Chapter 24
Chapter 24
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: The Yandere Fairy's Gaze Seems Off
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"What the heck is this?"
I tilted my head in confusion.
No matter how I looked at it, there were total strangers poking around the neighborhood, just wandering about.
And not just one or two—by my rough count, there were over ten of them.
"Haeseong?"
I whipped my head around at the sound of my name. It was Jiwon-i's mom.
I bowed politely in greeting.
"Hello."
"Right, I can give you some side dishes for today or tomorrow if you're home."
I figured if I mentioned the side dishes Soeun-i had given us were still around, she'd furrow her brow again, so I just nodded lightly.
"Haha! Thank you. I'd love whatever you give me!"
"You know, you looked a lot more handsome this morning?"
"Asking again if Jiwon-i would make a good match for me?"
"If I asked, you'd answer, wouldn't you?"
We shared a light chuckle at the casual banter.
Then I rested both hands on my hips and turned my gaze back to the strangers milling about the neighborhood.
"Why are there so many new faces around today?"
"Oh! I heard about it today too. Apparently, five families are moving into our neighborhood?"
"Suddenly?"
"Tell me about it. Grandma Choi is furious."
"Why is Grandma Choi mad?"
"Because the land she owned got sold."
Guess Grandma Choi was quite the landowner.
But with people suddenly moving into our neighborhood like this, could it be because of the Heavenly Peach the Donghwa Fairy gave me?
More people in the neighborhood didn't seem to match up with me gaining luck and fortune at all.
Or was it just a coincidence?
"The buyers won't move in right away, though."
"True, but once construction starts, it'll be bustling with workers."
"Gonna be noisy for a while."
"Still, more people means land prices go up naturally. Could be good."
Unless fifty families moved in, five wouldn't budge property values.
Yeah, just a coincidence.
'Hmm...'
If it was gonna be like this, maybe I should've eaten the Heavenly Peach the day before the lottery draw?
The whole "brings luck and fortune" thing felt awfully vague.
My resolve to never entertain the Donghwa Fairy as a guest again solidified.
Why?
Because now I had to be cautious about who I let in.
One turns into two, then suddenly over ten, and with only one body, the tasks pile up.
Especially if they all made demands like the Gold Fairy?
I was already stressing over how to build a cold bath, and just imagining it exhausted me.
That said...
What if I supplemented with manpower?
It'd be great at first—like auto-farming.
But as the saying goes, daytime words are heard by birds, nighttime ones by rats. Blow things up too big, and word leaks out.
Think about it.
Who in their right mind builds a fancy bathhouse on their rooftop?
Not some chaebol heir, just an unemployed guy like me.
"More people around might actually be bad for me."
I muttered under my breath, and Jiwon-i's mom blinked at me.
"What'd you just say?"
"Oh, nothing. But five families moving in at once? They must know each other."
"Doesn't seem like it from the vibe—they all look like strangers to each other."
There were a lot of odd details, but I'd figured out the source of the noise, so I bid Jiwon-i's mom a casual farewell and headed home.
"Guess I'll start by knocking out the backlog."
Since things had come to this, I picked a construction company online for the cold bath.
After a few calls, we settled on a down payment, and when I asked about the schedule, they said the sooner the better. They promised to start tomorrow.
Of course, they did question building a cold bath on the roof.
ZZZing-!
ZZZing-!
By the time I wrapped up, it was evening. I stretched to loosen my stiff body when my phone buzzed.
Caller ID: My unreliable buddy Ungseok.
-Ungseok, what's up?
-Heard from Junseok! You roasted Kang Jua at the reunion?
-Yeah... but didn't hear anything else?
-Like what?
-About our college acquaintance Seo Yerim.
-Who's that?
Ha...
Since he hadn't even mentioned Seo Yerim, he'd conveniently skipped the part that made him look bad.
Afraid of getting me in a headlock, huh?
Makes sense—one squeeze from me leaves your neck and back sore for days.
-Nah, anyway, the Kang Jua thing's sorted.
-Junseok just told me, and it felt like a weight lifted!
-Thanks. You're happy like it's your own win.
-That's what friends are for!
-But you called just to ask about that?
Ungseok's cheerful breathing suddenly went quiet.
Did the call drop? I tilted my head, then his voice came through.
-That too... Remember when I told you about Soeun-i before?
-Soeun-i? Oh, you and your brother Woongtae, she hit him with a rock?
-Yeah. I blacked out after drinking with her back then, but today it hit me, so I asked Woongtae.
-And?
-He said it was all because of you.
What nonsense is this?
It was so absurd, curses slipped out naturally.
-You idiot! How's that my fault!?
-Woongtae said I was handsomer than you, so she argued with him, and it escalated.
-...So Soeun-i said I was handsomer, Woongtae said you were, and they started bickering?
-I thought he was pranking at first too—it sounds insane.
The bickering itself was childish but understandable.
When we were kids, I'd argue with friends over whose dad was the strongest in the world.
But it never turned physical.
Let alone smashing someone's head with a rock...
I let out a disbelieving chuckle.
-They really fought over something that stupid.
-Worse is coming—get this.
-What?
-Woongtae heard from Mom: Soeun-i didn't quit her job to return home—she got fired.
Suddenly, I recalled what Jiwon-i's mom had almost said. I listened intently.
-Fired how?
-She stabbed a female coworker's arm with a ballpoint pen.
-A b-ballpoint pen? Why?
-No idea.
-Then how'd your mom know?
-You were still in Seoul then, but Soeun-i's parents were scrambling around the neighborhood collecting petition letters for court.
What grudge could she have against a coworker to stab her arm with a pen?
The rock incident with Woongtae was from when Soeun-i was a kid without a full sense of self, so I could kinda get it. But this? No way.
Maybe ask Jiwon-i's mom?
We weren't strangers, especially lately with seeing Soeun-i often.
Sounded like anger issues. Better to prepare myself.
Why so sensitive?
Lucky it was an office job with a pen handy. If it was the kitchen?
That pen could've been a knife.
-Tch! Still hard to believe.
-I was shocked too. She's pretty and seems so sweet... Maybe some unspeakable circumstances?
-Even with circumstances, stabbing with a pen ain't normal.
-...True.
-Can't wrap my head around it.
Were those creepy stares from Soeun-i real, not just my imagination?
Or did I say something stupid then?
I racked my brain—no red flags.
Ungseok's voice suddenly spiked, like he'd thought of something.
-What if she's a psychopath?
-Nah, psychopaths lack empathy. Didn't see that when we talked at my place.
-Ha! Beats me then.
-Asking her directly's awkward. I'll check with the neighborhood ladies when I can.
-Yeah, let's clear this up!
After a bit more chit-chat with Ungseok, I hung up with a deep sigh.
"Ha..."
Was learning the truth about Soeun-i now thanks to the Heavenly Peach's luck and fortune?
To prevent danger?
Nah, it felt too forced—like the Donghwa Fairy scammed me.
'Day's already darkening—what luck and fortune is this!'
Donghwa Fairy.
To think she'd scam me with that innocent face.
Lesson learned: don't judge by looks.
Still haven't learned after Kang Jua?
When sorrow and rage from being duped hit simultaneously, the doorbell rang.
Who at this hour?
Jiwon-i's mom with those side dishes?
While others starve to death even now, looks like I'm not fated to.
Kiiiek-!
And so...
I opened the front door lightheartedly, only to find...
"Oppa, wanna have a drink with me tonight?"
Yoo Soeun, hoisting a heavy black bag with a beaming smile.
I hadn't even asked Jiwon-i's mom yet, and here she was out of nowhere!?
Fuck the luck and fortune!!