I sprawled out on the bed in a spread-eagle position.
With my right hand, I repeatedly tossed the red orb into the air and caught it.
Thud, thud.
The smooth texture fitting snugly into my palm.
It was loot I'd recovered after killing the Bulgasari.
An unsettlingly refined energy—clear and scorching hot.
I injected a tiny amount of mana through my fingertips.
The red liquid inside the orb swirled and absorbed my mana like a sponge.
It fused perfectly without any rejection.
Despite being a monster's byproduct, it meant the energy's fundamental nature was identical to what I wielded.
The Bulgasari—a yokai from Eastern folklore that had emerged from a Gate.
And this alien orb.
Questions bred more questions.
That's when it happened.
My smartphone, tossed by the bedside, rang loudly.
The vibration rattled the mattress.
The caller ID showed Association President Park Jin-cheol.
I pressed the call button.
"Old man. What."
—Hahaha! Amazing, Kang Tae-ho! Who would've thought you'd cross over to China to play mercenary for South Korea's sake!
The Association President's boisterous voice burst through the receiver.
Annoyance washed over me.
I pulled the phone slightly away from my ear.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I never made it about the country. I went to protect my rice bowl and tear down that Absolute Protection Law targeting my family."
—Aw, there you go again with that talk. You think I don't know you after all this time? You grumble on the outside, but inside you care about this country more than anyone. I saw the news—it was absolute chaos.
Stubborn old geezer.
He never listened.
He just interpreted things however suited him and laughed heartily.
I sighed and cut him off.
"I'm busy. Keep it short. Why'd you call?"
—Ahem. Well, it's about that monster you caught in China. I was hoping you could hand over some characteristics or combat data.
"Data?"
—Yeah. We never know when another out-of-spec existence like that might pop up. We need to prepare countermeasures in advance. Can't have you shouldering everything alone.
He wasn't wrong.
A yokai from Eastern folklore had emerged from a Gate.
There was no guarantee similar creatures wouldn't appear again.
"Fine. I'll compile everything about its habit of devouring metal and regenerating infinitely, plus its weakness to ultra-high-temperature flames, and email it to you."
—Thanks! You're so reliable. How about it—want to grab some soju tonight to celebrate your hard work...
"Not interested. I'm just going to breathe at home today, so I'm hanging up."
—Aw, tsk. Alright. You worked hard. Get some rest and let's eat next time.
The call ended.
I tossed the phone back into a corner of the bed.
Fiddling with the red orb in my hand, I stared blankly at the ceiling.
—Knock knock.
The door opened with a knock.
Mom entered the room.
"My puppy. Are you busy today?"
Mom sat on the edge of the bed.
She naturally began gently stroking my stomach.
"No. I'm planning to just lie here."
"That's good."
A deep smile spread across Mom's lips.
But somehow, it was a smile that sent chills down my spine.
"You made Mom's heart drop, went all the way to dangerous China and did risky things—I need to give you a proper punishment."
"Punishment?"
An uneasy premonition flashed through me.
I tried to sit up, but it was too late.
Mom slipped both hands under my armpits and lifted me up effortlessly.
"M-Mom?"
Still holding me, Mom hummed a tune as she headed to the living room.
In the middle of the living room, Ha-eun stood waiting in outdoor clothes.
In her hands was a pink plastic basket.
Shampoo, body wash, and colorful Italian towels.
A bath basket.
My pupils trembled finely.
No way. It couldn't be.
I looked up at Mom cautiously and asked.
"Surely... not...?"
Still holding me, Mom nodded firmly.
"That's right, my puppy."
The smile she wore looked particularly merciless today.
Ha-eun rattled the bath basket and grinned mischievously.
"Let's hurry. I bought a new rough scrub towel just to scrub Oppa's back today."
* * * * *
In front of the large sauna located in the neighborhood shopping district.
I stopped in my tracks beneath the red sign pointing to the women's bath entrance.
I held my ground desperately in front of the shoe lockers.
"This really isn't happening."
I protested in a lowered voice.
"What will people think of me? Even if I look like this on the outside, inside I'm a pitch-black thirty-two-year-old man!"
It was a logical and reasonable exercise of my right to refuse.
But it didn't work at all.
"Ugh! Why are you talking so much!"
Ha-eun smacked my back and roughly shoved me forward.
"Who says Oppa's a thirty-two-year-old man? You're just a silver-haired elementary schooler! Stop whining and get in."
With a deep sigh, I was dragged into the women's bath changing room.
Hot steam rushed in.
The humid air and soap smell characteristic of public bathhouses.
With the mindset of a cow being dragged to slaughter, I pulled off my t-shirt and tossed it aside.
My exhausting weekend afternoon was melting away into the heat.
I was dragged naked into the bath.
I crouched on a small yellow plastic stool.
A stool far too small for a normal adult, but it fit my current physique like a custom sofa.
"Now, raise your arms."
Mom commanded as she slipped a rough green Italian towel onto her hand.
I had no energy left to resist.
Mechanically, I raised both arms high.
Mom's merciless touch glided from my armpits down to my sides.
"Oh my, look at all this dirt coming off our puppy. Chinese dust got embedded in your skin."
Not at all.
Thanks to my mana field, not even a speck of fine dust had touched me.
It was just dead skin cells naturally shedding from human skin.
But Mom's rough scrubbing didn't stop.
My small body flipped this way and that like a paper doll with each stroke of her hand.
"Oppa, lower your head."
Ha-eun poured a basin full of hot water over my crown.
—Splaaash—!
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Foamy shampoo roughly tousled my hair.
"Looking at you closely, your skin is incredible. Whiter than most female celebrities."
Ha-eun whispered teasingly while vigorously washing my hair.
I didn't even respond.
If I opened my mouth, soapy water would definitely get in.
"Oh my! Yeon-suk's mom! Look who's here!"
That's when it happened.
A sharp, high-pitched voice pierced through the bathhouse steam.
A group of neighborhood ladies who'd been scrubbing nearby swarmed toward us.
"Oh my goodness, isn't that our hero from yesterday's news? That's Hunter Kang Tae-ho, right?"
"Oh dear, he's so much tinier than on screen! He's like a doll!"
Stark naked, I was surrounded by five neighborhood ladies.
Gazes stabbed at me from all directions.
Shame? That had evaporated in my first year of Awakening.
This situation itself was just brutally exhausting.
"Here, eat this at least, hero! Your bones must be worn down from saving the country!"
One lady thrust a peeled hard-boiled egg toward my mouth.
Another pressed a yogurt drink with a straw into my hand.
Refusing would only make things more troublesome.
I opened my mouth and accepted the egg.
Chew chew.
My throat felt dry, so I sucked down the yogurt.
"He eats well. Oh, how adorable."
"Um, my grandson is a huge fan—could you sign something later..."
Mom quickly intervened at the lady's unreasonable request.
"Oh dear, the child just got back from China and is tired. I need to scrub him before his skin gets too soft."
Mom skillfully pushed the ladies away.
Ha-eun was clutching her stomach and giggling beside me.
I definitely won't be lending that brat my black card anytime soon.
"Now, let's get in the tub and soften you up properly."
Mom's permission came down.
I stood up and walked toward the hot bath.
Splash splash.
I stepped down the stairs into the tub.
A hot bath that came up to the chest of normal adult women.
But when I sat on the bottom, the rippling water rose to just below my chin.
I stood on tiptoe slightly, keeping only my nose above water as I enjoyed the warmth.
"Phew."
Hot water enveloped my entire body.
It felt like fatigue was gradually melting away.
From a corner of the tub, two little neighborhood girls splashed toward me.
They splashed water at my face with mischievous expressions.
Annoying.
I deployed an extremely thin mana barrier the thickness of a hair in front of my face.
The water droplets the kids splashed bounced off 1cm before my face.
Finding that the water didn't reach me, the kids giggled and splashed even harder.
Perfect defense.
Go ahead, splash until you're exhausted.
* * * * *
One hour of brutal punishment ended.
I came out to the changing room and dried myself with a towel.
Thanks to Mom's merciless Italian towel assault, my entire body was flushed red.
I fumbled into the loose training clothes I'd brought.
I roughly toweled my hair and headed for the exit.
My nape was grabbed.
"Where do you think you're running off to? Come here."
It was Ha-eun.
She dragged me to the large mirror in the powder room.
The round chair in front of the vanity.
When I perched on it, my feet dangled in the air.
"You'll catch a cold if you don't dry your hair properly. Stay still."
Ha-eun picked up two hair dryers, one in each hand.
—Whiiiiir—!
Hot air blasted my crown from both sides.
My silver hair scattered in all directions from the fierce wind.
I sat obediently with my eyes half-closed, taking the wind.
I saw my reflection in the mirror.
Fluffy reddened cheeks. Dazed red eyes.
A small doll sat there in perfect resignation.
Then Mom approached, opening her cosmetics pouch.
"Our puppy, your skin must be so damaged from that dry place in China. We need to apply lots of moisturizer."
"Mom, I had a barrier up so there was no chance to get dry..."
—Smack! Smack!
Mom's hands slapped both my cheeks crisply as she slathered on cream.
She perfectly stole my chance to talk back.
Cold, sticky liquid was meticulously applied to my forehead, chin, and nose tip.
Mom's palms mercilessly swept up and down my entire face repeatedly.
"Oppa, lower your head. The back of your hair isn't dry yet."
Ha-eun pressed down on my crown.
A joint assault of merciless skincare and drying.
Perfect helplessness that didn't even inspire the will to resist.
"Oh my, look how your skin is glowing. You're like a peeled egg."
Mom pinched my glistening cheek once more with satisfaction.
My sister also put down the hair dryer and combed through my hair.
"Done. Let's go now."
Finally, the brutal doll play ended.
My entire face gleamed with nourishing cream.
I sighed deeply and hopped down from the vanity chair.
I opened the bathhouse door and stepped outside.
Cool night air filled my lungs.
Ha-eun pressed a cold, chubby banana milk into my hand.
I inserted the straw and took a sip.
Sweetness rolled across my tongue.
I definitely felt refreshed. My body was light as a feather.
But my mental energy was scraping rock bottom.
I quietly watched the backs of Mom and Ha-eun walking ahead.
Mom's steps seemed much lighter than they'd been at the penthouse entrance earlier.
Her anxious heart seemed to have been completely washed away only after directly confirming my reddened skin.
I finished the banana milk.
I tossed the empty plastic container lightly into a trash can.
I made a decision.
As much as possible, I shouldn't do dangerous things that would make Mom anxious again.
Not because of guilt over worrying her.
Because this punishment—being surrounded by neighborhood ladies at the local public bathhouse, stripped naked and fed hard-boiled eggs—was hundreds of times more horrific and annoying than the pain of a battlefield where flesh gets torn away.
I absolutely had to protect myself.
For my peaceful and comfortable sanctuary.
