The landlord readily agreed to give up the room. Of course, a portion of the security deposit was deducted.

While I was on the phone with the landlord, the two people who looked around my room said this:

“Was there a thief?”

“I know, right? I heard they’ve been away from home for at least 2 weeks.”

The room, which retained the same appearance as the day I left for work, wasn’t that dirty… I brushed off their words with a chuckle.

Then, the packing began.

“Shina, are you throwing this away?”

“No, it can still be used.”

“…It’d be better to throw it away and buy a new one.”

“These clothes, the necks are stretched out, so you’re throwing them away, right?”

“They’re still wearable as pajamas.”

“…Let’s throw them away and buy new pajamas.”

The two, who would never have to worry about money in their lives, kept repeating ‘throw it away and buy a new one’ whenever they took something out. Using the card Maxius left for me wouldn’t be a problem, but I couldn’t bring myself to agree because of the uneasy feeling that it wasn’t my money.

They threw things away regardless of whether I answered or not…

It was fascinating to see them effortlessly lifting furniture and putting even large items into their inventory.

“A moving center would make good money…”

It was just a casual remark. But the diligent two took it seriously.

“That could be possible. But F-ranks and E-ranks have small inventories, and from D-rank onwards, there are many other ways to make better money, so there’s no need to run a moving center.”

“I’ve heard many people do simple delivery jobs. After all, they can deliver food fresh in its original state, and it’s a job anyone can do regardless of aptitude as long as they’ve awakened.”

“What a waste, such a waste. Instead of doing that, it would be better to develop oneself.”

“Some people might be afraid of fighting or dying. Just because you’ve awakened as a combat type doesn’t mean you have to get a hunter license, and everyone’s aptitudes are different.”

“Hey, in the first place, awakening happens according to one’s aptitude.”

“While the consensus is that awakening occurs according to aptitude based on awakening bias, it doesn’t always manifest according to aptitude. For example…”

It was really just a casual remark, but it turned into such a serious discussion. I drank a can of beer I took out from the fridge.

“Ahh.”

“She’s like Uncle Shina.”

“Drinking alcohol during the day can’t be good for your health…”

“Be quiet, A-ranks. Just do your job.”

The feeling of boldly using A-ranks as movers was really thrilling.

After finishing the packing, shopping followed. The necessary items were already prepared at the new residence, and even if we were to buy something, it would only be a few pieces of clothing and some daily necessities.

I was startled to see the two heading to a department store under Coffee Cookie to buy clothes.

One of the top 4 guilds in Korea, and the department store under that very Cuku, which is known for its manufacturing.

As expected, the economic sense of hunters who made good money was far from ordinary people.

“Why are we going all the way to a department store just to buy clothes?”

“We’re not buying expensive things for no reason. Since we don’t have to worry about money, shouldn’t we buy proper items while we’re at it?”

“Do that when Maxius comes. If it’s a Cuku department store, there will be many awakeners. What if someone recognizes me? How about we go somewhere else?”

“Hmm…”

“The clothes I’m wearing now are fine. Okay?”

I wasn’t ready to see price tags ranging from a few tens of millions to billions of won for a single piece of clothing. Even if Maxius came, I had no intention of going to such a department store, but Yushin quickly gave up at my persuasion.

“Hmm… Alright.”

Ihyeon gave an awkward smile. Somehow, it felt ominous. Just in case, I added,

“Don’t even think about gifting me anything that attaches more than five balls to me.”

“Mm, okay!”

What a reliable answer…

After that, we finished shopping simply, had a meal, and even bought drinks at a cafe, but it was still daytime.

“It’s nice to be out after so long…”

The anxiety that people might recognize me had vanished without a trace.

As expected, I love freedom.

As I was pondering what else to do, Yushin said with a beaming smile,

“I think we’ve done everything we needed to, right? Shall we head back now?”

It was like a bolt from the blue. I, who was sprawled on the cafe table, protested,

“It’s still daytime?!”

“The sun will set soon. We’ve played enough. I’ll adjust things so we can make time next time too, so let’s go back for today.”

“Today, we only managed to do packing, clothes shopping, having lunch, and coming to the cafe!”

“We did a lot…”

We did do a lot. Naturally, my lower lip protruded.

“Ugh. But just a little longer…”

“My skill is slowly reaching its limit.”

It was a realistic problem. I had no choice but to surrender.

“Then I guess it can’t be helped…”

“Yeah.”

Just as I was about to give up, Ihyeon’s hellish sidekick flapped.

“Huh? If you’re an A-rank, the skill duration shouldn’t be this short. Even without support items… Although one skill’s duration may have ended, you should have other skills too. Ah, could it be that you’re actually a B-rank?”

Veins popped on Yushin’s forehead, and a nasty smile was etched on Ihyeon’s face. This was already the fifth time today that a conversation like this occurred.

“Ha, haha. You seem to know well. There is still some time left, but if we stay here longer, there might be issues with stability. The triple-layered concealment I put up could be reduced to double, and someone might be able to detect it.”

“Ah, so that’s what it was?”

The two really get along well. I put down my empty cup and sprawled out. It was sad that my momentary freedom was ending like this.

“Still, since it’s the last time, wouldn’t it be okay to stay for about 30 more minutes? I’m here too, just in case.”

“…Sigh. Alright, alright.”

Yushin, the nagging demon king, surprisingly gave permission. I silently cheered inside.

“There’s one last place I want to go!”

“It’s not far, is it?”

“It’s nearby.”

“Okay, let’s go there.”

I took the two to the park.

“Where is this?”

“This is the park I used to come to often. I would come here whenever something happened.”

The place I took them to was a park. The park where I would go with canned beer whenever I was bored.

Suddenly, memories came flooding back. The day when Manager Kim cut me off, saying he was putting in his nephew… I came here and lamented while drinking beer. Not exactly good memories.

“Wasn’t it dangerous?”

Ihyeon immediately asked such a thing. What was there to be dangerous? It was a park I used to come to often. With just beer and snacks, I could perfectly recreate the memories. I grinned as if I had heard something very funny.

“…I think I understand a little why you resented Maxius so much.”

Yushin sighed and sat on the bench. His face was full of the fatigue and agony of an office worker.

“Hmm, why?”

“I thought he could have at least provided financial help while hiding his identity. I didn’t know you were living like this.”

“I can manage living in a semi-basement. Don’t look down on the life of the common people.”

“That’s not what I meant… No, nevermind. Well, I’m sure Maxius had his reasons.”

I don’t know why he’s suddenly acting like this. I looked at him quizzically and then looked at the sky.

The sun, which had been shining brightly until just now, was slowly descending to the other side.

The promised time was 30 minutes, so we’d have to go back soon. With a sense of regret, I couldn’t easily bring myself to leave.

At that moment, a sound of “Zzzing-” rang out from somewhere.

“Huh? Wait a minute. I’ll be right back after taking this call.”

Yushin’s expression crumpled as soon as he saw the name on the screen. He went to the corner, as if trying to make sure the call couldn’t be heard.

“Shina.”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s run away!”

At that moment, Ihyeon grabbed my hand and started running out of the house.

“Hey, hey! What are you doing all of a sudden?!”

“Just for a moment, just a very short moment!”

“It’s dangerous! If we leave the range of the concealment skill…!”

“It’s okay, no matter what happens, I’ll protect you.”

Even though I couldn’t see his face from behind, I somehow thought he was smiling. Ihyeon’s personality was reflected in his gentle and kind yet firm hand. I couldn’t bring myself to shake off that hand.

How long did we run like that? I stopped and caught my breath. Although I was startled by Ihyeon’s behavior, I didn’t think I could shake off an A-rank, and I was too out of breath just from running this little.

Ihyeon spoke with a worried face.

“You… Isn’t your stamina too seriously lacking?”

“Huff, huff. I don’t want to hear that from someone who ran recklessly… I’m just an ordinary non-awakener…”

“You’re too weak… You won’t break if I hold you tightly, right?”

“What nonsense are you saying? More importantly, why are you suddenly doing this?”

“It’s okay for just a short while. You were feeling regretful too… Right?”

Even though I thought this was crazy, I couldn’t help but laugh. It was absurd, but the sense of liberation was sweet.

The cool breeze, the running feet, the park with few people, the setting sun. It was a feeling that could only be felt in this very moment, without anyone watching over me.

“Haha! I sometimes think you’re really crazy!”

“They say all high-level awakeners have some strange aspects, so maybe I’m like that too. So how do you feel?”

“Good. I think I feel good.”

I plopped down on a nearby bench. I was still out of breath, but I felt refreshed.

Let’s stay like this for just a little, just a little bit before going back. Yushin is someone who worries and nags a lot, so we’ll go back in a bit.

“I guess no one knows me as well as you do.”

“That’s because I’ve always been watching you.”

“Ugh.”

“I’ll be hurt if you react like that.”

“You don’t even mean it sincerely.”

“Haha.”

As his laughter faded, the sun slowly disappeared. Is it already this time? The pressure to go back crept up, but I didn’t want to let go of the feeling of freedom I felt after a long time.

“Shall we walk a little?”

“Sure.”

So, just for a very short while. We decided to take a walk before going back.

In other words, it absolutely wasn’t my will that I got entangled in the gate again.