LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 21 - Help Me Find My House! (3)
Chapter 21 – Help Me Find My House! (3)
Sunal raised his head and immediately furrowed his brows.
‘Looks like not many people come through here. There’s a crack on the utility pole, and no one noticed?’
Click.
‘And why is the manhole cover all bent?’
Click.
Unable to just overlook it, Sunal took pictures of the area, preparing for the possibility of filing a report later.
This occupational habit.
“Sunal.”
“Yes.”
Sunal replied, but he let Tutoon’s words slip past one ear.
The sunlight had been shining beautifully since a little while ago. The color of the autumn leaves was so red. The breeze tickled his face.
None of Tutoon’s incessant chatter registered in his ears.
All that mattered was leaving work on time.
Just to leave on time.
He prayed to escape from the dreaded overtime.
“Aren’t you scared of me at all, Sunal?”
“Why should I be scared?”
Sunal tried to brush away the exhaustion creeping over him, preparing for the complaints he would soon be dealing with, but it was difficult to clear the sleepy look in his eyes.
He’d experienced scarier things back when he was Lineal.
“I…”
Vroom.
Right as Tutoon began to speak, a motorcycle passed by, the engine noise so loud that it made his ears sting.
Click.
Black smoke billowed from the exhaust pipe.
Sunal blinked slowly at Tutoon, who became flustered and started walking ahead.
“Not that way. This way.”
Sunal called out to Tutoon, who had veered left, and pointed to the right.
Tutoon ran back toward Sunal, making squelching sounds as he moved.
“…We’ve arrived at our destination.”
As a faint voice announced their arrival, Sunal briefly put his phone away.
“Do you still want to say what you were about to earlier, or have you changed your mind?”
“I’ve lost my nerve again…”
“I understand. Then, please wait here calmly. You can think about it or just enjoy the scenery in the meantime.”
He adjusted his glasses and placed his official badge where it was clearly visible.
A narrow alley stretched out before them.
It was just wide enough for two or at most three people to stand side by side.
The atmosphere felt unusual. No. These slimes had a completely different vibe from Tutoon.
‘There are three of them.’
Although they were stretched along both walls and spread across the ground, Sunal quickly counted the number of slimes.
He calmly glanced at his wristwatch.
11:10.
Lunch hour for the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit was from 12 to 1. It wasn’t absolutely necessary to stick to that schedule right now, but he had grown used to it lately, so it made him a bit irritable.
‘Let’s have a decent meal today.’
Sunal flexed his fingers and approached the slimes.
“Hello.”
He greeted them politely.
“I’m Hae Sunal from the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit.”
It was always essential to make sure they knew who he was.
The slimes, who had been giving him a slightly cold look, changed their tone to a friendlier one when they saw his official badge.
“Well, now. What brings a public official here?”
“You are currently in violation of the Shape Maintenance Act, and you are also blocking the passageway. According to a complaint, you’ve been obstructing this path for three days.”
“Three days? We’ve only been here for about 30 minutes. We didn’t have anywhere else to go. You know how people don’t really like us, right?”
‘The report mentioned they’re exploiting their status as the weaker party, huh?’
Sunal didn’t even bat an eye. He encountered these types everywhere.
If he reacted, they’d just push harder, so Sunal remained firm.
“That’s a separate issue from violating the Shape Maintenance Act.”
The slimes were slightly taken aback by the calm response of the public official. They sensed that something was different from the previous officials who had come by.
They decided to reply obediently for now.
“Maintaining our form… Sorry. It’s just a bit uncomfortable, you know? When you’re talking to each other, it’s more convenient to be relaxed, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s really uncomfortable.”
Tutoon’s voice came from behind, mumbling quietly.
When Sunal glanced at him, Tutoon, who had been hanging on the wall, hurriedly ducked his head.
“Convenience aside, you’ve still broken the law.”
“We’re sorry. Could you wait just a moment?”
One of the slimes, a black one with a white stripe, spoke up.
All three slimes transformed into the shape of sturdy men.
“Is this better?”
“No. Since you ignored several warnings and continued blocking the path for three days, I’ve determined that an identity check is necessary. I’ll need your cooperation.”
Sunal pulled out his work tablet from his bag.
“…An identity check? All of a sudden?”
The slimes, who had been smiling cheerfully, suddenly had their expressions wiped clean, turning into cold, emotionless faces.
Unlike a normal expressionless look, theirs felt even chillier, but Sunal wasn’t bothered and opened the app on his tablet.
“Yes. Because you ignored multiple warnings, I am required by regulation to at least conduct an identity check.”
Sunal pulled three documents from his bag and waved them toward the slimes.
“These documents contain the regulations I just mentioned. If you want to look at them in more detail…”
“We understand that you’re here because of a complaint. But when the complaint was made, how can you tell whether it was us who were here or some other slimes? Or is it just because we’re slimes?”
Their tone was a bit defiant.
Their faces were full of, ‘Let’s see how you answer this.’
This shouldn’t have been the case, but Sunal found it somewhat amusing.
‘Well, I can understand where they’re coming from.’
Anyone would be flustered and angry if someone suddenly brought up an identity check.
If it weren’t for the regulations, he wouldn’t have even bothered.
‘But I’m not dealing with any nonsense.’
It was always annoying when people, no matter who they were, deliberately used their status as a vulnerable group to their advantage.
Sunal knew all too well how real vulnerable people were trampled by society, and perhaps that’s what made him even more irritated.
He felt eyes on him from behind.
‘…Sigh.’
With a short exhale, Sunal suppressed the urge to gaze blankly at the sky and forced himself to focus on the task at hand.
At least, as promised, Tutoon wasn’t causing any interruptions.
“Yes, we can differentiate,” Sunal said, just as the slimes began to smile. He glanced at the tablet he had just taken out and read the details of the complaint.
“The three slimes.”
Sunal extended his hand and respectfully pointed at the slime on the left with his palm facing up, as if anticipating any rebuttal.
There were indeed three of them.
“One of you has a black base with a white stripe.”
He pointed to the one in the center.
“Another has a yellow base with patterns resembling clusters of grapes.”
His hand moved to the left.
“The last one has a green base with a red checkered pattern, but only partially drawn.”
Finally, he pointed to the right.
“So far, the description matches what’s written in the complaint, doesn’t it?”
‣Though slime species tend to have similar forms, their patterns, no matter how big or subtle, are always different.
Recalling this trait, Sunal smiled brightly.
‘Let’s stop dodging the issue. Wouldn’t it be better if we could all just get along?’
Sunal took a step forward, and the slimes shrank back slightly.
“You’ll need to cooperate now.”
“I admit we match the description in the complaint, but this is unfair! You don’t do this to other species! Why are we always the ones getting singled out?” one of the slimes burst out angrily, but Sunal only smiled.
“No, when laws like this are broken, we conduct identity checks regardless of species. That’s the basic rule. A simple example would be the protective glasses required for the Medusa species.”
While it might feel stricter for slimes compared to other species because they were required to maintain their form, the slimes had violated the law by not doing so.
He wondered how they could be so shameless despite breaking the law.
“If you don’t like this, then make sure you keep your form in check, avoid complaints by moving out of the way, or go to a park to have your conversations.”
Sunal had already opened the identity verification section in the government app and activated the camera.
Unlike other species, slimes produced a dissolving liquid, so to avoid complications, they carried magical identification tags made from minerals they couldn’t dissolve. This process was, of course, done with the consent of the slime species.
“You didn’t come all the way into this hidden, poorly lit spot where it’s hard for your conversations to leak out to plot something, did you? Isn’t that right?”
The slimes found Sunal’s sarcastic words and gaze unpleasant.
“Every time, it’s the same thing. When we gather, it’s a conspiracy, but when other species gather, it’s nothing,” one slime complained, with a mix of discomfort and suppressed resentment, echoing the sentiment of discrimination.
Sunal knew this frustration wasn’t directed at him, and he was well aware of that discrimination.
“That’s not right. I would say the same thing to any species in this situation. If you feel persistent discrimination and oppression, that’s why the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit exists. Come visit us anytime. We’re always available for consultations.”
But he wasn’t a god or even the president. This was the only way he could handle the situation.
Within the boundaries set by the government, within the system everyone had to build together.
‘Then one day, I’ll also… be acknowledged.’
Sunal watched the slimes hesitate.
Their bitterness wasn’t aimed at him. In fact, their wariness was fading.
Perhaps this was the first time they had heard words like his.
“I’m Hae Sunal.”
Sunal waved his official badge once more.
“I’m here to help whenever you need.”
“…Do you really mean that?”
“Would you like to record me?”
One of the slimes hesitated at Sunal’s confident reply, then extended its hand.
“…Go ahead.”
Sunal tapped a pre-drawn magic circle on the back of his tablet, causing the camera to emit a light. As it shone on the slime’s hand, their identification appeared.
As the light swept from left to right across the tablet screen, a voice chimed, “Verified.”
“Yes, your identity has been confirmed. Next, please.”
One by one, the slimes were verified.
Once everyone’s identity was confirmed, Sunal glanced at his watch.
11:43.
“You can’t block this path any longer. Now that your identities have been verified, if another complaint is filed, I might not come alone next time; the police may accompany me.”
“Can we… leave now?” one of the slimes asked hesitantly.
“Yes, you can go. Thank you for your cooperation.”
“Are you sure we can really go?” the slime repeated.
“Yes. Your identities have been confirmed. What more is there?”
When Sunal gave them a genuinely confused look, the slimes’ expressions softened.
“We thought you’d try to be difficult about it,” one of them mumbled, though it wasn’t loud enough for Sunal to catch. When Sunal looked over at him, the mumbling slime quickly shook his head.
“Oh, no, nothing. Goodbye.”
“Thank you. Have a great day,” Sunal said, bowing his head to the slimes. As they began to move away, he held up his tablet and took a quick photo.
Click.
It felt like a glorious moment, inching closer to leaving work on time, so Sunal thought the photo was perfect.
“…Can I come over now?” Tutoon’s voice startled Sunal.
He had forgotten the one person he needed to be most cautious of.
‘Can I do it? Can I… actually get off on time?’
Sunal swallowed his unease.
“Is it okay if I come over now?” Tutoon asked again, his voice timid.
Sunal snapped back to reality.
“Turn around and stay where you are.”
“Did I do something wrong?” Tutoon wiggled the hand he had on the wall.
“No. Let’s go eat.”
“I don’t have any money…”
“I do,” Sunal replied, pulling a card from his pocket. Despite the lack of sunlight, it sparkled temptingly.
“The team leader gave me the card and told me to get us something nice to eat.”
Edina had a lot of money. That wasn’t just Sunal’s guess—it was something she had said herself.
— It’s fine. I have a lot of money, so just accept it comfortably. Yes, I’m bragging, of course.
Rather than finding it annoying, Sunal thought it was nice. He understood what it felt like to have plenty of money.
He didn’t plan on being overly cautious about it. After all, if she didn’t want him to use it, she shouldn’t have given him the card in the first place.
“I can eat anything, you know. I could even eat that rock over there,” Tutoon said, pointing at the rock by his feet.
‣ Capable of consuming almost anything.
Slimes were known to be able to eat just about anything, and Sunal was well aware of this. However, there was one thing he had always been curious about.
“Does eating rocks taste good? What do they taste like?”
“Noo, they don’t taste good. But I like the sound they make as they dissolve.”
“Do they fill you up?”
“I’ve never felt full in my life.”
“Then let’s experiment with something better today.”
Sunal grinned, holding up the card.