The Warmth of the Day
“You must have been starving. Heh heh.” Gengor chuckled like a doting grandfather. He called the waiter over and ordered more food, saying the chicken wouldn’t be enough. Zakan stared at me as I inhaled the chicken leg like a vacuum and burst into laughter. “……Dude, who’s gonna steal it from you? The number of chicken legs left is the same as the number of hairs on the team leader’s head.”
“What was that?” Thwack. Gengor smacked the back of Zakan’s head. Whether it was because of Zakan’s joke or not, Gengor’s shiny bald head seemed to gleam even brighter under the lights. “You little—!”
“Gah! It was just a joke!”
“Talking about hair at the dinner table kills my appetite. Want me to make the number of hairs on your head match the chicken legs too?”
For the record, Zakan had a thick head of hair. It was glossy and flowing, the kind of hair that could put most women to shame. If you divided people into two groups—those with hair and those without—Zakan was clearly in the former. In fact, he belonged to the top one percent of the haves. The same joke lands differently depending on who tells it, and since it came from Zakan, one of the “haves,” it earned him an extra hit.
Zakan rubbed the back of his head and grumbled in a voice barely louder than a mosquito. “Hitting me in front of the new guy ruins my image……”
Meanwhile, Cynthia asked me kindly, “Juno. Do you like spicy food? There’s a spicy version too—want some?”
I was a spice killer in my past life. I loved spicy food and had tried every level of heat the market had to offer. I was already craving something hot, so I nodded with my cheeks stuffed full of food. “Yeth, I wuv it. (Yes. I love it.)”
Cynthia somehow knew I wanted something spicy and ordered an extra plate of chicken coated in bright red sauce. She even quietly refilled my empty orange juice so I wouldn’t choke. This senior of mine really had a knack for these things.
The newly arrived grilled and fried chicken dishes arrived. They all avoided the drumsticks and only ate other parts, having silently agreed to leave every single leg for me. Good people. Yeah. Anyone who gives up drumsticks is a good person.
Being on a team with such kind people made my heart feel strangely warm. It was the first time in my life that someone had looked after me and given up food for me. I had been an orphan in my previous life too, raised in an orphanage. My memories of a father were faint, but I later overheard the teachers whispering that he had been a criminal who eventually took his own life. Because of that, everyone at the orphanage treated me like a plague. Unlucky kid. Don’t go near him. There’s something creepy about his eyes. How did someone like that even get in here? I don’t want to be his partner. Go away. I hate you. Teachers and children alike avoided me.
Still, I had one friend—Kim Cheolsoo. A scruffy country mutt we kept in the orphanage yard. Around the time I was eight, a classmate’s precious toy went missing. Even without evidence, everyone decided I was the culprit. They said since my father was a criminal, I must have learned bad habits too. They ignored the presumption of innocence completely. As if a well-behaved kid like me, who never caused trouble and followed every rule, would steal anything. I still remember being punished in front of everyone on a freezing winter day even though I hadn’t stolen a thing. That day I realized the only person who could protect me was myself. So I gave up early on expecting kindness from others. At the very bottom of my subconscious, independence and self-defense mechanisms took root, denying any emotion that resembled family love or affection and shaping my identity. Perhaps falling into cynicism and skepticism—believing that relying on someone else’s kindness is the height of foolishness—is as inevitable as gravity.
Even after leaving the orphanage, I lived alone. I was always the one taking care of myself. My life had been mechanical and dry, focused only on survival, with no time or familiarity for warm care from others.
So this is what it feels like. Being looked after by someone. Receiving kind attention. Experiencing this kind of warmth for the first time, I didn’t know how to handle or respond to the emotion. It felt as difficult as a math problem, yet strangely, I didn’t dislike this unfamiliar feeling. To them it was probably just a small kindness toward a new recruit, but to me it meant a lot.
“Thanth you. (Thank you.)” I greeted Cynthia, who had personally refilled the youngest member’s juice, then gulped it down. The juice helped wash down the food that had been stuck in my mouth.
Ah. But I failed my first mission. I wonder if I looked too shameless eating so happily. Everyone had praised me for my achievements, but the fact remained that I hadn’t completed the task Cynthia had assigned me. I had wanted to button up my first day without any mistakes. For a fresh-faced newbie, mistakes on their first job tend to linger in the mind like an ex they can’t forget no matter how hard they try. Feeling awkward, I quietly set down the drumstick I had been eating. I did have a conscience. I’d already eaten more than enough.
“Um, Cynthia. You asked me to find out the number of rooms, but I’m sorry I couldn’t complete the task properly.”
At my words, Cynthia’s amethyst-like eyes widened. “You did something incredible. You accomplished something that even the veteran team leader and experienced members like me and Zakan couldn’t. You did far more than what I asked. Juno, you’ve already proven your own capabilities. That’s enough.”
She already knew the full story because I had told her everything that happened in the erosion zone back in the forest. Zakan had heard it from her too. Having been listening to our conversation, Zakan chimed in. “That’s right, newbie. Team leader’s praise is rare, you know? Not just anyone gets it. You’re the first new recruit he’s ever complimented. Me and that chain-smoker over there got our heads cracked open learning the ropes at first. So take some pride in it.”
Their words were comforting. It seemed they were trying to speak positively so I wouldn’t shrink back or lose confidence. Since they had gone that far, it wouldn’t be a good attitude to keep dwelling on the past alone. I decided to erase the discomfort that had been lingering in a corner of my heart. Then I picked up the drumstick I had set down and started eating again.
The dinner continued in that warm atmosphere. Gengor, a heavy drinker, kept downing alcohol until his nose turned as red as Rudolph’s. He launched into a string of old war stories that began with “Back in my day~.” Zakan grabbed a lyre that had been left on the tavern stage and played while singing. (It was a melody I’d never heard before; it seemed to be a song from the country where Zakan had lived.) Cynthia scolded Zakan for being pathetic, then pulled out a sketchbook and began drawing with charcoal. I ate in silence. The other customers stared at us like we were crazy, but who cared? It was a pleasant night.
“Anyway, welcome, newbie. Let’s do well together from now on.” Clink! At Gengor’s shout, beer mugs and an orange juice glass clinked together in the air. And so the dinner rushed toward its end……or rather, toward round two.
* * *
After parting with my teammates, I returned to the tower dormitory. The clock hands were already approaching midnight. Already twelve o’clock. I had no idea how the day had passed. It had been a hectic, dynamic day. That was proof I had lived diligently.
I wanted to see Master, but I’ll have to put it off until next time. There were many things I wanted to discuss with Natasha. Light force. White light. The crystal orb. The Blue Sun Gate. I had planned to ask after work, but it was too late. It didn’t seem like it would happen today.
“Whew, I reek.” Sweat, dirt, alcohol, meat—all mixed into a chaotic stench that made me frown. After washing up in the attached bathroom and changing clothes, I carefully placed the crystal orb item by my pillow and was about to lie down when—
Swish. The curtains fluttered in the wind. A black silhouette suddenly appeared against the flowing fabric. As the curtains billowed and settled, the figure of a girl sitting on the windowsill became visible in the silver moonlight.
“Hello?” The girl smiled. The magic girl bathed in moonlight wore a beautiful smile. “Master?”
“Juno. Have you been well?” Natasha tilted her head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with a bright smile.
“How long have you been there?”
“Hmm……a while ago?”
As expected, the realm of a Great Mage was on another level. She had been sitting openly on the windowsill like a cat, yet I hadn’t sensed a thing.
I got off the bed and walked to the window. Natasha hopped down from the sill and entered the room. The darkened room seemed to brighten with her presence alone. Surprised by my master’s sudden visit, I asked, “What brings you here at this late hour?”
“Does a master need a reason to visit her disciple? I was just passing by and dropped in.” Natasha spoke with a prim expression, her sparkling light-green eyes blinking three times. Though I hadn’t known her for long, I had noticed something about her recently. Whenever she had something she wanted to say, she would blink rapidly, as if starlight were scattered in her eyes. And right now, her expression was exactly that. Blink blink blink.
“Come on. It doesn’t look like you just came by. It’s written all over your face……”
When her inner thoughts were exposed, her blinking grew even more intense. Blink blink blink blink blink. She really was a transparent person, like a child. Her feelings showed clearly on her face.
“Juno, your perceptiveness is the problem.” She let out a shallow sigh as if she had no choice, then raised a hand to her mouth and whispered softly. “Actually, I missed my disciple.”
Embarrassed by her own words, she glanced away. “I was curious how your first day at work went and whether you did well. I wanted to tell you that you worked hard.”
It seemed she had been waiting at the dormitory for quite some time. If I had gotten off work earlier, I would have met her sooner, but the dinner had run late, so we were meeting now. The fact that Natasha, who loved sleeping, had stayed up this late waiting for me meant she had fought off drowsiness with considerable patience……
Wait. She didn’t see me changing clothes, did she……?
Natasha rose onto her tiptoes, stretched out her short arms, and patted my head. “You must have had a hard day, right? It was your first time in society, so it must have been exhausting. Good job.”
Her touch was gentle and warm, like a mother soothing her son. After stroking me with that warm hand, Natasha lowered her arm and gave a slight smile. It seemed she had never patted someone’s head before; the awkwardness was plain on her face.
……
Even though her hand had left, the warmth that had passed through her palm still lingered beside my head. I had thought she only liked sleeping, but Natasha was a warm person. The sight of her trying to do even small things for her disciple as a master felt touching. I hoped that one day, when I grew into a great mage, I could return this warmth to her.
Today really had been a strange day. The total amount of warmth I received today exceeded everything I had experienced in my past life. “Ah. You came because you were worried?”
“Why would I worry about a child as outstanding as you? I trusted that you would handle things well on your own. I simply came as your master to say hello.”
Look at that. Once again, her emotions were written all over her face. I gave a small laugh and said, “It was busy, but enjoyable. Team Leader Gengor and the others treated me well. I’m glad I went to the Exploration Department. And who am I? I’m the disciple of the Tower Master of the Heavenly Moon Tower, after all. I even got praised by the team leader on my very first day for bringing in results.”
“Gengor praised you?” Natasha looked surprised, so it seemed Gengor was indeed known for being stingy with compliments. She started to ask more but swallowed the words. “I want to hear what happened today, but it’s gotten too late.”
The bell signaling one in the morning rang out. Natasha turned toward the window, saying I needed to sleep early for work tomorrow. “Are you leaving?”
“Let’s meet for sure after work tomorrow. I have something to give you.”
Something to give me? “What is it?”
Natasha leaped onto the windowsill like a thieving cat. Turning her head slightly, she whispered in a voice that was barely audible. “……A present.”
The curtains fluttered in the wind. Her figure, which had arrived like the wind, disappeared into the moonlight. I had wondered what she was holding back, but it seemed she had come just to talk about the present.