly, aside from around his left eye, his face and body were mostly covered in gleaming metal.
Yet the metal mimicked every wrinkle on his face and joints so precisely it resembled a work of art.
This was Song Byeong-ho, the yokai elder of the War Doctrine Clan who had entrusted the job to Bokbok Interiors.
-He's upper-grade yokai, but closer to a yokai god.
Meeting Song Byeong-ho's gaze, the Heavenly Demon understood Jang Chaewon's words.
Though fused of metal and man, a power like divine energy flowed around him.
"Indeed."
"Greetings, elder."
Facing the divine aura, the Heavenly Demon naturally adopted a polite tone.
Song Byeong-ho nodded as he regarded the Heavenly Demon steadily.
"You're the human called Heavenly Demon. I've heard much about you."
His unwavering red eyes gleamed as he stared.
"It's not rare for humans to work for the territory, but you're the first not to flinch at my appearance."
"Is that so."
"Don't you find my form grotesque?"
"It is grotesque."
"Hahaha."
Pleased by the honest answer, Song Byeong-ho, who had been frowning, smiled faintly.
"You must have lived a similar life."
"I don't follow."
"A life of strife."
Creak.
The metallic skin shifted into a smile—utterly eerie.
But the Heavenly Demon wouldn't have cared if the old man's body were made of liquid instead.
"I hear you requested deco tile installation."
"Ah, this way."
Song Byeong-ho raised the lever on his electric wheelchair.
With a whir, it rolled forward, and the Heavenly Demon followed slowly.
The wheelchair stopped at a small room at the end of the first-floor hallway.
"Here it is."
The Heavenly Demon opened the door to a large room lit by low-hanging chandeliers.
It seemed a study, with a massive desk and bookshelves, the floor laid with dark walnut-colored deco tiles.
But the flooring was in poor shape—gaps everywhere, tiles lifting.
"Moisture seeping from below has lifted the tiles and widened the gaps."
The Heavenly Demon suddenly felt puzzled.
The mansion's floors were all lavish, expensive marble. Why cheap deco tiles in this study?
Watching the Heavenly Demon inspect the floor, Song Byeong-ho said flatly.
"Leave the furniture, just reattach the loose spots. No need for the rest."
"Why deco tiles only here?"
"No money back then."
Song Byeong-ho wore a subtle smile.
"Bought this rundown mansion and spent every penny. Chose cheap, durable finishing."
"Deco tiles?"
"Better durability than other floorings, low heat conductivity. Popular for commercial and home use."
"Huh, you know your interior materials."
Song Byeong-ho smiled faintly as the Heavenly Demon expressed admiration.
"Just a hobby—flip through catalogs now and then."
"But deco tiles have a fatal flaw."
The Heavenly Demon cleared his throat and pointed to a gapped section.
"High thermoplasticity causes repeated contraction and expansion with temperature changes. In heated homes, gaps form between tiles like this—even without moisture, due to floor temp differences."
"But it's easy to maintain, and partial repairs like this are possible. Just remove and reattach problem tiles."
"Colors won't match—pointless. Homeowners won't tolerate mismatched tiles."
Unlike usual, the Heavenly Demon was chatty. He had an ulterior motive.
-Is it okay to suggest changing materials on site if needed?
Before leaving, he'd asked Jang Chaewon. Her reply:
-If the client agrees, sure.
He planned to persuade Song Byeong-ho to switch from deco tiles to linoleum.
He could handle linoleum as well as any pro.
But contrary to his intent, Song Byeong-ho was unmoved.
"Just install deco tiles."
The Heavenly Demon masked his dismay and asked.
"Must we patchwork with mismatched colors? Since we're spending, might as well do it cleanly."
"Doesn't matter if it's not clean."
Song Byeong-ho's gaze deepened, lost in memory.
"I just want to preserve the room's original form."
He seemed to have a story.
The Heavenly Demon wasn't particularly curious but pressed to change the old man's mind.
"Original form? What do you mean?"
"Heh. Sounded odd?"
Song Byeong-ho smiled bitterly, gazing at his metal-clad body.
"My body was once flesh and blood. But I barely remember. Fought since childhood, suffered major wounds."
"I see."
"Back then, no artificial skin like today. Only this metal skin avoided rejection."
Song Byeong-ho swallowed dryly and continued.
"Wounds piled up over time, skin gradually replaced by metal. Then dungeons appeared, and lifelike artificial skin was developed. I could replace this metal skin anytime."
The Heavenly Demon listened intently, lips pressed tight.
"But I still cling to metal skin. Know why?"
"Too much hassle to remove it?"
"No."
"Hm."
After thought, the Heavenly Demon nodded.
"Then there's one reason."
Creases forming on his brow, he continued.
"Replacing the skin... would mean losing your original form, right?"
"Hahaha!"
Song Byeong-ho burst laughing, slapping his metal knee.
"Impressive. I see why a human from another world works for the territory."
He nodded sincerely, even clapping.
"You're right. Replacing every part would make me no longer myself."
"Skin is just skin—not the core."
"What's the core? How do humans distinguish self from others?"
Song Byeong-ho spoke firmly.
"I believe the core is appearance. This metal-clad form *is* the real me."
Only then did the Heavenly Demon realize his attempt was futile.
He'd just wanted to swap materials to linoleum.
But in persuading, he'd drawn out the client's inner tale.
"Do you know the paradox of Theseus's ship?"
The deed was done.
He was stuck debating with the old man.
"No."
"An old ship's rotten planks are replaced one by one with new. Eventually, no original pieces remain."
Song Byeong-ho's human-like left eye gleamed.
"Is it still the original ship? Or a new one?"
"I get the point, but the comparison's wrong. How can you equate a ship to a human body?"
"As I said, I've added metal skin since childhood, over and over. I don't even recall my original skin's feel."
Gazing into space, Song Byeong-ho spoke lowly.
"And this metal skin needs full replacement every ten years or so."
The Heavenly Demon grasped his meaning.
Skin replaced every decade—like patching an old ship's hull piecemeal.
"Let me ask again."
Song Byeong-ho turned to the Heavenly Demon.
"A ship whose parts are replaced one by one over time—is it the original?"
"Original... form..."
The Heavenly Demon was a voracious reader, sophist, and eloquent speaker.
A dull anecdote would earn yawns and vague nods.
But this intriguing topic changed his mind.
"Before answering, may I share a tale?"
"A story?"
"From my world, a similar case."
"Heh. Old folks find infinite joy in storytelling."
"It's a bit long."
Song Byeong-ho's metal skin wrinkled as he nodded.
"Your face says it's quite entertaining. Go on."
"Very well."
The Heavenly Demon cleared his throat.
"In my murim world, there was one who thought like you. A White Silver Witch, master of the Mysterious Ghost Gate Great Law and corpse manipulation funeral arts."
"A witch."
"Yes. She had another mystic skill: swapping her rotting skin and organs with others'. Thus sustaining long life."
Song Byeong-ho watched with curious eyes.
"But one day, a dilemma arose. After four centuries, time came to replace her sole unreplaced organ."
"What was it?"
"Her brain."