I Became a Raid Boss

“Wow…! A house with a garden sounds amazing! Da-eun, you’re the best!”

Surely she didn’t expect such a reaction from me.

…Then again, knowing Da-eun, maybe she did.

“Are you calm now?”

“Yes….”

After securing her surrender, I got off Da-eun.

I thought this was just another one of her usual antics, but this time she was unusually hyper, and it had taken some effort to stop her.

As Da-eun calmly dusted herself off—a rare sight—I asked her.

“I’ll humor you and ask. What’s this whim about this time?”

Da-eun hesitated before finally answering.

“The place we live now is in the city, right? Even if we go for a walk, it’s just to a nearby park, and there are always people there.”

“So?”

“…Well, Kana doesn’t like being seen, right? That’s why you don’t leave the house much, and even when you do, you’re all bundled up.”

Her slender fingers fidgeted non-stop, as if they were speaking for her when she couldn’t.

They stopped moving only when Da-eun spoke again.

“…I thought maybe Kana would feel more comfortable in a less populated area.”

“Me?”

“Yes. If we moved to a house with a garden, you could enjoy the breeze freely. And like before, you could tend to a flower garden.”

“A flower garden….”

“It’s not just because of you, you know. I’ve vaguely thought about it for a while, knowing something like this might happen. I just figured this might be a good opportunity to move.”

So you don’t need to feel any burden, Kana.

That’s what Da-eun said, but I didn’t take her words at face value.

Even if she had thought about it before, the biggest reason was probably still me.

Honestly, I was slightly tempted when she mentioned the flower garden.

But when I thought about it more, there was no real reason for me to tend to one.

The only reason I had ever dirtied my hands with soil and pollen was to show it to Dad—not because I found it fun.

Sure, when the wind blew, and the colorful flowers danced all at once, it was quite the sight.

But to go through all that effort just to see it again?

Pulling weeds growing among the flowers, fertilizing them when they wilt, catching pests that nibble the leaves or drain their nutrients, and pruning dead flowers.

Even listing out just the things that come to mind right now feels exhausting.

I’m not sure I want to go through all that again.

“Hmm.”

I scratched my cheek, lost in thought.

It felt odd to say this after exuding such a negative vibe, but Da-eun’s suggestion wasn’t entirely bad.

Even without the concern about being seen, my personality naturally gravitated toward quieter, less bustling environments.

So if Da-eun had said, “I don’t want to live amidst people anymore. I want to move somewhere quieter,” I wouldn’t have argued and just accepted it.

It’s not like it would be my money anyway. If the homeowner wanted to move, who was I, a guest, to object?

Like the saying goes, “If you don’t like the temple, the monk leaves.” If I didn’t like the homeowner’s decision, it’d be on me to leave.

Of course, in this case, since it suited my preferences, I wouldn’t have left.

And from what I’ve seen online, it’s not uncommon for people tired of city life to opt for rural living.

“Do you want to become a naturalist, Da-eun?”

“Huh? A naturalist?”

Da-eun tilted her head at my sudden remark, but only for a moment.

Then she clapped her hands together.

“Wait, are you talking about that old show? The one about people living in nature?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

Technically, I wasn’t referring to the show itself but the image of naturalists popularized by it.

But Da-eun probably understood what I meant, so I didn’t bother correcting myself and just nodded.

“I’ve thought about it, but… I don’t think I could live like that. A life without infrastructure would be too miserable…. But why do you ask?”

“It’s just that what you said earlier sounded like that.”

“…Ah?”

Only then did Da-eun’s face light up with realization.

“No, Kana. I think you’re misunderstanding something. I wasn’t talking about living like that. I just meant moving to a quieter place—not isolating ourselves in the mountains.”

“Would that solve the issue?”

“Hmm… Maybe it would be better than now?”

“Yeah, it would.”

“Then isn’t that good enough?”

“Nope.”

My words trailed off at the end.

Add in a shake of the head, and it becomes a perfect expression of denial.

The phrase “the answer lies within the question” wasn’t wrong this time either.

“It’d just be ‘less bad.’”

Not a perfect solution.

Ultimately, to address all of Da-eun’s concerns, we’d have to move to the mountains and sever ties with society—a solution Da-eun herself had already rejected.

Spending money and time to move somewhere only marginally better seemed unnecessary.

And such places would inevitably lack the infrastructure Da-eun valued.

“Still, isn’t ‘less bad’ better than being miserable?”

“Who’s miserable?”

“Well, Kana is….”

“…Why would I be miserable?”

I had told her repeatedly that her assumption was wrong, but clearly, she hadn’t been listening.

She sighed as Da-eun widened her eyes.

“It’s true that it’s a little frustrating.”

But it’s no different from the small frustrations that anyone in society would feel.

“Do you think I’m someone who just puts up with everything?”

“Definitely not. If you flipped everything upside down, maybe.”

“…”

I intended her to react that way, but hearing her say it so bluntly was infuriating.

“If I really hated it, I would’ve ignored Edel’s recommendation and just walked around proudly.”

In fact, despite knowing I shouldn’t, I had lost count of the number of times I’d punched those snobbish nobles for their insolence.

Walking around confidently might bring trouble to Da-eun, though.

“Maybe I could just call it cosplay or something.”

Or cover it up with a bigger scandal.

Da-eun, who had been silent for a while, finally spoke.

“Well, that’s exactly how Kana is.”

“I’m not a child.”

“You’ll always be a child in my eyes.”

“Must be nice to be old.”

“…This little brat! Is this your rude mouth criticizing a lady’s age? Take this!”

“Da-ahehh marzheh!”

Maybe her mood had shifted because her stiff expression returned to normal. Not that pulling at my cheeks needed to make a comeback too.

After playing around with me to her heart’s content, Da-eun let go, smiling contentedly. Finally free, I rubbed my cheeks.

Then I said something I hadn’t had the chance to earlier.

“If we lived in a house with a garden, there’d be tons of bugs.”

I wondered if Da-eun could handle all those insects.

Recalling the time she freaked out over a moth on the elevator wall, I doubted she’d fare well against swarms of bugs.

A faint look of dread crossed Da-eun’s face.

“Still, people should live in the city. There’s an old saying, ‘Send horses to Jeju and people to Seoul.’ Do you know it? Ah, saying that makes me want to visit Jeju again. Kana said we should go out, so maybe we should go to Jeju this time?”

“You’re all over the place.”

Yuki, who had been quiet, bluntly commented.

It was so spot-on that I couldn’t refute it.

“How can you hate bugs and still dream of a house with a garden?”

“But… but…!”

Da-eun made a pitiful face.

“It’s… a dream! Living in a detached house with a garden is every Korean’s dream and ideal!”

At that, I silently looked at Yuki.

She shook her head firmly.

Yuki took a step back from Da-eun, as if to distance herself from being lumped into the same category.

Da-eun glanced at me nervously.

“Kana, wouldn’t you take care of all the bugs?”

“Keep dreaming.”

“You’re so mean!”

Seeing her bury her face and fake cry stirred a mischievous desire in me.

Specifically, the urge to catch a bunch of bugs and release them in Da-eun’s room.

The only reason I couldn’t was because we shared the same room.

“So, that’s the end of that topic, right?”

“Yes. Do you think I’d do something Kana hates?”

“It’s not that I hate it. I just don’t see a reason to move.”

“Well, that’s not what’s important right now, so let’s move on.”

Da-eun winked.

“What’s important now is ‘where we’re going to go!’ So, let’s start the trip destination selection meeting! Woohoo!”

“Woohoo.”

“Wow, Kana, you’re actually playing along? You’re so sweet.”

“It’s just service.”

Since I was the one who brought up going out, it’s the least I could do to humor her.

Otherwise, I would’ve just let Da-eun do her usual thing and moved on.

Even then, I didn’t think it was that enthusiastic a response, but Da-eun seemed satisfied with it.

Da-eun, now in high spirits, chattered away while Yuki and I quietly listened or occasionally chimed in.

It felt less like a meeting and more like Da-eun hosting a presentation.

“Ah!”

The lively explanation suddenly paused.

“This time, Yuki, why don’t you come with us?”

“Me?”

Yuki blinked, clearly not expecting that.

—

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