The Angel's Call
Seia joined in the solicitation, following her dad. Naturally, her voice was much softer than Jungwoo's. And Jungwoo's voice was softer than everyone else's. Unless someone was standing right in front of her, Seia's voice was practically impossible to hear.
Seia was simply repeating what her dad said.
“Tasty lunchboxes—”
Her dad's voice and tone were a little different from usual. Because of that, to Seia, his voice from moments ago had sounded like he was singing. The same was true for the others. Their voices carried more strength than usual.
Seia was used to hearing pleasant voices, but most of them carried a weary, exhausted tone. Voices that seemed to say, How do I handle something this cute? Hearing such energetic voices around her today was quite fascinating.
“Dad's lunchboxes are tasty—”
Seia hummed along, mimicking that voice. But there was one crucial fact she didn't know. This wasn't an ordinary street. It was a street where hunters walked—people Seia would call mages. Of course, their individual strengths varied, but they were people who couldn't be measured by ordinary standards. Their basic physical abilities were extraordinary, and that naturally included their five senses: sight, smell, hearing, and the rest.
So hunters usually blocked out unnecessary sounds. It wasn't that they couldn't hear at all. They simply tuned the noise down to the level of background sounds you'd hear while walking down the street. In a street filled with countless such background noises, one voice pierced through their senses.
Tasty lunchboxes here—!
Lunchboxes weren't something you usually found on the street unless it was near a convenience store. Or you'd have to go into a shop that specialized in them. Hearing a voice selling pure, homemade food on a street where hunters usually looked for something else entirely was unusual. They didn't know who the owner of this voice was, but everyone felt the same thing. It was bright, lively, energetic, and adorable.
Anyone could tell it was a child's voice, and that kind of voice was rare on this street. Why would a child's voice be calling out on such a rough street? And for solicitation, no less?
If it had been an attempt to exploit sympathy for being a child, many people wouldn't have let it slide. But no one thought that way. The child's voice was bright and cheerful. Thanks to that, people's curiosity grew. Who was this youngest salesperson who had suddenly appeared in the shopping district?
It wasn't far. In fact, since the stall was right in front of the lounge, it was on the way. People began gathering, little by little. In their line of sight appeared a child holding a lunchbox and chatting with her dad.
“Daddy.”
“Yeah?”
“What kind of lunchbox is it today?”
“Today I made bulgogi with the leftover meat from the spicy pork stir-fry earlier.”
“Bulgogi!”
Seia instantly recalled her memories of bulgogi. Dad's spicy pork stir-fry was delicious, but bulgogi was an unforgettable taste too.
“Seia isn't hungry yet, right?”
“I'm not hungry, but….”
Seia hesitated for a moment before answering.
“If you tell me to eat, I'll eat it…!”
“Ah, no, if you say it like that….”
Suddenly, she could feel the surrounding gazes turning sharp.
“But I ate everything Dad made. No matter how much I eat, I still want more.”
“Right? That's how it is?”
Fortunately, the sharp gazes disappeared again, and Jungwoo let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
“You don't have to do that right now. We did that earlier because it was the first time, but not anymore.”
“Then do I just sit here like this?”
Maybe sitting next to him doing nothing felt a little uncomfortable. Seia was swinging her feet that didn't reach the ground. She wasn't bored. At her age, just watching people pass by was entertaining enough.
“If you're bored, want to finish the bet we made with Dad earlier?”
“Selling lots of lunchboxes?”
“Yeah. Selling lots. How about it?”
“Hehe. Okay!”
Out of the original twenty-five lunchboxes, three had already been sold, leaving twenty-two. They split them exactly in half, placing eleven in front of Seia and eleven in front of Jungwoo.
“If I sell a lot….”
“Chocolate!”
Seia had already decided what she wanted. She'd already eaten cotton candy and tteokbokki today. She'd consumed plenty of greasy and sweet things, and now she wanted chocolate on top of that. In truth, Jungwoo knew the future. This bet? It was one he could never win, even if he died and came back to life.
If it were steak, maybe….
Chocolate packed with sugar was out of the question. Seia's sugar intake for the day had already exceeded what Jungwoo considered acceptable.
Right. There was that.
A rather good idea occurred to Jungwoo.
“Alright. Then if Seia wins, I'll buy you dark chocolate.”
“Dark chocolate?”
Chocolate was chocolate, but what was dark chocolate? Jungwoo knew Seia was a child who loved satisfying her curiosity. Just as he expected, Seia focused not on the word "chocolate," but on the word "dark" attached to it. Dark, dark, darku. It felt like a stiff, hard word, but the more she said it, the cuter it sounded.
Cute chocolate!
Sweet, delicious chocolate, and on top of that, cute? It might just become the best chocolate Seia had ever eaten.
“Darku chocolate—”
A familiar face stood in front of the excited Seia.
“Hello, Angel?”
“Unnie…?”
It was the customer who had shown the most intense reaction to Seia earlier. This time, she had come alone, without the person who seemed to be her younger sister.
“Have you been well?”
“Yes! Seia has been doing well!”
To an outsider, it might look like they were meeting after a long time, but in reality, it had only been a few hours since they'd last seen each other that afternoon. Even though little time had passed, there was a hint of affection in the customer's eyes.
“You're not eating right now?”
“No! I ate a lot of snacks earlier.”
“Huhu, I see. Give me two lunchboxes. Ah, what's today's menu?”
“It's bulgogi today.”
“Oh, bulgogi sounds good. Is the Angel going to take my payment?”
“M-Me?”
Seia had experience paying with a card at the restaurant. But outside, the process was slightly different.
“Or is this handsome dad going to do it?”
Jungwoo, who had been quietly listening to the conversation from the side, flinched. Suddenly being called handsome. It wasn't like he'd been paying special attention to listen. It was just… there were no customers in front of him. Only in front of Seia.
“Heheh. Then Dad can do it.”
Seia was in a good mood after hearing her dad called handsome.
“Alright. Dad will do it.”
The payment for the two lunchboxes was settled, but the customer didn't leave her spot.
“Shop owner, may I ask you something?”
“Yes, of course. Feel free to ask.”
“By any chance….”
What kind of question would make her hesitate like this?
“Unnie!”
“Oh? You're here?”
“Why'd you come alone?”
“I thought you were still subjugating. You finished early.”
“Yeah. Hello— Hello.”
“Ah, yes. Hello.”
“Hello to you too, Unnie!”
The younger sister who had come with her earlier had also finished her gate subjugation and rushed straight here. She hadn't contacted her sister, but since they'd said they'd be selling lunchboxes again at eight, she figured her sister would come here if it was her.
“You're still cute this time too?”
“Heheh. Unnie is pretty too!”
They exchanged pleasantries. The two lunchboxes they'd just bought were ready to be eaten. As they were about to sit on the terrace and start their meal, the older sister spoke with a stiff expression.
“Lee Hui-yeon.”
“…Unnie? Why are you calling me by my name? It's making me nervous.”
“Your sleeve.”
Following her sister's words, Lee Hui-yeon checked the edge of her sleeve and her expression stiffened as well. There were red droplets staining the fabric. Lee Yeon-seo, the older sister, let out a sigh and asked.
“How many?”
“There were five.”
“That's quite a lot this time.”
“Who would've known there'd be this many pieces of trash.”
“You handled it well, but make sure to clean up properly next time. Especially if the Angel had seen it, what would've happened?”
“…So that's why.”
“Then what? Did you need another reason?”
“Got it. I'll be careful. More importantly, what's today's menu?”
“I heard it's bulgogi? From the Angel.”
“Bulgogi? Sounds delicious. Let's eat quickly.”
Based on their previous experience, they'd already decided these lunchboxes were delicious before even eating them. They tasted good even when eaten without expectations, but eating them with high expectations of deliciousness made them taste even better.
“Daddy! Seia already sold two!”
“…You did? Looks like Dad's going to lose the bet.”
Seia was beaming after selling two. The two sisters' eyes were already dripping with honey as they looked at her.
“She must really like it.”
“Yeah. She's adorable.”
The surrounding scenery was nothing more than a noisy street with people passing by, but watching Seia like this made even this view seem rather pleasant.
“But they were selling lunchboxes with a set time limit. Maybe they have another job?”
“From what I can see, he's definitely not an office worker.”
“Why?”
The younger sister showed considerable interest in her older sister's serious tone and expression.
“How could anyone go to work leaving a daughter like that behind? If it were me, I'd definitely work from home.”
“That… makes sense?”
It was a very plausible and convincing reason.
“Then Unnie should ask him later.”
“Ask what?”
“Since he's selling lunchboxes… ask if he runs a restaurant or something.”
“Yeah, that works too.”
“But Unnie.”
“What now?”
“How about this?”
The younger sister's suggestion was short, clear, and simple. Guilds above mid-tier usually provided lodging and meals for most of their members. They operated their own accommodations and provided meals there as well. However, while the lodging was well-managed, the meals were not. It wasn't because the quality was poor. Hunters simply couldn't stand staying cooped up in the lodging. Most of them wandered outside, and the lodging was literally just a place to sleep. Naturally, they had no choice but to reduce the labor costs for chefs stationed at the lodging, which eventually led to a decline in quality. After all, hunters' gate subjugations didn't distinguish between day and night. Even if they prepared meals, everyone ate at different times. So now, the lodging's cooking had been replaced with ready-made meals. They simply heated them in the microwave, or if there was a hunter who could handle fire, they'd cook it with their ability.
The younger sister's suggestion was to sign a regular contract. Ordering a set amount of lunchboxes every day.
“What do you think?”
“Sounds good. But….”
“Why?”
“We just met today. Isn't it a bit much to suddenly suggest a contract…?”
Wasn't it a little premature? It wasn't because she lacked trust. It was just… wouldn't it seem a bit too casual?
“Unnie.”
“What?”
“What if someone else contracts with him first? And then he doesn't come out to the stall anymore?”
“Th-That's….”
Not being able to see Seia? No, that absolutely couldn't happen. No matter what. Because of that, Lee Yeon-seo and Lee Hui-yeon quickly finished their meal and headed toward where Seia was. There, Seia was waiting in front of an already empty stall, wearing a triumphant expression.