Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Now, it’s freedom for Yeon-oh!

It was a moment that brought to mind a line from a fantasy movie.

The house expanded in an instant, and it was quiet now.

“Ah….”

Now, I am free!

Truly free!

Even though I’m comfortably wearing pajamas at home, the feeling that it was just like having full makeup on has completely disappeared now.

No need to be careful about farting, laugh freely, and roll around as much as you want.

There is no longer anything that confines me to my room.

I walked to my room with a big smile. Now, it truly felt like independence.

The steps to the room were very light. It was so good that even a hum escaped from my nose.

“First, let’s check the phone.”

If I could use my phone as I expected, I could take tons of pictures of Arvani. Or maybe record a video and upload it somewhere.

Who’s going to stop me from showing off my child?

‘Oh, but does the data work even inside the gate?’

Inside the gate, there are no base stations, so isn’t it strange for data to work?

With these questions in mind, I opened the door. And I picked up the phone from the drawer next to the bed.

Fortunately, thanks to being plugged into the charger, the screen turned on immediately.

And in my eyes, a system window appeared.

[iX

? Available inside the gate.

? To use data inside the gate, you need to infuse 20 mana into your phone every month.

? Calls and texts are possible inside the gate.]

That’s the brief content of the system window. After reading it, I lowered my fist with satisfaction. The explanation was very nice, and though the data had conditions, the fact that I could use it was quite satisfying.

“Well, let’s check out some world news for now.”

I carefully lay down on the bed to avoid the peacefully sleeping Arvani. Then, I placed my palm on the phone and slowly infused mana. A red gauge bar appeared on the phone, and as the red column slowly rose, filling the gauge bar, the phone emitted light and the screen turned on.

After filling the gauge bar, contacts that I hadn’t checked for almost a day began to appear. First, the calls.

“…Insurance, loans, that’s it.”

If someone asks why there were no calls from work, there is a reason. I took two days off to move. So, today was officially a vacation. 

In a way, taking leave on a day legally available for personal disasters or similar situations was like taking leave on a day when I could legally be absent. It was a bit regrettable, but it had already happened, and thinking about the stress during the paperwork, I didn’t know if it was a wiser choice.

And then, KakaoTalk.

“KakaoTalk, well, it’s just games, pages, and various subscriptions.”

Did I live my life in vain…?

Still, I thought there would be at least one contact, but there was nothing. It was slightly disappointing, to the point where tears welled up. 

I remembered a variety show where they confiscated a phone for a day, and the next day, there was a time to check what messages came in. I felt somewhat lonely and pathetic, just like a celebrity who didn’t receive any messages during that time.

Yeah, but I’m alone. I don’t have anyone to call family.

So, I’m okay. Yeah, I’m okay.

Comforting myself, I eventually put down the phone and rested my head on Arvani’s back. It wasn’t that I was about to cry or anything; I just felt a bit melancholic.

“Why am I lonely…?”

Was it because I was surrounded by people and then suddenly disappeared? It was a moment when I felt a bit unjust. Still, instead of feeling sad and sentimental about Arvani, who was peacefully sleeping despite my glowing presence, I quickly opened the camera app and took several pictures of Arvani.

The small head with a bluish hue, or rather close to sky blue, was really, truly cute. It was so cute that words couldn’t describe it—just a feeling of regret.

I went through the already turned-on phone, checking once again if there were any new messages.

“Hmm? A text message?”

And it was a text that had just arrived. It was unexpected because there hadn’t been any messages when I checked earlier. This meant it was probably from those people I gave my number to.

With a slightly expectant look, I selected the message and checked it.

The first message turned out to be surprisingly from Jung Tae-il as if he had sent it right after he left.

[I’ll treat you next time. Thanks for helping, and I appreciate you letting me stay. Jung Tae-il.]

It was a typical Jung Tae-il message.

“He seems grateful to me.”

I raised the corners of my mouth a little and nodded slightly. Apart from the fact that Jung Tae-il speaks informally, what should I say?

“I guess I could say he has some basic manners.”

Or should I express that my attention is drawn to him? It was a bit ambiguous.

Not as flashy, beautiful, or cute as Han Seung-hoo, but there was something nice about Jung Tae-il’s thoughtfulness within his roughness.

I could understand why people liked high-ranking officials in the northern territories or directors of large companies.

And then, the next message came.

[Sister, it’s Han Seung-hoo. If you come to our guild next time, I’ll prepare a good weapon for you. Or I’ll get you a mana stone. Thank you so much for everything. See you next time.]

It was a younger guild member’s message, attempting to tempt me with material things. Of course, the fact that I was slightly tempted was the problem.

“Even my stats have gone up, and I need to have my level reassessed… that means I need to change my weapon too.”

Naturally, using a weapon that matches your level is the most efficient and effective. It was better than using a weapon that didn’t match your level and shattering it for no reason. 

In a world where it was already difficult to acquire weapons, how could I refuse something given to me for free? So, I immediately replied.

[Yeah, Seung-hoo. I’ll contact you when I’m around that area.]

Satisfied with my response, another message arrived.

Just by looking at the first letter, I knew it was from Kang Yoon-soo. At a glance, it started with ‘Hello’ and ended with ‘I’ll be waiting.’ Among them, it was undoubtedly Kang Yoon-soo who sent it.

And my guess was correct.

[Hello, Miss Yeon-oh. I’m leaving this message. Since I promised to treat you, please contact me when you come out of the gate. I’ll treat you so well that you won’t be able to close your mouth. I’ll be waiting for your call, Miss Yeon-oh.]

It was a text containing Kang Yoon-soo’s subtle playfulness.

I looked at it for a moment, closed my lips, and returned to the home screen. I decided to reply to Jung Tae-il and Kang Yoon-soo later and opened Naver to check Hunter-related articles. However, that’s when a text came to me.

[Miss Seo Yeon-oh, are you satisfied with your new house? I picked and chose a place that suited Miss Seo Yeon-oh. If there’s any dissatisfaction, please contact me. I hope you have a satisfying independent life.]

As soon as I read the message, I sat up from the bed. Arvani, startled by the movement, jerked his body, trembling. I comforted Arvani’s back while reading the message again. I knew who sent this message. It was even someone saved in my contacts.

“Yeah, this person is… a real estate agent in X!”

The real estate agent who sold me the house! He sent me this message.

“That darn real estate agent!”

I read the message again. 

Well, a satisfying independent life? Hey, come out here. Try living in a house that’s fallen into the gate. Hey, was he messing with me? 

My hands were trembling. It was a reaction that I couldn’t control due to the effect of the pills I had taken. 

Phew… 

As I blushed and breathed heavily, Arvani, who had been relaxing under my touch, suddenly jumped up in surprise. Then, he pressed his head against my stomach, probably an action to calm me down.

“Hah, cute…”

It’s said that people feel a sense of mental stability when they see something cute, even if it initially makes them angry. It seemed to be true. My anger toward the real estate agent diminished with Arvani’s adorable behavior, and I found myself wanting to destroy the world because of Arvani’s cuteness.

I slipped my hand under Arvani’s arm and lifted him to my face. Then, I kissed Arvani on his wriggling face.

“Gya! Kkuu!”

Arvani made a noise as if he enjoyed it too. That sound, to some extent, helped calm me down. I lay on the bed with Arvani, his chubby belly right above my face. It was so cute that I kept that posture for a while.

Eventually, realizing that I couldn’t delay it any longer, I moved Arvani onto my stomach, turned on the phone again, and checked the messages.

“Phew, let’s check again.”

Yeah, first, calm down. If we were to blame anyone for this situation, it was the system that planned everything. Then the government. After that, the real estate agent. Why do I think this way?

Because Kang Yoon-soo said something to me.

“I informed the government in advance that there would be a gate under this house. Still, they didn’t stop the sale of this house. In the end, it was sold to Miss Yeon-oh.”

So I found out. The government was also responsible for this ridiculous situation.

‘I worked hard without knowing any of this, even took days off.’

Damn it!