Our Happy Home - 3
"Huuu—" Thud! While enjoying the pleasant breeze and smoking a cigarette, Baek Seol suddenly tumbles backward with a loud crash. Startled, I rush over, but she pops right back up, shakes her head once, and trots over to me.
"Did you bonk your head?"
"Yeah."
She rubs her nose with her front paws, so it must've been a pretty solid hit.
"Does it hurt a lot? You okay?"
"Yeah!"
I pet her head a few times and cast Heal. She perks up immediately and dashes back into the grass, playing with renewed energy. The spot she hit is a cute little fence stuck at knee height. When I reach out to touch it, pressure pushes against my palm and shoves me back.
"So this is the boundary of the usable space."
Upgrading it would probably expand the front yard, but this much already feels plenty for now. I've already sunk over 1.23 billion won into this tent alone. From here on the prices skyrocket exponentially, so it's still out of reach.
"Huuu—"
The yard is wide enough to start a vegetable garden. If it ever feels too small, I can always upgrade later. Exhaling smoke, I finally take a proper look around. The house looks like it was built by master stonemasons and carpenters working together—every stone and beam carefully shaped and fitted.
"Ga-eul, I detect movement of a living creature outside."
"Huh? Really?"
"Yes."
"Baek Seol."
At Ariel's words I call the rabbit. She comes bounding over and leaps into my arms.
"Baek Seol, do you sense anything out there?"
Her little ears perk straight up.
"There is!"
"Oh crap, now that you mention it, the sun's still up too, isn't it?"
The more I think about it, the more things feel off. Unease creeps in and I reach for Yeoui, but Ariel gently pats my shoulder.
"Calm yourself. It appears to be an animal."
"That's a relief, but still…"
Ariel walks up to the fence and pokes the air with a finger.
Vwoooom—!!
The transparent barrier ripples violently, as if it might shatter.
"It harbors no hostility. Even if it did, it couldn't pass through this barrier. The level isn't particularly high, but it's respectable enough."
Learning there's a living thing in a brand-new space had left a bad taste in my mouth, but knowing it's just an animal eases the tension.
"Still, this place feels like my own little countryside cottage."
"It is an excellent residence."
"Nice!"
My temporary roommate—the angel—seems satisfied, the rabbit is clearly happy, and that makes me happy too. Especially knowing Baek Seol now has room to run around to her heart's content.
"Baek Seol, play here for a bit. I'm going to look around inside."
"Okay!"
Watching her scamper off to climb a tree, I head indoors. A calm, cozy atmosphere greets me.
"I'll use the first floor for the kitchen and living room. The second floor is smaller, so we can treat it as the inner quarters."
Upstairs, unlike the open first floor, there's a long hallway with only two rooms at the end.
"Is this the bedroom?"
"Yeah. The small room next to it can be a closet, and Ariel, you'll sleep here with me."
"Together?"
"Yeah. Don't want to?"
"That is not the case."
This room alone looks about seven pyeong. Compared to my old rooftop room, it's enormous. The rooftop room barely had space for a bed, while this one could easily fit a bed plus several pieces of furniture. It's still just "spacious by rooftop standards," but it's more than enough.
"We could fit a bed and a small sofa in here."
"Would it not be better to place the sofa on the first floor?"
"Good point."
The angel turns out to have a surprisingly good eye for interior design.
"I'll buy the furniture. Want to decorate it yourself?"
"I am to decorate it?"
"Yeah. I just dump stuff wherever and live like that, so I can't do this kind of thing."
"Understood."
"Great. Then let's check this out…"
Without thinking, I pull out my phone out of habit and open the browser. A search engine pops up.
"What the hell? Shit."
"Why the sudden profanity?"
"How is this even working?"
The shock makes the curse slip out. Come to think of it, the phone had worked in the training ground too—that's how I'd done the ramen mukbang for the viewers.
Just in case, I hit the start broadcast button and wait, but no one joins. There's no way I'd suddenly become a nobody unless something's seriously wrong.
"Hmm."
Checking other streams shows nothing but noise and frozen images.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, not exactly, but something feels off."
While I'm staring at the phone, Ariel tilts her head curiously beside me.
"Huh?"
Looking closer, the time on the phone is frozen. The date shows eight days ago—exactly the day I entered this world.
"Eight days ago… that's the day I got here."
"What do you mean?"
"See the time here?"
"Yes. I've seen tutorial players interact with it before."
Ariel nods and peers at the screen.
"It should be flowing normally, but it's stopped."
"Is it broken?"
"No. Time stopped the moment I entered this world."
Summons a mobile residence. Can be upgraded by spending resources.
Grade: Growth-type | Stage: 10
● Exterior Change
Owner: Han Ga-eul (Heavenly Peach)
[Residents (2)]
○ Baek Seol (White Snow)
○ Ariel
Price: 10,240 Gold
I tap the item description, hoping for answers. Something's changed. When I press the "Residents" text, it shows how many people live here and who is currently inside.
You may grant a key to resident Ariel.
"Oh."
When I tap Ariel's name, a new message appears. The moment I press accept, light gathers and a key drops into my palm.
"Here. House key."
Ariel blinks and carefully accepts it.
"Is it all right to give this to me?"
"Why wouldn't it be?"
Because this isn't a normal building, it had been inconvenient. The magic door only opened with the key, so Ariel couldn't enter without me. Now that's solved.
"Take good care of it."
"……Yes. I will do my best as well."
Ariel, who had been staring at me, answers softly. Her smile, usually hard to read, feels especially clear today.
"Here."
After handing over the key, I pass her the phone too. She looks at me blankly.
"See the furniture pictures on the phone?"
Ariel, already browsing a furniture store site, nods.
"You can swipe the screen with your finger to scroll through photos. Add anything you like to the cart…"
Then a huge problem hits me.
"Do I need to teach you the language first?"
"I already know it. Higher-dimensional beings such as myself generally possess language comprehension abilities."
"Oho. Then see the word 'cart' under each furniture picture? Tap that and it adds the item to your cart so you can pick things out in advance. Go ahead and add whatever you like."
"Understood."
For someone encountering modern culture for the first time, her comprehension is impressive. Culture shifts with politics, religion, academics, and economics, yet she grasps it instantly. The angel's intelligence is on another level—different from the brave rabbit, but just as remarkable.
"Let's head downstairs."
"Yes."
Without taking her eyes off the phone, Ariel's fingers move rapidly as we descend the stairs. Standing while using the phone looks uncomfortable, so I buy a cheap sofa from the shop and place it in the living room. Only then does she finally look up.
"Sit here and keep going."
"Where did this come from?"
"My ability. But it's nothing special, so pick out something better from the store."
"Understood."
Ariel flops onto the sofa and resumes tapping at lightning speed.
"I'm stepping outside for a bit."
"Have a good outing."
Leaving the busy angel behind, I step into the yard. The fresh air lifts my mood again.
"Baek Seol! I'm heading out for a second."
A white fluffball rockets toward me and jumps into my arms.
"Together!"
"Yeah, let's go together."
"Okay!"
Grass clings all over the white fluffball.
"Had fun playing?"
"So much fun!"
She doesn't even need to answer—it's obvious she had a blast.
"Time to shake it off."
Whoosh!
Wild grass scatters over my face and hair.
"You should've done that before hugging me."
"Okay!"
She seems perfectly content. Carrying Baek Seol, I head to the entrance we first used. The world shifts in an instant. Instead of the house I saw inside, only a tiny tent remains.
Ariel must've mentioned the barrier earlier. I never blocked anyone, though. Probably the tent auto-blocks when you go inside.
"I didn't block you. It's because of that house."
Even with four eyes, the guy seems busy watching while playing his game.
— Chik, chik.
"Huuu—"
The real issue isn't them—it's the tent right in front of me.
"Hmm."
I push my head back into the tent. Ariel is half-reclined on the sofa in an odd posture, still shopping.
"Ariel, I'm going to test what happens if I close the door from outside. Come out in ten seconds?"
"Understood."
She answers without looking up from the phone. Click. I insert the key into the air, turn it, and the tent vanishes.
"Huuu—"
Click.
Before I can even finish exhaling the thick smoke, the locking sound returns and a pitch-black entrance reappears. Only the tent's entrance has manifested in midair. Ariel walks out of it leisurely.
"Did it work?"
"Yeah."
Our short exchange done, Ariel turns without hesitation and walks straight back into the black entrance. The entrance seems fixed to the original coordinates.
One last test. Click. I turn the key, stick my head in, and see Ariel's back as she walks toward the sofa.
"Ariel, come out again in ten seconds."
"Understood."
I open my inventory, stuff the tent inside, and close it. The tent disappears without a trace.
"Huuu—"
After a short wait, I feel something knocking from inside the connected inventory space.
Knock, knock.
It sounds exactly like a knock.
"Just a sec, I'll open—"
Rrrrip!
"Hah!"
Space suddenly tears open and Ariel steps out.
"Why do you look so surprised?"
"Huh? No, I just… how did you get out?"
"There was a mountain of trash blocking the path in that other-dimensional space, so I tore through it."
"That's not trash, that's my inventory…"
Ariel gives me a salty look. I feel like my pride just took damage.
"……Please clean it up."
"It looks that bad even though I tidied it…?"
"It seems I will have to be the one decorating the house after all."
"……Yeah. I'll leave it to you."
"Yes."
Click.
Our efficient conversation finished, Ariel walks straight into Our Happy Home without looking back. In an instant, the lady of the house has become an angel. At this rate, the breadwinner role is all mine.
Click.
Following her inside, I find Ariel buried in the sofa in a posture that would make even a cat jealous. For an angel, she's surprisingly skilled at lounging. Phone in hand, she looks like the ultimate slacker—her form alone is on another level.
When I approach and stare down at her, Ariel, still tapping away, finally looks up.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Came to collect rent."
"Rent? How much?"
I push the phone aside and dive into her arms. Her eyes widen. Every time the angel's usually expressionless face shows this much emotion, a strange sense of delight wells up inside me. The way she blinks those big eyes is adorable.
"You smell like peaches."
"Like it?"
"Yes. It is a very pleasant, refreshing scent."
I lean in closer until our noses touch.
"It's yours now."
"Mine?"
Chu.
"Huuung."
***
