By Zephyria Lee Sa-young knocked on the door just as Eui-jae finished the dishes, cleaning, and preparing for tomorrow’s business. It was perfect timing, almost as if he had been watching from somewhere.
Eui-jae peeked out from the kitchen to check the door, and his eyes widened when he saw the dark Gas mask floating on the glass.
“What’s up? All of a sudden.”
A whisper-like answer came back. Did he have another favor to ask? Eui-jae untied the apron strings he had tightly fastened and headed for the door. Sa-young stood quietly in front of the door, as if waiting for him to open it.
Creak, he opened the sliding door, and the black figure finally stepped inside. And without even sitting down, he said…
“Have you been to Songdo?”
That was it.
Eui-jae looked back and forth between the glossy black ticket, the black gloves holding it, and the black Gas mask with a dubious expression. Just when he thought about welcoming this crazy brat with a little affection for all the time they spent together, he pulled a bomb out of his pocket every time, so how could he welcome him? Besides,
‘Why are black tickets so common?’
Wasn’t this supposed to be a ticket worth billions that was out of stock and everyone wanted? The regulars at the Hanover Soup Restaurant were going crazy trying to get their hands on just one of these scraps of paper, but he didn’t know why three of them were rolling into his lap like a vine.
Eui-jae subtly averted his gaze from the ticket, which was overwhelming even for ordinary people to look at, and changed the subject.
“Why are you so late today?”
“Huh?”
Sa-young tilted his head slightly and answered diligently.
“If I come during business hours, you’ll glare at me for ruining your business.”
‘Damn it, why does he have to say it like that.’
Eui-jae, who was trying to change the subject, was hit right in the bullseye and glanced at the ceiling.
In fact, Lee Sa-young was right. If this crazy brat had come during dinner time, another Lee Sa-young ZONE would have been created, dinner business would have been ruined, and Eui-jae would have looked at Sa-young with a dubious expression. Although he was doing that now.
Sa-young muttered as if for him to hear.
“It can’t be helped if they’re scared and don’t come near me.”
Somehow, the Gas mask holding the black ticket looked dejected. Even though Gas masks don’t have expressions!
Nam Woo-jin’s words floated in his head like a hazy mist. And like a tail biting its tail, his thoughts continued.
The Gas mask kicking people in the alleyway and Lee Sa-young showing his black tongue, the Gas mask brazenly showing his face in public service advertisements, the Experiment of Prometheus, Lee Sa-young carrying a pile of blankets and pillows, Lee Sa-young sitting alone in the ruins melted by Poison, Lee Sa-young asking if he was okay after melting the Master of the Rift in an instant, Lee Sa-young burying his face in J’s shoulder in the broken Fragment and muttering, and….
J saved him, but he was no longer J, and now even the traces of that child, who could not be found, were a mess.
From the moment they first met until recently, Lee Sa-young, as seen by Eui-jae, was rude, annoying, strange, and a crazy brat who kicked away Eui-jae’s small and quiet life just by existing. From the very beginning, their first meeting was the worst. The Hanover Soup Restaurant, which was relatively quiet except for the large number of customers, started to burst at the seams thanks to Lee Sa-young.
But as you know, you see as much as you know. While unintentionally bumping into Lee Sa-young, Eui-jae learned more than he thought.
“Um, please think of it as a kind of shackle.”
Was this what he meant by putting on shackles? Shackles of conscience? There was nothing to put on me, so he put shackles on Lee Sa-young? Eui-jae was deeply aware of the saying that the rich get richer these days.
‘The Rankers need to be thoroughly educated…. The kids are just too greedy….’
Whether he knew Eui-jae’s troubled heart or not, Sa-young muttered again. This time, his voice was a little louder than before.
“I wonder if he knows how much I’m considering Hyung.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Eui-jae answered without Soul and took a step back, suppressing his voice. But Lee Sa-young was able to notice that small movement like a ghost. The eyes beyond the Gas mask flashed.
“Where are you going.”
“Huh? Kitchen.”
“You didn’t answer my question?”
“No… we have plenty of time. Let’s have a cup of coffee and talk slowly. Do you drink coffee?”
Even though it was just a rough excuse, the sharp momentum suddenly subsided. Sa-young rolled his eyes. His gaze lingered on the upper left for a long time, as if he were recalling a very old memory. After a long silence, he muttered.
“…I wonder?”
What was this ambiguous answer? Eui-jae, who had become serious as well, crossed his arms and pondered, then gestured.
“…Sit down and wait a minute.”
Sa-young sat down without complaining, surprisingly. After confirming that he had taken off his Gas mask, Eui-jae stood in the kitchen and pondered.
‘Is it okay to give him coffee at this late hour?’
Of course, caffeine wouldn’t affect the body of an S-class Awakened, and even more so for Lee Sa-young… but there’s such a thing as mood. It’s the same with the Hanover Soup Restaurant’s regular Hunters, who try to drink more than two bottles of soju every time, even though they don’t get drunk.
Besides, recalling what happened at Lee Sa-young’s house, Sa-young didn’t seem to sleep well either. As is usually the case with sensitive S-class Awakened.
Now that it had come to this, there was no choice. He had no choice but to show off his ultimate recipe that had even captured the taste buds of picky 9-year-old elementary school students. Eui-jae took out a black plastic bag and Sobaeksan acacia honey from the refrigerator. A golden halo shone behind him as he held a spoon with a determined look.
[Trait Battle Melted into Life (S) is activated.]
A moment later, Eui-jae, who had walked confidently, placed a paper cup in front of Sa-young with a thud. Sa-young, who had been resting his chin on his hand and tapping on his phone with the other, paused and asked.
“What is this?”
“Misugaru.”
It wasn’t just misugaru, it was a secret misugaru made with misugaru, honey, and even white milk that he had bought for Ha-eun’s snack. He gave it to him in a disposable paper cup, so he didn’t have to worry about the cost of tableware. He took care of Lee Sa-young and saved money. It was killing two birds with one stone.
However, Sa-young’s face, looking at the cup in front of him, was filled with suspicion.
“What about the coffee?”
“You can’t sleep well.”
“…….”
Sa-young stared at Eui-jae with a strange expression. Eui-jae clicked his tongue.
“What coffee for a guy who can’t even sleep properly? Drink misugaru.”
Sa-young, who put down his phone and held the paper cup, muttered.
“It seems like Hyung can’t sleep well either.”
“That’s why I drink water.”
“…….”
Sa-young didn’t say anything more and obediently took off his Gas mask and placed it on the table. Then, he looked at the paper cup and the liquid inside again, and began to sip the misugaru.
Eui-jae sat across from him, took a sip of water, and observed his face. Sa-young, who licked his lips with his black tongue, blinked. His long eyelashes fluttered with the movement.
“Anyway. Have you been to Songdo?”
Eui-jae shook his head, thinking of the ticket he had carefully kept in his blanket.
“No.”
He had been all over the country when he was working as J, but surprisingly, he had never visited Songdo. And he had no intention of ever going there in the future. Sa-young, who put down the empty paper cup, rested his chin on his hand.
“That’s good. Go this time.”
“Songdo? Why?”
“It’s going to be noisy here and there these days.”
He gestured with his chin at the autographs and posters plastered on the wall. It would be strange to say that he hadn’t heard about it here. Eui-jae deliberately replied nonchalantly.
“That Artisan Exhibition or whatever?”
“Yeah, that.”
“Why would I go there?”
“To go on a date.”
“Did the misugaru go bad, damn it….”
Whether Eui-jae’s expression crumpled or not, Sa-young continued to speak shamelessly.
“It’s a date request worth billions.”
Sa-young gestured with his eyes to the tickets neatly placed on the table. But it wasn’t a very appealing date request for Eui-jae, who had already put about a hundred billion worth of tickets to sleep in his blanket.
There was no reason to go, and there were many reasons not to go. Eui-jae sighed deeply and held up the biggest and strongest shield.
“I don’t have time to go to Songdo. I have to run the business.”
“Tell Grandmother you’re taking her to the hospital and close for a day. You only need to go on the day of the Artisan Exhibition.”
Sa-young answered immediately without a moment’s hesitation. It was as if he had anticipated this question and answer, and had studied all the expected questions and answers! Sa-young smiled leisurely.
“Master Grandmother is sick, what are you going to do.”
“Hey, using Grandmother as an excuse….”
“If you’re really worried, I’ll tell Choi Goyo to take her to the hospital. What’s next?”
Fortunately, Choi Goyo seemed to be awake. Well, it had been quite a while since the Incheon Port incident, so it was understandable. Eui-jae raised his second shield.
“How can a D-class Hunter go to the Artisan Exhibition? What if they ask where you got the ticket?”
“That’s okay too.”
Lee Sa-young rummaged through his Inventory and placed a Gas mask that looked brand new next to the ticket. A ticket worth billions and two Gas masks were placed side by side on the old-fashioned green table.
‘Is this… cognitive dissonance?’
Eui-jae was in a state of confusion, just like the first day he saw Lee Sa-young’s public service advertisement on TV. Sa-young, the person who had stirred up other people’s insides, said calmly.
“You can wear this and introduce yourself as the Wave Guild’s secretarial team.”
“…You want me to wear this?”
“It’s mandatory for the secretarial team to wear it when they go out with me, so it’s not that unusual. Everyone will think so.”
No, if two Gas masks walk around together, it’ll be really noticeable. Even Eui-jae would probably turn around if two Gas masks passed by on the street.
At this point, Eui-jae was wondering whether to just curse at Lee Sa-young and kick him out, or to kick him out with a polite refusal. Sa-young, who had been resting his chin on his hands and staring at him, opened his mouth.
“But Hyung.”
“Yeah.”
“Can I ask you one thing?”
“What is it.”
“When you went to the Seowon Guild.”
Sa-young asked with a soft smile.
“What did that crazy brat Nam Woo-jin say?”
“…….”
“Why is he being so nice to me today?”