Chapter 41 – Chain of Outrages (4)

We left the motel, and I walked with Sansuyu while we explored the nearby shops.

“I said to look for something suspicious, but the problem is knowing what to do.”
“Right.”

Sansuyu responded to my words with a blank expression.
Her emotions weren’t visible, but she was probably feeling frustrated as well.

Usually, newcomers to society feel the most despair when they’re given the task of finding their own work.
It would be great if tasks were clearly outlined. Oddly enough, people tend to desire flexibility and autonomy.
This was a fact I had learned while helping my uncle with his company’s work before entering college.

So how should we approach this situation?
Based on my experience, there are only two possible courses of action.

If the client paid me a significant fee, I would search for the job relentlessly and become a slave until they were satisfied.
But what if I wasn’t paid?

“Sansuyu?”
“Yes?”
“What do you want to eat?”

What’s the big deal?
We’re just having a good time.

* * * * *

Today, I decided to give Sansuyu a taste of heaven.
Of course, I had to convince her first.

Honestly, what could we possibly find here? Perhaps they anticipated that and separated us first.
When I brought it up with that nuance, Sansuyu seemed to contemplate it for a moment before reluctantly nodding her agreement.

The first place we visited was a chicken skewer restaurant.

Sansuyu looked around the eatery, which had a warm, bustling atmosphere, as if she had never been to such a place before. Then she glanced at the menu and decisively chose the item at the very bottom.

“I’ll have this.”
“This is really spicy, you know.”
“That’s fine; I like spicy.”

A nuclear bomb-level spiciness. She truly has a rare palate.
I opted for the safe choice of cheese-flavored skewers, and the shop owner handed over the finished chicken skewers with a friendly chuckle.

“Hehehe. You’ve got a real gem here; is she your girlfriend?”
“No, she’s not. We’re just friends.”

“You start as friends, then you end up sleeping together.”
“Hahaha.”

Casting a furtive glance at Sansuyu, she only tilted her head, seemingly unaware of the underlying meaning of the words. When I stepped out of the store, Sansuyu discreetly mentioned.

“By ‘you,’ you mean a lover, right?”
“Exactly.”
“Do friendships often develop into romantic relationships?”
“It could happen or not, you never know.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”

It implies that the course of human relationships is unpredictable. There is a reason why the cliché saying ‘yesterday’s enemy is today’s friend’ from boys’ comics is famous. In truth, there are few expressions that capture the essence of relationships as accurately as this one.

Take Azalea, for example. Wasn’t she the woman who once despised me with a murderous hatred, and now she consistently sends me a text message every three hours?

– *KakaoTalk!*

[Azalea: I just finished training. How about you?]

Just like that.

“Who is it?”

I tilted my phone to show Sansuyu the chat screen.

“Azalea.”

“Pingchang? Were you friends with her?”
“We’ve been friends for a while.”
“Really?”

Cornus bit into the chicken skewer, chewing thoughtfully and mumbling to herself.

“Then I should be friends with her too.”

Having more friends is always good. There would be more things to learn, and ambiguous emotions could be understood more clearly.

I looked at Cornus proudly. She gazed back at me with a puzzled expression and licked the corner of her mouth. Still, there was seasoning smeared on it. Anticipating this, I had already taken out a tissue from the store and wiped the seasoning off for her.

“…?”
“Stay still.”

Cornus furrowed her brow and hesitated, but upon realizing my action was well-intentioned, she allowed me to clean her face. As I pressed and wiped, I could feel the soft texture of her skin through the tissue. Her face was flawless.

Suddenly, Cornus’ expression turned sour.

“…Spicy.”

Of course, it was a nuclear bomb of spice.

Sansuyu wiped away her tears and devoured all the chicken skewers right there.

“What do they taste like?”

With her eyes rimmed red, Sansuyu asked me while sobbing. Without giving it much thought, I offered her a chicken skewer, and Sansuyu took a bite without hesitation. The distinctive, slightly tangy taste of cheese – it was oddly addictive.

“Hmm, not bad.”

Sansuyu sniffled and praised the taste. I handed her a tissue, and she took it, blowing her nose refreshingly.

As we walked a bit further, I noticed a familiar silhouette. The snow-white hair could only belong to White Peach. However, today she was dressed in plain clothes.

“Ah.”

We both spoke almost simultaneously. White Peach held three chicken skewers in her hand.

“What are you doing there, Master?”

“What about you? Not working?”

“What time is it now? It’s 2 o’clock. When did our Master ever fill our bellies? So, I filled mine a bit. And here you are, Master, not working and holding three chicken skewers.”

At my words, White Peach blushed and slyly hid the plastic bag that was hanging on her wrist. The plastic bag read ‘Four-Flavor Snacks’.

“You really have a way with words, just like a dog. I just ate, too. The work will be done by the old Seompy anyway.”
“Is that so?”

I stealthily checked the chicken skewers she was holding.
Cheese. Teriyaki. She knows her stuff.
If she hadn’t liked Dakbok, she would have been a great gourmet friend.

“Are you into cheese as well?”
“Yes.”
“…You know the taste of Mulbok.”

White Peach seemed to have the same thought.

“It’s time to hand over your turn, so if you have something to say, say it now.”
“Turn?”
“Today is Zodiac’s time.”
“Aha. I don’t really have anything to say. Will Zodiac work as well?”

“That’s true. Zodiac possesses superior magical talent. It’s only right that she handles the search.”

With that said, White Peach entered the alley next to them. Soon, a popping sound filled the air, and Zodiac emerged from the alley with a beaming smile and a chicken skewer in her mouth.

“Frostbite!”

As soon as she saw me, Zodiac, who had already eaten half of the chicken skewer, spread her arms wide and ran towards me.

“Sister!”

Her enthusiasm warmed my heart, and I hugged her on the spot. The pressure against my chest felt comforting.

“Have you been well, my dear Frostbite?”
“What do you mean? It hasn’t been that long since we last met.”
“I feel like I’d be sad if I didn’t see you for even a single day!”

What a sweet thing to say. I tightened my embrace. Zodiac, held firmly, giggled before bringing her lips to my ear.

“…I even saw her naked.”

– Startled!

I took a small step back. Zodiac playfully poked her cheek with her hand and tilted her head.

“Hehe.”

‘This tree. It’s so tempting.’

Such an alluring tree indeed.

“I wish we could be together, but I can’t. I have so much to do… Zodiac, we have to work together today, is that alright?”
“Ah, of course it’s fine.”
“Really?”

Zodiac smiled brightly and handed me a delectably sweet chicken skewer, the kind that young children adore.

“Eat this! Hehe. It’s from your sister.”

As I smiled and accepted the chicken skewer from her charming gesture, smoke suddenly rose from Zodiac’s body.

-Poof!-

“What are you doing?”

The hand holding the sweet chicken skewer abruptly stiffened like wood. An awe-inspiring voice that felt alive sent shivers down my spine.

“Heaven?”
“Let go.”

Heaven snatched the chicken skewer from my hand, savoring the sweetness that was apparent just by looking at it.

-Chomp-chomp.-

Grinning. Heaven laughs. It was terrifying.

Ultimately, Heaven devoured all the chicken skewers right there and silently handed her body over to Zodiac.

“…I got scolded.”

The returning Zodiac appeared somewhat downcast.

“If it belonged to Heaven, I shouldn’t have taken it.”
“I got scolded by the statue too. Hmph. I want to go to work.”

Zodiac spoke a few more words with a glum expression before leaving.

– Pat, pat.

Only then did Cornus tug at my collar. Her previously clouded eyes were now shining brightly.

“I want to try that this time.”

Had she found another restaurant? Cornus’s fingertip pointed to a place renowned for its rosé tteokbokki.

It was the moment that heralded the beginning of a dining adventure.

* * * * *

This time, that one.

Was there no end to Cornus’s culinary cravings? Starting with the tteokbokki, she devoured spicy pig’s feet, chicken feet, and spicy pork cutlet. And finally, for dessert, she even consumed cheese tteokbokki-flavored ice cream.

I subtly hinted at how much they were eating, only to receive an absurd response that if it’s spicy, they could eat it all.

Ultimately, feeling like she couldn’t eat any more, we ended up at the cinema under the pretext of engaging in cultural activities.

While eating, I thoroughly searched the surrounding alleyways, but there wasn’t a single suspicious person in sight.

The movie showcased the blossoming stories of vibrant youths.

A rather cliché plot, where a man and a woman drift apart due to conflicts, only to reunite after a certain event.

Ah~

As the scene depicted lovers sharing food, Sansuyu patted my shoulder.

“Sian.”
“Why?”
“That.”
“What about it?”

Exchanging food is a common scene.
However, it seemed Sansuyu had a different thought. She brought her hand to her mouth, her face showing a hint of shock, and said,

“Were we… lovers?”
“Huh?”

What is this woman suddenly talking about?

Upon reflecting on the unexpected remark, I was able to roughly discern Sansuyu’s train of thought.

Lovers feed each other.
We fed each other.
Therefore, we are lovers.

“How can you possibly come up with such a preposterous idea?”
“…Is it not true?”
“Of course not.”

Sansuyu nodded her head, seemingly comprehending the situation. Then, she murmured as though attempting to justify her actions.

“This is my first time doing something like this…”

I understood. Knowing her inexperience, I purposefully brought her to the movie theater.

“Didn’t you usually watch movies?”
“…No. I only trained at home.”
“Then, pay close attention. Who knows? Things might improve significantly from now on.”
“Improve?”
“You’ll have more friends.”

In truth, I wanted to remedy her somewhat dull emotional state.
Having more friends might increase the chances of that happening, even if just a little.

Sansuyu briefly gazed into the movie. There, seven young men and women at the peak of their lives were reveling in their youth. They were playing soccer, training together, or sharing hobbies.

She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the movie for quite some time. Only she knew what thoughts were running through her mind.

– Ssssss.

The movie ended, and the screen rose. Sansuyu then turned to me and gripped my collar.

“Siheon.”
“Why?”
“I don’t think I can do something like that.”

Sincerely expressing her thoughts, Sansuyu lowered her head gloomily. The empty popcorn container she was holding crumpled.

I remained silent.

There would still be time for encouragement after she came to terms with her emotions.

“Still, I think it’s fortunate that Si-eon is a friend.”
“Is that so?”

I chuckled.

“It’s not Si-eon, it’s Siheon.”
“…Siheon.”

This woman keeps getting my name wrong all the way.