—Thud.
The aircraft touched down on the runway, releasing a heavy vibration.
The acrid smell of jet fuel and the dry cabin air stung my nostrils.
I removed my eye mask, and the familiar nightscape of Korea flickered into view through the window.
I stretched my stiff body with a long yawn.
Every joint creaked and groaned in protest.
The private jet captain's courteous announcement played, and the door opened.
Following the flight attendant's guidance toward the private terminal.
Immigration took less than three minutes.
The title of national hero was definitely a convenient cheat code at times like this.
I considered wrapping myself in a Mana Field and flying straight to the penthouse, but I felt the anxious gaze of the flight attendant following me from behind, boring into the back of my head.
Her eyes brimmed with desperation, as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
I wasn't heartless enough to ignore that and levitate away.
This habit of making trouble for myself—it was a chronic condition that even Awakening hadn't cured.
"I'll give you an autograph. You want a photo too, right?"
The moment the words left my mouth, the flight attendant's face brightened like cherry blossoms in bloom.
"Yes!!! Thank you so much, Hunter Tae-ho! I'm a huge fan!"
Before the permission even settled, she rushed to my side and held out a piece of paper.
Her chatter didn't stop the entire time I scrawled my signature.
Starting with insisting she was my fan, all the way to revealing she was a paid subscriber to the Neotube channel my sister Ha-eun ran—or more accurately, the channel that sucked up views by selling my private life.
TMI I didn't want to know flowed into my ears.
I returned the signed paper and struck an appropriately expressionless pose.
The flight attendant pressed the shutter repeatedly, looking like she'd won the world.
—Click, click.
"Thank you so much! I'll treasure this forever! Get home safely!"
Leaving behind her sparkling eyes, I wrapped myself in a Mana Field.
My body kicked off the ground and soared upward.
Spending a brief moment to bring someone joy—annoying as it was, it wasn't such a bad feeling.
After flying through the night air for about five minutes, the familiar silhouette of the penthouse appeared in the distance.
As I approached the tightly shut balcony window, Ha-eun flung the door wide open as if she'd been waiting.
—Pop!
With a loud noise, birthday party confetti rained down over my head.
"Whoa! What's this all of a sudden?"
"Hehe, surprise safe return event! Hurry inside, Oppa. Dad finished setting up the meat."
I kicked off my shoes at the window frame and stepped inside.
Too tired to walk to the entrance, I extended my mana to neatly arrange my shoes by the front door.
Newspaper was already carefully laid out in the middle of the living room, and I saw Dad preparing to grill pork belly.
Behind him, Mom was carrying a tray of sliced garlic and potatoes when she spotted me and spread her arms wide.
I dove into Mom's embrace as she set down the tray.
That warm, cozy scent. Finally, I felt like I'd come home—not just to Earth, but home.
"My puppy worked so hard."
"I didn't even fight. Just had some conversations and came back. I'll tell you everything over meat."
As soon as I sat down, Dad handed me a cold beer.
I took the glass and gulped down a big mouthful. The fizzy sensation rushing down my throat.
"Kya— That's too much service."
"Son, you really worked hard."
"Aw, Dad. It wasn't even that dangerous."
The pork belly sizzled pleasantly on the grill.
The savory smell of oil filled the living room, and Ha-eun and Mom squeezed in close on either side of me.
I picked up my chopsticks and began unraveling what had happened in Japan, piece by piece.
Top-secret information ordinary people wouldn't dream of knowing.
The existence of a real otherworld inside the Gate, their desire for interplanetary exchange, and even the whereabouts of those who'd vanished during the Gate Shock three years ago.
However, I kept my mouth shut about those unidentifiable, alien monsters devouring the Fantasy World.
There was no reason to plant unnecessary seeds of anxiety in my parents' hearts.
"Elves?! Real pointy-eared elves actually exist??"
Before I could even finish, Ha-eun bounced her butt up and down, shouting.
That otaku-specific madness gleamed in her eyes.
"Yeah. Spirits were flying around too. I had a direct meeting with the Elven Queen."
"Wow, the Elven Queen! Keeb! Amazing! Is she like those silver-haired, blonde ones you see in anime?"
"Our puppy, eat first. Here, aah—"
Mom shoved a lettuce wrap into my mouth. She'd wrapped it so big my cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk's.
I forced myself to chew slowly and swallowed with effort.
"For now, I left it to the governments to discuss. Once negotiations wrap up, I'll have to go back again as a representative."
"Then take a picture of the queen for me!"
Hearing my story and convinced that beyond the Gate was surprisingly safe, my parents didn't react much to news of a return visit.
The problem was my sister, whose eyes had flipped at the word "elf."
"The queen's a bit difficult. I'll just snap a picture of some random elf passing by."
"Wow! Thanks! Oppa's the best! Real Keebs, what a time to be alive!"
Amid the flowing drinks and sizzling pork belly, tension gradually melted away. As the meal wound down, the fatigue I'd been suppressing came rushing in.
—Yawn.
I tried to hold it back but couldn't stop the yawn that burst out.
"Puppy's tired, right? We'll clean up, so go to your room and sleep right away."
"Yeah... I'm really tired."
The hotel's luxury bed had been nice, but nothing beat my own bed with my scent on it.
I dragged my creaking body into my room. The moment the soft mattress embraced me, I plunged into deep darkness like falling asleep.
* * * * *
—Knock knock.
"Oppa, you up? Dad says we're ordering jjamppong for lunch today!"
My sister's chatty voice came through the door.
I forced my heavy eyelids open.
I fumbled under the pillow, searching for my smartphone.
I'd collapsed like I'd been knocked out right after dinner yesterday, and apparently slept like a corpse until the sun was high in the sky.
The fatigue clinging to every joint finally felt like it was peeling away a bit.
"Coming..."
My throat was completely locked, producing a terribly gloomy metallic sound. I deliberately ignored it and turned the doorknob.
The moment the door opened, Ha-eun's mockery poured out as she stood waiting with one leg cocked.
"Wow, look at Unnie's hair. You've got a perfect bird's nest going?"
She pointed at my disheveled silver hair, giggling.
I glared at her coolly with half-awake eyes.
"Shut it. Before you get punched in the solar plexus."
"Aw, so harsh to your little sister. Here, drink this and wake up."
What my annoying sister held out with a smirk was a cold glass of barley tea beaded with condensation.
I took the cup and downed it in one gulp. The cold sensation dropping vertically down my esophagus to my stomach.
The stale taste in my mouth washed away, and the fog in my head cleared like magic.
Mom, who'd been washing dishes in the kitchen, saw my disheveled state as I shuffled out and approached, removing her rubber gloves.
"Puppy, sleep well? You look so fresh after a good rest."
Mom's warm hands gently combed through and tidied my bird's nest of silver hair. Too tired to resist, I obediently accepted her touch.
I went into the bathroom, washed my face with cold water, and fully came to my senses. After roughly drying off with a towel, I came out to the living room where Chinese food delivery was already set on the table, giving off its aroma.
"That came super fast."
"It's our regular place. I ordered jjajangmyeon for you, Oppa. Sit down before it gets soggy."
I hopped up onto the chair. My feet dangled in the air.
Just as I picked up my chopsticks to vigorously mix my jjajangmyeon—
The large TV on the living room wall flashed red. The regular entertainment program cut off abruptly, and breaking news subtitles filled the screen.
[Breaking News: Osaka Gate, Internal Otherworld Ecosystem Confirmed]
[Korea-Japan Joint Investigation Team Formation Urgently Agreed Upon]
[Gate Shock Missing Persons from 3 Years Ago, Large-Scale Survival Confirmed in Otherworld]
[Encounter with Sapient Elves. New Diplomatic Phase Ahead?]
The anchor's voice on screen trembled slightly with excitement.
I stopped moving my chopsticks. I silently scanned the news headlines.
Just yesterday, the government had been scrambling to control information, treating it as classified.
Yet overnight, they'd flung wide open the door to that massive truth for the whole world to see.
Ha-eun set down her spoon mid-slurp of jjamppong broth.
"Oppa, that's about those Keebs you mentioned yesterday, right? It's plastered all over the news."
I scooped up a big chopstick-full of jjajangmyeon and pushed it into my mouth. The sweet taste of black bean sauce rolled over my tongue. Only after leisurely chewing and swallowing did I speak indifferently.
"I thought it'd take longer. Pretty fast."
"Then you have to go back again, don't you...?"
"Let's eat first, then I'll call the Old Man."
I devoured the meal in a flash.
Moving to the living room sofa, I pulled out the smartphone I'd shoved in my pocket.
I pressed a speed dial number. Before the ringtone could pass three times, the call connected.
—Oh, Tae-ho? You got home okay?
Park Jin-cheol's voice came through the receiver. Despite having rolled through political circles all night, there was a strange vitality mixed in rather than fatigue.
"Yeah, well. I passed out and just woke up. More importantly, I saw the news—you released all the information?"
—Yeah. Those Japanese government bastards finally figured they'd choke if they tried to swallow it all themselves.
The Association President's cynical laugh mixed with derision.
Japan alone couldn't digest those massive interests or stop the coming disaster—that realistic calculation had concluded.
Above all, Earth's representative wasn't on Japanese soil.
"So. What's the next schedule? When do I go back into that forest?"
At my direct question, the Old Man cleared his throat and paused briefly.
—Mm... That's going to take a bit more time.
"It's getting delayed? From the atmosphere, I thought you'd pack my bags and shove me in tomorrow."
—The Korea-Japan Joint Investigation Team is just pretty packaging. America and the EU across the ocean are going absolutely crazy right now.
The Association President clicked his tongue and continued.
—A new continent called an otherworld has opened—the major powers aren't going to sit still. They're burning up diplomatic lines making calls, trying to stick their spoons in to grab a piece of the pie. Arguing over share percentages, setting entry personnel limits. For the time being, it'll be a mud-slinging fight between tie-wearing bastards inside international conference halls.
The conclusion was clear. There was no immediate physical conflict requiring me to draw my sword.
—So you just rest up for now. This old man and the suit-wearers will handle the political shit-flinging. Once international negotiations finish and the Gate entry schedule is firmly set, I'll call you then.
"Understood. Good luck."
I ended the call and tossed the smartphone onto the table.
I sank deep into the sofa backrest. Looking up at the ceiling, I let out a quiet sigh.
"America and the EU."
A political fight without guns or swords. The beginning of an ugly, vicious struggle for interests as tie-wearing hyenas fought over otherworldly resources.
Soon enough, the area in front of Osaka Gate would become a chaotic mess packed with armies and Hunters from around the world, with no room to step. Smashing the brainless heads of monsters might be a hundred times cleaner and easier.
Anticipating the massive headache to come, I slowly closed my eyes. Only the languid afternoon sunlight quietly warmed the living room.
