I'm Not a Natural Disaster
“Huh.”
Yu Seong-un’s face brightened with recognition the moment he saw the bungeoppang vendor.
“Aren’t you the one who was selling out front of the Collector Guild building last time?”
“Ah… yes, that’s right.”
“Haven’t seen you around lately. Figured you’d moved spots.”
“If I stay in one place too long, I get cited.”
Street food like bungeoppang didn’t usually draw the harshest crackdowns. Even so, without a citizen ID you couldn’t keep lingering inside the city forever. And if a complaint ever came in, the suggestion was always the same—pack up and clear out immediately—so Cha Eun-hyeok made a habit of shifting locations often. Better to be careful while people were still willing to look the other way; it was the only smart way to keep the stall running.
“Though I haven’t gotten any complaints recently.”
“Shame. If you stuck to one spot the word would spread even better.”
“Can’t be helped. It’s not like I’ve got an official permit.”
“True enough. They don’t hand out permits for bungeoppang carts easily.”
“Still, I’ve got clearance to stay a few days at a time.”
Normally, anyone without a city citizen ID who overstayed ten days got hit with a fine. But this was a world where people lived; how thoroughly could you really cut things off? With the right paperwork under one pretext or another, you could usually manage a week even without checking into a lodging house.
“…And, uh, more than that…”
Cha Eun-hyeok’s gaze slid sideways, landing on the figure in the black cloak standing beside Yu Seong-un.
“…….”
“…Hm?”
“…No, it’s just…”
That thing isn’t human.
…What is this? Does even this guy not know exactly what the black cloak really is?
The man-shaped silhouette with its face buried deep in a pitch-black hood was staring fixedly at the bungeoppang. It was definitely the same black cloak he had seen at dawn, yet the oppressive weight felt lighter now, and the customer’s reaction was far too casual.
Was he really just a person after all…? They say some hunters can’t quite rein in their presence. Maybe he was just one of those types…
While Cha Eun-hyeok was thinking that, something honey-colored fluttered deep inside the hood and entered his field of vision.
“…….”
“Uh, is there a problem?”
“…Just curious, that’s all…”
He had meant to brush it off and avoid trouble, but after a brief hesitation Cha Eun-hyeok asked,
“…Is the person next to you a tamer?”
By ordinary common sense, that was the likeliest explanation.
“Seeing as he’s traveling with a monster.”
“…Yes, he’s a tamer. He’s got permission to bring it out, so no need to worry.”
“Ah, I see.”
Permission. That alone made him feel better.
Even if someone ends up dead now, at least it won’t be because I looked the other way.
The black cloak’s true nature was still murky, but—no, the white-haired hunter had said with his own mouth that permission had been granted.
And he called him a tamer, too.
He had no desire to dig any deeper. With family to feed, the last thing he wanted was the attention of something that looked like it could snuff out a life the moment you got even a little entangled with it. That was only natural.
The black cloak, however, apparently had other ideas.
“Thank you for earlier this morning.”
“…….”
“Huh? This morning?”
Yu Seong-un whipped around to stare at Ji-oh in shock.
“You went out at dawn?”
The startled reaction made Cha Eun-hyeok’s stomach twist all over again. Judging by that, the white-haired customer had not expected the black cloak to be wandering the streets alone in the middle of the night.
In other words, this is a being you absolutely cannot leave to act on its own…
If a first-class citizen who clearly worked for a proper guild was this vigilant, just how dangerous must the thing be?
“Yes. Honey disappeared, so I went out looking.”
“If you want to go out, tell me first.”
“I found him right away.”
“That’s not the point…”
Whatever the white-haired customer had been about to say, he quickly calmed down.
“…Right. Not like I can do anything about a natural disaster.”
“I am not a natural disaster.”
“I’m pretty sure a typhoon would say the same thing.”
Yu Seong-un felt a rush of fond exasperation. How could someone have so little self-awareness?
“…….”
After a steadying breath, Yu Seong-un turned back to the bungeoppang vendor.
“Nothing else happened at dawn, I hope?”
“…He bought bungeoppang.”
“Anything besides that…?”
“…….”
After a moment’s hesitation, Cha Eun-hyeok answered.
“That bird…”
“Ah, yes.”
“…chewed on my head twice and left.”
“…….”
Yu Seong-un was speechless.
“…Excuse me?”
“Ah, not actually chewed—more like the way cats nibble when they’re playing…”
“Oh.”
Still lost for words, Yu Seong-un looked at Ji-oh.
“What do you have to say for yourself?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Say it like you mean it.”
“I am sincerely sorry.”
His facial muscles had been dead for ages, so it didn’t show, but Ji-oh was just as startled by the vendor’s words. It felt exactly like the moment your pet parrot screams “Fuck you, asshole!” straight into a stranger’s face.
“You weren’t hurt, were you?”
“Ah, no. It bit gently. Didn’t hurt at all.”
“Still, I’m sorry. My son…”
Whether it was a side effect of sleeping for thirty-one years or not, the words just tumbled out in front of a first-time acquaintance. Ji-oh hastily re-equipped his social skills and corrected himself.
“Our family’s pet bird caused you trouble.”
He had only said it because he was always playing around back at the cabin—“Aigoo, my boy,” “Kkureuk-kkureuk-kkukkureuk”—but to Yu Seong-un and Cha Eun-hyeok the word landed differently.
Son…? I heard he painted them, but does he actually see the things he creates as his own children? I’ll have to be careful about this.
…He just called it his son. Different species entirely, yet he said it so naturally. So he really isn’t human the way he looks, after all…
Ji-oh noticed their expressions had grown complicated but chose to ignore it.
I’m allowed to call Honey my son if I want. What’s the problem?
Even thirty-one years ago, people had been all over their dogs and cats—“my baby,” “my little girl”—kissing them and spoiling them rotten. Ji-oh considered himself well within the normal range.
“…….”
“Would it be all right if I looked at your forehead for a moment?”
“I wasn’t hurt.”
“I’m a doctor. I know how to check wounds. I’m only doing this because I feel bad, so if you could just let me see once, I’d be grateful.”
Yu Seong-un, who had been standing quietly, took another mental hit to the back of the head.
“A doctor?”
“Yes.”
“Uh… right.”
In what universe do you look like a doctor?
…Even if he has human memories, I never thought he was actually a doctor. With that heavy atmosphere, how many patients would mistake him for the grim reaper…?
But surprisingly—and shockingly—Ji-oh really was a doctor.
“Pardon me.”
And a priest.
“It’s a little warm.”
“Huh? Uh, uh…”
“Just in case, I purified it.”
“Purified?”
“Your scalp was lightly scraped… It would be bad if you caught something.”
Watching the dazed young man and the portrait that was currently mimicking a young man, Yu Seong-un simply gave up.
Will the day ever come when I fully understand what Ji-oh is?
The man was an onion with endless layers.
“…Uh, ten bungeoppang, please.”
“Thank you.”
“No, and about what the pet bird did, I’m really fi—”
“Ah.”
Ji-oh’s face said oh right as he rummaged inside his cloak.
“Compensation.”
“…….”
“…A gift?”
“The purpose isn’t the problem here.”
There hadn’t even been any blood, and he was handing over a gem?
“This is far too much for me. The jewel you gave me yesterday was already more than I could handle.”
“But it is fair payment.”
“That’s…”
As Cha Eun-hyeok tried to protest, Yu Seong-un, standing behind Ji-oh, shook his head frantically.
“…….”
“That’s…?”
“…No. I’ll gratefully accept it.”
Seeing Yu Seong-un nod with open relief, Cha Eun-hyeok understood.
If I refuse this, there will be consequences…
He had no idea what form the misfortune might take, but after seeing a face that desperately wanted to save someone, he couldn’t ignore it. Cha Eun-hyeok gratefully took the white-haired man’s urgent advice.
Still, it wasn’t quite as frightening as before.
“…….”
Fingering the sparkling tangerine-colored gem, Cha Eun-hyeok looked up.
“I heard you were sightseeing.”
“Ah, yeah. Got any recommendations?”
“In a few weeks there’s going to be an event in the plaza.”
“An event…?”
“An initiation ceremony.”
Yu Seong-un nodded as if that explained everything.
“Ah, so that season’s rolling around again.”
“They usually hold a lot of them in the dead of winter.”
“Which temple’s initiation? If it’s nearby… Moon? Or Sun?”
“The Temple of the Sun.”
Cha Eun-hyeok found himself glancing at the black cloak without meaning to.
“…I didn’t realize you were a believer. Tamers usually don’t worship much…”
He had already tidied the situation up in his own mind.
Must be an insanely high-ranked hunter if I mistook him for a monster.
When the black cloak had brushed his forehead and poured in power, Cha Eun-hyeok had felt the same warm sensation he sometimes sensed at the Temple of the Sun. Anyone who could perform a purification rite alone had to be a deeply devout believer.
He said tamer, so not a priest, but still.
An awakened person could hold only one class at most. The white-haired customer had clearly called him a tamer, so he couldn’t be a priest. A little disappointing. With that kind of aptitude he would have made a fine priest.
Someone who could wield such gentle power couldn’t be a bad person. More importantly, he had never heard of a mere monster using sacred power.
I must have just panicked because it was my first time seeing a hunter that strong. Priests don’t always keep their presence fully suppressed, and their energy is pretty different from ordinary humans anyway…
Cha Eun-hyeok decided he had simply been frightened by divine power. Sensitive to others’ auras by nature, and with no real experience around ordinary priests or high-ranked hunters, he had jumped to the wrong conclusion. Relief born of ignorance.
“My youngest awakened as a priest, so she’s having her initiation this time.”
“Oh, she got a class? And a priest at that—impressive.”
“Though if a god doesn’t choose her, I still have to worry about how she’ll make a living.”
“If she awakened as a priest she already has exceptional divine affinity, so temple administrative work would be possible at least.”
“That would be nice.”
Believing everything had been his own misunderstanding, Cha Eun-hyeok relaxed enough to give a small laugh.
“They’re making it pretty grand this year, so if you come watch it’ll be interesting.”
“We’ll definitely stop by. Thanks for the tip—hard to find out the schedule unless you’re involved…”
“The more people at my sister’s initiation, the better for me.”
Just as humans found a cluster of ants easier to notice than scattered ones, the more people gathered, the easier it became to catch a god’s eye. The more exposure, the higher the chance of receiving divine grace.
“Enjoy your meal.”
“See you at the initiation.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Once they had walked a little distance away, Yu Seong-un asked Ji-oh,
“Really nothing else happened yesterday at dawn?”
“As you heard, Honey caused an accident.”
“Any other accidents?”
“I don’t know.”
A soft cry came from inside the hood.
“Kkureureuk.”
“He says he’s innocent.”
“Right… sure.”
Whether a being of the Source meant the same thing by “innocent” that a human did was another question entirely.
Especially since Ji-oh is oddly sensitive about good and evil and manners. That worries me.
Honey was a being Ji-oh had created—his son. Ji-oh’s nature would have shaped him heavily. The thought that the bird had been flying around alone while Ji-oh’s eyes were closed made Seong-un’s heart drop.
He might have been going around killing people he decided were evil.
The fact that no big fuss had broken out yet was the only reason he could still cling to hope that nothing major had happened.
“And, uh, about the gem…”
“Yes.”
“Maybe next time we could switch to a different kind of gift.”
No matter how sorry you felt, just handing someone a jewel out of the blue was absurd by human standards.
“Ordinary people don’t usually exchange things of that kind in kind.”
“…Is that so?”
“Whatever you were thinking, it’s probably not that.”
“…….”
Ji-oh was shocked.
In a macho hellscape like this world, they don’t even have that level of toughness?
Office workers hunted monsters, cheese flowers bloomed from the ground, elevated railways flew through the sky, and spring streams ran clear in the middle of winter—yet paying in gemstones was somehow strange?
“I saw people walking around covered in ornaments like crows, so I thought it would be fine.”
“That’s just personal style. Or it’s for boosting their abilities, or the pieces are artifacts that work as armor.”
“I understand what you mean.”
Realizing he had gotten ahead of himself, Ji-oh decided to reflect.
Maybe the synchronization made me think too much with Giovanni’s senses.
In Giovanni’s world, that sort of payment in kind had been common. Now that he was gradually recovering Giovanni’s memories, he needed to keep his footing steady. Perhaps living so long only in the cabin had dulled his modern-person instincts. The way he sometimes reacted in certain situations was proof enough…
“…Ah.”
“What, is there a problem? Or did you think of somewhere you want to go?”
“What is a tamer, and what is a priest?”
“…That… uh… right…”
Yu Seong-un’s face settled into a look of grim resolve.
“At this point I have no choice but to just call you a hunter.”
“Am I a hunter now?”
“While we’re at it, I’ll explain the hunter system and ranks. Do you know anything already?”
“No.”
“Figured as much.”
“…….”
Having spent thirty-one years unconscious and stuck inside a painting, Ji-oh felt a twinge of guilt.
(To be continued)