“You said you were learning how to be a Hunter, but I see now you meant a romance Hunter….”
“Ah, I’m telling you it’s not like that!”
I felt wronged. But if I were in my sister’s shoes, I would be just as flabbergasted. The fellow who claimed to be taking Hunter classes, roaming about every day as soon as he recovered from his illness, suddenly brought a girl home.
And she wasn’t just visiting. This pickpocket was scheduled to stay at our house until the Hunter Qualification Test. Moreover, that period was a full two months.
It had been a long time since I had seen my sister this flustered. However, this kind-hearted soul even began to make an effort to understand me (?).
“Right…. It’s an age of vigorous passion. Besides, you’ve only just gotten healthy, so that energy….”
“That energy didn’t go in that direction, so you can rest assured.”
“Could it be that you have to take responsibility for that child….”
“I told you, no!”
I shuddered and shook my head from side to side, while that mischievous Bi-soo merely covered her mouth and giggled. Of course, there was a valid reason. Money was one thing, but Bi-soo would be of great help to me for the time being.
Conversely, I also had something to offer her. Yaksha’s proposal was as sharp as a ‘blade,’ just as Bi-soo had said. The more I looked at it, the more it was an exceedingly rational deal.
The problem was that I couldn’t share any of it with my sister.
“I never thought my considerate Hae-seon would do this to his sister. So, you’re saying just having Miss Bi-soo stay here is a form of training?”
“Uh, uh? Uh, yeah, that’s right! As you know, sister, I had a lot of bad energy inside me. The Hunter who saved me back then said we had to stay together for a while.”
“That person seems quite rude. They must have known you have a family.”
Two thin lines formed on my sister’s lovely brow. For someone who had never uttered a harsh word to another person to react like this, she must be quite angry. At this point, there was only one method left.
‘Financial therapy.’
My sister wasn’t a materialistic person, so I was a bit worried, but…
“Ah, of course, they paid for it. They gave us plenty for room and board.”
“Do they think money can solve everything? You can’t buy a person’s heart with….”
Is that how it is? But I had to finish what I started.
“Ten million won.”
“What a truly wonderful person. Are you sure I don’t need to call them separately? I must take responsibility and look after her.”
“Sister….”
It seemed I didn’t know my sister very well after all. Of course, it was too large a sum to refuse. Ten million won for a two-month stay.
In an instant, my sister’s gaze towards Bi-soo returned to its former self. A gentle gaze full of benevolence. But somehow, it felt a little different from before (….).
“Oh my! This is so delicious.”
“If I had known a guest was coming, I would have bought some meat. Please, eat a lot. Miss Bi-soo….”
“Why ‘Miss’? Just call me Bi-soo, unni.”
“Hoho. Shall I?”
The word ‘unni’ comes out so easily. Bi-soo completely cleaned her plate of the meal my sister had prepared. It must have been a humble meal compared to other households, but she didn't seem to be forcing herself to eat.
She said it was a feast compared to what she usually ate. Now that a large sum of money had come in, the side dishes would probably become a bit more plentiful starting tomorrow. If needed, I could even cook for them myse…….
What nonsense am I thinking? Why would I. While doing the dishes, I had to shake my head vigorously again.
“Unni. Should I give you a shoulder massage? I’m really good at loosening up tense muscles.”
“Is… is that so? Then shall I take you up on that?”
She was so fierce when she was on guard, but incredibly friendly when she was being amicable. Perhaps it was that kind of personality that allowed her to live with Yaksha in the black market.
“Oh my…. It feels so good. You could be a massage therapist.”
“Hehe. I learned it in my spare time because I wanted to be favored by my father.”
Somehow, I had a feeling that 'father' wasn't the 'father' she was implying. Well, does it matter? My clueless sister simply closed her eyes and entrusted her body to Bi-soo’s touch.
“My…. Your figure is so nice, unni. Your proportions are truly a work of art.”
“You child. There’s nothing you won’t say to your unni.”
My sister covers her mouth and laughs, hoho. She says that, but she doesn’t seem to dislike it. After finishing the dishes, I called Bi-soo.
“Come to my room when you’re done with the massage.”
“You want one too?”
“Are you crazy!”
Truly, it was an audacity I wanted to learn. Leaving the two of them giggling, I entered my room and turned on the computer.
‘Let’s see…….’
There were two reasons I brought Bi-soo here. The first was ‘mobility.’ I couldn’t keep traveling to dungeons by terminal bus and public transport forever.
If I, a minor, traveled in the car Bi-soo brought, the constraints of time and space would disappear. Bi-soo is my age, but she has a car and a license. The car was given by Yaksha, and the license was a fake.
I had unconsciously asked Yaksha, ‘Isn’t a fake license illegal?’, and received a contemptuous glare in return. To mention illegality to the godfather of the black market. I wanted to find a mouse hole to crawl into.
In any case, contrary to my worries, Bi-soo’s driving skills were quite excellent. Except for the fact that she enjoyed speeding. Considering the time the bus took, we arrived home from Daejeon in exactly half the time.
The second reason was ‘information.’ If Yaksha’s words were true, then most of the Poison Dungeons in Seoul and Daejeon must be considered cleaned out. In the first place, there aren't that many Poison Dungeons to begin with.
Yaksha said he would tell me, through Bi-soo, the spots where rare herbs might still be alive. There was no reason to refuse when it meant reducing the opportunity cost of finding rare herbs. We would travel to the locations Bi-soo told me about, in Bi-soo’s car.
Yaksha’s offer was an attractive one that I couldn’t refuse. However, just as Yaksha had done, ‘verification’ was essential for me as well. Contrary to my concerns, my sister and Bi-soo became extremely close in a short time, but if there was anything wrong with what Yaksha said, I would send Bi-soo back in a heartbeat.
Even now, I am giving up my bed for Bi-soo…!
Rustle.
Sleeping on a cushionless sofa seemed to be giving me a stiff neck I never had before. But I had no choice. In a small house, someone had to sleep outside.
It’s not like I could sleep in the same bed with my sister or Bi-soo.
“I should sleep more….”
Waking up at dawn, I rubbed my eyes and lay down again. Just as I was about to fall back asleep, I felt someone’s presence approaching. Did she come out for a drink of water?
But that ‘someone’ climbed onto the cramped sofa. Red hair glinting in the moonlight. Bi-soo and I were now in completely close contact.
“Are you insane?”
With my sister already misunderstanding, of all places, she climbs up here? However, despite my low growl, Bi-soo didn’t move away. No, she wrapped her arms around my neck instead.
Oh, for heaven’s sake. She just elbowed my solar plexus….
“Please. I had a really scary dream. Just for a moment….”
“……?”
The emotion in her voice was so heavy that I stopped trying to move. I could feel a faint vibration from behind me. Is she trembling?
Or is she crying? After a little more time passed, the vibrations stopped. Her breathing also became calm.
Just when I thought she had completely fallen asleep, I heard her talking in her sleep.
“Dad….”
“……?”
Dad?
At first, I thought she was talking about Yaksha. But the word that came from her mouth was ‘Dad,’ not ‘Father.’ Moreover, the voice that carried that title was fundamentally different from when she said ‘Father.’
A voice filled with deep longing and sadness. At that energy, I was at a loss for words.
“Why did you sell me? …I can earn a lot of money too….”
“……”
That’s too heavy a story for sleep-talking. I lay still and recalled Bi-soo’s expressions from today. She’s audacious and not shy around strangers.
Especially when the three of us were eating, she had a genuinely happy face. But when Ppori caught her, her expression was nothing short of vicious. What is her true self?
If I turned my head now to look at Bi-soo’s face, that might be her true self.
“I’m scared…. I want to run away….”
A hint of moisture began to seep into her voice. More time passed, and Bi-soo fell into a deep sleep. Instead of shaking her awake, I gently lifted her into my arms and went to my room.
‘She’s light.’
When it comes to hardship in childhood, I could consider myself quite an expert (?). But it seemed Bi-soo, too, had weathered storms unbefitting her slender frame. The gruesome scar that ran from her lips to her cheek was clearly carved by someone on purpose.
And that was probably Yaksha’s doing. When he said one wouldn’t escape unharmed if caught lying to him, she had unconsciously touched her cheek.
Gently.
I laid Bi-soo down properly and covered her with a blanket. This is the first time someone else is using my bed and my blanket. She still seemed to be seeing her dad, as a teardrop had formed in her eye.
Sad eyes and a ghastly scar that looked like a grotesque smile. I silently watched her face for a moment, then quietly left the room.
“Some people just have to taste it to know if it’s crap or bean paste, you know? Haha.”
“Shut your mouth.”
Vrooooom.
Bi-soo stuck her nose high in the air and stomped on the accelerator. The old model BNW sedan sped down the highway like an arrow. When he said he’d lend Bi-soo a car, I expected an old clunker, but the vehicle’s condition was surprisingly excellent.
“To think he’d lend out a car like this.”
“This? This is the most outdated one Father has. He doesn’t even consider cars as collateral unless they’re high-end.”
“Collateral? I didn’t know he ran a pawnshop as a side business.”
“All sorts of people come to the black market. Some lose their limbs and their cars after trying to scam Father, and others give up their liver and gall bladder after getting addicted to poison chips.”
“Poison chips? What’s that.”
“It’s an exotic plant that only grows in dungeons. If you process it in some way and put it into your body, you fall into a state of hallucination.”
“…A drug.”
“That’s right. A kind of drug. Once you’re hooked on poison chips, you won’t even recognize your own parents. Do you know what the biggest problem with this substance is?”
“What is it?”
“It’s harmless to the human body. Except for the addiction.”
“Harmless is a drawback? Isn’t that a good thing?”
“No. It’s a drawback. A cursed drawback.”
Bi-soo’s gaze was fixed on the road ahead, but her eyes were filled with a sharp, murderous glint.
“The end of drugs is always ruin. But fortunately, that end is always set. The more you do it, the more your body breaks down, so there’s always an ending. Of course, only sad endings.”
Death or becoming a wreck. It was just a matter of when, but as Bi-soo said, the end was always set.
“But these poison chips are different. No matter how much you take, it doesn’t strain your body. Addicts get to indulge in poison chips forever while their bodies remain perfectly fine.”
“... I can see why you’d call it a cursed drawback.”
“Yeah. To be blunt, it’s easier for those around if the person just dies, but with poison chips, there’s not even that.”
A hell with no end in sight. The aftereffects of poison chips seemed far more vicious than I thought.
“Ah, I see it.”
The first dungeon we would tackle together began to appear beyond the window. No. To be precise, it was the fourth dungeon. I had to verify for myself whether what Yaksha said was true, so I tried three Poison Dungeons located in Seoul and Gyeonggi.
And I had to realize. There wasn't a single lie in Yaksha's words. In two of the three places, no rare herbs were found, and at the remaining one, security was so tight for some reason that I couldn’t even enter.
With things turning out this way, I realized how much I needed Bi-soo. Wasn’t she a being who could be my feet and my eyes? If only she wouldn’t say things like ‘crap or bean paste…,’ she’d be perfect.
“Oh yeah! I can see the guards! Time to show off my skills, shall I?!”
“... Are you here to play?”
“Compared to the black market, this place is a playground.”
With a gleeful face, Bi-soo began to pack a white powder into a paper wrapper inside the car. We could overpower the guards by force, but if our identities were exposed, I wouldn’t be able to take the Hunter exam. But with this pickpocket here, it was a different story.
Now, we could enter dungeons naturally even if there were guards.
“I’ll be back.”
With that farewell, Bi-soo’s figure vanished. A few minutes later, the low-rank Hunter standing guard slumped to the ground and began to snore.
‘Damn, that was easy.’
Watching her take out a guard so effortlessly made my desire to learn a Stealth skill surge. But for now, entering that dungeon was the priority.
Swish, swish.
Bi-soo waved her hand from inside the dungeon entrance. I got out of the car, walked nearby, and then fully activated the Black Ether gathered in my feet.
Pababat.
Unless you slowed down the CCTV footage, you wouldn’t even know I had passed.
“Whoa…. Can you teleport?”
Bi-soo whistled as she saw me appear right in front of her in an instant. I ignored her words and checked our supplies.
“Antidote. You brought it, right?”
“Okay-ing.”
“Good, let’s go in.”