Chapter 19. A Rare Outing
Chapter 19. A Rare Outing
In exchange for receiving some seriously expensive gear, I put real effort into advertising it.
I showed off the Nova symbol engraved on the side of the goggles, demonstrated how the viewpoint shifted with a touch, and even displayed the split-screen feature that showed multiple angles at once.
"Amazing, right?"
[Yeah, it's pretty sick]
[Any other functions?]
[They seriously packed in all sorts of random stuff]
"I didn't add any extras. As long as I can see the chat and donations clearly, that's all I need."
Honestly, I wasn't sure this was the right way to advertise.
I mean, was anyone among my viewers actually in the market to buy something like this?
"Anyway, thanks to 'Nova' for providing this product, the gate entry schedule is being moved up."
[When?]
[I'm so freaking excited]
[Tbh, it's been the same dungeon with the same strategy forever]
"..."
[ Saintess's Foot Wiper has donated 50,000 Watts! ]
- Sigh, you damn bitch, so when is it?
"Thank you for the generous donation. The gate raid is scheduled for this Saturday."
Maybe they felt bad about getting such valuable intel for free; the donation that followed was quite heartwarming.
I had quite a lot to do before then.
I needed to settle the donations and pick up the payment we agreed on from Nova.
On top of that, there were gate entry procedures to look into.
[If you're S-rank, can't you just go in and be done with it?]
[He's not just some S-rank, he's beyond the wall]
I'd thought the same thing myself.
But because this was a gate officially designated as unclearable, the procedures were a lot more complicated.
"Anyway, everyone look forward to it, and I'll end the stream here for today."
---
"See you later~"
With Laila seeing me off, I stepped outside the house.
I headed to the bank to actually use the money I'd earned.
Since I'd vanished for five years, every single one of my accounts had been slapped with dormant status.
'It was weird that I'd been using my mom's card this whole time, anyway.'
I took a number at the bank and waited.
Maybe because it was a bank smack in the middle of Seoul, there were a ton of people.
I started sorting through my mental to-do list.
'Link the accounts... withdraw the donation money... come to think of it, I needed to buy clothes, too...'
Ding-dong. My number flashed up on the electronic board.
"I'm here because my account was classified as dormant and I'd like it reactivated."
"It's been quite a while, hasn't it? In that case, could you show me some ID?"
Ah, right. ID...
In the past, a passport or driver's license would've worked, but would a hunter's license be accepted too?
I hesitated for a second, then pulled the license out of my pocket and handed it over.
"Oh, a hunter's license? Name... Song Hoon... Huh?"
Don't tell me this isn't going to work?
Walking all the way back home and coming back sounds incredibly obnoxious...
The bank teller frantically called someone and told me to wait a moment.
Soon after, a man in a typical sales suit came sprinting over.
"Huff... haah... A-are you perhaps Hunter Song Hoon, the one who streams?"
"Yes, that's me?"
"M-my apologies... Right this way, please."
He knew who I was?
Every time my face appeared on the news, it was pixelated, and I was only somewhat famous on internet streams at best.
My hunter license hadn't been renewed yet, either, so I was still ranked C.
I followed the man into a VIP reception room where he started explaining this and that, though none of it really registered.
Still, thanks to the consideration of this man—apparently the branch manager—the restoration process went quickly.
Curious, I asked how he recognized me. He said he could tell just by my silhouette...
"Thank you very much! We will serve you with the utmost dedication!"
Hmm... It felt awkward watching a balding middle-aged man bow that deeply to me.
As I headed to the department store, I linked my accounts on my phone and requested an immediate withdrawal.
— Ding!
[ Balance: 1,043,563,000 won ]
After taxes and platform fees, the net amount that came in was this much.
"Damn... I'm loaded now."
I arrived at the department store I'd promised to meet Laila at.
When she said she was already here, I glanced around but couldn't spot her.
"Hero!"
I turned around at the sound of someone calling me, and Laila had suddenly appeared right next to me.
She could at least make some noise when she walks...
But her outfit was very different from usual.
Instead of the priestess robes she always wore, Laila was dressed in modern-style clothing.
My heart inexplicably fluttered.
'Why was I like this...?'
"Hero, how is it?"
"Huh?"
"I asked, how do I look."
"Oh, uh... It's pretty..."
"Hehe."
Saying that, Laila took the lead and walked ahead.
I never realized since she always wore priestess robes, but Laila really was quite pretty...
'Ah, wait, wasn't she always pretty?'
Shopping with my own money for once, we headed straight for the luxury brand stores.
There was a stark contrast between Laila, who looked beautiful to anyone, and my own vicious(?)-looking appearance.
"Look at those two. Is that woman the daughter of some chaebol family?"
"Then is that guy her bodyguard?"
"Look at his build, he's definitely a bodyguard, right?"
— Squish.
"Hmph..."
Laila approached and grabbed my arm, linking hers through it.
Then her gaze lingered on a particular spot.
"Why?"
Her eyes were fixed on a pure white off-shoulder knit sweater on a mannequin.
Ever since coming to Earth, she'd shown just as much interest in clothes as any other woman.
"Laila, want to try that on?"
Perhaps having overheard our conversation, a sales associate approached and guided Laila to the fitting room.
Right before she drew the curtain, she gave me a sly grin.
"I'm going to change now... but you're not allowed to peek, okay?"
"..."
"Well, maybe just a little peek would be fine..."
"What did you say?"
— Swoosh... rustle...
The sound of Laila changing her clothes came from inside the fitting room.
My body, still that of a healthy twenty-something, threatened to react.
"Hero, does it suit me?"
In the end, it was the face that made the outfit.
With a face like that, there's no way she could look bad in anything.
I just nodded without saying anything in response to Laila's question.
"Hehe. Then I'll buy this one."
Her eyes curved into little crescent moons as she smiled cheerfully.
It was the kind of smile that naturally opened up a man's wallet.
"Laila... buy whatever you want..."
"But I want to see Hero's clothes, too, you know."
She grabbed my wrist and strode purposefully toward a particular store.
She led me to a store that sold suits.
"Suits?"
"Yes. You only ever wear that black t-shirt everywhere, don't you?"
"Do I really have any reason to be walking around in a suit?"
Even as I talked, I stood still while Laila brought over all sorts of clothes.
The personal distance between us had subtly narrowed since returning to Earth.
Of course, the closer we got, the less I knew how I was supposed to treat this girl.
'This was seriously driving me crazy...'
In the end, thanks to Laila's relentless insistence, I wound up buying clothes for myself, too.
We had so much luggage between us that the department store arranged a delivery service to send it all to the house.
"Oh, there's even a car dealership here?"
"Hero, are you interested in cars, too?"
To be precise, I was interested.
Isn't it every guy's dream to try driving a foreign car or a sports car at least once?
But for now, I didn't feel a strong need to buy one.
'Running was faster, do I really need one?'
As we were looking around the car dealership, a woman holding a catalog approached us.
I really don't like it when people try to talk to me while shopping...
"Oh my, are you a newlywed couple? If you're thinking about having kids in the future, the SUV model is great! As you can see, this vehicle has a spacious rear storage area..."
She aggressively pitched the car's durability, features, excellent A/S service, and so on.
I was listening with a disinterested expression, but unexpectedly, Laila seemed to be paying close attention.
"Hero, should we buy a car?"
"Do we really need one?"
"It's inconvenient carrying equipment and stuff around, isn't it?"
Since we had that ring-shaped artifact, luggage isn't really an issue, but since Laila wanted to buy one this badly, it seemed fine.
As soon as we expressed our intent to purchase, the employee hastily brought over a contract.
"Hehe, I'm not just saying this because I'm the salesperson; this model is hugely popular with newlyweds these days!"
"Do we really look like a newlywed couple?"
"Of course! The husband looks so dependable, and the wife is simply beautiful~"
At those words, I glanced over at Laila and got lost in thought for a moment.
'Marriage with Laila...?'
---
[ Author: Anonymous ]
[ Title: So it's confirmed he's going to the gate this week? ]
[ Content: How's he gonna get all the way to Baekdu Mountain? ]
└ He'll probably fly lol
└ He's not gonna take the subway, that's for sure
└ But why doesn't a guy with that much money buy a car?
[ Hunters Association: "Will actively cooperate to ensure that Hunter Song Hoon's subjugation proceeds without hindrance." ]
[ The President: "My heart swells at the thought of reclaiming Korean soil..." ]
It wasn't just articles; a lot of sensational YouTube videos were also popping up.
There were plenty of positive articles, but there were also some negative reactions expressing concern about failure.
Of course, Korean public opinion wasn't the only problem.
On top of that, Chinese public opinion, already soured by the previous incident, was an issue as well.
[ China: "Korean hunter ignores Baekdu Mountain sovereignty! Pushes ahead with unilateral invasion." ]
[ China: "Distortion by Korean media? Criticism of the act of describing the Baekdu Mountain issue as solely Korean history." ]
└ Since when did a puny country start acting this stubborn?
└ People whose economy wouldn't even run without China...
└ Punish that wretch who dared to plunder China's property!
"There they go again."
[The usual WWE lol]
[Just ignore them]
"It's fine. Alright then, let's head out."
Saying that, I stepped outside and started up the car we'd just picked out.