*Clunk*
"Hoo... I've got a lot more to think about now."
I came back home, threw the clothes I'd borrowed from my friends into the wash, and lay down on the bed.
"Joining the Tigers, huh..."
"I should talk to my teacher about it."
I quietly got up from where I sat, sat down in front of my laptop, and began searching for various information on the Tigers.
What kind of work would I be doing if I joined the organization?
How was it structured, and who would I be working with?
The moment I quietly tapped at the search bar.
*Knock, knock*
With the sound of knocking, the door slowly opened, and Minjeong came into the room.
"Soohan, something came addressed to you."
"What is it? A package?"
Wondering if it was perhaps from the Tigers, I checked, and the mail turned out to be none other than someone's letters.
One was written in rough handwriting that seemed to be from a man in his fifties,
and the other was in delicate handwriting that seemed to be from a woman in her twenties.
"Ah... it's those people from back then."
As I slowly read through the contents, I saw that the senders were the people I had rescued.
They expressed their deepest gratitude for saving them when they'd been captured by monsters, and said they wanted to meet me in person to properly convey their thanks,
and at the very end, a phone number and a shop address were written.
"Hmm... seems like I'm getting busier and busier."
With so many things to do, my previously leisurely daily life seemed to be growing hectic, but
thinking it was still better than just taking naps in my room, I pondered what I should tackle first.
*Knock, knock*
"Yeah?"
*Clunk*
Not long after Minjeong left the room, this time Jiyoung came in.
"Soohan, are you free tomorrow?"
"I'm not even going to school, so I've got plenty of free time."
"Then let's go clothes shopping together tomorrow. I'll contact you right after school."
"Okay."
The clothes would probably be a bit expensive, but since I had received a large sum of money, I wasn't worried about the cost.
And so the next day came; having received Jiyoung's call, I went outside and we went to buy clothes together.
*Thud, thud*
"Did it go well yesterday?"
"Yeah."
"Who did you meet?"
"The person who saved me and the teacher before."
"Is that so? Since you never cared about clothes and suddenly asked me to help you pick some out, I wondered if you were going to meet a girl."
"As if."
"Well, let's just go and buy some decent clothes."
"You need something to wear in case you have to meet someone again."
We took the bus and walked for about twenty minutes, arriving at a shopping mall.
"I thought we'd just go to a small brand clothing store."
"Even if it's expensive, I need to buy something proper."
"Besides, you don't spend your allowance and just save it anyway."
"Yeah, that's true."
My pocket money didn't come from my teacher.
It was a youth support subsidy from the government that I used as allowance.
It was about fifty thousand won a month, wasn't it?
Other kids spent it on things they wanted or on hanging out, but
I didn't really want anything and hardly ever went out to have fun, so
I naturally ended up saving my allowance.
"Let's see... something that would suit you..."
Jiyoung scanned through the clothes and started holding them up against me one by one,
then pulled out a top and bottom and handed them to me to try on,
and I went into the fitting room to change.
*Swish*
"How is it?"
"Mm... it's not bad, but"
"something's a little lacking."
"Let's try something else."
I kept changing into the clothes Jiyoung picked out.
*Swish*
"Hm... no."
*Swish*
"The bottoms don't quite fit."
*Swish*
"Mm... this time the top isn't great..."
*Swish*
"Oh~ that looks good on you!"
"We just need to change the bottoms and it'll be perfect."
After repeating the changing process for thirty minutes, we found clothes that suited me well,
and as I was about to leave after paying, Jiyoung was looking at a coat inside a glass display case.
"Are you done paying?"
"Let's look around other places while we're at it."
"Sure."
Did she want that coat? I looked around with Jiyoung like that,
and started wandering here and there.
"Do you know any brands here?"
"Mm... that one."
I pointed to the one brand I sort of knew,
and Jiyoung smiled, saying, "Yeah, I thought you'd know that one."
"Shall we stop by a cafe for a bit?"
"I already told the teacher in advance."
"Okay."
We naturally moved our steps toward the cafe, and as we were choosing a menu and about to pay, the cashier asked us,
"Are you two perhaps a couple?"
At the word 'couple,' Jiyoung and I were momentarily flustered, and the cashier continued.
"We're having a promotion right now, so if you're a couple, we're offering a special menu with a discount."
I was about to say no, but Jiyoung subtly pinched my hand and silenced me.
And then, very calmly, she answered, "Yes, we're a couple."
In the end, after choosing the couple menu and finishing payment, we sat side by side in a corner seat.
I looked at Jiyoung and quietly asked.
"What on earth were you thinking, saying that?"
"Shh. Just stay quiet."
At those words, I didn't say anything more and just sat there quietly.
*Pfft*
Jiyoung said with a smile.
"You know I'm joking, right?"
It suddenly came to mind.
If Hayoon were here, she definitely would have teased me relentlessly.
"Customer number twenty-four~!"
"Your order is ready~!"
"I'll go get it, so wait here."
And so Jiyoung went to the counter and brought back the drinks and the couple menu.
"Since you're paying, I ordered the most expensive one~"
"Yeah, yeah, good job....."
I had plenty of money, and she'd helped me pick out clothes,
so I thought it was only natural to treat her to this much.
"Do you like the clothes?"
"Yeah, even I thought they looked good on me."
"That's a relief."
"If you have to meet anyone from now on, wear that."
"Okay, but did you want that coat earlier?"
"Hm?"
"Ah~ that? I do want it."
"But it's too expensive, so I'm just looking."
When I asked how much it was, she said it was a pricey brand, so the cost was substantial.
"It's about a million won for one coat... that's incredibly expensive."
"I guess I'll have to save up hard and buy it later."
After spending time at the cafe like that, we returned to the shelter,
and after dinner, I immediately started talking with my teacher.
"First, take this."
"Hm? What is this?"
I handed my teacher a white envelope, and the moment she opened it, she asked me in bewilderment.
"Soohan... what on earth is this?"
"It's... do you remember Team Leader Gang Suhyeok who saved us before?"
"Yes, I remember."
When I explained the circumstances, saying it was money I'd received from him,
the teacher looked at the check inside the envelope and spoke.
"I see... then this is Soohan's money. Why are you giving it to me?"
I answered that I was leaving it with her because it was too large a sum for me, and I thought it would be better for an adult to hold onto something like this.
"Then shall I hold onto about half?"
"After all, this is money Soohan earned through your own strength."
The teacher said I would need it someday and told me she would deposit half into my account,
and after resolving the matter of the received money, I immediately got to the main point.
"Actually, I..."
After hesitating for a moment, I told her that I had received a scouting offer from Team Leader Gang Suhyeok.
"I see..."
If I, who wasn't attending high school, joined the Tigers,
I would be able to learn many things, but the problem was that it was a place where you worked with your life on the line.
"What does Soohan think?"
When I answered that I didn't really know what to do, the teacher slowly took my hand and spoke.
"Whatever choice you make, I'll be by your side cheering you on."
"So don't think too hastily, and take your time thinking it over."
Feeling the warm heat from her hand, I smiled and answered,
and lay down on my bed like that, slowly pondering what to do.
***
"The shop address is..."
Today, I'm going to meet the sender of the letter.
I roughly know who sent it,
but since I should see their face properly,
I put on the new clothes I'd bought yesterday and went outside.
[Bus 205 will arrive shortly.]
I just need to take this bus for eight stops.
*Beep*
I was going to receive their thanks, but I still worried about what I should say first,
and while I was worrying like that, I got off the bus and arrived in front of the shop.
"There are quite a lot of people?"
The shop was bustling with more people than I'd expected, and when I carefully peeked inside, I saw the people I'd rescued back then busily serving customers.
"Mm... it'd be a bother if I went in now, right?"
Deciding to enter during the shop's break time, to kill time I did parkour on the roof of a nearby building,
and after about an hour passed, as lunchtime was approaching, I carefully entered the shop.
*Ding~*
"Excuse me..."
"We're in the middle of lunch ti... huh?.."
The shop lady made a surprised expression upon seeing me and said,
"You're that student from back then, right?!"
When I smiled awkwardly and answered yes,
the lady shouted toward the kitchen.
"Honey! Subin! Come out here!"
"The student who saved us is here!!"
At that shout, a man in his fifties who had been in the kitchen, and a girl who looked about my age,
came out; the man hurriedly rushed over, took off his rubber gloves,
grabbed my hand, and slightly bowed his head.
"I was truly grateful back then."
"I don't know how to repay this kindness....."
"Ah, n-no..! It's okay..!"
"I'm glad you're doing well."
"Have you had lunch?"
When I answered that I hadn't eaten yet, the lady said she would bring me something and asked me to take a seat.
"Please wait just a moment."
"We'll treat you to our shop's most popular menu."
When the lady smiled broadly and said that, I answered with an awkward smile,
and shortly after, a girl around my age brought me a water bottle and a cup, then sat down in front of me.
"Um..... by the way,"
"Yeah?"
"How old are you?"
When she asked cautiously, I answered that I was seventeen.
"Ah, then you're older than me."
"I'm sixteen."
"I see."
"Which school do you go to?"
"Seo○ Middle School."
When I learned it was the same middle school as Siwoo,
I said that my younger sibling also attended that middle school.
"Really?"
"What's their name?"
When I told her Siwoo's name, Subin answered that they were classmates.
"Oh my~ have you already become friends?"
While we were talking, the lady and the man brought out food.
"Tell us if you need more, no matter how much."
"It's our repayment for saving our family."
"Ah, yes, thank you. I'll eat well."
And so I spent my time eating the delicious food spread out in a feast before me.
---
---
---
Inside a dark room,
a man draped in a cloak entered,
immediately knelt on the floor, pressed his head to the ground, and spoke.
"Lord Rhaines..."
"I am truly sorry...!!"
The man apologized in a trembling voice for failing his assigned mission, and the man wearing a white dress shirt answered while fiddling with a test tube.
*Clink*
"It's okay. Anyone can make mistakes."
"..........."
He said it was okay in a calm voice, but
his sharp gaze and the overwhelming pressure emanating from him made the man's body tremble.
"But...... isn't it curious?"
*Rumble*
"How did not a single person die??"
The calm voice began to press down heavily on the air,
and then Rhaines grabbed the man's neck and spoke.
*Clutch*
*Crunch*
"Hurk...!"
"Tell me."
"Why did my masterpiece produce such a miserable result?"
"This piece was quite the masterpiece, wasn't it?"
"Th-that's..!"
"It's because we were lacking..!!"
"What were you lacking?"
"I gave you everything you needed, didn't I?"
"There shouldn't have been anything insufficient????"
"Tr-truly sorry...! Kurk..!!"
He flung the struggling man to the floor and spoke.
"Hoo....."
"Well, I did obtain some useful information, so I'll let it slide this time."
"But..... there won't be a next time..... understood?"
"Yes.... I will keep it in mind..."
His voice returned to being calm, but
the overwhelming pressure he still emitted made the man tremble in fear.
"Now leave."
"Yes, understood..."
Having experienced overwhelming terror, the man left the room dripping with cold sweat.