#114 Upset Choi Kang-ho
"Good boy, that's it."
Choi Kang-ho gently soothed Furball while snipping away with the scissors. The blades were elongated specials longer than most daggers. What he was doing was giving Furball a haircut.
"There you go."
There were pet grooming salons for familiars, but they only handled smaller breeds like the panda-like ones the size of dogs. No way would they take on a super-sized disaster breed like Furball. Kang-ho had been doing it himself over the years, and his skills had gotten pretty decent by now.
His go-to style had been what he called the "wavy cut"—letting Furball's fur grow out soft and fluffy all over for that maximum poof. But the last trim had been early last year, so it was overdue. Kang-ho couldn't stand watching Furball drag that massive mop of fur across the floor anymore, turning himself into a living mop.
"Hey, Furball, wanna shave it all off this time? It's been a while."
Krreung!Krrreung!Grrreung—
'No way in hell unless I'm crazy.'
Kang-ho chuckled at Furball's response.
"Let's see... what about you this time, buddy? Ah, yeah."
He turned to Furball. "How about the round-and-fluffy cut?"
The round-and-fluffy cut meant trimming the body hair short all over, then shaping the head into a perfect round puffball.
Furball thought it over for a moment, then nodded.
Krreung! Krreung!
"Yeah, you rocked that style a lot when you were little."
Kang-ho's face softened with nostalgia as he rubbed Furball's forehead against his own.
He fed Furball a premium buffalo sirloin slab and grinned. 'Good kid.'
Furball was always the silent type who stuck by his side. Strong foe or weak, he'd never run—just plant himself in front of Kang-ho. He'd throw down his life to protect him.
Kang-ho admired that loyalty, felt grateful for it... but it worried him too. He stroked Furball quietly, then met his eyes.
"But listen, Furball—from now on, if I get in real danger..."
Krreung—
Furball growled low, gazing at him.
"You grab Seol-a and run, got it?"
Furball stared blankly, then tilted his head.
"It's a promise."
Kang-ho's voice rang with sincerity. Furball looked at him steadily, then slowly nodded.
Krrreung...
Kang-ho smiled. "Good boy."
He got back to clipping. Snip—Snip—
Working away happily, memories of their time together flashed by.
Krrreung...
That tiny Shabel tiger kit from back then had grown into this reliable beast. But to Kang-ho, he was still just that cute, sweet kid with the big eyes.
Snip—Snip—
Kang-ho hoped for the day he'd smile watching these guys' own kids...
BOOM!!CRASH!!
"..."
Kang-ho flinched and looked toward the sound. Furball's eyes went wide like a startled rabbit, rolling in shock.
Over by Geumgang Mountain, a massive explosion erupted, a mushroom cloud blooming skyward.
Kang-ho turned back to Furball—and froze in horror.
"..."
He dropped the scissors, backing away slowly, swallowing hard.
Furball's head fur had been mangled in one go, looking like a botched flat pancake bun.
Kang-ho squinted at him. Furball tilted his head, and Kang-ho forced an awkward grin.
"Haha... looks cool. Nice trim."
* * *
[Kang-ho! Kang-ho!]
Theo, half his hair singed off and eyebrows fully incinerated, chattered excitedly as if nothing happened.
[Wanna guess what me and Bassago pulled off? Huh? You got any idea?]
"...What's Bassago?"
[Bassago, that's who.]
[Don't call me some cheap nickname like that.]
Kang-ho eyed Theo and Bassago slowly, then sighed deeply.
"Sigh... what is it?"
[Don't freak out. Dad might get ridiculously strong.]
"..."
Kang-ho pointed out the window. "That the test result?"
[Yeah. The magic stone we used as a medium couldn't handle it.]
[Gah...]
Bassago clutched his head in agony.
[SS-grade equivalent in this world... I was saving it for something big... damn it... that precious thing... wasted on this nonsense...]
Theo smacked Bassago's head. Bassago ground his teeth.
[In the Demon Realm, folks wouldn't even talk to this guy, but now he's all bold.]
"..."
Kang-ho watched them, feeling a pang of pity. Why do these weirdos keep multiplying?
Theo pressed on. [So, I wanna ask you a tough favor.]
"Lately, nothing's tougher than raising you."
Theo nodded. [Fair, but hear me out. Lend me Earth's Eternal Crystal. You got one left, right?]
Kang-ho stared. Theo's eyes burned with life.
"For what?"
[Found a way to restore Dad to his prime.]
His aura screamed pure truth.
Kang-ho shook his head. "Too risky. No."
[Wait, listen. You help out. Bassago etched amplification arrays, emission, and barrier magic circles all over Dad's body. Slot a power source in his heart—it amps it up, releases it, and seals excess in barriers for storage.]
"..."
[Normally no, 'cause Dad wasn't whole. But now we've got all his bones back—he's perfect! And perfect Dad's insanely tough!]
Kang-ho glanced at Bassago amid Theo's rambling. "You explain properly. You're the saner one."
[What an honor.] Bassago grumbled.
[Idea: Use a strong energy source as the power core. Amplify it for massive burst output. Problem: Most magic stones shatter under the strain.]
Kang-ho realized something odd. "That's..."
[Just like how Awakeners tap mana from their mana holes.]
[Earth's Eternal Crystal as the core. SS-grade stones can't chain the amplification—they explode. But Dad's body's so durable, even an Eternal Crystal should hold.]
Kang-ho looked intrigued. "You're actually useful."
[Hmph, top archmage in the Demon Realm...]
"Cool. But conditions."
Theo blinked. [What conditions?]
* * *
[What the hell is this?]
Theo crouched behind the log cabin, staring at Furball huddled like a sad fluffball, head down, utterly dejected.
Furball's eyes drooped, face full of heartbreak.
[Who butchered you like this? Who did this to my boy...?]
Smack!
Kang-ho whacked Theo's head.
[Ow! Why?!]
"Your fault."
[How?!]
"Fix it. Find someone to give our Furball a cute trim."
Kang-ho's lips trembled. Theo realized—this was rare, genuine upset from him.
'Even this guy's got his moments. Upset Choi Kang-ho... world-ender.'
Theo nodded. [Trust me!]
. . . . . .
She hadn't pulled a heist in ages. Gangs had vanished, big guilds' shady contracts rare now.
'Feels nice being bored.'
She lounged in her chair, sipping coffee leisurely.
—Help with this pic's guy...
—Eek! No way!
—I got money!
—Not even for cash!
Shouts echoed from the alley end as someone got chased off.
"...?"
She tilted her head. Then—
Knock knock.
"..."
She jumped at the window tap, turning.
"Yeah?"
Theo stood there. "Why skulk outside?"
She opened the window; he squeezed in.
[Why're you here?]
"Uh... this is my main gig? Hair's a mess—what happened?"
[Long story.]
She shrugged, pointing to a chair. "Sit."
[Why didn't you say stylist?]
"Never asked. How'd you find me?"
Phantom smiled, draping a cape over Theo's neck.
[Hit every salon from there. Need a favor—they all said no.]
"...?"
He was so random—it was charming. She giggled.
She fixed his hair into a sharp two-block. Theo admired it in the mirror, then stood.
[Thanks. You're handy.]
"High praise."
[Gonna go.]
"...Bye."
What was that? She tilted her head—then Theo froze, turning back, grabbing her hands desperately.
[Wait, that's not it. Help me. Almost no salons left!]
"..."
* * *
"..."
She eyed the moping Furball, then Kang-ho's hopeful face, Bassago's grumpy one beside him, then Theo.
"...This guy?"
[Yeah.]
Kang-ho nodded pleadingly. She took the scissors he offered.
"H-how... should I cut it?"
"As cute and fluffy as possible."
Kang-ho jumped in eagerly.
"Okaay..."
She started snipping—Phantom-fast and precise, true to her Awakener roots. Furball's mangled fur transformed quickly.
Soon, the pancake disaster was miraculously fixed.
Krreung!
Furball beamed at his camera reflection, spirits lifted. Kang-ho sighed in relief, hand on chest.
"Eek!"
Theo hugged her tight.
[Thanks!]
"..."
She rolled her eyes, bit her lip, cleared her throat.
"N-no, no problem."