The Race to the Airport
Vroom-!
Inside the pickup truck tearing down the highway, Ayoung was driving with a reckless intensity that bordered on stunt driving, weaving through traffic with aggressive lane changes. "Ugh, this car is seriously fast." She was driving with the mindset that it didn't matter if she crashed; the vehicle had been modified to withstand attacks from most villains, so she wouldn't die in a simple accident.
Ohu gripped the handle tightly, let out a sigh of relief, and looked back. "But, Auntie."
"Yes?"
"You said earlier that the Triple A crew had three members in total. If you exclude the leader, Triple Axel, and Triple Power... doesn't that mean there's one person left?" He voiced the question that had been nagging him on the way to Incheon.
"If Triple Power is such an emotional, uncontrollable bomb, wouldn't it be better to recruit the remaining person? That person must have been a member of the number one performance crew, too. Why is everyone only targeting Triple Power?"
No sooner had the question left his lips than—
"Hiiiiiyaaaah!!"
Namiyang, sitting in the backseat, shrieked, her cat fur standing on end as she waved her hands frantically. "M-Master! Are you crazy?! That's absolutely out of the question!"
"What's with you all of a sudden?"
"Master, do you not know who 'Triple Crown' is?!" Namiyang trembled as if she had just spoken the name of a demon. "I bet even the other large crews wouldn't take that guy even if he were given away for free! No, they'd be begging him not to join their crew while offering a bonus to stay away!"
"Triple Crown? The name sounds pretty cool. Like a triple crown winner."
"Do you even know what kind of 'triple crown' that is?!" Namiyang shouted, spitting as she spoke. "Number one in the nation for excessive force complaints! Number one in property damage for smashing up the city while trying to catch villains! And the overwhelming number one in the nation for the number of disciplinary actions received from the Hero Association for doing that crap!"
Namiyang spread all ten fingers wide, adding as if she were dumbfounded, "He achieved that damn triple crown consecutively, which is why he's called 'Triple Crown' as a derogatory nickname in this industry! That guy is a real, fucking insane destruction-maniac, worse than any villain!"
"......Ah." So that's why...
"Then......." Ohu's gaze shifted to Ayoung, who was gripping the steering wheel. Ayoung sighed heavily, her brow furrowed deep as she nodded.
"Namiyang is right. That is why Triple Axel, a senior hero with vast experience and the respect of all heroes, was serving as the leader of that crew." Ayoung continued her explanation. "Triple Axel acted as a stabilizer, keeping a tight leash on those two uncontrollable troublemakers. It was because of him that those two bombs could work as A-rank heroes without being kicked out of the Association."
Triple Power, like a runaway train that could veer off at any moment. And Triple Crown, a destruction-maniac who would smash everything—friend or foe—if he lost his cool. Ayoung's voice was laced with deep concern.
"Triple Axel knew full well what kind of treatment those two would receive from the Association if he weren't there, and what kind of massive accidents they would cause if they lost control of their emotions. That’s why, despite having the ability, he silently remained the leader of an A-rank crew, giving up on his S-rank promotion......."
Ayoung tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "To throw away that sense of responsibility at this very moment...... I honestly don't know why he would leave those two behind and try to leave the country to become an S-rank hero. As an Association official, I am deeply worried. Once the leashes on those two are off, there's no telling what kind of disaster might erupt."
Vroom-! The pickup truck continued its relentless sprint.
'Why would a person like that disband the crew...' Ohu’s thoughts lingered on Triple Axel’s actions. Then, he turned his head toward Ayoung.
"But, Auntie."
"Yes, Ohu. Go ahead."
"You said earlier that we have a surefire connection to recruit Triple Power. What does that mean?"
At Ohu's question, Namiyang and Eunbyul in the backseat pricked up their ears. No matter how high Ayoung's position was, they were talking about bringing a member of the former number one A-rank crew into a rookie crew that had just gotten their licenses. Ayoung pressed the accelerator and answered calmly.
"The first connection is Eunbyul."
"......M-me?" Eunbyul pointed at herself, startled.
"Yes. You saw the evaluation guidelines from the examiners earlier, right? It was officially determined by the Association that Eunbyul's 'Flight' ability is the most similar to Triple Power's." Ayoung continued the briefing. "Meeting a successor with the talent to fully inherit one's abilities is a huge blessing for a hero. If we put forward the grand pretense of ability research and nurturing the next generation, it will be the bait to turn Triple Power's interest toward us."
However, Namiyang, who was sitting in the backseat, crossed her arms and grumbled at Ayoung's briefing. "Well, I get that our little kid is somewhat useful. But didn't you say that crazy woman is currently having a mental breakdown because her senior disappeared, and she's busy smashing up the lobby?"
Namiyang pointed out the realistic problem based on what she had seen. "If you throw a total rookie at her while she's off her rocker and say, 'Here, raise this kid,' wouldn't she just get pissed off, rip our kid's head off, and go even crazier?"
"You're right, Namiyang. As you pointed out, in Triple Power's current state, we can never recruit her just by offering to nurture a successor. We lack the decisive blow to make her take the bait." Ayoung agreed with Namiyang and nodded.
"That is why we need the real connection to make her take that bait. And that second connection is none other than......." Ayoung’s gaze brushed over the backseat through the rearview mirror before settling on Ohu in the passenger seat. "Ohu, it's you."
"......."
"......Master?"
"......The Mister?"
"......Me?"
Ohu, Namiyang, and Eunbyul all asked back in unison, their voices dazed as if they had planned it.
"Auntie. Are you joking right now? What kind of connection do I have? I met him for the first time today." When Ohu asked in disbelief, Ayoung added her explanation in a voice full of conviction.
"Not Triple Power, but Triple Power's stabilizer. The connection is with Senior Triple Axel."
"Triple Axel, the Mister?"
"Triple Axel is paying very special attention to you right now, Ohu. He’s a person who takes good care of those around him and has a great personality, but the fact that he went out of his way to visit our waiting room to give advice and pat you on the shoulder, even while putting off that important S-rank promotion interview, proves he sees you as someone very special."
Hearing Ayoung's words, Ohu fell silent for a moment. The middle-aged hero who had visited his mother's empty funeral in the past and grieved while looking at the portrait until the very end. And the way he had recognized him as Han Sara's son at once, even after seeing how much he had changed since the funeral at Bupyeong Station, and had not spared sincere advice and praise. The only true adult in this world who had approached him without hostility or twisted standards.
"Triple Axel genuinely wants to cherish and look after you, the nephew left behind after working with Shooting Star. And......." Ayoung's voice gained even more strength. "The Triple Power we need to recruit shows a pathological dependence on that very Triple Axel."
"Dependent?"
"Her world revolves entirely around Senior Triple Axel. She’s smashing up a lobby and sobbing just because of the single fact that he left. In other words, money, fame, or conditions cannot be weapons for recruiting her. She is a hero who only moves when you prick at her emotions."
"So......."
"We go to Triple Power and propose this. If she stays in our crew and looks after the only blood relative of Shooting Star and his party, Triple Axel will visit our crew most often and first."
"......!"
"We are adding an emotional hostage situation—that we are a hero crew that Triple Axel cares about—to the bait of Eunbyul's ability. There will be a compensatory psychology that if she protects and raises the crew that her senior cherishes, she will be praised by her senior and receive even more interest and love later. With this condition, even Triple Power will take the bait without looking back."
"Wow, holy shit. That’s a truly devilish plan." Namiyang gasped from the backseat, sticking her tongue out. Eunbyul was just blinking, unable to understand the complex and calculating politics of the adults.
"......Not bad." Ohu agreed calmly, turning his gaze out the window.
Ayoung's pickup truck entered the coastal road leading to Incheon International Airport after passing the Yeongjong Bridge. Outside the window, the lights of airplanes taking off at low altitudes with a roar began to appear. It was proof that they were getting close to the airport.
Vroom-!
But then, a series of unusual roars began to erupt from the lanes around the airport highway.
"Huh? What is it? Why are those cars driving like that?" Namiyang pressed her face against the window and looked outside. Beside Ayoung's pickup truck, high-end large sedans and vans were racing toward the airport at insane speeds, easily ignoring speed cameras.
Ayoung's eyes hardened as she quickly scanned the license plates and logos of the surrounding vehicles in the rearview mirror.
"As expected......."
Ayoung gripped the steering wheel tightly and shifted gears. "Those are all vehicles from other large crews and corporate sponsors that smelled the scent and came running to recruit Triple Power, just like us."
"T-that many?!" Eunbyul shouted in shock. Dozens of high-end vehicles were racing toward Incheon Airport.
"An A-rank hero from the number one performance crew is on the market; there's no way those hyenas would just sit still. They’ve all gathered to be the first to meet Triple Power right now." Ayoung warned coldly and pressed the accelerator to the floor.
"Hold on tight. We can't lose."
Kuaaaaang-!!
The pickup truck spewed a roar from its engine and began a race toward the airport, roughly cutting through the sea of luxury sedans.
* * *
A little bit of time back. Before Triple Axel went through immigration, at the Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 Departure Hall.
"Urat-cha."
As soon as Triple Axel confirmed his A+ grade at the evaluation center, he even rented a dedicated helicopter provided by the KHC Association and flew straight to the helipad on the roof of Incheon Airport. He stepped onto the escalator with a light gait and descended to the departure lobby.
His heart was boiling at the thought of boarding a plane immediately, flying overseas to the headquarters of the international organization, finishing his S-rank promotion review, and then tracking down the woman in the red coat.
However.
"......What is that?"
Triple Axel, who had arrived on the 3rd floor of the departure lobby, stopped dead in his tracks at the sight unfolding before him.
Flash! Pop-pop-pop-!
The spacious airport lobby was packed with hundreds of reporters and broadcasting station cameras, leaving no room to stand. The barrage of flashes they were emitting lit up the airport brightly.
'No, even if these reporters are crazy about scoops, I flew here on the Association's dedicated helicopter because I was going to take the S-rank exam, so how did they arrive faster than me and set up camp?'
Triple Axel touched the handle of his carrier in bewilderment. Just as he was about to fall into self-absorption, wondering if his departure was a matter worthy of such a big headline.
"He's out!!! He's coming out over there!!!"
"The gate is open!!! Shoot it!!!"
Waaaaaaah-!!!
Cheers and shouts erupted from the arrival gate on the 1st floor, located one level below, not the departure hall. Hundreds of reporters were simultaneously pointing their camera lenses toward the arrival hall below the escalator, not the departure hall where he was, and pressing the shutters.
"......."
Only then did Triple Axel realize that this swarm of reporters hadn't come to cover him. His gaze turned to where the automatic door of the 1st-floor arrival hall was opening.
Zzzzing-.
The automatic door opened, and a man walked out, piercing through the barrage of hundreds of flashes. He was the S-rank hero of South Korea who had just returned after ending "Operation Motor City," the Magnet Floyd subjugation operation that had unfolded in Detroit, USA. It was Rapid Star.