Chapter 18 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Divine Territory Management Team Civil Servant
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"Ahh. Today's not easy."
A cool breeze blew in the afternoon. Jang Chaewon shook her head after pressing the end call button on her phone.
"All day long, a feast of unreasonable customers."
Her eyes, staring at the phone, were weary.
She felt like she'd collapse if the bell rang again.
"One complains that the freshly wallpapered wall is wrinkly, another nags why we didn't apply bond after laying high-pet flooring."
She set the phone down and slumped over her desk, murmuring in a low voice.
"No matter how much I explain, they won't listen. They won't listen..."
The Heavenly Demon, sitting neatly at the reception table flipping through an interior design book, spoke flatly.
"Some days are like that, some days are like this."
"What?"
He took a sip of steaming green tea, his expression relaxed.
"Customers aren't interior experts. Isn't the complaint born from ignorance anyway?"
"But even when the interior expert explains, they won't listen."
"Is that so."
With a blank expression, the Heavenly Demon turned back to his open book.
"Must be tough."
Dressed in his muscle-revealing Mad Blood Battle Robe, he read leisurely.
Seeing him like that, Jang Chaewon felt the unfairness filling the universe.
"Is this the time for you to be relaxed? Did you come here as a customer? Huh?"
She staggered over and thrust her face close to the Heavenly Demon's.
"I'm dying of exhaustion, and you're sitting idly at the shop table playing sage? Trying to rile me up?"
Faced so close—just an inch away—the Heavenly Demon flinched.
Not from embarrassment, but because her fatigue- and stress-ridden face looked like a corpse that had just burst from a grave, pale and rigid.
"...Don't die."
"What's that nonsense now."
As the two bickered,
Ding-a-ling.
The wind chimes on the glass door rang out, and a tall shadow stepped inside.
"Excuse me."
The figure entering the shop was a neatly dressed young man in a suit.
With pale skin and long, narrow eyes, his short hair was tidy. He looked like a fresh city hall employee just starting out.
"Long time no see, sis."
"Uh, yeah."
With each step the young man took, Jang Chaewon's eyes widened.
"Wh-what brings you here?"
"I heard your Spirit Tree broke."
"How did you know?"
Jang Chaewon forced a smile, and the young man laughed, crinkling his eyes.
"I heard you hired someone from another world instead of the Spirit Tree?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah."
"Oh, is this person...?"
The young man pointed straight-backed at the Heavenly Demon reading at the table.
Jang Chaewon forced a smile and reluctantly nodded.
"G-greet him. Heavenly Demon."
"Hahaha. Nice to meet you."
Flashing a bright smile, the young man approached and extended his hand.
"I've heard a lot about you. I'm Dongwon."
"Dongwon?"
The Heavenly Demon blinked, and the young man who'd introduced himself pointed to the name tag on his chest pocket.
"Yes. I'm from the Divine Territory Management Team in the Facilities Resources Department."
He politely handed the Heavenly Demon a gleaming gold business card.
"We mainly handle management of territories and divine lands where gods reside, like this Bokbok Interiors."
A vague explanation.
Looking down at the card, the Heavenly Demon crossed his arms and spoke in a dignified tone.
"I am the Heavenly Demon."
"Yes. Pleased to meet you, Heavenly Demon."
The young man, Dongwon, gazed at the Heavenly Demon's muscular frame like appreciating a sculpture.
"You're from another world."
"That is so."
Despite the Heavenly Demon's curt demeanor, Dongwon remained polite and friendly.
Jang Chaewon approached with a displeased look.
"But what brings you here suddenly?"
"Sis, did you forget? This year, our Divine Territory Management Team is re-evaluating territory grades."
At his words, Jang Chaewon's face turned ashen.
"A-already?"
"Your shop barely passed 9th grade thanks to the Spirit Tree... but I hear you're working without it now?"
"Uh, yeah. Th-the Heavenly Demon turned out to be really good at the job."
Dongwon smiled faintly as Jang Chaewon averted her gaze.
"Yeah, word's spreading among the gods about the Heavenly Demon. They say you perfectly handled the Divine Request with someone from another world."
"Heh heh heh. Of course."
Hearing that, the Heavenly Demon crossed his arms again.
"I am the Heavenly Demon, after all."
"Yeeeah..."
"That why you're here?"
At Jang Chaewon's question, Dongwon pulled a notepad from his pocket.
"Well, sort of, and this time, team leader's special order for sis to..."
Just then, Jang Chaewon's phone rang.
"Hello? Yes?"
Her expression twisted horribly as she answered.
It was that same unreasonable customer from before.
"I explained earlier. The wallpaper will flatten out as it dries over three days. Yes, yes, I've explained it ten times already on the phone. Wallpaper doesn't dry instantly... Hey, did you stuff sausages in your ears or what?"
She exploded in anger, then quickly composed herself seeing Dongwon staring.
"So I explained already. Hohoho. Yes, I have a customer now, so..."
Click.
No sooner had she hung up than the phone rang again seconds later.
"Hello? Yes? I told you, high-pet doesn't get bonded. That's why it feels wavy at first. It's. The. Nature. Of. The. Material."
Dongwon watched with a faint smile.
"Ahh, this is tricky..."
Dongwon's eyes smiled, but veins bulged on his forehead.
Click.
As Jang Chaewon hung up, Dongwon shook his head and jotted something in his notepad.
"Response score minus 10 points."
"What? Hey, this isn't a Divine Request?"
Dongwon's forehead veins thickened at Jang Chaewon's protest.
"Sis, store grade isn't judged just by Divine Requests. Human reputation is a strict evaluation criterion too."
He took a deep breath and closed his notepad.
"Many gods value human faith. If word spreads you're unpopular around here, the store grade plummets."
"Who doesn't know that? But that guy's not just human. He's nuts!"
The Heavenly Demon restrained her as she yelled, losing reason.
"Shop owner. Get a grip."
"Heavenly Demon, you heard it too? I explained ten times it flattens after drying? How do you deal with a crazy..."
She trailed off, spotting Dongwon glaring like the grim reaper.
"We've got to handle it kindly somehow. Heavenly Demon, you remember that too."
"Too late, sis. Minus 20 points, failed."
"Hey, you've grown cocky. Deputy manager now, forgotten the old days? Huh?"
Dongwon's eyes hardened as Jang Chaewon's flashed blue.
"Sis, separate public and private. This is work. If I don't do it right, I get fired too."
Behind them, it was like dragons and tigers glaring amid roaring flames.
"Human emotions are as varied and complex in shape and kind as their faces, impossible to count."
Then, setting his book down, the Heavenly Demon stepped out and gazed at the distant sky.
"Even I, when mastering the Demon Face Great Law, struggled most with controlling emotions. Human feelings are as tangled as a thousand threads unraveled, unpredictable as lightning from a clear sky."
Gazing at the sky beyond the glass, he resembled a great sage who'd grasped profound truth.
"So what?"
Jang Chaewon looked baffled, and the Heavenly Demon replied.
"Humans can unravel emotions through dialogue, no?"
"So... redo the response?"
The Heavenly Demon nodded at Dongwon's words.
"Indeed. Human words hold mysterious power. They soothe decades of grudges or reveal value beyond a fortune in treasure."
Who knew the Heavenly Demon, who seemed ready to hurl fish eyes daily, was such a silver tongue!
Not just a martial and reading fanatic, he was also an eloquent sophist.
"Well, there's merit in that."
Coughing, Dongwon spoke softly to Jang Chaewon.
"Well, your store's fine otherwise... just handle the responses properly."
"What're you saying?"
Dongwon pointed to Jang Chaewon's still-ringing phone.
"Those two complaints, resolve them."
"What?"
Dongwon said firmly.
"Handle those two complaints smoothly, and we'll keep your 9th grade no problem."
Vroom.
Jang Chaewon's white van pulled out of the parking lot.
Dongwon sat in the back with his notepad, the Heavenly Demon crammed in the passenger seat.
"Do I have to go too?"
Jang Chaewon's eyes flashed wildly as she drove.
"Aren't you our shop employee?"
The Heavenly Demon swallowed and looked out the window; she continued.
"Fail territory evaluation, no Divine Request. Then no inner power for you either."
"Is that so."
His mouth agape, the Heavenly Demon's red eyes gleamed as he spoke forcefully.
"Leave it to me. I'll handle it all."
So this fierce-looking Heavenly Demon guy was the complaints handler?
Curious, Dongwon leaned forward from the back.
"How will you resolve it?"
Arms crossed solemnly, the Heavenly Demon declared.
"In my way."
Ding-dong.
No response despite pressing the bell several times.
Voices had come from inside moments ago, but now dead silence.
"Strange."
The Heavenly Demon pressed again.
Ding-dong. Ding-dong. Ding-dooong.
Still nothing.
"Human presence inside, yet they won't open."
Ears to the door, the Heavenly Demon's eyes flashed in realization.
"Careless, struck acupoint by foe?"
"What're you talking about."
Jang Chaewon scolded; Dongwon behind wiped sweat awkwardly.
"Isn't it obvious they won't open?"
"What do you mean."
Dongwon smiled awkwardly as the Heavenly Demon turned.
"Well... if I saw your face on the video phone, Heavenly Demon, I wouldn't open either."
"Heh heh, as expected. My formless aura leaking out."
Grinning with bloodlust in his eyes.
His smile was as chilling as a butcher who'd slain hundreds.
"Ah, n-no. Not quite that, but..."
Dongwon shook his head at the Heavenly Demon's daunting face—too fierce even for "fierce."
"Trouble. Won't open."
"No worries."
Smiling confidently, the Heavenly Demon crouched, clenching his fist.
Seeing it, Jang Chaewon blocked him hastily.
"N-no! Don't do that!"
She turned and pressed the bell again.
"We're from Bokbok Interiors. Please open!"
Pressing her face to the video lens, the door clicked open after a while.
"Why're you here?"
The man who emerged was a middle-aged guy with a sour face.
Before Jang Chaewon could speak, the Heavenly Demon stepped forward.
"Bokbok Interiors. You complained about the wallpaper?"
"Wh-what."
Looking up at the veiny, muscular Heavenly Demon like a serpent, the man backed away, trying to close the door.
"My words aren't done."
Blocking the door, the man sweated coldly, pulling out his phone.
"I-I'll report trespassing!"
"Didn't enter. Can't you see I'm at the door."
The man swallowed as the Heavenly Demon's red eyes flashed.
"C-close the door. Move."
"Listen first, then close."
The Heavenly Demon pointed to the hallway wallpaper.
"Wrinkly now, but flattens fully dry. Wet from paste and moisture, naturally."
The man speechless, the Heavenly Demon brought his red eyes close.
"Understand my words?"
"Y-yes... yes."
"Good. If not flat in three days, call the shop. I'll come again."
"N-no. Don't come again..."
"Is that so. You get it."
Patting the man's shoulder softly, the Heavenly Demon smiled satisfied, looking at Jang Chaewon.
"Resolved."
"Well, this is problematic."
Sweat beaded on Dongwon's forehead watching.
"Isn't this not resolving the complaint?"
Precisely, his fierce, murderous look erased the complaint itself.
But the Heavenly Demon said flatly.
"Explained politely, customer convinced."
His face was fierce, but eyes clear and sincere.
He believed he'd resolved it with words, not flaunting looks or strength.
"Hmm."
Dongwon, troubled, hardened his expression.
"Fine. Next complaint, sis handles—not Heavenly Demon."
Ding-dooong.
First floor of an apartment complex.
Jang Chaewon rang; a middle-aged woman flung open the door, eyebrows furrowed.
"You came at the right time. How did you lay the flooring so..."
Her tirade stopped seeing the Heavenly Demon and Dongwon behind.
"Who're they?"
"Ah, ignore them."
Jang Chaewon smiled.
"Can I explain inside?"
The woman nodded; Jang Chaewon entered.
As Heavenly Demon and Dongwon followed, she exploded.
"Who're you?"
"I am the Heavenly Demon."
Arms crossed, eyes flashing; Dongwon pointed to his suit name tag.
"Ah, I'm..."
Before Dongwon finished, she slammed the door.
Staring blankly at the closed door, sweat dripped from his forehead.
"Tricky... this..."
Even a Divine Territory Management Team civil servant couldn't force entry.
Nor peek inside...
Dongwon hemmed and hawed; the Heavenly Demon asked.
"Want in?"
"Need to see sis resolve the complaint."
"Hmm."
Shouting echoed inside.
Likely the woman ranting despite Jang Chaewon's explanations.
"There's a way."
"How?"
"To me, this door's tofu."
The Heavenly Demon twisted his right fist.
Air condensed; terrifying aura spread.
"N-no! No need. It's fine."
"Can open quick."
"No. Wait outside."
Disappointed, the Heavenly Demon smacked his lips at Dongwon's words.
Then shouts faded; the door clicked open.
"Then, assume you understand."
"Yeeah..."
Jang Chaewon emerged; the woman stood sweating coldly.
Her eyes unfocused, shoulders slumped.
Slam.
Jang Chaewon shut the door quick, smiling at Dongwon.
"See? Resolved."
"Ahh..."
"No complaints now."
Dongwon smiled awkwardly, eyes crescent.
Seemed like intimidation or threat inside, but no proof.
"Promised. Resolve complaints, keep grade."
"Hmm."
Dongwon eyed his notepad conflicted.
But Jang Chaewon's sparkling eyes.
Heavenly Demon's earnest nod as if obvious.
A helpless smile crossed Dongwon's lips.
'Well... should be fine.'
Scribble.
He wrote in the notepad, snapping it shut.
"As promised, 9th grade maintained. Keep up territory management."
"Woo!"
"Good."
Seeing their smiles, Dongwon pocketed what he'd pulled from his inner pocket.
'Well, fine. For now...'
Smiling faintly, Dongwon bowed politely.
"Then I'll head back."
"Yeah. See you."
The Heavenly Demon approached, patting Dongwon's shoulder lightly.
"See you next."
Dongwon met his red eyes.
Uncanny gaze, but pupils clear and sharp.
Eyes upholding conviction unwaveringly, compromising not with the world.
Like Jang Chaewon.
"Yeah. See you, Heavenly Demon."
Gazing at the Heavenly Demon, Dongwon's form blurred.
Bright light surged briefly, then whoosh—vanished.
"Huh, no ordinary human."
Jang Chaewon blinked at the Heavenly Demon's words.
"Didn't know? Young, but proper divine realm civil servant."
"So he was a god."
The Heavenly Demon smiled wryly.
Using Striking Air Stealing Ear Technique, he'd heard everything inside. Just spared the shop owner trouble if Dongwon knew.
But as a god, Dongwon likely read all circumstances. Knew the inside too.
"A flexible god."
By now, the Heavenly Demon wielded Korean quite aptly.
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