NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18
After clearing the A-rank dungeon and returning home.
I spent my days glued to the sofa, becoming one with it.
Even though it was just a sofa, it was softer and more comfortable than the bed in that other world…
When Si-yoon asked if I was uncomfortable, I honestly thought, “Do I really need to buy a bed?”
Well, that would be a different story when I find a new place to live.
For now, I’m satisfied with this.
Today, while I was watching VTuber Mo-mo-bin’s live stream on TV as usual, I heard the doorbell and went to check. Ji-a had come over.
Now that I think about it, she did send me a message saying she’d visit tonight. I got so caught up in the stream that I totally forgot.
“Hey.”
“Welcome!”
While we walked to the living room, Ji-a’s gaze turned towards the TV.
Ahh…
Once again, I saw Mo-mo resuming her game in the Primordial Village.
I was cheering her on, but she wasn’t showing any signs of clearing it.
I sat on the sofa and glanced at Ji-a.
She was still glued to the TV.
Hmm…
“Uh, so… should I change it? Is there something you want to watch?”
“No? It’s fine. I watch her sometimes too.”
“…! Really?! Y-you too?!”
“Yeah.”
I was shocked.
Genuinely shocked.
I never imagined Ji-a would be a fan of Mo-mo.
I didn’t expect to find a comrade so close by.
Any feelings of embarrassment vanished, replaced by happiness filling my heart.
“Hey, isn’t Mo-mo just so cute?”
“Oh my.”
Ji-a covered her mouth and giggled.
That must be a yes, right?
“I like Mo-mo more than big corporations. She should be getting more famous. Isn’t it strange?”
“Are you sad?”
“Of course! Good things should be enjoyed together.”
Why, oh why…
Just then, Mo-mo on the screen lamented as if she were in agony.
Back to the Primordial Village again. What a bummer.
Ji-a chuckled softly.
In the meantime, I briefly looked at my phone and saw the chat window.
Ahh…
– hahahahaha
– lol
– Tae-ha
– Throw away the time, lol
– lolololol
I should join in too.
– (Happy face)
Ughh…
Mo-mo was ecstatic.
Watching her streams really is fun.
As I pulled my gaze away from my phone, Ji-a spoke up.
“Si-yoon is working, right?”
“Yeah, she said not to disturb her while working. No entry allowed.”
“Ha ha, that makes sense.”
Ji-a wore a playful smile.
I wondered what made her look like that, and when I glanced over, she shrugged her shoulders and moved on.
She then began putting the items she brought into the fridge.
It was various kinds of alcohol.
“Drinks?”
“Oh, didn’t I mention? We decided to drink together.”
“…I didn’t hear about that.”
“Oh, I only talked about it with Si-yoon. Hmm… but you like alcohol, right?”
“Yeah.”
The problem is I’ve gotten weaker.
I still don’t hate it.
“Have you had a drink recently?”
“Once with someone I know. I can manage two or three beers, but any more and I might black out.”
“Wow, you’ve really weakened compared to before.”
“…I’ll get back to it eventually.”
Everyone starts weak at first.
No matter what, I’m sure I’ll adapt and get back to how I was.
While I was solidifying my determination, Ji-a, who was done organizing, comfortably sat down and said.
“Oh, Si-hyun. You know Manager Jang Han-soo, right? From the management department.”
“Yeah? I know him.”
“I met with him today. While chatting, I realized a few things.”
“…?”
Ji-a stared at me intently.
After a brief pause, she opened her mouth.
“You’re going to continue hiding things from now on, right?”
“Uh… for the time being?”
“I see. Then you should know a few things.”
“Okay?”
Perplexed, I tilted my head as Ji-a raised one finger and said.
“First, you using the Hunter app. Everything from dungeon explorations is recorded.”
“…Huh?”
“Any aggregated explorations, anyone you’re with, everything.”
“…Oh, oh! I didn’t think of that…”
“You just got back, so it makes sense you wouldn’t know much about this yet.”
I thought I was hiding it well, but it was all out in the open, huh?
So, she was calling for additional advice?
Now it made sense why Manager Jang was acting the way he was.
“How much has been revealed about me?”
“Honestly, you’re doing a good job at hiding things.”
“R-really?!”
I exclaimed in surprise, and Ji-a smiled back at me mischievously.
“People think you’re acting strangely, but they don’t know any specifics at all.”
“Really, really?”
“None of the odd behaviors have been reported up top; most think you’re harmless.”
“Oh….”
This was good news.
My trust in Manager Jang went up a notch.
As I nodded, Ji-a raised her second finger and said.
“Next! Si-hyun, how well do you use the internet? How about communities?”
“Here and there?”
“Then have you seen the rumors about some unknown nun entering an A-rank gate?”
“…No, I haven’t.”
Thinking about it, I’ve never seen it.
Even if my identity wasn’t known, the headline “Mysterious Entity Infiltrates Gate!” would’ve popped up at some point.
“The manager knew about that outfit. He’s been covering it up with his authority.”
“Wow….”
My trust in the manager grew even more.
He might actually be a decent guy.
I should respond properly when he calls next time. Thank you, Manager Jang.
“He also asked me to convey to you that you need to stay in Korea for as long as you can.”
“Huh? I’m Korean, so it’s natural to stay here, right?”
“Must be because he’s a doting older brother…”
“…”
But that sounds kinda weird if you put it like that.
It’s just that we have a good sibling bond.
“Ha ha, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. Anyway, how about asking him for a D-rank?”
“Can that even happen?”
“The management department is pretty flexible. They’ll apply exceptions.”
“Hmm….”
“Or I could convey it instead?”
Instead.
It’s definitely not a bad suggestion, but…
“No, I’ll handle that myself if necessary.”
“Ha, smart choice.”
Ji-a nodded in satisfaction.
Just then, the sound of the door opening echoed as Si-yoon appeared in the living room.
“Did Ji-a unnie come?”
“Yeah. Should we order food now that you’re done working?”
Si-yoon nodded and plopped down on the floor.
Mo-mo’s live stream had already ended.
I handed the remote to Si-yoon.
“…Unnie.”
“Huh? What’s up?”
“Were you watching Mo-mo’s stream with Ji-a unnie?”
“Yep. Ji-a said she watches her often too.”
“Ha….”
Si-yoon sighed deeply.
She must be really tired.
“I feel like I could die from happiness…”
“…?”
That sounds oddly familiar…
…Hmm, I don’t quite remember. Ah, probably just a misunderstanding.
“Oh, how about this?”
“Where, where?”
Ji-a held out her phone, and Si-yoon eagerly leaned in.
I should just let them decide on the menu.
I leaned back against the sofa and waited comfortably.
“Do you think unnie can eat this?”
“Is this too tough for her?”
“….”
Wait a minute.
“What are you talking about watching?”
“Fried foods! I’m even thinking of ordering tteokbokki.”
Si-yoon replied enthusiastically.
Tteokbokki. Not bad at all.
“Feel free to order it spicy.”
“Really? Are you serious? You won’t regret it?”
“I’m now the kind of person who can eat tempura udon without problems.”
I train my tongue every day.
Don’t underestimate it, I’m saying.
“True. If it gets hard, you can just use your holy power or something to heal up. That’s a cheat code.”
“…Just say it’s beautiful to have a spirit of challenge.”
“Yep, yep. So amazing! Therefore, drink milk first today.”
“…Okay.”
Such a half-hearted compliment, but whatever.
Let’s just follow her advice and have some milk first.
gulp gulp.
I took out a small pack and finished it in an instant.
Before long, Ji-a and Si-yoon were chatting and laughing together.
I listened in as I relaxed on the sofa.
As time passed, the delivery soon arrived.
They stacked the food neatly on the table.
Ji-a, moving towards the fridge, said.
“I’m going to drink sake. What about Si-yoon and Si-hyun?”
“Huh? You bought that too?”
“I got curious when I saw it in the mart.”
Ji-a pulled out a chubby black bottle and shook it lightly to show us.
Junmai… Daiginjo?
Since I’ve only ever had soju and beer, I wasn’t sure what it was.
“Shall we give it a try?”
“Hey, if you don’t like it, you can just switch to beer. Just give it a taste.”
Ji-a placed the bottle down on the table.
Checking the label, it read 16.5% alcohol content.
“That’s a pretty high alcohol content, but it’s not too bad, huh?”
“Yeah, it’s like cheongju.”
“Ah, I see.”
Si-yoon quickly set the glasses.
Ji-a poured the drink into three glasses and said,
“Cheers!”
We all took a sip.
Hmm… What can I say? A blend of sour and sweet flavors hit my palate.
Not bad at all.
“Did you like it?”
“Yeah? Ah, it’s fine. I might drink it if I see it around.”
Drinking the same things repeatedly gets boring after a while.
Sometimes, enjoying something different like this feels nice.
I took another sip, savoring the taste.
I could feel the warmth of tipsiness welling up.
This feeling is really nice.
As I gazed at the empty cup with satisfaction, I glanced up.
Si-yoon was excitedly talking to Ji-a.
“Ji-a unnie, wow! You’ve become so famous! What are you going to do from now on?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like joining a big guild! Teaming up with famous people!”
“Ah, I see.”
Nodding to Si-yoon’s question, Ji-a replied.
“I’m planning to continue as I have been. I’ll be taking requests from the management department and feel like a public servant.”
“Why? Is there a reason to do that?”
“Hmm….”
As Si-yoon pushed for an answer, Ji-a’s gaze turned toward me.
Perhaps she was tipsy too; her cheeks were slightly flushed.
Ji-a looked back at Si-yoon and said.
“Working continuously with uncomfortable people can be quite tiring, you know?”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“I think I’ll keep wandering around alone until I find someone I can truly rely on.”
“Ah-ha!”
Si-yoon nodded vigorously as if she understood.
Then her next target was me.
“When are you going to stand on your own?”
“…!”
“Oh, no! Don’t make that face! I’m not trying to say anything bad….”
Si-yoon wiggled her fingers and continued.
“It’s just that it’s concerning when you sleep on the sofa every day…”
“This sofa is honestly fine. Why doesn’t anyone appreciate its charm?”
“…Well, sure.”
Si-yoon shook her head and gulped her drink.
Watching her, Ji-a chuckled and said.
“Speaking of which, Si-hyun.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you free tomorrow?”
“I have plenty of time. Why?”
When I replied, Ji-a smiled and clasped her hands in front of her chest.
“Then, would you go hang out with me? I need to meet the principal at the academy, but it’s boring to go alone.”
“Hmm… I don’t have any specific tasks, right?”
“Of course not! Just think of it as a breath of fresh air.”
“If that’s the case, I’m okay with it.”
Seemingly satisfied with my answer, Ji-a beamed at me.
I feel like I’ve been hearing “academy” way too often.
It might be nice to check out what it’s all about.
“Shall we drink to that?”
“Yep.”
“Cheers!”
As Ji-a said that, we all raised our cups.
A drinking socializing time with familiar faces.
It truly was an enjoyable and happy moment.
Cough, cough!
“Oh, unnie! Water here!”
And the tteokbokki was spicy.
Geez…