Chapter 36

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 36

Chapter Title: Why Did They Come?

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But why did they come?

"First off, though it's under my cover identity, it's not actually mine."

In the end, Brüel successfully convinced her by explaining it was all to make Su-hyeon's stay more comfortable.

"Did Grandma tell you to...?"

"Yes. The funds came from Ok-rye as well."

?

Where does Grandma keep getting all this money from...?

And since when...?

"I went to the landlord on the first day I arrived here and persuaded them. They were indifferent at first, but once I added some extra cash, their attitude flipped completely."

"Even if it's not your money, is it okay to spend it like that...?"

"It's usually cheaper to start with a big gap and negotiate down than to haggle bit by bit."

No, you said it was Grandma's money. So it's not mine either, but it still feels like a waste somehow.

"No need to worry. It's a strategic low-point buy—I judged it would generate far more value down the line."

Brüel seemed to pick up on Su-hyeon's dissatisfaction and answered preemptively.

Still, hmm...

She's shown some competence lately, but it was still hard to fully trust her.

She's such a klutz, after all.

Honestly, aside from fighting and bodyguard duties, what has she really proven?

A decision from someone like Brüel?

As Su-hyeon narrowed her eyes to convey her skepticism, Brüel looked a bit shocked.

She decided to stop there—push too far, and Brüel would wilt like a flower and start whining about switching agents.

"For now, I'll block off the reporters and resolve the root cause as quickly as possible."

"Yeah... But don't go overboard, okay?"

"No need to worry. I'll handle it cleanly, without any fallout."

...This'll be fine, right?

Anyway, with the incident resolved—or at least in the process of being resolved—Brüel headed out.

Su-hyeon waved goodbye to Brüel, who bowed politely at the door, then closed it.

She turned to head back inside, but...

'?'

Something was off about the direction Brüel was heading?

Truth be told, Brüel didn't make a sound when she walked.

But ever since she'd gotten better at handling her power, Su-hyeon had developed a subtle knack for sensing life presences. It was especially easy with strong ones like Brüel.

Though it was less noticeable in crowds.

Anyway, the presence was heading right instead of toward the left staircase—toward the other apartments.

Click-

And then it opened the door to the apartment right next door.

......????

Su-hyeon flung the door open again and stepped out.

There stood Brüel, opening the door to 502, looking back at her.

"Is something wrong, Su-hyeon?"

"Uh, no—why? Here...? You live next door...?"

"That's right. You said sharing a room would be uncomfortable, so I secured the closest possible spot."

"Wh-what about the original tenant...?"

Wasn't next door where the landlady lived?

"I'd already put it under my name from day one. She said moving would take time, so I gave her that much leeway. She finished moving out just yesterday."

"Whoa..."

Su-hyeon had known her for a good three years, grumpy as she was.

Well, no—the plumbing never got fixed right, so she'd cursed her out every summer.

Of course, she'd only done it inwardly, never to her face...

And she'd always grumble whenever Su-hyeon asked for repairs, so she hardly ever bothered. The cheap rent was a blessing.

Hmm, maybe this is for the best?

"Now I can provide even closer protection while you sleep."

Gulp.

Her helmet looked oddly pleased about it.

Riiiing-

"Hey, you little rascal."

"Grandma."

As always, Grandma picked up before the third ring.

"What is it? Something else happen?"

"Did you tell Brüel to buy the building I live in?"

"......Tch, she spilled already?"

She hadn't seemed like she was hiding it.

...I'll keep it secret.

Sometimes it's better not to know.

"Where does all this money keep coming from that you're spending it like this?"

"The money I'm spending on you is from what your dad left behind. The rest is all legit, so don't worry about it."

Legit money...? Does that mean there's illegitimate money too?

Your dad left behind? So I'm a second-generation landlord.

And with all that money, I nearly starved to death.

"But why didn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you tell me? I was shocked."

Su-hyeon hadn't called to blame her.

She was just genuinely curious.

"Don't you hate being meddled with? You won't even take pocket money. You take after your mom in that way..."

Su-hyeon wasn't one to take allowance easily.

So Grandma usually gave her food or things instead when she wanted to help.

"You heard how your mom ran away to the human world, right?"

"Yes."

"She was a big age gap from her sisters, so no peers around, and must've been bored."

Hardly anything to do but listen to old stories.

That might've sparked her curiosity about the human world, though.

Grandma sighed, reminiscing.

She must've been stressed.

"Even so, humans rule the world now. Our stage is over."

Grandma seemed negative about Dryads mixing with humans these days.

"I just wanted to raise her safely, but it must've felt like shackles. It wasn't until she ran away that I realized how shortsighted I'd been."

"......"

"So when raising you, I tried not to force my opinions."

Grandma always looked displeased if Su-hyeon wanted to do something, but never outright forbade it.

If she really disapproved, she'd ask if it had to be that way. And if Su-hyeon insisted, she'd support her in every way possible.

Like when Su-hyeon said she'd return to Seoul after transforming.

"But now it's obvious you can't even take care of yourself. No matter how much I try not to interfere, how can this old lady just sit idly by?"

So, Grandma decided not to interfere directly, but worry was unavoidable. She figured Su-hyeon would feel burdened if she knew, so she hid it and instructed help covertly.

That... made sense.

Turn a corner, and there'd be agents like Brüel or people Grandma hired.

It'd make it hard to even go out.

She might hole up in her room from the pressure.

So she ensured minimal safety without Su-hyeon knowing.

"Ah... But why buy the whole building...?"

Su-hyeon got the worry part.

But did she need to buy the building?

"Wouldn't it be sad if you got evicted unexpectedly or mistreated for freeloading?"

"...Pardon?"

Was her bar for 'minimal' high or low?

The conversation felt off—like she was picturing cheap rented rooms from morning dramas.

Grandma hadn't really lived in society either.

Modern life learned from TV and dramas...

"...If you really hate it, call it off."

Her voice came back a bit subdued, as if interpreting Su-hyeon's reaction poorly.

"...No, it's fine."

How could she say no when it was out of worry?

She just meant it was more than enough—no need to fret.

There had been a few close calls without Brüel, after all.

"Thank you."

"......You're better than your mom."

Pfft.

Grandma was embarrassed too.

Su-hyeon couldn't help but snort with laughter.

Pfft.

Ga-eun chuckled involuntarily at the backlog of group chat messages.

How long had it been since she had friends she could chat so casually with?

She'd grown close to people professionally since starting streams, but ones who felt this comfortable personally? It had been ages.

Even with Min-ji and Ji-eun, she'd planned to keep it cordial at first.

But at some point, it had become genuinely easygoing.

Was this thanks to Su-hyeon too?

How was she so cute even just in text?

She was adorable at rest, but there was something irresistible about teasing her.

Ga-eun's finger naturally tapped the huge photo of Su-hyeon.

[Save photo bundle]

Press.

Ga-eun saved the photos and wiped the smile from her face.

Her expression turned a bit serious as she switched to her private chat with Su-hyeon.

It was almost 8 PM—dinner now?

'By any chance, has anyone weird shown up at your place?'

What if asking made her anxious for no reason?

Ga-eun hesitated because of her stream today.

She streamed consistently weekday evenings.

As a college student, she'd sometimes do short surprise late-night streams between classes, but unless something special came up, it was dinner then two hours in the evening.

Today, back home, she'd started as usual.

But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the vibe was scattered—unlike other days.

Ting-

<By any chance, are you studying some department at Korea University? Can I meet you if I go?>

"Haha, it's not exactly a secret, but... we're veering too far off-topic right now, so I'll skip answering. And please refrain from showing up—it bothers not just me but people around too. The vibe's weird today, so lemme switch to subscriber-only for a bit?"

The chat was a chaotic mess.

Lots of people weren't focusing on the stream, firing off personal questions.

And the regulars getting annoyed by it.

This was the prelude to a fight.

It happened occasionally.

As a girl cammer, weirdos like the "sweet" crowd latched on sometimes.

Just more of them today?

Managers were around anyway... Ga-eun shrugged it off and continued until a big donation popped.

"Ah! Thank you...?"

Ga-eun's eyes narrowed mid-auto-thanks.

'Did I unblock video dons?'

Video donations were rare for her.

She didn't like interrupting flow, so she usually blocked them unless something special.

Her mistake this time, and no real disruption, so she let it go.

"Weird, I thought video dons were blocked? Uh... you probably didn't know—my stream bans them normally. I'll watch this one and re-block. No more, okay?"

'Hal... no way, that can't be...?'

Ga-eun felt uneasy from the comments.

If it was creepy, she'd end stream fast—played the video.

[Rumble rumble boom-]

Shaky phone footage.

Location looked like a wrecked convention hall.

'Exhibition hall? The terror attack from recently.'

The big exhibition hall terror incident. Definitely filmed there. Ga-eun frowned.

"Ah, videos like this now... uh?"

She meant to stop it with commentary but missed timing at the next scene.

[Whoaaaagh!]

A door explodes with a boom, thick plant vines bursting out.

People riding atop them.

Leading was...

'Su-hyeon...?'

Her face upscaled, clearer here.

And that bulk behind? Chan-seong.

That's why the hospital visit... Ah!

'Oh no...'

"N-no, this kinda thing isn't okay... incidents or terror sites like this. That's it!"

She hastily stopped the video and tried controlling chat, but some had noticed.

Plus a few pics of Su-hyeon snapped with Ga-eun at the end.

Weirdos swarming today, and this don...

Ga-eun sensed something off.

She ended earlier than usual and messaged contacts.

"Hmm..."

Her slaves—no, editors—got weird ones too, but nothing major.

"Nothing for me? Oh, earlier Chan-seong said a few reporters showed up. They were super nervous, couldn't even talk properly? They bolted before I said anything."

"Ah... But how'd you know, sis?"

"Uh, um... hmm."

Why were they together so naturally?

Whatever, Dahye-unnie seemed fine.

Finally, Su-hyeon.

Ga-eun circled around it awkwardly.

'Reporters?'

Ga-eun grew serious, then calmed.

Her replies seemed fine.

"Phew..."

Right.

That harmless-looking Su-hyeon had a skilled bodyguard who'd smashed top C-rank Chang-hoon in an instant.

Ga-eun was C-rank herself and worked out steadily, but hadn't seen a thing.

That was a high-rank Awakener...?

Pfft.

Who was worrying whom?

This was hilarious.

'Yeah...?'

She'd only felt annoyed, clueless on why.

Time to dig into details.

Check the editors' emails first.