Coffee Myunghwa was a café brand that existed even before Sia got caught up in the Great Rift back in 2024.
Although the name suggests a focus on coffee, in reality, this café was renowned for its incredibly delicious strawberry cake.
And when it comes to just how good the strawberry cake was, it was the very first café to open in the newly rebuilt Seoul, mere moments before the world was on the brink of disaster due to the Great Rift. It was even ranked as the most cherished café brand that people missed the most.
Once destroyed, Coffee Myunghwa was reborn in 2054 with the support of the government, and it had become a brand that simultaneously had characteristics of both a public corporation and a private establishment, including partnerships with various government agencies, such as the Hunter Association and Returnee Management Bureau.
Due to this dual nature, the subsidiaries of Coffee Myunghwa received government contracts, owning vast green fields and farms where they exclusively cultivated strawberries in an erosion dungeon that no one could pinpoint the location of.
The dungeon’s climate and soil were optimal for strawberry farming. Coffee Myunghwa had exclusive rights to supply strawberries branded as “Dungeon Strawberries” only to their own markets, generating overwhelming profits and boosting their stock prices.
Thanks to this, as of 2088, Coffee Myunghwa was enjoying its golden age among competing café brands.
“Mmm, munch munch… so good!”
It was delicious. Sia, stuffing a piece of cake made from Dungeon Strawberries into her mouth, beamed a happy smile, her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.
“Excuse me, customer! Strawberry Cake No. 3, four pieces coming right up…”
For reference, Cake No. 3 was the largest cake at Coffee Myunghwa, sliced into 12 pieces and containing about 284-300 calories per slice.
“Thanks! Just put it over there. Hehe…”
And just like that, she had already devoured five pieces of that cake and ordered four more.
Initially, the staff at Coffee Myunghwa were taken aback when Sia ordered five cakes as soon as she arrived. They had never encountered a villain who ordered five cakes as soon as they walked in but soon, the staff expertly asked if the cakes were for a gift and how many candles were needed. Naturally, Sia’s response was that she intended to devour them all herself, and the staff was left with a dizzying feeling from this first-time encounter with this novel “villain.”
Sia then began to outright rent the café space and devoured her cakes, and even when she ordered four additional cakes, the staff’s expressions turned to awe and horror as they continued to sneak glances at her.
“That customer is already on her sixth…!”
“Shh, be quiet, she’ll hear us.”
“Is she a Hunter?”
Eventually, some staff and part-timers couldn’t contain their curiosity and stole glances at Sia from a distance.
Though it wasn’t love at first sight, Sia’s looks had captured the attention of the women around her. Most strikingly, every time she swallowed a cake, her substantial Seongnyeok pouch swayed dramatically, making it impossible to look away.
“According to the ID you showed earlier, you’re Isia, right?”
“Isia? I know that name! She was super well-known in the Genre Hunter Gallery!”
“Famous? So who is she?”
“She’s a Returnee and supposedly an S-grade Hunter!”
“Really? Should I get her autograph now?”
“Hey, hey, she’s a customer who booked the entire third floor! What if she goes crazy if we bother her?”
“But she looks nice…”
“Yeah, but there are a lot of Hunters who are all talk and no show. Be careful…. Aah!?”
“It seems she’s made a point to draw attention to herself.”
At that moment, Sia paused her cake-eating, looking up at a strange voice.
Yujin, with one hand in his coat pocket and a slightly annoyed expression on his face, was looking down at Sia, having arrived without her noticing.
He looked just like he did during the third ethics audit. With his tall frame, black hair, and youthful appearance that seemed to be in his early twenties, his gaze, however, revealed the years of experience, proving him to be a veteran who had been in the game for quite some time.
However, the tentacle protruding from Sia’s waist instinctively flinched at his presence, suggesting that it didn’t like Yujin very much.
‘I didn’t even hear his footsteps; when did he get here?’
Sia shrugged, shoving another cake into her mouth.
“Munch munch, hello! Are you Yujin?”
“My real name is Choi Yujin, but feel free to call me however you want. And don’t bother with the formalities; we aren’t close enough for that, are we?”
“That’s true.”
Despite being a Seongnyeo, Sia decided to quickly drop the formalities with Yujin.
Sitting across from her, Yujin crossed his legs and called over a staff member.
“One Black [coffee], please.”
“Y-Yes…! Uh, Yujin-nim, I’m sorry, but… I’m a huge fan…”
“Thanks, but I’m busy here,” Yujin waved his hand as if to say ‘scram,’ but it seemed he had done this before, as the staff member hurried off, flushed like a lovesick schoolgirl.
“Are you going for that cool guy vibe?”
“Vibe? Managing my image as a top S-grade Hunter for decades isn’t something just anyone can do. Only someone like Yeonseo could manage that.”
Yujin’s appearance screamed “bad boy” or “cold city guy.” He had stopped trying to manage his image out of annoyance, but that was probably only possible because of how he naturally looked.
And on top of that, he was one of the most popular Hunters, having been active for many years, right after Yeonseo.
Regardless of that, Sia was happily munching on her share of the cake, as if Yujin weren’t even there.
A moment later, Yujin’s black coffee arrived.
“I saw you on the broadcast, and yeah, you really eat like a pig.”
“Hoo hoo, oink oink?”
“……”
Sia’s cheeky imitation of a pig caused Yujin’s expression to sour instantly.
Today was the first time Sia and Yujin had officially met. Aside from brushing past each other at the last ethics audit, Sia had only watched a couple of Yujin’s broadcasts while idly browsing Hunter broadcasts on Switch, while Yujin, on the other hand, had a considerable interest in Sia.
Both were Returnees, and Yujin was presumed to be an S-grade, while Sia was frequently referenced in the Genre Hunter Gallery, for better or worse.
However, both had one shared sentiment.
‘Ah, I don’t like that girl.‘
‘Ugh, I can’t stand that guy. Munch munch…’
For no apparent reason.
They both felt an almost primal hostility towards one another. Neither had any past grievances against the other, but Yujin disliked Sia’s mischievous and cheeky demeanor, while Sia found Yujin’s persona, which felt entirely false, displeasing.
Even on their first meeting, they had both begun to dislike each other already.
“Am I your appetizer?”
“Why would it be? Yujin, no, you’re not my friend! Or do you think you’re my master?”
“…If I sound this way, I apologize. Like you, I was…”
“Oh, so did you play the tyrant in your previous world?”
“……”
Feeling increasingly annoyed, Yujin sighed deeply and tossed something at Sia.
It looked like a letter, wrapped in leaves and twigs, giving it a unique appearance.
When she touched it, she could feel the texture and smell of the leaves.
“What’s this?”
“Just hold onto that letter. I’ll explain it later.”
Gulp. Munch munch.
One side was the sound of sipping coffee. Another was the sound of her shoving cake into her mouth, and after a brief pause, Yujin spoke up first.
“We’re not on friendly terms, so let’s cut to the chase. Seongnyeo Isia, I lead a Returnee group.”
At the mention of the Returnee group, Sia tilted her head.
Returnee groups are typically classified into two types.
One type is those who, due to the ‘Saint Incident’ in China, became partially criminal organizations, escaping government or state control.
The other type operates under government oversight but has become an interest group for the rights and benefits of Returnees.
Of course, if you delve into details, there are far more complexities and nuances concerning these Returnee groups, but broadly speaking, you either have government-affiliated Returnee organizations or criminal groups trying to defy control.
“Don’t misunderstand. This is an officially recognized Returnee group by the Republic of Korea.”
“And so? Are you trying to recruit me?”
“To put it plainly, the reason I made this Returnee group is because of the Demon King.”
Demon King.
With that word, Sia paused her fork mid-air, looking at him intently.
“You likely know this, but all Returnees come from different ‘previous worlds.’ While there have been instances where multiple Returnees arrived in the same world, that’s quite rare.”
Well, Sia also once searched for anyone from modern times after defeating the Demon King, hoping to find someone like herself.
She ultimately found no one…
“And most Returnees claim that there was a Demon King in their own worlds.”
For a brief moment, Yujin’s face contorted strangely before quickly returning to his usual expressionless demeanor.
It seems he had some not-so-great memories involved with the Demon King.
Well, naturally, one wouldn’t have fond memories involving a Demon King.
Sia imagined the Demon King in her mind.
“I believe the Demon King is not a being of a single dimension but rather a multi-dimensional invader that attacks simultaneously. You would understand this being someone who directly fought the Demon King, right?”
“……What do the government and the association think?”
“The Returnee Management Bureau or the government isn’t particularly concerned about the ‘Demon King.’ They are far too busy dealing with irregular raids and newly appeared monsters; why would they care about a being that has never shown itself in our world?”
Even if the world had dramatically changed, and existing orders had been upended, even governments and organizations were stretched thin when it came to guarding against something invisible and unpredictable.
In an age of constantly emerging new dungeons and monsters, with a semblance of stability in society that appeared perfect, in reality, it was all balanced on a knife’s edge.
“However, considering the numerous testimonies from Returnees and the fact that they can’t ignore my words—being an S-grade Hunter and a Returnee myself—the higher-ups have given me some authority and responsibilities to gather information about the Demon King under the banner of the Republic of Korea and to operate somewhat independently.”
“And so, what did you find?”
“Well, what do you think?”
“I’d say you probably hit a dead end?”
“….Ha.”
Yujin took another sip of his coffee in response to Sia’s remark.
“You have quite a vulgar way of speaking for a Seongnyeo…”
“Do you think the Seongnyeo you know were all pushovers?”
Yujin shot her a glare as if he was getting angry at my words and took a sip of his coffee to cool down.
“Hah, as you say, I haven’t achieved a single result so far. Ordinary folks probably don’t even know I lead a Returnee group aiming to take down the Demon King. Some believe we’re just a friendly gathering of Returnees.”
“After all, if you say you’re hunting something that’s never appeared in this world, it would probably make you look insane from above.”
“I’m a man, not a woman.”
“Let’s just go with that for now.”
Yujin appeared displeased as Sia continued to be uncooperative, drinking more coffee.
“The fact that you’re the first to bring me a fragment of the Demon King. Honestly, the government has likely thought I, or the Returnees, were just rambling nonsense, but you, Isia, are the first to bring in physical evidence that could prove the possibility of the Demon King existing in modern times.”
“So are you saying I deserve praise? I was taught that I should receive compliments in the form of meat or cash.”
“Let’s save that discussion for later. We aren’t that close, are we?”
“That’s correct. I don’t think I could share a nice barbecue with you without feeling sick.”
“There’s nothing you can’t digest, right? You seem to eat everything with no trouble.”
“I think you’d be able to digest anything just fine.”
Despite the sharp exchanges between Yujin and Sia, Sia felt something odd within her.
Isia was someone who often tried to hold empathy, understanding, and compassion for others.
Even when faced with a malicious streamer who had tried to pull a nasty prank on her, Sia never got angry. Yet, she realized she felt an instinctive disgust and fury towards Yujin every time she met him.
“Then what you want to say is that Returnee group of yours… In other words, you want me to join your little club to eradicate the Demon King that might invade our world?”
“It would be great if that were the case, but… having met you in person, I realize that you and I clearly can’t share the same space amicably.”
Just as Sia felt disgust and hostility toward Yujin, it seemed Yujin felt the very same way toward Sia.
Thanks to their human intelligence and rationality, they managed to hold a conversation with decorum. If this were a world where strength determined everything, Yujin and Sia would have long since exited their seats and fought.
“Just to clarify, what were you in your previous world?”
“What was I?”
“I was a Seongnyeo. A rather ridiculous contradiction known as the Shattered Saint, but at any rate, I was a Seongnyeo.”
“……..”
At those words, Yujin’s face appeared quite strange.
“I was a Hero.”
“A hero, you mean like the one who protects the world? So did you protect it?”
“…Is that a question even worth asking? It’s natural for a hero to protect the world. Therefore, I returned to the present world in one piece, didn’t I?”
As Yujin shrugged his shoulders, Sia dropped her fork, her eyes opening wide in disbelief.
“Wow, you can’t help but lie, can you?”
“What?”
“Everything you’ve said is false. Your appearance is a lie, your voice is a lie; the only truth in what you said is that you’re the leader of the Returnee group and that you’re trying to track down the Demon King—everything else is a lie, isn’t it? Do you have the ability to lie as your power? Is your S-grade just a lie too?”
“……..!”
This time, Yujin’s expression began to harden at Sia’s words.
“I don’t know about anything else, but I finally understand why I dislike you.”
“…….”
“As a Seongnyeo, I cannot acknowledge you as a Hero.”
Even though it was a different world, the defense system that protects their respective worlds exists everywhere.
For Sia, it could be viewed as the Shattered Saint and a Hero named Menelapie, with the Black Witch Teresa being a part of that system. Conversely, Yujin seemed to possess something worthy of a Hero, perhaps having been chosen by some force in his own world.
Sia was particularly sensitive to “lies.”
She could tolerate various untruths to a certain extent. Sia understood that humans often lived with lies, and she even found it intriguing to read theories suggesting that human intelligence evolved to tell lies.
However, when Sia sensed a lie in Yujin’s claim of being a Hero, she no longer wanted to regard him as a Hero deserving of respect.
Her true thoughts were along the lines of:
‘Ah, but this guy… a loser who couldn’t even protect his own world thinks he’s a Hero like Menelapie?’
There was simply no way she could accept that.
‘In what way could that brat possibly be on the same level as Menelapie?’
