The Gate Adventure of Love and Friendship Begins, Dayo!

"It's amazing, dayo~"

Swoosh. Beneath the sunlight streaming through the window, I tilted my tanker certification card this way and that. The card bore my own embedded face, along with the Tanker Association's official seal certifying me as an A-rank tanker and a serial number to match.

Somehow I felt proud, like I'd accomplished something truly great. I'd written it off as a pointless certification to begin with, so why did it feel this good? Maybe because it was something I'd earned through honest effort. Even if it didn't amount to much, my hard work hadn't gone to waste.

"Ugh... thinking it over, that was a reckless thing to do, dayo."

I'd done it because I couldn't wait until the next quarter, and every day since had been one regret after another. Truthfully, I'd worried more about people's eyes than the exam itself—but the world spared me no particular attention. Well, that's how it goes. Maybe it helped that incidents kept erupting all over the place and buried the story fast. In the end, nothing had changed except the Tanker Association's practical exam switching to a one-on-one format.

Bzzt.

"Ah, it's Grandma, dayo."

A mention from Sarangbang—our family group chat—was waiting on my phone. As it happened, I'd just finished getting ready to head out.

Tap-tap-tap-tap.

Rustle, rustle—ziiip. After sending my reply, I pulled the camo suit off the rack where it hung and put it on.

"Huh? Where's my hunter bag gone, dayo?"

It was important—stuffed with my survival kit and all sorts of things—but it was nowhere in sight. Grandpa Dong-gu had given it to me, after all. Where was it? I dug through the bookshelf, flipped the blankets over—nothing. I turned my studio apartment inside out searching for it.

Thud.

I was about to check under the desk when something snagged against my belly.

Ziiip—

"Uweh? It was around my waist, dayo!"

Oh my god—

I'd tied the camo suit around my waist because I might need to strip it off in a pinch.

Ziiip—!

I zipped the camo suit back up in a flash and scurried out to the front door.

Tap-tap, zzip. Standing at the door, that cramped little room somehow lingered in my eyes.

"I'm off, dayo~"

Beep-beeeep.

"I'm getting off here, dayo~"

Ding.

Vroooom—. The moment the village bus pulled away, a blast of hot wind swept over me. I held my breath for a beat, then dug through my pocket.

"Where to from here, dayo?"

I opened the party matching app and pulled up the map. The map of Seonggeo-eup town appeared, along with the stop where I stood. Glancing around at the shabby storefronts, I oriented myself by the GPS arrow.

"Hmm... I think it's that way, dayo."

Zooming in, I found the rendezvous point right beside a cafe.

"What a relief, dayo. If it had been up in the mountains again, that would've been rough, dayo."

Tap, tap. Bored on the walk over, I gave the party member list another look.

In the photo beside the profile, a pretty-boy was grinning ear to ear. Blond hair, a piercing, even a scar near his lip. Hmm... I'd thought it before coming, but he looked a bit like a delinquent. The tiny loner inside me quietly turned his head away. Still, this was a party Grandpa had recommended, so he had to be a good person..?

A noona glaring with utterly frigid eyes. Long black hair worn down, dressed in something like a school uniform. Was that a Magic Tower thing? I'd heard apprentices rarely set foot outside their guild. She was the first Magic Tower mage I'd ever seen in my life.

And last, an uncle built enormously broad. The heavy stubble shadow and the awkward smile in his photo were a little funny.

I scrolled back down the list from top to bottom.

"They seem pretty impressive, dayo."

Even the porter, treated as non-combat baggage, was C-rank. For a C-rank gate closure request, the specs were far too high. At worst, it was a place crawling with goblins and hobgoblins. Were the others overqualified because this was my first request?

Boing.

"Eh?"

Something soft bounced off my face. I lowered my phone, and a slender figure stood right in front of me. A soft, squishy belly wrapped in see-through mesh and a skin-tight camo suit. Several potion bottles jutted from the hunter bag cinched at her side.

"So it was you? You should watch where you're walking."

"Eheh? Whazzat, dayo?"

I took a step back—and a very tall noona was looking down at me, mesh robe and skin-tight camo suit and all.

"B-big... you're huge, dayo."

"Hmm... your way of talking really is as peculiar as I heard."

So she was the noona from that photo. It was an ID picture, so I hadn't been able to tell her height—I never dreamed the gap would be this dramatic. It was amazing how stylishly she wore the camo suit, too. Her legs went on forever; she looked exactly like a model.

I dipped into a bow.

"I'm Yoo Ai, dayo. Please look after me, dayo."

"Yeah. I'm Han Yu-ra. Looking forward to it?"

Noona Yu-ra closed the distance in one stride.

Squish. Squish-squish-squish.

"Th-that..."

"Hm? What?"

"Could you stop kneading my cheeks, dayo? I'm an adult, even if I don't look it."

"Oh, should I? By the way, how old are you?"

Squish-squish, squish-squish-squish-squish.

"I was born in '01, dayo! I stopped counting once I became an adult, so I forgot, dayo!"

"So you just forget it, huh. Well, sorry. I'm a materialist, so honestly, I don't care."

"Eh? Materi...al...ist? What's that, dayo?"

Is that like LGTV, dayo? They do say the world's full of all kinds of people, dayo. No wonder her hands had gotten terrifyingly fast, dayo.

Squish-squish, squish-squish, squish-squish, squish-squish-squish.

"It's nothing important. Too bad—it's almost time to join up, so we have to go."

Her hand slid away from my cheek. Maybe I was a little disappointed? But there were things a grown man had to uphold. Punctuality was serious business.

"Shall we go?"

"Got it, dayo."

Noona's soft fingers slipped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in between mine. Hand in hand with noona Yu-ra, I walked along, tap tap. Should I get a fashion camo suit like hers someday too? I was using the one the Association issued for now, but if custom orders were possible, I wanted one.

Tap, tap. We hadn't walked far before the meeting spot came into view.

There stood the party leader in front of the cafe, iced Americano in hand. He wasn't sloppy like some poncho either—his outfit looked as sharp as a tailored uniform. No, wait, everyone here was tall, dayo! I wanted to be 1807516cm too, dayo!

"Yes, hyung-nim. Something like that won't break my spirit. Yes, I'll treat them well. Don't you worry."

It sounded like some incredibly high-level business negotiation. Whoever this hyung-nim was, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the man seemed absolutely legendary. The person wasn't even present, yet his back kept folding in half with bows.

"The kids are her— oop.. anyway, hyung-nim, I'll call you once it's done."

"Hello, dayo? I'm Yoo Ai, dayo."

"I'm Han Yu-ra."

The leader's expression flickered strangely for a moment.

"What is this."

"Yes-dayo?"

Then it melted away just as fast.

"Ah, right—penalty awakening."

"Oh? That's it, dayo, that's it. My words come out a little funny, dayo."

I said it while thinking I looked a bit like the Joker from a movie. I am a penalty awakener, dayo. My speech is a widdle stwange, dayo?

The corner of my mouth curled up, slow and easy. Villains were... kinda cool, actually.

Kim Ji-hyeok laughed heartily and held out his right hand.

"Right, you checked the app? Name's Kim Ji-hyeok. Looking forward to working with you, junior."

"Ah.."

I reached for the leader's hand—then realized I already had a hand in mine. Glancing up beside me, I saw noona Yu-ra quietly let go. Clasp! I seized his hand and shook it.

"Looking forward to it, dayo!"

"Mmhm... you're Han Yu-ra, right? Good to have you too."

The leader eased his hand back and smiled again.

"Yes, looking forward to it."

"... Do you, by any chance, hate men?"

"No. I hate people."

The summer air turned glacial. A burn that savage, without a single drop of water! Looking sheepish, the leader withdrew his hand and leaned an arm on top of my camo suit.

"Everyone's here, so shall we get moving? Cross that intersection up ahead and the gate's right there. Let's clear it quick and grab something to eat."

"Eh? Mister Park Geon-guk isn't here yet, dayo?"

"Ah, I sent him ahead to run the entry paperwork."

"?? We're allowed to do that, dayo?"

My head tilted, unable to make sense of it.

"PWAHAHAHA! Of course we are. Well, you only just finished training, right? It's a measly C-rank gate. Who's going to say anything if we skim over the procedure a little? The party leader's a Dawn Guild hunter, you know."

That wasn't the point.

"Wouldn't you want to meet Mister Park Geon-guk too and talk with him, dayo?"

"Who? Me? Or that porter?"

"Neither, dayo?"

The leader flashed his easy smile again.

"Won't happen."

"Uh.."

"Hmm... how do I explain this? It's because you haven't seen enough of the world yet, little bro. Shall we talk it over while we walk?"

Tap, tap.

Heading for the gate, the leader rested a hand on my shoulder and spoke.

"Something I've learned from living a while: people aren't all the same kind of people."

"I-is that so, dayo?"

"It's a vague sort of enlightenment, but you'll feel it too once you climb high enough. You'll understand soon. You're an A-rank hunter yourself, after all. Right?"

"That's right, dayo."

Something felt like it was twisting out of true in my head. Like enormous gears catching and then grinding past each other.

"Do you know who ends up doing the porter work? No, of course not. The lowest-ranked person in the match gets stuck with it. Fixed parties haul them in from all over the place—pick whoever looks passable and use them."

"Is that how it works, dayo?"

This was news to me. I browsed Hunter Gallery every day and I'd never once heard it. People said porter work was brutal and thankless, but still.

"So then—would A-rank hunters like me or you ever have cause to carry bags? What about the precious mage standing right there, Yu-ra-ssi?"

"P-probably not, dayo."

"Exactly. That's the point. Babysitting porters is a job for the merely mediocre."

Having said his piece, the leader lifted his hand away and drew a step back.

"But what does that have to do with anything, dayo?"

"Hm?"

The leader's eyes slid over to Han Yu-ra. I was the one talking here, though.

"I wanted to greet the comrade I'm entering the gate with, and talk with him, dayo. The mister might feel the same, dayo."

My feet stopped dead. The leader's eyes flickered, blinking rapidly.

"Ah, so that's what you are. A model student. Did you play porter in training?"

Model student? I felt like I'd heard the phrase somewhere, but couldn't place it. Didn't seem important anyway.

"That's right, dayo. I was the porter in training, dayo."

"Ha, this is priceless. Hey, kid—you've been brainwashed. You know that? The Association fossils do that to snap collars onto kids who don't know any better. You planning to live like that even after you come to Dawn?"

Brainwashed? What was he even on about?

If you're going to lecture someone, at least look at them while you do it. He kept darting glances at Han Yu-ra alone, so it didn't feel like a conversation at all.

"I don't know what you're talking about, dayo. I'm not planning to join the Dawn Guild."

"This kid's brainwashed to the core. Now I get why hyung-nim left him with me. Yu-ra-ssi, he doesn't seem to understand—would you mind explaining it to him? The Magic Tower works the same way, doesn't it?"

"Hmm. Our battle mages only handle firepower support. I really couldn't say."

An icy reply. Kim Ji-hyeok let out a long sigh and murmured.

"Sheesh. Wouldn't it be nice if the world ran on ideals alone. You need to know a thing or two to get through life. Like talking to a brick wall. Fine—greetings or whatever, let's just go."

And that was the end of the conversation.

I chewed it over as we walked. Kim Ji-hyeok wasn't a bad person, as far as I could tell. So why had I pushed back, knowing it would sour the mood? Honestly, I didn't even know what I'd wanted to say. And still—something about it felt wrong.

As we drew near the intersection we'd been aiming for, the Association employee came into view, along with the gate's shimmering veil. The uncle from the photos was waiting there too, a massive porter's rig strapped to his back—an elegant rapier in one hand, a blade case bristling with long knives in the other.

"You've arrived, sir."

He bowed deep at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the waist in greeting and stepped back beside the gate.

Kim Ji-hyeok, making a show of it, plucked the rapier from the man's hand and stepped through the gate.

"Um... we'll just do a quick headcount before you go in. Could I see your IDs?"

The Association employee, his complexion gone pale, came up alongside us.

"Humans really are something.."

Han Yu-ra murmured that, then handed over her ID; I passed mine over right after.

I carried no luggage, but my whole body felt heavy. Somehow I could tell this gate expedition wasn't going to be a fun one. Honestly, I didn't want to fight with Kim Ji-hyeok. I wished something magical would happen so we could all pull together, cheering each other on.

"You look gloomy."

Saying that, noona Yu-ra swept my face into an embrace.

"Uweeeh?"

Mmm~ belly so soft and squishy, feels so good, cheek rub-rub, love it, dayo~

The mesh was a widdle scratchy, but maybe that made it better..

Squish-squish, squish-squish.

"If Kim Ji-hyeok upset you, should noona scold him for you?"

"Y-you'd scold him, dayo?"

"Mm-hm, I could. What do you say?"

Squish-squish, squish-squish, squish-squish, squish-squish.

How would a noona scold an A-rank leader, dayo? She was a B-rank mage, though...

Noona: warm, toasty, soft and squishy. Happiness.

"Cute... You like the belly? Want me to hike the robe up too?"

"Uuu... grown-ups don't like that sort of thing, dayo. Ah!"

Suddenly my head went crystal clear, dayo!

Right—once we were inside the gate, the swaying effect would shake everything loose and we'd all become close, dayo. It was like that last time with the ppoppai lady, and with Grandpa and Grandma, dayo.

The fantasy snowballed. We'd suffer through this and that, and when we finally made it back, we'd shed tears of emotion and hug each other, saying how much we loved one another—wouldn't we?

A few tears spilled out.

"Sniffle.."

"There, now—dry it up."

"Grown-ups don't cry, dayo."

Come to think of it, maybe I'd been seeing the leader as far stranger than he was. There had to be some reason. He was probably just a tender soul, bruised by the world. Once we made up, we'd all have to hug it out and take a photo together.

"I'm all better now, dayo! You don't need to scold him, dayo!"

"You are? What a shame."

The squishing, kneading hand lifted away.

"Um... might I ask when you'll be entering..."

The Association employee asked, his face gone red. Uncle Geon-guk beside him looked impatient too. I'd have liked to chat, but I supposed it would have to wait until we were inside.

"Sorry, dayo! Then it's departure—toward love and friendship, dayo!"

Forward, march!

"Cute. And quirky."

"Ah, do be careful! The scout report says there are quite a lot of hobgoblins!"

Together, we crossed through the gate.

"Fuck!"

Crack! Rip-tear!

He whipped the blade through a branch, then kicked a young pine until it snapped. By the time he came back to himself, there wasn't a single sapling left standing worth breaking.

Goddamn it all.

'I really couldn't say.'

Han Yu-ra's eyes flashed through his mind again. He could feel his face burning scarlet.

"You fucking half-wit retard bastard! Making a fool out of me?!"

All that, over a little discomfort—the kid had smeared mud on his senior's good name. Just how much of a flower garden had his world been, that he'd behave like that? He'd gone easy on him, figuring he'd be a junior around the guild from now on. The moment he decided to be decent, the little shit came crawling up his back.

It showed—no wonder, with everyone cooing over how cute he was.

"Got a few connections and suddenly the world looks like a joke to you?"

A half-pint who, connections aside, would be lucky to scrape together even a porter gig—never mind a spot on a team. He must figure his parents would wait on him hand and foot for the rest of his life. Step into the real world and none of that exists. People can barely keep themselves alive out there. The nerve.

Society is getting squeezed by your seniors above and trampled by your juniors below while everyone fights to climb—that's what the real world is.

"Daring to pull that on a senior who might as well be the sky..."

Grrk.

The hand around the rapier's grip trembled violently.

Clang. Click.

"Hoo..."

He slid the blade home and let the fury settle.

Once they hit the field, the education would be his to deliver anyway. If the brat wanted to act like a shitstain, he could become an endless one. No need to burn hot over it this early.

And yet, nothing said he couldn't start the education a little ahead of schedule, either.

"Fine. I'll chalk it up to paving the road and saving one poor soul."

Swallowing it down with effort, he glanced back toward the gate.

Let's see whether you stay that stiff when the situation turns on you.

Han Yu-ra's face rose in his mind again. Those frost-cold eyes.

'I really ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠couldn't say.'

"Fuck!"

BANG!