# Chapter 18
A few days after the commotion at the department store, the day finally arrived for the bed they ordered to be delivered. Iyeon, who received a call early in the morning, was bustling about cleaning the house. Next to him, Cheong—no, Mungchi—was jumping up and down excitedly, wagging its tail.
The fur ball ultimately didn’t find a suitable name and became Mungchi. It was better than Chil-chil-i, so it was good news for Mungchi.
After discussions with Hyegang, it was decided that Iyeon would raise Mungchi. This wasn’t just any creature but a Grade 2 mutant. It would be too dangerous to leave it with Hyegang, who had virtually no ability to handle mutants. When a Grade 2 mutant goes wild, it doesn’t just destroy the house.
They couldn’t give it away to someone else, and they were afraid to release it in case it might attach itself to another passerby. It hadn’t done anything wrong, so taking it to the Superpower Management Office didn’t feel right either… At least this house had Je Sano, so he could somehow manage it.
The new family member, acquired through careless thinking, unexpectedly blended in well. While it fundamentally adored Iyeon, it seemed to get along decently with Sano too, which was fortunate.
After living alone for several years, Iyeon suddenly had two dependents. The bustling house felt strangely novel. Life is truly unpredictable…
Just then, the intercom rang loudly from the living room. Iyeon, who had been mumbling to himself like an old man, quickly looked up at the sound of the doorbell.
It was time to bring in new furniture for the new family member.
There was one fact that Iyeon had overlooked.
The newly purchased bed was a large king size, the largest size available among ready-made beds. It was a size specifically chosen for Sano, who was large in stature.
“One bed will completely fill up the room.”
It didn’t fit in the small room.
As Sano had said, they could somehow cram it in, but what happened afterward would be the issue. They couldn’t just leave a bed standing alone in the room either. Confused by this unexpected complication, Iyeon could only stare blankly, alternating his gaze between the horizontally positioned bed and the room.
“What should we do?”
As Iyeon’s hesitation grew longer, the delivery man asked. Taking advantage of Iyeon’s stammering “Um,” Sano stepped forward.
“This way.”
The place Sano headed to was the master bedroom.
“Huh?”
Yes, Iyeon’s room.
“I don’t think there’s enough space here either.”
No sooner had the delivery man finished speaking than Iyeon’s precious bed biodegraded and was concealed into the floor. Thanks to that, a spacious area was now completely empty.
“…”
Iyeon was stunned by the instantaneous free interior renovation. He grabbed Sano’s arm and pulled him. Though the solid body didn’t budge from such a feeble strength, at least Sano turned to look at him.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“You buy large furniture without any plan and still have more to say?”
Under that severe gaze, Iyeon’s spirit shrank a little.
“No, we could at least put it in the living room for now…”
“I wonder if there are people who put beds in their living rooms.”
Here was the most abnormal guy looking at him with eyes that seemed to be judging someone who lacked common sense. Slightly irritated, Iyeon asked as if launching a final attack:
“Then where will you sleep?”
Sano replied as if it were obvious:
“This is my bed, after all.”
“…?”
It took time for Iyeon to process Sano’s words. While his brain was covered with question marks, the delivery men quickly finished installing the bed and left. Even the sound of the door closing seemed dreamlike.
Once only the two of them remained, Mungchi, who had been playing somewhere in the house, sprang out and jumped onto the new bed. Despite the creature, as tall as a human’s calf, bouncing up and down happily, the mattress barely undulated. It truly was worth the expensive price.
“If you behave nicely, I might give you a corner of the bed.”
The bed’s owner also spoke with a mischievous face and naturally entered the room, sitting on the edge of the bed. Just as Iyeon had expected, the dark frame suited Sano perfectly. Even more so because together they looked like a scene from the underworld…
“…”
Iyeon was stunned, having not only gained a roommate without knowing but now also having to share a bed. What is this? This isn’t right? Such thoughts kept circling in his mind, but unfortunately, his options were limited.
This is why one should always measure the room before buying furniture.
*
[“Today’s Mutant” briefing on recent mutant trends. Today we have a special guest, Director Jin Heesu of the Mutant Response Department at the Superpower Management Office.]
[“Hello, I’m Jin Heesu.”]
[“Director, you look even more handsome in person.”]
[“Thank you.”]
[“Then, please explain the recent movements of mutants.”]
[“Yes. There’s not much difference from before, but since this is a city with frequent mutant appearances, citizens should remain vigilant…”]
“Evi-vi~”
Half-listening to the news, Iyeon lazily waved a long stick. Each time the feather at the end fluttered, Mungchi’s ears perked up.
After crouching low, when it seemed about to pounce, Iyeon moved the stick to the opposite side, making Mungchi jump up and down trying to grab the feather. It seemed to find this quite an amusing game. The front paws flailing in the air were quite adorable.
Crack!
[“Also, mutants cannot be easily assessed for danger levels just by their appearance.”]
And then a sudden lightning bolt obliterated the feather.
[“For the safety of citizens, please exercise caution when encountering mutants.”]
“…”
Iyeon stared blankly at the toy that had instantly turned black, burnt to ash, and crumbled, then quietly put the remains in the trash can. The half-filled trash can was already piled high with similar heaps of ash.
“This won’t work.”
Iyeon, who was gently rubbing Mungchi’s belly as it flipped over asking for more play, muttered seriously. Around Iyeon, who was sitting haphazardly on the floor, there were several scorch marks from lightning strikes. Sano, who was lying on the sofa as usual, glanced at Iyeon without answering.
“Let’s get a custom order.”
In this era where everyone was making tireless efforts to protect the Earth’s environment, they couldn’t keep endlessly producing such ephemeral trash. They needed to make a very sturdy toy that could withstand that creature’s lightning. Having made up his mind, Iyeon took out his phone. He knew just the right person.
Chohosi is a city developed around superpowers. Because of this, there were also many professions related to superpowers that couldn’t be found in ordinary cities. Jobs that could only exist in Chohosi, where there was demand for superhumans.
One of them was being an engineer. These were mechanical technicians who made auxiliary tools used by hunters in combat.
They created everything from basic communication devices to combat support tools and flight devices. Iyeon’s goggles were also of this kind.
Superpower-related technology was a field closest to the cutting edge. Therefore, engineers couldn’t get by with just ordinary knowledge. Completing a specialized course required astronomical amounts of money and time, and one’s own blood and sweat were also necessary to keep up with the oddly disparate scientific developments compared to other cities.
Nevertheless, being an engineer was one of the most popular professions in Chohosi.
The reason was simple. It was a specialized technical job with very juicy income, dealing with hunters who had loads of money.
Hunters who risked their lives found it very frustrating when their powers couldn’t be properly used, and they didn’t spare any expense on customizing items that would help in battle. It was considered natural for most hunters to have one or two custom-made tools they carried around for combat.
As a result, while there were quite a few engineers, proportionally there were also many mediocre ones. Any decent engineer would be exclusively scouted by large companies. Countless companies had bad relationships due to competitive scouting wars.
This was a very unfavorable condition for small businesses like Chageum that couldn’t afford exclusive contracts with engineers. This was because the engineers left after the fierce scouting wars were one of two types:
Either incompetent or eccentric.
D.S, the independent engineer who dealt with Chageum, was the latter.
This suspicious freelancer, who didn’t even reveal their real name, had established a base in a corner of a shabby neighborhood for quite some time.
The workshop, without even a proper sign, had only a table lamp turned on as its light source. Metal pieces and screws were scattered everywhere, and the walls were rusted, creating a desolate atmosphere in the quiet and dim space, regardless of the time of day.
“D.S-ssi, are you here?”
Iyeon called out for the owner as he strode in. Sano glared at the dirty interior with distaste before following a step behind.
“D.S-ssi?”
Iyeon’s voice echoed through the worn-out place. There was a rustling sound from inside.
“What is it…”
Soon, an irritated response came along with the appearance of a woman.
Her unkempt hair, grown as she pleased, barely reached her shoulders, and despite her sunken eyes, her eyeballs shone brilliantly. Her hunched back made her tall, skinny body look even more unsightly. Her one-piece coveralls were only half-worn, revealing a glimpse of the oil-stained t-shirt underneath.
Sano’s footsteps halted abruptly at the doorway of the workshop at her appearance, which looked like she hadn’t washed for days. He clearly showed an aversion to approaching. However, Iyeon, seemingly accustomed to her, chided D.S.
“Why don’t you answer your phone?”
D.S yawned widely before answering.
“What brings you here?”
Look at her not even answering. Her behavior was similar to someone behind Iyeon.
D.S was lazy, unfriendly, and had zero sociability. Her peculiar personality, which had made many scouts flee of their own accord, was the primary reason she had drifted and drifted until she was pushed into a back alley.
What she was interested in was just machines and technology. She didn’t care about anything else. As a result, the only people who came looking for her were straightforward and somewhat desperate humans like Iyeon.
“I have a favor to ask.”
However, having used the goggles she made, Iyeon could assert with certainty: her skills were the real deal.
