MBTJ 22

 Chapter 22

Oh Do-ah, who was the same age as Geon Su-ho, was a beauty with a tall, slender figure well over 170 cm and a voluptuous body. Her voice, sounding as if she had just woken up, suited her perfectly.

Her large, catlike eyes, sharply upturned at the corners, looked down calmly at Morae. Morae merely rolled her eyes around before bowing her head politely.

“Hello, I’m Kang Morae. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Probably all curses, huh?”

“Pardon?”

“That bastard wouldn’t ever say anything nice about me.”

“Oh—no, not at all. He only praised you.”

Not only Oh Do-ah but even Geon Su-ho looked dumbfounded.

When Morae stood there flustered, unsure what to do, Oh Do-ah finally let out a small snort of laughter and pulled Morae by the hand.

“Come in.”

A heavy scent of wood filled the cool reception room. A fan was spinning beneath the exposed rafters, and the dark agate-colored wooden floor gleamed softly.

On one side of the room was a table that looked as if a tree trunk had been cut and placed there whole, with thick cushions laid on top.

As Morae sat down, Oh Do-ah brought out some tea. A rich, earthy aroma drifted through the air.

“Drink.”

“Thank you.”

As Morae drank the tea, eight cats stared at her.

Their reaction was clearly different from dogs. Without making a fuss, the cats watched her with dignified calm from where they were—then, one by one, they began to move.

A black cat wearing a stylish bow tie brushed past Morae’s calf.

Warm and soft to the touch, it made Morae let out a small laugh—but then a cheese-colored cat flopped down right beside her.
“Nya.” The cry was full of exaggerated cuteness.

“Well, I’ll be damned?”

Oh Do-ah let out a hollow chuckle, and at that moment, a Persian cat boasting thick, luxurious fur climbed onto Morae’s lap.

As the cat loafed itself comfortably on her, Oh Do-ah’s expression froze in disbelief.

“Lora, were you always this easy?”

“Um… may I pet her?”

“She’s clearly asking to be petted. Humans don’t really have a choice, do they? Hurry up and pet her.”

When Morae gently stroked the Persian cat’s back, its fluffy tail swayed lazily back and forth.

By then, seven cats had gathered around Morae.

The black cat approached and threw a cat punch at the Persian cat occupying Morae’s lap.

“No—don’t fight, you two.”

As if they understood her words, the two cats settled down and ended up each claiming one of her thighs amicably.

“Wow. I feel betrayed. Guys, you’ve never done that even to your mom.”

Though Oh Do-ah had initially shown jealousy, she was now resting her chin in her hand, watching the strange scene with fascination.

Morae looked up at a Russian Blue sitting solemnly at the highest spot of the cat tower, gazing down regally. Oh Do-ah shrugged her shoulders.

“That one’s always liked being alone.”

“I see…”

Don’t stay alone—let’s play together.

With that thought, Morae sent out a gentle wave. As if granting a favor, the Russian Blue jumped down from the cat tower and lightly rubbed its small head against Morae’s hand. Oh Do-ah’s mouth fell open.

“What are you, seriously? Human catnip?”

Even without deliberately trying to tame them, animals had always tended to follow Morae.

Apparently, she hadn’t even been called a tamer by Geon Su-ho yet. Morae brushed it off with a smile.

“They’re really sweet. And very affectionate.”

“No, they’re not. My cats are ridiculously prickly—they don’t even let people touch them.”

Oh Do-ah suddenly grabbed the Russian Blue and rubbed her face all over its back. The cat twisted in disgust and slipped free in an instant.

“See?”

…Now I understand why it hates that.

Morae laughed awkwardly. She couldn’t exactly say the cat had just cursed her out.

“Morae.”

At that moment, Geon Su-ho, who had been quiet the entire time, spoke up.

“Did you bring the apple juice?”

“Oh—yes. I brought it, just in case.”

“Can you give it to me now? I don’t know what might’ve been mixed into the tea.”

“……”

Morae instinctively glanced at Oh Do-ah. Despite being openly suspected, her expression didn’t change at all.

She took out the apple juice Geon Su-ho had drunk before from her bag. After even opening the cap for him, she handed it over. He loosely gripped it with his large hand and drank.

As the bottle’s opening brushed against his red lips, Geon Su-ho slowly tilted his head back. His long neck was revealed, and the movement of his Adam’s apple was clearly visible.

The attention of all the cats shifted toward Geon Su-ho at once. Morae didn’t even realize she herself was staring at him with her mouth slightly open.

The one who shattered the sudden silence was Oh Do-ah. She asked indifferently,

“Why are you acting all seductive?”

Geon Su-ho raised an eyebrow mid-drink.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Bullshit is what comes out of your mouth. If you’re doing that without realizing it, that’s even worse.”

“Have you gone crazy, holed up at home making trash all day?”

“You’re the trash.”

Between an SS-rank Shadow Mage and an S-rank Alchemist, Morae could barely breathe.

Thud. Geon Su-ho set the apple juice down on the table.

“Guess you forgot how you acted like a total creep when you summoned the mandrake.”

“Who are you calling a creep?!”

“You were licking your phone screen while looking at mandrake pictures. Disgusting.”

“Hey! When did I ever—!”

Oh Do-ah shouted. Judging by how red her face was, it seemed she really had licked it. Morae pretended not to notice.

“Shut up and let’s just do the deal.”

Grinding her teeth, Oh Do-ah turned her gaze toward Morae. The corners of her mouth twitched as she forced a smile.

“Morae, may I take a look at the item?”

“Yes, just a moment.”

Morae took a ziplock bag out of her bag and placed it on the table.

A strange blue light shimmered in Oh Do-ah’s eyes—it seemed she had activated an appraisal skill.

“Hmm. It’s in good condition. Among S-rank materials, this is top-tier.”

“Then… are you willing to purchase it?”

“No.”

Morae’s expression stiffened instantly. Oh Do-ah added hurriedly, looking apologetic.

“Most people don’t know this, but mandrakes have sexes. The material needed for elixir production is the female.”

“Oh… I—I didn’t know.”

“Unless you’re an appraiser, you can’t tell just by looking. It’s not your fault.”

“I understand. Thank you for telling me.”

As Morae stood up awkwardly, her face flushed, Oh Do-ah rose as well.

“If I get a request for poison-type items, I might buy it, but those requests are extremely rare. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. Thank you for making the time.”

As Morae bowed, Su-ho spoke gently.

“Morae, would you mind stepping outside first? I have something to discuss with Oh Do-ah.”

“Of course. Please talk.”

Morae left the reception room. Her face burned with embarrassment.

She felt ashamed of herself for getting excited over nothing, thinking she’d hit the jackpot. She also felt bad toward Geon Su-ho, who had made time for her on purpose—she couldn’t even lift her head.

Right. Something that lucky was never going to happen to me.

Sitting in the main hall and staring blankly at the front yard helped calm her down. After a while, Geon Su-ho and Oh Do-ah came out together.

The look in Oh Do-ah’s eyes as she gazed at Morae was strangely indescribable—somewhere between pity and curiosity.

Why is she looking at me like that?

As Morae hesitated, Oh Do-ah smiled warmly.

“Morae, let’s definitely work together next time.”

Was she talking about a deal? Morae tilted her head, then replied,

“Yes… Oh, about the Russian Blue cat.”

“Blue?”

“You should take her to a vet. I think she’s not well.”

“She didn’t seem sick… Where did she look unwell?”

Morae recalled the wave she’d sensed earlier when touching the Russian Blue. It had been tangled around the lower abdomen…

“I’m not certain, but it might be her kidneys or bladder. Please make sure she gets checked.”

Startled, Oh Do-ah soon twisted her expression mischievously and asked,

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Pardon…?”

“You don’t hate me? Most people get angry the moment I turn down a deal. Even though they’re the ones bringing weird stuff.”

“It’s a matter of life. Regardless of the deal, of course I should tell you.”

Oh Do-ah stared at Morae, then held out her phone.

“Put your number in.”

“Excuse me?”

“I want to get close to you. You don’t like me?”

“No!”

Just as Morae reached out to take the phone, Geon Su-ho stepped between them.

“I’ll give it to you.”

“What the hell are you saying? Get lost.”

“Morae, let’s go.”

“Uh…”

Morae was practically shoved into the car by Geon Su-ho. As the car drove off, she finally voiced what she’d been holding back.

“I’ll sell the mandrake to an item shop. I’m sorry—you went out of your way for me.”

“Hold onto it.”

“…What?”

“You never know. Oh Do-ah might suddenly get a request that needs your mandrake.”

The mandrake Morae had was only useful for poison-type items. Who would ever pay a fortune to commission something like that?

No matter how strong poison was, it didn’t work very well on creatures. There was no way Su-ho didn’t know that.

“…I will.”

Morae answered obediently, grateful that Su-ho was still trying to comfort her.

But exactly one week later, Geon Su-ho’s advice became reality.