“Um…”

After a moment’s hesitation, Jae-hee answered honestly. “This might sound a little strange, but I’m still looking for my wish.”

He was still searching for the “futile hope” Ghost had mentioned.

A reason for being born into this terrible world, for having survived this long.

“So, uh, I don’t really have anything worth telling you yet, Mr. Archmage.”

Hearing Jae-hee’s clumsy, boyish answer, the Archmage offered a gentle smile. “I hope you find a wonderful wish. I’m sure you will.”

“Hehe, thank you. Just hearing you say that is enough.”

The Archmage gestured toward the inside of the convenience store. “Is there anything else you want? You can grab whatever you like.”

“Heh, I’m good. I’ve been wanting to try this ice cream, so this is more than enough.”

Jae-hee, it seemed, had finally learned how to politely decline an offer.

“All right. I feel bad for keeping you for so long… Shall we get going?”

“Yessir.”

As Jae-hee cleaned up their spot and stood to leave, the Archmage spoke again. “Please take good care of Ghost.”

“Huh?”

“She may seem strong, but she’s actually more soft-hearted than anyone. As her disciple, please support her.”

Jae-hee hesitated before asking something.

“Um…” It was the one question he’d had from the very beginning. “My master… why was she sent to prison?”

“…”

“Did she… commit some terrible crime?”

The Archmage adjusted his white scarf, his bitter smile hidden by the fabric.

“The crime of loving her comrades. The crime of being loyal to her country. And the crime of being too good and sincere a person… if you can call those crimes.”

“…”

“She could end that life of exile anytime she wished. But Ghost wouldn’t want that. That’s just the kind of person she is.”

The Archmage didn’t offer a clear explanation, letting his words trail off vaguely. Like a true politician.

“So, Boy. Please. I’m asking you to be the one… to support Ghost. Your master.”

The Archmage looked Jae-hee straight in the eye.

Jae-hee scratched his cheek, bewildered. “I don’t know if I can, though…?”

“In this world, you are the only one who can. Her original ‘Savior’… is currently in a deep winter slumber.”

The Archmage’s sedan was parked nearby, his aide waiting.

As the Archmage climbed into the car, Jae-hee spoke up hesitantly. “Uh… I’m sorry about the Gangnam Station Gate. For not closing it in time.”

Jae-hee scratched the back of his head awkwardly as the Archmage looked at him through the rear window.

“If I’d done a better job, more of my comrades would have survived, and the Hunter Association wouldn’t have taken such a big hit…”

“It’s fine.” The Archmage smiled faintly. “I commissioned that mission hoping you would fail.”

“What?”

“It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope we meet again.”

A hand waved from the window, and the sedan pulled away smoothly, quickly disappearing into the distance.

Left alone at the late-night intersection, Jae-hee let out a dumbfounded sound.

“Huh?”

And again.

“…Huh?”

He couldn’t make sense of any of it.

Jae-hee scratched his head again and again before shuffling back toward the hotel.

The world being a difficult place to understand was nothing new. All he could do was run, focusing only on the path right in front of him.

And so…

“What took you so long?!” Ghost snapped the moment he returned. “I was worr—I mean, my throat was dry!”

“S-sorry.”

“And it’s lukewarm!”

The soda had gone lukewarm during his long talk with the Archmage.

Jae-hee gestured frantically toward the door. “Should I go get a cup of ice?!”

Instead of answering, Ghost threw on her coat.

“I can’t trust you not to get lost again. Let’s go together. We can get some fresh air and just drink it there.”

“Oh! Then let’s get some late-night snacks from the convenience store!”

“Fine. Eat it all. This whole outing was for eating, anyway.”

***

Day three of their outing.

After eating snacks until dawn, Ghost and Jae-hee slept in.

For brunch, they went to a famous local Pyeongyang naengmyeon restaurant.

Jae-hee couldn’t comprehend the subtle, bland flavor of the cold noodle broth, but after dousing it with a mountain of mustard, vinegar, and gochujang, he declared it delicious and devoured it with the meat.

Ghost looked on in horror but didn’t stop him.

For a snack, they had tteokbokki, assorted fried snacks, and blood sausage from a market stall. It was a combination that couldn’t possibly taste bad, and Jae-hee was ecstatic.

Ghost just sipped soju with a side of fish cake broth.

Time passed, and soon enough, it was time for the final dinner of their outing.

“Hmm, for the last dinner, it has to be barbecue.”

Ghost, who had been deliberating over the final course, glanced at Jae-hee. “I was originally thinking of Seoul-style bulgogi… but you prefer bigger portions, yes?”

“Yus! Yus, yus, yus!”

“Right. You’re at that age. Then let’s just go there.”

The place Ghost led him to was a cheap frozen pork belly joint.

The round metal tables had holes in the center for charcoal braziers, and long-necked ventilation pipes dangled just overhead.

After they ordered, the charcoal was set, and Ghost began expertly grilling slices of frozen pork belly on the quickly heated grill.

“Bulgogi is good, and fresh meat is good, but for some reason… there are just times you crave this kind of shovel-it-in-your-face frozen pork belly.”

Jae-hee took a crispy slice of pork, added a dab of ssamjang, a piece of grilled garlic, and some seasoned green onions.

His eyes practically shot out stars. “It’s sho good! Sho delicioush! The best thing in the whole world!”

“Don’t be so dramatic.” Though she chided him, Ghost couldn’t hide a small smile at his reaction. “Grill the garlic and mushrooms in this, too.”

“In the pork fat…?!”

“Yep. That’s the really good stuff. It’s not healthy, but… well, you’re at an age where you could chew through steel rebar. Just eat.”

Drunk on the violent flavor of the pork fat, Jae-hee couldn’t contain himself and started throwing a flurry of punches at the air beside him. It was so genuinely funny that Ghost burst out laughing, spitting out the soju she’d just put in her mouth.

They refilled their plate with frozen pork belly several times. To finish, they had some marinated pork neck as well.

They even ordered the restaurant’s spicy soybean paste stew, mixed rice into it to make a thick porridge, and scraped the pot clean. As if that wasn’t enough, they fried rice on the grill, too.

“A super-carb diet…”

“Kuaaaah, heck yeah!” Jae-hee breathed, his eyes glazed over after chugging a final can of cola.

“Haaaah, that was a super great outing…” He patted his bulging stomach. “I think I’ve gained a lot of weight. Hehe.”

Ghost looked him up and down and shook her head slightly. “Still not nearly enough.”

“Huh? Isn’t this about right?”

“You’re nothing but skin and bones. You need to eat more.”

She sounded just like a real grandmother.

She’s not trying to fatten me up to Status Window or Patissier’s level, is she…?

Jae-hee let out a low hum as he imagined himself puffed up into a round ball. Well, that might be its own kind of happiness…

After leaving the restaurant, they took a walk around a nearby park to air out the barbecue smell and aid their digestion.

They were debating what to eat for the final twelve hours before their return when they arrived back at the hotel.

“Have a good time?”

A familiar woman was sitting in the hotel lobby.

She had been reading a newspaper with her legs crossed, but she folded it away with a grin as she saw them.

Ghost blinked in surprise. “Hae-eun Seo? What are you doing here…?”

It was none other than the commander.

“Emergency mission. I came to pick you up myself.”

Hae-eun checked her watch. “You still have a little time left on your outing, but I’m sure you’ve had plenty of rest? I’ll reimburse you for the remaining time in Paradise Credits, so let’s head back right now.”

Jae-hee’s face fell. “My freedom! My food tour…!”

Ghost, her brow furrowed, asked Hae-eun, “Where’s the mission?”

“The East Sea.”

Hae-eun stood and led the way out of the lobby. The two prisoners had no choice but to scurry after their commander.

“There’s been an… appropriation by force.”

Jae-hee tilted his head. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Ghost answered for him. “What happened to us yesterday.”

“Huh? You mean… the bus-napping?”

“Yeah.”

“So a plane has been taken over?!”

Hae-eun nodded.

“I received the report about you getting caught up in that incident yesterday and resolving it. I figured it was a one-off, but then something similar happened again today. So, I thought you two, with your experience, would be the perfect candidates. That’s why I came to get you.”

“I hate this kinda preferential treatment for experienced workers…” Jae-hee whined, but it wasn’t like he could refuse.

A white van with the red post office logo was parked in front of the hotel.

Don’t tell me…

And, as if to prove that his worst fears were always realized, Hae-eun and Ghost climbed into the van with practiced ease.

Scrambling to follow, Jae-hee asked, “I get the transport plane, but do you really need to put the post office logo on the van, too?!”

“Brand consistency is important. When you see a post office vehicle in an operation zone, you’ll know it’s one of ours.”

He couldn’t tell if she was being serious or just messing with him… but either way, the van started moving.

As they drove toward the helipad where the transport plane was waiting, Hae-eun explained. “This mission is a request for cooperation from the military.”

“The military?” Ghost asked, surprised.

South Korea currently had three organizations that legally operated forces of Awakened: the government’s Gate Management Bureau, the private Hunter Association, and the military.

Of the three, the military officially followed government orders but was locked in a subtle power struggle with the Gate Management Bureau. Having operated its own forces independently against monsters for the past thirty years, it had grown to a terrifying size.

Though the President was still the commander-in-chief, the military was a combat group that had been delegated a degree of autonomy, primarily fighting monsters along the nation’s borders.

It was the first time they’d received a request from the military, one of the three major powers, and Jae-hee’s eyes went wide.

Hae-eun grinned. “The fact that those ‘honorable soldiers’ with their ridiculously high pride came to us first should tell you how urgent the situation is. Don’t you agree?”

“I get that it’s urgent, but I have no idea what’s actually going on.” Ghost’s eyebrows knitted together. “What does a plane hijacking have to do with the military, and why are they asking us for help?”

“That’s the interesting part…” Hae-eun activated the tablet she’d brought and displayed a photo. “Take a look at this.”

Question marks appeared over both Ghost’s and Jae-hee’s heads.

“What is that?”

The picture showed a gigantic bird.

“Codename: ‘Albatross,’” Hae-eun explained. “It’s a monster that escaped during the operation to close a large-scale Gate that opened over Seoul a while back. It’s not a Lord or a Boss, just a regular monster, but it’s one hell of a creature to have broken through an encirclement during an operation that involved all the Five Heroes.”

Ghost’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me…”

“Yep.”

Hae-eun showed them the next photo.

Against a brilliant blue sky, the giant bird was snatching a small passenger plane.

“This bird hijacked the plane.”

Ghost’s mouth fell slightly open while Jae-hee’s dropped wide.

“And as luck would have it, the plane was packed full of military generals,” Hae-eun finished, her voice tinged with amusement.

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