Summons

The woman smiled broadly, her lips curling up in a playful grin.

"Oh dear, look at me, forgetting to introduce myself. My name is Jang Mi-sook. You can call me 'Aunt,' but I wouldn't mind if you called me 'Noona' either."

"…"

"Hoho! Was that too forward?"

Cha Eui-jae slightly opened his mouth, then, without realizing it, raised his hand to check the gas mask. He was glad his face was hidden. He bit down on his lip. As soon as he heard the word "Aunt," he felt like the ground had just dropped out from under him.

"…"

Cha Eui-jae found himself studying Jang Mi-sook's face. Her perfectly normal hands too. Of course, the woman in front of him bore no resemblance to his aunt. That's how it should be.

"Come on, let's get going. He's waiting. Honestly, he's got no patience, not even a speck of it…"

Grumbling, Jang Mi-sook turned and began walking. Cha Eui-jae was about to follow her as if in a trance, but his feet suddenly stopped. His face scrunched up behind the gas mask. The thing that was holding his feet in place was none other than the thought of the repercussions if he disobeyed Lee Sa-young's orders.

It wasn't that he was afraid of Lee Sa-young, not at all. It's just…

'Isn't he going to give me an earful for acting on my own again…'

So hard to placate a sulking Lee Sa-young!

The thought of having to spend a long time soothing him was daunting. He could already hear Sa-young's sarcastic voice in his head…

'Oh, really…? And then?'

'Ah… is that so?'

'Well done… You know that's not a compliment, right?'

Damn it. Cha Eui-jae gritted his teeth.

'This is like being shackled.'

If anyone had tried to put a shackle on him, they'd succeeded. The usually impulsive Cha Eui-jae was now actually thinking. He scuffed the ground with the sole of his shoe, continuing to think.

It's better to stay put than to wander around somewhere unfamiliar. After all, the only thing he knew about this fish market was that somewhere in it was a man called Mackerel. The information gap was just too big.

In truth, he wasn't thrilled about following Lee Sa-young's orders. Even so, one thing was clear. Now, he had people to call on for help even if he didn't act on his own. People like Lee Sa-young or Seo Min-gi. He had the belief that even if he did nothing, they would help him.

"…"

Jang Mi-sook, who was walking ahead, turned around with a puzzled look.

"What are you doing, just standing there? Let's get going."

"Well…"

Cha Eui-jae cleared his throat before speaking haltingly.

"The Guild Leader… told me to wait here."

"What?"

"Sorry."

Laughter burst out from in front of him. Jang Mi-sook was laughing so hard that her voice echoed throughout the fish market. She wiped the tears from her eyes after a long bout of laughter.

"Oh my, I haven't heard something like that in ages. You must be a newbie?"

"…"

Is that really something to laugh about? Before he could process his confusion, his phone buzzed. Jang Mi-sook pointed at it with a nod.

"Why don't you check? I bet you've got a message."

Cha Eui-jae took out his phone from his jacket pocket and turned it on. Just as she said, there was a message waiting for him. Actually, it wasn't just one.

The sender was…

Sa-young: It'll take a bit.

Sa-young: You can follow someone named Jang Mi-sook.

Sa-young: I'll be there soon.

Lee Sa-young.

Cha Eui-jae hesitated for a moment before his fingers moved to send a reply.

[Got it.]

Beep. Sent. The moment he slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"Still, I like that you're cautious. Trust is an important virtue, especially in these chaotic times."

"…"

"Staying put was the right call too. Up to this point is the safe zone."

"…What?"

"You'll see."

Jang Mi-sook smiled warmly, as if asking if he trusted her now. She shook her head slightly, pointing to her in-ear communication device.

"Ah, anyway, let's get going. He's been nagging me to hurry."

The fish market was a dungeon.

Not a metaphor— a literal dungeon. Behind his gas mask, Cha Eui-jae's vividly blue eyes scanned the area. With each step he took, the surroundings were reconfiguring themselves.

A shop that sold live fish would turn into a stall selling freshly fried tempura, and then into another selling shellfish. He tried to find a pattern, but there wasn't one. It seemed to change according to the whims of the place's master. With every step, there was a creaking sound, like cubes turning and fitting into place, enough to make him feel dizzy.

This place was a living labyrinth.

"You're not that surprised, huh? Most people faint when they see this for the first time."

"Ah… no, I was surprised."

Cha Eui-jae mechanically responded, and Jang Mi-sook burst into laughter.

"You're terrible at lying!"

"…"

Am I really that bad at lying? Cha Eui-jae pouted slightly. Jang Mi-sook pointed to the side street that was changing in real-time.

"Want to know something fun? There's even a lost-and-found center here."

"A lost-and-found center? …Really?"

"Of course! Rookies who don't know anything waltz in here thinking they can buy and sell information, but then they get lost. It happens dozens of times a day."

Jang Mi-sook, familiar with the scene, moved expertly through the tangled paths. Without a guide, you'd inevitably get lost. Now he understood why Lee Sa-young had warned him to stay put. If he'd wandered around by himself, he might have ended up at that lost-and-found. Ugh, what a nightmare.

'Good thing I followed orders.'

Cha Eui-jae changed the subject out of nowhere.

"So what should first-timers do?"

"You need to check in first! Then you wait until you're assigned a guide."

"…I guess not just anyone gets assigned."

Cha Eui-jae looked around. In the ever-changing scenery, the shopkeepers were calmly doing their work, but their eyes were sharp. The eyes of merchants.

"You're quick to catch on. That's right. This place runs on information. Only those deemed to have valuable information get assigned a guide. Guilds get assigned guides on a guild-wide basis. That's why you're unique. You should've looked for me as soon as you arrived."

"…I didn't hear anything about that."

"Hohoho, thanks to that, I had some fun."

"…"

Cha Eui-jae asked reluctantly.

"Are all the shopkeepers awakened?"

"Some are, some aren't."

"How do you ensure the safety of those who aren't?"

"Safety?"

Jang Mi-sook glanced back at him, then burst out laughing again. By now, her hearty laughter had become so familiar that it would feel strange without it.

"Oh, don't worry! This place is safer than most."

"…"

"We're here."

She stopped in front of a shop that looked much like the others he'd seen. Tanks with water constantly circulating, fish swimming inside, the salty and fishy smells of the sea.

The sign hanging from the ceiling flickered. On the white sign, the words "Jangmi Fisheries" were written in pink letters.

"…Oh, you're here."

A gloomy voice echoed. Cha Eui-jae looked for the source of the voice. A young man with shaggy hair was hunching over, washing a knife. There was a dark aura around him, as if it was swirling only in his vicinity. He was dressed in a colorful outfit; a bright blue vinyl apron, red boots, and pink rubber gloves. It was hard to see his face because of his long bangs.

Jang Mi-sook patted Cha Eui-jae's back.

"This is my son. Say hello."

"What? Ah, hello."

Her son silently nodded his head. Jang Mi-sook chuckled.

"He's a bit shy… Come on in and sit down. Son! Slice up some flatfish for us."

"Okay…"

Her son put down the knife, picked up a net, and walked over to the tank in an awkward shuffle. Cha Eui-jae shook his head.

"No need for the sashimi…"

"It's customary to have a bite when you come here. Now, get inside!"

Before he knew it, Cha Eui-jae was sitting neatly on a cushion. Jang Mi-sook's hands moved with incredible speed as she pushed him into the room, wiped the table, set the utensils, placed the water bottle, cups, and wet wipes. Of course, Cha Eui-jae could match her speed, but…

'Is she awakened?' His eyes followed each of her movements closely. He was planning to use it for his part-time job at the hangover soup restaurant. But soon his gaze stopped.

'…I probably won't be going back to the restaurant anymore.'

Cha Eui-jae stared blankly at the side dishes being placed in front of him. He missed the hangover soup restaurant's dim lighting and the automatic pet feeder— no, the automatic kimchi and side dish self-serve station—more than ever.

'I hope everyone's doing well…'

He never thought he'd miss those regular customers who were like enemies to him. Where were they eating now? Were they all starving? Even though his time as a hunter was much longer than his time as a part-timer, he couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia.

"Here's the flatfish sashimi!"

A white plate suddenly appeared in his dazed vision. It was piled high with pure white, bouncy sashimi. Damn, it looked delicious. Cha Eui-jae snapped out of his daze. Jang Mi-sook smiled brightly.

"I'll close the door for you so you can take off your mask and enjoy it."

As expected of a guild guide from Pado. She was considerate. Slide. The door closed. Cha Eui-jae looked up. This room was a sealed space. However, there was a man sitting across from him. Jang Mi-sook's son.

The dark blue hair that obscured his face was a deep indigo.

"…"

Without a hint of surprise, Cha Eui-jae unwrapped and snapped apart a pair of wooden chopsticks. The sound of them breaking was crisp and clear. And then,

Swoosh—!!

Without a hint of shock, he caught something flying toward his face with the chopsticks. Cha Eui-jae frowned and checked what he'd caught. It was a stiff business card.

[Noryangjin Fish Market]

[Mackerel]

Cha Eui-jae read the card's contents and sighed. He crumpled the card in his fist, his previously upright posture naturally slouching.

"Hey."

"…"

"You know who I am, don't you?"

"…"

The indigo-haired head nodded slightly up and down. Of course, he would. Cha Eui-jae threw the crumpled card straight at the head.

"What the hell are you doing throwing stuff at the table?!"