Episode 5. A Part-Timer From Murim (1)
The next day, when Gangso rose from his place, the sun had yet to rise, so it was still pitch-black.
‘Could it be around Yinshi?’
Yinshi meant three to five in the morning. In other words, it was dawn.
Gangso had spent the night in the living room on the second floor of Yangchungak—Yu Suntae’s house.
Once the small room on the first floor was fixed up, he would stay there.
He sat down and began circulating his qi.
Pure energy entered Gangso’s body, and he felt refreshed.
‘By the way, the place where I first opened my eyes was brimming with demonic energy, but this place is full of pure, righteous energy.’
Gangso could harness every kind of energy, be it demonic or pure and righteous, without distinction.
That was also the power that earned him the title of Martial God.
Having finished his qi circulation, Gangso got up and opened the refrigerator door.
It was to drink some water.
The day before, Im Soyeong had told him that there was a water bottle inside the refrigerator, and that he need only take it out and pour some into a cup to drink.
A chill washed over him with the sound of the refrigerator opening.
Gangso found the object called a refrigerator, which existed in every home, truly marvelous.
‘Truly a wondrous place. To think that every household is equipped with such a precious ice cellar.’
Where he was from, obtaining ice in the middle of summer had been a dreamlike tale for common folk.
Families who could use ice for funerals or ancestral rites were called “beolbingjiga”—houses that harvest ice—and this alone signified a household of high standing.
In truth, Gangso knew of a few treasures that emitted cold air, but they were unnecessary for him.
If he wished, he could immediately emit a chill with his internal energy and create ice.
Gangso poured and gulped down the cool water.
‘But have I risen too early?’
Creak.
Just then, the door opened, and Yu Suntae, coming out, flinched upon seeing Gangso in the kitchen.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“I didn’t know you’d be awake.”
“Want some water?”
“I’d appreciate it.”
Gangso took out another cup, filled it, and held it out. Yu Suntae gulped it down.
“Ah! Now I’m waking up a little.”
“Do you usually wake up at this hour?”
Yu Suntae turned his head to look at the clock. It was pointing at 4:50.
“I have to start preparing now to open shop. There’s more to do than you’d think.”
Yu Suntae continued.
“What about you? Did you just wake up?”
“I woke up a bit earlier.”
“……Huh? Then what were you doing while awake?”
“I was just sitting there.”
“Spacing out, huh. Aren’t you tired?”
Gangso answered his question.
“I always wake up like this.”
“Well, that’s good, but…”
Yu Suntae hesitated, staring at the cup in his hand for a moment.
He wanted to ask for help but felt sorry, as it would be asking him to do something outside his duties.
“Um…”
“Well, the lady of the house has to watch the child, so you must be busy alone. Is that why you’re up so early…?”
“Huh? Uh… that’s right.”
“Then I’ll help you with the work.”
“You’ll help? But we agreed I’d work as a deliveryman; having me do anything else…”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re providing me with food and a place to sleep, and you’re even acting as my guarantor. I’d be ashamed to do nothing but delivery work. So just say the word. I’ll help with anything.”
At those words, Yu Suntae grabbed Gangso’s hand.
“Thank you! You’re a really good guy!”
Gangso chuckled and muttered inwardly.
‘That’s my line.’
They went down to the restaurant.
Yu Suntae took charge of trimming the ingredients, while Gangso was put in charge of cleaning the inside and outside of the restaurant.
Swoosh!
Listening to the sound of water washing the ingredients before they were trimmed, Gangso glanced around the restaurant.
It was a restaurant that was diligently swept and wiped every day, so there didn’t seem to be much for him to do.
But Gangso was someone who pursued perfection.
“First, shall I get rid of the dust?”
He glanced at the broom next to him. But he had no need for a broom.
Hummm—!
He raised his internal strength and sent his internal energy toward the floor and the ceiling.
In his senses, he could feel every last speck of dust.
‘I can’t miss a single speck of dust.’
Gangso flicked his fingers, and at the same time, the dust from every corner of the restaurant gathered before him and spun round and round like a whirlwind.
There was quite a lot of it.
‘You lot, into the trash can!’
At Gangso’s glance, the gathered dust slid into the trash can.
With the sweeping finished, now it was time to wipe.
He did not use the cloth Yu Suntae had given him.
He placed the bucket of water for wringing the cloth on the floor and lightly raised his hand.
Pop!
At the same time, the water in the bucket rose into the air.
Gangso flicked his hand again, and at the same time, steam began to rise from the water.
He needed hot water to remove the grease stains on the ceiling, so he had heated the water using the Flame Arts.
He moved the mass of hot water to clean the ceiling, then put the water back into the bucket.
The water was pitch-black.
‘Hmm… The ceiling is a difficult place for an ordinary person to clean.’
Gangso discarded the water and brought fresh water, repeating the process of cleaning the ceiling.
“Huh!? What are you doing right now?”
Just then, Yu Suntae came out of the kitchen and exclaimed in surprise.
“I’m cleaning. Why are you surprised? Did I do something I shouldn’t?”
“Th-that’s not it…”
Yu Suntae’s eyes were fixed on the black water in the bucket.
The cleaning cloth was still dry.
“Y-you’re not using the cloth?”
“A cloth? Why bother with something as tedious as a cloth? I can just use my internal energy.”
“In-internal energy…? Do you mean a special ability?”
“Well, I suppose?”
“You were an Awakened?”
Gangso tilted his head at the question.
“Awakened? What’s that?”
“You really don’t know what an Awakened is.”
“I don’t.”
At Gangso’s firm answer, Yu Suntae sighed and explained what an Awakened was.
He told him about the Gates that had appeared all over the world twenty-five years ago, the demonic beasts, and the Awakened.
Having heard the explanation, Gangso nodded.
“I see. If that’s the case, then I too would fall under the category of an Awakened.”
Yu Suntae sighed.
“I was wrong. I can’t hire you.”
Gangso asked in surprise at those words.
“Wh-what do you mean? You can’t hire me?”
“I used to work as a porter following Awakened around, so I know well. No Awakened can handle power as precisely as you. At your level, you’d be at least A-rank.”
He continued.
“What kind of insane Chinese restaurant owner would use an A-rank Awakened as a deliveryman?”
Gangso’s expression darkened at Yu Suntae’s words.
“…Is it really impossible?”
“Think about it. An A-rank Awakened earns over a billion won a month. What kind of face would I have to make an ability user work for a measly 1.8 million won? Slashing a billion won down to 1.8 million! I have no intention of becoming such a crooked boss.”
“Surely you are saying you cannot hire me for that reason?”
Yu Suntae nodded.
“Then what other reason is there?”
“Is it not because you are afraid, or worried I might cause harm, or find me burdensome?”
“I said I wouldn’t hire you, not that I’d stop being your friend. And where is the person who fears a friend?”
“There are some…”
“Then they weren’t friends, but merely borrowing the name.”
At those words, Gangso felt his nose tingle. He truly was a man blessed with good people around him.
“Then there is no need to worry.”
Yu Suntae tilted his head at Gangso’s words.
“What… do you mean?”
“Because I have no intention of acting as one of these Awakened.”
“You say that because you don’t know! The Awakened are the ones who broke the saying that no man is above another and no man is below! These days, Awakened are the new aristocracy!”
Just as Yu Suntae said, the Awakened were the new nobility, and among them, Hunters could be called the truest nobility.
It was only natural.
Because only the Awakened could hunt the demonic beasts that threatened humanity.
“And a billion won is over two hundred thousand bowls of jajangmyeon like the one you ate yesterday! That’s how astronomical the amount is!”
Yu Suntae’s eyes were full of worry and concern for Gangso.
‘You really are a good guy.’
And so, Gangso decided to come clean.
He needed to lay out the truth to explain why he had no desire to act as an Awakened.
And deceiving a good person like Yu Suntae was a painful thing.
“Suntae, the truth is, I’m not an isolated person.”
“…What?”
“I was living in a world different from this one. But when I opened my eyes, the world I lived in was gone, and I was standing in a strange cave.”
“I remember what you said yesterday. That you came out of a cave and were wandering. So you’re not an isolated person… but from another world?”
“Yes. And while wandering here and there with no direction, I saved your daughter from being hit by a carriage.”
“…I see.”
“I’m sorry for deceiving you.”
“…”
Yu Suntae looked at him without a word. Under that gaze, Gangso lowered his head.
‘He must be disappointed in me. He said he’d trust me and be my guarantor… but I didn’t want to deceive such a good man.’
Sniff.
‘Hm?’
At the strange sound, Gangso raised his head and was bewildered.
“Uh, are you… crying?”
Yu Suntae’s eyes were red, and he was sniffling.
“You poor thing! How hard it must have been! Dropped into a world you know nothing about, all alone…”
“Uh…?”
The bewildered Gangso blinked.
“You didn’t deceive me! You told me the truth, and I just jumped to the conclusion that you were an isolated person.”
“No. I deceived you. Because I didn’t deny that I was an isolated person.”
Gangso felt puzzled that he sensed no distrust in Yu Suntae’s eyes.
“But the fact that I came from another world… do you believe it?”
“What’s so hard to believe? In a world with Gates and demonic beasts, dimensional travel is entirely possible.”
“Now that I hear it, I suppose so.”
Just as Gangso felt, Yu Suntae could be certain he was telling the truth now.
Because Gangso’s face wore a deeply apologetic expression.
And truly, Gangso knew nothing about the present world.
‘If he had approached me with some scheme, I’d already be dead. He’s an A-rank Awakened, after all.’
But Gangso hadn’t done that.
Most importantly, what Yu Suntae felt from Gangso’s face as he spoke about himself was longing.
“But if you say you dimensionally traveled, other people will think you’re strange, so just say you’re an isolated person. That’s more convincing.”
“I think so too.”
With those words, Im Soyeong revealed herself.
In fact, Gangso had known that Im Soyeong was listening to their conversation from the stairs.
He hadn’t wanted to deceive Im Soyeong either, who had offered him a meal and persuaded Yu Suntae to be his guarantor.
That was why he had spoken about himself even while knowing she was listening.
“H-honey…!”
Startled, Yu Suntae called out to her, and Im Soyeong smiled gently.
“It’s okay. Whether he’s an isolated person or from another world, it’s a fact that Mr. Gangso saved my daughter, isn’t it? But there is something I don’t understand. How can someone from another world be an Awakened?”
It was Yu Suntae who explained this.
“He said so because he handles the energy inside his body like the Awakened do, but we’d have to have him take the Awakened examination at the Awakened Association to know for sure. Since he says he doesn’t want to, there’s no way to check.”
Yu Suntae flinched for a moment.
“Come to think of it, you said internal energy. Don’t tell me… you’re from a world where they use sword qi and shoot palm blasts?”