063 – Native Nymphs Hate Invasive Species! # 2
"Have you ever been on a cruise?"
Vrrrooom—.
We were inside a moving car. At my question, Lee Jina shook her head.
"You think I have?"
"Fair enough."
A ultra-luxury cruise ship. How often do us ordinary folks ever get the chance to set foot on something like that? Jina was ordinary, and so was I. Neither of us had ever ridden a cruise ship in our lives, and barring something extraordinary, we probably never would.
"Well, this is what you call a life experience."
That was why I'd invited Jina to fill the empty spot. The reason was simple—she seemed like the person who'd appreciate a festival on a cruise ship the most. For highflyers like Seo Yerim or Ari, the wonder would be somewhat dulled, wouldn't it?
Also, the moment I absentmindedly opened the family TelTalk group chat and saw Dad: Ildo, the boss tells me you and Jina haven't even been going on dates lately? Is something wrong between you two? Want Dad to counsel you?, my vision spun.
Jina was my fake girlfriend, a shield against my parents' nagging. If I sent them just one photo of us "on a date," they'd stay quiet for a good while.
Therefore, Jina was the perfect partner for this cruise trip.
"Hey, you. Did you know you have to take your shoes off to board a cruise ship?"
"Don't lie to me. You think I wouldn't know that much?"
"No, it's true. Look here. It says right there—remove footwear before boarding."
Jina's expression turned subtle. She was trying to figure out whether I was actually telling the truth this time.
And so, almost before we knew it, we arrived at Incheon Port. A truly enormous cruise ship—one so massive I might as well have never seen anything like it—floated up before my eyes, and its sheer presence felt overwhelming. Was this exactly how the passengers felt when they first laid eyes on the Titanic?
━Woof-woof…!
Keongkeongi must have been in a good mood too, bouncing up and down on my shoulder. Ang-ang-i, perched on the other shoulder, fluttered his wings cheerfully as well.
━Zzji…!
The only calm one was Kwang-kwangi, clinging to my back.
━Hio-ong…!
Kwang-kwangi was a well-behaved spider.
Watching my little parade, the people around us began to murmur.
"What's with all those animals that guy has?"
"Maybe he's somebody? From TV? An event host? Some kind of show performer?"
Did I look like a magician or street performer hired by some party entertainment company? Admittedly, every single animal I carried was a genuine curiosity. It did say pets welcome, so I'd brought them along, but still—would this really be okay?
"Mr. Ha Ildo?"
I showed my ticket to the man in the black suit. He looked us all over, narrowed his thin eyes, then spoke as if it were no trouble at all.
"Go right in."
It actually worked.
Swish—.
The moment I boarded the ship, I kicked off my shoes. Strangely enough, the deck was planted with grass—artificial grass, surely, and yet it looked so lush and fresh. What kind of trickery was this?
Jina, however, was frowning.
"What are you doing?"
"I told you. You have to take your shoes off on a cruise ship."
It wasn't a lie this time. It was written on the invitation, I'm telling you!
━Woof-woof…!
Keongkeongi scampered freely across the ship's deck, where short blue grass grew in place of a red carpet. Everyone else was also barefoot with Keongkeongi weaving between their legs, so Jina finally said, "Huh. It was real," and took off her shoes and socks. The girl even had her toenails done up in flashy pedicure colors.
"I don't lie. And let me introduce the cabin—it's got two beds. You and Oinoi can share one. Also, before you enter the cabin, you have to pray to the elves' gods. Clap twice—then say Yalrong-balrong-barma-raha."
"Yalrong-balrong—what the hell is that? What does it even mean?"
Jina scrunched up her face. I shrugged.
"Beats me. It's probably elvish."
And so we headed for the cabin. In front of the door, Jina clapped her hands twice—clap clap—and recited, "Yalrong-balrong-barma-raha," while the passersby stared at her like she'd lost her mind. Jina, sensing something was off, glanced around.
"What? Why am I the only one doing it?"
"Because this time, it was my lie."
"…You want to die?"
Jina just glared at me, jaw tight. I could feel the pressure of an imminent beating.
Soon, as if to break the tension, Oinoi darted—zip!—into the cabin.
"That there are so many long-eared fairies aboard is displeasing, but that this great big ship is utterly delightful is a fact…! It is just like the Argo expedition that the heroes once boarded…!"
Swish—.
Oinoi and Jina started unpacking. I slipped out for a moment and headed for the main hall, where I found a crowd gathered.
"What an adorable Ratatoskr!"
"I've never seen such a cute Ratatoskr in my life!"
"So cute! Kyaa!"
Beautiful elves squealing with delight—it looked exactly like a scene from a movie. What was supposed to be so cute? What even was a Ratatoskr? Let me see too! Whatever it was, it was clearly some high-society pleasure of the elite!
That was when someone started raging.
A bizarre voice. When I elbowed my way through the crowd, I saw the orange-haired nymph Illinoi with Keongkeongi on her shoulder, her face flushed bright red.
"Keongkeongi is a Dog-Squirrel, not a Ratatoskr, it is…!"
"Look at her. Is she an elf?"
"No? She's smaller. And her ears are pointy but short. Poor thing."
"An invasive-species fairy?"
"This Illinoi is not an invasive species, she is not…! It is the long-eared fairies who are the invasive species, they are…! Do not touch her hair, they must not…! Invasive species should getta-way, they should…!"
It was a delicate situation in many ways. Soon, Illinoi—surrounded by the elves—spotted me.
"Ahh—! The Housemaster is here, he is…! As expected, partner of Prime Dog-Squirrel Keongkeongi…! Nice to meet-chu, it is…! And please, hurry up and put these rude long-eared invasive species in their place, you must…!"
As strange as ever. If I'd had to look after this one, my days would have been noisy from morning till night. I felt genuinely thankful that the nymph under my care was Oinoi.
Pat, pat—.
Just then, a woman in a red dress appeared, stepping across the grass.
"Illinoi, why all this commotion? I told you—if you're going to tag along on this cruise, you need to get along with the elves. Keep this up and I'm cutting your allowance!"
"Hyeeek…! She must not cut this Illinoi's pocket money, she must not…! This Illinoi will fight and refuse to bow to the tyranny of this mega-corporation, she will…!"
Wine glass in hand, she carried herself exactly like a noble lady from an old story.
Swirl—.
The wine rippled in her transparent glass.
"Hey, Ha Ildo! What are you doing here of all places?"
And what about YOU, Seo Yerim— was what I almost said back, but the words died in my throat.
Because from behind me, Jina had opened her mouth.
"Hey, Ha Ildo. How far does our ticket get us? I heard this cruise has a casino. Can we get in there too?"
Swish.
Jina and Seo Yerim's eyes met.
Seo Yerim asked.
"Ticket?"
"That little guy sure is popular."
Wherever he went, Keongkeongi was an absolute hit with the elves. Apparently, in the elves' world, there was a creature called a Ratatoskr—whether squirrel or chipmunk, who knew—and it was said to be every bit as adorable as Keongkeongi.
But being popular wasn't always a good thing.
"Ratatoskr tail fur makes excellent brushes!"
"You can turn it into a talisman, too!"
━Grrrung…!
A whole crowd of elves had their eyes on Keongkeongi's tail fur. It had been trimmed short not long ago when I made my curse-curing potion, and it had only just grown back into a luscious plume—now it was being targeted all over again. Keongkeongi looked visibly stressed.
"He seems pretty angry?"
At Jina's question, I nodded.
"Keongkeongi loves his big, fluffy tail. Among dog-squirrels, a lush tail is apparently as important as money is to humans."
A full, rich tail was the symbol of the Prime Dog-Squirrel.
But as we headed down to the dining hall, Jina shook her head.
"No, not Keongkeongi. Seo Yerim."
Seo Yerim had been angry? I hadn't noticed—we'd parted ways right after.
Even aboard the same cruise ship, Seo Yerim was Valhalla class. As far as this ship went, she was practically the highest-status passenger aboard. For reference, me, Jina, and Oinoi were Midgard class—able to do most things normally, but with certain privileges restricted, apparently.
This dining hall was proof. Unlike Valhalla-class Seo Yerim's, ours was a bit more ordinary. I heard they even served shark fin over there.
Swish—.
Anyway, we piled our plates high. There was some gap in the menu compared to the ultra-luxury fare Seo Yerim was getting, but it was still unquestionably food we could never normally afford.
Oinoi, tasting her sweet and sour pork, was astonished.
"That this sweet and sour pork is the most delicious of all the sweet and sour porks this Oinoi has ever eaten is a fact…! And that this seventeen-percent beverage is so sweet, sweet as honey itself, is also a fact…!"
I couldn't speak for the pork, but the soda had to taste the same here as anywhere else. Well, ambience counts for something.
And so we sat down and dug in. That was when it happened.
"So you lot were invited by the Green Fairy Association?"
Seo Yerim appeared, carrying her own plate. Giving up her high-class service to come down to our level?
Swish—.
She sat down right in front of us.
"Amazing. No matter how you slice it, ordinary folks like you don't usually get invitations."
"I was thinking the same thing. Anyway, scoot over a bit. I need to take a picture of me and Jina eating and send it to my parents."
I had to stamp we are on a date right now if I wanted peace for the next couple of weeks.
Swish—.
Jina threw a thumbs up, and I snapped a handsome photo of the two of us.
"You two are still doing that? The whole fake-dating thing?"
Seo Yerim asked between bites. I nodded.
"Yeah. Though I think we should wrap it up sooner or later. Who knows how long we can keep the charade going, and honestly, it feels like I'm putting Jina out too."
"Me? Don't worry about it. I got to come on a cruise ship because of it—works out great for me. When else in my life am I ever going to set foot in a place like this?"
Honestly, the cruise was nice. Even at a glance, the place was packed with famous faces.
Had Seo Yerim gotten used to events like this? Just as I found myself thinking, once again, that we lived in different worlds—
"Hey, Seo Yerim! Why'd you disappear on your own? I thought you'd gotten off the boat and went looking for you. Why are you in the Midgard dining hall?"
A somewhat familiar voice rang out. A crisp, commanding voice.
Soon, Oinoi spoke up.
"That a nymph has appeared is a fact…!"
It was not a nymph.
Soon Oinoi deflated with a long sigh.
"Ahh…! That it was not is a fact…"
She looked like she'd just barely become a high schooler. She wore a blue suit, and her hair was tied up and adorned with a hairpin that looked like transparent ice—quite elegant, actually.
S-Rank awakener Cha Yura.
She'd said she was taking a sabbatical abroad—had she come all the way back to Korea?
Cha Yura walked up to Seo Yerim, and soon her ice-blue eyes turned toward Jina.
"Well, look who it is. If it isn't Lee Jina."
Cha Yura was an S-Rank awakener, the princess of Korea. And this woman knew Jina?
Some connection from being the same third-generation awakeners?
As I looked at Jina in bewilderment, she shrugged.
"Back at the Awakener Academy, she used to carry my bag for me."