episode_0187

– Look over there. It’s the North Star.

someone said

Always in one place,

Always the same,

A sparkle that served as a guidepost for those who lost their way.

“… … What is the North Star? I can’t even see it.”

– Just look.

One day, I quietly looked up at the pitch-black night sky.

I felt sick late at night, so I was heading to the convenience store to buy some digestive medicine.

The night sky I looked up from the city center was more boring than I thought.

It feels like a few grains of sand have been roughly scattered on pitch black drawing paper.

In comics and novels, people often get emotional while looking at the starlight in the sky, but unfortunately, their emotions seem to have dried up, so there was no reaction of any kind.

Sometimes, when the full moon looks big, I just take a few pictures as a souvenir and return home.

I wonder if I have ever looked up at the night sky in the first place.

– It is the North Star that guides us and never changes.

someone said

He stretched out his blood-covered hand and pointed at the pitch-black sky.

“… Even the North Star changes over time.”

– okay.

– but.

– The North Star that guides us will never change.

A meaningful whisper becomes a red thread,

Ride the summer wind and ascend to the sky.

Above the pitch-black sky… a red thread approaching the North Star catches in the starlight and forms a shy constellation.

Being intertwined is a fate.

Resentment that has settled and concentrated and has forgotten how to disappear.

The red thread that reached the sky ended up hanging on the North Star,

The story that has already reached its end continues.

What you see is the North Star.

The red thread on the little finger sings a children’s song as it is carried by the night wind.

– Look over there. It’s the North Star.

One day,

The night sky I looked up inadvertently,

Unchanging over time,

It was an insignificant sparkle.

… … .

… … .

Mulberry bread~ Mulberry bread~.

“Ugh… Wow, it’s refreshing.”

The bedroom of ‘Room 904’, with the August heat pounding on the window.

Eunha brushed up her messy hair as the alarm rang like always.

I had a strange dream.

Is it because I have the luxury of setting the air conditioner to 18℃ in August and sleeping under a cotton blanket?

I recently received money from Hunter Association Director Go Young-in, and I also became the owner of an apartment building.

It’s cool outside, but it’s warm inside the blanket, so it feels good beyond comfort.

‘My head hurts… No, my head feels refreshed. ‘Is it because no monster came to the house yesterday?’

Yesterday evening, Eunha was healed of her exhausted mind and body by burying her face in [Bug Princess]’s soft belly.

She rolled around on the soft bed, clutching her head, feeling more refreshed than usual.

I was a little tired yesterday.

Could it be that the fatigue of being shipwrecked alone in the [Risk Field] and wandering around like crazy wasn’t properly relieved?

As usual, Eunha shook her sore back and stood up shakily.

As she raises her upper body, a soft cotton blanket hangs over her large breasts, showing off her presence.

“… … good. Let’s live hard today too.”

A morning that puts a languid smile on your face.

The August morning sunlight falls on my refreshing head.

Eunha turned off the air conditioner and tapped her throbbing temple with her palm.

I left the bedroom with light steps.

I woke up from a strange dream,

Same as usual,

It’s a refreshing morning.

… … .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s a little sudden, but I think about it without thinking.

Are people who smile happy?

Because I’m happy, because I’m happy, because I’m funny, because I’m dumbfounded.

Or to overcome pain.

There are many reasons why people smile.

Because human emotions suddenly boil up for different reasons at different times.

It seems that somewhere in the world there is a bell-shaped ‘artifact’ that forces people around it to laugh… but there’s no way such a thing actually exists.

I think it might be a story from a novel.

Anyway, as the saying goes, ‘Laughing brings good luck,’ most laughter is perceived as a positive expression by us.

‘Eunha… she always has a smiling face…’

So I think again.

Are people who smile happy?

Then, never lose your smile,

The life of a woman who smiles languidly all day… is she really happy?

“Eunha seems to have lost her energy after visiting the [Daemari Crayon Market]. Is there anything that catches your eye?”

“Yes?… Really?”

A cafe where the fragrant smell of coffee mixes with the cool breeze from the air conditioner.

[Rabbit Latte] Employee and potion maker… Debtor Kang Na-ri put down the mug she was holding upon hearing the words of Ban Ha-rin who came into the kitchen.

Ban Harin whispered to Kang Nari in a cold, machine-like voice and looked around the kitchen with his usual expressionless face.

Then, he takes out a mug from the cupboard, fills it with whipped cream, and starts drinking it with a coffee straw.

I don’t know if this person is a regular customer or a cafe employee.

Nari Kang sighed quietly and slowly turned her head to look in the direction of the checkout counter.

“I came and picked it up.”

“Thank you, Sarang Kim. I’ll drink it well.”

A voice praying that Kang Nari would appear in my dreams every night.

A woman with a body that made you happy just by looking at her from the side was dealing with customers with her usual languid smile.

Euncheon-gu’s soft fist,

Café Latte’s older sister, Eunha.

A benefactor who without hesitation extended his hand to a semi-basement debtor.

“By the way, Sarang Kim was a student at the academy, right? It’s still 10 a.m., so I guess it’s class time.”

“Hmm. There was not a single talented person in the academy who could teach the subject. No one has been able to improve my written score.”

“The academy is called a school building.”

Kim Sarang, the stone-headed only daughter of [Changcheon Geomga], a customer wearing a black uniform, took out a can of coffee from her puffy sleeves and handed it to Eunha.

What is the novelty of gifting canned coffee to cafe employees?

Anyway, Eunha smiled lazily as she accepted the canned coffee with both hands, and Kim Sarang, who covered her face with the sleeves of her uniform, walked confidently out of the cafe as if her work was done.

Fluttering…

Kim Sarang left the cafe and took off her black uniform in the pouring heat.

When I took off my uniform, the [Euncheon Academy] school uniform appeared.

What are you doing?

She instantly turns into an academy student, glances at Eunha and returns to the academy.

“… I have no energy. It seems the same as usual.”

Kang Nari, who was looking at Eunha with a languid smile, whispered to Ban Harin.

It’s always the galaxy.

Same as usual.

He puts the black suitcase he always carries with him in the corner of the counter, leaves plates filled with salt in every corner of the cafe, and checks their condition from time to time.

A woman with a slightly quirky side.

“Has there been any news that might upset Eunha? In relation to the potion trade with the Hunter Club and the [Chengryong family].”

“What’s the reason I’m anxious… It’s still smooth and uneventful. What happened to Eunha?”

“I don’t know.”

I do not know.

A word that does not fit well with Ban Harin.

In her answer, an emotion that cannot be hidden appears for a moment and then disappears.

Soon after, Ban Harin took a mug filled with whipped cream and returned to his table and started working as if nothing had happened.

Her eyes are heavy today as she taps on her laptop with a cold face.

Nari Kang observed Eunha’s profile as she clenched and unclenched her hands out of unknown anxiety.

I have no energy. Even if you suddenly hear something like that, you won’t know unless you just watch.

What on earth is seen in Ban Harin’s eyes?

… … .

“Eunha unnie? Is your sister always strange?”

After a while.

Unable to overcome her uncomfortable feelings, Kang Na-ri approached Eun Bang-ul and asked her the same question as Ban Ha-rin.

The question is whether Eunha looks listless.

Then, the girl who was sorting out the household account book in the break room looked up at Nari Kang as if she were looking at someone strange.

“Don’t worry, I’ll work~. If Eunha is okay, it’s okay. I trust you.”

Eunbangul combs the soft rabbit ears with her bare hands.

What is at your fingertips is trust in someone.

Perhaps something resembling obsession is contained in the girl’s pitch black eyes.

“Eunha said it was okay… so I should believe it.”

Kang Nari had no idea what the girl in front of her was thinking.

The cafe owner is strangely lively and rich.

Is it true that he is an ordinary person without skills?

The numerous photos occupying one wall of the break room are something that bothers me today.

Upright!

Eunbangul took out an ocher bread hat from her apron and smiled brightly.

A bread hat that presses down on the pure white rabbit ears.

Eyes as black and squishy as tar look up at Nari Kang.

“Are you finished with the questions? Then, shall we quickly go to the kitchen? I have to help Eunha… That’s the contract I wrote for that purpose.”

“ㄴ, yes!”

“There’s no news from the family yet, right? What about the potion deal you said you were doing with the Hunter Association? Isn’t Eunha having a hard time?”

“Yes! Of course!”

Excited. Excited.

Nari Kang, who was shaking with a chill, quickly nods her head.

As expected, the boss is scary.

Did I come here to ask for no reason?

When I look at the tiny girl in front of me, I feel infinitely smaller.

‘… are you okay. There’s Eunha.’

What comes to mind is Eunha coming to save herself from being kidnapped by a villain.

When I think back on the strong smell of blood and the sight of Eunha covered in blood, my heart starts pounding like a lie and my mind calms down.

Nari Kang, who has overcome the scary pressure from her boss, lets out a small smile.

‘Mr. Ban Harin is worried about Eunha, and the boss says he trusts Eunha… something is different. They seem to have very different personalities… How did they become friends?’

Someone trying to find out what’s wrong with the galaxy.

A person who trusts Eunha and lives as if nothing is wrong.

So, what should Kang Nari herself do?

It’s a bit of a complicated problem.

Isn’t it still too early for her, who has barely freed herself from a mountain of debt and has only just reached the starting line through a deal with General Manager Go Young-in?

“Good luck, Nari. Please help Eunha a lot.”

“Yes! Please leave it to me, boss! I will take care of Eunha for the rest of my life!”

“What?”

so,

Until she can make the right choice.

I hope that Eunha’s languid smile is happiness that comes from the heart.

Nari Kang, who was holding on to an unresolved problem, left the break room as if running away from Eunbangul.

… … .

… … .

… … .

“Wow. People talk about me a lot… I wonder if it would be okay if I smiled a little brighter.”

Time passes leisurely,

6 pm.

After getting off work from the cafe, Eunha massaged her sore neck and walked home.

‘okay. Good is good. I will somehow protect the people of our cafe.’

Drurrr.

The sound of the carrier’s wheels follows the galaxy in a steady rhythm.

… … .

This may sound pointless, but you can pick up quite a few stories while working as a cafe employee.

Do we know people as game NPCs?

People sometimes forget that employees also have ears.

Because the voices of customers chatting at the table were heard unfiltered all the way to the checkout counter, Eunha sometimes became a cold-blooded coffee machine and closely observed the customers’ sexual fights.

This time, I briefly overheard the conversation between Eunbangul and Kang Na-ri that came from the break room.

I thought you said you seemed to have no energy today.

Eunha decided to pay more attention to facial expressions from now on and walked down the sidewalk, keeping a distance from the road where cars were passing by.

Every now and then, whenever a tuned car makes a loud engine noise, Eunha’s shoulders quietly shrug.

I tightly grasp the handle of my suitcase, consoling the trauma that does not seem to go away with time.

“Phew… good. Let’s stop by the convenience store.”

I pursed my lips and walked away.

A convenience store near the apartment comes into view.

A quiet convenience store with a sign saying [Happy Convenience Store].

In front of it is a familiar [blood donation bus] parked.

It’s a pity, but I came to buy happiness today.

Eunha pretended not to see the [blood donation bus] and hurried to the convenience store with her gaze down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

6. Buy and sell happiness at the convenience store.

– Happiness is a relative concept.

– Nevertheless, somewhere in this world, there will be a treasure that everyone can feel happy about.

# When entering a convenience store and the entrance is closed.

– No need to panic. Pick the item you like best and bring it to the clerk.

– Purchased items must be used.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Peep~. Peep~.

The automatic door of the convenience store opens and the sweet smell of cigarettes creeps out.

Eunha took a deep breath and walked into the convenience store.

Cutter knives, rope, lacquer… A space where items with different uses are displayed.

Display stands with a strange atmosphere gather together to show off to win Eunha’s favor.

『Sell happiness.』

A convenience store checkout counter with a plain design.

There, a beautiful woman, naked and wearing only a blue robe, was sitting on an old-fashioned chair, smoking a pipe.

The strong smell of cigarettes.

The blue robe is embroidered with never-before-seen constellations, giving it the appearance of a fortune teller.

“Collok… Hello. It’s nice to see the confidence that you have no intention of doing business again today.”

『The lady has a very lewd body. I will be happy.』

A woman with large breasts wrapped in a robe on the counter smokes a pipe and praises Eunha.

Eyes filled with boredom stare at Eunha’s chest.

“so. What’s going on today, girl?

“I came here to buy happiness and see if there were any items needed for night security.”

『Is there really a need to buy security supplies here?』

“You never know.”

Phew…

A woman exhaling white cigarette smoke scratched her head.

It’s like looking into Eunha’s languid smile and the core hidden inside it.

Deep-set eyes blink slowly.

『… … Rather, it might be her happiness to leave this place.』

“Suddenly? Cough…”

『Because it’s a place that sells happiness. I don’t think it’s happiness to suffer alone without anyone knowing.』

That’s a strange thing to say.

It’s like reading a person’s inner self.

A woman with a gentle air, like an elderly security guard, taps her pipe.

… … .

That is correct.

Is there anyone who is happy despite being sick?

Just yesterday, I had a brief headache and vomited. I visited [Bug Princess] and even received healing.

Do I have to live with this all on my own?

I’d rather go out from the fortune telling shop where I met the [black person].

That doesn’t mean I didn’t think about it.

Because we are people.

When things get hard, they collapse, struggle in pain, and suffer.

“… … Still, I guess I’m still human.”

Because of this, Eunha thought positively.

Because we are people.

You may be in pain and collapse when you are tired.

And it will happen again.

Because we are people.

Because there is a reason to endure pain.

“I don’t know anything else, but I will live with [The Black Book] until I die. Thanks to you, there are people I can protect. I’m also acting as a hunter somehow.”

『… … .』

“So, I’m still happy enough.”

Chaeengㅡ.

Eunha takes out a cutter knife from the shelf and puts it on the counter.

“Choke… So, don’t look at anyone else, just play with me. Even when I die, I will hold [the black book] and die alone. Let’s go on for a long time.”

『… … If that’s the girl’s happiness. good.”

Whoa.

Pure white cigarette smoke.

A spicy scent that fills the convenience store.

The woman placed the cutter knife on the counter and placed it in Eunha’s hand.

Rumbling.

Along with a small box taken out from under the counter.

“… What is this? ”

『They said they were on guard at night. You sold your happiness, so you have to pay the price.』

Are you asking me to open the contents of the box later?

A woman with a bored expression waved her hand lightly.

Then the closed automatic door opened softly with a beep-beep-beep sound.

Collock.

Did I smell too much cigarette smoke?

Eunha lightly coughed up blood and blinked her bleary eyes.

“bye. miss. I hope that one day you will find your goal and leave.』

It’s like cigarette smoke that disperses in the air and disappears.

However, the pungent smell remains in the body for a long time, like a lump circling in the head.

He pushes Eunha on the back and sends her out of the convenience store.

“… … Where does your sister live? I’ll be on guard and go out to play if I have time.”

『Room 101.』

like that,

Eunha held a box cutter and a box in her arms,

I left the [Happy Convenience Store] with a whiff of cigarette smoke.

The wafting scent of cigarettes seemed to see Eunha off as she walked.

… … .

… … .

“Elderly security guard.”

“Yes, come in.”

“I haven’t said anything yet.”

“I know that there is no use in trying to stop anything.”

And, that evening.

Eunha wore a security hat she ordered from home shopping and went to the security office.