A New Encounter
The guy from my class shoved his phone right in front of my face. “Hey! Jihyeok! Have you seen this?”
On the screen was Leona, driving her sword straight down into Aktoa’s giant eyeball. The photo looked like it had been taken with an old film camera—grainy, low resolution. Cash had used every trick in the book to prevent photos or videos like this from existing, but he couldn’t do anything about good old-fashioned analog film. Among the things that boosted a Beast Slayer’s fame, these vintage shots were surprisingly effective.
“Yeah, I saw it. It’s all over the internet.”
“You can’t see her face clearly, but damn, she’s obviously gorgeous. And she’s a real-life superhero. Doesn’t that do anything for you?”
“Hmm… not really?”
“Her hair’s sky-blue, but I can’t tell if she’s Korean or foreign… Her body’s insane, though. I’d kill to see her in person just once.”
“You’re more interested in her face than the monster that showed up?”
“That thing didn’t hurt me. I was at home playing games the day it happened. Besides, the damage wasn’t nearly as bad as the first monster attack.”
Monday at Korea University was practically a festival of gossip about Aktoa and Leona. No matter where you went or what time it was, the topic kept popping up—and most of it centered on Leona. Older people, on the other hand, were far more concerned about the monster itself. They began seriously speculating about where it had come from and why it had appeared, insisting that proper research was needed to prepare for the next one.
South Korea was currently the center of the world’s attention. The World Coalition and ordinary citizens alike couldn’t stop talking about magical girls and monsters. Wild theories and conspiracy theories ran rampant: the government had secretly injected test subjects with drugs to create superhumans; they were a new species from an alien planet. Some even claimed it was all a hoax. Fan clubs had already sprung up. One café had opened barely a day ago and already had over two million members from people rushing to join from all over the world.
The person at the center of all this buzz, Sehwa, was incredibly embarrassed.
After my afternoon classes, I met Sehwa at the main gate where she was waiting for me. She immediately started complaining.
“This is driving me crazy… It’s all anyone’s talking about.”
“Of course it is. A magical girl fighting monsters… Who wouldn’t be curious?”
“I’m not a magical girl, I just transform—”
“Shh. Keep your voice down. Let’s head home.”
Sehwa realized her mistake and quickly glanced around. Fortunately, no one had overheard. She let out a sigh of relief.
“Haah… My head’s a mess. I wonder what the Doctor is doing right now?”
The Doctor? He’s probably busy building countermeasures against the demonic creatures. Since no Evil Line energy has appeared yet, he’s likely moving quickly to make contact with the World Coalition. As for me and Sehwa, we just need to sit back and watch how things unfold.
I smiled brightly and said, “Stop overthinking it. Let’s go inside. The Doctor told you, didn’t he? Don’t think too hard—just live in the moment. And you said you really wanted to do this. Wouldn’t it be better to try and get used to it?”
“I can’t get used to it at all right now.”
“Then don’t bring it up. Simple, right?”
“…Okay.”
“Want to grab some tteokbokki on the way back?”
“No. Let’s just go… I want to rest.”
“Alright.”
Sehwa was worried her classmates might find out she was staying at my officetel, so she pretended to wait for the bus and went separately. Once I got home, I grabbed a beer, lay down on the sofa, and waited for her to ring the doorbell.
Right now, she definitely, definitely wanted to do something with me.
Ding-dong!
Just as expected. I opened the door with a silent smile and let her in. She walked straight to the sofa, leaned back against it, and sat down. In her hands were several different kinds of snacks.
“What’s with all the snacks?”
“They looked good, so I bought them… Give me a beer too.”
“Get it yourself.”
“Come on! I’m stressed out here!”
She suddenly raised her voice. I shook my head in disbelief, grabbed a beer, and tossed it to her. Sehwa caught it with a flustered expression and frowned cutely.
“Why’d you throw it?”
“Shut up.”
I answered curtly and moved far away from her before turning on the TV. After that, I watched a variety show in complete silence, my face expressionless.
Sehwa, who had been stuffing snacks into her mouth, kept glancing at me and fidgeting with her feet. Little by little, she scooted her hips closer.
“Jihyeok. Are you mad?”
“No.”
“Then why are you being so cold?”
“I’m not being cold. I’m watching TV.”
“It’s not even interesting.”
“It is.”
“It’s a variety show… and you haven’t laughed once.”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I shifted my position, resting my head on the armrest and stretching my legs out on either side of her body. My eyes stayed glued to the TV the whole time.
Sehwa watched me carefully, then inched even closer. I didn’t stop her. Her face brightened, and she slipped into my arms, turning to lie against my chest. She even grabbed my arm and pulled it under her breasts.
Then she apologized.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“For acting childish and throwing a tantrum…”
“You know it, then.”
“But I… I rely on you so much…”
What about Yu Seunghyeon? Isn’t he the person you should rely on first when things get hard?
The questions rose all the way to the tip of my tongue before I swallowed them back down. It wasn’t because I was afraid of her answer. If I wanted to ask, I could ask right now. I could shake her up nicely too. But Sehwa still had to keep meeting Yu Seunghyeon. She needed to see him for a long time, agonize between me and that bastard, and slowly wrap herself up in the net I had woven for her.
I played with her fingers and said, “I have somewhere to go after school tomorrow. I’ll be back late, so go to bed first.”
“Where are you going? To see that secretary you mentioned last time?”
“No.”
“Can’t I come with you? I’ll be bored in the evening…”
“You can’t.”
Sehwa brought her fingernails to her mouth and nibbled on them. She seemed annoyed that I wouldn’t tell her the destination. But she was probably afraid I’d get angry again, so she didn’t press any further.
“I’ll give you my card. Go hang out with your friends or something.”
“I have money…”
“Who said you didn’t? Just use it. Think of it as welfare. Special benefits for the world’s hero.”
“…Don’t say things like that. It’s embarrassing…”
“Anyway, just spend it. Eat whatever you want, buy whatever you want.”
“…..”
“Answer me.”
“Ah, okay.”
Satisfied, I nodded and gently stroked her slender chin.
“And your hairstyle looks too stuffy…”
“Really…? Maybe because the perm’s coming out. Should I go to the salon tomorrow and get it redone?”
Yu Seunghyeon loved Sehwa’s pure, innocent-looking hairstyle. But I hated it. The style itself wasn’t bad—it was just that he liked it. That was reason enough.
“Try something bolder. I like it when the back of your neck shows.”
“I… I’ll think about it.”
Think about it? That meant it would definitely be changed by the time I got back. The corner of my mouth lifted as I let out a low chuckle.
The next day, as soon as class ended, I flew straight to Daejeon. I was going to see Yuria.
The tracking demonic creature still wasn’t fully modified, so it could only detect locations. The surveillance cameras couldn’t see inside the house either. That was why I had to go through the trouble of coming in person.
‘Yuria is officially registered as an immigrant by the government, so she’s not an illegal resident.’
But how had she managed to become an immigrant? She hadn’t married a Korean, nor had she gotten a job. She was definitely living alone. It was possible someone was helping her… but none of the people caught on the surveillance cameras looked suspicious. There were only horny bastards who were mesmerized by her beauty and kept trying to approach her.
While I was thinking about all this on my way to where Yuria lived, my phone buzzed with a text notification. It was a card payment alert. The charge was from a karaoke place in the university district. Looked like she had gone to sing with her friends.
I smirked and was about to put my phone away when a message from Sehwa arrived.
Hah. She even added an unnecessary comment? Was she trying to make me jealous?
Do whatever you want, Sehwa. As if you’d ever tell him that I took your virginity.
I tapped the screen and replied.
I roughly shoved the phone into my pocket and headed toward Yuria’s house, scanning the surroundings. It was a fairly nice neighborhood—there were apartments and shops, and plenty of security cameras. A good, safe area.
I manipulated the footage from the cameras along my route, checked Yuria’s real-time location, then slipped into a deserted alley nearby and changed my appearance.
Crack. Crunch.
With grotesque sounds, my body transformed. I became slightly smaller and frailer. Wrinkles spread across my face. A thick beard grew on my chin and upper lip. I now looked like a middle-aged man in his fifties.
“Ah. Ah.”
My voice had changed perfectly too. I was satisfied. Still, the sensation of transforming was always disgusting. Especially the feeling of bones realigning—it was so alien and unpleasant that it irritated me.
While I was grumbling internally and stepping back onto the street—
“Excuse me! Wait…! Please wait, sir!”
A thin, angelic voice called out from behind me. The heroine of the second arc. The one who, at the very end, had filled my entire body with arrows. Yuria was calling out to me from behind.
‘I knew you’d stop me.’
Yuria was destined to stop me no matter what. Because my current appearance was the spitting image of her dead father. Not completely identical, but the key parts were the same—back view, physique, hairstyle, that sort of thing.
‘You’ll be even more shocked when I turn around.’
With that thought, I turned my body.
In my field of vision stood a woman with blonde hair draped over one shoulder and striking blue eyes. Her fox-like eyes, plump lips, and snow-white skin gave off the aura of a supermodel. Her graceful stride exuded the aura of a cold, haughty beauty. Unlike Sehwa, who had a touch of cuteness, Yuria Elenar was tall and radiated an icy, domineering charm.
She was staring at my face, her expression cycling through layer after layer of shock. Of course she was. My facial features were eerily similar to her deceased father’s. It was quite satisfying to watch that proud face crumple.
In the game, I had never seen her display such sudden, intense emotion… It was rather entertaining.
I put on a puzzled expression and turned fully toward her.
“Is something the matter?”
This voice, too, was similar to her father’s—low, calm, and even kind. The voice of a gentle middle-aged gentleman. The speech pattern was closer to that of an Earthling, though.
This time Yuria looked like she was about to vomit. She covered her mouth with her hand.
“Ugh…!”
I acted like a startled middle-aged man and hurried over to her.
“Oh dear… Are you alright? Maybe you’re anemic… There should be a pharmacy nearby…”
Her gaze slowly rose to meet mine. An expression and eyes filled with disbelief. The dark pupils within her blue irises trembled as if an earthquake had struck them. Her lips, red as ripe strawberries, parted.
And from them came a language that did not exist on Earth.
“F… Father…?”