Bailonz Street 13-Chapter 251.1

The dokkaebi flame.

The being inside a lantern that the Disaster Management Bureau lent me after I lost an arm on a mission.

It also stayed by my side up to the very moment I drank the Wish Ticket potion.

After that, I sometimes worried about how it was doing, whether it made it safely back to the bureau…

‘…Thank goodness.’

Since it is right in front of my eyes now, it means it did get back safely.

I looked at the dokkaebi flame that had come out of the lantern and was circling before the traditional paper sliding door.

I was glad to see it.

But that didn’t mean I should expect it to recognize me. What I look like right now is…

Fwick.

The dokkaebi flame flew over and stuck to my head.

‘…!’

No, I mean, it really shot straight through the paper of the sliding door and practically hit dead on between my horns. Enough that a splat would not have sounded out of place…!

‘Ah, no.’

Flustered, I raised a hand to gently take it off, but the dokkaebi flame climbed along my horns and formed a shape.

…A warm blue fire giving a thumbs-up.

Before long it pressed itself against my horns and began to trickle down.

As if it were crying.

‘……’

So you recognized me.

“D, Dokkaebi friend! If you act so rudely…”

Gratitude : A good meeting

“……!”

I let the dokkaebi flame roam around on my horns as it regained its vigor.

Today’s duty officer in charge of me saw the scene, and instead of being startled, quietly pushed up their glasses and began to watch us in silence…

And then.

Knock, knock.

“Agent Sumaksae[1], Gomyeong-ie asked me to tell you that you promised a late-night snack and why aren’t you showing up.”

Beyond the sliding door, a silhouette I’d grown somewhat familiar with revealed itself.

And looked back at me.

“Oh, seems you’re doing well.”

Agent Haegeum!

“Looks like your compatibility with the dokkaebi flame is decent. Hong-unnie really has a knack for this.”

Then she perched near the sliding door and spoke casually to today’s duty officer.

“If it’s because of the dokkaebi flame, I’ll stay here, so go keep your late-night snack promise.”

“Ah…!”

The officer thanked Agent Haegeum several times in a row, then, without much worry or hesitation, vacated the spot.

“Thank you!”

The agent even glanced at me and the dokkaebi flame and gave an awkward little wave.

The moment the staffer completely departed into the corridor that should be beyond the sliding door.

“…You saw, right? People are now willing to trust your temperament to some extent.”

……

“From here on out there will be folks who’ll try putting various items in to see how you react, so I’d appreciate it if you don’t view them too unkindly. It’s because they’re trying to choose what offering you’d like.”

Question : Target of the offering

“Obviously you.”

R-Right.

I held back a sigh as I watched the dokkaebi flame, which had been playing near my horns, peep around the yellow lamp near my ribs.

“Well… I suppose I’ll be getting asked all sorts of questions about what you used to like when you were still a mascot.”

Ack.

“So if there’s anything you’d like to receive, you can tell me now.”

No.

Just helping me get my head on straight and letting me use this place without rent is already doing a lot for me…

Of course I know the Disaster Management Bureau isn’t just trying to humor me. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

‘They want my assistance as a supernatural being.’

All the more so if this agent, who already knows I’m the master of Flower Golden Resort, has added her testimony.

Borrowing power from a supernatural being friendly to humans is already a systematized disaster-response method at the bureau.

Like the dokkaebi flame, the Baridegi Workshop, or the Tiger General, I suspect I’m being treated as a candidate among cooperating spirit-beings…

The problem is that I am in no state to do that.

Not only was I originally human, but as I am now I’m not something numinous…… I feel more like some kind of unclean composite hunk of flesh, which makes me unfit, doesn’t it.

……And.

“It looks like you haven’t completely been freed from that wretched company yet.”

……

“How about settling down at the Disaster Management Bureau? I don’t know what got you tangled up with them, but we can look for a way to get you out of it together.”

A way to escape the employment contract I made with Director Cheong… together?

That’s…

I don’t know. Is that even possible? No matter how I look at it, Director Cheong wasn’t an ordinary being.

Even if it were possible, it would require an enormous investment, and I’m not a supernatural entity holy or valuable enough to justify the cost.

Just thinking about escaping from that employment contract makes my head fill with a blaring rules-violation announcement, ringing in my brain until it feels like it’s leaking fluid—

Flicker.

‘……’

The dokkaebi flame softly drifted around my head.

Overlapping the phantom announcement came a hum, the sound of a bat tapping, and cheerful footsteps.

The sounds of a dokkaebi.

……

Thanks

By the time the announcement faded, I gently tapped the dokkaebi flame clinging to my shoulder.

Note/s:

[1] Sumaksae (수막새) – A kind of traditional roof tile that has face-pattern carved into it. As a relic of the Silla Kingdom, it is currently acknowledged as a national treasure of Korea. Read more about it here: https://namu.wiki/w/얼굴무늬%20수막새/ ↵

Salt Goblin

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