If We Part, We'll Meet Again (1)
That night.
I'd finished getting ready for bed and turned my phone on for a quick check when an alert popped up about a new post in the fan club. Following it led me to Aqua's "Camera Tribute Unboxing Video".
[Whoa!]
"Should I watch it before bed?"
I'd clicked play with a light heart, but the view count and comment numbers made me do a double-take.
'80,000 views and 300 comments... already?'
It was hard to believe this was just a simple unboxing video uploaded a few hours ago—the reaction was explosive.
[Whoa!]
Aqua's eyes went wide too. Terra sidled up beside me, peering at the screen with curiosity.
'Well, the fan club's got 100,000 members now, so this kind of response is probably par for the course.'
I held my phone out a bit farther so Aqua, Terra, and Mandu could all see.
"Wanna watch the video?"
[Let's see it!]
[Yeah.]
[Chit!]
The unboxing video was exactly as we remembered: Aqua tearing open the box in my arms while Terra and Mandu watched curiously.
"I'll film diligently and upload diligently. "
The video ended with my sign-off.
We scrolled down to check the comments—and that's when I understood why there were so many.
Half the comments gushed over how cute Aqua was, three-tenths celebrated Terra's appearance from the earth spirit users, and two-tenths debated Mandu's wings.
[Oh... So these are comments.]
Terra seemed fascinated, having heard Aqua talk about comment culture a few times but now seeing it firsthand.
[Chit!]
Mandu flapped his wings excitedly at being mentioned.
'They're showing massive interest in Terra and Mandu too.'
Of course they were. In the recent interview, I'd revealed Terra as the Earth Spirit King's successor. It was the first time anyone had heard that Spirit Kings even had heirs, so spirit users were naturally buzzing.
'Lots of foreign-language comments too. Probably all spirit users.'
Aqua chattered happily to Terra.
[Look at this! They're all talking about you!]
[Oh... Amazing. There are people beyond these comments?]
[Exactly! You can chat like this even with people on the opposite side of the human world!]
[Whoa...]
I pulled up the earth spirit community for Terra. It was the one with the slowest post rate among spirit user boards, but not today.
The earth spirit users were all thrilled and delighted by Terra's debut.
[Whoa...!]
Terra's eyes went round. I handed her the phone—Aqua's special training had made her able to touch screens freely. Terra tapped around, reading posts, and a smile slowly bloomed on her face.
'Earth spirits are gruff on the outside but deep down they're sentimental.'
Right now, Terra was bonding with gnomes through the screen.
Then one post caught my eye.
'A photo of Terra?'
It felt like déjà vu.
"Terra, mind tapping that link?"
[Sure.]
It led straight to a post in Aqua's fan club—full of the Terra photos I'd shared in the family chat. The poster? Haynaru. Mom and Dad's ID.
"Heh heh heh..."
I couldn't hold back the laughter.
"Grown-ups showing off their kids and grandkids is unbeatable."
[Look at this! This is my fan club!]
Aqua puffed out her chest proudly to Terra.
[Whoa... 100,000 members... Impressive.]
Aqua's fan club had ballooned into something massive, rivaling a mid-tier celebrity's. What started as just the president and vice-president sisters had grown so huge they needed full executive teams now.
'And those translation-like comments from foreigners are spiking too.'
They'd joined from around the world after I posted Spirit Realm pics: undines clinging to ice pillars, sylphs flitting over flower fields, Pompeii flapping his muffler atop the Spirit Tree branches, Uluru, Terra, and gnomes wallowing in mud baths.
'But the most popular one's this.'
The group shot from our last day in the Spirit Realm: over 300 spirits, Sia, and Kupar with the Spirit Tree and Sacred Mountain in the background. A true spectacle.
A heartfelt comment from some stranger made uploading them all worthwhile.
* * *
It was a lazy afternoon. Han Areum and Han Deuri had gone to the golf course with Jang Gilsan to learn the game.
Wanting more time with the spirits, I'd settled on the couch in the Suk residence living room with Aqua, Terra, and Mandu, watching TV.
'Huh?'
Looking for the remote to change channels, I spotted a game controller.
'Right, the Suks have a gaming console.'
As I fiddled with it, Aqua asked,
[What's that? Looks like a unicorn hoof.]
The upside-down U did kinda resemble a horse's hoof.
"You use this to control the game."
[Game? Oh, you mean the one on computers?]
Firing up the console revealed racing, fighting, and soccer games.
A fun idea hit me, and I grinned at Aqua.
"Aqua. Wanna race me?"
[Here?]
"In the game."
[In the game?]
Aqua's eyes sparkled as she turned to the TV—just in time for the racing game's main screen.
Vroooom!
She gaped at the roaring cars tearing down the track.
[Whoa...! Faster than unicorns!]
Aqua grabbed my chest excitedly.
[I wanna try! Let's do it!]
I grabbed the second controller and handed it to her.
[Chit!]
Mandu scampered onto Aqua's head for prime viewing.
"Terra, you in?"
Terra glanced up at the TV, then shook her head and returned to her book, A Fun Look at World History.
[No.]
'She's so studious.'
After a quick tutorial, we dove into racing.
[Behold the skills of the Spirit Realm's top rider!]
Aqua giggled, puffing her chest.
"Behold the guy who passed his driver's test first try!"
3, 2, 1.
The eight cars—six AI-controlled—roared off the line.
Vroom!
Luckily starting near the front, I shot into the lead.
[Hm! Urk! Why do I keep crashing?!]
Aqua, stuck in the back, tangled with others at the first corner and fell behind. The race ended anticlimactically: I took third, Aqua dead last.
She trembled at the "8th" on screen—pride wounded.
Ahem. I cleared my throat carefully.
"It was just the first race? Happens."
[No pity!]
No need for sympathy, got it. I switched gears. Truth be told, I'd been dying to tease her.
"Weren't there unicorns in the Spirit Realm? Must be frustrating for 'em."
[What?]
"You said you're the top rider?"
[So?]
"If you're the best, they've probably never even lapped the Realm once, right? Isn't that true, Last Place?"
[...!!!]
My curveball left her jaw dropped. Then she shook with rage and yelled,
[One more! Bring it!]
I couldn't help smiling. Teasing Aqua was getting addictive—trouble.
* * *
Aqua stayed last in the next round too.
[Again! I won't forgive running off after winning!]
[Rematch! I won't give up!]
[Brake! I pressed it! Is the button broken?!]
[Eeeeek...! One more!]
As rounds dragged on, she inched closer to the screen—now practically nose-to-TV.
I considered pulling her back for her eyes, then remembered spirits didn't have that problem.
Plus, it let me enjoy her cuteness up close.
Vrooom!
Mid-corner, Aqua tilted the stick—and her whole body. She toppled sideways.
[Eek.]
She popped right up. Mandu, who'd tumbled off her head, scurried back on.
She'd fallen over a dozen times already, too focused to notice.
"Heh heh heh..."
I soaked in the adorable sight.
About 30 minutes in, Aqua's ranks climbed: 7th, 6th, even 4th.
I was back in the groove, battling AI for 1st and 2nd, but getting tense.
"Hm?"
Something odd: Aqua's hair draped over her controller, ends bundled like tiny fingers.
'...What?'
Leaning for a better look—
Snap!
Her hair curled up like it sensed me.
"..."
[...]
Aqua avoided my eyes. I got it: she was using her hair and fingers on the controller.
"..."
[...]
I just stared. She fidgeted, pretending something fascinating was outside, then shuddered and whirled on me.
[What?! It's not like controllers aren't body-controlled anyway!]
"No, I didn't say—"
[Quiet! This isn't cheating or breaking rules!]
"Okay, okay."
Desperate to win. I chuckled and started the next race.
And won again.
[Nyaaaaagh!]
Aqua hurled the controller and flailed her limbs.
[Trash game! Garbage game! Human-favoring trash!]
Spouting who-knows-where-learned rants.
"Kuh huh huhk!"
I laughed so hard I nearly choked.