After returning from the USA, it was time for a long-overdue outing.
During that time, I was busy preparing for winter and setting up the Sky Island portal, but now I could finally take a breather.
Ara was looking forward to continuing her adventures after returning, filled with great expectations, but it turned out that Seon-ah had been showing her adventure action movies on a tablet.
‘Was it Indiana Jones?’
It seemed she had shown her movies from the series every night.
So, lately, she seemed deeply engrossed in adventures, but it was cute, so did it really matter?
“Sister, hurry up.”
“Okay! Zoom zoom!”
“Zoom zoom?”
We drove to the guild.
Tonight, Katrina was supposed to come by herself, so we planned to go early to prepare and chat.
“What if I cook and she doesn’t like it?”
“Don’t worry.”
And my younger brother, Jae-seong, was coming along with me.
Jae-seong’s task was to prepare the dinner we would serve Katrina.
It wasn’t necessary, but I guess we wanted to make a good impression?
‘Our Mammon’s first, no, second customer, we should at least offer this level of service.’
And since Katrina had a significant influence in the industry, Mammon’s recognition could continue to grow.
I really hoped it would become famous soon. I even wanted to hold an exhibition to see Mammon’s happy face.
Before we knew it, we had arrived at the guild.
Unlike Ara, for Cheong who was at the guild for the first time, he looked quite frightened as he looked around.
“I’m scared.”
“It’s okay! Just trust me!”
Cheong nodded at our dependable Ara’s words and tightly gripped her sleeve.
Seeing the little ones holding each other and moving together was heart-wrenching.
And it seemed I wasn’t the only one who felt this way, as everyone’s attention focused on us as soon as we entered the guild building.
“Oh, how cute.”
“Ara, it’s been a while. You’ve become even prettier.”
“Ah, that’s your brother! How cute they both are!”
“Hahaha. Look at him holding onto the sleeve tightly. He’s much more scared than Ara.”
As Ara drew attention, she waved her hand to greet everyone. Then, uncles and aunts quickly came over with snacks.
The sudden crowd made Cheong’s eyes twitch.
“Try this. It’s a new snack that just came out.”
“How pretty! Can I touch your hair?”
“It’s been a while, Ara. Let’s ride the hobbyhorse!”
The enthusiastic courtship from the people and Ara’s carefree responses gradually eased Cheong’s guard, and he started to mingle little by little.
“It’s a charge!”
“Charge!”
Ara, riding a hobbyhorse from one Awakener, was having fun. I felt a bit sorry, but since she seemed to enjoy it, did it really matter?
“How did you manage to bring such a cute child again, Kyu-seong?”
“I must have saved a country in my past life.”
“Really jealous.”
Cheong, unlike Ara, was quiet.
Perhaps that’s why people who liked quiet children found him popular, and he looked like a child model as he held a chocolate milk in both hands and sipped it.
Surrounded by people, Cheong drank his chocolate milk.
Ara, riding a hobby horse, ran around everywhere.
Their personalities were truly opposite.
“Kyu-seong, long time no see.”
“Ah! Hello.”
Just then, a familiar research lab employee passed by and greeted me. I thought he would just greet and pass by, but suddenly he approached me.
“Kyu-seong, the seeds you sent recently are causing quite a stir.”
“The Meluca seeds?”
“Yes! Everyone’s excited, calling it the discovery of the century. They’re staying up all night with the hope that it might cure several diseases that have been unconquered so far.”
His appearance suggested his dark circles had almost reached his cheeks…
Fortunately, his expression was bright despite the dark circles.
After a brief conversation with the researcher, someone came down to greet us from above.
“Welcome, Kyu-seong.”
“Ah, Guild Master. You didn’t have to come down yourself.”
“No, it’s fine. Ah, it’s been a while, Jae-seong. I really appreciated the last dinner party.”
After exchanging greetings with Jae-seong, we headed towards the dining area.
I showed him some of the new plants we brought, and we discussed what dishes to prepare.
“This is fascinating. Dungeon plants, you say?”
“Yes. I discovered them recently, and they taste good. I plan to cultivate and improve them.”
Jae-seong was already bustling in the kitchen, warming up for cooking, and the chefs, having synced with him before, started preparing together.
“Jae-seong, I want ice cream!”
“Okay. I’ll make it right away.”
Ara was ordering from the menu in the meantime.
It felt familiar.
In the meantime, I sat at any table with the Guild Master and handed him something.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a description of the artworks. I heard it directly from the artist and wrote it down.”
“Ho.”
The handwritten notes of Mammon’s descriptions, with even the titles of the works clearly listed.
“It would be good to attach pictures of the artworks here. No, let’s attach them to the exhibits on display right now.”
With the notes in hand, the Guild Master stood up, asked me to wait, and disappeared like the wind while making a call somewhere.
Seeing his passionate demeanor, it seemed like the guild was his side job and art his main profession.
“Here’s your ice cream.”
“Wow!”
Jae-seong had made the ice cream himself, boasting of its unique texture created using light particles.
“But where’s the Guild Master?”
“He went somewhere for a moment.”
“We should store this in the freezer.”
The ice cream had a unique shape, like thin threads densely packed together.
Upon closer inspection, you could see tiny holes in the ice cream.
“It’s delicious!”
Cheong, who had tasted it, widened his eyes in delight.
Following him, Ara took a bite, looked surprised, and then took another.
Let’s see.
Shall I try some too?
“Yum.”
Hmm!
It was indeed unique as Jae-seong described, like the texture of cotton candy.
How could ice cream have such a texture?
The addictive texture and flavor quickly made the ice cream disappear.
Feeling a bit disappointed, I was still savoring the taste when the Guild Master returned.
“Kyu-seong, shall we go check it out now?”
“Why don’t you have some ice cream first?”
“Hmm, just one bite.”
It felt like he was eating out of courtesy but was in a hurry.
He really was passionate.
The Guild Master, Han Seok-jun, took a bite of the ice cream and seemed enlightened.
Whatever thoughts he had of immediately going to the exhibition space seemed to vanish as he savored the ice cream and finally moved.
“This is undoubtedly the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted. Honestly, it’s a shame to even call it ice cream. It’s a dish.”
As the praise for the ice cream continued, we finally arrived at the exhibition space.
Previously, this space was lined with the Guild Master’s collection, but now only Mammon’s works were visible.
The color tone of the space had even been adjusted to match Mammon’s works.
‘He’s serious.’
I hadn’t imagined he’d even adjust the interior. It seemed he had prepared everything as soon as he heard Katrina was coming to Korea.
“Signs with your descriptions will arrive soon. They’ll use your notes for the English translation and attach them to the artworks.”
“Oh.”
It was genuinely professional.
But still, with only a few pieces, the exhibition felt a bit sparse.
“Guild Master.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Would it be okay if I brought a few more pieces from Artist Ingo?”
“!!”
The Guild Master looked at me with a surprised expression and then muttered as if he had realized something.
“No wonder there were some pieces in the descriptions that weren’t here before. Could it be…”
“Yes, I brought everything.”
I pulled out a few more of Mammon’s works through Bokkeum. These were not all from the village; they were Mammon’s self-works.
A total of six pieces.
All were in the form of sculptures.
Their sizes varied from those as tall as me to giant sculptures that could be around 3 meters tall, and some that reached up to my waist.
“Ugh.”
“Ah, this is…”
“Sorry for not telling you in advance. I had to airlift these over in a rush…”
“No, it’s more than welcome! Especially these pieces…”
The Guild Master examined the newly revealed sculptures with a dreamy look in his eyes.
He seemed to like them.
“These are exceptional. I would definitely like to collect these.”
“I’m glad you like them.”
The Guild Master then made a call and asked to have the rest of the signs made as well. Soon, he called a curator friend to seriously consider and consult on how to arrange the new pieces.
“Wow.”
This was the first time I’d seen him this serious. He was always so laid-back.
Meanwhile, Ara and Cheong, bored, were playing “SeseSese,” a game Seon-ah seemed to have taught them.
Watching their adorable antics for a while, the two finally decided on the arrangement and positioning and began to move the pieces earnestly.
The Guild Master, being a high-class Awakener, had no trouble moving the sculptures.
“Time has flown by.”
Looking at the time following the Guild Master’s comment, indeed, the scheduled time was fast approaching.
And then.
“Katrina Smith has just left. She’ll arrive in about 20 minutes!”
A guild staff member informed us of Katrina’s ETA.
She was arriving 30 minutes earlier than scheduled.
However, as the preparations were just finished, there was a comfortable margin.
“Phew, everything is well placed.”
“Katrina will be surprised. We’ve prepared even the unexpected pieces.”
The curator nodded with an expectant look.
But in my eyes, was it really all that? Art is indeed challenging.
“Will you start with dinner?”
“Well, it seems best to match the other party’s preference. If she wants to see the works first, we’ll start with that; if not, we’ll start with dinner.”
“Understood.”
But…
Do I really need to stay?
Thinking about it, it seems like my role here is pretty much done.
‘Should I just show my face and leave?’
Since I have to take Jae-seong back anyway, it seemed like Katrina could just greet, have dinner, and leave.
“Guild Master! Katrina Smith has arrived!”
“What? Already?”
The same staff member who had said 20 minutes were left came back, sweating profusely, with the update.
“It seems she used magic.”
“Understood. Let’s go down and see her.”
From the conversation, it was inferred that…
Indeed, the grand witch seemed quite temperamental, arriving an hour early and moving unpredictably, which felt somewhat rude.
“Hmm.”
Still, since she is a valuable customer of Mammon’s, I decided to bear it. I took Ara and Cheong and followed the Guild Master.
As we rode the elevator down, I could sense a bustling crowd. It must be the power of a Level 9 Awakener.
Already, I could feel that various media had gathered in front of the guild building.
“That person over there…”
Following the Guild Master’s gaze, I turned my head and saw a foreign woman standing there with an air of authority.
She had long black hair and a high nose bridge. Her blue eyes were striking.
“Hello. I am Katrina Smith.”
Though she spoke in English, it sounded like Korean to me. This was the power of ‘magic’.
At the same time, she looked at me. Then, with a slight smile, she continued,
“You must be Lee Kyu-seong. Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from Kyler.”
“Uh, yes.”
So she knew Kyler.
Just as I was about to brush it off nonchalantly,
“Kyler?”
“Could you be talking about the wanderer Kyler?”
“… You know two Level 9 Awakeners?”
An unexpected repercussion shook those around us.
Cliche Novel 