City of Witches Chapter 195

Not all of this massive building was an aquarium.

Essentially, it was a structure housing exhibition halls, with various department stores, restaurants, movie theaters, and other convenience and entertainment facilities clustered together.

Since they had decided to have a blast here today, Siwoo headed straight to a restaurant for lunch.

“Phew... That was delicious.”

“Assistant, I’m so full it’s hard to walk. Could you carry me?”

“I’ll carry you later when we get home, but for now, let’s walk.”

“What? Then me too!”

“Yes, Lady Odil, please take a number as well.”

Today’s lunch was kimchi jjim.

It was chosen because the Twins had made a fuss, saying they wanted to try the Assistant’s hometown food.

Even though he picked it because nothing else came to mind, he was worried it might not suit the Twins’ tastes, but those concerns were unfounded.

After all, the three of them went in and ate nearly eight servings.

“Was it not too spicy?”

“Not at all? It was a bit salty, but it was fine when eaten with dongchimi.”

“I really liked the tender boiled pork. Ah, and the kimchi with oysters in it too!”

“I was a little worried it might not suit your tastes, but I’m glad it did.”

Truly, kimchi—an international Korean traditional food.

Seeing how it instantly captivated even the refined palates of the Twins made him feel a surge of national pride.

Siwoo personally tore the kimchi for the Twins, who were clumsy with chopsticks, and they accepted it so eagerly that it felt like feeding baby birds constantly begging for food.

Next, after getting ice cream from Baskin-Robbins, they headed to an arcade bustling with the clamor of game sounds and music.

For the Twins, experiencing such an atmosphere for the first time, the arcade was a whole new world in a different sense from the aquarium.

“Wow, wow, wow... What are all these?”

“Ah, so many Artifacts...!”

The Twins, shoving the remaining ice cream into their mouths (for reference, their review of the ice cream was lukewarm), scurried away eagerly.

They were busy examining the game videos playing on the screens and the various game machines equipped with strange gimmicks.

“Assistant! Look at this! Something’s spinning around and around!”

“Assistant, look at this! It’s sparkling! Dolls? There are this many dolls?”

Somehow, it seemed like they liked it even more than the aquarium...

Unable to contain their excitement, the Twins jumped up and down and bounced around in place.

They moved around so busily that it felt like they might disappear if he took his eyes off them for a moment.

Siwoo exchanged three ten-thousand-won bills for a game card.

“Is there anything you’d like to try?”

“What are all these? What can you do with this?”

“It’s a type of entertainment.”

“Ch-chess or duck hunting, things like that?”

“Uh...”

He had no idea how to explain video games to the Twins, who didn’t even understand electricity.

Fortunately, the Twins’ interest quickly shifted to the arcade machines.

In Odil’s case, it was a Western-themed shooting game with a rifle-shaped controller, while Odette was drawn to the pink claw machine.

“I want to try this. Tell me how to do it.”

“Ah, would you like to try? You can take cover by stepping on this pedal, and you shoot by aiming at the targets on the screen. Pulling the trigger fires it, same as always... Let’s see, reloading is done by shaking the gun.”

“I’ll try. I think I can do it.”

Listening intently to the explanation, Odil aimed the gun at the screen.

While Odil was going through the tutorial, Odette, who had scurried over, grabbed Siwoo’s wrist and pulled him along.

“Assistant, Assistant! I want to try this. How do you get the dolls?”

She stood in front of the claw machine piled high with dolls like a mountain.

It seemed quicker to show her, so he gave a rough demonstration.

“This is how it works. You operate this lever like this and press the button, then the crane comes down and picks up a doll.”

“Ah! So close! It almost worked...”

Clearly, whether because they were young or smart, they learned incredibly fast.

Odette immediately grabbed the lever and intently aimed for the rabbit doll she’d had her eye on since earlier.

Earlier at the aquarium, she’d particularly adored the rabbits and even bought rabbit pajamas...

He wondered if she knew rabbit meat was delicious.

Stream of consciousness brought back memories of the rabbit stew he’d eaten when he went to the countryside with his father long ago.

“...Siwoo Oppa.”

Siwoo, keeping Odette in sight to prevent her from getting lost while guarding her side.

Odette, who had been aiming for the rabbit doll that seemed impossible to grab with the evilly programmed crane, suddenly called out to him.

Perhaps thinking Odil wouldn’t hear, she used the rare “Oppa” address.

So the address changes when they’re alone.

This feels somewhat like a cheating couple sneaking around.

“Yes, Lady Odette.”

“I just wanted to call you. I made a new title yesterday but haven’t been able to use it at all, so I was frustrated.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, thanks to Oppa, I feel like I’m experiencing so many fun things. Thank you.”

“Well, I’m living comfortably thanks to the Jemernai Count Family, so it’s only natural I do this much for you.”

“That’s just the result of the Assistant’s good deeds.”

Finding Odette’s appearance quite cute, Siwoo patted her head.

Odette, focused on the rabbit doll and not expecting the touch at all, was startled and accidentally sent the crane plunging into a strange spot.

Soon, the attempt count, which had read 50, changed to 0, and the final crane hung futilely above the prize Launch chute.

Unfortunately, Odette used up all the money on the game card Siwoo had charged without managing to grab a single doll.

-Beep beep beep!

The electronic sound signaling game over.

Odette, trembling her shoulders, protested to Siwoo.

It seemed that Odette, who had started purely for fun, was gradually getting competitive.

“This is really absurd, you know? I clearly grabbed it properly! I even calculated all five possible rotation patterns of the crane as it descended! I grabbed the head exactly, but instead of lifting the rabbit, it didn’t even budge! This is a scam!”

“Haha...”

Even Siwoo thought it was strange.

He initially thought it wouldn’t be easy since the doll was buried among others, but this seemed excessively unfair.

Swallowing her frustration, Odette asked Siwoo:

“Can I use Magic? Just a little telekinesis.”

“Of course not. That’s not how this game works. Should I try grabbing one?”

“No! This is my fight!”“Hmm, then I’ll go recharge a bit more. Please wait a moment.”

“Yes, I need to consider more possible scenarios.”

Odette firmly pursed her lips and huffed spiritedly, while Siwoo moved to recharge his game card and noticed Odil still standing in front of the game console.

“Huh?”

Come to think of it, quite some time had passed already, hadn’t it?

Siwoo glanced at the screen, from which screams and explosion sounds continuously flowed.

Inside the game, Odil was the very image of an outlaw from the West.

A muzzle chasing enemies like a streak of light and a trigger pulled without mercy.

Whether it was tracking following the enemy or flick shots pulled off in an instant, all ten shots landed clean hits on the enemy.

Even the obstacles that suddenly appeared on the screen were no exception.

With what was clearly skilled bracing and aiming, Odil instantly detonated five grenades in mid-air.

Even when multiple enemies appeared from all directions, she clicked the pedals, shook the gun to reload, and cleaned them up in an instant.

“What in the world...”

Siwoo, being a guy, had also played such first-person shooter games before.

Most of them were originally made for two players, and he couldn’t even remember clearing the first-stage boss when playing alone.

While Siwoo was watching what felt like a highlight reel, Odil, who had cleared up to the final hidden boss with a single coin, tilted her head and noticed Siwoo.

“Huh? Assistant, how long have you been watching?”

“Wow, you’re amazing.”

“Huh? At what?”

“This is your first time playing this kind of game, right? No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t even get past stage two.”

“I’ve always been good at shooting. Odette could probably do this much too? But it’s not very fun. The way things shatter when hit lacks realism, and the gunshots are just unrealistically loud. Still, it was a good experience! Is there anything else? I think I could handle something more difficult too.”

Though she said that, when Siwoo praised her, Odil shrugged her shoulders as if her nose had risen higher.

If it were the original Odil, she wouldn’t have criticized the game like that, considering Siwoo’s effort in bringing her here, so it wasn’t hard to notice that all those words were deliberate.

In other words, she was trying her hardest to act nonchalant.

Suppressing a laugh, Siwoo took care of Odil and suggested a game they could all play together since they’d come all this way.

“That’s good too, but let’s look around at more things. That one over there is quite fun.”

“Really?”

“Assistaaaant! I got it!!!”

Just then, Odette came running, beaming brightly as she held up a rabbit plushie with both hands.

The next game Siwoo chose was Air Pong.

No matter how run-down an arcade is, there’s always a spot reserved for couples.

After a lively league match.

Odette didn’t win even once and became today’s pack mule.

“.........”

“Odette, why are you so sulky?”

“........”

“It’s nothing new, is it? I’m always better than you at games we play for the first time.”

“.........”

“Surely you’re not saying you can’t accept the result?”

Crinkle.

As they rode the department store escalator side by side, the rabbit plushie Odette was holding got slightly crumpled.

Unable to stand it any longer, Siwoo stepped in.

“Odil, please stop teasing her. Odette, don’t be too heartbroken. Your opponent was me, after all?”

When even Siwoo, whom she expected to take her side, added fuel to the fire, Odette’s patience finally ran out.

“Eeeek! You’re all mean! Sister, don’t talk to me! I want to go home! Take me home!”

“Just kidding, just kidding.”

Siwoo soothed and calmed Odette, who was about to throw a tantrum.

They were heading to the women’s clothing section to buy clothes to cap off today’s schedule.

The twins’ adaptability was truly remarkable.

After all, the twins, who had marveled at just the elevator earlier, were now standing quietly on the escalator as if it were the most natural thing.

After buying plenty of clothes to satisfy the twins using the black card bestowed by Count Gemernai, they headed home.

After that, they planned to showcase the famous spectacle of Shin Siwoo’s officetel: ‘The parade of delivery food that even Miss Sharon can’t resist.’

It seemed the twins’ palates suited local food quite well, except for desserts.

“By the way, this is pretty fascinating. A staircase that moves even when you stand still—it utilizes spatial magic, right?”

“No, this is like a kind of belt. It goes around in circles, moving down to the lower space and back up. There’s no magic involved.”

“Hoh, I see.”

They could have taken the elevator, but to let them see the whole department store, they rode the escalator up.

During the ride, Siwoo heard a clamorous noise.

Department stores aren’t exactly quiet to begin with, but this was particularly bustling.

It sounded like people were surprised, excited, or something—hard to categorize the exact atmosphere—just the murmuring of a crowd.

And while the escalator was ascending.

Something strange near the ceiling on the opposite side caught the twins’ curiosity sensors.

Odil and Odette pressed close to the escalator handrail, pointing at an object floating leisurely in the air.

“Assistant, what’s that?”

“Ah! That looks like something we saw at the aquarium! Piranha? Piranha? I think that’s what it was.”

“It’s huge! Almost as big as a taxi!”

Following the twins’ pointing fingers, Siwoo shifted his gaze and widened his eyes.

“Huh?”

There, as if the air had become water, was a bizarre creature leisurely flapping its fins.

A thin, flat body.

Teeth like sharp bars, protruding so much its mouth couldn’t close.

Eyes that rolled around, impossible to tell where they were looking.

The murmuring from the lower floor was the sound of people taking out their phones, snapping photos, and whispering about that piranha.

Well, of course—such a thing couldn’t possibly exist in a normal department store.

The leisurely floating piranha slowly flapped its fins, descended, and approached the people taking photos and watching.

“Eek! What is this? It’s really creepy.”

“Is it some kind of event?”

“Isn’t it a hologram? Hey, take a picture, just take a picture first.”

“Hey, Kyungsung! Still in the bathroom? Come quick, there’s something crazy cool here.”

Was it because they had only ever been protected by civilization and social order that even their instinctive crisis detection abilities had deteriorated?

The people didn’t run away or scream and flee at the sight of the monster like in monster movies.

They merely observed the phenomenon within the boundaries of their common sense and daily lives, as if finding it fascinating, and allowed it to happen.

“Run away!”

Siwoo’s loud shout.

“Huh?”Simultaneously, the gaping maw of the Piranha chomped down on the upper body of a student who had been shoving the camera too close.

The festival had begun.

A Word from the Author (Author's Note)

Thank you for your support!

Season 1 of The City of Chweol has concluded.

Did you enjoy it?

• Thank you Narriyamul for your 1000 coin sponsorship!

Amelia and Siwoo's reconciliation... I'm also looking forward to when that will happen! I'll keep working hard until then!

• Thank you KimGyeongHo_245 for your 100 coins!

The Twins' Mortal Realm adventure begins with this episode!

• Thank you Hirok for your 500 coins!

Thank you for your encouraging messages as well! As you said, I'll use this sponsorship money to buy protein and supplements for my health!

• Thank you JeongSireunKeoJokTsundere for your sponsorship!

Chweol-Con had a good response, so I plan to do it often from now on!

• Thank you SoliSswori for your 50 coins!

I'll work hard!

• Thank you for your consistent support, Byeolmyeong-nim!

Lol, are you really going to see this through to the end???

• Thank you SolMire for your 50 coins!

I was also quite surprised that Sharon's popularity was better than I expected.