Originally, Ryu Cheon didn’t plan on staying the night, but after much deliberation, she decided to spend the night in the Dungeon of Gluttony with the kids.
“Hehe.”
“Snore.”
“You’re already asleep.”
After finishing up at the hot spring, they had dinner and saw Jae-seong off. Only Seon-ah, Ara, and Ryu Cheon were left behind. When they returned after saying goodbye, they found everyone cuddled up and asleep. Out of all the places, they chose to sleep huddled together on an outdoor mat.
“Well, I guess it would be warm.”
The Kkumuris, the slimes, and all the other familiars, along with Seon-ah and Ryu Cheon, had Ara nestled in the middle, each holding Gomgom and Soo. Woofy had grown large enough to act as a bed, with a bone resting beside him, sleeping peacefully.
They all looked so comfortable that I didn’t have the heart to wake them up to go inside.
“Mmm…”
Just then, Ara, who had been fidgeting, furrowed her brow and half-opened her eyes. She suddenly sat up and looked around.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong ?”
Seeing her searching for me, I quietly waved my hand. Ara soon spotted me, and groggily got up and ran over. She was still half-asleep as she snuggled into my arms. When I crouched down to receive her, she buried her face and rubbed against me.
“You’re sleepy…”
“It’s time to sleep, my little Ara.”
I patted her head and lifted her up into my arms. Before long, Ara, nodding off, fell back into a deep sleep.
Flap, flap, flap.
“Oh, Frey.”
“Have you returned, my lord?”
Frey spoke softly, not wanting to wake the others. Her now familiar wing beats caught my attention.
“Weren’t you sleeping with them?”
“No. I have something to tell you, my lord. I fought off the sleepiness just for this.”
“Something for me?”
I wondered what Frey had to say. It seemed important if she had waited all this time.
“The World Tree wishes to speak with you, my lord.”
“The World Tree?”
I was a bit surprised by the unexpected news. I hadn’t given much thought to the World Tree’s existence, so I was more curious than anything when Frey mentioned communication.
“Will you be translating for me, Frey?”
“Yes. It seems the World Tree wishes to greet the lord of this land.”
I found it hard to believe that such a significant being as the World Tree wanted to greet me. Though I was indeed the lord of this dungeon, the World Tree’s grandeur made me feel a bit nervous.
“Alright, then. I’ll go see it tomorrow after I get some rest.”
“Understood. I’ll convey that. Yawn.”
Having said what she needed to, Frey yawned and then gracefully landed on my shoulder, where Ara was already nestled. She curled up and drifted off to sleep. The sight was so natural it made me smile.
“Alright then, let’s all sleep together.”
Since it had come to this, I decided to use one side of Woofy’s back as a pillow. Fortunately, Woofy had grown to about 5 meters in size, providing plenty of room.
Soft.
The warmth and softness of the fur felt amazing. Since I was already tired, my eyes naturally began to close.
“Mmm.”
I carefully laid Ara down next to me and settled beside her. I placed Frey on the soft fur of Woofy.
Ssss.
A gentle breeze blew, creating a perfect harmony with the warmth of Woofy. Combined with the post-hot spring drowsiness, a supreme sense of peace washed over me.
“This is nice.”
In the quiet dungeon, with everyone asleep, I smiled contentedly and drifted into a restful sleep.
***
The Next Day
As soon as dawn broke, I woke up and gently tried to rouse Ryu Cheon, who was still sleeping.
“Ryu Cheon, it’s time for you to go.”
However, she seemed to be a heavy sleeper and couldn’t wake up properly. Eventually, my voice woke Ara first, who groggily sat down beside Ryu Cheon with a sleepy expression.
“Ryu Cheon, Ryu Cheon, you need to wake up.”
Surprisingly, at Ara’s words, Ryu Cheon’s furrowed brow relaxed, and her eyes slowly opened.
“Ara?”
“It’s me.”
“Ara…”
Still not fully awake, Ryu Cheon hugged Ara tightly, then noticed me.
“Is this a dream?”
“For a dream, you speak Korean quite well, Ryu Cheon.”
“Oh.”
She quickly glanced around and realized that she had been using Woofy as a pillow, causing her face to flush with embarrassment.
Oh, that’s a new expression. I always thought she was emotionless, but seeing these rare moments made me feel oddly proud.
“My apologies.”
Despite apologizing, she couldn’t bring herself to let go of Ara, who was just happily snuggling in Ryu Cheon’s arms.
“Is it morning already? I had such a good sleep.”
Seon-ah also woke up amidst the commotion, scratching her head as she sat up. When she noticed Ryu Cheon beside her, she quickly adjusted her posture.
“Oh, Ms. Ryu Cheon, you’re here. Hehe.”
“Casual speech.”
“Oh right! We agreed to speak casually. Sorry. Hehe.”
When did they get so close? I thought it would be difficult to get close to Ryu Cheon since she rarely showed emotions, but I guess I was wrong. Seon-ah really is friendly with everyone.
Seon-ah then turned to me, looking somewhat confused.
“Where’s Jae-seong?”
“He went home last night. I even saw him off, remember?”
“Oh, right? I must’ve been so tired I completely forgot.”
Now that Ryu Cheon was awake, it was time to prepare to leave. Thanks to Ryu Wang-jin’s schedule, we were able to stay for a night, but it was time to head back.
After a quick wash by the nearby stream, we emerged outside. Seon-ah insisted on seeing us off, repeatedly asking Ryu Cheon to visit again.
“Can I come back again?”
Ryu Cheon asked me in a slightly wistful voice. Seon-ah, who was beside her, also looked at me with teary eyes and grabbed my hand.
“Brother, we can, right?”
“Of course. You’re always welcome to visit whenever you have time.”
I would always welcome them. Seeing the people around me happy and satisfied made me happy too, so there was no reason to refuse.
“I’ll drive you.”
“They’re coming to pick us up.”
“Oh, really?”
Just then, a vehicle approached from the distance. The top of the vehicle opened, and Ryu Wang-jin, with his massive frame, emerged and waved his hand.
“I’m here!”
“Whoa!”
Ara’s eyes lit up with excitement as she saw him. Did she find that impressive?
“I didn’t expect Ryu Wang-jin to come in person.”
“Ry-Ryu Wang-jin?!”
Seon-ah, upon realizing she was meeting yet another big-shot, looked as if she might faint, her face frozen in shock.
The vehicle soon stopped, and Ryu Wang-jin, along with a man who appeared to be his assistant, got out of the car.
“Thank you for taking care of my granddaughter!”
“It was our pleasure. We had a great time as well. Oh, this is my sister, Lee Seon-ah.”
As I introduced them, Ryu Wang-jin’s eyes sparkled as he extended his hand for a handshake. Seon-ah, looking terrified, hesitantly took his hand.
“L-Lee Seon-ah, it’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m Ryu Wang-jin, Guildmaster of the Skyscraper Guild! They call me Jecheondae-seong!”
“Son Goku it is!”
Seon-ah was practically being shaken by Ryu Wang-jin’s enthusiastic handshake, looking even more dazed than before.
“It’s a pity. If we had more time, I would have joined in the fun.”
“Next time, come play with Ryu Cheon, Son Goku!”
“Indeed! I’ll make sure to find time to visit my friend! Hohoho!”
After shaking hands with Ara as well, Son Goku—no, Ryu Wang-jin—winked at me.
“If you ever face any trouble, don’t hesitate to reach out! I’ll help as much as I can.”
“Thank you so much for everything, including this time. Next time, I’ll make sure to set aside some time to treat you properly.”
“I’ll look forward to it!”
Ryu Wang-jin smiled warmly as he took Ryu Cheon away. Ryu Cheon, hesitant to leave, kept stopping and looking back at us.
“Ara, stay healthy. Seon-ah, make sure to meet again next time!”
“We’ll meet again!”
And me? Ryu Cheon? Am I just being left out? But I didn’t voice it out loud—I didn’t want to seem petty.
“Kyu-seong, this visit has been a very meaningful and memorable experience for me. Thank you, as always.”
“Oh, no problem. Please come visit again.”
Almost as if she had read my mind, Ryu Cheon quickly expressed her gratitude. I knew she wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye to me. Of course.
“Ryu Cheon!”
“Hmm?”
“In a few days, a new drama is airing in Korea, and Ara is in it! She only appears in one scene around episode 7, just a small role, but if you’re interested, you should check it out.”
“A drama!? Got it. I’ll definitely watch it.”
A faint smile appeared on Ryu Cheon’s usually expressionless face. Seon-ah, surprised, looked at her in awe.
“Wow…”
Seon-ah was in awe. Given how expressionless Ryu Cheon usually was, even a slight smile had a powerful impact.
Ryu Wang-jin, who also noticed, nodded with a very satisfied expression.
“It was definitely worth helping you, Kyu-seong!”
How did he connect those dots? Anyway, seeing them both in such high spirits made me smile as we exchanged farewells.
“Goodbye!”
Ara enthusiastically shouted and waved as the car drove away. Ryu Cheon and Ryu Wang-jin also waved back from the now-open-top vehicle. We stood there, waving until they were out of sight, and only then did we start moving again.
“Wow, was that all just a dream?”
“Would you prefer if it was?”
“No way! I just can’t believe it. I mean, I became friends with Ryu Cheon and shook hands with Ryu Wang-jin!”
For Seon-ah, a huge fan of Awakeners, this was probably a historic event. Of course, all of this happened thanks to who?
“Be grateful to your big brother.”
“Of course, dear brother, I’ll continue to rely on your greatness.”
“That’s more like it.”
Since we were on the topic, it was almost time for the drama featuring Ara to air. That also meant the commercial shoot was coming up soon.
“The commercial shoot is the day after tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah. You set an alarm so you wouldn’t forget, right?”
“Of course.”
After the commercial shoot, the drama would air shortly afterward, and the commercial would be out soon too. The thought of Ara appearing on TV gave me a strange feeling.
“She’s already a star online, but it feels different.”
And soon, the Wrath Permit from the European Union would be released. Busy days were ahead. But before that, there was something else that needed to be taken care of.
“Let’s head back.”
“Huh? Not going out today?”
“No, there’s nothing scheduled, and I have something to take care of.”
“Something to take care of?”
“I need to greet the World Tree.”
“The World Tree? Greet it?”
Seeing Seon-ah’s confusion, I gestured with my head.
“You should come along too. It’s not an opportunity you get every day.”
“Oh! Of course, I’m coming.”
“I’m coming too!”
Ara shouted excitedly.
Finding Ara so adorable, Seon-ah immediately picked her up.
“Let’s go right now. Frey is probably waiting for us.”
Cliche Novel 