Side Story 3. Hot Spring Trip (3)

Phoenix left Seok Harang’s house as if chased out. Yuha, suddenly left alone with Harang, found Harang quite unfamiliar for some reason.

She would show sides of herself she never showed when they were together, or she’d casually strip off her clothes for a massage, or she’d display a combat power on a completely different level than before.

She definitely should have congratulated her for reaching SS-rank, but it was true that it felt awkward to treat her the same as before. Yuha disliked how she kept hesitating, but since she had committed a ‘sin,’ she couldn’t raise her head in front of Harang.

“Unnie-ya. That makes me feel even more burdened.”

Harang neatly tidied her clothes and sat facing Yuha.

“I’ve heard all the explanations, and I understand why unnie-ya said those things to me, and in the end, everything turned out well, didn’t it? When I first heard it, I was a bit annoyed, but thanks to unnie-ya, my father was resurrected, so let’s call it even.”

“…Did that person tell you all that?”

Harang shook her head and tapped her wrist.

“There are tons of people claiming Gwanggeom is alive all over Joseon, so do you think I would have just sat there without looking into it? I have ears, people. If you’re going to hide something, hide it properly; they were practically flaunting it.”

Harang grumbled and lay back down on the beanbag.

“When I was catching the monsters rampaging due to Moby Dick’s influence, and even earlier at the cafe, I knew you were secretly watching from the side.”

“……Then why did you pretend not to know?”

“If Dad had been alone, I would’ve gone straight to him and confronted him. But next to him….”

Harang gave an awkward smile.

“There’s a person I’ve never seen before, my mom, right next to him. And she was reborn by possessing someone else’s body. Unnie-ya, you know, the Russian Round Table Undine. The person I was constantly compared to.”

“Right. You said that person was your mother, a Spirit.”

“That guy told me she committed suicide to save me. He said he really didn’t expect her to be revived. I really….”

Harang raised her head and looked up at the ceiling.

“When I see her, I don’t know what to say. Thank you for giving birth to me? Thank you for being resurrected?”

“Tell her you love her.”

“…This unnie-ya has fallen for that guy in the meantime. Unnie-ya, there’s no use trying to hide it. You like him, don’t you?”

“That’s true. But Harang. It’s a bit different from what you’re thinking.”

Yuha asserted her true feelings as if pressing Harang.

“I like the owner of the Azure Syndicate who brings me immense profit, not a philanderer who spreads his seeds everywhere.”

“……What’s that supposed to mean?”

Yuha recited exactly what she had heard. Then she explained it, appropriately mixing in her and Cheon Gaeul’s predictions. Harang clicked her tongue with a sour expression.

“So, that guy was a man in his previous life, and he married unnie-ya, me, and who knows how many other women, and then regressed?”

“It’s not a hypothesis that can be completely ruled out. Right now, it’s the most plausible.”

“It’s quite plausible, I guess.”

Harang nodded, agreeing. But she soon hardened her expression and clearly stated her intentions to Yuha.

“But what does that matter? Whether it’s a past life or a previous regression, it has nothing to do with me.”

“…Harang?”

Harang straightened her posture and faced Yuha.

“Rather, I feel sorry for him. Even after marrying me, that guy couldn’t find a way to save me other than killing my father. And every time he sees us, he’ll probably be reminded of us, whom he married in the past, and find it difficult, won’t he?”

“Do you think so?”

At Yuha’s words, Harang nodded. Yet, seeing Yuha’s quite confused expression, Harang tilted her head.

“Where did the genius Eun Yuha go? Only a clueless person remains.”

“…Hehe, indeed.”

Yuha lowered her head and chuckled.

“I really don’t understand what charm the Eun Yuha of the previous regression found in that person to have seven children. I wonder if I’ll really fall in love with that person.”

“…….”

Harang broke out in a sweat and swallowed the words that had risen to her chin. Harang was certain that among the people around her, Eun Yuha was the only one who could best engage in verbal back-and-forth with Phoenix.

‘Unnie-ya, I’m sorry.’

She couldn’t bring herself to say that the person Phoenix loved was himself, Phoenix. Unlike her, who had formed an ill-fated relationship, Phoenix seemed quite close to Yuha, to the point of having a honeymoon-like relationship. Moreover, the feelings Yuha sent towards Phoenix were clearly more than simple goodwill.

‘I also have a lot to think about.’

She had her own problems to deal with right now.

The two women thus fell into deep contemplation, lost in thought.

“……Shall we eat?”

“Sounds good. Chicken for the first time in a while?”

“Deal. Let’s tear apart all the wings and necks.”

“That’s a good idea. And break their leg bones too.”

* * *

1 PM, Yuseong Department Store.

“Achoo!”

When Phoenix sneezed, the executives flinched. Gaeul asked with a worried voice.

“Do you catch colds too?”

“No. I used some mana, and I got a debuff. By the way, why did you buy so much stuff?”

Phoenix was dumbfounded looking at Deokbae and Jihwa, who were carrying a mountain of bags. Eun Yuha had lent her card, and Phoenix had agreed to pay that much, but the two women’s purchasing power was beyond imagination. Gaeul bit her nails as she deleted items from the wishlist on the screen one by one.

“No, there’s still a lot left. A long way to go.”

“Will God also join us? It will surely be a good time.”

“I’ll decline anything related to shopping. I can weave clothes with mana anytime, so what’s the point? ……Oh ho.”

Phoenix stroked her lips, admiring the idea that had just popped into her head. Then she immediately scanned Gaeul up and down. Gaeul subtly covered her Tentacles with her half-coat.

“W-what is it?”

“No. A suitable business idea just came to mind, but I thought it would be too much for Gaeul-ssi.”

“What do you mean by that? Explain it simply.”

At Gaeul’s sharp gaze, Phoenix took out a white dress from the bag Deokbae was holding. Phoenix held the white dress, which was transparent enough to be slightly see-through in sunlight, in front of herself and subtly scanned her surroundings.

“This is a product that went through magic engineering, right?”

“Yes. Made at the Daejeon factory.”

Deokbae placed the paper bags on the side of a chair and took a breather. Even if there were no physical problems, he was quite mentally exhausted. He fully intended to use Phoenix as an excuse to rest, and Jihwa also put down her bags, seizing the opportunity.

“What? If you lost the bet, just follow along obediently.”

“Didn’t you agree to follow us shopping until 3 PM?”

Gaeul and Yooishin were very displeased with their rest. Phoenix pointed at the two and tilted her head.

“A bet?”

“Nothing much, we just played a simple game at the arcade. But….”

Jihwa glared at Gaeul with resentful eyes. Gaeul snorted and brushed her hair back.

“If a former game company employee lost at a game, they shouldn’t complain, why are you so long-winded? What? Want to go again? I gave you two hours, but it seems that’s not enough.”

“……And you won by cheating.”

“Cheating?”

Gaeul pointed to the mask adorning her side hair like a hairpin.

“I told Kim Jihwa to compete with her best, so I transformed into Kim Jihwa. What a foolish fellow. My luck was better.”

“You’re all having fun. …Gaeul-ssi, I’ll take a few clothes from here.”

Phoenix picked up the bag Deokbae had put down. Gaeul and Yooishin turned pale and reached out their hands, but Deokbae chuckled and blocked their way.

“Hey, since you’re taking it anyway, take this too.”

“Jo Deokbaeeeeee!!”

“……I’ll curse you.”

“What is this?”

Phoenix unhesitatingly took out clothes from the bag Deokbae handed her. Phoenix was so amazed by the R-rated adult world spread before her eyes that she couldn’t even think of putting the item back in her hand.

“……As expected, Cheon Gaeul.”

“What do you mean ‘as expected’?!”

Gaeul yelled and snatched the item Phoenix was holding. With the commotion, people around them exchanged glances and talked about Phoenix and her group, and Phoenix hastily grabbed a few bags containing clothes.

“Everyone can take care of their own meals. I’ll be going now.”

Phoenix hurried down the escalator. Deokbae wore a satisfied smile at his significantly lighter load, while Jihwa made a tearful face at the still-heavy weight. Yooishin very quietly whispered into Gaeul’s ear.

“Thankfully, she took ours, right?”

“Yeah. It wasn’t hers.”

The two women gazed at the bags Jihwa was holding with sly smiles. Deokbae’s face crumpled.

“……No, how do you distinguish these?”

“We buy them because we can distinguish them. Hey, we need to go back to the underwear section. Follow me.”

There were still about two hours left until the hellish time would end.

* * *

“So, the topic you came back to talk about is a fashion business?”

“It’s a profitable topic. Watch closely.”

Phoenix picked up a thin blouse from among the clothes scattered in the living room. Then she took out a Core she had kept in her inner pocket.

“First, mana enchantment.”

Phoenix gripped the Core. The mana extracted from the Core melted entirely into the blouse’s fibers. Yuha shook her head with an unenthusiastic expression.

“There are no strengths other than it becoming durable and not easily worn out. Disqualified.”

“Then how about this?”

Phoenix smiled triumphantly and infused her mana into the mana-infused blouse. The blouse was enveloped in blue flames and soon transformed into a new form of clothing. Yuha’s eyes lit up.

“Shape transformation through mana reconstruction. How is it?”

“……The cost is too high. What you just used was C-grade, right? And is mass production possible in a factory? Can the process be shared?”

Phoenix shook her head.

“It’s a method only possible for an ability user of my caliber. In fact, right now, no one but me can do it.”

“Then what’s the point? You didn’t come here just to boast ‘I’m this amazing,’ did you?”

“What are you talking about?”

Harang, who had just finished showering, came out in her robe and flinched when she saw Phoenix. Phoenix flicked her fingers, blowing away the water from Harang’s body, and Harang covered the front of her robe in embarrassment.

“Tell me before you do that.”

“Wait. Stay still.”

Phoenix approached Harang and grabbed her robe. Just as Harang, startled, was about to swing her fist, she realized how the robe covering her body was transforming and her eyes widened.

“Oh, awesome.”

The robe immediately transformed into a white hanbok. The white jeogori was covered in butterfly patterns, and the navy-blue skirt flowed like silk. Yuha admired it, and Phoenix stepped back with a satisfied expression.

“Stand up, Eun Yuha.”

“No way?”

Phoenix nodded. Yuha quickly stood up, and Phoenix placed her hands on Yuha’s shirt and skirt, releasing mana.

Hwaruk. As flames swept over Yuha’s entire body, her clothes, both top and bottom, transformed into a black hanbok. Yuha, who was about to be disappointed by her simply black outfit, was captivated by the galaxy reflected within the translucent skirt.

“Wow….”

“Don’t you think this much could be sold with a premium? If you use a B-grade or higher Core, it provides some protective function.”

“Instead of mass production, we could make it high-end and sell it as a limited edition.”

“…? Are you thinking of selling something this good only to the rich? This has better protective functions than most Hero combat suits.”

Harang created an ice spear and poked her hanbok with it, asking. Phoenix and Yuha, who had been deep in conversation, expressed their confusion. Harang pointed inside the hanbok.

“If you make this into underwear or innerwear, it’ll be a huge hit. Think about ordinary people. They’re attacked by a monster while sleeping, and the monster’s teeth are blocked by their undershirt, allowing them to survive. You don’t necessarily have to sell it expensively.”

“……I hadn’t even thought of that perspective.”

“So, instead of targeting a niche group of enthusiasts, it also satisfies the demand of the general public. Good. That’s a good idea.”

Phoenix patted Harang’s shoulder and laughed.

“In that sense, I’ll need you to do this from now on.”

“…What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that? Did you go crazy after going out for a bit?”

“There’s no training that controls mana as delicately as this.”

“Wow, you’re subtly trying to make me do it now? Are you out of your mind? How dare you try to make a Round Table Hero do something like attaching eyes to dolls?”

Phoenix snorted as if dumbfounded.

“Think about it. What if an ordinary person is ambushed by a monster while sleeping, but survives because they’re protected by clothes reconstructed with your mana?”

“…Wasn’t that what I said? ……Damn it, I won’t fall for it. Do you think I’d be tricked by you?”

“What a shame. To lose Korea’s top model like this.”

Phoenix glanced at Yuha. Yuha also scanned Harang’s hanbok up and down with a regretful expression.

“There’s nothing we can do. Even a royal inspector won’t force someone if they don’t want to. It’s a pity. Elevating the brand value of hanbok… Ensuring the safety of the entire nation… Improving Yuseong’s fashion brand maker… The debut of an SS-rank Hero in official settings… This is just what comes to mind right now, but if Harang doesn’t want to, there’s nothing we can do. We’ll just have to find another model.”

“…Ah! I get it! I’ll do it then!”

Harang angrily went into her room, and Phoenix snapped her fingers, savoring her victory. Yuha subtly asked.

“Was the top model talk real?”

“Of course not. What I said didn’t mean that.”

Phoenix patted her chest with her palm and laughed.

“Shouldn’t a model originally follow the most universal body type?”

“…….”

Yuha crossed her arms, covering her front. Phoenix hesitated before speaking, then whispered very carefully.

“There was a young lady whose other ‘grades’ also rose as she grew to S-rank, wasn’t there?”

“Customer-nim, quickly go catch a light-attribute Spirit. Is this the time to be doing this here? I’ll put you on a plane right away, so hurry up and leave.”

“……I don’t know where she is right now.”

Phoenix clamped her mouth shut. Seeing Yuha, whose eyes sparkled with starlight and dreamed of hope, Phoenix couldn’t bring herself to reveal the despairing truth.

‘I didn’t lie.’

Phoenix told the truth. She just didn’t say that young lady was Yuha.

A moment later, Phoenix continued exchanging ideas about the business plan with Yuha until Harang brought out an armful of her coats.

“C-can you change all these too, just like my current clothes!”

The girl who had awakened to fashion was more faithful to her desires than expected. Phoenix grumbled but still pulled out every design she knew and transformed Harang’s clothes. After transforming nearly thirty pieces of clothing, Phoenix checked her watch and stood up.

“It’s almost dinner time. Where shall we go?”

“……The two of us already ate.”

“No, I thought you wouldn’t be back. Shall I boil some ramyeon for you?”

“…….”

Wajangchang! Phoenix broke through the window and flew away.