Chapter 3

Chapter 3

In the end, I couldn’t find him.

Even after spending the entirety of my precious Sunday afternoon—the kind of afternoon that made me wish I could stop the hands of the clock—looking for that lunatic.

I had to return this bundle of money somehow, but finding someone who had suddenly appeared, drunk a cup of coffee, and vanished was harder than I had expected.

“Assistant Manager Kim, Assistant Manager Kim!”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been telling you it’s time to go home. What have you been doing all this time? Huh? Cosplay? I guess you’re into this kind of thing, Assistant Manager Kim?”

“No. Someone wearing cosplay came to my house once.”

“Huh?”

Even after saying it myself, it was hard to make sense of the answer without context.

“Oh, right! You said you moved, didn’t you, Assistant Manager Kim! I guess it’s trendy for the MZ generation these days to wear things like that to housewarming parties?”

“That’s not...”

“Wow, that’s really interesting. Back in our day, when we had housewarming parties, we just played Go-Stop endlessly. Anyway, hurry up and go home.”

Cutting off my attempt to explain further, the department head reached his own conclusion.

An interpretation better than the dream itself.

The department head, who took more interest than anyone in the culture of younger generations, disappeared into the crowd of people leaving work with yet another piece of incorrect knowledge.

He would probably keep showing off all the way down in the elevator, saying, “Did you know? These days, the MZ generation...”

Given his age and position, which made it difficult for anyone to contradict him, it would probably take quite a while for that misinformation to be corrected, but I had no room to worry about that right now.

He had been so ridiculously handsome that I assumed he must be a famous cosplayer, but no matter how much I searched online, I couldn’t find anyone who even looked similar.

With no other choice, I had gone back to work after wasting my entire weekend, and I had been so tense that I didn’t even know how the day had passed before it reached this hour.

I should probably take another look around the area on my way home, right?

And so, on the off chance that I might find him, I drove in circles around the neighborhood near my house and did not make it home until late in the evening.

And finally, I met him again. The culprit behind all this!

“Oh! You!”

It was definitely him.

Didn’t they say criminals always return to the scene of the crime?

Seeing him calmly standing outside the window with his hands cupped around his eyes as he peered inside after causing all that trouble made me shout without realizing it.

“Are you finally opening? The sun set ages ago. How do you expect to run a business when a young fellow like you is so lazy... Good heavens.”

“Here, your money! And where do you live? No, what’s your parents’ contact information?”

“W-Why are you behaving like this!”

“You don’t know? Don’t you have a phone?”

It was a predictable situation. In the end, would I have no choice but to call the police?

Keeping one hand clenched tightly around the young man’s clothes in case he tried to run away again, I was fumbling through my pocket to pull out my phone when a middle-aged man got out of a car parked some distance away and hurried toward us.

“Please wait!”

“Are you this young man’s guardian?”

“What? Guardian? What are you talking...”

“Yes, I am. He said he wanted some coffee, so I brought him here.”

Perfect. I had found his guardian immediately without even having to call the police. They looked nothing alike, so he probably wasn’t his father. I guessed he was perhaps a chauffeur or attendant for some wealthy family.

There was an indescribably familiar atmosphere between the two of them even as they continued bickering.

“Here. This is the money the young man had.”

“I heard he paid it for the coffee. You don’t need to give it back.”

“I can’t accept this money. Please take it.”

I forcibly shoved the envelope of cash into the middle-aged man’s hands as he waved them in refusal. This cursed object had finally returned to its owner.

“I didn’t do it to get paid. And this place is no longer open for business. The owner of the building has changed. I’d appreciate it if the young man didn’t come here again from now on. Then please get home safely.”

“W-Wait!”

-Jingle.

Leaving the two of them outside, mouths opening and closing as though they wanted to say something more, I quickly shut the door.

If he kept coming back asking for coffee, it would only cause trouble for me. No matter how I looked at it, he was still an unwanted visitor.

And for some reason, I had the feeling that getting involved with them would bring quite a lot of trouble.

Quite apart from the fact that their clothing and manner of speech were anything but normal.

Their first impression had been so overwhelming that I had failed to notice at first, but the young man in cosplay and the middle-aged man were clearly giving off an ominous aura.

They felt unpleasantly like a team leader who showed up right at quitting time with urgent work that had to be finished by the end of the day.

Of course, one way or another, it was all over now.

I had returned the money and politely asked them not to come again.

“Oh! Salt!”

I almost forgot.

Let’s see. I’m sure the salt was around here somewhere...

If I remembered correctly, there was a container of salt among the seasonings in the kitchen sink drawer.

-Rattle, rattle.

After spending quite some time taking out containers filled with similar-looking powders one by one, shaking them, and tasting them, I finally found a seasoning that tasted salty.

But there was one minor problem.

『Seasoned Salt』

That was what was written on the lid of the seasoning container.

Would this work? Well, salt was still salt.

I did not deliberate for long.

Only after sprinkling nearly half the container of seasoned salt across the entrance did I finally return inside feeling relieved.

____________

The two who returned to the car remained silent for quite some time.

They had somehow gotten back into the vehicle after practically being thrown out, but what had just happened seemed to have shocked both of them considerably.

“Did you see it too?”

“Yes, I did. He truly looked directly into your eyes, Elder, and still did not lose consciousness.”

Far from losing consciousness, he had even grabbed the hem of the Elder’s robe and wrestled with him.

If he had not jumped out of the car in horror and sorted things out, something truly troublesome might have happened.

Yet the person who had actually suffered an unimaginable humiliation instead curled the corners of his mouth upward as though he found it amusing.

“It has been a long time since Yi Do since I last saw someone with divine eyes, heh heh.”

“I have them as well, Elder.”

“Hmph! You were only given a little assistance by us because we feared it would become troublesome otherwise. Someone who opened his eyes entirely on his own like that will probably be difficult to find even by the time your grandson is your age.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“Well, well? Why are you the one pleased about it?”

“I’m practically at retirement age myself. It’s about time I brought in a junior.”

At the words of the middle-aged man in the driver’s seat, the young man scoffed.

“Ha! A junior? Forget it. He is a child who looks upon the workings of Heaven and moves accordingly without even realizing it. Do you think sweet-talking him into government service will make him budge? Stop doing pointless things and work another twenty years or so.”

“What a dreadful thing to say. It’s about time I got some rest too.”

“Heh heh, a man with such a long lifespan sure knows how to whine.”

“More importantly, what will you do now that you couldn’t have your coffee today? No, it seemed like he intends never to serve you again.”

“Indeed. To think I would live long enough to see a man who dislikes money. I gave him enough that he wouldn’t feel shortchanged.”

It was a troublesome situation.

The two had naturally assumed that because he had taken over the teahouse, he would continue running the business.

But judging from Jinseong’s firm attitude today, that possibility seemed slim.

He had even directly told them that it would be troublesome if they came again.

Fortunately or unfortunately, this had happened after they had gotten into the car, so they had not seen the coffeehouse owner scattering the unidentified white powder.

Even if they had seen it, however, it would not have improved their current situation.

“Then I’ll send someone to learn how that young man makes the coffee.”

“If it could be learned merely by being taught, I would have done that long ago! And what? It would be troublesome if I came again? Ha! If he knew who I was, he would beg me to come back. Insolent brat! Wait.”

“Yes?”

“Why didn’t I think of that? We can simply send him someone who is truly troublesome.”

“What do you mean by that?”

The man, who had no idea why the Elder was so obsessed with a single cup of coffee, seemed unable to find even the slightest clue in the cryptic exchange.

“Let us go to Mount Gyeryong. It has been a while since I visited the raccoon dog.”

_____________

Deep in the mountains of Mount Gyeryong.

Following a winding mountain road without a single streetlight, the two arrived before an iron gate guarded under heavy security by soldiers.

【Military Restricted Area】

Perhaps they were worried that an occasional passing hiker might wander in?

Signs reading “Military Restricted Area” in red letters were posted everywhere, seemingly demonstrating just how tightly secured this place was.

Moreover, while even the main gate of an ordinary military base would usually be guarded by only two or perhaps four soldiers, no fewer than eight sentries guarded this rusty iron gate on Mount Gyeryong. Wearing ballistic helmets fitted with what looked like fairly expensive night-vision devices, every one of the sentries placed a finger on their trigger as the vehicle approached.

Then one sentry carrying a traffic baton cautiously approached and gestured for them to lower the window.

“What brings you here?”

“Good work. I’m Director Baek.”

Baek Mahyeon, who had been sitting in the driver’s seat waiting to be challenged, opened his wallet and showed the sentry his identification.

After checking the identification, the sentry quickly snapped to attention and saluted.

“We’ll open it immediately! Loy-al-ty!”

“Right, thank you.”

-Clank. Grrrrrr.

The padlock securing the thick iron chain came loose, and an iron gate nearly as tall as a two-story building slowly opened with a scraping sound.

“It has been a long time since we came here.”

“Do you remember the way?”

“I’m not quite that old yet. We had to go fairly deep inside, didn’t we?”

But the car had not traveled far beyond the iron gate before it came to a stop.

Because of a certain being standing in the road with both arms spread wide to block their path.

It was short and squat, barely tall enough to reach above the knee, with fluffy brown fur.

It was unmistakably a raccoon dog. An excessively plump one.

“It is asking why the nine-tailed fox has come here.”

Instead of offering a greeting, the raccoon dog bluntly asked their business in the voice of a young boy who sounded only three or four years old.

Even while asking their business, its forepaws were spread as wide as possible, expressing its firm determination not to let them advance another inch.

“Have you been well? You have been remembering to eat, haven’t you?”

“I just ate thiiis many acorns.”

“Acorns? Tsk, tsk. I came here after eating something extraordinary, while you, the master of Mount Gyeryong, have eaten nothing but acorns?”

“You’re disrespecting autumn acorns! But what did you eat?”

“Do you want to know?”

“I-I’m not curious at all! Nine-tailed foxes are cunning, so I mustn’t be fooled!”

“What a shame. It was so delicious that I came all this way specifically to tell you about it.”

“Was it really... that delicious?”

“When have I ever lied? Once you taste it, you will probably think of it again so much that you will not be able to sleep for three days.”

Without even getting out of the back seat, the nine-tailed fox rested his chin against the window and tempted the raccoon dog with an enigmatic smile.

“It is asking where I can go to eat it.”

The raccoon dog’s resolute expression had already softened. Smacking its lips, it even slowly lowered the forepaws it had spread to block the road.

“Hmm, I wonder. Now that I think about it, it feels too precious to tell you after all. Just turn the car around.”

“Yes, Elder.”

“That’s unfair! I want to eat it too! Tell me!”

-Bang bang.

As the wheels slowly began to turn, the panicked raccoon dog rushed over and pounded on the car door while shouting.

‘Now then, let us see if he can throw this fellow out too, just as he did me. Heh heh.’