24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 227

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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24-Hour Friendly Market Specializing in Dimensional Items Episode 227

Episode 227. Daydream (2)

I returned home around 10 PM after enjoying a satisfying dinner with my Mother and Father.
I tossed the bag I’d been carrying all day onto the sofa and immediately sprawled across it.
The house was quiet.
This small two-room villa had been my home for two years now.
While it didn’t get much sunlight, it was more than spacious enough for living alone.
The only disturbance was the occasional old man at the end of the corridor who turned his television up loud—otherwise, it was a peaceful place.
Coming home after work, eating a simple dinner, spending time preparing for tomorrow, and winding down the day with the night.
Tonight’s goal was to have a cup of tea before bed and quickly organize tomorrow’s presentation materials.
Once I finished that, I could get to sleep early.
‘Oh, that’s pretty mature of me.’
Seeing myself organize and execute my evening routine made me laugh—I looked like a proper working adult.
I had changed quite a lot.
‘I’m actually functioning like a human being now.’
This felt natural now, but just two years ago, I had been standing on the edge of a cliff.
Back when I couldn’t find employment and was working part-time at a convenience store…
“…Wait?”
Had I ever worked part-time at a Convenience Store?
“No, I didn’t…”
I shook my head for a moment and brushed away the stray thought.
A Convenience Store? What was I confusing things for?
If it hadn’t been for my parents’ support when I first started living in this two-room villa, I would have withered away completely.
The fact that I could function as a human being now was thanks to my parents, who endured the long job-hunting period with me.
I pulled out the clothes I’d wear tomorrow, hung them on a chair, and took out my pajamas.
Just as I was about to head to the Bathroom, I hurried back to the sofa.
“Oh, that’s right!”
I took the empty lunch container from my bag and put it in the Sink.
I almost went to work tomorrow with an empty container and would have just washed the spoon.
‘Today’s lunch was absolutely amazing.’
Usually, I just grab some frozen rice balls.
But today, someone genuinely concerned about my health packed me a luxurious lunch box full of carefully prepared side dishes.
At this point, even if I paid for the lunch box myself, I should probably add a bonus.
I wasn’t the type to gush about how delicious something was, but it felt wrong to keep accepting kindness without reciprocating.
I picked up my phone with a slight laugh, then froze in that exact position.
‘…To whom?’
Yesterday, I made a lunchbox while exhausted and half-asleep—so who exactly was I thanking?
I stared blankly at my phone and let out a hollow laugh.
I seemed to be more worn out today than I realized.
“Yeah, I should just get some sleep.”
I hurriedly finished my bedtime preparations and headed to the bedroom.
Despite my efforts to move quickly, the PT routine alone consumed an hour, so by the time I lay down, it was nearly midnight.
As I approached the window to close it—I had left it half-open this morning for ventilation—I suddenly froze.
A small silhouette was lingering beneath the streetlight in the alley.
It was a cat.
A sleek black cat.
The cat circled beneath the streetlight, settled into a spot, and began licking its front paws.
I gripped the window handle and stared blankly at the sight.
“A cat…”
I had never actually owned a cat before.
When I lived at my parents’ house, my father had a fur allergy, so it wasn’t possible. And once I started living alone, I didn’t have the courage to raise one by myself, so I never even considered getting a pet.
So it wasn’t as though I had any particular affection for cats.
‘Why does this feel so welcoming…?’
What was so special about that small, skinny cat?
In the meantime, the black cat passed beneath the streetlight and disappeared beyond the alley.
Even as I closed the window, my gaze kept following into the darkness beyond the alley.
“At least it wasn’t a white cat.”
I muttered absently and shrugged my shoulders.
It was a pointless thought, one I didn’t need to entertain.
I turned off the light and lay down on the bed.
Just before sleep pulled me under, my final thought was utterly useless.
What did the color of a cat even matter?

* * *

6:30 AM.
After working at the company for over a year now, my eyes open before the alarm even goes off.
I hurriedly finished my morning preparations and pulled out two tumblers from the cabinet as a final touch.
Fill the tumblers with ice, pour in the freshly brewed coffee, and I’m ready to head out!
“Ugh.”
Ready to head out, really?
The thought was far too cheerful for this hour, so I left the house at exactly 7:10, my brow already furrowed.
The moment I opened the front door, a cool breeze swept across my face.
It was early spring morning, still crisp enough that I found myself naturally pulling my collar closer.
The instant I stepped out of the elevator, I bolted toward the villa entrance.
I’d come out at my usual time, but the elevator seemed a bit slow today.
The moment I spotted the car waiting at the villa entrance, I approached with an apologetic expression plastered across my face.
The passenger window rolled down slowly, and the face inside glanced at me before shaking their head disapprovingly.
“You’re a bit late today?”
I climbed into the car with an embarrassed look.
“No, it’s not that I wanted to be late. I just couldn’t remember where I put my shoes.”
Making excuses the moment I got in was my own survival strategy.
Given the unfortunate fate of my commute time doubling if I didn’t carpool, I had to stay in their good graces.
“Brother.”
He’s always smiling that goofy smile, but only gets serious at times like these.
‘Working so hard on that image of being neat and virtuous in public.’
Brother pointed silently at the seatbelt.
I grinned with the face of a shameless flatterer and held out one of the tumblers.
“I brought today’s tribute too, so cut me some slack, will you?”
The reason I always grab two tumblers every morning is precisely for this.
‘Carpool fare for the price of a coffee is basically getting it for free.’
At first, Brother questioned why I was bringing coffee and told me to just ride since we were heading the same direction anyway, but now he takes it for granted.
If I forget even once, he asks if there’s no coffee today.
Only then did Brother chuckle and accept the tumbler.
Brother took a sip of coffee and started the engine.
Soft classical music drifted through the car as we left the alley.
I’d always wondered if people who actually listened to classical music while driving really existed, and it turns out my brother is one of them.
‘I originally suggested we just listen to K-pop.’
After riding in this car for so long, I’m starting to be influenced by its elegance too.
Once the car turned onto the familiar main street, Brother finally spoke.
“Do you need the heater on?”
“Just a little bit should be enough.”
“Got it.”
Well, nothing particularly special was said.
This is about the extent of conversations I have with Brother in the morning.
This is all there is, yet it’s not uncomfortable at all.
It’s not awkward because we don’t talk—it’s natural even without words.
I naturally pulled out the presentation materials and thought to myself.
Brother is always by my side, so I know this silence feels perfectly natural….
“….”
“What’s wrong?”
The car stopped at a red light, and Brother glanced at me before asking.
“…It’s nothing.”
Brother stared at me oddly for a moment, then resumed driving.
I clutched the presentation materials, lost in thought.
‘Sometime… it feels like Brother wasn’t by my side.’
Why did I suddenly feel that way?
Brother has never disappeared without a word, not even once.
It’s as if somewhere, I had lost him for a very long time….
“Oh, that’s right. Lee Hae-won.”
“Huh?”
“I cleared my schedule for next weekend.”
“Next weekend?”
“Yeah. But I’ll probably have to head in after lunch, so be nice about it, okay?”
I nodded blankly, as if suddenly pulled from my imagination back to reality.
Was there something important happening?
I was about to ask Brother what was happening next weekend, but he was already looking ahead.
Since I wasn’t one for long conversations anyway and didn’t want to distract the driver, I closed my mouth and looked back down at the materials.
The car had already arrived in front of the Company.
It usually takes thirty minutes to get here, so why did it feel like we arrived in an instant?
As if time itself had been skipped over.
Just as I was unfastening my seatbelt to get out, Brother spoke.
“Let’s meet after work.”
“Yeah, see you later.”
I naturally waved my hand and got out of the car.
‘Why am I like this lately?’
I guess I really do need to get a health checkup once a year without fail.
I keep forgetting things and making mistakes so often.
I’m not even that old, so I don’t understand why I’ve become so careless recently.
Worry washed over me for a moment.
But as I followed the crowd of people heading into the Company, the worry scattered without a trace.

* * *

Park Ji-woon stood before the window.
Beneath the crystalline autumn sky, the crimson-leafed landscapes of South Korea painted a rather beautiful scene, yet Park Ji-woon felt little stirring in his heart.
The cold grip of reality held his ankles fast, refusing to release him.
“Any new developments?”
The voice from behind belonged to Seo Jae-hyuk.
Though he spoke with apparent composure, the icy undertone of his words and the oppressive weight of mana that naturally emanated from him betrayed just how foul his mood had become.
Park Ji-woon gazed out the window and answered curtly.
“None.”
Seo Jae-hyuk may have wanted new information, but that single word was all Park Ji-woon had to offer.
“What exactly are you doing?”
“Here we go again, again.”
Jeong Min-gu muttered tersely, his usual composure half-extinguished.
The natural response that followed likely came from Lee Hwa-yeon.
“All I can tell you is….”
Park Ji-woon slowly turned around to face those gathered in the meeting room.
The heads of each Guild, all seated around the table.
Unrefined mana roiled through the meeting room, betraying their turbulent emotions.
Had Park Ji-woon not been S-rank, he likely would have collapsed on the spot.
“Right now, there is nothing we can do.”
Of course, they had not wanted such an answer.
“That’s strange….”
“I’m hungry.”
Following the brief interjections from Han Ro-mi and Nam Pu-reum, Chae Geun-dam, who had been listening in silence, finally spoke.
“Park Ji-woon, shouldn’t we devise some alternative strategy? We cannot simply let time slip away like this.”
Park Ji-woon agreed with that sentiment.
But as for ‘alternative strategies’….
As Park Ji-woon struggled to maintain his composure while contemplating the worst-case scenario, Kim Seol quietly raised her hand.
Kim Seol fixed Park Ji-woon with an icy stare, her expression so tense it seemed ready to shatter at the slightest touch.
After a long silence, she finally asked.
“Where did Lee Hae-won disappear to?”
At Kim Seol’s question, all eyes pierced through Park Ji-woon once more.
Everyone sent him looks demanding explanation, as if asking whether he knew something.
The proprietor of Friendly Market and the guide of Babel Tower Korea.
Six months had already passed since Lee Hae-won vanished.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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