Cardboard Houses Do Not Tear

9 – The story before the gathering (1)*

In the world that turned white, I was the only one.

To be precise, I was the only graduate student Kim Pyong-ju who did stupid things to the world.

“……!”

“……!”

Leaving me like that, there were some black shadows surrounding me, pointing fingers and shouting something. The well-groomed Paulatier man-to-man with a stretched neck, and the sweats and trainers were really friendly.

To the extent that tears come out on the outside and resentment on the inside.

Because,

“……!”

‘f*ck you bastards, do it in Korean.’

“Are you an idiot? Why did you include this in your thesis?”

“Hyung, you know professors don’t like things like this, so why the hell did you include something like this?”

Because I know that none of this is real.

‘Look at how it is translated into Korean. Sprechen Si Deutsch. Menschen ohne Mutter.’

This time the black shadows changed their outfits. I heard the sound of heels colliding.

“Warum hast du so einen Barbo in deine Artikel geschrieben?”

“Warum haben Sie das getan, wenn Sie wussten, dass der Professor diese Dinge hasst?”

The shadows in SS uniforms saluted and began to check my thoughts in German, like Papa-Google Translate.

But I decided not to reveal the most solemn secret, that the Führer only has one secret.

So I said goodbye, speaking the only German I knew.

Because I realized firsthand during the outdoor assembly in the morning at the training center that only the second verse of the national anthem is watched.

‘Auf Wiedersehen, Deine Mutter ist nicht da.’

I woke up greeted by black shadows that couldn’t find my mother even in my dreams.

***

When I open my eyes, my familiar and cozy haven, the warehouse. No, it was inside the dorm.

I looked around for a while.

A straw bed that makes up my mattress, a material that even Heidi, a girl in the Alps, used to love, a blanket resembling a beggar’s feet in the slums, and a table that the old man from the North ate the other day with all four legs broken.

And even the reunion poster that I made a year ago and put up like a picture frame on the wall because I didn’t use it.

Looking at the bleak scenery that is not bad for a slave to live in, it’s definitely where I’ve lived for five years.

Of course, if someone dares to ask about your impressions, let’s just know that the experience of being a Harry Potter in childhood in a different world is an experience that cannot be done even if you pay money.

“Oh, how cold.”

A drafty wind blew excitedly from the wall, not sure if the plasterer had whitewashed it while drinking, or if the foreman at the construction site had taken his money and put it on roughly.

When I put my non-gloved finger on the gap, my finger got cold today as well.

Looks like a cold wind is blowing outside.

Of course, there is rarely a warm wind blowing here, and it is a fact that you can know right away by waking up just by waking up through this stinging straw.

Still, wouldn’t it be more positive to make at least one useful hole rather than a completely useless hole?

For freezing to death, for checking temperature, for oxygen supply and ventilation. Like this.

After the ‘thinking positively for mental health’ session, I put my hand over my bedside table to make sure the bin was in place.

The oil I saved in a glass five days ago, and the lard from the barbecue from the funeral of Billian, who died two days ago while on another mission, were my treasures.

Perhaps it was because of the cold day, the pork fat in the barrel had hardened remarkably well.

Not even the stone dust in the cracks in the wall was included, so this oil won’t be chewing on stones while eating a special meal.

“Lovely.”

I closed the lard container as tightly as I could and got up. Because today there was Yeongjijeon.

As Gambison, now almost like my body, brushed the straw, I heard a rustling sound like a quilt at a grandmother’s house in the countryside.

It’s a bit stuffy, but it’s thick, so at least the straw didn’t sting your body.

If you go to the fireplace and make the Gambison dry and lie down, the cotton will retain the heat, so you won’t wake up from the cold at night.

It was the wisdom of a small life.

When I opened the plank door that made a squeaking sound, the cool air greeted me first.

The sky was red in the distance to the east, as if a gas lamp had just been turned on, and a few windows in the house were starting to glow softly.

From far away, from the side of the main street, the sound of a carriage began to be heard. It was time for the gates to open.

Just like the lyrics of the game song Jammin played in his days, the morning that always comes today has returned.

“Git up, giggle up~ Geek up fishing~ Mother’s annoyed shouts~ Don’t start again Haruji~”

I crossed the parade ground, swinging my stiff Gambison. Only the sound of bustle and singing broke the silence of the morning.

For some reason, I felt like I was going to roll call in the morning, but what about it? I’m not even really doing it.

So, I passed through the parade ground and entered the lobby.

Today’s business was at the counter. There was no need to climb the stairs.

So, before going to see what’s going on, let me briefly introduce the first floor. If you first enter the first floor entrance, cross the f*cking big lobby, and go all the way, you’ll see a staircase that splits into a Y shape.

And to the right of the stairs, there is a place for clients, scoundrels, merchants, and aristocrats who will come directly to the Mercenary Corps instead of the guild for urgent matters.

It is a place where reception, eradication, assault, and hospitality are received, depending on status and business, and we have reached a social consensus to call it a counter.

Now Vieri, who is on duty today, is lying face down inside.

“Ah. That bastard is sleeping again.”

I went to the counter to wake up Vieri.

He has business, and Huaruan will come down early today because he has a business trip, but it was obvious that if he was caught, the entire lobby would be yelled at in the morning.

I called out to Vieri while pounding the counter with my fist.

“Uncle. Where is the duty officer sleeping? A f*cking guest has arrived. A guest.”

Then Vieri, startled, raised his head and shouted.

“The Huaruan Mercenary Corps. How can I help you!”

“Nothing to help, wipe your saliva.”

“Write-“

After wiping his spittle, Vieri stood up shaking his messy brown hair.

Throwing his head back and sighing, he looks tired as hell, but that’s what everyone on duty does.

If you twist it, you should have found a job without duty. Or became a slave mercenary like me.

“Oh. f*ck. Hey, how long have I slept?”

“That’s it, I don’t know. By the way, is your room free today?”

I got to the point before the other mercenaries arrived.

Securing a double room. That was why I woke up this early in the morning.

It’s summer soon. Before the straw in the warehouse became a nest of insects, they had to move into a double room in a hurry, and reservations for empty rooms were always first-come, first-served.

Doridori.

Looking at the mercenary room layout, Vieri opened his mouth to yawn and replied with a nod of his head.

I was dumbfounded and asked.

“Is the room already full yesterday? Billian and Harry died yesterday. The other two were just mercenaries.”

“Hmm. Do you know The double room fills up quickly.”

“I didn’t expect it to fill up this fast. It came early in the morning.”

“Hey. You’re on the late side.”

Vieri said in disgust.

“How did you know that there was an empty room, and before the corpse was even put in the coffin, the guys in the four-person room rushed over. I thought I was going to die trying to shake it off.”

Our mercenary group’s room for two was cheaper than the inn, but it was comfortable.

And being able to save money on the room meant that I could invest more in things like alcohol, gambling, and drugs.

As long as you meet roommates well, there was no such thing as Hyeja, so there were always overflowing people who wanted to enter a double room.

But still, I didn’t expect it to fill up so fast.

“Damn it. When you sign the contract, it will be on the condition that you give me a room.”

“A. Don’t be so obsessed with the past assei.”

Beeri, who was already staying in a double room, said with a smile.

“Or would you like to go into a four-person room? One empty.”

“Ah. Just roll up.”

In short, a storage room was better than a room for four people.

At least I didn’t have to see the guy next to me rustling under the blanket with a strange smell, and I didn’t have to fight because the money bag was gone.

There was no reason to pay for accommodation in such a place. Because the warehouse was free.

“By the way, what about single rooms? Both of them are empty.”

As far as I remember, there was one empty space about a month ago. And recently there was one empty spot. With a little effort, I was able to get in.

“Do you have a lot of money? The pay I received last time was also robbed of bows and arrows, and drinking from Jack and Scal.”

Actually, even the thief boss’s ax had some left over from passing it off as evidence, but he didn’t have to brag about his money.

“Check it out.”

“Eh, you’re annoying.”

Vieri grumbled while looking through her ledger.

“Looking at it, it’s already full by the leader’s order. Recently, one person came in yesterday, and the other one will come soon.”

Although it was a half-knowing question, I was a little disappointed.

I’m going to go eat something.

“Yes, good job. I’m going to eat something.”

“Hey. Aye.”

As I was about to enter the restaurant, I heard Vieri calling.

“What. Are you going to hand over your room?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. But you’re the leader, so why are you still stuck in a warehouse? I should have gone ahead and asked what to do with just one room.”

“Huh.”

I laughed dumbfounded at Vieri’s good question.

“Me too. Then do you know what he said?”

“What did you say?”

“I went ahead and said this.”

The drowsiness in Vieri’s eyes disappeared in an instant.

I stepped back a bit and gave a sword-like salute, then recited the lines I had spoken that day.

“Now that I am a full-fledged mercenary of the Hwaruan Mercenary Corps, can I get a separate room for myself first?”

“Then what did the captain say?”

I didn’t need long words.

I crossed my arms, lowered my head slightly, and imitated Huaruan’s pose.

The sound of the wind leaked from Vieri’s inflated cheeks, full of imagination. It was a gag code created by having a boss at the same workplace.

“Baby… How dare you ask your master. It can’t be anything other than f*cking, asseii!!”

Then, he kicked into the air with his boots like a tiger.

Thump thump thump.

Then, Vieri, unable to sublimate her outburst of laughter into laughter, pounded the counter for a long time.

Then someone’s voice came from the top of the stairs.

“What are you laughing at?”