Reunion Among the Stars
The announcement echoed through the cockpit. [Approval granted. Landing clearance issued.] The control center's guidance voice rang out, and Arpa's spaceship began its descent. Su-a, having arrived at the space station orbiting Centrium—the capital planet that housed the headquarters of the Epsilon Legion, Arpa's base of operations—felt a quiet surge of anticipation in her heart. She had come to meet her younger sister, Jung Hwa-ryun, right after reuniting with Cindy. The thought of family coming together across the vast expanse of space filled her with joy, even if only in her imagination. Of course, alongside the excitement came fear and awkwardness.
"Haa..."
That she herself had surrendered her body to Arpa was one thing, but the fact that Hwa-ryun—who was far colder and more guarded with men than she was—had also given herself to him struck Su-a as an enormous shock. Jung Hwa-ryun had always shown unwavering, single-minded love for Yoo Kang-hyun. Even taking into account the psychological shifts caused by the virtual reality environment and her experiences in Changcheon Murim, Hwa-ryun's actions felt utterly unexpected to Su-a.
'Not just anyone, but a man who resembles Father... and the way she acted was so... incredibly lewd...'
While watching the hologram of Hwa-ryun's encounter with Arpa, Su-a found that the images of Cindy and Hwa-ryun's passionate intercourse refused to leave her mind. Especially unforgettable was the sight of Hwa-ryun's usually expressionless, cool, and composed face melting into pure ecstasy—a look Su-a hadn't seen from her sister in a very long time.
Lost in these swirling thoughts, Su-a barely noticed when the spaceship completed its landing. She stepped out with Arpa, riding the automatic escalator down from the vessel. The moment they set foot on the space station, a massive vehicle approached from afar. When its doors opened, Su-a's eyes widened and she cried out.
"Hwa-ryun! My little sister!"
"Sister, it has been a long time."
The woman standing before them wore the ornate uniform of an Omega Empire military officer, holding a blue spear. It was Jung Hwa-ryun, who had come to greet both Su-a and Arpa. Her uniform was primarily black, accented with shining golden embroidery. Her long black hair was tied in a neat ponytail. She looked every bit the beautiful woman Su-a remembered.
In an instant, Su-a threw her arms around her.
Though Hwa-ryun's face remained largely expressionless, Su-a could tell immediately. The faint curve at the corners of her sister's eyes revealed how fiercely she was welcoming her. After holding her tightly for a moment, Su-a remembered Arpa standing behind them and reluctantly pulled away. Hwa-ryun bowed politely to Arpa in greeting.
"You have worked hard, Vice Legion Commander Arpa. Welcome."
"Haha, I had no intention of interrupting a sisterly reunion... My apologies."
"Not at all. We can continue our conversation in the vehicle. Sister, allow me to escort you. Please board."
"I'm sorry, Lord Arpa. I got a bit excited seeing my sister after so long. Ahaha~"
"It's fine. You two go ahead. I'll travel separately. Talk freely between yourselves."
"Ah! Thank you, Lord Arpa. Hwa-ryun, you're okay with that, right?"
"Of course. Vice Legion Commander Arpa, I will prepare alternative transportation for you."
"Don't concern yourself with me. I'll make my own way. I have some matters to attend to. You should head to headquarters with your sister, Jung Su-a. First... take your sister's vehicle and go ahead, Lieutenant Hwa-ryun. Don't you want to introduce 'that child' to her as soon as possible?"
"...Thank you for your consideration."
".....?"
'That child?'
Only after Arpa finished speaking did Su-a finally get a proper look at Hwa-ryun's face.
'Ah...! That's her proud, bragging face.'
Having spent so many years with Hwa-ryun, Su-a possessed the keen insight and experience of an older sister. She could read her sister's emotional state from the slightest shift in expression. The faint upward curl at the corner of Hwa-ryun's mouth told Su-a that something wonderful had happened to her sister.
"I'll see you at headquarters."
"Understood. Sister, please board."
"...Alright. I'll see you later, Lord Arpa."
Arpa manipulated his bio device and began moving toward another destination. Su-a followed Hwa-ryun and climbed into the enormous vehicle. Once inside, she was genuinely shocked. From the outside, the vehicle already looked spacious, but the interior was literally a massive room.
"Huh?! W-what is this??"
"It's nothing special. The Empire incorporated technology from Marbas Planet to create this. They simply inserted a subspace inside the vehicle and furnished the expanded interior. It is a fusion of magic and engineering—mana engineering."
"Oh my god...!"
Su-a had witnessed many advanced technologies while traveling between Earth and Pantera, but this was on an entirely different level. Her eyes widened as she looked around the room inside the vehicle. When she opened the connected doors, she discovered an onsen, a bathroom, and even a bedroom. It reminded her of a scene from the movie X-Reporter, where a tiny tent on the outside contained an enormous room within.
"Sister, I understand your amazement, but there is someone I would like to introduce to you first."
"What on earth are you talking about? Lord Arpa mentioned something similar earlier."
"Hehe~ Please come this way."
Following Hwa-ryun, Su-a stopped in front of a door leading to a particularly large room. The moment the door opened, a thunderous beastly roar filled her ears.
"Grrrrraaaawr~~!!!"
"Kyaaak!? W-what is that?!"
The instant the door swung open, a gigantic tiger came charging toward her. Su-a instinctively reached for her laser sword, but Hwa-ryun's actions made her eyes bulge as she froze like a statue.
"Nabi~! Mommy's here~!"
"Grrrrrr~"
"...Nabi...?"
The tiger, easily three times the size of an ordinary one, stopped in front of Hwa-ryun, sat obediently, and rubbed its face against her. Hwa-ryun smiled with delight and began stroking the massive creature. Su-a stood there, body rigid, her mind completely blank. Only after hearing Hwa-ryun's explanation did she manage to form an expression of utter disbelief.
Some time later, after listening to the full story, Su-a nodded in understanding even as her face twisted into a complicated expression at the surreal sight before her.
"So... this tiger—no, Nabi—is your pet... and it's even a monster—no, a pet that can be ridden?"
"Correct. Nabi is an extremely intelligent and powerful companion animal."
"...I never imagined I'd see the Nabi from reality here of all places..."
"Whether it is the Nabi from reality or the Nabi from Endless Universe, both are my precious Nabi."
"I see... If you say so, then that's how it is. Still... this Nabi is really huge..."
"Grrrr~"
Watching Nabi lick Hwa-ryun's hand, Su-a felt momentarily intimidated by the overwhelming size of the Gigantic Tiger. But seeing it act just like the real Nabi—obediently following Hwa-ryun and even rolling over to show its belly in a display of affection—her wariness crumbled rapidly. The sight of a massive, fierce-looking tiger behaving like an adorable puppy melted the hearts of both women. Their eyes sparkled with hearts as they began stroking the giant fluffball.
After introducing Nabi and sharing stories of the adventures she had experienced, Hwa-ryun spoke at length. Su-a enjoyed a truly pleasant time for the first time in a while. She learned how Hwa-ryun had undergone rigorous training at the military academy, gained the ability to pilot a Gigantes, performed maintenance on them, absorbed the Empire's scientific knowledge, and mastered both tactics and engineering. She heard about the new species she had encountered during training, her current position as Arpa's secretary and strategist, and how she was on the verge of being promoted from lieutenant to captain. Hwa-ryun also recounted the events at the imperial palace and the terrorist attack that occurred on the way to the Omega Empire.
"...My little sister... you've been through so much."
"To be honest, when I was trapped in that dark place, I was terrified beyond the game itself. But I'm fine now."
"Sigh... Both Changcheon Murim and Endless Universe... the game's realism is so high that problems like this can occur. As the president of Korea Vision, I really need to take this seriously."
"The gameplay is excellent, so it's fine. Please don't worry too much. It was a personal issue, after all."
Having finally met Hwa-ryun inside the game after so long, Su-a stroked Nabi while chatting pleasantly with her sister, savoring the joyful moment. However, she deliberately avoided mentioning Arpa. Eventually, Hwa-ryun's words forced her to make a decision.
"Sister Su-a."
"Y-yes?"
"If it is difficult for you to speak, you do not have to. However... there is something you wish to ask me, is there not?"
"...Well... haa~ Fine. I'll be honest. While coming here... I saw the hologram video of you and Lord Arpa... being intimate."
"As I thought, you saw it."
"...Um... aren't you angry? I saw your private life without permission."
"You did not watch it because you wanted to. The vice legion commander showed it to you, correct? Besides, it is only a game."
"..."
"Sister, this is what I believe. An NPC is merely an NPC. I consider them living beings within this world, but they exist only inside Endless Universe. NPCs are nothing more or less than tools for us—for me, you, Cindy, Yu-ran sunbae, Se-yeon sunbae, Ji-min sunbae, and Brother-in-law—to enjoy the game. Do you not remember? In Changcheon Murim, I was the first to accept another man. At least, that is how I see it. Sister, you have also been intimate with Vice Legion Commander Arpa, have you not?"
"...As expected, you already knew."
"Because you are a person honest with your desires. When I heard you were going to meet Cindy... I assumed the vice legion commander would reveal his desires to you as well."
"Haa~ I'll be completely honest. I didn't know how to talk to you about this. Cindy... at least said she had decided to treat it purely as a game and enjoy it... but I'm still confused. To be frank, I allowed Arpa to take my ass... and allowed An Rok-san to take both my front and back... so maybe all this worrying is pointless... but still... I feel so guilty toward him. Even though it's virtual reality... no, precisely because it's virtual reality, it feels even worse. I keep wondering if I was always this lewd of a woman, and it makes me feel self-loathing..."
"...I understand. However, Sister, please think carefully. Do you not remember what Brother-in-law said when we first started Endless Universe?"
"...I remember. He said not to worry about his feelings, to enjoy our freedom and colors. That if we wanted, we could give our front and back to other men, and he wouldn't mind."
"Exactly. During my time playing Changcheon Murim, my thoughts were different... but now I have decided to accept Brother-in-law's words at face value. Cindy once said that a game is just a game. The reason Brother-in-law said those things is because he wants to see our lewd sides within virtual reality. Above all... we cannot deny that we are enjoying it ourselves, can we?"
"......"
Su-a remained silent, but she could not refute Hwa-ryun's opinion. There was no flaw in her logic.
"A game is only a game, Sister. Do not think about it too deeply. And... if you approach it from a different perspective, you may find it easier."
"A different perspective?"
"Hehe. Sister, do you not remember Brother-in-law's reaction every time we surrendered ourselves to other men back when we played Changcheon Murim?"
"...Ah."
At Hwa-ryun's words, Su-a's face flushed bright red. Every time Su-a, Cindy, Hwa-ryun, and Yu-ran had been embraced by other men, Kang-hyun had grown jealous and angry... yet in the end he accepted it. More than anything, he had been more aroused than anyone else as he took them. He had claimed them with fierce intensity, as if overwriting their bodies with his own mark. That side of him had been something new and exciting for Su-a and the other women. A man's jealousy was a wonderfully sweet spice to a woman's love.
Recalling Kang-hyun's jealousy from the past, Su-a felt guilt toward him, yet at the same time she remembered how he would become even more excited and take her with greater passion whenever she was with another man in virtual reality. Unconsciously, a beautiful smile formed on her lips.
"Sister. Maintaining chastity is certainly important. However... I believe obeying your husband's commands is equally important. This is only my personal opinion, but... I think Brother-in-law may actually want to see us being intimate with other men, at least within the game. Since Cindy thinks the same, she is probably following his words faithfully. Of course, I believe Cindy also has the strongest tendency among us to view the game as nothing more than a game."
Listening to Hwa-ryun, Su-a found herself reflecting on her own worries. Her sister's words carried undeniable persuasiveness. As she organized her thoughts, the vehicle finally arrived at headquarters, pulling her from her reverie.