Chapter 35 : Yeah… well, I’ll take it for now (4)
by fnovelpia
“Thanks, Death Knight. You can go now.”
“Yes, my lord. Call me anytime if you need anything.”
Death Knight looked at the hunters and sparks flared from his eyes as he said that.
The hunters flinched at the sight.
I wanted to point out that it was a bit much, especially when they had come carrying gifts in both hands.
‘…Well, Death Knight did see me collapse.’
They said I had gotten up immediately and started running, only to turn back around.
I couldn’t even imagine how startled he must’ve been, so I just gave a gentle smile.
“Got it.”
When I said that, he nodded once and disappeared through the gate.
After confirming his departure, I turned around and faced the hunters.
“You came again.”
“The kids seem to have caused trouble… I’m sorry.”
Hunter Hanseong bowed his head.
Since I had already received an apology once, I quickly waved my hands in surprise, but Hunter Hanseong paid no mind.
‘…The one who actually did wrong is someone else.’
I thought so as I looked behind.
There stood Chanseok, awkwardly holding a plastic bag.
I glared at him.
Even if he had been brainwashed at the time, still— Even if he wasn’t exactly human… It was unforgivable to trigger someone’s PTSD like that.
‘…Though it’s not like no one died because of me.’
It’s true that I hold some responsibility too.
Even if it wasn’t of my own will, just like with Chanseok.
“T-This is to apologize…”
With that, Hunter Hanseong offered me something.
“…!!”
A high-end coffee machine.
It was the one I had desperately wanted in my previous life.
I had tried saving up for it, but ended up wasting the money on artifacts and could never buy it.
“I-Isn’t this expensive…?”
“It’s not that pricey. You’ve never been outside the tower, right? That’s probably why it feels expensive to you.”
“Y-Yeah, hyung! It’s really not that expensive.”
Hanyul was a little awkward, but Hunter Hanseong was completely unfazed.
With a serene smile on his face, he spoke as if it were the truth, like he had a steel plate over his face.
‘…Scary.’
How can someone lie so well?
Even back in my “wrecka” days, I was amazed at people like that.
How they could weave lies about good people and turn it into money.
“…It is expensive, though.”
“Why do you think so?”
“…B-Because it’s sparkly?”
When I said that, Hanseong grinned like he’d been caught.
“It’s expensive, alright.”
“T-Then I can’t accept it!”
It was too much.
Even the coffee beans next to it looked ridiculously pricey.
‘I haven’t done anything to deserve this. My existence is basically a nuisance.’
Even if I should do my best to be accommodating, I couldn’t bring myself to accept something like this.
“Then let’s just say this isn’t an apology but a token of gratitude.”
“A… token of gratitude?”
“Yes, gratitude.”
Hunter Hanseong said this and pulled out two swords from his subspace.
“You received these, right? Two of them, even.”
“…T-That was just a gesture of friendship…”
“We’re giving you this as a gesture of friendship, too. Though honestly, this doesn’t even begin to make up for it…”
He looked genuinely regretful.
“Well, can’t be helped.”
“……”
“If you won’t accept the coffee machine, we’ll just leave the swords here too. It’s too burdensome to take them back.”
“T-That’s…!!”
I was happy that he had used them well, but now he was just going to leave them behind?
I glanced at the coffee machine and hesitated, but in the end, I took it.
“…Thank you.”
“Great.”
“…I’ll enjoy it.”
When I said that, Hunter Hanseong looked momentarily surprised, then asked me,”…How did you know it was for drinking?”
“…!!”
I slipped up!
While I stammered in panic.
“Huh? What’s this coffee smell, Master?”
The Sword Ghost came up behind me.
“B-Boss!!”
In his arms was Stella, her face soaked in tears.
She must’ve been seriously scared of the Sword Ghost.
I handed the coffee machine to the Sword Ghost and took Stella from him.
As she calmed down a little, her crying stopped.
“…A coffee machine?”
“Yeah, coffee and a coffee machine.”
Apparently, monsters could read our writing too.
Well, I guess that makes sense—everyone can read their own status windows, so maybe it all gets automatically translated?
“Monsters know what coffee is?”
“…What do you take us for, human?”
The Sword Ghost glared coldly at Hunter Hanseong, who had asked the question.
I gently patted her on the head to calm her down.
“Ahaha… Yes, I know what coffee is. I personally like it.”
“Really?”
Hunter Hanseong smiled softly, clearly pleased that his gift was the right choice.
“Master… you like coffee? Got it.”
“Huh? Yeah, I do.”
“Then I’ll switch from tea to coffee from now on.”
“Tea’s fine too—alternate them every other day.”
“Okay!”
While the Sword Ghost was reading the user manual to learn how to use the machine, Hanyul walked over to me with a shy smile.
“Hmm?”
“Unni, I brought a gift too.”
“What is it?”
Surprisingly cute behavior.
It was a total contrast to the sharp, proud, and cold image the media had painted of her.
Really, you can’t judge people by appearances alone.
I smiled at her, and she pulled something out.
“Here.”
“Oh.”
What came out of Hanyul’s hands was a white fox keychain.
I looked around to see if there was anywhere to hang it and spotted the norigae (ornament) on my jeogori.
“This’ll work.”
Once I hung it on, it actually looked pretty nice.
‘…It’s not really my style, but with how I look now, maybe it suits me well enough.’
Thinking that, I asked Hanyul,”…How is it?”
“Yeah! It’s pretty.”
“Really?”
Good.
Just to be sure, I glanced at Hunter Hanseong and Chanseok.
Hunter Hanseong was looking fondly at Hanyul, and Chanseok didn’t seem to have any complaints either.
I wanted to tease him a little—after all, revenge was due.
Even if my mom teased me a bit, that was when he was brainwashed.
I even got hit once while I was still sane.
Now it’s your turn.
“…It’s a relief that Hunter Chanseok didn’t say anything.”
“I really thought he’d say, ‘the monster is acting crazy again.’”
I smiled softly, and Hunter Hanseong glared at Chanseok like he was about to kill him.
‘…Serves you right.’
While I chuckled to myself, Chanseok, who had just gotten smacked by Hanseong, stepped in front of me.
“…?”
“…Um, I…”
It looked like he had something to say.
I couldn’t even force a smile, so I just tilted my head and stared at him.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Ah, yeah… well…”
“I wasn’t in my right mind… and, well… I have some trauma, so I’m a bit wary of monsters…”
Chanseok, who usually acted jokingly, now spoke seriously as he apologized to me.
Even so, he looked a bit embarrassed—rubbing the back of his head or touching his neck.
It was clear he genuinely felt sorry.
“Are you sorry?”
“…Yes, I apologize.”
When I asked with a slight smile after a moment of silence, Chanseok bowed deeply.
Squatting down, I grinned and made eye contact with the hunter.
“Everyone gave me a gift… and you’re just going with words?”
At that, Chanseok’s face turned bright red.
Startled, he suddenly handed me a bag with something cold attached to it.
“…Oh gosh.”
“I tried to keep it in the best condition possible, but some time has passed… so it might not taste very good.”
“You don’t need to be so stiff about it.”
“It… it might not taste good…”
Seeing him flustered and sincerely sorry made me feel a bit better.
I figured it was food, so I opened the bag to check.
“…Yukhoe and raw liver?”
Inside were fresh-looking yukhoe (raw beef) and reddish raw liver.
They looked expensive and delicious, like something bought with good money.
But there was just one problem.
“Uh, I… don’t drink, and I’m not really into eating raw food…”
I wasn’t fond of raw food.
More than that, this was clearly meant as drinking snacks—and I didn’t drink.
I tried to avoid things like alcohol and cigarettes as much as possible.
A psychiatrist once told me that relying on things like that would only break me down further.
Thanks to that, even as an adult, I hadn’t touched alcohol.
Naturally, I wasn’t much into drinking snacks either.
“R-Really?!”
“…You idiot.”
“…Moron.”
As Chanseok panicked, Hanseong and Hanyul simultaneously smacked their foreheads and muttered.
“Well, since you brought it with sincerity… sure, I’ll accept it.”
Of course, my dislike of raw food was a thing from my past life.
Now that I’d become a gumiho, who knows?
My tastes might have changed.
“Want to eat together?”
I smiled brightly as I asked, and the hunters nodded.
I was hungry anyway—this could be considered a snack.
“…But, there’s no alcohol in our tower.”
“That’s okay. We don’t drink either.”
“Master used to be a total alcoh—”
“Shut it, Chanseok.”
Somehow, Chanseok Hunter’s reputation seemed to have taken a nosedive.
Watching that, I felt rather satisfied.
Strangely, I didn’t feel any guilt.
‘I should mess with him a little too.’
I felt like teasing him a bit.
Like making a sandbag to beat up later when I’m bored.
As if she’d been listening in the whole time, the Sword Ghost went over to the floor and set the food on a tray.
“Master, it’s ready!”
“When did you do that?!”
“Just now. Oh, do you drink makgeolli?”
“…You have that?”
“There was some by the jar stand?”
As I tilted my head,[…I secretly sent it over. Thought I might want to have a drink with my daughter later.]
My mother answered.
It seemed my mom and I were total opposites.
“Weren’t you in the hot spring?”
[Just finished. Also, speak inwardly—I can see everyone staring.]
“Ah.”
When I turned around, the Sword Ghost and the hunters were looking at me like I was talking to myself.
I scratched my head in embarrassment.
“Ahaha… shall we eat?”
“Mind if I ask you something while we eat?”
Hanseong Hunter asked, and I nodded.
Maybe because it was my first time drinking in my life, I found myself answering rather carelessly in excitement.
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