Chapter 27
“Ughhh…….”
I shook my heavy head back and forth, trying to shake off the dream along with the throbbing headache coming on.
But the pain only intensified, and the man remained as he was.
‘Why am I in pain even in my dream…?’
It felt unfair. Sure, seeing the handsome man with cat ears was quite a perk, but I hated the pain.
I groaned and tossed and turned. But perhaps because it was a dream, my body felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton, making it hard to even lift a finger.
Just then.
Tap.
The man, who had been watching me for a while, placed his hand on my forehead.
Swoosh, stroke.
“Mmm.”
It was strange. Even though his hand touched my hair, which should have been damp with sweat, it didn’t feel unpleasant.
On the contrary, the stinging headache gradually subsided. My eyelids closed on their own.
“It’s a dream, so everything’s okay.”
The man’s voice reached me through my barely conscious mind.
It was a voice I was sure I’d heard before.
A very low tone, yet it didn’t feel particularly cold. A slow, rather too slow, pace of speaking that made my body relax on its own.
Maybe that’s why, even though his words were strange, I found myself believing them.
‘Mmm, right. It’s a dream.’
The pain, and that strange man with cat ears.
Perhaps even me being reborn, and failing to find happiness… it’s all a dream, so it’ll be okay.
“So don’t cry.”
The hand stroking my head briefly tapped my eye area. I felt a faint, blurry, damp moisture.
Was I crying? I don’t know. How would I know in a dream…?
Still, I felt a bit better knowing that someone, even in a dream, was worried about me.
With great effort, I nodded my head, which felt heavier than before, and unconsciously nestled my face into the man’s hand.
After that, I fell deeply asleep, my ramblings growing more incoherent, but I don’t remember much well.
It was a strange night.
***
Meanwhile, Pieta.
“Mmm, poing… Cat, ears go poing there. Poing here. Hong Gildong, heehee, Arte poing.”
“…….”
“So handsome, why so hand-, Tete, so handsome…? Man, why man…. I wanna go back, poing, poing. Earth Shrinking Art poing poing….”
He was calmly treating Cierra Eisen, who was spouting strange ‘poing poing’ sounds in some bizarre language.
Just what kind of imagination was she conjuring in the realm of the unconscious? A smile never left Cierra’s face.
Though he thought it was because he was flustered and his cat ears popped out, this prank was rather…
“Better than crying.”
Her eyes, damp and drooping, were far better when curved in laughter.
It would be nice if she just kept laughing from now on,
“Heehee. So cuuute, kitty….”
As if answering that expectation, Cierra grinned widely and laughed heartily. It was a stark contrast to when she was expressionless.
How could someone who seemed like a sharp wildcat look so docent and bright with just one laugh?
*Pfft.*
Soon after, a faint smile formed at the corner of Pieta’s mouth. He couldn’t help but laugh at her nonsensical chatter.
How much time passed like that?
“Mmm.”
Perhaps she had fallen completely asleep now, as only soft, even breathing sounds filled the room.
Only then did Pieta remove his hand, which had been pouring divine power into her.
That very moment.
“Mmm!”
As the warm hand stroking her head disappeared, Cierra frowned and instinctively flailed her hands in the air.
And then.
*Snatch!*
She grabbed his arm and pulled it toward her. Perhaps because she was unconscious, her pulling strength was quite strong.
Of course, he could always free his hand from her grasp, but he just looked down at Cierra silently.
The warmth that had been lukewarm when he was a cat now felt hot as a human.
Her face, now free from pain and no longer groaning, was flushed red, as if she was dreaming of something.
He searched for the fragments of the memory he had tucked away in that face.
“……Just the same.”
Pieta muttered an unknown phrase slowly, his expression ambiguous. He didn’t look happy, nor did he particularly look bad.
He just gazed quietly at her, who was hugging his arm, and finally brushed the hair stuck to her face before slowly transforming back into a cat.
*Rustle.*
The hand that had been holding his arm fell powerlessly onto the sheets.
Pieta rubbed his cheek against that hand once, as if patting it, then curled up his body at the foot of the bed.
“Meow.”
The final “sleep well” was a bonus.
***
“Ughh!”
My eyes snapped open reflexively from the sunlight streaming through the canopy.
I stretched my stiff body, and my physical condition felt unusually good.
“Huh?”
Strange. Just yesterday, I ached as if I’d really been beaten up.
For a while, I tilted my head and poked various parts of my body. Sure enough, nothing hurt.
“……Is it really self-healing?”
It’s strange that it never hurts, and even when it does, by morning it’s as if nothing happened, feeling refreshed.
‘My healing ability must work on me too, I guess.’
Even if I didn’t know how it worked, having almost no pain was a good thing.
“Heehee.”
Feeling like I’d stumbled upon a windfall, I was grinning widely when—
“Cat, ears go poing there. Poing here. Hong Gildong, heehee, Arte poing.”
“……Huh?”
My smile overlapped with a certain memory, and a strange scene came to mind.
‘I never said anything like that?’
My brief moment of tilting my head in confusion ended.
“Tete? Oh…?”
Seeing Tete sleeping soundly at the edge of the bed, last night’s dream slammed into my mind.
“It’s a dream, so everything’s okay.”
That’s right. I had a really bizarre dream last night.
“Strange….”
The pain felt vivid, so that must have been real. Then what was the man with cat ears?
“Even though this is a fantasy world, there are no beastmen here.”
Ah, there are elves and mermaids. But they’re a bit different from beastmen.
Come to think of it, it reeked of the typical romance fantasy novel flag, a cliché feeling.
“Eh-hey, as if.”
I promptly dismissed it as a hallucination born from pain or just a weird dream. I had to.
“How could there be another man in the world who looks like Arte?”
And one who never appeared in the original novel? No way. It wasn’t a face that could exist twice under the same sky.
And look at Tete.
“There’s no way my baby cat could have a face like that.”
If Tete were to turn human, he’d surely turn out cute, not with a dangerously handsome face that takes your breath away.
……Still, just in case, I casually asked Arte.
*Ding.*
[Arte has donated 1 Florin!]
[Didyouhavetocallmerightnowinthissituation? I’mwatchingHyegyeong’sdaughterfromtheSeonhafamily OMGgrapejuice isdaebakdaebak!]
[ButitturnsoutSeonhawasthelostdaughteroftheChairmanwhowasbeingmistreated OMOOMO themaleleadistheChairman’sson OMOMOM Director-nim!!!]
“…….”
Last time, she told me not to discriminate against night owls, and today she’s watching a morning drama…
‘I was a fool for expecting anything from that god.’
She was so engrossed that her spacing was a complete mess. I shook my head and closed the status window.
‘I wasted time on nothing this morning.’
I have a lot to do today, and I’m expending energy on pointless things.
“Ugh, forget it. Forget the handsome cat!”
I shook my head back and forth vigorously, trying to shake off last night’s dream, and pulled the servant’s bell rope.
“Meow.”
At the sound, Tete slowly opened his eyes. The light streaming through the canopy passed through his red eyes.
The moment I looked into those eyes,
“So don’t cry.”
The voice of the man from the dream, whom I had tried to forget, buzzed in my ears.
“Meow?”
“Ahem.”
He really had a nice voice. It was somehow comforting…
I think I need to remember this.
***
On an early morning steeped in the scent of spring.
I headed towards the Arte sect with Tete for the first time in a while.
I was in high spirits from the long-awaited outing.
District 22 was close to the outskirts of the capital, so we had to travel for quite a while.
Normally, I would have closed my eyes to catch up on my lacking sleep, but having been cooped up in the mansion for days, I was wide-eyed even though it was boring.
‘I should have secretly brought some possession novels from Lucian’s study.’
Last time I saw it, there seemed to be a lot of interesting novels.
‘Especially <Why Does the Obsessive Tyrant Only Give Documents to His Aide?>.’
At first, I thought, ‘isn’t that obvious?’, but then I had a Eureka moment in my head.
‘Seeing how Lucian carries it around and reads it constantly, it must be really interesting.’
I clicked my tongue in regret, and unable to bear the boredom, I started fiddling with the status window.
Unexpectedly, I made a surprising discovery.
It was information regarding Florin donations.
‘If they’re giving real currency used on the continent, does that mean I can withdraw and use the money myself?’
To put it simply, my deduction was exactly right.
However….
*Ding-a-ling.*
[Welcome to the <A r t e S a n g j e o m> FAQ!]
[Q. Can I withdraw donated Florins?]
[A. It’s possible^0^ Morally and very fairly, just! A 49% withdrawal fee is applied (๑>•̀๑)✌]
……Did they sell their conscience very fairly?
***
**Explanation of Terms (for context):**
* **플로랑 (Peurorang):** “Florin,” the currency unit in the story.
* **아르테 교파 (Areute Gyopa):** “Arte Sect” or “Arte Faction,” a religious group the protagonist is associated with.
* **22지구 (22 Jigu):** “District 22,” where the protagonist lives.
* **수도 (Sudo):** “Capital city.”
* **루시안 서재 (Lusian Seojae):** “Lucian’s Study.” Lucian is another character.
* **빙의소설 (Bing-ui Soseol):** “Possession Novel,” a genre where a character from the real world enters a story.
* **<집착 폭군은 왜 보좌관에만 서류를 줄까?> (Jipchak Pokguneun Wae Bojwagwaneman Seoryureul Julkka?):** The title of the novel mentioned, translating to “<Why Does the Obsessive Tyrant Only Give Documents to His Aide?>”
* **상태창 (Sangtaechang):** “Status Window,” a common game-like interface in this type of story.
* **FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions):** Used as is.
* **출금 수수료 (Chulgeum Susuryo):** “Withdrawal Fee.”
* **헌납 (Heonnap):** “Donation” or “Offering.”
* **테테 (Tete):** The name of the protagonist’s cat.
* **피에테 (Pieta):** The name of the cat/man character.
* **시엘라 아이젠스 (Siella Aijenseu):** “Cierra Eisen,” the protagonist’s name.
* **아르테 (Areute):** “Arte,” the name of the god/shop.
* **지구 (Jigu):** “District.”
* **신력 (Sillyeok):** “Divine Power.”
* **캐노피 (Kaenopi):** “Canopy” (likely of the bed).
* **설렁줄 (Seolleongjul):** “Bell rope” (to call a servant).
* **드라마 (Deurama):** “Drama.”
* **포도쥬스 (Podojwiseu):** “Grape Juice.”
* **대박 (Daebak):** “Awesome” or “Jackpot.”
* **전무님 (Jeonmunim):** “Director” (a title).
* **회장님 (Hoejangnim):** “Chairman” (a title).
* **혜정 (Hyejeong), 선하 (Seonha):** Names from the drama Arte is watching.
* **올빼미족 (Olppaemijok):** “Night Owls” (people who stay up late).
* **수인 (Suin):** “Beastman” (a human with animal features).
* **엘프 (Elpeu):** “Elf.”
* **인어 (Ineo):** “Mermaid.”
* **플래그 (Peullaegeu):** “Flag” (a story trope).
* **클리셰 (Keullisye):** “Cliché.”
* **원작 소설 (Wonjak Soseol):** “Original Novel.”
* **외모 (Oemo):** “Appearance.”
* **인간화 (Inganhwa):** “Human Transformation.”
* **귀엽게 (Gwiyeopge):** “Cutely.”
* **위험한 (Wiheomhan):** “Dangerous.”
* **띠링 (Ttiring):** *Ding* (a notification sound).
* **에헤이 (Ehei):** “Eh-hey” (an expression of dismissal).
* **설마 (Seolma):** “No way” or “As if.”
* **개꿈 (Gaekkum):** “Just a dream” (dismissive).
* **축지법 (Chukjibeop):** “Earth Shrinking Art” (a magical ability to travel fast).
* **뿅뿅 (Ppyong-ppyong):** Nonsensical sound effect used by Cierra in her sleep.
* **먕 (Myang):** “Meow” (cute version).
* **사르륵 (Sareureuk):** A rustling or soft sound.
* **토닥이다 (Todakida):** “To pat” or “to comfort by patting.”
* **옹송그리다 (Ongsonggeurida):** “To curl up” or “to huddle.”
* **캐노피 (Kaenopi):** “Canopy.”
* **찌뿌드드하다 (Jjippudeudeuhada):** “To feel stiff and sluggish.”
* **자가 치유 (Jaga Chiyu):** “Self-healing.”
* **개운하다 (Gaeunhada):** “To feel refreshed.”
* **치유 능력 (Chiyu Neungnyeok):** “Healing ability.”
* **횡재 (Hoengjae):** “Windfall” or “unexpected gain.”
* **헤실헤실 (Hesilhesil):** “Grinning widely.”
* **갸웃하다 (Gyautada):** “To tilt one’s head (in curiosity/confusion).”
* **뇌리에 콱 박히다 (Noerie Kwak Bakida):** “To be firmly stuck in one’s mind.”
* **해괴한 (Haegoehan):** “Bizarre” or “absurd.”
* **판타지 세계 (Pantaji Segye):** “Fantasy world.”
* **로맨스 판타지 소설 (Romaenseu Pantaji Soseol):** “Romance Fantasy Novel.”
* **전형적인 (Jeonhyeongjeogin):** “Typical.”
* **폴폴 풍기다 (Polpol Punggida):** “To reek of” or “to strongly give off a feeling.”
* **치부하다 (Chibuhada):** “To dismiss as” or “to regard as.”
* **일절 (Iljeol):** “At all” or “not in the least.”
* **등장하지 않은 (Deungjanghaji Anheun):** “Not appearing.”
* **하늘 아래 (Haneul Arae):** “Under the sky.”
* **인간화를 한다면 (Inganhwareul Handamyeon):** “If he were to turn human.”
* **숨을 턱 막히게 할 만큼 (Sumeul Teok Makhige Hal Mankeum):** “Enough to take one’s breath away.”
* **슬쩍 물어보다 (Seuljjeok Mureoboda):** “To ask casually/sneakily.”
* **띄어쓰기 (Ttieosseugi):** “Spacing (between words).”
* **엉망 (Eongmang):** “A mess.”
* **외면하다 (Oemyeonhada):** “To turn away from” or “to ignore.”
* **괜한 (Gwaenhan):** “Unnecessary” or “pointless.”
* **낭비 (Nangbi):** “Waste.”
* **쓸데없는 (Sseuldeeomneun):** “Useless.”
* **휘휘 내저어 (Hwihwi Naejeoeo):** “To shake vigorously.”
* **털어내다 (Teoreonaeda):** “To shake off.”
* **설렁줄 (Seolleongjul):** “Bell rope.”
* **당기다 (Danggida):** “To pull.”
* **스르륵 (Seureureuk):** “Slowly” or “gently.”
* **내리쬐다 (Naerijjoeda):** “To shine down.”
* **통과하다 (Tonggwahada):** “To pass through.”
* **웅웅 울리다 (Ungung Ullida):** “To buzz” or “to ring.”
* **크흠 (Keuheum):** “Ahem” (clearing throat).
* **위로 (Wiro):** “Comfort.”
* **기억해 놔야겠다 (Gieokhae Nwayagetda):** “I should remember this.”
* **봄 향기 (Bom Hyanggi):** “Spring scent.”
* **물씬 풍기다 (Mulsin Punggida):** “To be filled with fragrance.”
* **이른 아침 (Ireun Achim):** “Early morning.”
* **간만에 (Ganmane):** “For the first time in a while.”
* **향하다 (Hyanghada):** “To head towards.”
* **오랜만의 (Oraenmanui):** “Long-awaited.”
* **외출 (Oechul):** “Outing.”
* **들떴다 (Deultteotda):** “To be excited” or “in high spirits.”
* **수도 외곽 (Sudo Oegwak):** “Outskirts of the capital.”
* **한참을 달려야 했다 (Hanchameul Dallyeoya Haetda):** “Had to travel for quite a while.”
* **평소라면 (Pyeongsoramyeon):** “Normally.”
* **부족한 잠 (Bujokan Jam):** “Lack of sleep.”
* **보충하다 (Bochunghada):** “To replenish.”
* **지루하다 (Jiruhada):** “Boring.”
* **말똥말똥 (Malttongmalttong):** “Wide awake.”
* **몰래 (Mollae):** “Secretly.”
* **훔쳐 오다 (Humcheo Oda):** “To steal and bring.”
* **재미난 (Jaeminan):** “Interesting.”
* **특히 (Teuki):** “Especially.”
* **처음엔 (Cheoeumen):** “At first.”
* **당연한 말 (Dangyeonhan Mal):** “Obvious statement.”
* **머릿속으로 (Meoritsogeuro):** “In one’s head.”
* **유레카 (Yureka):** “Eureka.”
* **가지고 다니다 (Gajigo Danida):** “To carry around.”
* **읽는 걸 보면 (Ingneun Geol Bomyeon):** “Seeing him read.”
* **진짜 (Jinjja):** “Really.”
* **재밌다는 건데 (Jaemittaneun Geonde):** “That it must be interesting.”
* **괜히 (Gwaenhi):** “For no reason.”
* **아쉽다 (Aswipda):** “To feel regretful.”
* **입맛을 다시다 (Immatseul Dasida):** “To smack one’s lips” (often in regret or anticipation).
* **심심함을 못 이겨 (Simsimhameul Mot Igyeo):** “Unable to bear the boredom.”
* **이것저것 (Igeotjeogeot):** “This and that.”
* **만져보다 (Manjyeoboda):** “To touch” or “to fiddle with.”
* **예상외로 (Yesang-oe-ro):** “Unexpectedly.”
* **뜻밖의 발견 (Tteutbak-ui Balgyeon):** “Unexpected discovery.”
* **헌납 (Heonnap):** “Donation.”
* **관련 정보 (Gwallen Jeongbo):** “Related information.”
* **대륙 (Daeryuk):** “Continent.”
* **실제로 (Siljero):** “Actually.”
* **화폐 (Hwapye):** “Currency.”
* **준다는 건 (Jundaneun Geon):** “The fact that they give.”
* **직접 (Jikjeop):** “Directly.”
* **돈을 뽑아 쓸 수도 있다 (Doneul Ppopa Sseul sudo Itda):** “Can withdraw and use money.”
* **결론부터 말하자면 (Gyeollonbuteo Malhajamyeon):** “To put it simply.”
* **추론 (Churon):** “Deduction.”
* **정확히 맞아떨어지다 (Jeonghwakhi Majatteoreojida):** “To be exactly right.”
* **그런데 (Geureonde):** “However.”
* **양심 (Yangsim):** “Conscience.”
* **청렴하게 (Cheongnyeomhage):** “Honestly” / “Incorruptibly.”
* **팔아먹었다 (Para-meogeotda):** “To have sold out.”
