In the end, I made a U-turn and headed back home.
Even if I were cursed, I am still undeniably in a man’s body right now, so staying at Ajin’s house was out of the question.
There was an empty room downstairs, fully furnished and ready for someone to move in comfortably.
Ever since returning to the modern era, this house has had no tenants, which, at times like this, felt like a relief.
If there had been troublesome tenants, that would have been another headache to deal with.
Not that getting into the house was completely uneventful.
“Kyah!”
A sudden scream from behind startled both me and Ajin, making us whip around sharply.
There, instead of a 180 cm-tall guy, stood a high school girl struggling to hold up her pants that were slipping down.
Seeing Yuri, who had returned to her original form, I realized with a pang of regret that I should have mentioned the effects of the yard beforehand.
“Phew, good thing no one’s around. Let’s get inside quickly. Ajin, help me support her.”
“O-okay.”
“S-sorry.”
We shuffled along, got into the elevator, and finally arrived at the room, feeling a bit more at ease.
Since Yuri hadn’t been able to clean up in a while, the first thing I did was get her into the bath.
I tossed her dirty clothes into the washing machine, set it to a full cycle, and checked whether the room’s furniture and electrical appliances were in working order.
‘So many empty rooms.’
This was room 501, located at the farthest end of the fifth floor.
It meant that besides this room, there were more than ten vacant rooms across all the floors combined.
Even with Yuri and Ajin moving in, the place would remain exceptionally quiet.
To explain a bit, this place was a penthouse consisting of six above-ground floors and one underground floor.
It boasted a grandeur greater than most ten-story villas.
The top floor was my private space, and from the fifth to the second floor were residential units.
Each floor could house four units.
The first floor was empty, intended for commercial use, and the basement was a parking lot.
It was quite an eccentric structure, and at first, I worried it might not comply with regulations.
After making inquiries and doing some research, I was told there were no issues with the building.
I then decided to view it as one of the gifts from the goddess and stopped questioning it.
I had paid little attention to the lower floors until now, but with tenants moving in, I felt it was necessary to inspect them as the landlord.
Thankfully, even after several months, the appliances and furniture were in excellent condition.
‘Was it thanks to the aura barrier I had installed just in case?’
Now that I think about it, I really am optimized for living idly.
‘At this rate, I don’t need to hire a manager.’
Still, I should install an aura barrier to prevent intrusions by those with impure intentions.
“Unnie, if Pepe and I move in, will we live in this room?”
“Yes, probably in rooms 502 or 503. Do you want to bring your family?”
“N-no, my main family home is separate, so it’ll just be me. If anyone comes, it might be my younger sibling.”
Oh, so Ajin has a younger sibling.
By the way, being called “unnie” felt oddly mismatched.
I smiled gently and said, “Bring them anytime. If they need to stay in Soul, they’re welcome. Just let me know in advance.”
This house is far too spacious for just one person, anyway.
Each room has a floor area of over 80 pyeong.
Sure, large houses are great, but there’s a limit.
When living alone, having excessive space can feel more inconvenient than not having enough.
“Then, what about the deposit or maintenance fee?”
“Just give me 1 million won for the deposit. The rest? Don’t worry about it—just enjoy.”
“…”
“What’s with that face? Did I do something wrong?”
***
‘This is nice.’
Yuri thought, basking in the comfort of modern conveniences.
Just hours ago, she had been no better than a wandering zombie.
Now, she was enjoying a warm bubble bath.
Life has its ups and downs, but have there ever been such extremes of highs and lows?
Thanks to Ji Sehee, who referred to herself as a hero, Yuri could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
At first, Yuri thought it was all bluster, but after witnessing Sehee’s ability to temporarily restore her original form, she understood.
No matter what, she had to stick with her—even if it meant clinging to her legs.
The sharp instincts honed through life-and-death battles as a hero rang alarm bells in her mind.
‘I’m not the only hero out there.’
How fascinating.
She hadn’t expected there to be so many heroes.
Apparently, there was one more besides these two.
That means there could be even more out there.
Though she hadn’t delved into the details yet, the kindness they had shown suggested they weren’t bad people.
Well, heroes holding the title of “champion” wouldn’t likely have malicious intentions.
***
‘That took longer than expected.’
Yuri had tried to finish quickly, but the years of grime made it a challenge.
Still, seeing her clean, tidy reflection filled her heart with a surge of emotion.
‘How long had it been since she’d seen her true self?’
When that detestable Demon King’s curse turned her into a 180 cm giant, it felt like the world had collapsed.
‘Just one year…’
‘If she could endure for one year, she could reunite with her family.’
Although she was currently restricted to her original form only within this house, if she held on a little longer, she would be able to stand tall as herself wherever she went.
‘Let’s do this.’
Cheering herself on, she put on the neatly folded clothes in front of her and stepped out.
While eating, she almost teared up and had to work to calm herself.
‘Was it because it had been so long since she’d had a proper meal?’
It had been a long time since I felt such emotion while eating.
“Unnie, when will you stream again?”
“Oh, soon. I’ve been on a break ever since the collab with Dayoung. I need to focus on ranking up in Soul Warfare. It’s about time for a time attack.”
“Leave the editing to me. I’ll make it top-notch.”
A streamer.
Now that I think about it, she did mention she’s a streamer when she first introduced herself.
Yuri grew curious about the woman in front of her, Ji Sehee.
Her beauty seemed otherworldly, not of this world, and as a fellow hero, her abilities were unbelievable.
But to think that her job was being a streamer—it felt a bit disjointed.
‘I thought she’d be doing something more extraordinary.’
‘Even after returning to modern times, if she could use her hero’s powers freely, wouldn’t she be able to pursue something else?’
As Yuri quietly listened to their conversation while eating, she couldn’t hold back her curiosity any longer and finally spoke up.
“If you’re a streamer… does that mean you stream online, Sehee?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“I… find it fascinating. It’s hard to imagine a hero doing online streams.”
Instead of showing discomfort or awkwardness, Sehee simply chuckled at Yuri’s question.
“The reason’s nothing special. It’s just the result of my desire to play games and my need for attention colliding.”
“Attention?”
“Yeah. If you want attention while gaming, it’s best to be a streamer who’s great at games. Being a pro gamer is way too intense.”
What a simple desire.
She has no intention of ruling the world as a hero or being above others.
Sehee’s honest answer revealed her genuine nature.
The way she enjoyed games and lived a life mingling with modern society made her seem more like an ordinary person than an overwhelmingly powerful hero.
For some reason, Yuri felt a strange sense of relief.
Maybe that’s why.
Before she even realized it, her body moved on its own, and she found herself saying this:
“Can I watch your stream sometime?”
***
As soon as the notification popped up announcing Friede’s stream had started, viewers began flooding into the chatroom like a tidal wave.
After a brief lag, the hundreds of viewers in attendance quickly surged to thousands, growing at a monstrous rate.
In her elegantly decorated MS room, Friede waved to greet everyone.
“It’s been a while, everyone.”
Though it was the typical opening line for her streams, to her loyal subscribers, it felt like the sweetest whisper.
As Friede’s voice lingered in the air and disappeared, the chat became lively and chaotic.
[Friede is back!]
[Unnie… we almost froze to death without you.]
[We missed you, teacher!]
[You’ve been taking more breaks lately. Don’t tell me you got a boyfriend?]
[Hey, watch your words! Our unnie doesn’t have time for boyfriends.]
[If you take another long break, we’re all doomed. Seriously doomed!]
[Finally back to Soul Warfare! Sniff sniff, this smells like a full clear!]
[Yeah, her true home is Soul Warfare. Enough with those random games!]
[If she streams something else, the Soul Warfare fans will riot lol.]
“I’ll be playing Soul Warfare today. A full clear, as promised.”
At her declaration, the chat exploded like fish biting onto a juicy bait.
What is Friede’s iconic content?
Although she had been transitioning into a variety streamer, her true home was Soul Warfare.
The light-bearing hero descending into the apocalyptic dark fantasy, striving to claim the Challenger 1 rank—this was Friede’s legendary content.
Then, Friede stepped closer to the camera with a meaningful smile and said, “By the way, since I’m doing a face reveal and won’t be wearing a helmet, my head feels a bit bare. So I’ve prepared something special.”
[A new customization?]
[She better not be trolling us.]
[I trust you, teacher. Show us your new look!]
[Something big is coming.]
[My heart is racing!]
The mention of a new item sent everyone into a frenzy, with wild speculations flying around.
“Here, take a look.”
Friede adjusted the settings, and her customization appeared onscreen.
The new item was limited to her head.
It was a rabbit ear-shaped headset, metallic black with blue LEDs, which felt completely out of place in a fantasy setting.
Paired with her silver armor and golden cape, her holy warrior aesthetic clashed with the mischievous charm of the rabbit ears, creating a peculiar yet oddly endearing balance.
“Rabbit Princess Friede is here!”