Gun
"H-hi… um, hello!"
"Hello."
The moment I stepped into a live-fire shooting range somewhere in Seoul, my eyes met those of the counter clerk, and as always, the exchange began with a greeting.
The interior was, naturally, filled with air chilled to a crisp coolness — probably because it was indoors. But woven through it all was the faint, lingering scent of gunpowder. I didn't need to stand there in a daze and savor it, but it was undeniably different from the ranges back in America in more ways than one.
The basic framework wasn't all that different, though.
I turned my gaze around. The first thing that caught my eye was the neatly arranged interior decor. The one somewhat unusual detail was the collection of target sheets pinned to the wall — records of outstanding shooting scores.
While I was briefly admiring those, a clerk who seemed to have rushed over from somewhere else began guiding me with almost excessive friendliness.
"Could I see your ID, please?"
"Here you go."
A few taps on my phone brought up the dedicated app, and a QR code appeared on the screen. It felt strange to say it out loud, but this was the Body Authentication App — something only about a thousand people in all of South Korea could install.
I'd also brought my wallet in my inner pocket just in case, and inside it was a card-form ID, so there was no real issue.
…Why on earth was I so well-prepared for this? The thought suddenly struck me.
Once the initial procedures were wrapped up, I found myself standing in front of a kiosk.
The device itself wasn't much different from the one I'd seen at the café earlier, but instead of beverages, it displayed photos of various firearms.
"Is this your first time visiting?"
"First time here, yeah."
I'd shot at other places before. The targets hadn't been paper, either.
While I was briefly lost in those memories, the clerk beside me was introducing the various types of pistols and rifles listed on the kiosk, along with the ammunition options.
Curious about the price per round, I turned my head and asked.
"…How much is it per shot?"
"Well, for pistols, we charge a flat 10,000 won per ten rounds, excluding .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .50 AE rounds. The ones I just mentioned are 15,000 won per ten rounds."
…That's expensive.
Is this the normal price? I'd never done live-fire shooting in Korea before, so I couldn't really say. In America, we'd stack ammo by the box during training and burn through it. For free, too.
Thanks to the linked account, I had some financial breathing room, but even so, shooting as recklessly as I had in America would probably be a fast track to financial ruin.
As I was calculating how many rounds I could afford,
"You know Dark Zone, right? The game has been driving a boom in this industry, so a lot of regulations have been relaxed and more firearms are available. Ammo prices have dropped too."
"…Dark Zone? Because of a game?"
"Oh, that's a side topic. Sorry, I've been keeping you standing here wasting your time."
…A game?
Dark Zone?
What's that?
The only shooting games I could remember were Call of… ah, I can't recall the name. The one where sixty-four people fight on a battlefield, and the battle royale format ones. Or Rainbow Siege, or those survival games where you farm items and escape from somewhere.
Looking at it this way, I remembered more than I thought. But I'd never heard of something called Dark Zone.
While I was thinking it was a word that somehow felt familiar, the clerk didn't even notice my distracted state and added,
"Have you decided?"
"…Could I see what other firearms you have?"
…Close to getting caught daydreaming.
It didn't seem like the kind of thing to be thinking about while keeping someone waiting, so I refocused on the list scrolling past.
There were more types than I'd expected.
"Our range stocks various firearms including the MPX, KAC SR-15, AK-47, SCAR-L, and MP5. These are a flat 15,000 won per ten rounds regardless of ammunition, and single-shot firing only."
"No designated marksman rifles, then."
"We're planning to bring in the M14 DMR, but I'm not sure when it'll arrive."
I hadn't been expecting much, but… I'd almost asked if they had the Mk.18 Mjolnir, before I caught myself. They wouldn't stock something that uses such expensive ammo, anyway.
…And even if they did, I probably wouldn't have chosen it. The moment I held that gun again… I might have ended up crying.
Anyway, my decision was nearly made. I flicked my fingers across the screen.
Glock 17, 30 rounds. And the .50 AE, just 10 rounds to try. The rest split between the MPX and KAC SR-15 — 10 rounds each.
> -$63.45 expenditure confirmed.
> Total: $102.1
…Felt like I overspent a bit. But I'd modified the algorithm before leaving the house today to switch from lump-sum payment to monthly installments, so… I'd just have to hold out for about three more days.
A few million won in movement would be manageable with a 96% similar electronic signature… but I should handle the aftermath as quickly as possible.
If I'd stayed in that other world, shooting itself would've been no problem at all…
No. If I keep my thoughts drifting that way, I'll just get depressed.
I'm already missing it.
"Alright, Glock 17. Desert Eagle, MPX, KAC SR-15. All confirmed. We'll do the Desert Eagle in sets of five, and the rest in sets of ten."
"Understood."
"Oh, and the targets have scores marked on them, right? It's a system where each shot is scored and then totaled. There are special benefits for high scores, so keep that in mind."
"I'll do my best."
"Haha, I'll cheer you on."
…If I'd brought my custom-modded firearm, I could've aimed for a full refund, but honestly, I couldn't guarantee it with a gun that had passed through other people's hands. The iron sights were a slight concern too.
Then came the next comment.
"Oh, and… this is something you'd have to discuss directly with the owner, but for a customer like you… if you take a commemorative photo after shooting and promote it, there might be corresponding benefits."
"…What photo?"
"Yes. If you have any social media accounts, promoting through those would be even better. You can discuss that with the owner as well."
I'm sorry, I don't use social media…
That was part of it, but honestly, I wasn't in the mood for that kind of thing either. As someone who still felt untethered, unable to properly blend into the world…
Anyway, the preparations to enter began.
"You've been assigned Bay 1. When the range safety officer arrives, put on your bulletproof vest and enter according to their instructions. Have fun shooting!"
Fun. I wonder if shooting can really be fun.
But contrary to my thoughts, my body moved automatically.
Without even trying to recall it, the recoil of shooting was now ingrained in my body more vividly than anything else. The gunpowder bursting, the slide racking back, the bullet racing through the barrel at speeds that casually surpassed the speed of sound. The sound of brass casings falling and striking the floor…
It was familiar to the point of sadness.
"…"
My breathing, now naturally regulated without conscious effort. The familiar echoes seeping through the open bay. Hidden behind air purifiers and diffusers, but the acrid scent woven through it all couldn't be concealed no matter how hard they tried.
As I put on the bulletproof vest and felt its familiar weight, the bay door opened.
"I'll be entering."
Winter when everything froze. Summer when everything rotted.
The smell of death rising alongside the gunfire that wrapped around the city day and night.
It was a familiar scent.
"…There's something attached to it."
"Ah, those are all sensors. They emit infrared lasers — if you aim outside the bay, the trigger locks to prevent misfires and any potential accidents."
"Ah."
"…The partition seems a bit small. Is the tail uncomfortable for you?"
"It's fine."
An unusual customer.
Han Jin-hyuk, a former shooting athlete who had been working as a range safety officer for nearly three years, continued to suppress his gaze toward the tail.
The 3cm-thick transparent bulletproof plastic door, boasting thorough ballistic protection, locked into place at the entrance of Bay 1, leaving only the safety officer and her inside. It was a rare day for having many thoughts. But as always, he resolved to fulfill his role as a safety officer.
Whether the customer was the most beautiful person to ever visit or not, whether she had a tail or not… if she got shot and died screaming, that would be the end of it.
"Have you had experience shooting before?"
"A lot."
"Really? That's impressive."
She was a female customer.
It wasn't about imposing gender bias at this point — in reality, except for a tiny minority, women often lived their entire lives without any connection to firearms.
Unlike Korean men, who were legally required to handle a gun at least twice during their mandatory service.
A sharp gaze swept over her as she received the gun. Not the kind of lecherous look that checked out her body's curves, but something closer to assessing how familiar she was with firearms.
In that regard…
"What do you usually shoot the most? .22 LR?"
"Too many to name."
"Oh, you must've worked at a shooting range in America or something."
"I suppose."
…A remarkably dry answer.
What should I say — she didn't look like someone who came to enjoy shooting, but rather someone who came out of obligation. But regardless, from the perspective of a former shooting athlete, she was… undeniably skilled with firearms.
Unlike the troublesome people who immediately put their finger on the trigger or aim at the front before being stopped, she pulled back the slide to check the chamber, ran through a simple inspection procedure, and then set the firearm down with the muzzle pointed toward the bay.
The familiar hand movements of someone who had done it thousands, tens of thousands of times. Her claim of having lots of experience didn't seem like a lie.
The near-obsessive commitment to safety that came from respecting the gun and understanding its danger. That alone made Han Jin-hyuk feel somewhat reassured.
And accordingly,
"I'll load the magazine for you. It's loaded with ten rounds, so keep that in mind… What kind of target would you like?"
It was time to hang the target.
Without hesitation, she pointed to one with her finger. A fairly large target sheet showing both the head and upper torso.
Most people preferred the bullseye-style targets where the numbers increased toward the center, but this customer apparently didn't. What was certain was that this was a case he'd never seen in his entire career in this field.
There was no change in expression when she received the gun. Most people showed curiosity, or found it heavy, or… well, all of them had the common trait of displaying their emotions outwardly.
She didn't.
From Han Jin-hyuk's perspective, she had an incredibly firm standard.
She wasn't here for leisure or sport, or to relieve stress — it was as if she had something more high-dimensional in mind…
"…I've hung the target. You'll see a screen on the right — you can check your shot grouping in real time through that. Scores above 95 get a full refund, or you can shoot ten more rounds."
"Do many people get refunds?"
"Haha, almost no one. I shoot sometimes too, and it's not easy."
"I'll shoot for free and leave."
"Haha, I'll cheer you on."
With those words and the faintest of smiles, she took the loaded pistol.
The crisp sound of the slide lock releasing as the round was pushed into the chamber.
Ready to fire.
She assumed a near-perfect standard combat stance, carefully yet quickly aligning the front and rear sights —
———Bang!
The first shot, in response to the smoothly pulled trigger, pierced the 10-point chest area with precision.
But before she could even react to the result of the first shot, the firing continued — not rapid fire, but not leisurely single shots either.
The second shot, perfectly canceling the recoil, struck the chest again, and the third was…
"…Wow, that's amazing."
The head.
Despite the fairly fast pace, all three rounds cleanly entered the 10-point zones of the chest and head.
Even people who claimed they knew how to shoot often had their shot groups scatter due to firing errors or hand shake, and he'd seen that plenty of times.
But the person standing before him seemed to not even care about that.
Whether he was amazed or not, she continued pulling the trigger.
Head. Head. Two to the heart. And then another 2+1 drill. All ten rounds, without a single error, were sucked into the 10-point zones. It didn't take long before the cleanly perforated paper was handed to them.
After checking the chamber inside the retracted slide and showing the rounds were completely spent through the chamber indicator, she asked,
"I just did it out of habit. Sorry about the chamber check."
"Ah, no. Um… you seem to have a lot of experience, so that's fine."
Plus, it wasn't done for no reason — it was to confirm to the safety officer behind her that there were no rounds inside and it was safe.
Anyway, regardless of that, Han Jin-hyuk stared at the shooting results with a dumbfounded expression as he removed the target. A clean 100 points — the kind you wouldn't expect even from someone shooting slowly, one round at a time.
If he had more time, he could've just stared at it for at least five minutes, running through his head how this was even possible… but…
"Ah, sorry. Shall we do the next shooting right away?"
"Yes."
Without a moment's rest, the next target was hung, and one cleanly perforated sheet worthy of a hall of fame was placed on the empty table.
"Would you like to load it yourself?"
"I will."
She skillfully inserted the magazine and pushed the slide forward, and this time too, in a clean stance… she began one-handed shooting. The firing sounds echoed through the entire bay at regular intervals, and casings scattered into the air. Yet the only thing that continued was stable, unwavering shooting.
After shooting about half of them,
"…Are you ambidextrous?"
"I can shoot with either hand. There are situations where I can't use my right hand, so it's necessary."
Watching her murmur that so casually, Han Jin-hyuk could only nod.
There were things like this, and things like that. He was well aware that there were worlds he didn't know about, and he had the self-restraint not to dig into that part.
Of course, there was no need to mention that the five rounds fired with her left hand also all hit the 10-point zone.