Chapter – 10.
Use Honorifics When You Address Me!
The café owner didn’t even look in my direction as she spoke.
“’Cept for crazies like you making a fuss the day they first show up, it’s been quiet.”
“I heard you take the lowest commission among all private awakened agents. Are you making enough money then?”
“Since when do you pry into other people’s wallets?”
“Well, the work you do is really dangerous. You should be earning a lot to make up for that, but… it doesn’t seem like you do.”
“Where’d this nosy brat roll in from, huh! Back hurting? If you can sit around all day flopped on your stomach, you can get out!”
Maybe I crossed a line. But it was really bothering me.
The first dawn I saw a site where hunters took on illegal gate jobs the broker had procured…
Even at a glance, some people there looked pretty rough.
Yet in the middle of them, Ms. Park Ilsuk—an unawakened—stood radiating the seasoned authority of a veteran general. I was impressed, but…
Does she have some reason she has to do something this dangerous?
Everyone has their own story. I had no right to question a woman I’d only met a few days ago.
But still—right is right. My meddling heart just wanted to help the elderly owner.
For example…
“At least you’re happy I bust all the ones secretly smoking, right?”
For the first time, she didn’t scold me. She just silently continued organizing her ledger. I was secretly proud.
One day, the upstairs pool hall owner lazily squashed a cigarette butt and flicked it out the window, and that caused a fire in the café.
Even after inhaling a ton of smoke, she got furious, stormed upstairs before going to the hospital, and flipped the pool hall. Apparently.
The expression on that light–brown-haired guy—the chicken shop owner’s son—who passed me that rumor was priceless.
How angry did she have to be for that huge man to run away without even lifting his head and avoid the café afterward…
The pool hall owner was a middle-aged man built like four Ms. Parks put together.
Even he feared the tiny grandma. The café restroom and front door had warning signs saying smokers wouldn’t be spared.
And yet, there were still idiots who smoked as if mocking her.
I was bored, so I tattled on a few hunters who smoked.
This morning, I quietly reported a kid who looked like a high schooler. Ms. Park rushed to the scene and smacked him on the head. Watching that was… entertaining.
Ah, I’m bored.
I lay on the sun-lit table and stared out the window at the sky.
Shockingly, I had nothing to do at that moment.
Investigating Yongseon Guild on my own led to nothing new.
I really should move closer to here.
After observing the area a few days, I reached a funny conclusion: unlike the 5-star hotel district, the sketchy train-station neighborhood was actually the safest for me.
To explain that, I have to bring up when the gates first opened and the “Season of Savagery” began.
It was such a sudden cataclysm that the government collapsed instantly, society broke down overnight. Spring—when conscience and morality were like dying old trees ready to fall.
There was a brief period of anarchy.
Monsters poured out during dungeon breaks, and people, whether willingly or not, threatened others to steal essentials—small guerrilla skirmishes everywhere.
Naturally, local vigilante groups formed, and that grew into guilds.
Later the government managed to regain control and build a management system, but some regions where private hunter guilds had already formed were still beyond government interference.
This area seemed to be one of them. And Ms. Park Ilsuk seemed to be the guild leader here.
…Just my guess, though.
If Yongseon Guild found out I was digging into them, I was terrified I’d be dragged off to who-knows-where.
When that time comes, staying in an area even the government avoids would make me much harder to find.
First, I need to earn favor with the guilds controlling this area. So if something happens, I can at least get some help.
Moving out of the hotel was a shame, but wasting time traveling back and forth also felt pointless.
While I was thinking, something brushed near my leg. I stiffened.
Chilseok—found on Chilseok day.
Cute name, but I was still not used to cats.
Jingle—
A regular customer came in.
The hardcore patriot is here again.
He came once a day, every day. Why I called him a patriot?
“Tsk, tsk! I told you, electing that guy for Hunter Administration Chief was a mistake! Should’ve picked Ma Jun-sik!”
…He walks in with his phone blaring political rumor videos.
He always orders yuzu tea.
But he doesn’t drink; he just mutters nonstop about how the country is going downhill.
Maybe it was just my negativity, but every time he came, even Chilseok looked annoyed.
You must find him loud too, huh.
No skilled awakened ones or hunters in sight… I lowered my head again and stared at the sky.
【…But here’s the thing, folks. This Yongseon Guild—claiming they recruit purely based on ability—yet we’ve received reports that behind the scenes…】
Did he just say Yongseon Guild?
My ears popped open on their own.
“Place should’ve been exposed ages ago! Bah, they’re plugging everything with money!”
“Excuse me! Could you turn that up?”
“What? Who’re you?”
“I’m a customer too!”
“Oh-ho! Young lady’s interested in this stuff? There’s hope for our nation yet!”
I rushed to his table, sat across from him, and practically grabbed his phone.
The topic was “Top 10 Yongseon Guild Conspiracy Theories”! How did I never think to search this side of the internet?
“You like this kind of content? Excellent—our country’s future is bright!”
The Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ is displeased.
“Why are you upset?”
“Huh? What?”
“No—put the phone on the table so we can watch comfortably.”
The Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ asks if we really have to sit with that overweight mortal; he finds it uncomfortable.
I ignored him.
The Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ demands to know how long we must stay next to that flabby mortal. He is irritated.
The Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ flails, saying this is a waste of time.
“Then what do you want me to do? I’m restricted—I can’t even ask for revelations! Tell me what to do instead!”
I snapped at the Constellation out loud. Ever since I saw the human extinction scenario, I’d kind of stopped caring how I looked.
The man across from me flinched hard.
The Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ laments that he lent you a portion of his omniscience and you don’t even use it.
He nags that you should start delivering divine revelations as his medium.
His nagging sparked a mischievous idea.
If Ms. Park hates him, maybe I should use this guy as the medium to receive Yongseon-related revelations?
I tuned him out and started thinking. The Constellation kept babbling anyway.
The Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ goes ??????
!WARNING!
Affinity too low — cannot interpret.
The Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ is frustrated by the communication failure.
Seriously… what am I supposed to do with that?
Sometimes he gets overexcited and floods the screen with messages.
Important lines get blocked by warnings. It drove me crazy.
I stared blankly at Chilseok wandering near the scorched monstera plant—and suddenly realized something.
Maybe the priority wasn’t Yongseon Guild.
Maybe I needed to talk to the Constellation properly first.
“Thanks for the video.”
“What, you barely watched it and you’re leaving?!”
“I need to talk to my god for a bit.”
The man looked at me weirdly again.
Whatever. I returned to my seat, took off my shoes, sat cross-legged on the chair, and closed my eyes.
If I cared about people staring, I’d never be able to talk to him.
“Let’s talk.”
The Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ shows interest.
“Every time I see the ‘communication restricted’ warning, I lose my mind. Let’s raise your affinity a lot first.”
The Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ scolds you—why are you only thinking of that now?
I wanted to smack him once.
The Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ suddenly has a bad feeling.
The Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ asks if you intend to use that incompetent mortal as your revelation medium; he gives you side-eye.
“Wow, nailed it. How’d you know? Why, is that not allowed?”
The Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ refuses to give revelations to that mortal and is offended.
“Why are you acting like this? You hate him?”
“You… hate me?!”
“I wasn’t talking about you, sir. Please mind your tea.”
The Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ rages, saying it is blasphemous for a mere mortal to flirt around with his chosen one.
What?
“…Are you jealous? Of a human? That human?”
“You sure you’re not talking about me?!”
“Yes. Please stay quiet.”
The Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ is incredulous that you would accuse a Constellation of jealousy.
If you insist on using that mortal as a medium, you must offer a tribute.
He complains that offering tribute is standard when acting as an intermediary for revelations.
That is jealousy.
Some gods are said to be as petty as humans—throwing tantrums, jealous, picky eaters.
Still… wow. That killed my vibe.
I’d studied a ton about Constellations before. But experiencing one firsthand…
Whatever divine awe I had left crumbled like a dried sandcastle.
The Prophet kept spamming messages:
The Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ has one more complaint.
He grumbles that Contractee ‘Kim Eunsol’ is too disrespectful toward a divine being.
“Manners?”
The Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ demands that from now on, you speak with heartfelt reverence and use honorifics when addressing a divine being!
…Is he a boomer?
I was annoyed, but I forced myself to calm down.
He was a Constellation. An ancient being beyond time. Me casually talking down to him… yeah…
That was rude.
