4 AM.
I woke up earlier than usual, and despite my own grogginess, I washed Ara’s face, who couldn’t even open her eyes properly due to sleepiness. Today was the day we were visiting the Skyscraper Guild in China.
“Do we have everything?” I asked, even though I had meticulously packed the day before. Just to be sure, I double-checked everything. Though it was just a one-night, two-day trip, I still wanted to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything.
“Mmm….” Ara yawned, rubbing her sleepy eyes. I thought it would be a good idea to wake her up a bit more, so I took out the Layla slushie I had prepared.
“Ara, let’s eat something delicious.”
“Something delicious!?” Ara’s voice was still sleepy, but she sounded startled. I handed her the slushie, and she began to hum a little tune.
“Hmm~!” she hummed.
“Moments like this make winter not seem so bad.” I had made the slushie by mixing Layla’s juice and pulp with the nearby snow. It was hastily prepared but still guaranteed to be tasty.
Before leaving, I took one last look around the field and checked on the familiars. Some were still fast asleep, but the sluggish ones were awake, albeit with dazed expressions.
– Heheng
After petting the inscrutable creatures one by one, I checked on Gomgom, who was hibernating, and then headed out.
“We’re going!” Ara shouted energetically, fully awake from the slushie. She had been excited about going to China since the day before.
‘Though it seems she’s more excited about the plane ride than China itself,’ I thought, smiling at the adorable Ara as we left the dungeon. I only packed Bokkeum, but in truth, preparing for the trip was meaningless.
After all, I could freely come and go using the “Master of Gluttony” ability. In essence, I was a walking dungeon.
“Hmm?” As soon as we stepped outside, my phone rang. A flood of messages that had piled up over the day poured in. They were all from my father and Seon-ah.
– The construction contract is entrusted.
My father’s message could be summed up in one sentence. He said he’d estimate the amount, but I wasn’t worried about money.
I texted my father that I’d be in China for two days and then checked Seon-ah’s messages.
“What? Casting?” The unexpected content in Seon-ah’s message surprised me. It said that a talent agency, Iron Blood Entertainment, had contacted her after watching Ara’s YouTube videos. The image of CEO Baek Tae-seop flashed in my mind.
‘He often looked at Ara with a peculiar gaze… Could he have been thinking about this all along?’
I pondered Seon-ah’s message for a moment before replying that I’d think it over slowly since I was going to China. I also sent a message to CEO Baek.
‘Iron Blood Entertainment contacted us…’
It seemed strange that he hadn’t contacted me directly, but had emailed Seon-ah first. I forwarded the content of Seon-ah’s message to CEO Baek and hailed a taxi.
“To the airport, please!”
***
“Ooooh.”
As the plane took off, Ara stuck close to the window, making strange noises. Thankfully, the only other people on the plane were staff from Ara Hongryeon, sent to interpret for us, so we didn’t have to worry about being conspicuous.
“I never imagined they’d lend us the guild’s private jet. I’m so grateful.”
“Mr. Lee Kyu-seong, you are a VIP guild member.”
“Pardon?”
“Just a joke. Haha. Actually, the guild master thought this level of formality was necessary for your visit to Skyscraper.”
I scratched my head and smiled at the interpreter’s light-hearted joke. The Skyscraper Guild was located in Shanghai. It wasn’t far by plane. Thanks to this, we could travel comfortably, receiving VIP treatment throughout the short flight.
As soon as we landed and got off the plane, a vehicle approached us immediately. Unlike at our home airport, where you walk from the plane to the terminal, a car was coming straight to us here, so we paused to watch it approach.
“It seems like they’ve come to greet us.”
“Wow.”
A very expensive-looking gemstone limousine pulled up slowly in front of us, and the driver got out.
“Welcome to China, Mr. Lee Kyu-seong. I’ll take you to Skyscraper.”
He spoke fluent Korean. I bowed my head and greeted him.
“You can speak comfortably with me. I’m Korean too.”
“Oh, you’re Korean.” I had assumed he was Chinese. Well, Skyscraper might be a huge guild based in China, but it’s essentially a multinational guild.
As I got into the car, with the driver naturally holding the door open, Ara whispered to me in amazement.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong.”
“Yes, what?”
“This car is so cool. Can’t you ride something this cool, Kyu-seong?”
“Should we buy one when we get back to Korea?”
“Yes!”
I had been thinking of buying a car anyway, and seeing Ara’s reaction, I decided to look into it right away when we got back. However, a limousine like this felt a bit too much. Ara might be disappointed.
The limousine rode smoothly without any noise. While chatting with the Skyscraper staff who was driving, we soon arrived at Skyscraper.
“Wow.”
“It’s bigger than Ara Hongryeon!”
Ara exclaimed, tilting her head back to look up. It reminded me of her reaction when she first saw the Ara Hongryeon building.
Skyscraper, as Ara said, was a much larger building than Ara Hongryeon. It was not only wider but also so tall that its top was obscured by clouds. The technology utilizing gemstones was simply astonishing.
“Welcome, Mr. Lee.”
“Ah! Ms. Yu Bihong!”
I was pleased to see a familiar face I had met recently. Beside her was a woman with snow-white hair staring intently at Ara.
“Hello, Ms. Ryu Cheon.”
“Hello?”
Ryu Cheon remained expressionless and unresponsive. Only when Yu Bihong nudged her did her eyes focus.
“Hello. Thank you very much for coming today.”
“It’s us who should be grateful for the invitation.”
“Has Ara been well?”
“Yes, she’s doing well.”
Though she was talking to me, her gaze was fixed on Ara without wavering. Eventually, Yu Bihong cleared her throat again, and Ryu Cheon’s gaze shifted to me.
“How have you been? Did the soy milk I gave you help?”
“Yes, thanks to you, my health has greatly improved. I even had a thorough check-up, and it was proven to have dramatic effects.”
“I’m glad to hear that!”
Huh? It seemed like Ryu Cheon’s Korean had improved significantly in just a few days. She now spoke quite naturally.
Meanwhile, Ara ran over to Ryu Cheon, stopping right in front of her and looking up at her.
“Are you feeling okay?” she asked.
“Yes,” Ryu Cheon replied.
“You mustn’t get sick! Even if Lee Kyu-seong can make you better, being sick is still being sick!”
Ryu Cheon looked at me as if asking for a translation, but even I couldn’t decipher Ara’s words. Being sick is still being sick? What did she mean? Regardless, Ara suddenly spread her arms wide.
“Ryu Cheon! Hug me!”
Ryu Cheon froze at Ara’s sudden demand.
“It’s fan service! Ryu Cheon, you’re my fan!”
“…Yes.”
Ryu Cheon glanced at me, and then, without hesitation, she hugged Ara tightly. She even rubbed her cheek against Ara’s, looking very pleased. Ara’s face squished like a bun was adorable, even though she tried hard to maintain a dignified expression.
“I’m a wonderful slime who cares about my fans!”
“That’s right. Ara is wonderful.”
“Wow! Am I wonderful?!”
Ara was surprised to hear herself being called wonderful, even though she had just claimed it herself. She seemed startled because she was used to being called cute but not wonderful.
“Of course. Our Ara is wonderful.”
“Ryu Cheon Ryu Cheon, you are great! You can hug me all you want!”
Here it came, the repeated name calling. Ryu Cheon knew how to handle Ara. Her analysis was befitting a hardcore fan of Ara.
As we were making a ruckus in front of the building, the Skyscraper staff who had brought me stepped forward.
“The guild master is waiting for you.”
“Okay.”
Ryu Cheon nodded with her face still pressed against Ara’s cheek. It was quite a sight, her expressionless face doing that.
Ara was then carried in Ryu Cheon’s arms while the rest of us followed her.
“They’re waiting in the dining hall.”
“The dining hall?”
“Yes. Have you had a meal yet?”
“We had some snacks on the plane and in the limousine.”
“The guild master, my grandfather, wants to welcome you with food. But you should be careful.”
“Excuse me?”
“My grandfather is a gourmand.”
Something felt off from the start. Was I really invited?
The dining hall was on one of the middle floors of the building. Even the middle floors were extremely high up due to the sheer height of the building.
“Wow.”
I admired the gemstone-operated elevator. It wasn’t visible from the outside, but inside, you could see the entire landscape as the elevator ascended. The scenery was fully visible as we rode up.
“Whoa.”
When we arrived at the dining hall, a variety of dishes awaited us on a long table. At the head of the table, the guild master, Ryu Wang-jin, greeted us with a cloud of smoke.
“Welcome to Skyscraper!”
“Good to see you again, Guild Master Ryu Wang-jin.”
We could converse without any issues, thanks to the translator he was wearing. Guild Master Han Seok-jun had provided an interpreter just in case, but it turned out to be unnecessary.
“Mr. Lee, I wish you luck.”
“What? Excuse me?”
Ryu Cheon suddenly spoke, and Yu Bihong gave me an apologetic smile and bowed her head.
Why? What’s going on?
As my anxiety grew, Ryu Wang-jin called us over.
“Please, have a seat!”
“Okay.”
I hurried over to where Ryu Wang-jin had called us and sat down. Naturally, Ara jumped onto my lap.
“Hello there?”
“Ara! Hello!”
“How have you been, Son-Ogon?”
“I’ve been well! And it’s Son-Ogong, not Son-Ogon!”
As another brain-melting conversation was about to unfold, I shifted my attention to the table.
The appearance of the food laid out on it was peculiar.
‘Monsters?’
It was definitely monster-based cuisine. The appearance was bizarre and unappetizing, making it hard to even think about eating. Some dishes even emitted a foul odor.
“It’s good for your body.”
Ryu Cheon, who had sat down next to me at some point, said with a rare frown.
“…Do we have to eat this?”
“It’s good for your body,” she repeated like a broken toy. Yu Bihong, with a wry smile, stepped in to explain.
“Ms. Ryu Cheon wasn’t well, so the guild master prepared all kinds of nutritious foods for her. Unexpectedly, this led to some side effects…”
“Unexpected side effects?”
“The guild master developed a taste for these bizarre dishes while dining with Ms. Ryu Cheon. He insists they aren’t strange, but as you can see…”
“The guild master considers these dishes a token of his sincerity.”
“That’s right. While they might seem bizarre to ordinary people, to the guild master, they are delicacies. So, when he invites guests, this is what happens.”
This was troublesome. Refusing would seem disrespectful, but eating these dishes would be a challenge.
“Just out of curiosity, what happens if we don’t finish?”
“Naturally, no one has ever finished. Not a single guest has ever cleared their plate. But we should at least pretend to eat.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
While we were whispering, Ara and Ryu Wang-jin had finished their conversation.
“Well then, shall we start the meal? To the benefactor who healed our Ryu Cheon!”
Ryu Wang-jin raised his glass. Even the liquid in the glass emitted an unknown stench.
“To, to your health.”
“Cheers.”
I’ll just pretend to eat. It’s supposed to be nutritious, right? I took a deep breath and scanned for the least unappealing dish. At that moment, Ara nudged me.
“That one! That one! This one!”
“Ah! Okay, just a moment.”
I should serve Ara first. But is she okay with this?
…Wait, now that I think about it, Ara…
Ara could eat anything!
The dishes Ara pointed to had an appearance and smell that I couldn’t even contemplate, yet Ara looked at them, drooling. She seemed amazing to me.
And Ryu Wang-jin’s eyes, watching Ara, were intense.
“It looks delicious!”
Cliche Novel 