Let's Live Kindly from Now On
"Completed."
"Thank you!"
Elsia's ability reregistration ended far too anticlimactically for something called K-Ability Registration. Explain the new ability. Demonstrate it in person. The staff member updates the records. That was it.
"This is discrimination against citizens..."
"No shit," I muttered.
While Elsia skipped toward us with a silly grin, Hye-ji and I—who had watched the entire ridiculous process—could only stare in hollow disbelief.
When citizens experience a major change in their abilities and need to reregister, the requirements are endless. You essentially have to repeat the entire initial registration process, plus provide "specific reasons." Though they call it specific, it mostly boils down to praying the clerk is in a good mood that day.
If you're lucky, it goes like this:
- I suddenly awakened a new ability one day, so I'm here to reregister—
- Yes, understood. You may leave.
- ......Pardon?
But where are we? The proud Republic of Korea. A land where ActiveX still refuses to die, where you need multiple security certificates, and where you're forced to install layers of useless security programs. That's why normal ability reregistration is as painful as American immigration.
No. At least American immigration makes sense. This is pure hell.
- So why exactly are you here for ability reregistration?
- I've explained it several times. My ability suddenly changed while I was using it!
- Then why do you use your ability?
- Because I have it and there are situations where I need to!
- What does that have to do with why you're here now?
- ......
That kind of circular nightmare is the standard.
Anyway, with Elsia's reregistration finally over, we headed for the bank. We needed to get the ability-user exclusive security card and certificate issued so I could unfreeze my account.
Hye-ji and Elsia naturally slipped their arms through mine like it was the most ordinary thing in the world. Elsia on the left, Hye-ji on the right. Elsia was beaming like she'd won the lottery. Hye-ji's face was flushed bright red, but she clung to my arm with a death grip that said she wasn't letting go no matter what.
The three of us became one awkward lump, slowly waddling forward like we were doing a three-legged race. The reactions from people passing by were all over the place—secondhand embarrassment, curiosity, contempt, hatred, surprise, envy, admiration. Especially since both women were stunning enough to turn heads anywhere, we drew every eye on the street.
[As I said last time, both of them really are top-tier in terms of looks.]
Don't forget their true natures.
One was a coin-obsessed, conscience-free high elf. The other was humanity's strongest and worst concrete wall. No matter how beautiful they looked, neither of them was even remotely normal.
CRACK!
Elsia and Hye-ji's sudden synchronized kicks slammed into my shins at the exact same moment. The impact was so perfectly timed it sounded like a single strike. The damage, of course, was doubled.
Both women wore mechanical smiles and spoke before I could even open my mouth.
"I figured it was about time to kick you."
"It just felt like the perfect timing!"
"...At this point I'm just accepting it."
After a brief period of immobility from the crowd-control effect, I recovered and started walking again. The civilians still stared, but a few hunters had a completely different reaction. They looked at Elsia with fascination, but the moment they spotted Hye-ji they immediately tucked their tails, avoided eye contact, and fled in the opposite direction. They looked exactly like terrified rabbits desperately digging back into their dark burrows to escape reality.
After walking like that for a while, we finally reached the bank. It was packed. The crowd only seemed to grow, never shrink. Suddenly remembering something urgent, I left Hye-ji and Elsia outside and stepped back out for a moment. When I returned, I was carrying a thick wad of cash.
The moment they saw it, Elsia burst into tears and Hye-ji let out a heavy, depressed sigh.
"Hic... sob... Husband committed another crime!"
"Shin-woo, I understand. I knew you'd do it eventually."
"Security! There's a criminal over here!"
"Still, I'm on your side, Shin-woo. Just quietly serve three years and come back."
"Don't worry! I'll always wait for you!"
"Hey, wait a second, you fucking idiots."
[Three years isn't that long of a sentence anyway.]
No, you bastard. You know exactly what I did.
The bank security guards came running and started dragging me away. After a long, tedious ordeal, they returned me to the bank with embarrassed expressions.
"Husband! You've been released already!"
"Shin-woo, did you bribe them? How much did you give?"
"It's not that, so please just listen to me, you stupid bitches."
I had simply sold the legitimate loot I received from the elves at a jewelry shop. The cash in my hand came from that. After hearing my explanation, Hye-ji and Elsia instantly flipped like Udyr changing stances.
"Husband, I always believed in you!"
"Hye-ji, you didn't trust Shin-woo? There's no way he would do that."
"...Both of you delete the 112 number from your phones first before you speak, you crazy bitches."
[See? You should've lived kindly like a normal person.]
I really want to kill someone right now.
I pulled a number ticket and waited quietly for my turn. Elsia was wandering around looking at everything in the bank, while Hye-ji had fallen asleep against my arm, apparently tired. Seeing her like that made me a bit sleepy too, so I went to the bathroom to wash my face. That was a mistake.
When I returned to our spot, only the sleeping Hye-ji remained. Elsia and the cash had both vanished.
[We're fucked.]
No way... fuck...
Right then, Elsia came back. But there was no cash in her hands. I grabbed her shoulders, stuttering as I asked.
"Elsia...? The money that was here... where did it go?"
"Oh! It's in my account!"
"Really?"
Thankfully no one had stolen it. She said it was safely stored in her account. It was a little disappointing that she hadn't put it in mine, but knowing it was in her account still eased my mind. No problem.
"That's a relief. I thought someone stole it."
"And then I bought more Elf Coin with it!"
There was a problem.
It would've been better if someone had stolen it. At least then I could track the bastard down and beat his ass. But this? There was nothing I could do. We had destroyed it ourselves. I couldn't even complain to anyone.
Our conversation must have been too loud. People around us were glaring, but that wasn't important right now.
"You crazy woman, why did you take all that money?"
"What belongs to Caesar goes to Caesar! What belongs to an elf goes to an elf!"
"You took my money and dumped it into coin too, you pointy-eared idiot."
"What belongs to the husband belongs to the wife! That's common sense!"
When I sighed, Elsia gently stroked my head and whispered.
"I'm sorry. But just wait a little longer."
"Elsia?"
I tried to ask what she meant, but she simply pulled my head against her chest with surprising strength, smiling brightly.
"Husband doesn't need to worry about anything! Just trust me!"
"Sigh."
At that moment, my number was finally called. The missing money was a lost cause. I dragged my heavy feet toward the bank counter.
"Hello, what brings you in today?"
"I'd like to get an ability-user security card and certificate issued."
"Then please give me your ID, registration card, and license all together. It might take a while."
I waited a bit, signed several documents, waited some more, signed again. While mechanically repeating this process, the tedious time finally came to an end.
"Here is your security card. You can check the certificate through the bank app."
"Thank you. Does this mean my account freeze has been lifted too?"
"Yes. Please check for yourself."
With trembling fingers from anticipation, I carefully tapped the bank app I hadn't opened in half a year. After a short wait, instead of the dreaded message, my precious account information appeared on the screen.
Account Status: Active
Balance: [Significant Amount]
Recent Deposits: Academy payments (multiple)
The money from the Academy had been steadily depositing with nothing withdrawn, so the balance was quite large.
[The long, miserable days of humiliation and oppression are finally over.]
I'm so glad I'm alive...
Of course, it was still a pitiful amount compared to the money I'd given Elsia before. Still, just knowing I had a decent amount of spending money was enough to comfort me.
With our business finished, I tried to take Hye-ji and Elsia and leave the bank. That was when—
BOOM!!!!
"Eh???????"
The bank's security door slammed shut with a deafening sound. I knew they had security doors because of all the incidents caused by ability users. What I didn't understand was why it had closed now.
"Husband! Did you steal something?!"
"No, you crazy woman."
"Shin-woo, why is this happening?"
"Beats me."
The immediate problem was that the security door was shut, so we couldn't leave. While I was trying to figure out how to handle this, several objects flew over and slammed hard into the door. They were people. All the security guards who had been waiting inside the bank had been thrown against the door.
Wondering what the hell was going on, I turned my head. A petite woman suddenly pulled a mask over her face and drew a pistol from her handbag. Before we could even react, she fired a shot into the ceiling.
BANG!
"Kyaaaaaah!!!!!"
"Shut up!!!"
Where the security guards had been standing, two masked women were brushing off their hands. At the sound of the gunshot, two more masked women emerged from the corner. That's right. The bank robbers had arrived.