NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17
Assistant Pururu.
Real name, Seo Dan-bi.
She was getting ready to leave the house while playing Kang Geon’s broadcast.
‘Just wear anything, and since washing’s a hassle, I’ll just wear a hat.’
Seo Dan-bi quickly finished her preparations.
Then she tapped on her phone and sent a chat.
［Huh? You don’t know where our house is?］
［You don’t? So that means you’re someone who doesn’t know our house.］
［Sorry.］
Seo Dan-bi didn’t want to reveal her identity.
It wasn’t because of her awkward relationship with Kang Geon.
It was simply because the connection between them was too thin and faint.
Same high school, same class.
And a shared interest in drawing.
Occasionally sharing short conversations about each other’s drawings.
That’s all that connected them with a thin thread.
Seo Dan-bi imagined what she would look like in Kang Geon’s memory.
Probably as blurry as a faint watercolor.
They only exchanged numbers while preparing for a festival.
Too unfamiliar to call each other friends.
Yet not completely strangers; a weird gray area.
Due to this ambiguous relationship, she couldn’t bring herself to reveal her identity.
There was also the anxiety that Kang Geon might not remember her at all.
She didn’t want to be shocked.
“Long time no see, Geon-ah. It’s me, Seo Dan-bi!”
“Seo Dan-bi? Who’s that?”
If such a situation happened, it would leave a deep wound in her heart.
That’s why she decided to keep her identity hidden.
［Got it.］
［Why a friend?］
［You’re not a kid, what’s there to be scared of··· well, do as you wish.］
Receiving the address from Kang Geon, Seo Dan-bi went straight out.
*
Seo Dan-bi arrived in front of an old studio apartment building.
A five-story structure with a worn brick façade.
It was the address Kang Geon provided.
“Looks super old.”
Her friend, Hwang Mir, looked up at the building and said.
Hwang Mir knew about Seo Dan-bi’s situation.
She had heard that her friend was helping someone who was broadcasting from another world.
Of course, she hadn’t believed it at first.
Kang Geon’s broadcast wasn’t visible to Hwang Mir.
But now, she didn’t have any doubts.
She had witnessed something unbelievable.
When Seo Dan-bi filmed an object with her phone, it started to blur and vanished instantly.
Seo Dan-bi claimed that the vanished object was sent to her friend.
Having seen that, there was no room for doubt. It was a phenomenon inexplicable by any trick. Seo Dan-bi didn’t have any magical skills either.
“Dan-bi, are you sure this is your friend’s place?”
“Yep. The address matches.”
“Alright, then let’s go in.”
Seo Dan-bi nodded and typed a chat as they entered the building.
［Already? You got here faster than I expected.］
［Press 0000 to get in.］
【Mysticism】─
At the end of the fourth-floor hallway.
Standing in front of room 404, Seo Dan-bi entered the code into the door lock.
0000.
Ding ding—
With a mechanical sound, the door opened.
Seo Dan-bi cautiously stepped inside, locking eyes with her friend.
A subtle lavender scent brushed her nose.
Surprisingly, the room was spacious and tidy.
Seo Dan-bi and Hwang Mir.
They slowly scanned the room, looking around.
On the right wall was a small wardrobe.
Next to it stood a neatly organized desk.
To the left was a single bed, with a small drawing hanging on the wall above it.
“Dan-bi, is this a drawing by your friend?”
“Seems like it. The style is similar.”
“It’s really nice, just as you said.”
“I told you, they draw better than me.”
Seo Dan-bi answered carelessly while staring blankly at the drawing.
［The drawing? Oh, you mean the Time Eater? I did draw that.］
［It’s a monster, but it was the strongest one I fought. The dog left such a deep memory that I drew it when I returned.］
Lost in admiration of the drawing, Seo Dan-bi soon snapped back to reality remembering Kang Geon’s request.
She opened the wardrobe and peeked inside.
［I was just bored. By the way, do you have a phone inside?］
［None? When I was dragged to the labyrinth, I didn’t have a phone either… Did it possibly disappear during that?］
It was a possibility.
The labyrinth had analyzed Kang Geon’s phone and sent invites to acquaintances.
［…Well, if there’s none, there’s nothing we can do. I’ll have to withdraw money from my bank account or card then.］
［Check the drawer under the desk; there should be a wallet and a bankbook there.］
Seo Dan-bi chuckled as she typed.
It was a joke, not a genuine thought.
［Go ahead then.］
［If you want to steal it, go ahead. When I eventually return to Earth, I’ll find a way to exact my revenge on you.］
Seo Dan-bi felt a bit intimidated.
*
Supplies arrived from Pururu.
Digital Clock, Mattress, Blanket, Pillow.
Along with various daily necessities.
All her savings stored in the bank had been converted into coins by Pururu.
“No. Just hold onto them for now. I don’t know what to spend the coins on yet.”
She decided to request the coins when needed.
Until then, she’d use them for the supply fees.
‘At least it’ll be less of a burden when requesting what I need.’
Seo Dan-bi neatly organized the received items next to the boxes.
The mattress was placed right next to the box.
Originally, she had planned to receive a bed, but the bed fee was 7 coins, so she opted to receive just the mattress separately.
“Nah. That fee isn’t worth it.”
Just the mattress was enough.
No need for the bed frame.
“Because you’re the most reliable.”
“Nope.”
“Yumi’s a doctor, so she must be busy, and I just didn’t want to ask Missy. So I asked you.”
It was totally understandable why Pururu seemed more reliable than Missy.
After all, Pururu was the first assistant to come.
Moreover, even though there was some initial suspicion, she was someone who readily provided support.
Thus.
Despite not knowing her identity, Seo Dan-bi judged she could safely entrust her assets.
Although Missy was also providing support…
Missy only used emoticons and didn’t really chat, so Seo Dan-bi didn’t trust her enough to hand over her assets.
As Seo Dan-bi spread out the blanket on the mattress, Pururu sent a chat.
“Huh? Why change the password?”
“What suspicious person?”
Not reporting it was a wise move.
If the police came, they’d start looking for the property owner, which would mean Pururu might be mistaken for a thief or even as a kidnapper.
“Ruru, how did that person look?”
“Based on your description, I think I know who it is.”
“Not someone I know, but it’s someone who’s been secretly following me for a while.”
“Didn’t seem harmful, so I didn’t think much about it. But I never thought she would try getting into my house.”
“Just drop it. It could be dangerous, so don’t do anything risky.”
Nothing needed to be done about the stalker.
After all, there shouldn’t be any valuables left in the house now.
“Anyway, thanks for your hard work, Pururu. I’ll definitely repay you somehow later.”
*
For the last exploration of the day, I stepped into passage number 7, leading the monsters.
Communicating with the assistants, I walked for about 20 minutes.
Something stuck to the cave wall caught our eye.
A rectangular metal case.
About 2 meters tall, 1 meter wide.
It had a large glass front revealing the items inside, with digital displays flickering at the top and bottom.
“What’s this doing here?”
A vending machine had appeared.