168. The Festival Must Go On (1)
168. The Festival Must Go On (1)
A massive speaker system at the front pulsed, shaking everyone's hearts.
FLASH-FLASH-FLASH—! SWISH—!
Brilliant lights shot down from the sky.
The music that followed swelled, building an atmosphere of escalating excitement. People who had been playing or relaxing at the beach began gathering toward the concert venue one by one.
"This year's festival lineup is seriously no joke."
"Right? Isn't this practically every top-tier celebrity in one place? And look at the class of this venue. How much money did they pour into this?"
"Kgh, you see that? That's a super-sized hologram projector."
"Whoa, holy shit, that's insane... They said it'd be the biggest scale of any recent festival, and they weren't kidding."
The gathered crowd's eyes sparkled with undisguised anticipation.
Meanwhile, behind the stage, the celebrities scheduled to perform were arriving one after another.
That was when, just before the festival began—
"...What did you say? So, you're telling me that a monster wave is going to hit here, right now?"
Seo A-yoon spoke with a stunned expression, as if unable to believe it.
"Yes."
Shin Se-hee nodded with a calm face.
"H-How could that... We've been running safety inspections to an almost excessive degree for the last six months..."
"It's a monster wave where the gate explodes the moment it forms. We also just learned of this fact."
At Shin Se-hee's words, Seo A-yoon bit her lip tightly.
"...Why did it have to be today."
With the opening about to commence, it was a bolt from the blue.
A statement so sudden it almost felt random. But there was no way to disbelieve it either.
The girl in front of her was Cheonhwa. The Shin Se-hee. How could Seo A-yoon possibly dismiss her?
She was from Utopia—the hottest party recently produced by Velvet Hunter Academy. In fact, rumors even circulated that Shin Se-hee was the one pulling the strings behind Utopia in reality.
'If we cancel the festival here, the losses would...'
As she thought of the money already spent, the damage compensation that would have to be repaid, and all the various incidental costs that would go up in smoke, her vision went dark.
But Seo A-yoon, who had been around the block in this industry, quickly started racking her brain.
'Still, if we have casualties here, that would be far more terrible...'
Would 'terrible' even begin to cover it?
It would likely be a horrific nightmare that would even finish off her entire career. Money could be earned back and repaid, but a fallen position could never be reclaimed.
In that sense, it was actually fortunate that she was able to learn of this disaster before the festival truly began.
The VIP ticket she'd sent to the chairwoman had truly ended up saving her life.
'Right. Clinging to the festival here would be a stupid move. I need to quickly map out evacuation routes and request cooperation from the guards.'
Having finished her assessment, Seo A-yoon bowed deeply toward Shin Se-hee and spoke with a stiff voice.
"Then we will halt the festival immediately. Thank you so much for informing us before an irreversible catastrophe could occur."
Looking down at her, Shin Se-hee smiled, curling her lips up. Then she parted her lips and spoke in a leisurely tone.
"...Excuse me. What would you do if, hypothetically, the festival could continue?"
At Shin Se-hee's words, Seo A-yoon's eyes went round.
"Pardon? What do you mean by that?"
* * *
BOOM— BOOM— BOOM—
The music and drumbeats that had been ringing out loudly suddenly cut off.
Cut.
And then.
WEEEE-OOO—!!!!!
A siren that forcibly dragged up everyone's alertness blared, and crimson lights flashed alongside it.
"...Wh-what the."
"Uh, wait! This sound is...?"
At the sound, the faces of the people who hadn't grasped the situation at first gradually hardened.
"This is an emergency alert... And it's Level 1 at that."
"Oh, oh shit, what do we do! I came to play today and didn't bring anything!"
"...We're fucking screwed. Monsters are suddenly appearing here?"
"Wh-where are the hunters?"
It was a sound that no human living in the Gate Era could fail to recognize.
The Level 1 Emergency Alert. When this sound rang out, everyone's tension spiked. Because it meant a high probability that monsters that attack humans were about to appear in the area.
It meant you had to immediately enter your home and lock the door, or equip a weapon and somehow seek a path to survival.
However, since everyone was in swimsuits and in a wide-open space, there was really nowhere suitable to take shelter.
"...Don't tell me, is this a festival event too?"
One person in the crowd blurted that out.
"What kind of insane, nonsensical bullshit is that! Use an emergency alert as a festival event? Do that and you'd instantly crash and burn!"
That's what an emergency alert was. A sound that words like pranks or jokes could never dare to intrude upon.
"Ah, um, I-I just said it on the off chance, is all."
"Don't say stuff that doesn't even make sense and hurry up preparing to evacuate. There'll be guards here too."
Though people showed signs of agitation with hardened expressions, they displayed a surprisingly calm demeanor amidst the chaos.
Because everyone living in the Gate Era received thorough education from childhood. That was how they knew that getting excited and rampaging in times like this would cost you your life first.
"Stay calm! It'll be alright! And the Velvet Hunter Academy and the Hunter Management Bureau will dispatch forces soon too."
Their high trust in the nation's hunters also played a part. Even if they cursed them daily for delayed responses or inflated abilities, they displayed a firm belief in their country's hunters.
This was possible because even though S-Rank Gates and A-Rank Gates had erupted simultaneously recently, the damage hadn't been extensive.
Hummm—
That was when it happened.
A hologram projector shone the figure of a man into the sky above.
"Ah, o-over there!"
"What!?"
"Who is that...? He's fucking handsome."
"He seems familiar somehow... Wait, isn't that Fighting Dog behind him?"
"Oh, it really is! Gukbap and Squinting Mastermind are behind him too! Then this person, could it be... Jin Yu-ha!?"
Jin Yu-ha, with his scant clothing, his hair swept back from his forehead, and the makeup creating an atmosphere different from usual. Though people had momentarily failed to recognize him, the moment they saw the party members standing behind him, they realized the projected man was Jin Yu-ha.
At once, the faces of people gripped by anxiety slowly began to brighten.
What kind of party was Utopia? The hunter party whose stock was currently rising the highest!
Though they'd initially been swayed by all sorts of false rumors, they'd steadily built their presence, and after imprinting their skill onto people worldwide through YouTube videos, they were now an undeniable party of true elites with overwhelming, ongoing support.
With such a party being displayed, it was no wonder the crowd reacted with such fervor.
"Utopia!! The Utopia Party was here!!"
"We're! Saved!!!"
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!"
As everyone was thus intoxicated by a sense of relief, the hologram-projected Jin Yu-ha opened his mouth.
— Ahh, hello, everyone.
"Whoa......"
"...His body is seriously insane. And the outfit is unreal too..."
"What's with that voice..."
"Wow, I watch 'One Day One Yu-ha' on YouTube, but seeing him in 3D is on a whole different dimension from the videos."
"That's... because it's a 3D hologram?"
Despite the current emergency, people slowly opened their mouths at the shocking visuals.
"Uh... Wait, that person is Jin Yu-ha? I-Isn't he that super handsome guy I tried to hit on earlier today and failed?"
"...Now that I think of it, there was someone who looked like Kang Do-hee behind him, but I thought she'd never come to a place like this, so I figured it couldn't be her..."
"That was actually real? We almost just died, huh."
— I understand you are all very confused by this sudden, dire situation, but please give me your attention for a moment.
However, contrary to his words, the people here were not confused at all. Because they couldn't tear their eyes from Jin Yu-ha's face.
— The current situation is real, and I must preface this by saying it was an unpredictable event. But fortunately, we were invited to the Haeundae Festival and are currently staying here. So you can rest assured.
It was a voice that put people at ease. But at the words that followed, everyone could only tilt their heads in confusion.
— Therefore, I would like all of you to continue on with the festival.
...?
What was he talking about? Continue the festival at a time when even evacuating might not be fast enough? Did he mean they could all relax because Utopia could handle all the monsters with their skills? Even for the Utopia Party, that seemed like far too much overconfidence.
— The monsters currently approaching this location are A-Rank Monsters, Blue Crabs. They move in groups and have a habit of swarming to attack their targets.
A-Rank Monsters were approaching in a swarm. The faces of those who imagined the scene turned ashen gray.
— These creatures are sensitive to vibrations and sound, so they tend to avoid loud noises. That is why we need your cooperation. The more you keep the festival going with loud sounds, the safer you will become, and the more we can focus the monsters' attention onto us.
Ah.
Only then did the people understand Jin Yu-ha's words. But then they showed expressions of reluctance.
Continue the festival. Easier said than done. How could they possibly do that as they pleased?
To have to enjoy a festival in a life-or-death situation. Should they scream at the top of their lungs until they lost their voices?
That was when.
FZZZZT—!
The hologram projector suddenly turned off, and the lights that had been dark turned back on.
The spotlight shone on a single person in front of the installed stage.
The pupils of the people who turned their heads that way went wide and round.
"...Uh, Che-Cheonhwa!?"
"Shin Se-hee!? Why is Shin Se-hee here...?"
"Ah, right! Shin Se-hee is the Utopia operator, right!?"
"She's staying here because she's not in a combat role!"
Since enough information about the Utopia Party had already spread, the people quickly understood the situation.
And at the same time, they felt reassured.
Even if not to the extent of Kang Do-hee or Jin Yu-ha, to have the powerful Shin Se-hee here. People were able to relax even further.
"Everyone, hello!"
Shin Se-hee smiled brightly and waved toward the crowd. Then, in her swimsuit, she cutely patted her modest chest.
"First of all, the safety of this place will be guarded by me, Utopia's Operator!"
"Waaaaaaahhhhh—!!!!!"
Bolstered by what Jin Yu-ha had just said and a deep sense of relief, the people erupted into loud cheers.
"Heheh, our Party Leader Jin Yu-ha has asked you all to enjoy the festival here, hasn't he? However, you can't enjoy it with nothing going on! So I'll be acting as both commentator and MC here!"
Snap—!
The moment Shin Se-hee snapped her fingers, the hologram video shone above the people's heads once more.
It showed Jin Yu-ha in a swimsuit, drawing his weapon alongside the other members of the Utopia Party.
The massive monsters swarming far off in the sea, their eyes surfacing from the water, could also be seen.
"...Huh?"
The people wore stunned faces, unable to comprehend the suddenly unfolding situation.
"Now, then. From this moment on... Shall we all cheer on the Utopia Party's battle and have a blast together—?"
With those concluding words, a massive beat dropped.
BOOM— BOOM— BOOM— BOOM—!
And with that, the Haeundae Beach Festival began once more.
BOOM— BOOM— BOOM—