Chapter 857

EP.857 [Light Novel Side Story] The Death Dinass of Creation 1-004

<January 3rd, 2025, 11:00 AM, New Seoul>

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Xian was genuinely bewildered. They had already pre-contracted the place through the network before even leaving America, but now it seemed like someone else had just taken the office away from them. The landlord, whose chin jowls were stacked in two or three layers, looked awkward as he made excuses.

“Well, why didn’t you arrive on schedule?”

“It’s not my fault! A dimensional gate suddenly appeared and I was delayed by a day. This is a breach of contract! I’ll sue. Call ‘them’ right now—”

As Xian threatened, the landlord instead flared up.

“Hey, do you think anyone wanted this to happen? I couldn’t help it! You wrote the contract, and then they deposited the penalty fee while insisting they’d use this building—what was I supposed to do?! I’m upset too!”

“…Could it be?”

Xian took a deep breath. It was a well-located office, so they had paid extra to secure the pre-contract, but it seemed someone had thrown enough money around to snatch the office away. Despite raising his voice earlier, the landlord looked somewhat apologetic.

“Sorry about this. I’m frustrated too. I promised ‘that person’ that I’d get your office for them… but…”

The landlord pointed to the sign hanging on the third floor of his building. Apparently determined to settle in immediately, the guild that had cut off Xian’s contract had already hung their sign, which read “Megrez,” on the wall.

“You probably don’t know, but that guild…”

“‘Yu-Sung Group’s subsidiary organization.'”

Xian bit her lip as she noticed the ‘Yu-Sung’ logo embroidered on the jackets of those moving furniture into the office.

This was the very group Xian had been most wary of when conducting market research to acquire this office. Finally, Xian realized why the landlord, despite being introduced by an acquaintance, had no choice but to sell the building.

“They pressured you, didn’t they? Made it impossible not to sell.”

“…You understand. In New Seoul, whether it’s land deals or anything else, if you cross Yu-Sung, things get bad fast.”

The landlord swiped his hand across his neck horizontally. That much was clear—Yu-Sung’s influence in New Seoul was immense.

“If you plan to operate here in New Seoul, remember this. To survive in Korea, you can’t forget these connections.”

“I know. Guanxi, academic connections, family ties—I used geographical connections.”

“That’s true. But there’s something more important than those three. Remember this.”

The landlord pointed to the building directory. From the first to the fifth floor, it was plastered with names like US Coffee, Yu-Sung Life, US Mobile, US24—all dominated by Yu-Sung.

“This country is the Republic of Yu-Sung.”

In the end, Xian had no choice but to turn away, clutching the deposit and penalty fees.

Even though nearly 200 million won had ended up in her hands, her mood was far from good.

* * *

<4:00 PM, New Seoul Café Padre Juan.>

“What should I do now?”

Xian sat at the café table, holding her head. The backup office she had eyed also got snatched by another guild almost ghostly quickly.

Alioth, Mizar, and Megrez—the building she originally intended to contract—all belonged to the same constellation, Ursa Major. Through the search engine on her Magical Gear, Xian discovered their identities.

“The Big Dipper star constellation? They’re openly declaring themselves as part of the Yu-Sung Group. Oh my goodness.”

All three guilds registered with the association just last year—only two weeks ago—and although their activity areas differed, the owners were all the same person.

Eun Ha-su, the president of the Yu-Sung Group. Those guilds were nothing less than inheritances for her children.

“Corporate bullying is really over the top. Seriously.”

With no other choice, Xian had to look for another office. Exhausted both mentally and physically, she needed somewhere to sit down, and entered the café she happened to pass by to cool her head.

Padre Juan. The owner, whose face was lined with wrinkles, looked like a typical foreigner just like Xian. Xian aimed the camera on her Magical Gear at the menu board, and the translator instantly converted the text.

[Farmer Juan (Spanish)]

“…Are you serious?”

Xian’s gaze turned toward the wall. Next to the business registration certificate hanging on the wall, there was a proud display of an international barista qualification certificate. His name was undoubtedly “Huan.”

The problematic barista, Huan, arrived with a tray of coffee and personally placed it on Xian’s table.

“Wishing you a pleasant time.”

“Ah, thank you.”

The rich aroma of coffee wafted from the dark brown Americano in the white cup, melting the chill from Xian’s body as she slumped onto the table.

Glug. Xian lifted the cup and took a sip. Her eyes widened.

“Wow.”

When was the last time coffee tasted this good? Xian marveled at the deep flavors dancing on her tongue and raised her wrist.

Click. The Magical Gear snapped a photo of the coffee cup. She regretted not taking a picture before taking that first sip.

Clack. A small plate of cake was placed on the table. Xian’s gaze naturally followed the arm that placed it.

“January in Korea is cold. Where are you from?”

“Ah, America. LA.”

“A great place. If it weren’t for the Dodgers Gate dungeon, I might have settled there too.”

At Huan’s words, Xian gave a bitter laugh. The dungeon opened in Dodger Stadium spiraled out of control due to heroes’ failed attempts, causing a major disaster that unleashed three SS-Rank Monsters. Before Xian could feel awkward, she quickly changed the subject.

“Where are you originally from, sir? Spain?”

“Yes. Barcelona is my hometown. Now, I wander the world. I’ve been living in Korea for six years now.”

Huan brought his own cup and sat down. The café was so empty it felt like flies could buzz around freely. Xian glanced at the receipt on her table and gave a wry smile. It was already 4 PM, and Xian was the second customer.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

It must have been delightful to encounter a second foreign customer during such a dull moment. Korea was a place where foreigners were rare unless they had black hair.

“New Seoul is quite a desolate place. It’s somewhere foreigners, even those with special abilities, are rejected. No wonder Hispanic people are told they need to dye their hair black to live here.”

“Is it really that bad?”

Xian sipped her coffee while glancing sideways at the cake. She hadn’t eaten lunch properly because she’d been so busy. But since she hadn’t ordered it herself and Huan had unilaterally brought it, she wasn’t sure what to do.

Huan reached for the slice of cake with a kind smile.

“The cake is on the house, so please enjoy. It’ll end up in my stomach tomorrow anyway.”

“Thank you.”

Xian grabbed the fork almost instinctively and took a large bite. Huan smiled warmly as she chewed.

Jingle jingle. The bell on the café door rang. A woman wearing a long padded jacket with a hood pulled up entered, exhaling cold breath beneath her mask. Huan greeted her as he stood up.

“You’re here. The usual?”

“Yes.”

Huan headed to the kitchen, and Xian watched him slump back into his seat like a caterpillar melting into its chair. Xian stared at him for a moment before turning back to her cake.

Hmm. Xian tilted her head at the distinctive coffee scent lingering in the café. Where had she smelled this before? Surely not at some party she passed by—

“Nah, it can’t be.”

Would that notorious troublemaker from the Yoo family, infamous even overseas, really come here dressed like this to buy coffee? Xian shook her head self-deprecatingly and lifted her cup again.

“…”

Xian felt the piercing gaze from beneath the woman’s hood but pretended not to notice, focusing instead on the cake. Soon, Huan returned with a paper bag filled with coffee beans and handed it to the woman.

“Thank you always.”

The woman bowed slightly after picking up the box and left. Huan quietly returned to his seat, lifting his cup.

“It’s fortunate to have someone visit such a humble shop so frequently. Ah, customer, would you mind staying for dinner? Since we’ve met like this, it feels like fate, so let me treat you to a meal.”

Huan flipped the store sign enthusiastically. Unable to refuse, Xian spent the evening having tea time with him.

It was already 11 PM when Xian managed to escape after barely declining Huan’s offer to stay overnight.

* * *

“Ugh, it’s cold.”

Xian hugged her torn coat tightly and dragged her suitcase. Originally, she planned to find accommodation near the office, but now she had to secure long-term lodging before even finding an office.

“Should I go for a hotel?”

Until she found an office, she could stay in a hotel long-term, and afterward, look for a place to live. After briefly searching the network, she found many monthly rental rooms available.

“But still, paying 1 million won per month for a 5-pyoong room seems unreasonable no matter how you look at it.”

Ideally, she wanted somewhere spacious enough to set up her personal workshop, but the housing in New Seoul consisted mostly of cramped apartments.

“Even though Seoul fell and they hastily accommodated the population here…”

By 2025, South Korea had already moved its capital to a city near Daejeon for nearly 13 years. The fact that they had to abandon a city with a population of ten million and flee south showed how dysfunctional Seoul had become as a city.

“So they built a lot of studio apartments to accommodate the influx of people…”

But the cost of living was murderously high. The prices in New Seoul were so steep that it might be better to find an office and handle living and working there altogether.

Jingle jingle. Xian bought a hot pack from a convenience store to warm her hands.

After sunset, the temperature dropped below freezing, and her coat had long lost its insulation. If it weren’t specially made to hold defensive weapons, she would have thrown it into an airport trash can ages ago. As Xian grumbled while dragging her suitcase, she perked up at a shout coming from the end of the alley.

“…What the heck are you drinking and sitting here! Can’t you just leave already?!”

The voice shouting was slurred from intoxication. Xian hesitated whether to ignore it until she saw the old man gripping a soju bottle, poised to strike the crouching young girl in tracksuit pants who held a green can.

“Mind your own business and go where you were going. Who cares if I drink or not!”

“Young whippersnapper, showing such disrespect in front of elders! Is that what your parents taught you?!”

The old man’s hand rose high. Xian grabbed his wrist, snatched the soju bottle, and threw it to the ground.

“What the hell, bastard?!”

“…”

Xian simply looked down at the old man. Standing under the streetlight’s shadow, towering over him, the giant foreigner scared the drunk old man into stepping back. But soon, angered by his own fear, the old man began yelling and gesturing wildly.

“Foreigner! Get lost, Yankee go home!”

“Listen here.”

Xian grinned menacingly and reached into her inner pocket. Click. The sound of the hammer being pulled back made the old man pale as a ghost.

“If you don’t want me to deal with your funeral, get lost now.”

“Wha, Whaaaaaat?!?!”

The old man screamed and ran out of the alley. Even though he tripped and fell along the way, he scrambled to his feet on all fours and fled toward the main road. Xian relaxed her expression, smirked, and pointed at her Magical Gear.

“It’s a self-defense app.”

“Doesn’t seem like it…”

“True. Who in New Seoul would carry a real gun?”

Xian gestured around. At the dead-end alley, a lonely girl crouched pitifully holding a can—a perfect situation for crime if she weren’t a superhuman.

“Even if New Seoul is safe overall, accidents can happen anytime, anywhere. Stand up. And you’re a student, aren’t you? Drinking this early…”

“Now it’s foreign helicopter parenting. With eighteen shades of crayons. Stop acting like family and scram.”

Xian was taken aback. The young voice and appearance exceeded her expectations. The girl dusted off the dirt from her bottom and stood up.

“What are you staring at? Are you a pervert? Going to report me? Ha, seriously, my luck is terrible today. The taste of alcohol is ruined, so I’ll be going.”

“Though I have a lot to say, let me start with this.”

Xian sighed and pointed at the can the girl was holding.

“That’s not beer.”

“…”

The can the girl held featured an elephant stretching its trunk high into the sky.