“Phew….”
The sound of a plastic bucket falling onto the tiled floor echoed.
A steam-filled, humid chamber, filled with hot water.
I, after submerging myself in a public bath, entered the adjacent waterfall bath.
As the cascading water pounded down on me, I recalled the times I sneakily peeked at the comic books children often read, and tried to focus my mind.
Was it ‘Simdulmalgak’… or rather, ‘Simdomangak’? Heart ‘Sim’, moment ‘Do’, and forgetfulness ‘Mangak’—yes, this feels about right.
I was meditating to clear my mind when thoughts of the recent encounter with a hero named Cage surfaced.
The sensation of my mind being invaded by the monster core, the moment that human rationale dissipates and the beast’s nature takes over.
…I’ve heard about this in the lab.
Just before death, a fully activated core endows the monster with explosive strength.
This phenomenon is referred to as ‘berserking,’ or ‘bestial transformation.’
In the lab, I never experienced any such transformation when facing off against monsters.
The monsters there weren’t even worth engaging with.
I could simply ignore them, go to sleep, and wake up feeling as refreshed as if I’d received a massage.
This was disheartening for researchers who sought to fully harness the primal instincts of monsters.
The fact that a hero named Cage drove me to the brink of berserking meant he was quite a formidable opponent.
Had it not been for Starlight’s intervention, I might have ended up killing him.
That… wasn’t a pleasant thought.
I didn’t want to kill a hero who strives to protect humanity.
Now, as I sit in the bathhouse, I glanced down at my now-empty wrist.
People like him, who work for the benefit of others, deserve respect.
…I wish he has a long life.
“Phew…”
As a monster, I must be cautious not to harm heroes.
I cannot let the monster within me overpower my mind.
Even though I’m a monster, I was once human.
“Simdomangak…”
Fortunately, after undergoing one episode of berserking, I realized that it’s a phenomenon I can control.
The moment Starlight delivered a heavy blow, the beast within me faltered, handing me back control.
Which means, if my mind is stronger than the beast’s instinct, even in a berserk state, I can retain consciousness…
This is training for that… like the waterfall meditation for spiritual growth that the protagonist in the comic books did.
Though there are no waterfalls in the city, this ‘waterfall bath’ will suffice for now, right?
But what exactly does receiving water on the head achieve?
Strong impacts can cause amnesia—perhaps it operates on the same principle, emptying the mind?
If that’s the case, it’s useless for me… it just causes an itchy sensation.
“Umm…Simdomangak…”
“Hey, since you’re muttering Simdomangak so often, aren’t you actually trying to say Simdumyeok?”
“…Simdumyeok.”
I corrected the word after hearing the old man next to me who was enduring the waterfall.
No wonder it didn’t seem effective. Was it because it was ‘Simdumyeok’ instead of ‘Simdomangak’?
But even thinking about Simdumyeok hasn’t been effective.
“Comic books aren’t exactly trustworthy, are they?”
With that thought, I rose from the bath and went out.
I’ll explore other ways to strengthen my mental focus. For now, since the construction site dust has been washed off, I am thinking about heading to eat dinner.
Today, I’ll visit a restaurant known for its super-sized tonkatsu rice bowls…super-sized, huh? It seems like it could rank highly in my list of favorite words following Gobongbap and doubled portions.
As I reached the cabinet where I had left my clothes, I felt something was off and checked my pockets.
“Hmm…?”
It’s not there.
Not in the cabinet, not in my pockets…
My alloy necklace is nowhere to be seen.
Worried, I retraced the events of removing the bracelet when I arrived. I distinctly remember washing the dusty bracelet upon arrival and hanging it in the cabinet… had I forgotten to clean it?
Having searched even under the cabinet thoroughly, I couldn’t find the bracelet anywhere, neither in the bath nor by the sinks.
“Hey.”
“What, what is it?”
“Is there a security camera here by any chance? I’d like to check.”
“Uh, there’s certainly no security camera in the bath rooms… though the entrance is under surveillance…”
In all my years of living, I’ve never been this tensed.
Approaching the bathhouse staff to check where I dropped the bracelet, I inadvertently seemed to lose control over my core’s pulse due to anxiety, as the staff nervously guided me to their office.
Not long after, I was able to review the surveillance camera footage and confirmed my actions entering the bathhouse with the necklace doubly wrapped around my wrist… it wasn’t dropped at the entrance, and the necklace wasn’t the kind to easily come off…
When I was lost in thought, I noticed someone else wearing the same bracelet in the continuous playback of the security camera footage.
“Thief?”
“Um, excuse me? Isn’t it possible someone just happens to have a similar bracelet?”
“Take a closer look.”
“Oh, yes…”
Leaving the bathhouse and jumping onto the roof to avoid the curious gazes of people, I transformed into my monster form.
When I re-entered the bath area, the people around me gasped and stepped backward in shock.
“Wh-What? A monster?! Why didn’t the alarm sound?”
“Huh? Isn’t this Black Cat?”
“Really? Black Cat bathes?”
“Shouldn’t we evacuate? Oh, it’s fine since it’s Black Cat… right?”
Ignoring them, I entered the locker room, sniffed around my cabinet, and heightened my senses.
The scent trail suggests… it wasn’t too far away.
Bursting out of the locker room, I chased after the necklace thief.
“Hey, release my sister as promised…”
Arriving at a nearby alley, I paused on the roof, looking down at the thief who was handing over stolen wallets and jewelry to another man.
The man checked each wallet, extracted the cash, and tossed the emptied purses onto the ground while speaking.
“How ridiculous is this? You think handing over some trinkets is enough to get your sister out?”
“What? We agreed on 5 million won!”
“That’s the principal, but the interest has accumulated to how much by now? You need to at least bring 40 million if you want any consideration.”
“How? How can 5 million turn into 40 million in just a month!”
“That’s how the numbers work. How much is she earning per day?”
“Hey, you! You said you’d wait until today!”
“Oh, look at this guy…”
As the thief lunged at the loan shark, the man mimed firing a gun, causing the thief to wildly claw at nothing in the air before collapsing.
“Ugh…! Release her immediately! Release her!”
“Hey, if you were in my position, would you just let your sister’s face go unused? It’s obviously for earning more money.”
“I won’t forgive this… I’ll kill you!”
“Tch. This is why the loan business is terrifying. They all call you ‘Master’ when borrowing, but when it’s time to pay…”
I watched as the thief continued to charge into nothingness, realizing the loan shark was wielding the superpower of Blinding Blindness, known for causing loss of direction and obstruction of sight.
Though challenging for monsters, this superpower is often ineffective against supernaturals but proves strong against humans thanks to its impact on sensory perception.
“Kid, I’ll consider your debt settled if you hand this over. Just leave, your sister is working hard to pay off your debt. Go thank her and survive.”
“Where? Where are you, you son of a bitch! Argh!”
“Hey, that’s concrete! You’ll hurt your fists hitting that!”
The loan shark laughed as the thief, spinning around aimlessly, hit the walls and threw punches.
At that moment, while organizing the money, the loan shark picked up the chained necklace from among the wallets.
“Oh? What’s this? It doesn’t look like silver, and it’s not cheap metal either…”
The loan shark examined the necklace in his hand before dangling it in front of the thief.
“Wouldn’t it look nice tied around your sister’s neck like a collar? It’d be adorable to have her bark like a dog.”
“AAARGH! Shut up!!”
“Hahahaha! Hey, I’m leaving now, keep up the boxing practice, alright? If you want to buy dinner for your sister, contact me, I’ll offer you a deal! A bowl of meat soup for 1 million won!”
“Where are you going?! Don’t leave, you bastard! Come back!”
Casually walking away, the loan shark left the sobbing thief, who was pounding the floor with bloodied fists, behind in the alley.
“Whaaaaaahh… Whhhh… Wh…!”
Watching the thief weep like a wild animal from the rooftop, I dropped into the alley and reverted from my monster form before approaching the loan shark who was about to get into a car parked at the alley’s entrance.
“Hey.”
“Whaaat? What is this…? Who are you?”
“I have a question.”
Grabbing the car door to stop him, I stared at the aggressive loan shark.
“Have you by any chance seen a bracelet of this length… or a necklace nearby? It’s mine, and I seem to have lost it close to this area.”
I wasn’t interested in siding with the thief or punishing the loan shark.
From what I overheard, the thief’s sister has been captured, but the thief borrowed money and failed to repay it on time… not to mention it was the thief who stole my necklace. Hardly a person I could sympathize with.
I just wanted my necklace back. I didn’t intend to get involved in anything bothersome.
“Hah? A necklace? Damn, why are you asking me?”
But the loan shark showed no intention of returning my necklace.
“It was a family heirloom… if you’ve seen it…”
“Never, you little punk!”
“Did you grow up without parents? Someone who doesn’t understand the value of precious belongings…”
“What the… What did you say, you little…”
Suddenly, my vision darkened and my sense of direction vanished.
Nonetheless, thanks to my monster senses such as smell and spatial awareness, I remained unaffected as the loan shark threw a punch at me.
“Get out of here! Big lug, why are you here?”
Casting a cold glare, I let the loan shark’s fist land on my face.
Feeling a sensation similar to a rubber ball thrown by children, I stood still as the loan shark seemed startled and clenched his fists again.
Seeing this, I decided not to hinder his escape to his car.
“Huh, got scared there… looking all dizzy, huh? Heh, dumbass, this is what a superpower does, understand?”
With that, the loan shark got into his car and drove away.
As I watched him speed off into the distance, I remembered something I’d heard when I was a child.
“[…Ah, the worst thing worse than a thief who steals from others is someone who knows something isn’t theirs but refuses to return it.]”
Someone even worse than a thief.
I slipped into the shadows of the alley.
The loan shark drove towards District 9.
A place referred to as W City’s slums.
