Landlord Wears A Mask

Chapter 9: Label

For a man who never had 'guests'. Well, to him, not saying anything bad was the best action he could possibly do. It was difficult for him to not treat them badly. At least for Adam, there was nothing that came to mind about the 'right' thing for him to do.

His rational thinking stopped his putrid mouth.

Though when put in action, it all became awkward.

"Hey, anyone want a drink?" An unfamiliar voice resounded towards the three figures sitting around a table. The man's face was like sunshine. Not holding any animosity whatsoever towards the strangers.

"Booze." The old man burped.

"Milk." The other had a slightly more 'refined' taste.

"WHO SAID YOU COULD TOUCH MY STUFF?!" It was the last person that had a problem. Adam was not someone who could accept broken boundaries. A blazing eruption of inner fury arose from his eyes.

Who was this guy to act like this was his home?

"One glass of water, then." Kang Hyuk... or 'Hyuk' for short, arbitrarily decided based off that fiery response. Not the least bit affected by the booming voice of his landlord. He seemed completely at ease.

"Did you hear me?!" Adam didn't take this lightly.

"Sir, I feel your pain. I know we pitiful old fools came here on such short notice, but can you find it in your heart to pity us?" Even though Hyuk's words were weak and gracious, they held their shamelessness.

"Who are YOU to ask that of me...?" Adam quipped.

"Kang Hyuk, but you can call me Hyuk." The young man introduced himself again, but the earlier words he spoke made Adam suspicious. Was he really as old as he looked? From what he remembered, the most common stories with ascension were...

...eastern fantasy.

In those kinds of stories, the protagonist had the goal of 'ascension'. They would usually take more than a hundred years getting there. Retaining their youth along the way via medicines or power-ups.

Was this Hyuk person of that type?

"Don't get so cozy, you goofy son of a-" Adam squinted and wanted to show his domineering posture. The pride of a landowner. However, he did not expect to hear a quip he'd heard before.

"Language." The man who looked injured, Sebastian Pegasus, intervened. This second old geezer, who had ordered milk, no longer possessed shame. It was a miracle Adam did not drop kick the bastard.

As for the first, he seemed to have a stomach ache from how he was hunching over with those weak eyes. Well, the drool and rumbling sounds begged a differ. Adam sucked in his anger and hate with a deep breath, then gestured them to get on with it.

"Do you want some chicken? I've been getting better at my cooking skills and wanted to try it." Kang Hyuk hit him at his weakest point. The landlord's belly rumbled at the thought of 'real food' in a while.

Convenience stores now existed in this nation thanks to merchants copying what they could. Setting up shop and better controlling the money flow. All for the sake of improving the nation, and thus... profits.

Despite being a landowner, Adam had been eating canned food like a dog. He had been getting tired of the same mixed vegetables and lamb soup that he'd bought tons of... but couldn't bring himself to cook.

He had the ingredients, just not the courage to try and fail. If there was one thing he wanted to avoid the most, then that would be 'failing'. He'd rather someone who COULD cook did this for him.