Iron Blood Entertainment Headquarters.
Despite Kim Tae-yang’s suggestion to rest, Seo Ye-eun had stubbornly gone to work.
She was sitting in the lounge near the recording studio with a gloomy expression.
“You can’t record anyway. How about just going home and resting?” her manager said sympathetically.
However, Seo Ye-eun just nodded absentmindedly, staring at the recording studio.
Anyone could see she was only half-listening.
In the end, the manager also waited aimlessly in the lounge with her.
Click.
Just then, the door of the recording studio opened, and someone came out.
“Oh? Hello?”
It was Park Hyun-soo, a fellow artist from the same agency.
He had been working as a ballad singer under his real name for 20 years and was quite well-known.
“Hello, Senior.”
“You’re Seo Ye-eun, right?”
“Yes, it’s nice to meet you.”
Although they belonged to the same company, it was their first time meeting in person.
Park Hyun-soo glanced at the scarf around Seo Ye-eun’s neck and seemed to recall something.
“Oh, you don’t have to say anything. I heard your throat isn’t in good condition.”
Seo Ye-eun nodded apologetically.
Seeing her like this, Park Hyun-soo frowned slightly and then spoke to her manager.
“Is it vocal cord nodules?”
“Yes, she seems to have overstrained herself recently.”
“Hmm, the best thing to do when your throat is damaged is to sleep. Is there a specific reason she came to the recording studio?”
“Well, all her schedules were canceled, but she insisted on coming…”
The manager glanced at Seo Ye-eun with a troubled expression.
Seo Ye-eun, having nothing to say, just hung her head.
“Ye-eun, I understand that feeling more than anyone. It’s very painful when your will is strong but your body can’t keep up.
But if you don’t rest now, you’re only depleting your future self.”
“Resting is also part of your job.”
Hearing this, Seo Ye-eun finally nodded.
Just then, the manager checked his phone.
“Oh, the director?”
He answered the unexpected call.
After a few responses, he ended the call and spoke.
“The director said he’s coming here.”
“The director? Is it Director Kim Tae-yang?” Park Hyun-soo asked.
The manager nodded.
Kim Tae-yang had recently been appointed as a director of the company, a move welcomed by most.
Though he seemed somewhat light-hearted, those who knew him appreciated his caring nature and down-to-earth attitude despite his position.
Moreover, he was a Level 8 awakened being.
No one in Korea could ignore him, and his becoming a director meant they had a strong support behind them.
“Why is he coming here?”
“He was originally going to visit Ye-eun’s home but changed his plans when he heard she was here.”
“Hmm.”
Park Hyun-soo decided to wait for Kim Tae-yang since he was coming anyway.
There was no harm in greeting him.
Not long after, Kim Tae-yang arrived.
Despite looking very young, those who knew his real age greeted him with proper respect.
“Director, welcome.”
“Hello, Director.”
Kim Tae-yang greeted Park Hyun-soo warmly.
“Ah, Hyun-soo, did you finish recording?”
“Yes, I just finished now.”
“Good job. I liked this new single. I think it will do well.”
“Haha. Thank you, Director.”
As they exchanged pleasantries, Kim Tae-yang’s eyes sparkled as he looked back and forth between Park Hyun-soo and Seo Ye-eun.
“This is perfect timing.”
“?”
What was perfect timing? As everyone waited for a moment, Kim Tae-yang pulled something out.
“Garlic?”
Why is he carrying garlic?
While people were puzzled by Kim Tae-yang’s inexplicable behavior, he opened a container of garlic.
“Let’s share this.”
He then took out another container and poured some of the garlic into it.
He handed the smaller portion to Park Hyun-soo and the original container to Seo Ye-eun.
“Why garlic?”
“It’s precious.”
“Precious?”
As Park Hyun-soo tilted his head in confusion, Kim Tae-yang added an explanation.
“It’s not just garlic, it’s an item. The item’s effects temporarily prevent physical dryness and provide some disease prevention.”
“An item?!”
Park Hyun-soo looked at the garlic with wide eyes. Seo Ye-eun and her manager also re-examined the seemingly ordinary garlic.
‘Prevention of physical dryness and disease?’
Thinking about Kim Tae-yang’s explanation again, Seo Ye-eun soon remembered her dry, cracked vocal cords.
“Oh!”
“Ye-eun, take care of your throat.”
Unintentionally making a sound, Seo Ye-eun quickly closed her mouth. But her wide eyes couldn’t hide her surprise.
“Wow, preventing physical dryness? That’s an unusual ability. But I think I understand why the director brought it.”
“I haven’t confirmed the exact effect yet, but it’s better than nothing.”
Then Seo Ye-eun immediately opened the container and put a raw garlic clove in her mouth.
Everyone was surprised by her sudden action as Seo Ye-eun, with tears in her eyes, chewed the garlic.
“Ye-eun.”
Her manager, alarmed by her tear-filled eyes, called her name worriedly. Seo Ye-eun turned her head quickly.
“It’s spicy!”
“What?”
“It’s so spicy, it’s making me cry.”
“Oh, I thought you were overwhelmed with emotion…”
Everyone, who had been tense for a moment, burst into laughter. Despite the spiciness, Seo Ye-eun diligently chewed the garlic.
“Gulp.”
“Wow, Ye-eun’s passion is incredible. Eating raw garlic like that, you’ll become a better person.”
“I am a person, you know?”
“Ugh, the garlic smell.”
Though she glared at Kim Tae-yang’s teasing for a moment, Seo Ye-eun soon bowed deeply.
“Thank you, Director. For taking such care of me… even though I didn’t listen to your advice to rest properly…”
“I understand. You want to row when the tide is high, but your oar is broken, so I can imagine how you feel. And it’s not me you should be thanking.”
“Someone else?”
“The person who gave me the garlic.”
“Oh!”
While speaking, Seo Ye-eun took another piece of garlic.
It was certainly very spicy, but there was a strange addictiveness to it.
‘Huh?’
She soon realized she was speaking more easily. Come to think of it, the pain in her throat had significantly subsided.
Could eating just one garlic clove have such immediate effects?
“Hm, it’s spicy indeed.”
Park Hyun-soo, who was next to her, also chewed on a raw garlic clove.
Then he suddenly tilted his head.
“Huh?”
“What’s wrong? Do you feel the effect right away?” Kim Tae-yang asked with a puzzled look.
Regardless, Park Hyun-soo began to clear his throat.
“Ah, ah, ah.”
A beautiful tone emerged.
To others, it sounded like Park Hyun-soo’s usual melodious voice.
“No, is this for real?”
But it seemed different for Park Hyun-soo.
He quickly greeted those around him and hurried back to the recording studio.
“Hyun-soo, where are you going?!”
“I’m going to record again!”
Seeing this, Seo Ye-eun guessed that her perception of her throat’s improvement wasn’t an illusion.
If it was just her feeling the change, it could be a mistake, but with Park Hyun-soo showing the same reaction, it was certain.
‘I can make a quick comeback!’
As long as she had this garlic…
But where did this garlic come from?
“Director!”
“Oh, Ye-eun. Keep your voice down. Just because your throat feels better doesn’t mean it’s completely healed.”
“I’m sorry. But I have to ask, who gave you this garlic?”
“Oh, you’ll be able to meet them soon.”
“What?”
As Seo Ye-eun asked in surprise, Kim Tae-yang chuckled amusingly.
“Get well soon, and I’ll see you in the field.”
***
“See you next Tuesday.”
“Got it. Take care, Ara!”
After dropping Seon-ah off at her house, I turned the taxi toward the dungeon.
The contract with Iron Blood Entertainment was secured under very favorable terms, as expected.
Well, I haven’t signed it yet; I just brought the contract for now.
‘I’ll send the contract to Ara Hongryeon for review first.’
I had already contacted the Ara Hongryeon legal team.
I need to make sure there are no issues before signing the contract.
It won’t take long since I just have to send the content of the contract as it is.
Since contracts are done online these days, it’s practically finalized.
‘One advertisement deal, one minor role in a drama.’
It was a freelance contract rather than becoming a fully affiliated actor.
Even so, the conditions we were offered were almost equivalent to those of a full-time actor.
Additionally, there was the possibility of contract renewal. Of course, if we wanted it.
“I’m nervous.”
Ara clenched her fists tightly with a serious expression.
She had been like this since she heard she might appear on TV soon.
“It’s okay. You’ll do great, Ara.”
“I can do it!”
Ara raised her hands and cheered energetically.
The driver, seeing this, smiled warmly.
Soon, we arrived near the dungeon and saw the mountain, which had been leveled out expansively.
“Wow.”
“Oh wow!”
Although my father said the finishing touches were crucial and would take a while, the most dramatic changes seemed to occur in the early stages of construction.
We had installed barriers around the dungeon to hide it discreetly, and we planned to build structures along these barriers.
“It really feels like I’m getting a house.”
“It’s our house. Mine and Kyu-seong Kyu-seong’s house!”
Lifting Ara under her arms as she cheered again, I carried her into the dungeon as she giggled happily.
Inside the dungeon, the fields were slowly being cleared.
Instead of planting new crops in the harvested areas, only the final harvests of strawberries and eggplants remained.
Squirm-.
There were only three slimes left in this place.
Since we planned to keep the vegetable garden, I decided to keep three slimes. They would get lonely alone.
Moreover, these three would be replaced with new ones whenever we got new Rookies, so it didn’t matter much.
“Shall we check on the Gluttony once more before going to bed?”
“Okay!”
Upon entering the Gluttony section, we noticed that it no longer snowed.
As Ara had mentioned, it was an incredibly short winter.
However, upon closer examination, it seemed that unlike Earth, winter came in shorter cycles here.
Winter seemed to return roughly every six months.
“Summer will be sparkly!”
Ara said with an expectant look on her face.
I wasn’t sure what she meant by “sparkly,” but I was looking forward to summer just as much as winter.
While summer might not be particularly special to me, who knows what surprises the dungeon of Gluttony might hold?
‘Since Ara said it would be sparkly, there might be something special about it.’
As I was thinking, Purr and Woofy approached.
I petted them briefly before heading to the slime village.
“Oh? Mammon!”
-My Lord!
Mammon was here. What a surprise.
-I came for a mid-term report!
Mammon wasn’t alone; a few goblins had come along, carrying various items.
“Oh! The crafted goods?”
-Yes!
“Thank you. I made you bring them all the way here. You could have checked them in your village.”
-We can’t trouble you, our busy Lord, to visit us. We are quite free!
The more I looked at Mammon, the more he felt like a mature eldest son. Compared to the fairies, the slimes, and Ara, he seemed more composed.
Of course, this was all relative, as he was still a cute little thing.
“Alright, let’s check the items you made.”
Everyone gathered around.
Cliche Novel 