All my plans in Seoul were finished.
No… I thought they were finished.
I was planning to leave right after eating and head to another region.
I wanted to go to Chuncheon in Gangwon Province to eat dakgalbi, so after starting the camping car, I was leaving Gangnam, heading for Chuncheon.
At that moment, I saw a familiar villa and brought the car to a stop.
It was the semi-basement I lived in when I was in high school, a place I never intended to revisit for fear of bringing back sad memories, yet I ended up here without realizing it myself.
“Where are we?”
Byul asked with an innocent expression. She must have sensed something from the way I stood still, looking at the villa’s semi-basement.
Whether it was a child’s intuition or the Spirit King’s sense, it was quite accurate.
(Anonymous 1): That’s the face of someone with a story, I can kinda tell.
(Endless Waiting): Same here.
(Listening to Cheongha): What is it?
(Anonymous 1): Ex-girlfriend’s house!
(Endless Waiting): Probably the house he used to live in.
(Anonymous 1): Eh? No, man, with that look in his eyes, it has to be about a girl, right?
(Endless Waiting): Anonymous, there’s something you’re forgetting.
(Anonymous 1): What is it?
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Jinwoo’s never dated a woman.
(Anonymous 1): …Oh, right.
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): That’s a bit sad.
Those constellations, seriously….
I shook my head.
Don’t get involved, don’t get involved.
(Father of Crops): Jinwoo, romance isn’t everything in life. Am I right?
(Listening to Cheongha): But it is everything.
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): After family comes romance. Hm.
(Anonymous 1): True. Back in Habaek’s day, someone Jinwoo’s age should have grandkids already.
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): That’s true as well.
‘But I’m raising a child, aren’t I? Isn’t child-rearing more important in life than romance?’
(Anonymous 1): Hmm, not quite. Raising kids is important, nothing more rewarding, but the process to get there matters too.
Don’t get involved, don’t get involved.
Is romance really all that important?
(Anonymous 1): Still, reaching your age and never even holding a girl’s hand is a bit much.
Ah, I can’t take this.
I gave Anonymous 1 a five-minute chat ban.
[Constellation, Anonymous 1 has donated 100 coins!]
I lifted the ban.
With that, the teasing from the other constellations stopped.
(Anonymous 1): Why am I the only one you’re coming down on! Why me!!
‘Byul might hear you, don’t curse.’
A child’s ears and eyes could have been sullied.
Another five-minute chat ban.
[Constellation, Anonymous 1 has donated 100 coins!]
(Anonymous 1): Ah, I don’t want to live.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Still, the chat ban was lifted quickly. Have a drink~
(Anonymous 1): ….
Well, anyway.
Having triumphed in the war with the constellations, I stared intently at the villa where I used to live. Truly, nothing had changed. The house I moved into after becoming an adult.
This was where I lived, unable to receive protection from my parents within the fence of minority.
How should I put it… It feels nostalgic.
Compared to the me who lived here, I’m so much happier now.
It’s a strange feeling. I wonder how things would’ve been if I’d lived this happily even as a student, and I feel proud of myself for being happy now….
‘Phew, I’m being too sentimental.’
Seeing my old house after such a long time, that cringey emotion unique to my student days welled up in me.
Face flushing, I turned around.
“…Jinwoo?”
A familiar face.
She had a few more wrinkles and some white hairs since I last saw her.
(Anonymous 1): Who’s that?
“The landlady!!”
I greeted the landlady warmly.
Honestly, I always wanted to see her at least once, but I never had the courage to come back to this villa until now.
Seeing her again like this made me feel really happy.
“I was so curious about how you were doing, Jinwoo, your face is so much brighter! It’s great to see.”
She greeted me with a beaming smile. She was always like that, even back then.
(Anonymous 1): She’s a bright person.
(Listening to Cheongha): Is she the only adult who helped Jinwoo when he was struggling…?
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Oh, I remember now.
(Endless Waiting): Jinwoo once told that story after drinking.
(Father of Crops): On that note, which constellation wants to buy some homemade makgeolli?
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): I’ll buy, so be quiet.
(Father of Crops): Hahaha, thank you!
(Liberated Swordsman): That smile shows she’s a good person.
“How have you been?”
“I’ve been well. Have you been well, Jinwoo?”
Returning to my old home after nearly ten years.
The landlady hadn’t changed much. Aside from a little more white hair and a few wrinkles, she was the same.
“I’ve been very well, thanks to you.”
I really wanted to say this to her.
“Thanks to me, nothing! You did well all on your own. So, what are you up to these days? Actually, never mind that, let’s eat! I’ll cook for you!”
She was always like this. We’d chat for a bit, then she’d insist on feeding me a warm home-cooked meal. Just thinking about having her cooking again after so long made me excited. Nodding, I followed her inside.
“And who is this child? Your daughter?”
“Hello, I’m Kim Byul!”
I nodded my head.
“Where’s her mom?”
I gave a bittersweet smile.
The sharp landlady went “Oh—!” and looked at me with sympathy.
“If you’re happy now, isn’t that enough?”
“Haha, that’s true.”
“How have you been?”
The landlady asked from the kitchen.
“I’ve been traveling lately, but before that, I was a Hunter.”
“A Hunter? You’re a Hunter?”
“Yes, haha.”
I gave Baekgu and Sol a signal, and those two, who had been invisible, popped into view.
— Hellooo!
— Biiiii, biiii—!!
“…! Are those spirits?”
“That’s right. I awakened both the Spirit Summoner and Swordsman traits.”
“Oh my, that’s wonderful, so wonderful! Congratulations!”
She was so happy for me, almost as if it were her own achievement. I was so grateful that she was so genuinely happy.
“All right, it’s ready. Let’s eat. Byul, you eat a lot too, okay?”
“Thank you! Hehe.”
“Such a cute kid.”
She patted Byul and looked at me. Her face said, “When did you have such a lovely child?” and perhaps she was a bit sad about not hearing from me for so long.
“It’s delicious!”
(Anonymous 1): I want to try it too.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Is this a good time to request a tribute?
(Listening to Cheongha): That would be rude.
(Anonymous 1): But I really want to try it.
(Listening to Cheongha): Didn’t you already get a tribute for lunch today?
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): Yeah, only one tribute per day.
(Anonymous 1): Can’t you just pack it up in a plastic bag?
(Father of Crops): …?
(Liberated Swordsman): Are you serious?
(Endless Waiting): Are you serious?
(Last Blacksmith): Are you serious?
(Anonymous 1): When did you get here, Julian? Anyway, just pack it up to go. Am I wrong?
(God of Rain and Sunlight): I agree.
(Listening to Cheongha): That’s not normal, hm. Not normal at all.
Indeed, it wasn’t normal.
I ignored Anonymous 1 and started chatting with the landlady. By now, Byul had finished eating and was watching TV on the red sofa with the spirits.
Back in the day, whenever I visited the landlady’s house, after a meal we’d watch TV together while eating apples.
‘It’s the same as ever.’
I took another look around. This house could be called my true hometown.
From the flower-patterned wallpaper to the black floral carpet, and the red leather sofa.
If anything had changed….
“The TV is new, isn’t it?”
“Yes, I got one with a better screen. You used to watch TV here a lot, remember?”
I laughed sheepishly. Of course, a semi-basement where a student lived alone wouldn’t have a TV, so I only got to watch when I ate at the landlady’s house.
“Anyway, seeing you doing well makes me so happy. Really, so happy.”
“Thank you, it’s all thanks to you. I wanted to visit, but… I just couldn’t get up the courage.”
I hadn’t had the courage to come back here. I spoke honestly, and the landlady nodded, understanding.
“Just meeting like this and seeing you living well is enough. I’m glad.”
“Thank you, and you’ve been well too, right?”
She nodded, but there was a shadow on her face, as if something was weighing on her.
Only people with worries have that look.
(Anonymous 1): Something’s up, Jinwoo. She’s your benefactor, right? Shouldn’t you help her?
(God of Rain and Sunlight): He’s probably planning to help.
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): This house, it reminds me of my own. The landlady even looks like my mother. I’d like to help too.
I agreed with the constellations. Of course I should help her.
“Is something wrong?”
She tried to say no, but after hesitating, looked at me.
“It’s just… my son is a Hunter.”
“…!”
Come to think of it, the landlady had a son.
He was about five years younger than me.
“Cheol-gyu must be an adult now. He was so cute back then.”
He was the kid I saw from elementary school up through middle school. He followed me around like a little brother.
“Yes, Cheol-gyu recently became a Hunter… but he hasn’t contacted me. There’s supposed to be training before joining a guild, and normally you can stay in touch, but he hasn’t contacted me at all. The news says people get hurt during the guild entry training, too. So… I can’t help but worry. I keep thinking he’ll be fine on his own since he’s grown, but when I’m alone, I just worry.”
Of course she’d be worried.
And honestly, it did sound a bit suspicious.
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): True, sometimes when people get hurt or die during guild entry training, they cover it up. Only shady guilds do that though… Ask for the guild name.
“What’s the guild’s name?”
“Pagog Guild!”
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): Pagog Guild… Pagog Guild… I’ve heard that name before.
Kang Minseok racked his memory, going back over a hundred years.
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): …I investigated that place when I was alive. It was connected to villains, as I recall. Since it’s still standing, I guess they haven’t been exposed, but it’s a sketchy place.
I’ll have to check it out.
Since landlady Park Jae-ok insisted he should spend the night after coming all this way, Jinwoo called Eric.
Frankly, with Byul and the spirits, it was only proper to stay the night, and he also needed to look into Pagog Guild, so he called Eric.
“My lord, you called?”
“Eric, could I ask you for a favor?”
“Of course. Anything at all.”
Jinwoo smiled and explained the situation to Eric. Knowing Eric could handle any request perfectly, he felt at ease entrusting it to him.
“Understood.”
“Yes, I’ll leave it to you.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
Fwoosh—!
Eric’s form vanished at high speed. Jinwoo was able to enter the room with peace of mind. At that moment, Eric was already heading towards Pagog Guild using stealth and rapid movement.
Guiding him was the Returnee of the Demon Realm, Kang Minseok.
(Returnee of the Demon Realm): Hm, the roads have changed a bit, but not so much I can’t find it.
(Anonymous 1): The more I watch this stream, the more I identify with Jinwoo, but he doesn’t have to do anything since Eric handles it all for him, lol, so convenient.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Agreed. Not that I’m downplaying Jinwoo’s hardships, but with the constellations sponsoring him and Eric taking care of things, it sure makes things easy for us viewers.
And so, Eric succeeded in infiltrating Pagog Guild.
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