Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: To the One-Room Apartment
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"What the fuck!"
Crash!
The desk in the office he'd set up as the guild master split cleanly in two.
The clatter of everything on top spilling out was just icing on the cake.
"That stupid bastard Kim Hyeon-seok...!"
Ha Chang-hoon's face flushed red and purple with rage, the master of the Pitbull Guild.
He hadn't worried at all when the news broke about the gate exploding in the department store.
Hyeon-seok was pathetic, sure, but he was a C-rank just like him.
So even when he heard there were casualties, Chang-hoon figured things were going fine.
That is, until the next day when Chan-seong came with the news of Hyeon-seok's death.
"Hyung-nim Hyeon-seok has passed away."
"What?"
He had to go to the funeral home and see Hyeon-seok's corpse—only the upper body left—for himself before he could believe it.
"Goddamn it!"
Whoosh!
He kicked the half-ruined desk, shattering it further and leaving a long gash in the wall.
It looked just like a knife slash.
After Hyeon-seok's failure, interest from the "higher-ups" had dried up completely.
It felt like they were treating him like a total stranger.
Chang-hoon took that as a sign he'd fallen out of favor.
How the hell had he secured that connection...!
He hadn't thought it was such a critical mission.
Just the usual human trafficking, with some terrorism thrown in, right?
Chang-hoon stewed in his anger for a good while.
But if the gate had been that dangerous, how the hell did that cockroach Kang Chan-seong survive? Wait, no—with his roach-like abilities, he probably scraped by somehow.
Then what about that bitch Ga-eun the media was hyping up? How did a non-hunter like her...?
The other nobodies too.
There was something he was missing.
Su-hyeon was in a great mood from the morning.
Great enough that she decided to go out—something she'd never do under normal circumstances.
The visit with Grandmother and Mom yesterday surely played a part, but the biggest reason was that the elective class she'd signed up for on Monday had been fully replaced with online lectures due to the professor's circumstances.
'I thought I was totally screwed with such a late registration.'
Her schedule was a total mess, but she couldn't resist the Friday open slot. And now the one Monday class was going online!
So with her mood sky-high and time to kill, she headed out for a walk in the sunshine.
Hee hee hee.
As Su-hyeon skipped lightly around the neighborhood, her gaze caught on something.
Wildflowers sprouting through cracked asphalt or around manholes.
She looked around and crouched down close.
Wildflowers' charm was that they grew anywhere, but some of these were in seriously dangerous spots.
Had they chosen to grow there?
Poking her head in, she saw they were right in the middle of the road.
No matter how tough their vitality, constantly getting stepped on and choking on exhaust fumes had to hurt.
After some thought, Su-hyeon ran home, grabbed a yogurt cup and spoon she'd roughly rinsed in the dish bin, and came back down.
Leftovers from last night's meal with Brüel.
She carefully dug up the flowers with it.
'Somewhere good to replant them...'
The empty lot used as a parking area was out.
Flower beds would be perfect.
As she wandered the alleys yogurt cup in hand, someone approached.
"Hey, kiddo, what're you doing? Oh, flowers!"
"Hello."
The auntie from the side dish shop. She sold packaged banchan in the restaurant alley up ahead.
Su-hyeon bought braised beef or bulgogi there sometimes when cravings hit.
First time the auntie had ever talked to her outside, though.
'Come to think of it, she was there when the police came that time.'
"They looked like they were in a dangerous spot, so I'm moving them somewhere safer."
"Aww, such a pretty girl with such a kind heart!"
"Th-thank you. But I'm not a kid. I'm an adult."
She patted her head without hesitation, so Su-hyeon stepped back a bit.
She still found this kind of affection overwhelming.
"Sure, sure, all grown up now! Handling things so well on your own!"
"No, that's not..."
Totally treated like a child, as expected. No point saying she was an adult—they wouldn't buy it.
She started to say she was 23, then paused.
'Wait, I'm not really 23.'
The ID said 23, but it wasn't her face, and based on birth date, the age was even more ridiculous.
With this Dryad body, how old was she really?
Brüel had promised to fix her records.
Lost in sudden worry, the auntie asked again.
"Anyway, you've looked so happy all morning. Something good happen over the weekend?"
"Oh."
She'd been watching.
A twinge of embarrassment, but talking about the weekend got her excited all over again.
You know that urge to brag when you're thrilled?
"I got to see Mom after so long over the weekend."
The happy memories made her giggle without realizing.
"Oh my."
A flicker of pity crossed the auntie's face, but Su-hyeon didn't notice.
"You live separately from your mom?"
"Huh? Yeah. Circumstances."
"I see..."
"?"
Anyway, after parting with the auntie, Su-hyeon found a big discarded flowerpot.
Seemed to be used as a barrier against illegal parking.
A few wildflowers shouldn't hurt, then.
Half-climbing into the chest-high pot, she scooped dirt with a plastic spoon when a voice came from above.
"Lady Su-hyeon."
Looking up, there was Brüel in a pitch-black helmet.
"Bru-Brüüüel!?"
Ecstatic at the familiar voice, Su-hyeon froze in shock.
Brüel was wearing a skintight suit that showed off her figure.
Tactical pouches everywhere, but her curves made it downright provocative.
With the helmet, she looked ready to hop on a bike and speed off.
"Th-that outfit...?"
"It's our combat suit for missions."
"Uh, okay."
Her casual reply killed any urge to complain. Su-hyeon decided to ignore it.
She'd handle herself fine...
"So, what's up?"
"Ah."
Brüel remembered her purpose.
"I thought it best to check on your Awakener rank registration in person."
"You could've just texted."
"...I figured face-to-face would be more efficient. It's sensitive too. If it's a bother, I can text from now on..."
"No, no. Visits are fine...! Just not so conspicuous."
Even with the helmet, Su-hyeon could picture her expression.
She cheered up the suddenly crestfallen Brüel, and her energy returned instantly.
"Registering as an Awakener will help avoid suspicion later, so I recommend doing it."
She'd refused before with Ga-eun, saying it'd be a hassle.
But with the abilities learned from Grandmother, hiding was impossible now.
Better to register something fake, as Brüel said, and play dumb if questioned.
...Ugh, lectures sound annoying.
"Guess no choice, then. Register me as an Awakener?"
"Yes. S-rank, ability name Lord of Life?"
"?"
S-rank? Lord of Life—what ability was that?
"What nonsense is that!? Anyone would think it's suspicious!"
"It's not suspicious. To us, you're like a minor goddess. You hold the lives of all elves, plants, and animals in your hands. I'd rate you above S-rank, but sadly, that doesn't exist."
"No, we can't just make stuff up like that...! We need to avoid suspicion!"
"Suspicion? Who'd dare suspect you? If some insolent fool tries, I'll..."
"Ughhh."
"Lady Su-hyeon! What's wrong!?"
Dizzy from arguing with a brick wall, Su-hyeon clutched her head. Brüel fussed over her condition.
"...Brüel."
"Yes!"
"Make it F-rank. Ability: plant growth or something vague."
"Y-yes? But..."
"E-rank max if you think that's too low. Nothing higher."
"But Lady Su-hyeon!"
"That's an order."
She grabbed Brüel's helmet as the elf knelt on one knee.
Her frustrated face reflected on the glossy surface.
Brüel's body trembled faintly under her grip, but Su-hyeon ignored it.
After that, we headed home for lunch while chatting.
We could've eaten out since we were already outside, but Brüel couldn't with the helmet, and home was comfier for me anyway.
"But y'know... I asked for 23, but won't it look weird?"
"No worries. Even if they suspect, there's no proof, so deny it. We could even nab the persistent ones."
"Really? Hmm... And that outfit. Too eye-catching."
"If I want, I can go unnoticed. It's fine."
"N-no... Sigh. And the helmet must be stuffy."
"Can't help it with the ears. But it's custom for long wear, not too bad. They say a ear-only cover model is coming soon."
"Oh... Oh, that reminds me about the rank. You said you're a first-class agent, right? How strong does that make you?"
"We follow a curriculum like the Navy SEALs, so not a direct hunter rank match, but on average, mid-to-low A-rank combat power."
"A-rank!? On average...?"
"We're war machines who survived fighting till the world's end. Of course, with optimal conditions, I can take A-rank Awakeners. I'm specialized in anti-personnel."
"In-incredible..."
Hmph.
Brüel looked immensely proud at my admiration.
After seeing only her sycophantic, illogical, clumsy sides, this made the suit look badass all of a sudden.
Sensing my sparkling gaze, her shoulders seemed to puff up even more.
Focused on our talk, we passed the restaurant alley without noticing the aunties and uncles whispering.
"So that's the mom, huh?"
"Young. Real young."
"Look at the outfit—like she's off for a joyride."
"Tsk tsk tsk. So irresponsible! Leaving that kid alone to go play."
Totally off-base misunderstanding.
But rumors always twist toward the juicy side.
Curvy young woman, skin-tight clothes, motorcycle helmet, kid left alone...
Before long, in the restaurant alley gossip, Brüel had become a reckless young single mom who'd gotten knocked up, dumped her kid in a one-room to fend alone, and rode off daily for fun, dropping by only occasionally. Shameless.
"Teachers? What's the gathering for?"
Right on cue for lunch patrol, Officer Kim spotted them and approached.
"Oh, Officer! Perfect timing! Remember that kid from the house we reported before? Looks like Mom finally showed up after ages."
"Pardon? The guardian was unknown then... Oh, if the mother's around, that's good, right?"
"Well, better than nothing!"
The residents fired off frustrated retorts at Officer Kim.
"Parents don't get a pass just for popping 'em out! Useless if they abandon 'em like that!"
"And the poor thing's so happy, laughing and chatting... Sniff."
"Everyone, calm down first. I'll look into it when I can. Could be circumstances."
"Please do."
"We gotta look out for her, tsk."
"Earlier she was transplanting street flowers 'cause they looked pitiful."
"Jeez... Poor kid..."
The adults wiped tears.
Of course, the parties involved would've flipped out if they heard.