Chapter 13: The Invisible Threat

8th Floor, the Plaza of Gastronomy.

However, for someone like me, unfamiliar with the world of art and fine dining, it was an alien place. Neither the chef’s politeness nor the names of the dishes resonated with me.

“Of…”

As I sat at the table, awkwardly glancing around, I noticed someone approaching from afar, pushing a serving cart with the grace that only the learned could possess.

“Bora…”

“Huh?”

“This is supposed to be a buffet, right? Aren’t we supposed to get the food ourselves…?”

“Oh, that’s—”

Yoon Bora started to speak but abruptly closed her mouth.

After a moment of hesitation, she suddenly brought her lips close to my ear. Specifically, to the beast-like ears atop my head.

“Since it’s not the official opening today, they’re serving us directly…”

Yoon Bora’s voice reverberated in my ears. Her warm breath tickled, making me release a strange sound.

‘Hngh—’ A shiver ran down my spine, causing my ears to twitch.

“…”

What was that just now?

Startled by the unexpected situation, I looked up at Yoon Bora.

“Hehe.”

She smiled at me, clearly proud of her little prank.

Her expression said it all—she had gotten me.

‘Ah, geez.’

At times like these, Yoon Bora could be quite mischievous. It made sense, considering her twin sister Raxy Bora also had that playful streak.

Turning slightly away from her, I focused on the tablet screen.

[Noona, Heung~]

But even there, the teasing continued.

Most of the viewers had come just for this, after all.

‘These people, seriously…’

There was no place in this world where anyone was on my side.

Feeling a little annoyed, I blocked the camera with my hand.

“No more show. Time to leave.”

Watching the black screen being broadcasted, I smirked to myself.

I should’ve done this from the beginning.

I waited for the viewers to start leaving while staring down at my tablet.

User ‘Geun-Yook-Man’ donated 50,000 won!

[Show your face.]

Suddenly, fifty thousand won appeared along with a message asking me to show my face.

After a brief moment of hesitation, I turned the camera back around.

Setting it up to show my face, I spoke.

“…Just this once.”

As I sat there silently, Yoon Bora handed me her smartphone.

“What’s this…?”

Her phone showed my broadcast screen.

“You can’t see the chat if your tablet’s positioned like that.”

“Ah, okay.”

I hadn’t planned on looking at the chat.

While silently grumbling, the serving cart stopped next to me.

“Excuse me.”

“Oh, yes.”

The server placed a coffee cup on the table.

Inside was a dark liquid.

‘Is this black coffee?’

Steam was rising from it, making it look hot.

I decided to wait until it cooled down.

While staring at the cup with that thought in mind, snap!

Yoon Bora picked up the cup before I could.

‘Isn’t it hot?’

I followed her lead and picked up my cup.

I brought it to my mouth and took a sip.

“Pwah!”

Dribble—

The coffee I couldn’t swallow spilled down my chin.

Luckily, I spat it back into the cup, so the floor and table were spared from getting dirty.

‘It’s so bitter…’

I reached for a tissue.

But before I could grab one, Yoon Bora had already taken a tissue and started wiping my mouth.

“LH, LH…”

I wanted to tell her, ‘I can do it myself.’

But with her hand covering my mouth with the tissue, I couldn’t say a word.

All I could do was awkwardly extend my hand, unable to do anything else.

“Harang, was it too bitter for you?”

As she gently wiped my chin, she asked.

“Mmph!”

With my mouth still blocked, I could only nod my head.

“Chef, do you have anything other than coffee? I think it’s too bitter for her.”

I’m not a child.

I’m actually older than you.

I grumbled inwardly, but since it really was bitter, I let it go.

“Would you like some tea with jam mixed in instead?”

“Yes, that would be great.”

“Understood.”

The server placed a few desserts on the table and pushed the cart away.

He was probably going to prepare my tea.

He might have been cursing me in his mind.

“Sigh.”

Feeling a little guilty, I watched him leave.

At that moment, Yoon Bora, sipping her coffee, spoke to me.

“This is kind of bitter.”

“Y-yeah.”

Even though she had a playful side, she was an angel.

Huntress Building, nearby parking lot.

Inside a tinted car that obscured its interior, four men were watching the internet broadcast.

On the screen, the girl was pushing an egg tart into her mouth.

Crisp—the sound of the tart’s crumbs falling.

At the same time, the girl’s tail swayed from side to side.

“Look at this crazy girl, so damn confident.”

The man in the mask frowned as he spoke.

“Right? She must be Jinhyang’s employee, judging by her tough attitude.”

Her foolish and embarrassing actions had been broadcasted nationwide, and yet, there she was, confidently streaming and eating snacks.

It seemed like they had failed in their attempt to provoke Jinhyang’s new employee.

“Because of her, Mr.Lee Taeseong is really pissed. All she’s done is raise Jinhyang’s reputation.”

“So, we’re really doing it today, right?”

“We have to if we want to make up for it.”

Tsk.

The masked man clicked his tongue and pulled out a small orb from his pocket.

—Gate Operation.

It was an item that could forcibly open a dungeon.

Although it could only open the lowest-grade dungeon, it was enough to kill innocent civilians.

This should be more than enough to drag Huntress’s reputation through the mud.

Of course, they couldn’t get caught.

“Tae-hwi, you create chaos at the building entrance. We just need to draw out that guard captain. And even if you get caught, don’t mention Mr.Lee Taeseong.”

“Yes. Obviously.”

The guard captain, Kim Eunhyuk.

That monstrous bastard.

The masked man cursed silently as he opened the car door.

Someone was going to die today.

He wasn’t anyone special, but he had experienced something extraordinary before.

Something that only he, in the entire world, had ever experienced.

And that was being both a man and a woman.

‘Now I understand why women go crazy over desserts.’

The sweetness felt by women and that experienced by men was different at the very core.

It was as if he had unlocked a sweetness that had never existed before.

“Mmm.”

Crunch, crunch.

A freshly baked chess cookie crumbled in my mouth.

I was lost in the delightful nuttiness when—

Boom!

A massive explosion rang out.

Whoosh!

Every hair on my body stood on end.

Instinctively, I raised my hands to flatten my ears.

‘Wh-what’s happening?’

I crouched down and looked up at Yoon Bora.

Maybe she knew what was going on.

“Bo-Bora?”

“Harang, stay with your sister… no, actually, it’s safer if you come with me. Eunhyuk oppa is there too.”

“Okay.”

Yoon Bora stood up from her seat.

I followed suit, quickly grabbing my tablet.

Then, Yoon Bora lifted me into her arms.

No matter the situation, being carried outside like this felt a little embarrassing.

Given the situation, I couldn’t say anything.

“Harang, I’m going to run. Hold on for a bit.”

“Uh, okay.”

As soon as I responded, whoosh!

With a fierce gust of wind, my body was pushed backward.

“Ah!”

I grabbed her shoulders tightly, fearing I might fall and roll across the ground.

Just in case, I wrapped my tail around her waist.

It didn’t really mean anything, but it gave me some psychological comfort.

“W-wait, ahhh!”

I couldn’t even assess whether this was a speed a human could achieve, as I instinctively shut my eyes.

The wind rushing straight at me stung my eyes.

“We’re almost there.”

Yoon Bora left me with those words and continued running.

It must have been about a minute.

“We’re here.”

At the front entrance on the first floor, Yoon Bora finally set me down.

“H-hah…”

My legs wobbled, so I held tightly onto the hem of her clothes.

At that moment, security captain Kim Eunhyuk approached us.

“You’re here.”

“What happened?”

“It seems there was a gas explosion at a nearby restaurant.”

As Kim Eunhyuk said, smoke was rising from a restaurant in the distance.

“Is anyone hurt?”

“Fortunately, the restaurant was closed today.”

“Of…”

There were no injuries, and it wasn’t a terrorist attack.

I sighed in relief.

‘Come to think of it, we got here faster than the firefighters.’

We had come all the way down from the eighth floor.

Just how fast is Yoon Bora?

As I was pondering this, a strange sound tickled my ears.

A high-pitched or low-pitched sound, I wasn’t sure—it was the kind of sound no ordinary human could hear.

Instinctively, I turned my head toward the direction of the noise.

‘What is that…?’

There, something strange was happening—a crack.

It was as if space itself was being torn apart, creakkk!

I blinked, rubbed my eyes, and checked again, but the crack only seemed to grow larger.

“Bora?”

“Hmm?”

I pointed at the crack with my finger.

“That… looks kind of dangerous, doesn’t it?”

“Huh? What does?”

“You don’t see that…?”

“Hmm. What exactly are you talking about?”

Yoon Bora tilted her head in confusion.

It seemed like she couldn’t see the crack.

‘Ah…’

Only then did I realize.

This strange phenomenon was only visible to me.

The people around us weren’t paying any attention to the crack.

‘What is this, really…’

Maybe I was just imagining things.

As I pondered over it, suddenly—

“Mom!”

A child was running toward the crack from afar.

A candy bag in hand, a bright smile on her face.

I remembered her.

She was the one who had given me candy earlier.

“Huh?”

That looks dangerous.

I watched the child anxiously.

Crack!

The fissure began to stretch toward the child.

Like a predator targeting its prey.

‘That’s… dangerous!’

I dashed toward the child.

Before the crack could swallow her.

Swoosh!

I grabbed the back of her neck and threw her behind me.

The impact caused me to fall over.

“Ugh.”

At least I managed to save her.

I grabbed my knees and slowly got up.

Just as I smiled with satisfaction at having saved someone,

the crack changed direction, aiming for me.

As if it had changed its target.

This is seriously bad.

 


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ChouchPotato
ChouchPotato
3 months ago

Tftc!