One Kick Girl — Chapter 7: "Rent Day Rampage"
Raon's morning started like any other.
A lukewarm cup of instant noodles.
A towel half-drying on her head.
And a single, horrifying reminder blinking red on her phone screen:
> [ALERT: RENT DUE TODAY. FINAL WARNING.]
Raon froze. The noodle slipped off her chopsticks, splattering broth across the floor.
"...Final warning?" she muttered, staring at the words as if glaring hard enough would pay her bills.
It didn't.
---
Shion, her ever-calm, ever-slightly-disapproving sidekick, was already standing by the kitchen counter, holding a tablet.
"I told you last week. The landlord's patience operates on a 28-day cooldown. You're out of free retries."
Raon groaned. "Come on, Shion, I've been busy!"
"Busy doing what?"
Raon gestured vaguely toward the cracked window. "...Hero stuff?"
Shion flicked her wrist, and a holographic list appeared — glowing red entries scrolled down one by one:
Feb 14: Accidentally destroyed ramen stand while 'rescuing' a pigeon.
Feb 15: Kicked monster too hard, launched it into low orbit.
Feb 17: Accepted bounty mission, fell asleep mid-battle.
Feb 18: No missions completed. No income.
Shion sighed. "Hero stuff, indeed."
---
Outside, the city of Neo-Seoul District 9 buzzed with chaos — literal chaos. A 12-story slime beast was oozing through downtown traffic, dissolving street signs and eating billboards. Citizens screamed, cars crashed, sirens wailed.
Raon peeked out the window, slurping her noodles.
"Hmm. That thing looks expensive."
Shion arched a brow. "Meaning?"
Raon finished her noodles, stood up, and cracked her knuckles. "Meaning I can finally pay rent."
---
Five minutes later —
Downtown Neo-Seoul looked like a war zone. Police drones hovered, reporters screamed into their cameras, and the monster loomed over it all, its gelatinous mass shimmering green under the sun.
A news anchor shouted over the chaos:
> "The creature has consumed three patrol bots and part of City Hall! Heroes are still en route—WAIT—someone's approaching the scene! Is that…?"
Raon landed from above with a boom, asphalt cracking beneath her sneakers.
Wind rippled through her hoodie as she dusted her hands.
"Yo. Rent's due."
The slime beast roared, shaking the air.
Raon tilted her head. "I'll take that as consent."
She took one step forward—
—and vanished.
A blur. A sonic pulse.
Then, one kick.
BOOOOOOOM.
The explosion was so massive, it vaporized half the slime, created a crater, and shattered windows three blocks away. When the smoke cleared, Raon was standing on one leg, sneaker steaming, holding up her phone.
> [MISSION COMPLETE. BOUNTY CREDIT: 2,000₩.]
She blinked. "Two thousand?!"
Shion's voice came through the earpiece. "You forgot to register the mission, Raon. That was pro bono work."
Raon froze, lowering her leg slowly. "…Pro bono?"
"You just saved the city for free."
Raon stared at the ruined street, the collapsing buildings, and the faint wail of emergency sirens.
Her eye twitched. "I'm still not paying rent."
---
Later that evening —
Raon sat on the floor of her apartment, surrounded by eviction notices.
Shion quietly sipped tea beside her, tablet still glowing.
"You know," Shion said gently, "you could always get a part-time job."
Raon's eyes were hollow. "A part-time job?"
"Serving coffee. Tutoring. Delivery work."
Raon's voice turned dark. "No. Never again."
Shion tilted her head. "Never again?"
Raon's expression hardened — the faint echo of a traumatic flashback glimmered in her eyes:
The sound of angry customers… spilled lattes… the memory of kicking a vending machine so hard it disappeared from reality.
She whispered, "...That day, I learned minimum wage was the true villain."
---
Shion exhaled softly. "Then how will you pay rent?"
Raon raised her head, lightning flashing behind her through the cracked window.
She clenched her fist.
"Easy."
She smirked.
"I'll find a pay-to-win monster."