Hand Over Earth's Entertainment Right Now! [01]
Hand Over Earth's Entertainment Right Now! [01]
Morning had broken.
I sat up in bed.
I stretched out my limbs and gave a mighty stretch.
One. Two. Three.
"Haaaaaaah!"
As expected, you have to let out a big shout to feel refreshed.
I rubbed my eyes and looked out the window.
Everything outside was still pitch black.
If you looked at the time, it was definitely morning.
The sun in this world always rises late.
I wanted to sleep more, but...
I shook off the temptation and got out of bed.
The face in the mirror felt just a little unfamiliar.
Or rather, to the point where I wondered if it was strange that I'd gotten used to it at all. There were many times when I couldn't believe the reality in front of me.
I moved my hands.
I pulled at my cheeks.
I massaged my legs.
Pink hair flowed down past my shoulders, and horns glowed softly atop my head. Red eyes stared right back at me from the mirror.
It's a face I've seen until I'm sick of it...
But the more I look, the more amazing it is.
The me from my past life didn't look like this.
It became a habit to chuckle whenever that thought crossed my mind. My past life, where I lived as a man, still comes to mind vividly whenever I close my eyes.
An ordinary face, an ordinary body.
A person who didn't even have any notable abilities...
Just a completely ordinary human.
I don't know how I died.
It could have been an illness, or an accident, but I don't know what my end was like. Because my mind just goes blank whenever I try to think about it.
The past is the past, anyway.
Let's bury it in my heart.
Reality is more important.
If you were to ask... what kind of life I'm living now.
My name is Wang Yeon-bi.
I was born as the youngest princess of the Great Goryeo Empire and the granddaughter of the Dragon King. Born into one of the strongest bloodlines on this planet.
The eyes in the mirror were dyed red by the light.
I've been hearing that I'm pretty until I'm sick of it, ever since I was born. The royal guards, the maids, even the diplomatic envoys.
They all said the same thing, as if they'd coordinated it.
After that piled up over and over again.
It became a normal daily routine.
It's understandable that everyone treats me with such caution. They say it's been 5,000 years since a child was born into the royal family.
I didn't even need to be told to know how much of a headache that must have been.
A small flame was floating above the vanity.
Pink. I summoned it without thinking.
If I reach out my finger, the flame lands on my hand. It's not hot at all. This flame was the first thing I learned after I was born.
Dragon's flame. In other words, Dragon Fire.
Things that the me from my past life would have only seen in comic books.
I scattered the flame into the air and stood up. The pink horns and hair in the mirror swayed back and forth once or twice.
Today is my 100th birthday.
And it's also the day I'll finally say the words I've been keeping in my heart. Grandfather told me. He said he would grant me anything.
There is only one thing I want.
Something I've thought about for a long time.
Something that was always put off because I was "too young."
Something there's no reason to delay anymore.
That is, entertainment.
Like comic books. Or games.
Or anime.
Things like that.
It's boring.
This world is terribly boring.
It's not just because I have nothing to do.
Being a princess of the Empire is busier than you'd think.
There's government affairs, training, and diplomacy.
Yet, this emptiness won't go away.
The things I loved most in my past life don't exist in this world at all. It's not just that they're missing; the very concept doesn't exist. It's truly a pity.
The beings in this world take getting stronger and dominating for granted. If you ask them what entertainment is, nine times out of ten they talk about feasts or wars.
So, I eventually tried to make them myself.
For 100 years, I worked really hard.
...I did. To the point of tears.
I traced my past life's memories to explain the structure of games, the narrative of comics, and the concept of animation.
It wasn't that we lacked the technology. We're a space-faring civilization that has reached the galaxy; implementation itself was possible. The problem was in an unexpected place.
The way people in this world find things fun was different from me. It's hard to put into words, but maybe it's a sensitivity issue unique to non-human races, different from humans.
The warriors who saw the narrative game I painstakingly made all said the same thing. Why not fight yourself? They said this kind of play is just boring.
So next, I showed them comics.
The mages asked what the point was of reading something that couldn't even help them realize the depths of magic, lost interest immediately, and went back to their workshops.
The first animation, which took a whopping half a year to make, ended with the high nobility council evaluating it as "child's play."
I tried to gather talent to work together...
But even those people eventually hit a wall.
That was when I realized that culture isn't something you plant alone, but something that grows together.
Honestly speaking, that moment was the most disheartening. That was the limit of what I could do alone.
So, it won't work here.
I'd rather bring it from somewhere else.
Something excellent that anyone would fall in love with.
The door opened the moment I was about to grab the handle. Even though winter should have long passed, cold frost touched my skin.
"Good morning, Princess."
This voice is one of a kind in the world.
I know it without needing to check.
Wang So-yeon was standing in the hallway.
Pure white hair cascaded neatly down to her waist, and her horns were longer and straighter than mine. She was staring straight at me with an expressionless face.
Her expression is always like that.
A woman in whom it's hard to find any change in emotion.
When I first saw her, she was quite scary.
I'm used to it now, so it's fine.
She is also royalty, but for some reason, she volunteered to be my nanny and has been taking care of me since I was young. I heard she adored me as much as a mother when I was just born. Is that really true?
"Where are you going so early in the morning?"
"To Grandfather Dragon King."
A short silence.
It's So-yeon eonni's signature silence.
She seems to be pondering something.
"What about your meal?"
"Later."
"I ask that you dress properly first."
I looked down at my clothes.
Pink fabric was loosely wrapped around my waist.
A white sash crossed over it.
"...In this attire, to His Majesty the Dragon King."
Perhaps because it was obvious I'd just thrown it on in my haste, So-yeon eonni's eyebrows rose slightly. Oh no. If this happens, the nagging will start.
Let's change the subject quickly.
Once she starts talking, there's no end in sight.
"Eonni, that's not what's important!"
"Very well. Is something the matter?"
"It's a day that my life depends on."
So-yeon eonni looked at me for a moment.
Then, she let out a quiet sigh.
Very softly. Barely audible.
"Understood. Follow me. However, you cannot go in that attire. Please dress properly. As a princess of the Goryeo Empire, etiquette..."
"Ah, alright. I'll just change, okay?"
In the end, I had to spend ten more minutes putting on proper clothes. So-yeon eonni didn't rush a single bit, even though she knew I was in a hurry.
When I grumbled that it was uncomfortable, the reply came back, "I cannot bear it if you appear before His Majesty the Dragon King in that state."
I knew So-yeon eonni was going through trouble, so I couldn't bring myself to argue. Let's just stay quiet for now.
Even while walking down the hallway, my feet felt light.
My heart was pounding.
This wish I've been holding in my heart.
How will Grandfather take it?
He had never refused my requests before.
Because he loved me terribly.
If it's the wish of his cute granddaughter.
Wouldn't he grant it somehow?
Of course, it's a baseless confidence...
But it was better than nothing.
Yeah.
It'll be fine. Definitely.
✦✦✦
I could never get used to the Dragon Palace Chamber.
The space itself is twisted. When you open the door, the inside is wider than the outside, and the distance between the pillars changes as you walk. They call it distortion magic, but I haven't learned it yet because it's difficult.
I almost fainted from dizziness when I first came here, but now I've learned how to ignore it. I immediately stretched my legs and ran.
Grandfather was not sitting on the throne.
With his back turned and hands clasped behind him, he was looking at something beyond the window.
A river of sparkling starlight.
I couldn't tell if it was the Milky Way or the sea.
Just that there were many sparkling things.
I thought only that and passed by immediately.
"You have come."
The voice spread throughout the entire space.
So-yeon eonni knelt formally beside me. I just did a half-hearted version.
Grandfather didn't say anything, even though he knew I was skimping on etiquette. He always said that if it was uncomfortable, there was no need to keep it.
Although it seemed to make the other retainers uncomfortable. In the end, no one ever questioned or scolded me.
"Grandfather, I've decided on my birthday present."
"Good. Tell me anything."
He turned around slowly.
Grandfather's appearance was far from human. It's hard to explain exactly, but the color of his eyes looked different from every angle.
Traces of scales remained here and there under his skin, and just by standing there, he weighed heavily on the space, distorting the dimension.
Even so, I had never been afraid of him since I was young. Because he was my grandfather. Besides, in this world full of only non-human races, it wasn't a big deal.
"I want to go to Earth."
A long silence dominated the space.
Grandfather stroked the beard near his chin with an unwavering gaze.
"...Earth."
"Yes. I want to go."
"Truly, to that planet of savages?"
Savages? That's too much.
It must look like that in Grandfather's eyes.
From the perspective of a superpower ruled by dragons, a civilization that has reached the galaxy, Earth must just be a fringe planet. Still, that word bothered me.
"It's not savages," I said. "What's missing there is here, and what's missing here is there. The Empire has power, but no entertainment. Always just fighting."
"Entertainment..."
Grandfather ruminated on the word.
As if chewing on something.
"You know what I was trying to make, right? Games and comics. It didn't go well here... but it's okay. Because I can just bring them from where they already exist!"
"Then this grandfather will get them for you..."
"Grandfather, I don't want to just bring them, I want to have an exchange. With Earth. To make the Empire prosper, fighting alone isn't enough. There must be an answer on Earth that will help."
Grandfather didn't answer.
His gaze lingered somewhere on my face.
I couldn't tell where he was looking.
In my past life, there was always tense music playing in scenes like this. Now, only suffocating silence surrounded us.
So-yeon eonni took a sharp, shallow breath.
It seemed like she was about to say something.
"Your Majesty."
My eyes widened without me realizing it. She's usually not the type to step forward in a place like this. I didn't expect her to intervene so actively.
"Although the Princess did not say it herself, the acquisition of dimensional travel technology is already complete. All that is needed now is permission."
Grandfather's eyes moved briefly toward So-yeon eonni, then returned to me.
This wasn't the grandfather I usually knew.
It was the gaze of the Dragon King who looked down on his retainers during meetings. He is one who has countless stars beneath him; there's no way it wouldn't be scary.
Even so, I didn't back down at all.
I straightened my back and took a neat posture.
"Yeonbi."
"Yes."
"I will ask one last time. Must you go yourself to that place where the level of civilization is far behind? Is it really worth that much?"
"Yes. I want to go myself. It is worth enough for me to bet my life on it."
Grandfather looked at me quietly.
Only after I said it did I realize I had spoken more seriously than I thought. It was quite a heavy statement for someone who had come running in excitement.
Grandfather's expression changed.
Somewhere around his eyes looked a little tired.
After a while, silence descended again.
But this time, the feeling was different.
If the previous one was a heavy silence before a judgment.
This time... it was a lighter silence, as if he were letting something go.
"There is a condition."
I tried not to hold my breath, but I did.
Please. Please, I hope he grants it.
"Please tell me."
Grandfather unfolded his fingers one by one.
"You must have So-yeon accompany you."
"Of course."
The second finger.
"Three times a week. No more than that."
Three times is enough.
"I understand."
The third.
"Be careful of your safety."
That sounded a little different.
The first two conditions were expected.
But the third one had a different tone.
A voice closer to an earnest request than an order.
"Grandfather?"
"Earth is not quiet right now."
His gaze went beyond the window.
"There are things flowing in from other dimensions. Earth is likely mixing with them right now."
Other dimensions. What could that mean?
If Grandfather mentioned it himself, it's not something to be taken lightly. I could feel So-yeon eonni's eyes narrowing beside me.
"What kind of things?"
"You will know automatically when you go. If you find out, do not act rashly. You are still an immature dragon. Be careful and be careful again."
I wanted to ask many more things.
However, I could tell that Grandfather's voice had closed off. It seemed he had no intention of saying more. Can't be helped. I have no choice but to give up.
I nodded.
"Thank you, Grandfather."
"It's an expensive birthday present."
"I suppose so," I smiled brightly.
Grandfather didn't smile.
He just let out a short sigh.
...I'm sorry.
Next time, I'll give you a massage or something.
Anyway, Earth is not quiet.
What did he mean by that?
Human civilization hasn't collapsed or declined, right?
It would be troublesome if that happened.
I hope it's nothing serious.
The galaxy was visible through the window at the end of the hallway. The galaxy where the Great Goryeo Empire has advanced. The territory of a civilization that has walked for hundreds of years. Somewhere beyond that is Earth.
I didn't want to be anxious.
It wasn't actually scary, either.
But Grandfather's words... kept coming to mind.
Even so.
The things I want are there.
Comics, animation, and games.
Things that don't exist here.
Just thinking about it made my heart flutter.
I wish tomorrow would come as soon as possible.