## Chapter 147 – #32_The Debtor Witch (2)
#145
1.
Even in the heart of Sinchon, past 2 AM on a weekday, the streets become quiet.
Puddles of water shimmered on the cool night streets, left behind by a passing shower.
Sharon hopped over the puddles as she walked.
“Tell me your story too.”
That’s how the conversation had started, and even though she had only briefly touched on how she ended up here and how she was able to use magic, the conversation had become this long.
Her original life in the mortal realm, being captured by Gehenna.
Her time as a slave, researching escape magic.
Rescuing a novice witch of the Jemernai family.
Being injured and recovering in the process, and receiving a brand.
Returning to the mortal realm to live under the grace of the Jemernai Count.
Among these, she had especially emphasized that the Count was very grateful to Siwoo and that his relationship with the twins was strong.
She thought this would make it easier to guarantee her status and safety.
“Ah, so that’s how it happened.”
“Yes.”
But Sharon’s reaction was utterly bland.
Well, it wasn’t like she was expecting a reaction like, ‘Whoa! You were a slave and succeeded in researching self-generating magic?’ or ‘You’re a crazy genius!’ or ‘A man with a brand, your magical research value is making my eyes spin!’
Especially the last one was a reaction she really wanted to avoid.
But her reaction was as indifferent as if she had heard that a ship had capsized in the Suez Canal, paralyzing logistics in the Mediterranean for a while.
She wondered if she had been worrying too much until now because she didn’t know much about the mortal realm.
“You’re not as surprised as I thought you’d be.”
“I was surprised?”
Sharon turned to Siwoo with wide eyes.
In that moment, her beautiful hair fluttered, carrying a refreshing scent.
It was a bit of a tangent, but witches were indeed beautiful.
The lights of the 24-hour photo booth were shining on her, and she looked like she was in a photoshoot.
“Your reaction was so minimal.”
“Of course, it’s amazing. But do you want to know something even more amazing? I’ve paid off 1.3 billion won in the mortal realm over the past 10 years, but my principal has only decreased by 120 million won?”
“Ah…”
“And what’s even more amazing is that at this rate, it will take me 3,227 years and 8 months to pay off all the principal and interest. Isn’t that amazing?”
He understood what she was saying.
The pursuit of magic, dreams, and passion were only possible when one had the financial means to support it.
58 billion won was no small amount, and to Sharon, who was desperately trying to pay it off, Siwoo was just an extra.
The witches in Gehenna, especially those around Siwoo, were all wealthy great witches, so he had thought that witches were free from financial concerns.
It seemed like a hasty judgment.
“I’m sorry for bringing it up.”
“Sorry for what… No, if you’re sorry, buy me a meal.”
“A meal?”
“Yeah, or a drink.”
That much was not difficult.
It had been over 100 days since he had crossed over to the mortal realm, and this was the first time he had had such a long conversation with someone.
Siwoo, who had fled to the mortal realm because he hated Gehenna, was now making a connection with a witch who wanted to return to Gehenna.
It felt a bit ironic.
There was a 24-hour McDonald’s near Yonsei University, so he got a plum chiller and a pear chiller.
Honestly, she didn’t seem like a bad witch, and since this was a rare opportunity for communication, he wanted to talk a bit more.
He might be able to get some tips about living in the mortal realm from her, and maybe even get some advice about his blocked magic, so he should treat her well.
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
Sharon smiled brightly as she took the chiller from Siwoo.
It was amazing how much a person’s impression could change depending on their expression.
Who would have thought that she, who had looked so worn out from chronic fatigue at the convenience store, would have such a personality?
She was more assertive and cheerful than he had expected.
“It’s not much in return, but… is it okay if I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
Sharon held the chiller in one hand and sipped it as if it were precious.
If he had known she would like it this much, he should have bought her another one.
“What do you think other exiled witches would do if they saw me?”
“Hmm… I don’t know? Isn’t it case by case? Some would care, some would be like me, and some might try to cut you open. But with the Jemernai family’s guarantee, they wouldn’t be able to treat you carelessly, right?”
“Hmm…”
“Sluuurp… By the way, why were you there? From what I heard, you were hiding from the witches, but if you were hanging around near the homunculus, you must have known you’d run into a witch.”
Sharon tilted her head, looking puzzled.
“I saw a homunculus killing someone. I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Sharon stared at Siwoo’s face for a while.
Siwoo felt awkward and took a sip of his chiller.
Sharon said casually,
“Many die.”
It was a huge shock to Siwoo, but to Sharon, it was a nonchalant remark as if it were an everyday occurrence.
Well, it must have been a fact she had known for a long time.
“How many die?”
“No one knows exactly. It doesn’t happen often. Especially if it’s small ones like the one we caught today, maybe one or two a year? The problem is the ones with many ‘eyes’.”
“Eyes?”
“You were trying to hunt them without even knowing that? You’re bolder than you look.”
Sharon shrugged, looking dumbfounded at Siwoo, who was asking back, not knowing anything.
“There are levels to homunculi. Usually, the danger level is measured by the number of eyes visible on the outside. The ones with one eye are the weakest, and the higher you go, the more terrifying they are.”
“They weren’t just there for decoration.”
Come to think of it, the black dog he had faced in the mortal realm was much easier to deal with than the one he had met in Latifundium.
Its attacks weren’t very diverse, and it didn’t use any special magic.
The one he had met in Latifundium before probably had three eyes, right?
“That’s right, the ones with many eyes are rare and hard to find. But instead of doing petty things like attacking humans one by one, they do things on a grand scale.”
“In what way?”
“Disasters happen. A big fire breaks out in reality, an epidemic spreads in an area, a building collapses, a natural disaster occurs… Anyway, many people get hurt or die.”
So, homunculi weren’t just guardians protecting relics?
That such homunculi were beings that brought disaster was something he couldn’t understand.
As if reading Siwoo’s expression, Sharon spoke.
“Homunculi are created beings. But they are beings that have existed for too long since their creation.
Therefore, to sustain their existence, they must kill witches and steal their magic. They must have lived that way for the past thousands of years.
But what to do? Compared to the past, the number of witches now is less than 1/10th? There’s a shortage of prey?
After that, something went wrong, and the number of individuals that kill humans to steal their life force and replenish their energy has increased…”
Sharon, who had been telling a shocking story, suddenly froze.
She was staring intently at something, so he followed her gaze and saw a steamer emitting steam.
It was as if she had met a lover she thought had died in a war.
Siwoo was even moved to tears.
If her mouth wasn’t half-open and drooling, he would have definitely thought so.
“Do you want to eat it?”
“Yes! Ah, no?”
Sharon nodded her head, as if it were an obvious question, and then tried to save face.
Siwoo scratched his cheek and was about to go inside the store.
Seeing her drooling and wanting to eat so badly, he felt a bit sorry for her.
She was working hard to save money by working part-time at a convenience store, but she hadn’t even paid off half of half of half of half of half of her principal, so she might be having a hard time.
Even if that wasn’t the case, it wouldn’t be bad to build a friendship with her.
She had been an exile for 10 years, so he could share her knowledge.
“Hey, I’m really okay, you know?”
“No, I want to eat it. It’s almost time for a late-night snack, and it would be nice to talk while eating.”
“Okay, I’ll tell you everything I know.”
Siwoo’s average daily consumption of crustaceans was 3 king crabs.
He had eaten 30 yesterday, so it was natural that the store owner recognized him.
“Hello.”
“Oh! Student! You’re here again!”
The owner, who had been watching TV in the empty store, rushed out with a bright expression as soon as he saw Siwoo.
“How many do you want to pack up today?”
“About 10 of the biggest ones. Can’t we eat here?”
“Oh dear, we only do delivery and takeout after 12…”
“…My place!”
As soon as the owner seemed to be expressing his difficulty, Sharon shouted loudly.
Then she continued in a subdued voice.
“We can take it out and eat it at my place…”
Sharon’s cheeks were as red as cherries, embarrassed by her sudden outburst.
The owner and Siwoo blinked.
“Oh my~ I thought she was a foreigner, but your girlfriend speaks Korean well. Okay! Just wait a bit, student. I’ll pack it up for you right away.”
“Huh? Yes.”
The balding man seemed to have grasped the situation, and he gave Siwoo a thumbs up without Sharon noticing, then went straight to the tank to get the crabs.
“Good luck, student!”
It seemed like there was a misunderstanding.
But he didn’t think it was necessary to correct it, so he kept quiet.
Soon, Siwoo was holding a bag full of king crabs in both hands.
Every time he walked, the bag fluttered, and the fragrant scent of crab wafted up.
Sharon’s pace was unusually fast.
Just a moment ago, she had been strolling leisurely, but now she was walking forward as if she were participating in a race walking competition.
Her long hair, which reached her hips, swayed from side to side like a dog’s tail.
She must really like crabs.
But how long were they going to walk?
It felt like they had been walking for more than 20 minutes, but she still showed no signs of stopping.
There were three main areas of studio apartments for university students in Sinchon. One was the high-end officetel complex near Sinchon train station where Siwoo lived.
Another was the steep studio apartment area between Myungmul Street and Ewha University, which looked like it had been carved out of a mountain.
The last one was the commercial studio apartment area where Sharon and he were walking now.
Finally, Sharon turned into a mixed-use building with a pub called ‘ㅇㅇ Pocha’ on the first floor.
“It’s a bit far. We’re almost there.”
After going up the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors, they finally arrived at a rooftop room on the roof.
“Don’t be shy, come in.”
“…Then, excuse me.”
In fact, just by looking at the exterior from the first floor, it was shabby, and it looked like it was built 20 years ago, so he didn’t have high expectations.
But Sharon’s room, once he stepped inside, was in such bad condition that it shattered his last expectations for a rooftop room.
“Sorry, it’s a bit messy.”
Actually, the mess wasn’t a big problem.
He was sorry to Sharon, but the room itself was a big problem.
First of all, despite being a rooftop room, it was very small, only about 6 pyeong (about 20 square meters).
Moreover, there was a random pillar in the middle of the room, making the already small living space even smaller.
The bed seemed to double as a closet, with clothes thrown carelessly around, and the yellowed wallpaper, which hadn’t been replaced for a long time, was wrinkled.
And there was a sink and a gas stove sticking out on one side of the wall…
He had heard that Sharon had a huge debt and was struggling to pay it off, but this was…
He felt like saying, ‘I believe you, you’re definitely a debtor.’
It was a moment when the last bit of wariness he had for Sharon felt completely useless.
As Siwoo stood there, shocked, he heard a sound like someone swallowing saliva right behind him.
“Um, when are we going to eat the king crab? I’ve set up the table.”
When he turned around, Sharon had unfolded a low table and was taking out plates, as if she had been preparing for it.
