Chapter 81 – A Peaceful Moment

“Well, that…”

He meant that having lived for ten years saying, “money, money,” it didn’t feel real now that a large sum of money was actually given to him.

Hee-na sympathized with those words. That was why Hee-na was also going to work and living a normal daily life.

“To be honest, it has felt like a dream ever since you brought home that new apartment. Not having to work fiercely just to make a living…”

Hee-won muttered dreamily.

What a great blessing and happiness it was to be able to live in the present without worrying about the future.

“Our parents must be helping us from heaven.”

Hee-na brought up a sentimental topic that she normally would not have.

Hee-won glanced at his sister’s face.

His fifteen-year-old sister, who had wept until her eyes were swollen after losing their parents, had already become a proper twenty-five-year-old young lady.

“Hee-na, you went through a lot of trouble all this time, didn’t you?”

“What trouble… It must have been hard on you, Oppa, supporting even me.”

“They say every dog has its day, and our luck has finally turned too. Let’s live comfortably. Let’s do a lot of things we’ve wanted to do, and live abundantly and leisurely.”

The siblings quietly poured out the stories in their hearts.

Osaek-i and Badugi sat close beside them, enjoying the peaceful time.

* * *

Many things had happened in a short period of time.

They had thrown a housewarming party, Badugi had grown huge, and they had made a large sum of money all at once through Hee-won’s peanuts.

For reference, Hee-won had offered a sum in the hundreds of millions as labor costs for roasting the peanuts, but his favor was rejected by Hee-na on the grounds that it was annoying to exchange money within the family.

‘It’s a peanut Oppa worked hard to grow, so it would be weird to take money just because I lent a hand at the very end. We’re family, so I can do at least that much.’

In the meantime, Hee-na was steadily, bit by bit, progressing with the Badugi walk quest.

The walk quest, which she had thought would be dangerous, proceeded safely and peacefully in many ways.

She only needed to avoid the most dangerous boss monsters by using the ‘Where is my home’ skill. It was a skill that displayed the locations of the door to ‘Home Sweet Home,’ the dungeon gate, and the boss monsters.

Next, the robe borrowed from Kang Jin-hyun did a great job. When she moved quietly while wearing the Robe of Stealth, she could avoid the sight of almost all minor monsters.

Thanks to that, Hee-na was able to continue the walks quietly without even needing to use the Bracelet of Defense she had received from the housewarming quest.

It was around the time when even Hee-won, who used to be restless wondering what might happen every time she went out for a walk, became calm about it.

Hee-na and Badugi were walking in a jungle-type dungeon with dense foliage.

“I know you’re excited, but don’t wander off too far!”

Badugi seemed to find it joyous that there were plenty of friends who looked similar to him around. He wandered and rummaged around the jungle at a speed that was barely visible to Hee-na’s eyes.

He dug up the ground here and there, and climbed up trees with his roots. He did not forget to snatch and eat the monsters popping out of the jungle as snacks.

Badugi was quite strong. He was never overpowered by average monsters.

He slapped away large monsters with his vines or leaves, and often ate the small ones.

“You’re really excited…”

Hee-na smiled warmly as she watched Badugi.

Perhaps because he was the person who made him sprout, Badugi followed Hee-won particularly well.

When Hee-won was not around, he stampeded his roots in anxiety and was busy tagging along right behind Hee-won’s heels all day long.

‘But lately he’s been affectionate toward me too… He must really like going for walks.’

Once, twice, three times… progressing through the dungeon walk quest, Badugi was gradually changing.

The image of him looking like a baby duck following its mother vanished, and he got along well even without Hee-won. It seemed that a few walks had given him confidence and independence.

In addition, as if his affection toward Hee-na had risen significantly, he had started following her a lot recently.

‘Oppa complains that his cute little baby has changed… but I prefer it this way.’

Badugi acting cute was cuter than she had thought. Plants moving—thinking it was creepy was a thing of the past.

Of course, Osaek-i, who had been deprived of Hee-na’s attention, looked somewhat displeased, but like a great residential manager, he seemed to be overlooking Badugi’s behavior.

Meanwhile, he did not forget to subtly appeal to Hee-na, claiming “Self = Broad-minded person.”

“Badugi! Don’t go to dangerous places, and have fun playing!”

Hee-na sat down with a thud on a moss-covered rock, leaving the excited Badugi to roam freely.

As if the Robe of Stealth had a waterproof function, her buttocks remained dry even though she sat on the damp moss.

‘What should I eat for lunch and dinner tomorrow? What should I make?’

Coincidentally, it was the season when Kang Jin-hyun was out on a dungeon subjugation. Thanks to that, Hee-na was spending a very leisurely daily life.

With no one to prepare meals for and take care of, she was very free, except for roasting peanuts whenever she had time.

‘Is there anything else I can do?’

It was a time when she was making a productive contemplation that the company would welcome with open arms.

*Step.*

The sound of stepping on soil echoed loudly.

“Badugi, are you done playing? Then shall we go now?”

Since the only entity that would approach Hee-na was Badugi, she was naturally dusting herself off and rising, but…

“…Ms. Hee-na?”

An unexpected voice was heard.

“Huh?”

When she lifted her head so quickly that a swishing sound could be heard, a handsome man stood in front of her instead of a floppy pet plant.

Hee-na knew the man’s name. Very, very well.

“…Mr. Jin-hyun?”

It was Kang Jin-hyun.

“How are you here, Ms. Hee-na? I clearly knew that I entered this dungeon alone…”

He blinked several times as if extremely surprised. Hee-na also inhaled sharply in great shock.

‘W-What! This was the dungeon Jin-hyun was in?’

Of all the countless dungeons in the world, to think she had entered the very dungeon Kang Jin-hyun was currently conquering! Her luck was simply terrible.

‘I was wearing the Robe of Stealth, so why… Ah, this was an A-grade robe. Jin-hyun is an S-grade, so I couldn’t hide my body from him with an A-grade Robe of Stealth.’

Of all things, to run into an S-class Hunter—one of the few in the world against whom the Robe of Stealth was useless—and of all people, Kang Jin-hyun, whom she was acquainted with.

“A-Ah, hello.”

Hee-na waved her hand, awkwardly raising the corners of her mouth. Of course, inside her head, dozens of excuses on how to resolve this situation were floating around.

‘What should I do? What should I say? Should I say I fell in by accident? This time too? No matter how bad my luck is, is it even possible to fall into the same dungeon with the same person three times in a row?’

Hee-na’s head and eyes spun.

In the meantime, Kang Jin-hyun ran over in a single bound, grabbed Hee-na’s shoulders, and poured out questions.

“Ms. Hee-na? How did you end up falling in here? Was it because of a strange piece like last time? Or were you caught in a gate explosion at your company again?”

At the same time, he did not forget to look her up and down to check if there were any injuries on her body.

“You are wearing the Robe of Stealth. Well done. I am truly glad that I left the Robe of Stealth with you. …Yes. It would be better to just give this to you. You get caught in dungeon accidents too often, Ms. Hee-na. You need something to protect your body. Once we get out of here, it would be good to prepare a weapon for you to use as well.”

He went on and on with a determined expression.

It was the first time Hee-na knew that Kang Jin-hyun was a person who could speak so long and fast.

“Ah, that…”

Hee-na stammered. Since she had entered the dungeon of her own free will rather than being caught in a dungeon accident, her conscience pricked terribly.

“…Did you enter here alone? Did you catch the boss?”

“Yes. I am playing solo. I have not found the boss monster yet. It is dangerous here, so with me… No, put this on first.”

Kang Jin-hyun began to take off his defensive equipment one by one. And he fastened them onto Hee-na’s shoulders, arms, and legs one by one. It was a meticulous touch.

“This is…”

“Of course I will protect you, but just in case it becomes dangerous, it will be better to be wrapped in defensive gear.”

“What about you, Mr. Jin-hyun? You took all of this off for me, so you are bare-bodied.”

“It is fine. I can take off more here. Your safety is more important, Ms. Hee-na.”

He really looked ready to take off everything from his outerwear to his underwear if Hee-na requested it. Of course, Hee-na had no intention of doing so, but…

“But this is too heavy. I can’t move my body.”

She didn’t know what Kang Jin-hyun’s defensive gear was made of, but it was as heavy as if she had strapped several-kilogram dumbbells to her arms and legs.

It was so even though her stats had risen quite a bit, making her physical strength better than that of an ordinary person.

Hee-na groaned as she raised her arm. Although it would not be visible hidden inside the robe, she could feel her humble biceps bulging. It meant it was that heavy and difficult.

‘Surely I won’t break this too like I tore the robe?’

It was when she was looking up at Kang Jin-hyun with vague anxiety.

The frivolous sound of footsteps, *pat-pat, splat-splat*, was heard.

‘Gasp! Badugi!’

Only then did Hee-na recall Badugi. She had momentarily forgotten his existence because she had run into Kang Jin-hyun so suddenly. Her heart grew anxious.

‘W-What should I do?’

Since Hee-na could feel Badugi’s presence, Kang Jin-hyun must have already noticed Badugi’s existence and then some.

Indeed, he turned his eyes away from Hee-na and was staring intently at a certain spot. Before she knew it, he had his fists tightly clenched.

*Thud, thud, step, step, splat! Splat, splat!*

Hee-na slowly turned her head to the side and watched Badugi drawing closer.

Unaware of this desperate crisis, Badugi was running excitedly toward Hee-na.

‘No! Run away right now! Don’t act like you know me!’

The Homemaker of the Dungeon