“Let’s have a company dinner!”
Yeon Ha-yeon pointed to a shabby shop in an alleyway and dragged me along.
Just moments ago, the Guild members had seemed exhausted from fighting monsters, but at those words, their faces lit up.
‘Sang-A Snack Bar’
I blinked as I looked at the venue for our dinner.
It was the perfect place for a Guild made up entirely of students, but before my possession, I had never once considered it as a place for a company dinner.
“As expected of the boss! After work, it’s gotta be instant tteokbokki!”
One particularly tired-looking Guild member walked into the shop with a spring in their step.
The interior, which had clearly weathered many years, immediately caught my eye.
The shiny tables, red chairs, and walls covered in Post-its and doodles created a familiar, almost nostalgic atmosphere.
It felt so cozy that it made me want to drink, even though I hadn’t planned to.
“Whenever we finish a raid, we each get a bowl of tteokbokki like this before we leave.”
“Now you’ll get hooked on this tteokbokki too, noona. This is a hidden gem only our Guild knows about.”
Yeon Hyeonggwang pulled out a chair for me, and as soon as I sat down, he habitually set out water and utensils for me.
I looked around, taking in the cramped interior of the shop.
Just reading the Post-its could keep you entertained for ages.
There were notes wishing for acceptance to universities, traces of couples who’d visited, and memos from regulars who had been coming for years—those made up the majority.
Since the Hyeolhyang Guild was established nearby, it seemed Guild members had frequented the place, as there were quite a few Post-its mentioning Hyeolhyang.
[Jejon Yeonhwa-pa, Jejon Hyeolhyang]
Among them, there were even memos that seemed to be written by someone belonging to both Yeonhwa-pa and Hyeolhyang.
The writer’s pride in their organizations was obvious, even in the briefest notes.
Yeon Hyeonggwang poured cola into cups for the Guild members, and Yeon Ha-yeon held up a yogurt cup.
The scene reminded me of a manager at a company dinner, and I felt oddly nervous.
The other Guild members gathered their cups in the center of the table, and I, thinking “surely not,” brought my cup over as well.
“Alright, everyone, great job! Jejon Yeonhwa-pa!”
“Jejon Hyeolhyang!”
“Cheers… 2”
When Yeon Ha-yeon called out “Jejon Yeonhwa-pa,” the Guild members responded in chorus with “Jejon Hyeolhyang.”
The timing was so perfect, it was clear they’d done this toast many times before.
Soon, the shop echoed with the Guild members’ toast.
Even the owner, used to this routine, joined in and, with a pleased expression, gave us extra fried snacks on the house, saying we’d worked hard.
It seemed I was the only one here who couldn’t call out the toast without feeling awkward.
With the sun high in the sky, sunlight poured into the room, making me squint.
I shielded my eyes with the back of my hand and just tossed and turned on the bed.
“Why are you acting like an office worker who partied until dawn? Get up, daughter, quickly!”
When I didn’t leave my room, my mom came in after knocking, nagging me.
Her sharp voice made me force myself to sit up, but my mind was still foggy.
‘Wow, that was the wildest company dinner of my life…’
I shook my head, recalling last night’s raucous dinner.
Before my possession, a company dinner meant going to a barbecue place—so much so that I only ever thought of barbecue joints.
I’d be sandwiched between adult Guild members drinking, sipping my cider alone, picking at some meat, and then leaving early—over and over.
But the company dinner here was nothing like what I’d experienced.
Maybe because we’re all around the same age.
I never understood why Guild members couldn’t function the next day after a dinner, but after a night like that, I get it.
Honestly, I had so much fun, my muscles ached—not from raiding a Gate, but from the party itself.
“Ah, ah…”
I checked my hoarse voice and burst out laughing.
We stuffed ourselves with instant tteokbokki, went to karaoke and sang until our voices gave out, then moved to the Hyeolhyang Guild’s lounge to snack and play board games.
It was the first time I’d stayed up all night playing with friends my own age since visiting Ban Eun-hyeol’s house.
[Podami-nam (6): My voice is gone ã… ã…
Sashimi (1): Diaries are for diaries~!
Ocean (5): You had a company dinner yesterday, right? Is your voice okay?
Focus (1): Did you have a company dinner? No wonder Lee Dana didn’t answer the phone…–
Sashimi (1): You called Dana? Why??
Focus (1): Just because]
I was sitting on my bed, blankly clearing my throat, when a chat window popped up in front of me.
As I was reading through the messages, my phone rang beside me.
It was Ban Eun-hyeol, who apparently had called me last night.
Speak of the devil—just as I learned this from the chat, he called me again.
I figured he might call back, but it felt as if the chat had predicted it for me.
No one would know I was reading, so he must’ve just said it without thinking.
“Hey, what’s up?”
[How hard did you party last night for your voice to be gone?]
“Don’t even ask. It was no joke.”
[You just woke up, right? The internet’s going crazy.]
Just like Ban Eun-hyeol said, while I was sleeping, the internet had exploded.
A video of me summoning spirits had been uploaded, and since Necromancy is such an unusual skill, the views were skyrocketing.
Already, there were tons of edited clips taken from the original video.
Luckily, there weren’t any negative titles like “creepy” or “scary.”
One title caught my eye, so I clicked it.
The video showed Shahin and Stone attacking the boss monster, and Bishap and Red flying around me.
Maybe because people didn’t realize how big these guys could get, there were lots of comments saying they were cute, which felt strange to me.
“Come to think of it, didn’t he say he’d upload the video today?”
I remembered Yeon Hyeonggwang’s excited face from yesterday as he said, “The whole world needs to see how cool Dana noona is!”
My heart felt warm and fuzzy. Just watching the video made me smile.
“I guess I look pretty good on camera, too.”
I found myself grinning alone in my room, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Seeing myself on video like this, even though it was a body I’d gotten used to, felt different.
[Oh? That’s me!]
Red, who had been watching the video with me, pointed at himself in the video with his front paw and shouted.
His nickname was similar to mine, so I was momentarily startled.
[Hmm, the camera really does capture me well.]
Unlike Red, who was seeing himself on video for the first time, Bishap calmly analyzed the camera angles, noting what could be improved and how to move to look better on screen.
Maybe because he’d appeared in videos a few times before my possession, he used terms like “camera presence” with ease.
The two small, round dragons were watching the monitor with serious eyes, checking with hawk-like focus to see how well they appeared on screen.
“How cute.”
I leaned my back against the wall, leaving the phone playing the video on the bed.
Watching Red and Bishap so absorbed in the video made me smile without realizing it.
They’re such adorable kids, but to think they’ve been shunned just because they’re spirits.
Shahin, who quietly came over and looked at the phone screen with a dignified face, was the same.
They’re all so cute in my eyes, but thinking about how they’ve been treated made my heart ache.
At least Red, Stone, and the many other spirits I’ve met here haven’t been treated that way, which is a relief.
[Isn’t there anything else like this? I want to watch more!]
I was sitting back with my arms folded, admiring my spirits, when Red came fluttering over, begging like a child.
To satisfy Red, I found the original, unedited video and read out only the comments praising how cute he was.
“What’s with those wings? Is he an angel? Why is he in danger? Protect yourself, please.”
“Hey, Hyeolhyang Guild, are you watching? Please make Red Dragon merchandise. ASAP.”
Red didn’t fully understand what was being said, but he knew he was being complimented, so he grinned ear to ear.
Even I felt good reading all the positive comments.
[It makes me proud that everyone recognizes my cuteness.]
Red smiled, his sharp eyes crinkling in satisfaction.
[Going
In the Director’s office at the Dungeon Management Bureau, a program was airing on the large TV, discussing the popularity of the top-ranked Hunters from each country and the appearance of Dana’s Necromancy in Korea.
“Sigh…”
The Director clutched his throbbing head and buried his face in his arms.
Just hearing the words “top rank” made him feel like he would explode with frustration.
That’s how much pressure he was under to uncover the identity of the top ranker.
Ever since the “Grade 5 Gate Incident” at the Dungeon Management Bureau, the pressure had only intensified.
After a hooded girl entered the Grade 5 Gate, claims and evidence surfaced that she was the top ranker and an outsider from another dimension, heating up the internet.
Netizens were treating it as an established fact and posting countless articles in real time.
“It’s already a headache trying to find the top ranker, but now they’re saying she’s an outsider from another dimension!”
The Director squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them and glanced at the report Ihwan had submitted.
It was about the appearance of an Awakened with a new type of skill.
“What? Necromancy?”
“Yes. It’s a skill that summons and commands spirits from monster corpses.”
“What is this, a horror movie? There really are all kinds of skills these days.”
“Since there’s a chance more Awakened with similar skills might appear, regarding this skill…”
“Ah, enough. Is that important right now? What about the outsider? I haven’t been able to sleep because of the stress lately.”
The Director, cutting off Ihwan who tried to say more about Necromancy, spoke sharply with a tense voice.
Rubbing his face with both hands, he looked at Ihwan standing before him in silence.
Of course, he knew it wasn’t Ihwan’s fault.
But when the fake news about the Grade 5 Gate was released, if only Ihwan had caught the hooded girl, the problem of the outsider could have been solved at once—thinking about that twisted his insides.
Knock knock—
Just as he was about to grab Ihwan and discuss the outsider, someone knocked on the office door.