Click.
After a moment of hesitation, I cautiously stepped into the room, where I found Nuri rolling around and gnawing on a blanket.
‘Hmm.’
At first glance, nothing particularly stood out.
As my gaze drifted around the room, a series of photographs covering a bulletin board on one wall caught my eye.
‘…’
Long-tailed tits, meerkats, penguins, roe deer, sea otters, and more.
Seeing the abundance of photos featuring creatures from land, sea, and air—all chosen for their undeniable cuteness—it wasn’t difficult to discern Cha Sera’s aesthetic preferences.
And with my own picture subtly tacked on at the end, I had a pretty good idea of how Cha Sera perceived me in her mind.
‘Is this all?’
Frankly, there was nothing particularly remarkable, leaving me feeling a little deflated.
For photography enthusiasts, this was quite a light display, merely a neat arrangement adorning a corner of her room, which was the only impression I could gather.
“Meow!”
As Nuri, who had been rolling around beside me, signaled for playtime, I subtly shook the feather toy I’d brought and began circling the room.
My gaze then fell upon a series of albums neatly arranged on the shelf beneath the desk.
‘Hmm.’
In truth, I merely wished to satisfy a minor curiosity; I had no intention of delving deep into Cha Sera’s private domain.
However…
[Long-tailed Tit]
[Hummingbird]
[Chinchilla]
[Marten]
[wldks_08]
‘…?’
Having seen the utterly ruinous title of this particular album, the option of not opening it and moving on ceased to exist.
I first opened the album titled ‘Long-tailed Tit,’ referring to the bird known as ‘baepsae’ in Korean, and to my surprise, I couldn’t help but utter a word of admiration for its high quality.
‘…Well made, isn’t it?’
It was brimming with photos that appeared to have been taken directly in nature.
Alongside them were detailed notes on observations made during her studies and personal reflections, offering a glimpse into Cha Sera’s dedication and the joy she derived from her efforts.
‘Hmm.’
After flipping through a few other albums, I felt the need to slightly revise my assessment of Cha Sera.
Even in the realm of her hobbies, Cha Sera displayed an incredibly earnest and passionate demeanor.
Setting aside other aspects, this particular trait alone was certainly worthy of applause.
Thump.
Slide.
The problem was this: the album titled ‘wldks_08,’ which also happened to be my Clem account ID.
As I pulled out the book and turned a few pages, the first images to greet my eyes were photographs I had uploaded during the early days of my account.
‘…She really went to the trouble of transferring them.’
Just as the other albums detailed the habits and behaviors of various creatures, my album was densely filled with similar observation records.
These included, for instance, the type and brand of clothes I wore on a given day, or predictions about my preferred tastes.
There were even records of my physical measurements, such as build, weight, and height, which evoked a strangely unsettling sensation.
“Ah.”
‘Could it be that she’d been indulging in such frivolous thoughts all along, which enabled her to procure clothes that fit me perfectly last time?’
With one lingering question now clearly resolved, I nodded, feeling a sense of relief as I continued to examine the subsequent pages.
“Meow!”
“Hold on. Just let me finish checking this.”
Flipping further through the pages, I found, as expected, a variety of photos uploaded to my Clem account.
Yet, those alone wouldn’t account for such a volume; what then, was the reason for this immense thickness?
As I rapidly turned the pages, I soon came to a natural realization of the answer to my question.
‘…?’
There were pictures of me in poses and actions I had never seen before.
For a moment, I wondered what these could possibly be, but upon reflection, I began to understand their true nature.
These were the embarrassing vestiges of the trial-and-error process from the last photoshoot for my subscriber-exclusive plan—traces I had believed were long deleted, yet remained here, perfectly preserved.
‘Hmm…’
I had definitely deleted them without a trace, so how had she retrieved the data?
In my bewildered state, I searched the internet and discovered that, unbeknownst to me, most deleted photos could be recovered with a high probability.
‘Oh, for goodness sake.’
If only I had ever used a digital camera, I would have known; I never imagined such a blind spot could exist.
Yet, Cha Sera was Cha Sera.
She had feigned dejection in front of me, even though she must have known that photo recovery was practically possible.
Internally, I downgraded my earlier elevated assessment of Cha Sera, resolving instead to raise her potential threat level by one notch.
‘Still, she’s diligent.’
As the ruler of Bucheon City and a 21st-century Pharaoh, I was willing to humbly overlook a minor transgression from a subordinate, in the spirit of a monarch.
Still, with a sense of exasperation, I continued turning the pages, only to be utterly speechless when the photographs in the latter half began to reveal themselves.
“…?”
Indeed.
These were the photos capturing my trials and errors.
This meant there were also embarrassing pictures where my underwear, navel, side, or armpit had accidentally been exposed, and Cha Sera had preserved every single one of them in this album.
‘Uh, well.’
“No, is this woman insane?”
No matter how much I tried to understand with a monarch’s magnanimity, honestly, this felt… quite perverted.
And why, for heaven’s sake, was she speculating about someone else’s useless underwear brand?
I tried my best to defend her internally, but there was no denying this was simply creepy.
‘…Should I just throw it away?’
I seriously considered it for a moment, but ultimately decided to keep it under wraps for the sake of achieving my perfect crime.
Instead, I pulled out my smartphone, photographed the album’s contents, and carefully stored them in my gallery.
Should Cha Sera ever attempt to betray me in the future, she would have to be prepared for all these misdeeds to be exposed to the entire Korean Hunter community.
“Meow!”
“Alright, alright. Let’s go.”
Continuing this investigation seemed detrimental to my mental well-being, so I carefully returned the albums to their original spot, stepped out, and closed the door.
I resolved to bury the secrets I had uncovered today deep within a corner of my memory.
****
A little time passed, and soon the morning of the third day since Cha Sera had left her home arrived.
Given the lack of news, it seemed the dungeon raid would take a bit longer.
Deciding it was time to take out the accumulated food waste and recycling, I gathered the necessary items and began to head out of the house.
Rumble.
Ding!
Stepping out of the elevator, I made my way to the apartment’s recycling area, meticulously sorting and disposing of the trash I’d brought.
The moment I returned to Cha Sera’s doorstep, I was confronted with a significant problem I hadn’t anticipated.
‘Hmm.’
The door lock password Cha Sera had given me before heading to the dungeon.
Not being a fool, I had naturally recorded it in my smartphone’s notepad, yet for some reason, I couldn’t find the saved memo anywhere.
‘…What was the number again?’
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
6824. No, that wasn’t it.
Then 6324? I tried entering it, but that wasn’t it either.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
An ominous warning sound began to blare; if I entered the wrong password again, everyone in the neighborhood would witness my pathetic inability to open a simple door lock.
“…”
I remained calm.
As a grown adult who had seen enough years, I wouldn’t panic over something so trivial.
But then again, wasn’t this a rather critical situation?
‘Hmm.’
I quickly tried accessing the ‘Door Lock Gallery’ (TL Note: A fictional online community forum, similar to a Reddit sub or a specific image board, typically focused on a niche topic) to find information, but unfortunately, it was an inactive gallery with no regular users.
Should I call a professional?
When I searched for information on a web portal, I found regulations stating that service could only proceed if residency was confirmed via an ID card or contract.
‘Hmm…’
Wait a minute, am I truly screwed?
Since Cha Sera and I were neither relatives nor anything of the sort, I naturally had no authority whatsoever concerning her residence.
Honestly, in the worst-case scenario, I could just go back to my own home and wait until Cha Sera returned, but Nuri, left alone inside the house, might be forced into a grueling fast.
Ding!
[Subject: Guys guys guys, what do I do??]
[High School Grad Middle Schooler]
[Content]
– My friend’s away on a business trip, and I’m looking after their house and cat, but I forgot the door lock password and can’t get in ㅠ
– Is there seriously no way to fix this???
[Comments]
– ??
– Why is this actually a cry for help? lol
– Ugh, you idiot;
– This really is an idiot, isn’t it…
– If it’s your friend’s house, you can’t even call a professional. You should’ve written the password down; why trust a high school grad’s memory?
– High School Grad Middle Schooler: I saved it in my notepad, but it doesn’t seem to have saved properly.
– If all else fails, just quietly break it open and buy a new one. When else would you use your awakened abilities?
While I agreed that might be the case, the problem was that my physical strength was no different from an average person’s.
My cognitive abilities and reaction speed seemed to have evolved sufficiently, but I couldn’t discern any difference in terms of simple physical strength or bodily capabilities.
I had heard that some individuals could enhance their bodies with mana, but I had yet to succeed in doing so myself.
Ultimately, a physical solution was impossible.
‘Hmm.’
As the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome, so perhaps I could summon a gust of wind towards the balcony to press the door lock buttons?
Naturally, I was no Wind Mage; such a convenient feat was utterly impossible.
It would be far quicker to completely wreck the house than to press the buttons with wind.
‘…I think I’m doomed.’
Oh, Nuri!
I blamed myself for the fatal mistake of not double-checking my notepad, then set my brilliant mind to work, contemplating every possible realistic solution.
I had to find a way to get back inside before Nuri, trapped alone, ran out of food and water.
