Chapter 127

Anyway, Gwangmyeong wasn’t that far.

After getting off at Gwangmyeong Station, it didn’t take long to walk to the officetel that Eve used to own—or rather, the spot where it used to be.

“Wow, unnie. There’s literally nothing here.”

“I have eyes too.”

I thought there’d at least be some ruins or something, but there’s just nothing.

No building debris, nothing. It’s just an empty lot now.

The recovery sure is fast.

Construction equipment and Combat Engineer Girls were deployed to work on it, so it’s no surprise that even though Escario’s attack wasn’t that long ago, everything’s already been cleaned up neatly.

And the building I was looking for—or rather, my target—was also gone.

…Well, it’s not like they’d still be doing business here.

I had a bit of hope, but it didn’t take long for that hope to turn into disappointment.

What was I even expecting?

“Unnie, is something wrong?”

Chilho cautiously asked, probably because I was just standing there blankly.

“…No. It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

I don’t want to stay in this neighborhood.

If I stay here, I’ll just keep thinking about that baby, and even though I could just ask Eve how she resolved it… I just don’t feel like it.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

“It doesn’t seem like nothing.”

“It’s really nothing. Let’s go somewhere else.”

Anyway, there’s nothing around here, so I’m not too fond of it.

“Hmm… I wish the school district around here was better.”

Kabe will need to go to kindergarten soon.

She’s got a name now—Yuria—and she’s six, so by the time the new year rolls around, she’ll be seven. After kindergarten, she’ll be eight.

Just the right age to start elementary school.

Now’s the time to really settle down… We need to choose a house carefully.

“What’s the most important thing you’re looking for?”

“The school district.”

“School district, huh… You mean elementary, middle, and high schools, right?”

“Yeah.”

Once the kid starts school, moving becomes a hassle.

So, we need to settle down before that.

It’s complicated, really.

It’s not something you can take lightly.

After walking for a while, I saw a familiar building.

The sign said “Coin Karaoke.”

Ah, I remember this place.

It’s the karaoke place I went to with Dusik to blow off steam.

We sang a lot, and it was fun.

It’s a place with memories.

Gwangmyeong seems better overall.

It’s close to Seoul, and the transportation seems better too.

*

We looked at a few houses.

When I mentioned there were three women and one child, the real estate agent looked a bit stunned, but he seemed to let it slide.

Explaining would’ve been a hassle.

“With three women, the house will be kept clean, right?”

I just laughed at the agent’s comment.

Well, if you saw Dusik’s room, you wouldn’t say that.

Houses are nice, but they’re expensive.

The deposit and monthly rent are both pretty hefty.

The more I looked, the more I realized how good Eve’s place was to live in.

There’s no house that quite matches it.

The ones I like are too expensive, and the ones in my price range just don’t feel right.

Kabe’s growing up, so we’ll need more space, and Dusik and Sohee should each have their own rooms too…

With the money I have, even Gwangmyeong seems out of reach.

“Unnie, I’m not really knowledgeable about this kind of thing, but…”

“Yeah?”

Chilho, who’d been tagging along all day to look at houses, spoke up. We were at a café, and I figured I should at least buy him a coffee before sending him off.

“But are houses always this expensive? The deposit, monthly rent, and everything else seem really high.”

I couldn’t exactly say, “It’s because my standards are too high…”

But this isn’t really my fault.

If I’d just stayed in that basement when I first arrived, it probably wouldn’t have been a problem.

But after staying at a hotel and then at Eve’s place, my standards naturally went up.

What a headache.

“Chilho, what do you want for dinner?”

*

“Mom!”

As soon as we got home, Kabe came running and hugged me tightly.

“Whoa, you’re gonna knock me over, kid.”

“Mom, look at this!”

She pushed her face close, and I saw that one of her bottom teeth was missing.

“Kiddo, what happened to your tooth?”

“It fell out!”

“Her front tooth was really loose, so I looked it up and found out baby teeth need to be pulled, so I pulled it.”

Sohee came out behind her, looking a bit embarrassed and blushing slightly.

Well, baby teeth need to be pulled quickly for the permanent teeth to come in nicely.

It had to be done, and since it was loose, Sohee must’ve pulled it.

“Did it hurt?”

“It didn’t hurt, but it was surprising!”

Since it was pulled when it was really loose, it probably didn’t hurt much.

There might’ve been some blood, but it should be fine. Sohee didn’t say anything, so it’s probably okay.

“Unnie, you’re back?”

“Yeah, Dusik. Did you have a good day at school?”

“Yeah, I figured you went out somewhere.”

“Yep, went to look at some houses.”

Both Dusik and Sohee know what’s going on.

They roughly understand why we need to move.

I didn’t explain in detail, but I told them I met Edell and that we shouldn’t live together anymore… That was enough.

“How was it?”

“Couldn’t find a house I liked.”

I wasn’t lying.

I really didn’t find a house I liked.

Even if I did, it was way over budget.

Trying to rent a house under the Mogmog Group’s name involves a lot of procedures, and more importantly, the Mogmog Group itself doesn’t have much spare money right now.

That’s the biggest problem. Even if we solve the housing issue, the money issue remains.

Tch.

“Did you guys have dinner?”

“Yeah, it’s already 8 PM. What about you, unnie?”

“I ate. It’s this late, of course I ate.”

“Should I make you some coffee?”

Dusik’s considerate words made me smile.

“Sure, let’s all have a cup of coffee.”

It’s just instant coffee, but I like the sweet taste.

Aquamarine and Prilly keep nagging me to drink fancier coffee, but whatever.

I drink coffee for the sweetness.

“Dusik, how’s school going?”

I sipped my coffee and squinted slightly as I asked. Dusik shrugged.

“Well, no big issues. I’m a senior now, so the teachers are really pushing us to study, but that’s about it.”

“I see.”

If Dusik goes to college, we’ll have to think about tuition too.

Given Dusik’s grades, we probably shouldn’t count on scholarships.

He’ll probably go to a private university. His grades aren’t good enough for a national one.

What’s he planning to major in?

I should sit down with Dusik sometime and talk about future plans.

Thinking about this, I realized how narrow my position is compared to Eve’s.

It’s really narrow.

“Sohee, any issues on your end?”

“Not really. I’m at home every day, so no complaints. No problems either.”

That makes sense.

Sohee doesn’t go to school here, and she’s practically unemployed.

She does get a salary, so she could go out and get some fresh air, but she’s a homebody and doesn’t go out much.

“You should go out more. What do you even do at home all day?”

“I read books, watch TV… As you know, unnie, I’m still lacking a lot of knowledge about modern society.”

Well, she did come from the Joseon era.

I can’t just tell her to go out, so I’ll stop nagging.

I was about to talk to Kabe when I heard the door open.

Is the landlord back?

“I’m home.”

“You’re back early today?”

It was Eve.

Eve, who’d left work early, gave a quick wave to Dusik and Sohee gathered in the living room and headed to the master bedroom.

She was probably changing and washing up, so I followed her in.

“What brings you home so early today?”

Eve, now in casual workout clothes, shook her hair out of her shirt and looked at me.

“Well, we’re wrapping things up. Phew, it’s been tough. Finally, I can catch my breath.”

“Really? That’s good to hear. You’ve been through a lot.”

“Yeah… Ugh, it’s been really tough. There was so much backlog, starting with that guy Pungdeong escaping…”

Ah, that reminds me, I was curious about something.

“Why did Escario escape? When was he supposed to be released?”

“His motive? Didn’t I tell you?”

I don’t think she did.

Did I hear it? I can’t remember.

“He escaped because you showed up. Because Vesprede was resurrected. He had three years left, but he couldn’t wait. What a lunatic.”

What a lunatic.

He couldn’t wait three years and escaped?

He’s out of his mind.

“Ah, and did you go look at houses?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“I came up with a little trick.”

Eve’s words immediately caught my attention.

Given how much I’ve been stressing over housing lately, this could be a lifesaver.

“Edell told us not to live together, right? The head of the Magical Girl Association and the head of the Mogmog Group shouldn’t live together… That’s what she said, right?”

“Right.”

She definitely said that.

If it got out that the head of the Magical Girl Association and the boss of the Mogmog Group were living together, it wouldn’t look good.

“So, here’s the thing.”

“Uh-huh. Can you just get to the point?”

Eve leaned in close and whispered in my ear.

“What if I just turn back into a man when I come home? When I’m a man, I’m not the head of the Magical Girl Association or anything.”

…?

Would that kind of trick even work? The rules can’t be that lax.

But more importantly, why would you go that far, Eve?