To Seoul (1)
Weekend morning. My friends and I were riding a taxi toward Donghae City to catch the train to Seoul.
If we used Gilsan's car, it would be simple...
But I wanted the spirits to experience a train ride. Aqua was buzzing with excitement too, though for slightly different reasons.
[We're going to Seoul! Seoul!]
"Does Aqua like Seoul?"
[Of course! It's a hundred times city!]
A hundred times city. That phrase brought back a memory. Not long after Aqua had come to the human world, I'd told her at the Samcheok church that Seoul was a hundred times bigger than Samcheok.
I asked in surprise, "You remembered that?"
Aqua beamed at me like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
[I remember everything you say!]
Her words tugged at my heart. I pulled her into a tight hug.
[Hee hee hee!]
Aqua hugged me back. Her soft, squishy, cool touch filled my arms with a refreshing chill.
Terra, who was sitting on my lap with Aqua, asked, [Are the buildings in Seoul big too?]
"Of course. There are buildings over a hundred stories tall everywhere."
[A hundred stories?]
Terra seemed to have trouble grasping the number. I chuckled softly.
"A hundred times bigger than our house."
[A hundred times...!]
Terra's eyes widened as far as they could go.
[A hundred times city...!]
They sparkled like jewels.
* * *
We arrived at the Donghae City high-speed rail station.
[Ooooh! So many humans!]
Aqua was thrilled by her first train station—or more precisely, by the sheer number of people. There were plenty of folks at Samcheok Beach, but the indoor station felt even more crowded.
[O... Bigger than the library.]
Terra looked around the massive building, especially taken with the huge front glass windows. She'd once described glass as "water hardened from earth," and she loved it that much.
[Chit!]
Our pig-mander, Mandu, ignored all that and intently scoped out the food stalls.
"It's been a while since a train trip, huh?" said Han Deuri, lugging all our bags—including mine. I had no free arms with the spirits in them, and since the station was packed, they'd dematerialized.
"Donghae to Seoul is quick anyway, but it'll be fun."
"Magic stone engine means it'll take less than an hour."
The moment we stepped onto the platform, Terra's eyes went wide.
[What's that?]
She pointed at the train, mouth agape. I'd expected the reaction, and a smile crept onto my face.
"That's a train."
[Train?]
"It'll carry us to Seoul fast and safe."
[Ooo...]
I stood right next to it for Terra. She reached out from my arms and touched it.
[Metal too...]
Terra turned her head, eyeing both ends as if measuring its length.
[Humans are amazing.]
Her eyes sparkled. Her enthusiasm confirmed I'd made the right call with the train.
Gotta show her a plane next time.
Aqua was just as stunned, if not quite as much.
[Whoooaaa...]
Overwhelmed by its size, she pressed closer to my chest. I leaned down and rubbed my cheek against the top of her head.
We boarded the very front car, made up of five deluxe rooms. Each room had a large table surrounded by two pairs of chairs front and back. Even the luggage space was spacious and comfy.
"Feels like those old Western trains from movies," said Han Areum and Han Deuri, excitedly checking out the room.
No surprise—it was the deluxe room Jang Gilsan had booked. Thanks to my friends' thoughtfulness, I got the forward-facing window seat. Not for me, but for the spirits.
[Like inside a giant snake's belly!]
Aqua stuck to the window, watching people pass by outside.
[Ooh, glass here too.]
Terra joined her. Their little feet pressed into my legs. I stroked their backs at that adorable weight.
Aqua and Terra turned to me in unison. Their twin-like faces made my heart ache sweetly.
[Chit?]
Mandu, lizard-style, was climbing the window glass.
Soon, the train began to move.
[It's starting!]
Choo-choo. As the magic stone-powered high-speed rail picked up speed, Aqua got even more excited.
[Ooh, it's moving.]
[Ooo! The world's going backward!]
Aqua bobbed on her tiptoes, peering out eagerly. The train left the station and sped into the mountains. Spotting the distant sea, Aqua waved.
[See you later, ocean!]
Then we entered a tunnel.
[Eek?]
The sudden darkness turned the window into a mirror, reflecting Aqua's face. Startled by her own reflection, she toppled backward.
"Whoa."
I caught her before she hit the floor.
[That scared me!]
After a brief freak-out, Aqua climbed back onto my lap and stared intently at her reflection. She poked her cheeks, flicked her bangs.
After playing with her face a bit, she got bored and tugged at Terra's hem.
Terra, who'd been staring out the window waiting for the tunnel to end, turned.
Aqua declared, [Let's explore!]
[Explore?]
[What if there's enemies on this train? Come on, Mandu!]
Aqua hopped onto the table. Adventure time, apparently.
[Chit!]
Mandu flapped over to her head. Terra looked at me—permission?
"Of course. Go have fun."
[Okay.]
Terra climbed down my leg to the floor.
[Let's go!]
Aqua jumped down, stretched her hair long to open the door.
[We'll be back!]
With Mandu on her head, she dashed down the aisle. Terra followed.
"You sure it's okay to let them go?" Han Areum asked.
"They can't get lost on a train." Plus, the contract bond let me sense them instantly.
Han Deuri grinned and pulled something from his chest pocket.
"Wanna play cards then?"
Poker deck.
"Nothing beats Go-Stop for trips."
"Raised him right," Han Areum chuckled approvingly.
Watching Han Deuri shuffle, Jang Gilsan asked seriously, "Snacks as stakes?"
We exchanged glances and nodded.
"Snacks it is."
Battle auras ignited. We took these games seriously.
* * *
I stepped out to buy snacks.
Never thought I'd lose.
Jang Gilsan's poker face got me at the very end.
Guild heirs are on another level.
I shook my head, heading for the vending machine between cars—toward the regular ones in the back.
The contract bond's pulling that way too.
Guess their "exploration" took them all the way back there. Snacks and spirits, two birds.
Whoosh. I passed through the auto-doors, scanning the regular cars. Families on vacation, couples, solo travelers with cameras around their necks—all sunburned from summer beaches, heading to Seoul.
Peeking at faces on my way back, Aqua's words suddenly clicked.
Exploration play, huh.
A train really was an adventure space. After nine cars, I reached the passage to the last one.
[Mm...!]
Aqua's voice. I hid and peeked—curious how they played without me.
[Looks yummy!]
[I want some.]
[Chit!]
Huddled together, they stared up at something. The snack and drink vending machine. Mom's hearty breakfast must've worn off.
These appetite incarnates.
I smiled. Their eyes gleamed.
[That cola has to be the tasty kind!]
[Coffee-flavored snacks...]
[Chit, chit!]
After staring, Aqua poked buttons randomly. No coins, no dice.
[Mm...!]
[Chit?]
Mandu chirped sadly atop her head.
[No, Mandu! Breaking it for snacks would make Hyunwoo sad!]
[Chiii...]
[We're in the human world—we follow human rules!]
Such a big-sis spirit thing to say. I couldn't help smiling every time she acted so mature.
Terra touched the machine, probably scanning its structure.
[This is a vending machine.]
[Vending machine?]
[Like the drink one by the house.]
[Oh! It does look similar!]
They hadn't recognized it since it differed from the one at home.
[Then...!]
Aqua crossed her arms, nodding as memory hit.
[Put in money or a card, and food comes out!]
[Money? Card?]
[That square thing Hyunwoo gives when buying stuff!]
[Oh, the trade paper.]
Terra shoved her hand into her chest—like slicing tofu, it accepted it softly. Gnomes using their bodies as bags always startled me, even knowing it.
She rummaged and pulled out a small paper bill.
[Chit!]
[Oh, making money with that?]
[Yeah.]
Terra laid it flat and neatly cut it square with her fingers—easy for an earth spirit. But no way it'd work.
Whirr. The machine spat it out. Five rejections later, Aqua puffed her cheeks.
[You picky thing! Picky eating's bad for you!]
Terra tilted her head at her cut paper.
[No picture on it?]
[Chit?]
Mandu looked glum—can't eat snacks?
[No, we can.]
Terra dug in again, pulling out a precious lump of Spirit Realm soil she always carried. She shaped it into a thin, rectangular card with spirit power.
[Try this.]
Counterfeit card. I couldn't watch anymore and burst out.
I couldn't let my beloved spirits turn to crime.