Chapter 7: The Rebellious Encounter

It definitely felt like I had gotten into the bathtub, but when I opened my eyes, I was under the covers. I couldn’t even remember when I fell asleep.

“Ahh…”

I stretched out lazily and tried to recall what happened last night.

I ate dinner, then I took a shower.

And after the shower…?

‘When did I change into these clothes?’

I couldn’t remember, but surely no one else had dressed me.

I must’ve somehow managed to change in my sleep.

I got out of bed and approached the mirror, yawning as I went.

“Yawn…”

In the mirror, my sharp fangs gleamed from my moist, pink mouth.

They were much sharper than any normal human’s teeth.

I imagined it would hurt a lot to get bitten by those.

But I wasn’t stupid enough to bite myself.

“Heh.”

Laughing at such a silly thought, I spun around in front of the mirror.

The flying squirrel pajamas Yoon Bora had lent me fluttered due to air resistance.

The design was a bit embarrassing, but they were unbelievably comfortable to wear.

The moment I put them on, their softness made me feel lazy; they were the perfect pajamas for sloths.

“Hmm.”

Flying squirrel pajamas.

The more I looked, the more I liked them.

Feeling satisfied, I waved my arms and legs up and down, enjoying the sensation of the squirrel’s membrane.

Just then, Yoon Bora appeared in the mirror.

“What are you doing?”

“Exercising.”

A natural lie slipped out.

I was too embarrassed to admit I was just enjoying the pajamas.

I started moving around, pretending to stretch.

“Is Raxy still sleeping?”

“Not sure. I haven’t seen her.”

“Really? Maybe she’s streaming?”

“Streaming?”

Did she mean internet streaming?

Knowing Raxy, she was probably streaming a game.

Her gaming skills were beyond exceptional.

Especially with her stunning appearance, the combination would surely create an amazing synergy.

“Interested in streaming? Want to check it out?”

“Hmm… Maybe later. I can’t afford to relax today.”

After all, the biggest event today was my first day of work.

I couldn’t afford to slack off.

“Yeah, you’re right. Here.”

Yoon Bora nodded in agreement and handed me some clothes.

They looked just as small as the ones I wore yesterday.

“By the way, these pajamas, and these clothes… Did you buy them all for me?”

“No, these are clothes Raxy and I wore when we were younger. We kept a few that we were attached to.”

“Oh, from when you were kids… No wonder the chest feels so tight.”

“Tight?”

“Yeah.”

At my answer, Yoon Bora’s expression froze.

She looked cooler and sharper than usual.

‘What’s going on?’

I cautiously accepted the clothes Yoon Bora was holding out to me.

Her expression hadn’t softened at all by that point.

“Bora, are you feeling okay?”

“Huh?! No, I’m fine!”

“Really? Then I’ll go wash up first.”

“Ah, okay!”

Her usual warm smile was nowhere to be found, and for some reason, I felt a chill run down my spine.

I got a little scared and hurried toward the bathroom.

Something seemed off about Yoon Bora.

After passing a rather intimidating security guard, I finally reached the top floor and met Jinhyang.

“Here.”

Jinhyang handed me a card and a large tablet.

“What’s this?”

“Your tasks for today.”

She pointed to the tablet, as if telling me to turn it on.

I quickly pressed the button and the screen lit up.

Tasks

Purchase and wear a uniform.

Activate a smartphone.

Inspect the tower.

I read the tasks slowly from top to bottom, raising a question.

“What kind of uniform should I buy?”

“Get something neat. Something reputable. Don’t embarrass the company.”

“How many should I get?”

“As many as you want.”

What a vague response.

Since it was like this, I decided to buy a bunch of expensive ones.

After all, Jinhyang could probably earn money faster than I could spend it.

‘Can I ask Bora to help me with the clothes…?’

I glanced around, looking for Yoon Bora.

But she was nowhere to be found.

We were just together a moment ago.

“Where did Bora go?”

“Bora?”

“Yeah.”

It was a simple question, but Jinhyang’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Did you start speaking casually with Bora?”

“Yeah, she said I could.”

“Hmm.”

Jinhyang nodded her head twice.

Was she also saying I could speak informally with her?

With a small glimmer of hope, I looked up at her.

Maybe this was an opportunity to get closer to her.

“If you do that with me, you’re dead.”

“…Yeah.”

I looked down at the tablet again, focusing on the second item: activating a smartphone.

‘A smartphone.’

I definitely didn’t have one.

The only means of contact I had was internet email.

With no one to contact, a smartphone would only be an expensive burden.

‘But…’

It would be necessary now.

I needed a basic means of contact to work.

There was just one concern.

“Can I activate a smartphone without an ID?”

“Haven’t you registered your ID since you changed?”

“Yeah. I was a little embarrassed…”

Jinhyang frowned at my answer.

With a thin sigh, her frustration leaked out.

“Fine. I’ll get the phone registered under my name later. For now, buy some clothes.”

“Ah, okay.”

I nodded lightly and looked down at the last item.

The third task: inspect the tower.

“What does ‘inspect the tower’ mean exactly?”

“Think about it.”

“…Okay.”

Active participation, huh?

That was a skill I didn’t possess.

Feeling intimidated by Jinhyang, I decided to accept it for now.

“Then I’ll go buy the clothes.”

“Wait a second.”

“Huh?”

Just as I placed my hand on the doorknob to go outside, Jinhyang called me back.

When I turned around in confusion, I noticed a small name tag in her hand.

Hunterless Manager / Kang Harang

“Manager…? How high is that?”

Isn’t that a pretty high position?

I looked up at her in surprise.

“Take that with you.”

“Okay.”

With Jinhyang’s urging, I quickly opened the door and stepped out.

Jinhyang’s building.

Officially known as Hunterless Tower.

It was the building that claimed the title of the best landmark in Seoul, surpassing Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Any store that set up shop there was guaranteed to make millions in revenue.

That meant a lot of foot traffic, along with a fair share of troublemakers.

Like that middle-aged woman, Park Youngja.

“Hey, you little brat!”

With red lipstick and black pearl earrings, Park Youngja adorned herself in luxury, but lacked any dignity.

She was just the typical mean-spirited lady.

“Can’t you understand what I’m saying?!”

Park Youngja’s anger sharply targeted the store staff.

Her voice, sharp enough to tear through the air, prompted Manager Choi Taehyun to rush out.

“Excuse me, ma’am. What seems to be the problem?”

“Are you the owner here?”

“No, I’m the manager.”

Choi Taehyun didn’t even understand why she was upset, but he folded his hands politely.

“How do you manage your staff?!”

“I’m sorry. Can you tell me what our staff did to offend you?”

Even as he spoke, Choi Taehyun let out a sigh internally.

What kind of reckless act had this customer committed to cause such a scene?

“I asked to see a white bag, and that girl brought me a gray one?!”

“Oh. I see.”

What a joke.

Choi Taehyun cursed inwardly.

It was a trivial matter that she was blowing out of proportion, a classic case of a troublemaker.

Usually, people like this were looking for one of two things:

To boost their own self-esteem or to create a fuss to receive special treatment.

Choi Taehyun knew well how to satisfy both.

Elevate the customer and demonstrate good service.

His position as a luxury store manager was definitely not a coincidence.

“I’m very sorry, ma’am. We will train our staff more thoroughly. It’s a small token, but here…”

Choi Taehyun pulled a discount voucher from his pocket.

A classic troublemaker pacification voucher.

With a smile, he offered the discount voucher to Park Youngja.

Surely this would be enough to placate her.

Just as he felt confident in this moment, Park Youngja’s expression twisted in disdain as she examined the voucher.

“Hey! Do I look like a broke loser to you?!”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you think I’m the kind of person who would only use a discount voucher, like a broke loser?!”

“N-no, I’m sorry.”

Choi Taehyun quickly bowed his head.

He considered what ‘type’ of person this woman was.

‘No way.’

Sometimes there were people like that.

Newly wealthy folks who thought ‘discounts’ were uncouth.

She probably belonged to that category.

“Do you know who my husband is? Lee Myungjin the Hunter! Should I call him here?!”

Lee Myungjin.

That name was new to Choi Taehyun.

Probably just an average Hunter.

But here at Hunterless Tower, there were plenty of Hunters who were ‘average’ at best.

They were everywhere, like stumbling over them.

‘Should I call security?’

The head of security, Kim Eun-hyuk.

He could probably handle this level of troublemaker easily.

Just as Choi Taehyun was about to press the emergency button on his specially made name tag, a girl suddenly appeared and blocked Park Youngja’s path.

With beast-like ears and a tail that made one doubt their eyes, she stood there.

Park Youngja thought it might be one of those trendy accessories, but the ears and tail were moving with a life of their own.

‘…Where did this girl crawl out from?’

Park Youngja scanned the girl from head to toe.

She was wearing cheap, unbranded clothes, and their shabby condition suggested they had either been handed down or worn for a long time.

The ears and tail must be that ‘disease’ mentioned in the media.

‘A pathetic beggar of a girl.’

Not worth dealing with at all.

Park Youngja was about to let out a sneer at the girl when—

‘Huh?’

It was then that the girl’s appearance pricked at Park Youngja’s nerves.

With smooth skin and moist, pale pink lips, she radiated purity.

She was very different from Park Youngja, who had to hide her dry skin with white makeup and red lipstick.

‘This… this!’

A beggar with no money, yet lucky enough to have been born with such looks.

Park Youngja bit her own red lips tightly.

“What are you doing here?!”

Park Youngja shouted at the girl.

The girl timidly fidgeted with her hands and opened her mouth.

“I-I’m Kang Harang.”

“You think I asked for your name, you stupid girl?!”

Hadn’t she just asked for it?

Intimidated, Harang instinctively grabbed something in front of her.

It was her own tail.

“Why are you, a beggar, butting in and making a fuss?!”

“That’s because I work here…”

“You work here?!”

“Y-yes.”

Park Youngja’s middle-aged face twisted in disbelief.

White powder began to trickle down her skin.

“Shouldn’t you be keeping your head down like an employee? Who told you to butt in?!”

“Ah, um…”

Harang quickly bowed her head under Park Youngja’s scolding.

She recalled what Jinhyang had said:

—‘If there’s a troublemaker, kick them out.’

This must be what she meant by a troublemaker.

Harang was scared of the middle-aged woman in front of her, but she was more afraid of Jinhyang.

Somehow, she had to get rid of this troublemaker. As she opened her mouth to speak, a loud thud echoed through the air.

Harang’s heart began to race violently, paralyzing her ability to think.

She couldn’t find the words to say.

“Uh, troublemaker.”

“What?”

“S-so, I mean troublemaker, um…?”

“Did you just call me a troublemaker?!”

Park Youngja’s expression morphed into one of disbelief.

“You just called me a troublemaker?!”

She grabbed Harang by the collar and shook her back and forth without mercy.

The impact made Harang’s chest jolt, almost as if it were meant to humiliate her.

“You crazy, crazy woman…!”

A woman as vicious as a demon.

A pig with a big chest.

All that was left for Park Youngja was violence.

If she slapped Harang a few times, her anger might subside.

Just as Park Youngja raised her hand to strike Harang, someone suddenly seized her wrist.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

The voice was sharp and fierce.

It belonged to Jinhyang.