Chapter 39

Chapter 39

* * *

“It’s not here either.”

“It’s not here….”

Returning to the store, I started searching the warehouse for the hand mirror.

After checking a pile of miscellaneous items for quite a while, Kiuyun’s voice suddenly echoed in my mind.

“I’m relieved.”

“Aaah!”

“What’s the matter! Kyaooong!”

“Meeooow!”

“How many times now!”

Beside me, Miumi and Lime scolded me, but the more they did, the clearer the memory became.

His long eyelashes casting shadows, his lips forming a gentle curve, his white cheeks, and his clear eyes.

Seeing Kiuyun’s face up close was incredibly impactful. I thought I had gotten a bit used to it from seeing him often, but that wasn’t the case.

His fingers touching my hair were ticklish.

The time it took to pin the hair clip felt very long, even though it was just a moment. During that time, I couldn’t move a muscle from the tension.

When his fingers finally left, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

And his voice, softly brushing my ear.

“I’m relieved.”

“Aaah!”

“Whyooong! This guy, are you going to keep scaring me!”

Miumi, who was beside me, flailed her front paws.

But… the more I tried to forget those strange words, the more they kept floating in my mind. For someone like me, who has no immunity to handsome men, it was too much of a stimulus. Anyone would keep thinking about it if they heard such a voice right in front of them.

Moreover, what exactly was he relieved about? No subject, no object, forbidden!

No, I have to calm down. It was probably just a meaningless statement. He’s a bit unusual, after all.

I tried to shake off the thought and focused on finding the item.

The warehouse was very wide and complex. Although I had cleaned it once before, it was impossible to organize all the items.

It was filled with unused store fixtures, various miscellaneous items, and my grandmother’s keepsakes. This was also where I found the mix coffee and plastic sheets.

Old newspapers and magazines from ten years ago were piled up in boxes.

Hmm, there’s news about a famous hunter’s marriage. I used to play that cafe tycoon game a lot… So it came out around this time.

Phew, I almost got absorbed in reading the magazine. For some reason, whenever I find a book while cleaning, I end up reading it.

Putting the magazine down, I resumed my search, but the hand mirror was nowhere to be found.

“Cough, cough!”

Moreover, the dust made me cough constantly.

“Kyaooong! How long do we have to do this!”

“Meeooow!”

Miumi and Lime, who were searching with me, complained.

“Until we find it.”

“That’s ridiculous! Why?”

“Meeooow!”

I ignored their protests and pointed to a box in a corner.

“There. Check inside that box.”

“There’s no mirror. Whyooong….”

Then Miumi tried to sneak out of the warehouse.

“Where are you going!”

“Kya?!”

I grabbed Miumi’s tail. Lime had already run away and was nowhere to be seen. Even you, Lime….

Despite Miumi’s constant attempts to escape, we continued searching the warehouse, but we couldn’t find the hand mirror.

Miumi, covered in dust and looking like a gray fur ball, grumbled.

“It’s been years since the item was lost. It’s unreasonable to ask for it back. Tell her it’s past the statute of limitations!”

“Hmm, but….”

Grandma Kim Deok said she would give up if we couldn’t find the hand mirror, but her expression was troubling.

It was affectionate yet melancholic, as if she was longing for something.

It seemed to be a very important item, so I wanted to find it and return it to her.

However….

“Cough, cough… Cough, cough!”

No matter how much I searched….

“That slime, running away on his own… Why!”

The search was fruitless.

I had only seen piles of miscellaneous items over and over again.

Maybe it’s not here. Just as I was about to sit down from exhaustion, Lime, who had run away, returned and bounced in front of me.

“Meeooow!”

“Huh, what?”

“Mee, meeooow!”

“Phew, did you find the hand mirror?”

“Meeooow….”

I have no idea what he’s saying.

Lime bounced up and down, as if inviting me to follow him, and pointed towards the entrance of the dimensional space. There were no other leads left, so I quickly followed Lime.

“Huh, here?”

“Mee!”

Lime led me to the entrance of the dimensional space.

No way, it can’t be here. Grandma wasn’t an Awakened. Has she ever been here?

But we didn’t find the hand mirror in the warehouse or any other room. The only place left is this dimensional space. I decided to check it out rather than leaving it a mystery.

I entered the dimensional space.

The blue sky, the bright sunlight, and the large Yggdrasil tree greeted me.

On one side, well-grown dungeon sugarcane, and on the other, coffee beans drying in the sun.

I took a look around, but as expected, there was no hand mirror. Of course not.

Just as I was about to leave, disappointed, Lime called me again.

“Mee, mee, meeooow!”

“Huh, what? What is it?”

Lime pointed to a corner of the dimensional space and bounced up and down. He was pointing to the cliff I had fallen from last time.

That’s where I got the skill ‘A Cup of Coffee’s Bond’ when I fell.

“Are you talking about here?”

“Meeooow!”

It didn’t seem likely that the hand mirror would be hidden in the empty land below the cliff.

But since Lime was bouncing so enthusiastically, I decided to check it out.

I carefully stepped down the cliff, and the animals followed me.

“Slow, human! You’re so slow.”

“Wow, Miumi, you’re really good at climbing down cliffs.”

“Ahem!”

“So, you’re good at climbing up cliffs too, right?”

“Of course, whyooong!”

Tada.

Miumi, who had run up the cliff, suddenly came to her senses.

“Kyaooong! Did you just tease me!”

Ah, caught.

The bottom of the cliff was the same empty land as when I fell last time. The ground was covered with grass, and a pile of rocks blocked the way.

“…Huh?”

Then I noticed something and was startled.

I hadn’t noticed it before, but there was a small path between the rocks. It was in a spot that was hard to see unless you looked closely.

What’s there?

I quickly approached the gap between the rocks.

Inside was a surprisingly spacious area. A small cottage was hidden under the bushes.

A cottage in such a place?

Could it be a system reward? But the system remained silent even after I waited a moment.

Fortunately, the door was not locked.

As soon as I opened the door and entered, I realized it.

This is where Grandma was.

Despite its old appearance, the inside of the cottage was cozy. A thick carpet was laid on the floor, curtains hung by the window, and a small table was in front of it.

Everything was in Grandma’s style. She must have decorated it.

But how could there be a cottage inside the dimensional space? Could Grandma have been an Awakened?

But I didn’t have time to think further.

“Human, look at this!”

“Huh? …Ah.”

On the table inside the cottage, a small hand mirror was placed. It was round with flower decorations, exactly as Grandma Kim Deok had described.

“This is it!”

I quickly reached for the hand mirror. But….

Crack.

The moment I touched it, a crack appeared.

“No, no!”

I quickly pulled my hand away, but it was too late. The hand mirror was already shattered.

“….”

“….”

It was a very precious item, and it broke….

Lime and Miumi approached me, looking disappointed.

“Meeooow….”

“It’s not your fault.”

For some reason, the cat was comforting me.

“It seems this is a replica of Nitocris’s mirror, a tool to reflect beings from another world.”

What, it wasn’t just an ordinary hand mirror?

“It broke because its power was exhausted. It would have broken eventually, whyooong!”

“Still….”

“You can always glue it back together!”

Right, it’s better to return it even if it’s broken. Maybe I can piece it back together.

I carefully collected the mirror fragments and left the dimensional space. I planned to return the hand mirror to Grandma right away.

I hope she’ll be happy.

* * *

It took quite a while to search the warehouse, and it was already close to evening.

I briefly considered going to the workshop tomorrow since it was late, but I thought it would be better to deliver it as soon as possible.

“I’ll be back. Take care of the house.”

After giving Miumi and Lime a generous portion of dinner, I headed to Grandma Kim Deok’s workshop.

It was easy to find when I came with Kiuyun, but the streets were complicated when I tried to find it alone.

I considered asking Kiuyun to come with me but decided against it. Since I was the only one with business with Grandma, it would be awkward to keep asking him to come along.

“I’m relieved.”

“Aaah!”

I couldn’t help but let out a small scream. Fortunately, no one was around.

His handsome face and strange aura still lingered in my mind. It seems I need more time to build immunity to handsome men.

Instead, I left a message for Grandma, saying I had found the hand mirror and was on my way.

“Hmm, this way….”

The ‘Cheonggye 3-ga Workshop Street’ was more eerie in the evening, bathed in a red sunset.

The noise of the rush hour didn’t reach this alley. The faded signs and tightly closed shutters made it feel like the beginning of a horror movie.

Ugh, I’m weak for jump-scare horror movies….

I don’t want a scene where something jumps out from behind.

“Ah, there it is.”

After wandering for a while, I finally found Grandma’s workshop sign.

But the atmosphere was different from the last time I came.

The arrangement of the miscellaneous items in front of the entrance had changed, as if someone had rummaged through them.

And the floor was damp.

Did it rain? But it was clear today.

There was also a strange smell from somewhere.

‘Is it okay to go in?’

The moment I pushed the door open, someone burst out from inside.

A customer?

Thud!

He paused when he saw me, then pushed me hard with his shoulder.

“Ouch… Hey!”

I called out in anger, but he had already run far away.

What a strange person.

I sighed inwardly and entered the workshop.

Then, I heard a sound from inside.

“Grandma, I’m here. Are you here?”

I called out loudly, but there was no response.

The workshop was brightly lit.

A half-drunk teacup was on the table, as if Grandma had been there a moment ago. When I touched it, it was still warm. But there was still no sign of Grandma.

‘Where is she?’

As I headed towards the inner room, I heard a low moan.

“Ugh….”

Grandma was lying on the floor.

“…Grandma!”

I quickly ran over and helped her up.

“Are you okay?”

She was having trouble speaking and only panted heavily.

As I checked her condition, my hand touched something wet.

…It’s blood.