Beneath the rocky cliff was a deep cave. An entrance that seemed to have been coarsely formed by sticky sedimentary liquid welcomed them.
Judging from the shape of the entrance, it didn’t appear like a cave artificially made by those affiliated with the Peace City. Besides, there weren’t that many superhumans who could dive into such a deep level by purely relying on their body, without using mana or equipment.
Seemingly realising that, Yeorum’s eyes showed a trace of intrigue.
When they entered the cave, Yu Jitae’s face turned into a frown.
There was a staircase barely holding its place heading above, and the inside was filled with water. It was when he stopped his feet temporarily that Yeorum was about to place her foot on the stairs before him.
Yu Jitae held her by the arm.
“…?”
She shrugged her shoulders. Why?
He pointed behind with his thumb. Let’s go back.
She pointed at the stairs. Why aren’t we going?
He shook his head, and opened his mouth.
“Let’s go back. Don’t take interest in this place.”
Yu Jitae’s voice was vividly conveyed underwater.
Yeorum was dissatisfied with him blocking the path without even sharing the reason. However, she felt the strength in his grip. It was rare for him to physically stop her like this.
“That’s not fun…”
Having no other choice, she stopped being stubborn.
Gyeoul looked back and forth between Yu Jitae and Yeorum, not understanding what was going on. When her eyes met with Yeorum, who was in a bad mood, Yeorum flicked her finger lightly on Gyeoul’s forehead.
It was painful. Immediately giving a frown, Gyeoul looked up at her.
“…Why you hitting me?”
“I don’t know, you fatty.”
It was dumbfounding.
Gyeoul rubbed her forehead with her two hands. It was still painful. Turning around, she murmured something to herself.
“What did you say?”
Gyeoul stuck her tongue out without replying back.
*
There were several interesting events at Peace City. One example was the message inside the glass bottle Gyeoul found at the beach the next morning. It read like this.
[Save me plzzz! I have been captured by monsterrrs!]
Beneath was a sloppy map.
Yu Jitae headed to the other side of the island with Gyeoul. There, he found well-trained gorilla spirit beasts dressed up as monsters, protecting a person that was hanging on the tree wearing an animal costume.
Gaze: What do we do?
It was clearly an act prepared by the company but Gyeoul worried for the animal costume with a serious look on her face.
He carried out a strategy meeting with Gyeoul. If he gathered the attention of the gorillas by making a loud noise, she was to save the animal costume by cutting the rope with a field knife.
The strategy was similar to the gummy saving plan that had been carried out some time ago. After immediately understanding it, she nodded with a bright smile.
Like that, Yu Jitae and Gyeoul successfully saved the Peace City staff member that was wearing a deer costume.
“Ahht! Thank youu…! I almost became food for the monsterrrs!”
While saying that, the deer costume lowered its head towards Gyeoul. Then, it rummaged through its bag before taking a stylish antler out.
“This is in return for you saving meee…!”
It then hopped its way across.
After returning home, Gyeoul cut wood into the shape of a deer’s head with the help of Yu Jitae, and attached the antler to it. The realistic animal head was hung on the main entrance of the wooden house.
“…Wah.”
Gyeoul’s eyes sparkled. It was cool.
There were all sorts of events around Peace City and new experiences and interesting events happened one after another each day.
The kids were met with staff members wherever they went and completed quests. They then received ornaments as a reward which they showed to Yu Jitae.
Sculptures, paintings, a fry pan and a post box… They were all great for decorating the house and thanks to them, the shabby wooden shack became better and better.
On the third day, he went fishing with the kids.
It wasn’t that easy so they chatted most of the time but at least Bom, Kaeul and Gyeoul each caught a fish in the first hour or two.
The problem was Yeorum and she couldn’t catch a single fish. Because of her hasty personality, she pulled the rod before the fish even bit the bait.
“Ah, why can’t you just do it slower, unni?”
“Yeorum. You shouldn’t pull it until they bite it.”
Kaeul and Bom repeatedly gave advice for a few hours but Yeorum was still able to put up with it. It felt dogshit, but they were right.
“…lol.”
But,
Gyeoul giving a silly smile while swinging the fish in front of her eyes was hard to endure.
“…One fish.
“…Two fish.”
“Go away you pig.”
“…Three fish.”
“I’m really gonna get mad, okay?”
Gyeoul quickly ran away with a bright smile.
But somehow, the fourth fish bit onto Gyeoul’s rod in an instant. By the time she was swinging the fourth fish in front of her, Yeorum exploded.
“F*ck this! Not doing this shi*. These freakin’ stupid fish bastards! Why aren’t they biting mine! Huh!?”
Unable to hold herself back, Yeorum picked up a large rock and chucked it into the water. There was mana embedded into her throw.
A great shockwave caused the waters to come splashing towards the kids.
“Uang! What! Have you gone mad unnii!?”
Kaeul was drenched in water and Bom was also wet. Since Bom covered for her, Gyeoul was the only one dry.
That was when Yeorum’s bracelet rang, Uiiing Uiiing! It had sensed the use of mana.
She was already mad. What the heck is this thing to tell me what to do? Thinking that, Yeorum was about to break the bracelet.
“Uh!? Uwahh!”
She heard Kaeul’s voice and after turning her head following Kaeul’s gaze, Yeorum’s eyes also widened into circles.
“Oh, that’s crazy…”
Soon,
Yu Jitae faced Yeorum with his hazy gaze after returning from the mountain with a small boar. She showed off dozens of fish that were tied up with a rope.
He was wondering what it was after sensing a shockwave from the beach but… it seemed that she had knocked the fish out with a shockwave.
Thus, the dinner that day was a fish party.
Gyeoul especially loved deep-fried fish and the child shoved them into her mouth until her stomach became rounded.
*
Morning arrived on the fourth day, the decisive day. He headed to the guide’s tent with the kids and found Myung Yongha, his wife and two sons as well as Li Hwa standing on the other side.
“You look like you just came out on a vacation, no? Uhahahat!” Myung Yongha laughed, saying it was mysterious.
It was because Yu Jitae and the dragons did not look like they had spent three days on the deserted island.
“Have you decorated your house well?”
“Ah of course! You’ll be surprised.”
Before long, the result of the bet was announced. While throwing a glance to the side, the guide carefully opened his mouth.
“Firstly, I believe Guardian Yu Jitae’s residency was more completed.”
Myung Yongha’s house was fairly decent for a field operation base as well. The house made on the cliffside portrayed his creativity.
But Yu Jitae had reinforced the house whenever he had time during the past three days. He created a simple basement to store food and a garden on the outside.
Because of the difference in ornaments, the guide stood on the side of Yu household.
“But… we have sensed the use of mana from the bracelet on the side of Yu household. So, uhh…”
In other words, it was a tie.
When Bom, Kaeul and Gyeoul looked at her, Yeorum gave a pout.
“Aye! Even then, a tie is not that exciting, is it. Haha!”
“Umm, but. Both of your houses were the greatest that I have seen so far! Hahaha… It’s embarrassing for me to dare evaluate them. I have no idea how you could ever build such amazing houses in the field…”
In response to Myung Yongha’s statement, the guide tried zealously to please him.
Although they didn’t know, the guide was in fact feeling dead inside.
Myung Yongha was a VVIP who had authority, wealth and fame and Yu Jitae was a guest personally brought by him. He wouldn’t be anyone normal no matter who he was.
It was a contest between those two. Superhumans were mostly stuck in their own world and throughout his long time serving people, the guide saw numerous superhumans who took offence in such meagre bets.
The moment they gave a complaint, the guide would receive a mouthful of violent words from his superior.
So Yeorum’s action had been a great way out for him.
“Ayish. We can’t do anything about that then. But since it’s boring to just call it off, I’ll hand it over anyway.”
Myung Yongha handed a bottle of red alcohol to Yu Jitae.
“It’s a precious fermented wine. Red Shoes. Have you heard of it?”
“Red Shoes. Of course.”
It was a type of mandrake, but since it didn’t grow on Earth, trying to find a root was like asking for the moon.
The fermented wine was that sweet and fragrant, and had a component that made people feel good.
However, the important procedure of the wine-making process was the removal of mandrake’s scream because a wine with a remnant of the scream was an illicit drug. Thus, Yu Jitae utilised mana to confirm the components of the alcohol and confirmed that the scream had indeed been removed.
It was an extremely precious alcohol.
Yu Jitae also entered his alternate dimension inside and took out a precious alcohol.
“Ohh. What wine is this?”
“It’s snake wine.”
Yu Jitae stopped there.
He didn’t state the fact that it was made with the tail of an SSS ranked great monster from an alternate dimension, [Imoogi*], but Myung Yongha would be able to tell that it was a good wine after having a shot.
And after sharing the presents, Myung Yongha suggested with a bright expression.
“Mister Jitae. How about we have a campfire?”
“A campfire.”
“Yes yes. If you’re okay with it, should we gather up on the last day and light a fire before we leave?”
He didn’t say anything,
“Uwah! A campfire? That’s so romantic…!”
“Ohh. I’m fine with that too.”
“…!”
But it was decided nonetheless.
*
It was on the afternoon of the fourth day.
Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul all prepared themselves to go mountain climbing. It was because Yeorum found a treasure map in the morning.
She looked unenthusiastic for other events but was intrigued by the treasure map and the word ‘treasure’ incited Kaeul and Gyeoul as well.
Yu Jitae decided to stay behind alone to complete the ‘Household Field Trip Record’ which had to be submitted to Lair. There was a lot to write because there were three cadets in the household.
And Bom stayed back as well.
“You’re not going, unni?”
“Nn. I’m fine.”
“It’s a treasure. A treasure! Aren’t you curious?”
“You guys are my treasures.”
Kaeul rubbed her arms, saying, “Uuhhh… I got goosebumps,” and Bom smiled back. Everyone knew how Bom wasn’t an active type so they quickly gave up on persuading her.
Bom gently waved at the kids.
“Take a look at the spirit tree on the way for me please.”
“Ah right! It almost bloomed yesterday as well…!”
After sending the kids off, it was just Yu Jitae and Bom left inside the small house. She laid down on the bed.
Sitting down on a simple chair, Yu Jitae relied on the plain table and used the pen he received from the guide to write the record. Bom stood up from the bed and approached his back.
She watched him from behind.
Without sparing her a glance, Yu Jitae continued with the record as Bom sneakily sat next to him and watched him write for a long time.
Yu Jitae quite unexpectedly had bad handwriting, but his bad handwriting was uniform as if they were printed by a computer. Bom quietly stared at those written words, but her gaze slowly travelled up. She looked at his hand, and soon stared at his arm that had protruding veins.
Seeing that Yu Jitae was still focused on writing the record down, Bom pushed her head in even further. Blinking her grass-coloured eyes, she stared at his face.
When he still didn’t look back, Bom placed her two arms on the tabletop and rested her head on her hands. Her two eyes were still fixated on Yu Jitae.
Only then did Yu Jitae’s gaze turn towards Bom. The green hair strands were all over the table.
With a gentle smile, she opened her mouth.
“Hi.”
He, who silently looked into her eyes, turned back to the paper without saying anything back and started moving the pen again. Bom still had the same faint smile as she stared at him.
Mischievousness gently surfaced beneath the relaxed smile.
Bom lifted her hand and waved it in front of his face, but he didn’t react in any way.
Bom slowly moved her hand and meekly tapped his shoulder, but he didn’t react.
Soon, mischievousness covered her expression as she reached her hand out towards his ears. She then once again softly touched his ears, but he still didn’t react.
There were five pages on the table. He looked busy and that must be why he was ignoring her.
So Bom slowly leaned on his body and rested her chin on his shoulder. And when he still didn’t react, Bom brought her lips to his ears and whispered.
‘What about now?’
This was hard to ignore and Yu Jitae finally turned his head. After pulling herself back, Bom giggled under her breath.
“I’m busy.”
“Nn.”
“Go there and rest.”
“Okay.”
She didn’t interrupt him any longer and Yu Jitae continued with the daily records. But at some point in time, it became harder for him to write.
The green pair of eyes had been staring at him for almost 30 minutes straight.
He turned around.
“Why?”
“…”
“Continue with your writing please.”
“How about you go there and rest.”
“But I want to rest here…”
She was right next to him, and the small gap between them was slightly troubling.
“Ahjussi.”
“What.”
“When you’re done with that, please teach me this.”
Bom lifted her left hand. It was unknown when she had taken it out from the storage, but the bottle of alcohol Myung Yongha gave was in her hand.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Alcohol’s not for kids.”
“Yeorum smokes though…”
She was right.
When he closed his mouth, Bom giggled as if it was an extremely funny statement. “Calling me a kid…” she murmured before pointing at the document he was writing.
[Yu Bom (Female) Age: 21]
“I’m twenty-one…”