NOVEL NEXT Chapter 82
Chapter 82. Family
The entrance ceremony for Hero Academy lasted for over two hours.
“Gang Seok-tae’s party is here.”
“It’s the party of Shadow’s Kim Yoon-jung! Nice to meet you!”
The heroes present greeted each other and continued their conversations.
Each one was from renowned parties expected to rank up.
During the event, parties from different guilds sometimes collaborated, so it wouldn’t hurt to have some familiar faces around.
‘This place is rather quiet.’
However, Yoo Ji-han’s party was a bit different.
Unlike well-known guilds that were at least mid-tier, Sweet Fun was an obscure small guild with no recognition.
There were hardly any people approaching parties belonging to such a guild.
Jung Young-wook, a classmate of Kim Si-hu, ended up exchanging only light greetings.
From a distance, Min Yu-ri and Moon Kyung-jin looked at Yoo Ji-han with disdain, while Min Ju-yong showed an unnecessary interest.
‘Guess it can’t be helped.’
It was hard to become friends with all thirty parties at the entrance ceremony.
So, it was essential to pick parties that were willing to socialize at all.
Usually, talented people tended to stick together with others of similar caliber.
They wouldn’t actively seek to befriend those who seemed insignificant.
‘Could it be because of the announcement of the interview scores?’
Baek Kang-cheon had unexpectedly announced the top 10 interview scores.
Surprisingly, Yoo Ji-han’s party was among them.
The scrutinizing gazes that followed the announcement carried suspicion, envy, and various negative emotions.
Noticing this, Yoo Ji-han acted as if it didn’t matter, but he couldn’t ignore the subtle glares from around him.
Then, at that moment.
“Um…”
“Yes?”
Someone approached Yoo Ji-han.
It was a group of women who had been chatting with other parties just moments ago.
“Is this Yoo Ji-han’s party?”
“Yes, it is, but…”
“I am Go Mina from the Ladies Guild.”
Yoo Ji-han exchanged greetings with Go Mina, a woman from the Ladies Guild.
She was quite a beauty with long flowing hair.
At least someone was willing to talk to them.
“Excuse me, um…”
“Yes.”
“Can we pet this friend here?”
Go Mina, the party leader, pointed shyly at Chilla.
Min Yu-ri reacted immediately.
“You mean Chilla?”
“Is that the name?”
“Yes.”
“Is it a chinchilla?”
“That’s right.”
“Oh my!”
The women from Go Mina’s party all turned their heads to look at Chilla.
Receiving all that attention, Chilla wore a bored expression.
“Can we touch it?”
“I… I want to hold it!”
“Yes. Just be gentle, please.”
“Of course!”
With permission from her owner, Min Yu-ri, Go Mina’s party approached Chilla cautiously.
Chilla didn’t seem to mind the heroes coming close.
Then, the moment their hands touched its fur—
“Eek—! It’s really soft!”
“Look at this. The fur is so fluffy.”
“I can’t believe there’s such a furball!”
“Oh no, it’s too cute…!”
The members of Go Mina’s all-female party reacted with great excitement.
They were touching, petting, and hugging Chilla while laughing brightly.
Chilla wore an annoyed look but didn’t reject their actions and accepted it well.
Yoo Ji-han, who had sidled up to Min Yu-ri, said, “At this rate, Chilla might become the party’s mascot.”
“Hmhm! Our Chilla is truly adorable.”
Min Yu-ri felt a bit proud at the compliment.
If Chilla had been a fearsome-looking monster, it might have been difficult to walk around together.
However, Chilla’s appearance was so cute, it looked like something straight out of a children’s cartoon that even little kids would adore.
‘If the party becomes famous, maybe we could create character merchandise later…’
Yoo Ji-han was planning a business to utilize Chilla while watching Go Mina’s party respond vigorously.
*
A few days after the entrance ceremony, Kim Si-hu ended his contract with the office they had been using.
Since he passed the Hero Academy, he would soon be borrowing the office of the academy.
According to the officials, the academy would only last for a year, but the office rental could be extended for up to a year after graduation.
If luck was on their side, they could use the office for up to two years without worry.
“Where’s the resort again?”
“I’ll input it into the car’s navigation.”
And on the day of the welcome party for Min Yu-ri’s joining.
Before dinnertime, the three gathered and headed to their reserved resort.
It was a space with a separate barbecue area that offered minimal interference from others.
They had already received permission for Chilla to come in.
“Si-hu and I plan to stay here tonight, but if you’re uncomfortable, Yu-ri, you can leave early.”
“Since I’m already here, I’ll stay too.”
“What about Chilla?”
“It’s all set up in the car. It’ll probably be as comfortable as home here.”
Min Yu-ri’s modified vehicle had plenty of accommodations to regulate temperature and humidity, ensuring a good sleep.
It was a system filled with Min Yu-ri’s thoughtfulness for Chilla.
After driving for 30 minutes, they arrived at the resort.
“I’ll handle the grilling.”
Once they dropped off their belongings at the barbecue area, Yoo Ji-han opened the cooler.
Inside were various meats like pork belly and lamb chops, which Chilla loved.
And there were also plump shrimp and various vegetables, making for a plentiful spread.
Though it wasn’t as extravagant as the entrance ceremony, it was Yoo Ji-han’s sincere preparation to serve food to the party members.
“Hyung, I’ll just grill this myself.”
“No way. Unless you’re a chef, I can’t give up grilling the meat.”
Yoo Ji-han had a strange confidence when it came to grilling.
Sizzle—
Pork belly was placed on the grill filled with hot charcoal.
The surface sputtered and cooked deliciously.
The smoky scent enveloping the meat was undeniably mouthwatering.
“……”
The first piece was for Chilla, who was quite the size.
While grilling, Yoo Ji-han glanced at Chilla.
The thick aroma of meat filled the barbecue area.
Yet, Chilla wasn’t looking at the meat; it was focused on Yoo Ji-han’s face.
‘She only has eyes for me.’
For some reason, Chilla always showed a lot of interest in Yoo Ji-han.
Thinking back, it was thanks to this little one that he first connected with Min Yu-ri.
Yoo Ji-han felt gratitude but also wondered why she had such a keen interest in him.
Even Min Yu-ri, the one closest to Chilla, had no clue, so they just moved on with it.
“Hyung! Look at this.”
“What is it?”
Kim Si-hu held out his mobile phone screen to Yoo Ji-han.
While grilling, Yoo Ji-han read the text on the screen.
“Yoo Ji-han Party Fan Cafe?”
The screen Kim Si-hu was looking at was none other than the fan cafe for Yoo Ji-han’s party.
It wasn’t a Rank 3 or Rank 2 party, so he thought it was strange for a fan cafe to exist.
“Apparently, the cafe’s main manager is Won Yeong-guk.”
“Oh, you don’t mean…”
“That person from back then.”
Yoo Ji-han recalled the soldier, Won Yeong-guk, he met at Gye-yang Mountain.
He had indeed mentioned that he would create a fan cafe.
Yoo Ji-han thought it was just passing talk, but he really did go and create one.
“There are only 2 members in the cafe.”
“Well, it hasn’t even been a week since it was made.”
Fan cafes of popular parties typically boasted over 30,000 members.
In contrast, the fan cafe for Yoo Ji-han’s party, formed just days ago, looked pretty pathetic.
“It could end up being a ghost cafe.”
“It could grow in the future.”
“That’s true.”
Fan cafes that lacked members or activity were generally referred to as ghost cafes.
Yoo Ji-han’s party fan cafe had the potential to become one of those ghost cafes.
Like when he had applied to the Hero Academy, he didn’t expect much from something like this.
“Let’s eat some meat!”
“Sizzle!”
Yoo Ji-han handed a piece of grilled pork belly to Chilla.
Sitting with its bottom on the ground, Chilla held the whole slab of pork belly and took a bite.
It seemed that since becoming a monster, it preferred carnivorous meals over herbivorous ones.
Kim Si-hu handed a long skewer of shrimp to Min Yu-ri.
“Here you go, Yu-ri Unni.”
“Thank you! I’ll enjoy it.”
As the sun set and the moon began to rise, the barbecue dinner of Yoo Ji-han’s party continued under the gentle moonlight.
Min Yu-ri bit into a peeled shrimp.
“Wow… it’s really delicious!”
The firm and plump flesh of the shrimp felt like it would push against her teeth.
The white and red flesh melted smoothly in her mouth.
Even without sugar sprinkled on it, the sweetness of the seafood was apparent!
Anyone who tasted it would instinctively exclaim in delight.
“Hyung! This meat is also amazing!”
The thick pork neck was cooked evenly without being charred.
The right balance of fat and meat made it tender and packed with strong umami flavor.
Thanks to being grilled over charcoal, the subtle smoky flavor added to the pork was something that 9 out of 10 people would likely enjoy.
Eating excitedly, Kim Si-hu said, “Where on earth did you buy this?”
“I got it at the mart.”
“I thought you might’ve gone to a farm and caught it yourself…”
“Now you’re overdoing it.”
Yoo Ji-han grinned and placed more meat on the grill.
There was still plenty of meat and vegetables left that needed grilling.
“Sizzle, sizzle!”
“Pff! Look at it go.”
Chilla tried to eat a whole grilled mushroom but burned its tongue on it.
Seeing that, Min Yu-ri couldn’t help but smile brightly.
Kim Si-hu and Yoo Ji-han followed her with laughter.
‘This is nice.’
Having meals with companions was far more enjoyable than he had expected.
Yoo Ji-han hadn’t felt such simple joy while in Kim Hyun-tae’s party.
Even when he participated in a party gathering now and then, it was always lavish meals suited to the preferences of the party leader, Kim Hyun-tae.
The relaxed atmosphere they had now was something he could never have dreamed of.
“By the way, Si-hu. Didn’t you say your father is coming soon?”
“Oh, yes. I meant to tell you about that.”
“Soon, huh?”
“That’s right.”
Kim Si-hu’s father, Kim Geon-oh from the Kyoto Monster Research Institute.
He was scheduled to come to Korea around the anniversary of his late wife, Erna Hass.
Yoo Ji-han’s party planned to take a break at that time.
“My father said he would like to meet you when he comes to Korea.”
“Really?”
“Yes, and he wants to meet you, Yu-ri Unni, too.”
“Me?”
Min Yu-ri pointed at her own face with her index finger.
“Why me?”
“To be exact, he wants to meet Chilla…”
“Ah, I see.”
“It’s not easy to meet a well-trained monster, you know.”
“Gotcha. I understand.”
“Then we can all meet together when the time comes.”
“I’ll let you know the date separately!”
An elf known for their stunning looks but very stern personality…
Yoo Ji-han was curious about what kind of person he would be, considering he was married to such an elf.
“Now that I think about it, there’s something I forgot.”
Yoo Ji-han looked at Min Yu-ri and said.
“Yu-ri Unni.”
“Yes?”
Confirming that there were no outsiders around, Yoo Ji-han summoned a Sylph.
Puff!
A green light puff appeared suddenly in thin air.
Min Yu-ri’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What is this…?”
“I’m actually a Spirit Master.”
“You’re a Spirit Master?!”
Thud.
Startled, Min Yu-ri dropped the fork she was holding onto the floor.
Chilla looked down at the dirtied meat with a forlorn expression.