Not A Regressor-Chapter 36: Paradise (3)

“Ugh,” Song Ha-Eun groaned. She'd woken up unusually early.

Kwon Oh-Jin had left at dawn with Vega to train, leaving Song Ha-Eun alone in the small, silent room.

“I guess I should get up and start getting ready.”

For the first time in a long while, she had somewhere to be.

Splash!

“Ahhh! It's freezing!”

The cold water bit into her skin as the water heater failed to work.

When I move out, I’m definitely getting a place with reliable hot water.

Shivering, she grabbed a towel and dried herself off. She opened the drawer under the bed and pulled out her prosthetic leg.

She faintly groaned as the hard surface of the cheap prosthetic pressed uncomfortably against her knee.

She rummaged through the rest of the drawer which she hadn’t opened in a long time. She struggled to find what she was looking for by touch. After more minutes of searching, she finally found her card and ID.

My card, ID, and... As for clothes, hopefully, there’s nothing weird.

She fumbled around, putting on a turtleneck and jeans. Getting dressed was one thing, but a good outfit was an entirely different challenge. She couldn’t see how the colors matched or how the style blended together, so she pulled at her clothes anxiously, sighing.

As if tugging at them is suddenly going to make me see again.

She gave up and threw on a coat.

Finally, she grabbed a pair of sneakers, slipping one onto her left foot and fitting the other onto her prosthetic. She then grabbed her cane and headed outside.

“Haah.”

The cold December air hit her right away.

“... Let’s get going,” she mumbled bitterly and extended her cane forward to guide herself.

Tap, tap, tap.

For five years, Kwon Oh-Jin had always accompanied her outside, so this was her first time going out this far alone. She was slightly nervous at first, but that didn’t last long. As a former Awakener once among the elite ranks, her heightened senses of sound, touch, and smell helped her map her surroundings and get around.

“Hehe, this is a piece of cake even on my own! See that, huh?”

With a swagger—unsure to whom it was directed—she confidently strode ahead. Perhaps from getting a little too excited, she ran headfirst into a tree branch sticking out from a nearby flower bed.

“Ouch! Damn it.”

Rubbing her nose, she walked on irritably.

After much struggle, she finally arrived at the bank.

Ding!

Following the staff’s guidance, Song Ha-Eun sat down and pulled out her card and ID from her pocket.

“So you wish to close your savings and deposit accounts?” the employee asked.

“Yes.”

Here lay everything she had saved during her three years as an Awakener, starting from the first-ever gate eight years ago. This money was her last thread of hope, something even Kwon Oh-Jin didn’t know about.

“Uh... how much do I have in there?” she nervously asked.

She clenched her fist, damp with sweat.

“Including all the interest from the past five years, the total is 321,754,821 won.”

“Ah...”

It wasn’t a small amount of money, but it was far from enough to buy the Demonic Dragon Eye.

Song Ha-Eun’s face turned dark. Since she hadn’t saved much to begin with, she knew it couldn’t have grown significantly even with interest, but—

“Ma’am? Is something wrong?”

“N-No... Three hundred million is correct,” she replied, forcing an awkward laugh.

The fragile thread of hope she had painstakingly woven now felt impossibly thin—almost invisible. What she longed for seemed farther away than ever, slipping beyond her reach.

It was an undeniably small amount of money for someone who had worked as an Awakener for three years, but what could she do?

Back when the gate incident first happened, I didn’t earn much.

At that time, she had fought monsters not for money but to survive. It wasn’t until two years later that she could start selling the monsters' Starstones. Of course, as a seven-star Awakener, she made a decent sum during that last year.

But most of it went toward paying my medical bills.

She had ended up in such a dire condition back then that it wouldn’t have been surprising if she had even died. Her treatment naturally consumed up her savings.

“Would you like me to transfer everything into your checking account?”

“... Yes, please.”

Song Ha-Eun nodded weakly and stood up with her cane, proceeding to make her way back home.

Three hundred million won...

The amount was nowhere near enough to buy the Dragon Demon Eye, but it was plenty to have one last memory together before she and Kwon Oh-Jin parted ways.

“Hehe. That brat is probably still living off protein bars, isn’t he?”

As she got close to her house, she heard a loud commotion.

Thud! Crash!

“Huh? What’s going on?”

She cocked her head.

Thump, thump, thump!

The ground seemed to shake with heavy footsteps until someone suddenly grabbed her shoulder tightly.

“W-What the—?”

She heard ragged breathing.

“Where did you go without saying anything?!” Kwon Oh-Jin asked in a frenzy.

“Hehehe! Were you looking for me?”

“You're laughing? This isn't the time for—”

“Oh-Jin.” Cutting him off, she smiled brightly. “Wanna go on a date with me?”

“What?”

***

How long has it been since the two of us went out like this?

“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked as he lightly held Song Ha-Eun’s arm and guided her.

A date? That's so random.

“Hehe. I just felt sorry for you. You're always wandering around in those shabby clothes, eating nothing but protein bars.”

“How do you even know I’m dressed shabby?”

“I don’t have to see to know, dummy. How old is that outfit?”

“That’s, umm...”

He didn’t know. It wasn't that he couldn’t remember, he had just stolen the clothes from a donation bin, so he actually had no idea how old they were.

“Got nothing to say, huh?”

He sighed and commented, “It’s still clean, at least.”

“Just shut up and follow me.”

She tugged his arm behind her as she marched forward. After a bit, she paused and asked, “Which way was the department store again?”

“Good grief.”

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled and started towards the department store.

“Excuse me!” Song Ha-Eun called out inside.

“Yes, how can I help you?”

“Can you pick out five outfits that would look good on him, please?”

“Of course!”

The worker’s eyes sparkled as they hurried off.

“Wait, why are you asking the worker? I can pick them out myself.”

“If I leave it to you, you’ll just pick the cheapest stuff. Won’t you, you idiot?”

She was spot-on!

“And why do I need five outfits? I could just rotate a few—”

“Blah, blah, blah! I can’t hear youuuu.”

"Hold up.”

What’s up with her today?

The excited worker started recommending various outfits to Kwon Oh-Jin.

“Well~ you’d look great in anything, really. You’ve got a great frame! This one here, and maybe something from this brand... Wat about you, miss? Which do you prefer for your boyfriend?”

Song Ha-Eun’s lips curved into a smile at the word "boyfriend".

“I can’t see very well, so...” Song Ha-Eun tapped her cane on the ground.

“Oh, I-I’m so sorry...”

“It’s alright. Please pack up everything you recommended.”

“I’ll choose my own—”

“And please ignore anything he says.”

Song Ha-Eun grinned and pushed Kwon Oh-Jin back.

“The total comes to 3.72 million won.”

Song Ha-Eun handed over her card.

“Here you go.”

“What?! Are you crazy?”

With a panicked look, Kwon Oh-Jin pulled her arm back.

How can clothes cost over 3 million won? Sure, it’s ten pieces in total, but this is insane. Besides that...

“Where on earth did you get the money?”

“Hehe. My savings account just matured today. I got a nice chunk of interest, so it's my treat.”

Kwon Oh-Jin’s face twisted in discomfort.

“Still, I don’t need anything this expensive.”

“But I’m buying it for you!”

“I don’t need you to buy me anything.”

“Shut up and just wear it, you idiot!”

Kwon Oh-Jin tried to refuse a few more times, but Song Ha-Eun's persistent toddler-esque whining gave him no choice but to accept the clothes in the end.

“Hehe, go try one on! And throw out whatever you’re wearing now!”

Kwon Oh-Jin sighed deeply as he went into the fitting room to change.

As soon as he came out, the worker couldn't help but gasp.

“W-Wow...”

It was like he had transformed into someone else.

“Are you done?”

“Yeah.”

“Hehe, let’s go then!”

Song Ha-Eun grabbed him by his arm and dragged him around the department store, buying him gifts she had thought of beforehand.

“... Ha-Eun, why are you doing all this?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked in a heavy tone.

“Hehe, you’ve put up with me for five years, haven’t you?”

“That’s cause—”

She held his arm tighter and dropped her head.

“Just for today... Let’s do as I say, okay?” she said, her voice slightly trembling.

“Haaa. Don’t regret it later, okay?” Kwon Oh-Jin warned.

“Hehe! Don’t worry! I’ve got plenty of money!”

She chuckled, bouncing with excitement.

“Alright, up next...” she pondered, then snapped her fingers. “How about we grab something to eat?”

“Sounds good.”

He hadn’t eaten anything after his early-morning protein bar.

“Where do you want to go? Burger Queen? McRonald?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“Why are those always your only options?” Song Ha-Eun clicked her tongue in disapproval. “Hehe, just follow me, you punk. Let’s eat hanwoo today.”[1]

“H-Hanwoo?”

Kwon Oh-Jin’s legs violently trembled. Hanwoo was notoriously expensive, with a meal for two easily exceeding a hundred thousand won.

“We’re really going to eat hanwoo?” he asked again.

“Yup! Hurry, let’s go!”

Song Ha-Eun tugged him forward. Though, eventually, he had to guide her from the halfway point.

“... We’re here.”

The moment they arrived at the restaurant, the savory aroma of grilled meat hit them, making Song Ha-Eun's mouth water.

“Damn, that smells fucking insane.”

She licked her lips, barely containing the drool that threatened to escape.

“Let’s head inside—”

Just as she was about to step in, the salty smell of the ocean hit her nose.

“What are they selling next door?” Song Ha-Eun asked.

“Huh? Oh, it's a king crab restaurant.”

“King crab?”

Her mind raced, but it didn’t take long for her to decide.

“Ahem!” Song Ha-Eun cleared her throat unnecessarily and tugged Ojin towards the crab restaurant.

“Y-You know, I’m actually not in the mood for beef today.”

“You were drooling literally a second ago.”

“Sh-Shut up! I just feel like eating crab today!”

“Huh?” Kwon Oh-Jin cocked his head. “But you don’t even like seafood.”

Despite having only tried seafood a few times, she had hated it every time. She didn’t even like shrimp, which most people loved.

“C-Crabs are different!”

“But you hate all shellfish—”

“Whatever!”

She dragged him into the restaurant.

“Excuse me, we’d like to order!” she called out eagerly.

They ordered two steamed king crabs, and the table was soon filled with the grandeur and aroma of steaming red shells.

“Ugh...”

Song Ha-Eun’s expression briefly soured at the salty smell.

“Crabs are so tricky to eat. It’s really a hassle to get the meat out of the shell, isn’t it?” she remarked in a theatrical voice, setting her chopsticks down. Her intentions were so transparent that Kwon Oh-Jin didn’t even feel like humoring her.

“Give it here. I’ll get the meat out for you.”

With a big smile, she scooted closer to him.

“Oh, really? Hehe! You really don’t have to.”

She opened her mouth wide, like a baby bird waiting to be fed.

"Aaah..."

Kwon Oh-Jin couldn’t help but chuckle. He fed her the crab meat.

“Here you go.”

“Hehehe, it’sh goot,” she mumbled through a mouthful of food.

“Eat lots.”

“Don’t just feed me, you eat too.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

After a while, they finally finished their meal.

“I’ll go grab some coffee.”

“Here, take my card—”

“At least let me get the coffee,” he interjected. After spending the entire day just receiving, his stomach felt uneasy.

“Hmm. Fine, I’ll allow that much,” Song Ha-Eun replied with exaggerated arrogance, sitting up straight.

“Pffft!”

Unable to hold it in, he burst out laughing.

“Hey, what? You got a problem?”

“Pffthaha! No, I'll be right back. Stay here.”

He turned around and walked toward the counter.

Song Ha-Eun smiled softly, seated on the cafe chair. She slightly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. The world was still dark, but it didn’t feel cold anymore.

Where should we go next?

As she swung her legs, lost in thought, she heard some women nearby.

“Um, excuse me... Are you Kwon Oh-Jin?”

“Uh, yes. That's me.”

“Oh my God! It's Thunder Wolf! It’s Thunder Wolf in the flesh!”

“For real? Damn! I was at Seoul Station when you took down that monster!”

“Are you here by yourself?”

The two women asked in excitement.

“... These motherfuckers,” Song Ha-Eun muttered, thoroughly annoyed.

1. Hanwoo is Korean beef, known for its high quality, comparable to wagyu in Japan. ☜