Hannam-dong officetel.
"Home sweet home, nothing beats it."
As soon as I stepped inside, I flopped down on the living room floor.
The warm hometown vibes were nice, but nothing compares to the comfort of my own place.
"Totally agree."
"Momo loves home the most!"
Best of all, my friends could manifest without worrying about prying eyes—that's the real perk.
Kancho and Momo dashed off with the luggage we'd brought.
"Can we eat the galbi?!"
"Momo wants some too!"
"I wouldn't mind joining in."
Seira jumped in on the eating frenzy like she'd been starving.
She must've been holding back in the hometown, not getting her fill.
"This is a nice place."
Kamela manifested and slowly looked around the house.
"Hey, you cult freak! Go take a shower first! You're covered in dirt, and your hair's a total mess!"
Harsh, but fair.
Every step Kamela took left a trail of dust crumbling off her.
Thanks to that, our robot vacuum, Buzz-1, was diligently trailing behind her.
Kancho came running over, lips smeared with galbi sauce.
"Why'd you manifest without washing up first anyway?"
"Well, there wasn't any hot water."
"Huh?"
"My space is just a small shrine. Only freezing underground water comes out."
"Fair enough. I always manifest first and shower here too since the hot water's reliable. Don't worry about it."
Kancho nodded easily and bolted back to the galbi jjim.
"Come on. I'll show you to the biggest bathroom. Towels are inside."
I led Kamela down the inner hallway.
"Hmm. Master, are you rich? Like what they called a yangban house back in old Joseon?"
"It started as a single room, but I moved up in the world. Now that you're here, Kamela, I'm thinking of looking for something bigger."
My bank account's not just full—it's overflowing.
I'm planning to find a spacious place with more rooms, a yard, and a pool. A private home.
This time, buying outright instead of renting.
No need to beg the Player Hunter Agency, so I can pick freely and comfortably.
"Sounds good. Thanks to you, I get to live in luxury too."
Kamela pulled out her gombangdae pipe and took a puff, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke like fog.
The air purifier in the corner kicked into high gear.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Kancho charged over, still clutching a piece of galbi, and launched a dropkick—but Kamela sidestepped it effortlessly.
"This house is no-smoking! You trying to turn it into a badger den?!"
'Kancho, it's a raccoon den.'
Kamela smiled at the noisy Kancho.
"A raccoon hating on raccoon dens? That's a new one."
Muttering to herself, Kamela let out a deep sigh.
"This is a problem. I can't function without this."
"It's okay, Kamela."
I dragged several air purifiers into an unused room.
Until we move, these buddies should handle it.
"From now on, this is your raccoon den... I mean, Kamela's room."
"I like it."
Thankfully, Kamela looked satisfied.
"Bathroom's here. And wear this for clothes."
I handed her a oversized soccer jersey I wore for lounging.
And that's when I saw it for the first time.
Kamela's frown.
"If this is okay, you can wear it. I haven't worn it yet."
Seira offered a yukata she'd bought in Kyoto.
Seira was the only one whose tall, slender build matched Kamela's.
"I like this? It's been ages. I'll take it."
Her face lit up as if the frown had never happened.
Watching that, I made a sad face.
I still don't get it. This whole sensibility thing.
Kamela disappeared into the bathroom, and Seira beckoned me over.
"If you don't eat now, the galbi might vanish."
"Really? Better grab a piece then. Seira, you've got galbi sauce by your mouth."
"Ah."
Seira wiped her lips.
Her whole mouth was glistening—she must've enjoyed it.
"Mmm! I've got it all figured out!"
Momo savored the galbi for a while, then jumped up excitedly.
"Now Momo can make it too!"
"For real? Make it every day!"
"Just trust Momo!"
Momo and Kancho were hooked on that heartfelt flavor.
With me joining in, the galbi jjim disappeared fast.
In the end, we even mixed rice into the leftover sauce and scarfed it down.
"Good meal. Really hit the spot."
As we patted our bellies, a crashing sound came from the bathroom.
"Looks like the cult freak broke something."
"Not Momo's stuff, I hope!"
"If it's my duck captain, I won't forgive her."
Each hoping it was someone else's thing that broke.
The bathroom door opened.
Kamela stepped out amid the steamy mist.
The yukata suited her perfectly.
"Hey, cult freak! What'd you break?!"
"This."
Kamela held out a diffuser bottle.
"Whew, good. Not my duck captain."
"Momo's relieved too."
Kancho and Momo sighed in relief, clutching their chests.
I grabbed a bag and went over to Kamela.
"Why'd you bring it out? It's dangerous with the shards. Put it in here."
"Who gave it to you?"
I froze mid-motion and looked at Kamela.
I never said it was a gift—how did she know?
"It was a housewarming present from Se-yeon. The one who came with us to Seoul earlier."
"Someone close?"
"Yeah, close."
"I see."
Only then did she nod and drop the broken bottle in.
"Hey, raccoon."
"My name's Kancho."
"Right, Kan-whatever raccoon. I need to send a message."
"What's that?"
Before things got chaotic, I held out my phone.
"You can send words with this. To Se-yeon, right?"
"Oh? They didn't have anything like this back then. Time really has flown. Tell her: Don't go out today, stay home. And absolutely don't climb the Tower."
If it were anyone else, I'd ask why, but this was Kamela, once called the All-God.
I called Se-yeon right away.
"If she asks why, say this."
Staring at the broken bottle, Kamela continued.
"Today is a day when major bad luck strikes."
A chill ran down my spine, hairs standing on end.
I stared at the phone screen.
Pick up quick, Se-yeon.
Han River Lake Park.
Se-yeon, hat pulled low, jogged along the riverbank.
Her body was already beyond normal limits.
Running didn't boost her stats anymore, but she rarely skipped it.
Nothing beat clearing her mind and wrapping up the day like this.
Ring ring.
She checked the caller and stopped running.
"What's this about?"
The guy who always ghosted with do-not-disturb on, calling first?
She cleared her throat a couple times, then hit accept.
"What's up? You calling me first? Is the sun rising in the west tomorrow?"
Se-yeon...
Click.
"Hello? Jin-hyuk? I can't hear... What?"
Se-yeon frowned.
She'd charged it before leaving—how was it dead?
She turned to head home.
The moment she stepped forward, a cracking sound from her sole.
She sighed at the stretched gum stuck there.
What kind of day is this? Why me.
She roughly scraped it off on the ground and headed homeward.
"Whoa!"
"Waah!"
A group of kids playing ran up to her.
"It's Cheon Se-yeon!"
"You idiot! Call her noona! Unnie, unnie! You're Hunter Cheon Se-yeon, right?"
"I said noona!"
"I'm a girl, so it's unnie, dummy!"
Se-yeon stopped and let out a chuckle.
Dead battery, gum on her shoe—her luck sucked today.
But meeting these cute kids? Maybe not all bad.
"Hi, kids. Yeah, that's me, Cheon Se-yeon."
"Wow, awesome! Noona's super famous!"
"Unnie! Follow me on Insta!"
Even though the fan meet popped out of nowhere, Se-yeon played along enthusiastically.
"Unnie! Take this! I made it all day!"
"Wow. You worked so hard—can unnie really have it?"
"Unnie protects people every day!"
Se-yeon smiled as she took the bracelet.
For some reason, it felt like it gave her a burst of energy.
"Thanks. I'll make this my treasure number 7."
"What are the other treasures?"
"Tell us!"
Cute Q&A bounced between Se-yeon and her little fans for a bit.
"Kids!"
A woman who looked like their guardian ran over from ahead.
Behind her, a running crew followed.
This could drag on too long—she quickly pulled her hat down.
Gotta get back and call Jin-hyuk.
"Unnie's gotta go, kids. See you later, bye."
She ruffled the little fans' hair vigorously and left.
Soon after, the woman arrived and looked down at the kids.
"..."
The kids weren't smiling anymore.
Instead, they hung their heads, terrified.
The woman didn't ask who that unnie was.
As if she already knew.
"The bracelet?"
"I g-gave it to her."
The woman turned her head.
Far in the distance, Korea's ranker, Cheon Se-yeon, jogging away.
Watching her back, the woman pulled out her phone.
"Yeah, it's me. Delivered as promised. But was it really necessary? Feels like leaving evidence behind."
A creepy laugh leaked from the other end.
Not absolutely, but the gap between having a medium and not is huge.
"Sounds like it'd fail without the bracelet."
No way. The curse latched onto the target successfully before she even took it. I just asked to make it foolproof since failure isn't an option. Besides, why worry? She's about to vanish in the Tower anyway.
"The person vanishes, but the bracelet stays. She wouldn't take something like that climbing."
Minako-sama. Have you forgotten who I am? I'm Kurone, Japan's top onmyoji. Even if they find the bracelet, they'll learn nothing. They'll think it was just a gift from some passing kid. Trust me. Even if there's someone with spiritual powers, they won't notice. My realm and depth are on another level.
Minako clicked her tongue in irritation.
She didn't argue.
What Kurone said was undeniable truth.
"Send the shrine blueprints. I'll build it as is."
Always grateful. Heading back to Japan today?
"After confirming results. I'll set up a new place for you, so stick around a bit. Cheon Se-yeon's just the start."
As you wish.
Minako hung up and smirked.
In the past, Japan drove stakes into Korea's mountains to sever its veins.
But that crude, inefficient era is over.
With the Tower's arrival came the great awakening.
In this age, ranker-level awakeners are like pillars upholding a nation.
So, to weaken a nation? Simple.
Pull out the pillars.
Swoosh.
Minako stared in the direction Se-yeon had gone.
The first pillar to be uprooted from Korea.
Would be Cheon Se-yeon.
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T/N:
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