Chapter 58
“Is this really true?”
“..No, it isn’t.”
“Pfft... I was kidding. He isn’t my boyfriend.”
Honestly, Han Dohee—an SNS landmine-girl, BL/RPS otaku, fujoshi, bishounen/shota fan, male-character addict, rhythm-game otaku, and Japanese-language wizard—being the real-life boyfriend was honestly hard to believe.
Han Dohee was trying to slip away unnoticed, but there were still too many wrecked cars on the road, so he couldn’t get away and ended up getting caught. After taking part in an open Gate raid, everyone got hungry, so we came to the convenience store to buy something to eat.
“We’re just teasing each other for fun~”
“Our parents are just close friends. It’s nothing.”
“Heeeng, really?”
“Yep. Oppa likes pretty people.”
“Mister.”
“That hurts. Please don’t call me that.”
I thought he was some really weird old man, but he actually just felt like a slightly less weird insurance salesman. And somehow the name sounded familiar. Kwon Doyoung? Kwon Doyoung... I feel like I’ve seen it on the gallery.
“You’re still doing that crap?”
“Ha, this is my destiny. Practically Sookmyung Women’s University.”
“So damn boring. Just die, seriously.”
Ah, I remembered. A Hunter active in the North Gyeongsang area. He was definitely high-rank, but he never went into Gates and would just pop up after everything was over to sell insurance to people.
“Mister, why don’t you fight?”
“What do you mean I don’t fight? I fight just fine.”
“Really? That’s different from what I heard.”
“Old folks who can’t be reasoned with are scarier than monsters. I’m fighting for my life every day.”
“Oh.”
Chaea unnie knew him because she and the insurance-scammer uncle had been high school classmates. Anyway, we weren’t going to stay in Gumi long. We bought some hot bars and triangle kimbap at a convenience store, ate a bit, and set off again.
“Bye, mister. We’re heading out now.”
“Sure thing. You’re a Hunter, right? Come by later for an insurance consultation.”
“Eve, don’t listen to people like that. You’ll get scammed.”
“Heheh.”
* * * * *
We left at 11 a.m., so did it take about five hours? We finally arrived in Busan. But man, this place is amazing.
“It feels like the cars are just going wherever they want...”
“Wow, driving here is fucking awful.”
“Hang in there, Dohee.”
“Ah, Kim Chaea, you drive.”
“I don’t have a driver’s license, hehe.”
Normally, when a person grabs the steering wheel, their true nature comes out, but Busan’s roads have the power to bring out even a side that doesn’t exist. We exited onto Jungang-daero from the Gyeongbu Expressway via the Busan IC, and before long we entered a place called Seomyeon.
“Wow, the roads look like a chubby guy. Is that because it’s a coastal city?”
“Damn, this is insane.”
Seeing Han Dohee lose her mind over this utterly ridiculous road situation, while Chaea unnie in the passenger seat kept defending her anger gauge with sweet desserts, was a pretty funny scene from the back.
“This won’t work. Should we park and just walk?”
Anyway, we’d be moving around Seomyeon or Nampo, or Haeundae if it took a little longer, so walking might actually be faster than driving. It was about time for a lot more cars to be on the road, and since tomorrow was Christmas Eve, it somehow felt even more crowded.
In the end, we parked at the Busan Station public parking lot and decided to walk around together.
“Phew, walking is way more comfortable, seriously.”
“I was more comfortable staying in the car.”
“Kim Chaea, for some reason I really want to beat you up today.”
“I’ll buy you lots of delicious food!”
“Mwahaha.”
I actually preferred staying in the car too, but I could see Han Dohee’s anger, bewilderment, frustration, anxiety, and fear gauges filling up in real time. Walking wasn’t that hard either.
“Where did Suri go?”
“Suri’s probably flying around right now. I’m sure it’s following us just fine.”
Suri was too big to walk along with us, and I felt too bad leaving it in the car, so I let it loose and sent it flying up into the sky. It’s super smart anyway, so it’ll come back on its own.
Daengdaeng was nicely settled on top of my head. This little guy had decided the Princess’s head was its personal seat, which was downright ungrateful.
“You little rascal, Daengdaeng. You’re supposed to be carrying the Princess.”
ㅡBeep..
“You’re tired from fighting? Do robots get tired too...?”
I’ve never been to Busan before, so I didn’t really know what was what, but Chaea unnie and Han Dohee were originally from Gyeongsang Province. Apparently they used to come down to Busan a lot.
“For now... should we go to Kkangtong Market?”
“Kkangtong sounds good.”
“What’s Kkangtong?”
“It’s the market’s name. Let’s go there, eat dinner or something, and walk around.”
“Ah, I see.”
After walking about fifteen minutes from the Busan Station public parking lot, we arrived at Kkangtong Market, and there were a ton of people. It was almost 5 p.m., so there were plenty of people coming to eat dinner, and plenty who seemed to have taken time off to enjoy the Christmas holiday.
“Eve, hold my hand tight. If you’re not careful here, you’ll get separated.”
“Ah, yes!”
Busan had one especially unusual thing, and since it was something you could never see in Seoul, I was surprised.
“Hunters are all carrying weapons around?”
“That’s Busan for you. Sometimes when you wander around at night, drunk Hunters start fighting each other. It’s super fun to watch, you know?”
“Wow...”
Wait, there was an event this fun only in Busan? Why didn’t Seoul have this kind of advanced culture?? Of course, drunken Hunters fighting each other does happen in Seoul sometimes, but it’s rare for them to be swinging weapons. And naturally the police come rushing in and crack down on it immediately.
But in Busan, they apparently just leave them alone, and once the fight’s over, the police come in, estimate the damage to the surrounding area, and send out the bill.
So it was basically an insanely fun city.
“Hehe, I want to see it too.”
“Eve, from here on, you have to hold your unnie’s hand tight. Okay?”
“Ah, okay.”
Honestly, I still find holding someone’s hand a little awkward. How should I put it... It feels like my hand has gotten way too small, and I don’t like that.
“Aren’t your hands cold, Eve? Didn’t Ophilia pack you gloves?”
“Ah, I have gloves—they’re in my pocket. I took them out to use my phone.”
“Put your gloves on~ Your hands’ll get cold.”
“Yup.”
“Eve, have you ever had seed hotteok?”
“Gasp. I’ve only heard the name.”
“They sell it here. Let’s go get some.”
“Ooh!”
So I wandered around Kkangtong Market and Gukje Market with Han Dohee and Chaea unnie, eating all sorts of things. In the middle of it, Ophilia called too.
“Princess, are you enjoying Busan?”
“Ah, Ophilia. Should I call you over? There’s a ton of delicious-looking food here.”
“I’m fine unless you need my help. The new furniture is still being arranged and organized.”
“I see... Is Minium working too?”
“Yes.”
I don’t know exactly what they’re bringing into the house by the truckload, but a new house always has a ton of work to do, so I could understand that much. We’d planned to call Ophilia from Busan too, but it’s a shame she’s so busy.
“Agh!”
But this seed hotteok is seriously, seriously hot. I thought I’d put boiling oil shaped like a seed hotteok into my mouth.
“Kid, if you just shove it straight into your mouth like that, you’ll burn your mouth to bits.”
“Uh... yes?”
“She says to let it cool down before you eat it, Eve?”
“Huh?”
She was definitely speaking something that wasn’t standard Korean, but amazingly, Chaea unnie understood her right away. I’m still working on mastering just one language, so I haven’t learned Busan dialect yet.
“Eve, is it good?”
“Hehe, it’s tasty.”
My tongue stung a little, probably because I burned the tip of it, but this much I can endure as a grown manly man. I’d say that’s about the level of a dual-axe berserker Viking with a braided beard and beads hanging everywhere.
ㅡClick!
“Waaah.”
“Eve, you’re wearing gloves, so should unnie take the photo for you instead?”
“Ah, thank you.”
Seed hotteok was exactly what it sounded like: hotteok stuffed with a ton of seeds. But I like nuts and stuff, so it was really delicious.
“Eve. You’re chewing each seed one by one, right?”
“Why?”
“If you swallow them without chewing, beans will grow in your stomach?”
“Aww, that’s a lie.”
....
“Agh... L-lie...!”
“Right. It was a lie.”
“Unnie..!!”
I was seriously startled. But come to think of it, it had already been fried in oil and all, so there was no way a plant could grow from the seeds, right? Why did I believe that? Am I really that stupid?
“Ha, now I’m angry. Reflect on yourself, Eve.”
“What else do you want to eat?”
“Um... water rice cake?”
Wasn’t there also something called water rice cake among Busan’s famous foods? When I brought it up, Han Dohee snorted and shook her head.
“Hey, water rice cake is just rice cake. It’s just skewered garaetteok.”
“Huh? Then why is it a famous local dish...?”
“How should I know? Still, if you want it, say so.”
“I don’t really want it anymore...”
After leaving the market, we went to a place called BIFF Square, but contrary to the name, there was no beef there. It was just another place packed with street vendors, and because it was holiday season and quitting time overlapped, there were a ton of people.
After wolfing down the scalding hot seed hotteok, my body felt warm and my stomach full. But since Chaea unnie and Han Dohee still hadn’t eaten, after wandering BIFF Square for a bit we headed into Jagalchi Market this time.
“Another market?”
“You have to eat here. Eve, can you eat raw fish?”
“I like raw fish.”
“Oh, really? Eve, you’re so grown-up?”
“Ahem...”
* * * * *
What even is this supposed to taste like...
Inside Jagalchi Market, there were too many people, so we went around the outdoor shopping area looking for a place to eat. But...
“You don’t like raw fish?”
“It’s just...? Because I’m full?”
“If you can’t eat raw fish, you should’ve said so earlier.”
“No, I can eat it...”
Maybe my tastes had changed, because the sashimi didn’t taste good anymore. Still, I really was full from the seed hotteok. I wasn’t especially hungry or anything, so it’s fine. I can just eat something else tasty later.
“Eve, you’ve got a kid’s palate.”
“I don’t have a kid’s palate...”
Chaea unnie, who didn’t look like she would, was chugging gukbap like crazy. It was a face that would never make it onto Instagram. Even Han Dohee’s landmine-girl impression vanished the moment she started eating gukbap. It felt like she’d been fully localized for the Korean market.
“Phew, I’m full.”
“What do we do if Eve can’t eat? What should I buy you so you can eat something tasty?”
“I’m fine.”
Busan has a lot of cheap hotels, and Han Dohee and Chaea unnie had already found a place nearby where we could sleep. So we were going to move there slowly and stay the night.
And today was a day without Ophilia, so it was okay to just go to sleep without showering! Is this what they call the privilege of staying out?
“Should we go out and walk a bit?”
“Yeah, let’s.”
When we finished eating and went outside, the entrance to Jagalchi Market was packed with people, so it was insanely crowded. I wondered if maybe the Hunter fight they’d mentioned had broken out, but it turned out not to be that.
“Isn’t that Chaerin unnie?”
“Oh, it really is.”
It was Chaerin unnie walking under the escort of several people in black suits, and beside Chaerin unnie was someone else. With spiky, bizarre hair and an outfit so wild it looked like he’d lost his mind.
“Gasp... Yanpei..!”
“I’d forgotten about him, but now we’re seeing him like this.”
“But there are so many people I can’t see well. Should I lift you up, Eve?”
“Ah, yes!”
Then Chaea unnie, who was extremely tall, slipped a hand under my armpit and hoisted me up. If she lifted me any higher, I’d probably be able to see Lotte Tower too.
“Wow... Aren’t you cold?”
“How is it? Can you see?”
“Yes! I can see it!”
While I was watching for a moment, Yanpei kept darting his gaze around the area until his eyes met mine.
“Oh. We made eye contact.”
But he didn’t stop at eye contact—he suddenly changed direction and headed this way. Chaerin unnie tried to stop Yanpei’s sudden move, but Yanpei was an S-rank frontline warrior Hunter.
As Yanpei shoved people aside and approached, Chaerin unnie spotted me too.
“E-Eve?!”
“Waaah, Chaerin unnie.”
Because Chaea unnie’s arm was getting sore, I was lowered back to the ground, but Chaerin unnie, who had spotted me, immediately ran over and joined Yanpei.
Then Yanpei, dressed in an extremely violent-looking outfit, came right up to the tip of my nose.
“Found you, kid.”
“N, ni hao..!”
See? I’m bilingual now.