Chapter 20

"Didn't I tell you to shut up and get lost before?"

Ha ha, Chahaya laughed out loud.

"Try to remember, there's more, right?"

"Get lost, you bastard."

"Chaseun, you have a great memory."

"No, I told you to get lost now."

The deeper laughter was pleasant to hear but grated on the nerves.

"And it's not Oh Yeon-su, it's Lee Yeon-su. Why don't you change your last name while you're at it?"

"I like that Chaseun is a guy."

"You interpret people's words in a really fucked-up way."

Seo-un spat out irritably and got up from the bed. She grabbed a paper cup she could see, wanting to drink some cold water.

"Where are you going?"

"To get water."

"There's a water purifier right here."

Chahaya pointed to the water purifier next to the sofa, with a plump water tank attached.

"What does it matter where I get my water from? I'm going to drink cold water."

"Drinking cold water right after waking up is bad for your body. You've lost about 5 kg, haven't you?"

Seo-un deliberately brushed her arm to show it. After taking a shower today and stepping on the bathroom scale, she found she had lost exactly that much.

"Those pig bastards carried you, and you were so light. Try to eat more, okay?"

"Ah! Shut up! Because of you two bastards, I can't sleep, I can't sleep!"

With a flick, Handon-hee sat up and shook her messy hair. Her eyes, swollen from being woken up, were quite puffy.

"Chahaya stabbed you with a knife, I saw it with my own eyes."

Seo-un pointed to her eyes with two fingers.

"That Chahaya bastard!"

"But you started it."

"Take it as a family honor. You're the first to survive after hitting me first."

Handon-hee, who had just made a snide remark, looked down at her upper body and then tried to turn her head to see her back. Since she wasn't a giraffe, there was no way she could see her back by turning her neck. Seo-un checked her back for her.

Thump, she hit her back with a fist and added that it was fine. It seemed she had bulked up while she wasn't looking, as her whole body was bulging with muscles.

"Have you not received a recruitment offer from the Helchang Guild?"

"Those losers can't handle this Handon-hee. I need to eat alcohol and carbohydrates."

"Arrogance. That kid can only drink two glasses of soju."

"Please, at least don't fight until Gangsan wakes up?"

Chahaya and Handon-hee both claimed they were innocent, insisting the other had started it first. For a moment, he considered sending one of them to the Helchang Guild, but if he did, the guild would probably disappear in a day.

The Helchang Guild generally has a high degree of freedom, but they are excessively strict about muscle loss. If a member engages in any activity that leads to muscle loss, they are expelled without question.

They are expelled for drinking and even if they have a girlfriend or wife.

Do your exercise during the time you would have sex; releasing semen results in protein loss. To them, this belief was as good as a dog's bark to Seo-un. There were many who were so obsessed with bodybuilding that they used barbells as weapons.

"Do you know that the Helchang Guild leader is a prick?"

Handon-hee, stretching her stiff body, said something that piqued her interest.

"How do you know that?"

"Ex-wife, officially."

"Ex-wife?"

"Jung Gwang, the secretary of the Tugon Guild. Didn't you know?"

Seo-un, surprised, only shook her head with her mouth open.

Perhaps out of shame, the members of the 'Transparent Dragon' guild also called themselves 'Tugon.' Tugon, known for its wealth, was famous for its powerful immortal species.

While it might rank 5th in overall guild rankings, it held the top spot in terms of assets. All of this was thanks to Secretary Gwang's asset management skills.

As an excellent immortal, Secretary Gwang was a 4th stage Flame Mage and a mid-level ability user.

Flame Mages are generally compared to bombs in terms of their power. Her flame power was comparable to 5 tons of TNT (a standard explosive and a unit for measuring the power of bombs). Secretary Gwang was essentially a living bomb that could turn a 50-meter radius into ashes in an instant.

"I heard that when the 12th variant appeared in the battle, her husband left her and ran. She immediately filed for divorce. But the funny thing is, abandoning your wife and running away is not a valid reason for divorce? The divorce application was rejected because it was just human survival instinct."

"So are they separated now?"

"No. Her husband was so obsessed with fitness that he avoided sexual intercourse for two years, so the divorce was immediately granted."

Handon-hee giggled as she searched for something to wear. Chahaya, seemingly uninterested, was playing with his phone.

"What secret?"

Handon-hee, wearing slippers loosely, asked Chahaya. Chahaya shrugged as if it was something he didn't know.

"What kind of secret are you two dating?"

"Would you cheer us on if we dated?"

"Are you crazy? I'll pray for Gangsan to escape from you."

"Then I'll have to live up to your expectations and have a beautiful love."

Chahaya openly provoked Handon-hee.

"Have you only had dirty love? You can't stand a clean ending."

"Handon-hee, you keep obsessing over me."

"You're a crazy bastard. I don't care about you, but I hear everything."

"I care about you more than plankton in the East Sea."

"Hey, I destroyed plankton yesterday."

The ceasefire was broken as soon as Gangsan woke up.

"Since you're both done, let's continue talking about Secretary Gwang."

In fact, Seo-un was also curious about the secret, but she changed the topic, thinking it might get too childish.

"What about Secretary Gwang? Are you, our mermaid, planning some grand revenge?"

As Handon-hee put her hand on Seo-un's shoulder, the smell of disinfectant from the hospital gown wafted. Seo-un, as if annoyed, swatted her hand away and looked at the clock above Chahaya's head. The needle pointed to 6 PM, and she suddenly felt hungry.

"But how did you get here?"

"You're asking so quickly."

Seo-un chuckled.

"Whatever it is, as long as you're fine. When Gangsan comes out, let's go get some food. We can talk afterward."

"You pay."

Chahaya got up from the sofa.

"Who says so?"

"You're the one who set the price on your life."

"Surely, that bastard saved you?"

Seo-un nodded but with a lukewarm expression. It felt like being given medicine after being given the disease, since the one who stabbed her saved her.

"Of all people, you owe him? Gangsan! Hurry up! Let's go eat!"

At Handon-hee's urging, Gangsan stumbled out. In the end, the only clothes he had were the hospital gowns.

***

The headquarters of the Tachun Guild was not far from Seo-un's apartment.

Before the Narakga appeared, it had a canteen that rivaled a department store, but now it was empty. Many people lost their jobs after the immortals were isolated in the Narakga, including the chefs and staff here.

Upon arriving at the pork restaurant in the canteen, each of them took on their tasks.

Chahaya sliced the meat he had bought, Handon-hee brought the drinks and beverages, and Gangsan set the table. Among them, only Seo-un was looking at her phone. She wasn't chatting but was on a video call with the Variant Disaster Control Center.

[Can we lift the control in Cheoin District?]

"Yes, the variant that appeared in the Cheoin District theme park has been completely dealt with."

[Since there has never been a case of dealing with a variant before it appeared, we will monitor the situation until tomorrow before lifting the control. Can you provide a written report on the 232nd variant handling?]

"We will do that."

As the elderly man on the screen was about to say something, Chahaya sat next to Seo-un. Chahaya, taking off his arm gloves, showed his face to the camera.

"Hello."

[Thank you for your hard work.]

Chahaya's soft greeting received a stiff response.

"I will report the situation. Handon-hee had a punctured stomach, Gangsan had his right ribs shattered, I had my wrist cut off, and the deputy guild leader had a deep cut on his arm. We had no choice but to receive treatment from Mr. Jo Gyeong-min, and the cost was quite high."

Despite the mention of serious injuries, the head of the Variant Disaster Control Center did not change his expression.

[What is your estimate of the scale of the restoration of the theme park facilities?]

Chahaya laughed without answering.

[...This time, we will handle it at our control center.]

"Thank you, I appreciate it." He smiled once more and ended the call.

"That bastard is the reason your father dislikes him. He could just ask, but he has to pressure and make a fuss."

Handon-hee, who had laid out the drinks and alcohol on the round table, giggled.

The person she had just been on a video call with was Seo-un's father, Chabyeong-cheon, who was also the head of the Variant Disaster Control Center.