Chapter 74
Snap! Snap! After snapping evidence photos with the outdated smartphone's camera, I hurled myself without a second thought into the vertigo-inducing sky.
Whoosh!
“Molrang!”
The alien critter that had blocked bullets to save my skin came along for the ride!
“Ugh...!”
Not having proper gear made it hard to even open my eyes, but the altitude wasn't too bad, so I could tough it out.
Flutter~!
Just as the flight attendant had roughly explained, I yanked the cord on the pack strapped to my back, unfurling the parachute wide.
Huh?
This is kinda fun?
If I ever make a ton of money and get rich, I wanna take up skydiving as a hobby.
“Hmm...”
Gliding slowly down from the high sky, I scanned the ground below.
Palm trees, beaches, resorts, yachts... The overall vibe and scenery screamed tropical tourist spot.
There had to be an airport around somewhere.
Squeeze—
Wind direction was key for landing, but by pulling on the two lines connected to the parachute, I could steer it to some degree.
The beach.
No obstacles, no collision risk, and the sand would cushion the impact. In a pinch, I could dive into the ocean and slip through any encirclement—
“...Wha—?!”
“Molrang?!”
Splash!
A fierce gust blew me past the beach straight into the sea!
“Pfft!”
My clothes were soaked through, but I'd made it to solid ground in one piece.
Now, what next?
Figure out where the hell I was, get to somewhere with signal, and send off the evidence I'd snapped.
Splash, splash.
Hauling myself onto land, I waved cheerfully at the people around.
“Perfect weather for skydiving, huh!”
“You botched the landing.”
“Haha! Still a newbie at this!”
“Want a towel?”
“Nah, I'm good.”
To avoid suspicion, I mingled with the crowd for a bit.
Acting antsy would just scream “fugitive on the run.”
“Molrang molrang~”
“Cool hat.”
“Thanks!”
“Molrang!”
While chatting them up, I naturally gathered info and used the “mobile hotspot” feature to quickly send off the evidence.
For now, I'd watch how things played out.
But the evidence is thin.
Nam Hae-su's influence as “Chairman Hwang Hae-su” ran deeper into this country than I'd imagined.
Not just some nouveau riche with cash to burn!
“Molrang~”
“Yeah. Time to end this.”
First things first, I used my credit card to deal with the wet clothes.
Tourist trap prices were highway robbery, but it was all dream money—gone when I woke up!
So I spent without a care.
“Next up...”
They had to be tearing the place apart looking for me by now!
But I wasn't planning to skulk around like some coward.
I was seriously pissed at being unilaterally threatened with death by Nam Hae-su.
I wanted decisive proof to judge him.
How?
“Excuse me.”
“Oh, yes?”
I flagged down a local guiding tourists.
“I'd like to rent that villa.”
I pointed at the stunning villa out on the water.
“No reservation?”
“Yeah, kinda ended up here by accident...”
“Hmm. No idea how you got here, but head straight that way for the management office.”
“Thanks!”
Before leaving this world, time to max out this credit card!
* * *
Maybe because I'd been drugged via airplane food?
I stuck to buffets—hard to tamper with when everyone's digging in—and bought only canned drinks from convenience stores.
Might be overkill.
But getting knocked out cold by cheap sleeping pills had hit hard.
I'd crushed the heart of magic boy Choi Kang-min with absolute power, been a founding hero of a massive empire!
Yet all that flair and experience, and I folded to some bargain-bin sedative.
“Thanks!”
“Take care.”
Jingle!
I stuffed myself at a fancy seafood buffet, then grabbed drinks and frozen snacks from the convenience store.
Wonder how the plane turned out? Han-hee must be worried... damn.
Park Han-hee, Nam Hae-su's wife.
I knew she was an old grandma in reality (from the old era), but here she was a fresh early-twenties beauty.
And cute, too...
“I'm hopeless!”
Did pretty girls who showed interest always get to me?
Feeling guilty toward Song Seon-yeong—we dated in the dream, broke up in reality—and Valentine...
Click.
I unlocked the door to the gorgeous seaside villa I'd booked for long-term.
A pension built over the ocean. Romantic novelty for tourists, but I'd picked it for the easy escape routes.
“...Huh?”
“Eaten well?”
“Thought you were back in Korea.”
Nam Hae-su was there, gazing at the ocean horizon, sipping booze.
What the hell?
He set down his glass casually.
“Weird to see me vacationing at my own resort? Bought the whole place last year for our honeymoon.”
“Hah?”
Bought an entire resort... for a honeymoon?
Absurd, but it explained why the plane had headed here.
“Was gonna keep it to a quick video call, but your escape complicated things.”
“So you came to grab me yourself?”
“Hmm... If I wanted you caught, I had plenty of chances. Stepping foot here means I've already won. Snipers on that cruise liner are still zeroed in on your head and legs.”
“......”
To me, it looked like a normal luxury passenger ship full of tourists.
Bluff?
Didn't feel like testing it.
Especially since I'd been flashing this card expecting company.
Didn't think it'd be Nam Hae-su himself...
And sure as hell not with his family in tow.
“......”
Pour.
A woman I assumed was his wife silently refilled his glass at his side.
“Zzz...”
A baby in a stroller slept with a finger in its mouth.
That's why he hadn't lunged at me on sight and was humoring this chat.
Vague belief he wouldn't fight dangerously in front of his family.
Same for me.
Snapping a neck with wife and kid watching... nah.
If his goal was a “truce,” it worked.
“My family.”
“Like what you see?”
“Hmm. Sharp observation. My wife becomes a famous actress but gets hounded into sex-for-favors and suicides.”
“Nam Hae-su?”
Okay to blurt that in front of her?
He didn't care, kept going.
“But with my help, that future's gone. Satisfied? Obvious question.”
“......”
His wife looked stunned at the first-time confession from her husband.
Lips parted like she wanted to speak, but she just bowed her head, silent as an instructed secretary.
Didn't look like a normal marriage built on love.
“Sit.”
“...Suddenly all gentlemanly.”
“You knocked some sense into me.”
“When?”
“After you solo-recaptured a plane hijacked by armed terrorists and their accomplices, then parachuted out. When my secretary first reported the failure, I thought it was a spy flick plot.”
“And?”
“All my long-prepped plans went to shit.”
“What plans?”
“To change Korea's dark future.”
Pour.
He wet his lips with the booze his wife poured.
“Korea's dark future?”
“You don't know?”
“...I do. Learned history in school.”
Ding—
My head spun.
Felt like he'd smashed me instead!
I got it all wrong!
Swimming Emperor Nam Hae-su.
His fame was so tied to swimming and wealth, I'd zeroed in there.
“This country's future?”
“Yes.”
“Why's a non-politician like you trying to change it?”
The nation's future was for politicians to hash out.
Citizens? If you hate your country, move.
Moving costs and language barriers kept most put, but still—no duty or right for regular folks to fix it.
“Do I seem weird?”
“Yeah. Very.”
“You're not old-era born like me, huh.”
“Born post-Human Revolution, new gen.”
“I see... Young new-gen folks couldn't care less about politics. Big difference there.”
“......”
Didn't sound sarcastic.
Calm face, steady tone. Like a history teacher stating facts.
“P, who made that world, was one hell of a human.”
“Whoa?! You've seen P?!”
P.
The enigmatic figure with rumors of being squid-like alien.
He answered my question.
“No.”
“......”
“But I lived through P's active era. Monkey or alien handing humanity genius inventions? Nah, had to be human.”
“Ah, yeah.”
I could've guessed that, new-gen or not.
“How'd you get to the past?”
“Fell asleep.”
“Oh! Me too!”
“......”
Nam Hae-su lit up like he'd bumped into a fellow countryman.
Gazing at the pristine resort sky, he said,
“Young Nam Hae-su was a massive selfish prick. Pushed rivals out any way to make nationals.”
“News to me.”
“Obviously. Never got caught. Doped their water bottles and snitched, hooked 'em up with girls to distract, got 'em into gambling...”
“Whoa?”
This guy was less Swimming Emperor, more three-card monte hustler?
Shocking.
“To atone and reflect, poured all my wealth into nurturing the next gen. Helped rivals and their families too.”
“And snagged the honors.”
“Ahem! Wasn't chasing fame.”
Intended or not, he ended up with the glorious “Swimming Emperor” title.
Question: If reflecting on past sins, just don't repeat 'em when you go back.
So why the hell...?
Was he running an armed private militia?
“At first, thought it was a dream.”
“Yeah.”
It was.
“But pinched my cheek, days passed with no change—realized it was reality.”
“Yeah.”
Still a dream!
Wanted to call bullshit, but to drag him out, I needed more details.
What trapped him in this past (dream)?
Not regret or reflection.
If so, he'd have been reborn as Nam Hae-su.
He'd come back as a whole different guy: “Hwang Hae-su.”
Movie-star handsome face, smooth baritone voice, tall above average, broad shoulders... First impressions: 100/100!
Not shocking, given no ugly protags so far...
“So I pondered.”
“What?”
“Why was a guy just waiting to die sent back to the past?”
“......”
Yeah. That's what I wanted to hear.
“Realized it: I was chosen to change Korea's grim future.”
“Chosen...?”
“Yes.”
“Then what about me?”
“Was gonna ask. Why'd you come to the old era? History buff? Tourism?”
“No.”
“Then?”
He eyed me, genuinely curious.
I grinned back.
“Because of you.”
“Me?”
“Swimming Emperor Nam Hae-su. I'm a shaman sent by the swimming federation to fetch you.”
“......”
Time to write the prescription for a patient whose illness was diagnosed.