Under Creature Chapter 13.1

The next day, Yigeom met Kang Taeha for the first time in a while.

He smiled brightly and mumbled.

“Yoon Yigeom, why does it feel like it’s been so long since we last met?”

“Meeting after three weeks is a long time.”

Seo Doa still showed no signs of contacting him and hadn’t yet returned to the Latter office.

He understood her situation, but with one person missing from an already small team, the remaining people became ridiculously busy. It was enough to make him painfully realize just how much work Seo Doa had been doing.

I didn’t know it was spring until the flowers had withered, really…

He resolved to treat Seo Doa better from now on as he walked with Kang Taeha.

“Yigeom, did you sign up for any of the sports day events?”

“Huh? Not yet.”

At Kang Taeha’s question, Yigeom checked the date. Come to think of it, it was almost sports day season.

“What are you doing?”

“Basketball.”

Hearing Kang Taeha, Yigeom thought he might as well do basketball too and checked the department group chat. But unfortunately, the basketball team was already full.

‘Then I should pick something that involves the least amount of sweat….’

However, befitting a sports day, there were no events that didn’t involve sweating.

“The guys are telling you to do soccer.”

“What?”

Soccer? Where you have to run around in that scorching sun?

“Absolutely not….”

“That’s the only event left. You should’ve checked sooner.”

“……”

Saying he didn’t have time to check his messages because he’d been busy would probably sound like an excuse.

Yigeom had no choice but to accept reality, deciding he would just half-heartedly run around on the sidelines.

“And they’re saying to come next week for a practice match.”

“Next week? When?”

“In the evening, after class.”

Yigeom didn’t answer and scrolled through the messages in the department group chat. He hadn’t checked it in a while, so over 300 messages had piled up.

‘It’s usually so quiet.’

The chat room always blew up like this whenever there was a big event like sports day or a festival.

As he read through them one by one, he got a rough idea of the situation Kang Taeha was describing. Since he hadn’t replied, he had been practically forced into a starting position in soccer. Even if no one else was participating, they had to pick me….

‘This is all my karma.’

They were even holding a practice match, calling it training for the starters.

‘Why are they so serious about a sports day?’

They must all be blinded by the prize money. It’s not like that chump change amounts to much. Besides, could the business administration department even win? It would be a relief if we didn’t get eliminated in the preliminaries.

Yigeom, critically evaluating his own department, pointed to the building across the street.

“Kang Taeha. Let’s stop by that cafe over there.”

It seemed summer was just around the corner, as it felt muggy just being outside. It wasn’t even that hot, but he fanned himself with his hand out of embarrassment as he entered the cafe.

“Oh? Yigeom-ssi?”

“…Should we go to a different cafe.”

This is strange. Why is Noh Jeonggyu here?

Yigeom was about to leave just as he had opened the door, but his feet were rooted to the spot.

“Yigeom-ssi! What brings you here?”

“Just hanging out with a friend. What about you, Noh Jeonggyu-ssi?”

“What do you mean, what about me! Our company is near here!”

Was Yeho around here….

“Gyeom-ah, who is this?”

Kang Taeha asked Yigeom, looking at Noh Jeonggyu.

“Ah, haven’t you met him before? A work collea…gue is not quite right, just someone I happen to know.”

He had run into Noh Jeonggyu before when he had tagged along with Kang Taeha to a cafe for his group project.

“Hmm, I think I remember. Hello.”

“Yes, hello! I’m Noh Jeonggyu.”

Just like before, Noh Jeonggyu introduced himself, but Kang Taeha didn’t say his name.

‘He’s surprisingly shy around strangers.’

“Yigeom-ssi. I’m busy with work, so I have to get going now. Have fun!”

Noh Jeonggyu quickly left after the simple introductions. It seemed he really was busy, as his coffee was in a takeout cup.

Yigeom gave him a brief wave goodbye and then called to Kang Taeha.

“Kang Taeha, what do you want to drink? Americano?”

“Yeah, I’ll get it.”

“It’s fine. Just grab a seat and wait.”

After quickly paying, Yigeom waited in front of the counter, playing on his phone until the drinks were ready.

And then, the text he had been waiting for finally arrived.

Oppa, are you free tomorrow?

The next morning, Yigeom arrived at the cafe first and even ordered Seo Doa’s favorite brown sugar bubble tea while he waited.

Tinkle.

The door opened with the sound of a bell, and Seo Doa walked in. Her face was already deathly pale, as if someone were chasing her.

It seemed she was still confused by her recovered memories.

‘She’s lost so much weight.’

“Drink.”

The moment Seo Doa sat down, Yigeom pushed the drink toward her.

“……”

Seo Doa silently drank her drink, then started fiddling with the straw wrapper.

“Have you sorted out your thoughts?”

“Not yet.”

‘I told you to contact me when you’d sorted out your thoughts.’

Still, Yigeom couldn’t back down today.

He wanted to somehow coax and soothe Seo Doa to find out the truth about his parents’ death. The feeling of dying from the stress of waiting perfectly described his current state.

He had asked Kim Hyungkyu again to let him know if A came to the Vigilante Corps, but there had been no news at all, and the only clue was with Seo Doa.

Yigeom waited patiently for minutes, even tens of minutes, for Seo Doa to open her mouth.

He had waited for days; what were a few more minutes?

“Oppa, I…”

After what felt like a long time, Seo Doa finally spoke.

She confessed everything without leaving out a single detail: about the man who called himself Seo Dohyun’s colleague picking her up on her way home from school, about going to an ice cream shop together, about meeting a kind couple there.

“So you’re saying.”

“Yes, it’s because of me. That your parents passed away.”

“……”

Hearing the whole truth was a bit of a shock for Yigeom. Of course, it would have been strange not to be flustered.

For a moment, he even had such thoughts.

Why did Seo Doa have to ask his parents for help, of all people? Why were his parents at the ice cream shop at that time? And why, why did they have to pursue something they could have just let go of, only to meet such a fate?

The version of himself who had swaggered, telling her to explain why she was sorry using the five Ws and one H once she’d sorted her thoughts, and that he would forgive her no matter what, was nowhere to be found.

He was simply lost in silence, endlessly mulling over Seo Doa’s words, tracing his parents’ final moments.

How must they have felt when a young girl tearfully asked them for help? And then, what was it like to see the back of the child as she disappeared, holding the hand of a suspicious person, saying it was nothing? Why, why did they have to follow them when they could have just reported it to the police and been done with it, only to be murdered in a staged car accident?

He was lost in a distant reverie.

“I didn’t tell you this to ask for forgiveness. I just felt like you had to know, so I gathered my courage and said it. If you don’t want to see my face, I won’t show up again. So….”

“……”

“I’ll be going now. Thank you for the drink.”

Even seeing Seo Doa leave after taking only a single sip of her drink, Yigeom couldn’t stop her. His vision went dark.

Then, Seo Doa approached again, fidgeted, and said one last thing before she left.

“Still, they were my saviors. If I get the chance later, I’d like to visit their graves. Of course, only if you allow it, Oppa. I’ll really be going now.”

“……”

Yigeom remained seated for a long time even after Seo Doa had left.

Where did this filthy feeling come from, and who did he have to blame to feel better… It was truly, truly bewildering.

On the way home, he walked while wiping at the corners of his eyes.

Where on earth did his parents get the courage to follow a suspicious person? Besides, it would be a different story if they had actually saved Seo Doa, but all that happened was they got into an accident while chasing her.

The ones who actually saved Seo Doa were A and Seo Dohyun.

It was a death with no gain. They didn’t even get to be heroes. Why such a futile death?

Then his thoughts shifted back to lamenting, why did Seo Doa have to ask his parents for help?

He thought he had forgotten everything about his parents, but seeing how tormented he was now, it seemed that wasn’t the case. At times like this, he resented his good memory.

He arrived home before he knew it, but nothing registered in his eyes.

When you think about it, neither his parents, nor Seo Doa, nor Cha Jewoo were at fault. They were just the unfortunate victims of April 5th, but their tangled fates made him resent everyone.

With no outlet for his emotions, he just blamed someone and then another, and in the end, he only hated himself for being able to do nothing more.

Like that, he stayed up for two full days, not answering any calls.

🦅࿐

Mr. A is here today. Would you like to meet him?

“……”

At the message from Kim Hyungkyu, he barely managed to lift his heavy body. Not wanting to reveal his gloom, he grabbed a hat and mask and headed straight for the Vigilante Corps.

For the past two days, he had been thinking constantly.

Did his parents really not contribute to solving the case? Was it just a worthless death?

He absolutely refused to admit that. Even if it was just for his own satisfaction, he wanted to somehow connect it to the case and prove that their deaths were not in vain.

When he went looking for A for that purpose, A was coincidentally waiting for him.

[I heard you were looking for me.]

“Yes, there’s something I need to confirm.”

A tilted his head. His eyes seemed to ask what he needed to confirm, so Yigeom got straight to the point.

“On April 5th, 20**, my parents passed away.”

“……”

“They were murdered by a Blood Hunter.”

Yigeom looked straight at A. His eyes were red from crying all day.

“I want the files related to that day, that day.”

“……”

“I need to know everything about how my parents died.”

A stared at Yigeom for a moment before turning his back, as if telling him to follow.

Yigeom, of course, followed A, and the place they arrived at was A’s office, located in the furthest corner of the Vigilante Corps. Here too, as many documents as the records room were lined up on the bookshelves.

As Yigeom habitually rubbed his dry eyes and sat in a chair, A gathered all the files related to that day and placed them on the desk. Without a moment’s hesitation, Yigeom pulled them toward him and began to read them carefully.

April 5th,

Around 12:00….

Around 13:00….

All the way to the time the case was closed.

Despite his good memory, he read and reread it over and over again, like someone who couldn’t make out the words.

Even after several hours had passed since Yigeom sat down and started reading the files, A maintained his formal posture and waited for him.

“Huu….”

He desperately rubbed his eyes with his sleeve to keep the uncontrollably welling tears from falling as he read.

Reading this, he could tell.

A had indeed hidden the files. A person who went around hiding his face and voice wouldn’t carelessly leave traces of his actions.

In the records room accessible to all members of the Vigilante Corps, all records about A had been deleted, and only those who had reached the rank of the past Bae Sangwoo or the current Kim Hyungkyu could read the case reports where A’s records were minimized.

And in A’s office, it was full of his traces.

On April 5th, besides what Seo Doa had said, he could read various reports about a third party tracking them. Reading them, it felt like some of the tightness in his chest was finally loosening.

“I’ve read it well.”

Yigeom gave a deep bow and left the Vigilante Corps without looking back.

He was heading home alone to sort out his thoughts when he saw a familiar car and got into the passenger seat without a second thought.

“Did you cry?”

Seo Dohyun reached out and wiped Yigeom’s eyes. Ignoring the cool sensation on his face, he asked.

“Why are you here?”

“Because I missed you.”

“How did you get here?”

Seo Dohyun smiled nonsensically and leaned his head sideways against the steering wheel.

“Because I was worried. I heard you were here.”

Yigeom raised an arm to cover his eyes. It seemed Kim Hyungkyu had told him his location. Soon, he mumbled in a choked voice.

“Did you hear from Seo Doa?”

“Yeah. Everything.”

So he knew everything.

Yigeom held back a sob and said.

“About my parents.”

“Yeah.”

“They didn’t die a meaningless death.”

“I know.”

“What do you know.”

The words came out unnecessarily harsh, but Seo Dohyun didn’t get angry and calmly soothed him.

“Sorry, then will you tell me? I’ll listen carefully.”

“…You’ve gotten a little better at comforting people.”

“You think so?”

When he found out Jooseungtae was a Blood Hunter, he’d bluntly said he wouldn’t be friends with someone like me, but now he knew how to listen to what people had to say.

Yigeom sniffled and continued.

“After my parents were murdered on the roadside, A apparently used that to track Delo’s location.”

“I see.”

“Yeah, if my parents hadn’t followed Seo Doa…. No.”

He stopped talking, realizing this wasn’t something to say in front of Seo Dohyun.

“Thank you.”

Seo Dohyun said, out of the blue.

“What?”

“Thank you. For protecting my little sister.”

It was sudden, but to Yigeom, those words were better than an apology.

His parents had done a good thing. They had died an unfortunate death while trying to do a good thing.

Since it was a result his parents chose for Seo Doa’s sake, it wasn’t something to be pitied by others, nor was it something for Seo Doa to feel sorry about.

They tried to save Seo Doa, they didn’t die to burden her with guilt.

That’s why Seo Dohyun’s words of thanks were so precious to Yigeom.

It was as if Seo Dohyun was telling him that what he truly wanted to hear wasn’t an apology or pity, but that single phrase, a word of gratitude: thank you.

Yigeom returned to his studio apartment in Seo Dohyun’s car.

Funnily enough, being with Seo Dohyun calmed his heart more than when he had spent two days trying to sort his thoughts alone. Perhaps it meant that when things are tough, having someone by your side is more reassuring than being alone, but the fact that this person was Seo Dohyun was also quite amusing.

Yigeom massaged his swollen eyes from all the crying with his cold hands and mumbled.

“Actually, it’s strange for me to be angry at you guys.”

“It’s okay to be angry.”

A small laugh escaped at those words.

“How do you know how I’ll get angry.”

“Are you going to hit me?”

“What if I do?”

“Then I’ll have to take it.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Yigeom finally burst out laughing.

In truth, even if his parents’ death hadn’t helped the case at all, Yigeom would still be proud of them. It was proof that they were more righteous than anyone, even if no one else knew, so he would carry it in his heart for the rest of his life.

Still, hearing that it really did help was good in its own way.

There were thoughts that had often come to him during that time.

His parents had saved Seo Dohyun’s sister, Seo Doa, and Bae Sangwoo, who was like a parent to the Seo siblings, had saved him. And Seo Dohyun had saved Cha Jewoo from a dark environment.

Everyone was saved, and everyone was a victim.

It was ridiculous that the word ‘resentment’ even existed between them.

“Seo Dohyun.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m thankful too.”

He curled the corner of his lips into a slight smile.

“For what?”

“Just. Something.”

Yigeom answered vaguely out of embarrassment, but Seo Dohyun’s face was already full of mischief, showing no signs of backing down.

“Huh? Gyeom-ah, what are you thankful for?”

“Ah, there’s something.”

“You say you’re thankful to me, but you won’t say what for.”

“Th-that….”

Yigeom’s eyes darted around before he whispered in a voice as small as an ant.

“Thank you, for what you did for Sangwoo uncle.”

He had been too busy suffering from guilt over Bae Sangwoo’s death. That probably wasn’t what Bae Sangwoo wanted to hear. A thought suddenly struck him that perhaps he, like Yigeom now, had wanted to hear a ‘thank you’.

And the one who had comforted him while he was suffering from that guilt was Seo Dohyun. Even though he must have been having a hard time too.

He didn’t realize it then, but now that he’d experienced it himself, he understood.

‘I should have been the one to die, not uncle, that would’ve been right. If only I…’

‘Yoon Yigeom! I was the one who chose you.’

He realized that Seo Dohyun choosing Bae Sangwoo’s death over his own was a fallacy.

In that situation, there was no choice to be made. It was just that Bae Sangwoo had courage, and he did not.

The world is so unfair, so cruel to the brave.

That is why we must honor their deaths. We must never forget our gratitude and live our lives to the fullest, for their sakes as well.

Therefore, just as Seo Dohyun had thanked him for his parents’ actions, he was now simply thanking him. That was all.

“Seo Dohyun, what is Seo Doa doing now?”

“She’s at home.”

“I need to see her now.”

Once he came to his senses, the thought that he had to see Seo Doa right away dominated his mind.

Just like Seo Dohyun had comforted him when he was drowning in self-blame over Bae Sangwoo’s death, it was now his turn to take on that role.

🦅࿐

Seo Doa was solving math problems in her room when she let her pencil roll across her desk. She had no motivation for anything; she was bored and depressed.

Then, feeling that even those emotions were a luxury for her, she would pick up her pencil again, only to fall back into depression and self-blame. It was an endless cycle.

Knock, knock.

She heard the front door open and Seo Dohyun come in, but she wondered why he was knocking, something he never usually did.

“Come in.”

As soon as permission was granted, the door swung open. Doa’s eyes widened at the person who appeared before her.

“Gyeom-oppa!?”

“Is now a good time? I’m coming in.”

“Yes…. Yes.”

Yigeom trudged over and sat on the edge of the bed.

Seo Doa hesitated and asked in a small voice.

“…How did you get here?”

“In Seo Dohyun’s car.”

“That’s not what I meant….”

“I came to see you. To talk to you.”

“……”

She clamped her mouth shut at his words, but Yigeom paid it no mind and started talking.

“It would be a lie to say I didn’t resent you.”

“…I’m sorry….”

“That’s not what I want to hear.”

Seo Doa kept her head bowed low and listened quietly to Yigeom.

“I kept thinking about it, and I wondered, what’s the point of it all.”

“……”

“It wasn’t your fault in the first place. Why are you sorry to me?”

“…Still!”

“You’ve been in touch with Cha Jewoo, I hear?”

At that question, Seo Doa mumbled.

“I didn’t tell Cha Jewoo that I got my memory back. His parents were involved in that too, and I was afraid he’d feel unnecessarily guilty. I only told my brother and you, Oppa.”

“My brother and you, Oppa?”

“My… my brother, and Gyeom-oppa.”

Seeing Seo Doa get all flustered after uttering just one sentence made all the moments Yigeom had spent worrying and agonizing feel futile. He thought that maybe it would have been better to have a more frank conversation right then and there, rather than giving each other time to think.

Then they wouldn’t have had to go through all this to reconcile.

“Right. So you only told me and Seo Dohyun? Why didn’t you tell Cha Jewoo?”

“It’s not Cha Jewoo’s fault. If anything…”

In her recovered memories, the young Cha Jewoo had been busy trying to comfort her. How could a kid like that be at fault?

“It’s not your fault either.”

“What?”

“I said it’s not your fault either, Seo Doa. What happened to my parents.”

“No, if I hadn’t asked for help, then that wouldn’t have….”

Yigeom smiled, looking relieved.

“Why is that wrong? For a little kid, you handled the situation brilliantly.”

“…I did?”

“Of course, if a kid is in danger, they should ask a nearby adult for help.”

“……”

Doa was silent for a long moment. Then, tears began to fall, one or two drops at a time, wetting her pants.

“Oppa… hic, you don’t hate me?”

“I can’t hate you if you’ve done nothing wrong.”

Yigeom took something out of his pocket. It was the silver pin Bae Sangwoo had given him as he died.

“Do you remember this?”

“Yes, Sangwoo uncle gave it to you. Back then….”

Rolling the silver pin in his palm, Yigeom murmured.

“Back then, I wondered why uncle gave me this.”

“hic, sniff…. Why?”

“uncle must have known he was about to die… um, that his heart would stop, but in the time that wasn’t even enough for last words, he gave me something like this….”

“That’s….”

Now, he felt like he finally understood Bae Sangwoo’s intentions.

“Because a fool like me wouldn’t understand no matter how many times he said it.”

He must have known that no matter how many times he said, ‘It’s not your fault that I’m dying,’ I wouldn’t get it and would just bury myself in guilt, so he showed me with his actions rather than words.

As if to say that even in the moment of death, handing this insignificant thing to you was more important. That my death is nothing, it’s not your fault, and I don’t blame you, so you shouldn’t blame yourself either.

Now, this silver pin had lost its efficacy for him.

“Seo Doa, I’m giving this to you.”

“What? But that’s the last thing uncle gave you, Oppa….”

“I’m done using it. I think you need it now.”

Doa dazedly accepted the silver pin and observed it, turning it over and over.

This pin was a creature blood detector, usually used by dipping it into something before drinking. In other words, it was like a spoon or chopsticks.

“…The one you used?”

Seo Doa asked hesitantly. Her expression was full of disbelief that he would give her not just any object, but one he used almost daily and that might have his saliva on it.

“It’s not dirty. I didn’t use it in that sense.”

“Then in what… sense….”

Seo Doa’s pupils trembled minutely.

“Hey! You just had a weird thought, didn’t you!”

“Ah, ahh. No. Not really, but….”

“Huu, I didn’t do anything with it, so rest assured and take it.”

Wondering if it had a function she didn’t know about, Seo Doa carefully examined the plain silver pin engraved with Yoon Yigeom’s name, then glanced sideways at Yigeom, her eyes meeting his.

“…I don’t really get it. Why you’re giving this to me.”

“Then figure it out from now on. Why I gave it to you.”

At this unexpected homework, Seo Doa made a sullen face, and Yigeom gave a faint smile.

“Are you feeling a bit better now?”

“…You really don’t hate me?”

“You want me to hate you?”

“No….”

Doa quickly shook her head. Yigeom stood up, feeling refreshed, and stretched.

“Right, let’s have a company dinner today. To celebrate our reconciliation.”

“A company dinner?”

“Yeah. Let’s call everyone.”

Then, saying he was done talking, he started to leave the room, then narrowed his eyes and glared at Seo Doa.

“And you, come to the office. With you gone, the work is piling up. Everyone’s about to die. Especially Cha Jewoo.”

“……”

“What are you staring blankly for? Hurry up and get ready to go.”

“Uh…. Yes!”

After hurriedly getting ready to go out, Seo Doa left her room and saw Seo Dohyun sitting in the living room, waiting for their conversation to end. He approached her warmly and asked.

“Did you two work things out?”

“Work what out…. We just had a little talk.”

“Right. You worked things out well through conversation.”

Yigeom suddenly looked at Seo Dohyun.

Seo Dohyun must have had just as many hardships as he or Seo Doa, but he never showed it and instead comforted him.

All of a sudden, he thought that he was quite amazing, and in a way, admirable.

Without realizing it, Yigeom awkwardly patted his shoulder.

“You’ve…, been through a lot, too.”

Seo Dohyun put on a surprised expression, then placed his hand over Yigeom’s and nodded quietly.

“Yeah.”

🦅࿐

“Seo Doa! Try this too!”

Cha Jewoo was particularly proactive today. And he certainly wasn’t the only one.

Namgoong Sanha, having also noticed that Seo Doa had been secretly suffering, took care of her by giving her various things, and Jin Geonwoo also diligently grilled the meat.

“Doa, this piece is cooked well.”

“No, please stop giving it to me and eat some yourself, Oppa. I’m full.”

Yigeom, sipping his water, said playfully.

“They’re being nice to you so you’ll come back to work starting tomorrow. Everyone had such a hard time while you were away from the office.”

“Oh, come on…. No, thanks.”

Despite her words, Seo Doa ate the meat with fighting spirit. It seemed her appetite had returned now that her energy was back after a long time. And the same went for Yigeom.

‘People really need to eat something to get their energy up.’

Now he felt like he could understand a little why Cha Jewoo had insisted so much on having a company dinner.

“Oh, right. The weather has warmed up lately, so should we go to the sea? A company MT!”

“Just say you want to go on a trip.”

Why use such a fancy name for no reason.

And they’d gone on trips so often, why another one?

Yigeom grumbled under his breath. Cha Jewoo must have heard him, as he exclaimed brightly.

“An incident happened every time we went somewhere. Let’s go on a real MT this time.”

“I don’t mind.”

Seo Doa mumbled in agreement. Seo Dohyun would go without complaint if the majority agreed, so he was a pass, and Yigeom looked at Namgoong Sanha and Jin Geonwoo. They both nodded without much resistance.

‘I just want to rest at home on my days off….’

Visions of all the annoying things that were bound to happen already flickered in his mind. Cha Jewoo, oblivious to Yigeom’s thoughts, searched for various MT locations and suggested them. He playfully reflected his phone screen on his water cup and asked.

“Gyeom hyung, I looked up some places near the sea, how about this one? The view is great, right?”

“It’s not bad.”

“Right? And hyung….”

Jewoo fiddled with his phone again and showed the screen to Yigeom. There was a circle marked on a map. The marked spot was not on land but in the middle of the blue sea.

“Why there?”

“A creature is appearing there in two weeks!”

“…What? From the bottom of the sea?”

Yigeom’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, there’s no rule that says they only have to appear on land. They sometimes show up in places like this.”

“Ah….”

Come to think of it, that was certainly true. It was strange to assume creatures only appeared on land in the first place.

“But why bring that up?”

“How about it? Should we apply for it?”

Jewoo asked Yigeom, his eyes sparkling. On land, each guild has its own management area, and in places beyond the guilds’ reach, the Association steps in to deal with the creatures.

However, creatures from the seabed appeared very rarely, and dividing the sea and assigning it to guilds would make the management areas excessively vast. Therefore, the Association recruited people to handle the underwater CA zones on a case-by-case basis.

“Creatures that spawn in the sea look different from the ones on land, so they sell for a bit more.”

‘They sell for more?’

What should I do…, Yigeom was pondering, when Doa’s sudden explanation made his mind lean heavily toward applying.

“We can go to the sea for fun, and kill a creature to earn some money on the side. Isn’t that great?”

“……”

“And there’s one more good thing about the deep sea!”

“What is it?”

Cha Jewoo, convinced that the trip was a sure thing if he could just persuade Yigeom, explained with all his heart.

“Hyung, your ability is water-related, right? Don’t you think your skills will improve if you fight in the deep sea? Or you might even discover something new! How about it?”

Gradually won over by Jewoo’s persuasion, Yigeom finally relented.

“…Whatever, alright, I’ll go. Fine, I’ll go.”

“Yes! Then I’ll book the lodging!”

“Go ahead.”

After finishing their boisterous meal, they all went out for a light walk together.

While walking alongside Seo Dohyun, Jewoo ran up and abruptly asked Yigeom.

“Gyeom hyung, hyung. Do you have a thousand won?”

“A thousand won?”

Yigeom fumbled with his wallet and took out five one-thousand-won bills.

“This is all I have.”

“I’ll give you five thousand won, so please exchange it for thousand-won bills!”

After quickly exchanging the money, Jewoo stood in front of a claw machine with Doa. Only then did Yigeom understand why he had asked to exchange money, and he slowly walked up behind them to watch.

“Cha Jewoo! There, that rabbit doll over there!”

“That one’s too far away. This one looks easier to grab.”

They were bickering and playing well.

“Got it, I got…! Ah, what the. Why is it so weak? Isn’t this a scam?”

Cha Jewoo grumbled, cursing the loose claw.

Like that, Cha Jewoo and Seo Doa took turns playing the claw machine, but they all failed. With one last try remaining, Yigeom squeezed in between them.

“Move. Let me try.”

“What? Hyung, it’s the last try.”

“I’ll get it for you. Seo Doa, you want that rabbit doll?”

“Yes! But are you good at the claw machine, Oppa?”

Truthfully, he had never tried it before. But if he said that, they would obviously all demand to do it themselves, so he kept his mouth shut and focused on the machine.

One by one, spectators gathered, and starting with Namgoong Sanha, Jin Geonwoo, Cha Jewoo, and Seo Doa all started giving advice.

“Gyeom-ah, in my opinion, it would be cheaper to buy that rabbit doll online than to win it. I just searched it up, and the price online is….”

“Yigeom. First, go straight and then turn left…. The claw machine is all about feeling!”

“Hyung, hyung! Just give up on the rabbit and get the one near the prize slot!”

“Oppa, if the rabbit is too hard, I’m okay with the sheep next to it. Just win something, anything.”

Everyone watched Yigeom’s attempt with one mind.

‘Ugh, so noisy.’

The enthusiastic response was so intense that he felt like he would become a traitor if he failed. And the result, of course, was failure.

“…This machine is a bit weird, is it broken?”

If it’s not my fault, it’s definitely someone else’s. To start shifting the blame to the machine, he mumbled while tapping on the innocent claw machine’s glass window, and Jewoo pouted.

“That was the last try….”

“No, the machine is.”

“Hyung, you’re not very good at this, are you.”

“……”

Yigeom had no choice but to take out his wallet and pull out the five-thousand-won bill he had received from Jewoo.

“I just have to win it this time….”

“Gyeom-ah, in my opinion, it would be cheaper to buy that rabbit doll online than to win it. I just searched it up, and the price online is….”

“Yigeom. First, go straight and then turn left…. The claw machine is all about feeling!”

“Hyung, hyung! Just give up on the rabbit and get the one near the prize slot!”

“Oppa, if the rabbit is too hard, I’m okay with the sheep next to it. Just win something, anything.”

When he suddenly came to his senses, he was standing in front of the claw machine.

“Ah, seriously, Seo Dohyun!”