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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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It was raining.
“Spring rain,” Yoo Soon-tae said, opening the shop door and looking at the raindrops falling from the eaves.
“We’ll probably sell a lot of jjampong tonight.”
“Right. People crave spicy and savory food on humid days. By the way, I’m worried about So-young.”
“Ah, right.”
Lim So-young wasn’t home today.
She had gone on an overnight trip with the neighborhood women’s association.
Since it was raining, he was worried if she was doing okay.
Actually, Lim So-young had been reluctant to go because of the shop.
But Yoo Soon-tae insisted that she deserved a one-night, two-day break after working so hard, and made her go.
“Still, the rain has its own charm.”
“That’s true.”
They decided to hire a part-timer for serving at the shop and posted a help wanted sign in front.
Less than an hour after they posted the sign, someone applied for the part-time job.
A 23-year-old named Kim Ji-eun.
She said she graduated from college in February and was preparing for employment.
She was diligently wiping the tables in the hall, chattering away.
“I can’t believe I’m working with the part-timer oppa! I’m living the dream!”
“Is that so?”
“You have no idea how popular you are in this neighborhood, Oppa.”
“I don’t.”
“I knew it!”
“I’m sorry I don’t know.”
“No! That’s part of your charm, Oppa!”
It was obvious that she had applied for the part-time job to satisfy her personal interest.
‘But…’
Yoo Soon-tae shook his head.
‘Well, it’s only a problem if he thinks it’s a problem…’
Just as he thought, Gang-so was…
‘She’s quite a lively young lady.’
That was his only impression.
“Shall we start preparing for dinner service?”
Yoo Soon-tae was about to go into the kitchen when he suddenly stopped.
“What… day is it today?”
“It’s March 28th.”
“Oh no!”
Yoo Soon-tae had a troubled expression.
“I forgot that there were documents I had to submit by today. What time is it?”
“It’s 3:50 PM.”
“I can make it if I go now, but… Ha-young’s dismissal is a problem. And it’s raining too.”
Yoo Soon-tae, in his dilemma, looked at Gang-so.
“There’s no other way. Gang-so, I’m sorry, but could you please pick up Ha-young today?”
“Alright.”
Kim Ji-eun joined their conversation.
“By Ha-young, you mean that cute little girl, right? The owner’s daughter?”
Yoo Soon-tae nodded.
“I want to go too!”
Yoo Soon-tae was the one who was happy to hear that.
“If you can, I’d be grateful. I was worried about sending Gang-so alone.”
At those words, Gang-so said with a dissatisfied look,
“I’ve adapted quite a bit.”
“Yes, yes, I know, but you never know what could happen.”
“Hehe, it’s a date with the part-timer oppa!”
“…”
And so, the team to pick up Ha-young was formed.
“Then we’ll be going.”
“Yeah, have a good time.”
“We’ll be back soon!”
Gang-so and Kim Ji-eun walked in the rain, holding an umbrella.
Pitter-patter-
The sound of the rain calmed his mind.
‘An umbrella… It’s been a while since I used an umbrella.’
There were umbrellas in the world Gang-so used to live in, too. Although they were made of oiled paper attached to umbrella ribs.
However, for Gang-so, an umbrella was nothing more than a tool to avoid detection when carrying out assassinations on rainy days.
During training, he trained under the pouring rain, no matter how heavy it was.
After he became stronger, he was able to avoid getting wet from the rain thanks to his internal energy.
Now… he was using one because of Yoo Soon-tae’s advice.
“If you’re walking around without an umbrella in this rain, they’ll call you crazy. So, even if you don’t use one when you’re delivering, you should definitely use one when you’re just walking slowly.”
Gang-so thought that was a reasonable opinion.
‘But whose idea was the design on this umbrella?’
The transparent umbrella had a yellow border and a picture of a cute yellow duckling on it.
“It’s so nice walking with you like this!”
Kim Ji-eun’s voice was heard from the side.
“It seems like you like walking.”
“Huh?”
“Since you said it’s nice to be walking.”
At Gang-so’s words, Kim Ji-eun tilted her head.
‘It feels like we’re slightly out of sync…’
But it didn’t matter. It was appealing in its own way.
“Hey, part-timer Oppa. Do you like rainy days?”
“I don’t like them.”
“Why not?”
“It’s hard to move around.”
“That’s true. But I like rainy days.”
Kim Ji-eun kept chattering, and Gang-so walked, listening to her.
Eventually, they arrived at Seedling Kindergarten.
Ha-young came out, holding Go So-ra’s hand.
“Oppa!”
She ran over and clung to Gang-so’s leg.
“Hello.”
“Thank you for your hard work today.”
“Where’s Daddy?”
At Ha-young’s question, Gang-so answered,
“He had documents he had to submit by today, so he couldn’t come.”
“I see…”
“You must be disappointed that I came instead of your father, but sometimes things can’t be helped.”
“No, I’m not disappointed that Oppa came instead.”
At Ha-young’s words, which were unusual for a five-year-old, Kim Ji-eun giggled.
“Oh my! How cute!”
“Hello.”
“Yes. We saw each other this morning, right?”
“Yes.”
Ha-young said to Gang-so,
“Give me my umbrella!”
Gang-so handed her the umbrella he had brought, and Ha-young took it.
“Then we’ll be going.”
“Goodbye.”
“Yes. Take care.”
Go So-ra saw them off, and when they were out of sight, she tilted her head.
‘Isn’t that Ji-eun? Why is she with Gang-so?’
She didn’t approach them since she was on an undercover mission, but she was curious nonetheless.
* * *
Ha-young stumbled occasionally, as the umbrella was heavy for her.
“Shall I hold the umbrella for you?”
“No. I can hold it myself!”
“Tell me if you get tired.”
“Okay!”
Ha-young, who had been walking diligently, suddenly stopped. And tilted her head.
“Huh? Oppa! There’s something over there!”
He looked where she pointed, and there was a small animal.
To be more accurate, they had followed Ha-young, who had run to that spot.
Looking closely, it was a small brown animal, small enough to fit in the palm of one’s hand, covered in mud and wounds, so much so that it was difficult to tell its original color.
“It’s a hamster!”
“Oh, that’s not a hamster, it’s a Dungeon Rat.”
“What is a Dungeon Rat?”
“It’s a creature resembling a hamster that lives in dungeon-type gates. A hamster has a short tail, but a Dungeon Rat has a tail like a rabbit.”
“Is it a monster?”
“No.”
Kim Ji-eun continued her explanation.
“A monster is a creature that shows hostility and attacks humans. This one doesn’t harm humans. And it doesn’t have any effect on closing gates.”
“Is… that so?”
“They’re cute and also have the instinctive ability to detect monsters, so they’re popular as pets for hunters who enter gates. They’re officially recognized gate creatures by the Awakened Association.”
“Then, this one is…”
At Gang-so’s question, Kim Ji-eun’s face slightly darkened.
“It either escaped from its cage or was abandoned. Either way, it’ll die soon in this condition.”
Indeed, it was a wonder that the Dungeon Rat in front of them was still alive.
“No, it can’t die!”
Ha-young said,
“I want to take it home!”
“But it’ll die even if we take it home in this condition.”
At Gang-so’s question, Ha-young replied,
“Why are you deciding that, Oppa?”
“…?”
“We don’t know yet. And… it’s still alive.”
Gang-so was struck by those words.
‘Ah! I was being arrogant. To think that I arbitrarily decided that a creature not yet dead would die! Even though I hate drifting away from human feelings… I’m pathetic!’
Gang-so said to Ha-young,
“Alright. Let’s take it with us.”
Gang-so carefully picked up the Dungeon Rat, which was lying in a puddle, and placed it in his palm.
The faint heartbeat he felt through his palm seemed like it could stop at any moment.
‘Should I… help it a little?’
Gang-so slightly infused his internal energy into his left hand, where the Dungeon Rat was resting. It was an energy that helped with circulation, which would help with wound recovery.
The moment Gang-so used his internal energy, Kim Ji-eun’s eyes widened slightly. It was the look of someone who had just realized something.
They returned to Yang Chun Gak, and Yoo Soon-tae was already back in the shop.
“You’re back? What’s that?”
Yoo Soon-tae’s gaze landed on Gang-so’s hand. To be precise, he saw the Dungeon Rat in his hand.
“That’s a male Dungeon Rat, isn’t it?”
“I found it.”
“Found it? Where?”
Gang-so explained the process of how they came across the Dungeon Rat, and Yoo Soon-tae sighed.
“I see.”
“Wait, you said it’s a male?”
“Yeah. Male Dungeon Rats have stripes on their backs. Females don’t have stripes.”
“You seem to know quite a bit about them.”
“I spent years inside gates as a porter, how would I not know? Anyway, why did you bring it here?”
At Yoo Soon-tae’s question, Ha-young was on the verge of tears, watching the Dungeon Rat.
“I’m going to keep it!”
“But I don’t know if your mother will allow us to keep a pet.”
“Please let me keep it! It’s wrong to abandon a poor hamster!”
“That’s not a hamster, it’s a Dungeon Rat. And it might have an owner. If it does, we have to find its owner.”
“But…”
Just then, Gang-so spoke up.
“I think taking care of this thing, whatever it is, should come first before discussing that.”
“That makes sense.”
Just then.
Clang.
The door opened, and someone peeked in.
“Um… are you open for dinner?”
It was 5 PM.
Break time was over.
“Of course! Please, come in.”
At Yoo Soon-tae’s words, two customers entered. They were Baek Eun-ho and Kim Myung-jin, staff of the Awakened Association.
“Please sit wherever you like.”
“But… what is that?”
Baek Eun-ho tilted his head as he looked at the Dungeon Rat in Gang-so’s hand.
“It’s a Dungeon Rat.”
Yoo Soon-tae sighed and replied,
“My daughter found it lying injured in the rain on her way home.”
Ha-young tugged at Yoo Soon-tae’s hand.
“Daddy, we have to go to the hospital quickly!”
Kim Myung-jin, who was next to Baek Eun-ho, said,
“Put the little one on the table here. I’ll treat it.”
“Huh?”
When Yoo Soon-tae asked back, Baek Eun-ho said,
“He’s recognized as a talent even within the Association.”
“Ah! Is that so?”
Yoo Soon-tae looked at Gang-so, and Gang-so carefully placed the Dungeon Rat on the table.
Kim Myung-jin voiced his question, looking at the Dungeon Rat.
“It looks like someone already took measures. It’s not in such critical condition now.”
And he raised his hand.
A five-colored light emanated from his hand, and the moment it touched the Dungeon Rat, the wounds began to disappear rapidly.
It was a miraculous scene.
“Mister! You’re amazing!”
Ha-young clapped her hands in delight, and Kim Myung-jin simply smiled.
“You’re a healer!”
“Yes. I work at the Awakened Association, although I’m still learning.”
Yoo Soon-tae, who had been a porter for a long time, realized that Kim Myung-jin was an A-rank healer.
No matter how small a Dungeon Rat was, only an A-rank healer could heal all its wounds and restore it from a near-death state instantly.
‘There aren’t many A-rank healers in the country.’
And judging from the fact that he wasn’t revealing his rank, he must have been at least a team leader.
Kim Myung-jin lowered his hand and said,
“There, all done. It will wake up soon.”
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