Chapter 33: The Day I Met Gor (1)

“Our VIP!”

At that moment, a man coming out of the kitchen with a tray full of freshly baked bread smiled broadly and shouted.

VIP was Nam Han Gyeol’s nickname.

He was called that because he lived buried in bread from dawn to dusk and would buy a bundle of bread every time he went home.

“Wonho-hyung, you’re working hard alone today.”

Saying that, Nam Han Gyeol giggled mischievously.

It was originally a kitchen where three people worked, but today, two of them were on vacation.

Thanks to that, the man, Choi Wonho, was single-handedly doing the work of three people.

Well, he had brought it upon himself.

“Why do you come to buy bread even on your day off?”

“He must be possessed by a ghost who died without being able to eat bread.”

Kim Minah, the part-time counter worker, said.

At that, Nam Han Gyeol picked up a container of sandwiches and retorted sullenly.

“I’m only buying this today.”

At that, the two asked in surprise.

“Just that?”

“Wow, are you tired of bread now?”

“Just stick to one thing. Just one. You complain when I buy a lot, and you complain when I buy a little…!”

“No, that’s… because you insist on buying it with your own money.”

“Wouldn’t anyone say that if you buy that much bread every day?”

“Geez, just hurry up and ring me up.”

Nam Han Gyeol grumbled and held out the 5,000 won he had just picked up.

“…Did you put it in the washing machine or something?”

“It’s a little wet, isn’t it?”

“It’s more than a little…”

Kim Minah, who carefully took the 5,000 won bill that looked like it would tear at any moment, pulled out a tissue and placed the money on it.

“Han Gyeol-ah, take this!”

Han Gyeol, who caught what Choi Wonho threw at him in a daze, motioned with his eyes as if to ask what it was.

At that, Choi Wonho replied with a wink.

“Service for a regular customer.”

“I’ll enjoy it.”

Nam Han Gyeol said, shaking the bag of madeleines.

Choi Wonho just waved his hand as he went into the kitchen with the empty tray.

“Then I’ll get going. See you tomorrow!”

“Yep, yep, see you tomorrow.”

Leaving the shop with light steps, Nam Han Gyeol stopped walking not long after.

“Hmm, should I have bought the one with shrimp…? But I can’t give up on the bulgogi patty!”

Belatedly, another sandwich came to mind.

‘Ah, if I was going to do this, I should have just bought two and put one in the fridge! It’s a bit of a hassle to go back now…’

After thinking about it, he just decided to look forward to next time.

Nam Han Gyeol opened the container of the sandwich as he walked.

His empty stomach, which had only had coffee, was clamoring for him to put some food in it.

Normally, he would have eaten at home, but… just one!

And Nam Han Gyeol ate the sandwich as he walked back the way he came.

And what started as ‘just one’ somehow became two, and he ended up arriving home with an empty container.

After finishing the recycling at the garbage disposal area behind the apartment, he entered the apartment.

As he went up the elevator, he checked his phone and saw that more time had passed than he thought.

Beep beep beep beep, ti-ro-ri!

“I’m home!”

─ Welcome back.

As soon as he arrived home, Nam Han Gyeol lightly washed his hands and feet, and even washed his face once more.

Drying himself with a soft towel, he returned to his room, quickly changed into comfortable clothes, and then hurriedly logged into <Arcana Chronicles>.

***

(Flashback)

“That was the day I first arrived in Balona.”

Did you know that the appearance of buildings and the clothes people wear are slightly different in each kingdom?

Of course, that also applies to the food they eat and the plants that bloom on the streets.

Seeing such things is the reason I travel.

So, as a natural course of action, I looked around the streets of Balona.

The weather was nice, and it also happened to be a festival period.

The colorful garlands decorating the space between the buildings were pretty, and the flowers that only bloomed in the Batols Kingdom were very lovely.

The people on the streets all had smiles blooming on their faces.

Near the fountain, the sound of instruments played by bards echoed throughout the entire city of Balona.

It was a day when people danced, and children weren’t scolded for drawing on the pavement.

So I joined in and drew with them.

It was when I was kneeling on the ground, playing with colorful crayons with the children.

Meow.

It was very faint, buried in the noise of the people, but at that cute sound, I stopped drawing and headed to where the sound was coming from.

Ah, of course, I didn’t forget to say goodbye to the disappointed children.

And what was at the place where the sound came from, you ask?

A very cute cat was sitting on a wooden barrel!

Oh, my goodness!

That cat was truly lovely.

I unknowingly slapped both my cheeks with both hands.

Of course, all I felt was the cold touch of the mask.

Ah, don’t be surprised.

It’s a habit I have to calm myself down when I see something I really like.

That cat was really easy to distinguish from other cats.

It was a mackerel tabby with a heart-shaped pattern on its left butt!

It was so cute that I named it [Teri].

After that, I followed it around, and it turns out that cat has a lot of names, you know?

The fish store owner called it ‘Piggy’, and the bakery lady called it ‘Nabi’.

The neighborhood kids just called it ‘Cat’, and the flower shop grandma called it ‘Natasha’.

I found out later that Teri always passes by the same place at the same time and goes to a designated place.

Where, you ask?

Right here!

Of course, I didn’t find this place right away.

I lost Teri on the first day, and then I happened to meet it again on the second day.

I followed it again.

With cat treats in my hand.

But Teri didn’t seem interested in the treats in my hand and just glanced at me before starting to walk again.

I was disappointed, but I didn’t give up and followed it.

You never know if it might get hungry on the way, right?

Teri had many places to go.

There were many people who knew Teri too.

Everyone liked that cat.

Cats are so lovely, you know!

Of course, I like dogs too.

Actually, I like all animals!

The bakery lady, who saw me following the cat around, gave me some bread to cheer me up.

It was very delicious!

What was it, you ask?

It was a pastry with blueberries and cream cheese.

A combination that couldn’t possibly be not delicious.

I’ll buy it for you later!

I followed Teri through several alleys, walked through the gaps between houses, and carefully jumped over flowerbeds, walking through the maze-like city.

And as I did, I got further and further away from the city center.

So far away that I couldn’t hear the voices of the people, only the pitter-patter of the cat’s paws.

The place I arrived at was a site that used to be a village, where no one lived.

It would be fine to say it was abandoned.

I asked Teri like this.

“Why did you come here?”

Teri cried as if in response.

Meow! Meow!

This street was all old, the traces of people were faint, and it was quite far from where other people lived.

It was also close to the city walls and the forest behind them.

How far?

So far that even the sound of music that echoed throughout the city and the cheers of the people couldn’t be heard here.

Teri lay down on its stomach in front of it, as if this was its destination.

I got a little curious and knocked on the doors of several houses.

“Is anyone there?”

“Is anyone here~?”

“Excuse me~!”

“Is anyone home~!”

Saying things like that.

Is there really no one here?

I went around from house to house and checked.

Most of the doors were open, and the windows on the outside were broken, but when I looked through the windows, there was nothing inside.

It was old everywhere, covered in moss, and moldy.

Mushrooms were growing, and some places had completely collapsed.

This was that kind of place.

Still, I thought, just in case.

So I went out to the street again and asked the people I had gotten to know.

Then they told me.

That no one lived there, and that it had been abandoned and neglected for over a century.

They said it was a place where no one lived.

Meow.

“Why do you go there? Huh? Tell me.”

Then why does Teri go to a place like that?

I was curious.

Of course, at first, I thought it might be a coincidence, but it wasn’t.

I followed Teri for several days after that.

That’s how I found out that Teri kept going around in the same place.

Teri was trying to come here.

So I couldn’t help but be curious.

Teri would only familiarly accept treats right in front of this place.

I wondered if I hadn’t found it, so I looked more closely.

Then I found a door that I really hadn’t found!

Teri gave me a hint, but I found it late.

I petted Teri once and then approached the place.

Does someone live here?

I wondered, so I knocked on the door.

But like the other houses, the door was open.

The old wooden door made a creepy ‘creak’ sound.

And it was very dark inside.

No light came in at all.

Unlike the other houses, there were no windows on the outside either.

Having no choice, I took out a lamp.

Sally… you haven’t met her yet, have you?

I’ll show you her later too.

I put her on my shoulder and entered the house.