Aerial Fortress and Curfew Chaos
Rona was flustered inside the Aerial Fortress. If it had been Seong-a, she would surely have been bantering with her viewers right about now.
"How did you get here…."
"I came because I was worried."
Unable to win against the swarm, I stepped in. It had been a while since I last took out my pipe, and I placed it between my lips. A faint wisp of smoke rose from the bowl. The moment it did, a tremendous change swept over Rona’s half-human, half-dragon body.
My body feels lighter….
She was far lighter than before. What on earth was happening?
"It’s smoke that speeds up healing."
I hadn’t expected to use it again after returning to Earth.
"Rest for now. I still have to deal with those bug bastards."
When I withdrew the talismans, hundreds of them merged back into one, and dozens of queen bees reappeared.
"Can you stand?"
"Not yet… I’m sorry…."
"No need to apologize."
Then I had no choice but to take down the bugs alone. Factoring in travel time, I needed to finish within ten minutes at most.
I didn’t want to use the spells Master taught me if I could help it.
Before I could even begin the incantation, the bugs launched sharp stingers at me. I sighed and glanced around. I could see it clearly now—the path that would let me survive.
Southeast.
Step by step. I didn’t run. Running was for people in a hurry. I walked slowly, leisurely, following the path the divination had shown me. As a result, more than fifty stingers “happened” to miss the route I took.
One impatient queen bee bared its fangs and charged. I met it head-on with the pipe.
"It’s useless."
[……!]
The pipe and the queen bee’s head collided. I granted it the same end as our broadcast manager. Pop!
"Oh…."
I had only meant to knock it out, but its brain couldn’t withstand the impact and burst. It died on the spot.
"What are you waiting for? Come on."
The remaining queen bees were terrified, yet two brave ones still rushed forward.
"You think attacking together will work?"
I pulled out a fresh talisman. In an instant it multiplied into hundreds, reshaping into ropes that coiled around the queens’ bodies. The characters written on them read 滅—annihilation.
Crack!
A single finger snap was all it took. The talismans and the queen bees ignited simultaneously, turning to ash in under ten seconds.
"You’re not coming?"
The remaining bees shrank back under my gaze, as if I were eyeing prey. They flapped their wings, trying to flee, but it was pointless.
"We’re not done playing yet."
The talismans tightened, preventing escape, and ignited all at once. One by one they crumbled into ash. Rona watched the entire scene in awe.
She’s really strong….
She couldn’t even compare. Anyone who witnessed this would never dream of challenging her.
Ha-im’s so lucky….
Having a sister like that made Rona feel a twinge of envy toward her friend. Thanks to the smoke, the pheromones that had blanketed the entire space were gradually fading as well.
The pipe dissolved into smoke. Rona rose to her feet and approached Seong-a.
"Unni, you’re really amazing."
"Thanks for the compliment. By the way, what time is it?"
Rona checked her phone.
"8:53 p.m."
"……!"
I checked my own phone. It really was 8:53. Three minutes over my estimated time.
"I’m heading out first!"
"Unni, why are you suddenly running…?!"
I burst out of the hive in a rush, only to be greeted by a cold night breeze and a pitch-black sky instead of the sea.
What the…
Thrum!
The sound of countless wings filled the air. Dozens of bees were lifting the entire island into the sky.
"……."
I was speechless.
"Unni, slow down! Why are you running so fast!"
Rona hurried after me. I asked her about the bizarre situation.
"What’s going on? Why is the sky…"
"You didn’t know? This island moves."
"……."
No wonder it was called the Aerial Fortress. At set intervals, hundreds of bees would lift the hive and the island together, relocating it. We hadn’t even noticed the movement while inside.
"According to my phone, we’re in the middle of the Pacific right now."
There was no way I’d make it back on time.
"How much trouble are we in?"
"Not trouble, exactly. It’s just…"
"Just what?"
"If you’re not home by nine, internet access is banned for the whole day."
"……!"
That meant no streaming either. My broadcast time was already short—if I had to take a day off on top of that, it would be a disaster.
There has to be a way…
"Aaaah!"
Suddenly Rona scooped me up in a princess carry from behind.
"Unni, it might get a little cold."
"……?"
She spread her wings and shot across the sky at tremendous speed. The cold was brutal for a moment, but she exhaled a gentle breath that warmed the air around us. In less than five minutes we crossed from American waters straight to our house in Seoul.
8:59 p.m.
Wow, we made it exactly on time.
I still couldn’t believe we’d traveled from American waters to Korea in under five minutes.
"You worked hard today. Go on inside."
As I turned to head home, Rona grabbed my arm.
"Unni, I have something to say…."
"……?"
She had something to say? Why was she stopping me?
"Um… Next time I’ll cook you something really delicious!"
"…Pfft!"
I burst out laughing. She was still hung up on that? It had been ages since I laughed this hard.
"Pfft, you don’t have to worry about it."
"It’s important to me! I’m definitely making you something tasty next time!"
"Sure, sure."
I patted her head. Rona pouted.
"Hmph… I’m not a kid."
"I know."
Even a freeloading gorilla living in our house had its cute moments.
"See you later."
"You too, Unni."
I punched in the door code, kicked off my shoes, and stepped into the living room.
"You’re home?"
"……!"
The calm, quiet voice from the sofa startled me. The TV was off.
She should be watching her drama at this hour…
It was strange that she looked angry even though I’d come home on time. I needed to figure out why.
"Are you mad?"
"……."
She didn’t answer. She must be really upset.
"…Your little sister hasn’t come home."
"……?"
For a second I thought I’d misheard.
"That’s it?"
"What do you mean, ‘that’s it’?! Your sister is only twenty-two!"
Twenty-two is a full-grown adult, isn’t it?
Honestly, I wasn’t thrilled about the curfew either, but I didn’t want to argue with Mrs. Kim over it. My job as a streamer kept me home most of the time anyway.
"What time is her curfew?"
"Ten."
She had a much more generous window than my nine o’clock curfew.
"It’s not even nine yet. Let’s wait."
"You still don’t know your sister? If she’s not back by nine, she’s not coming back at all."
Time passed, and just as Mrs. Kim predicted, ten o’clock arrived with no sign of Ha-im. This was bad.
"W-well, I’m going to bed…"
Grab!
"……!"
Mrs. Kim seized my shoulder. A bad feeling crept over me.
"Where do you think you’re going? Go bring your sister home."
"Why meeeee?!"
I protested. Why should I be responsible for that girl not coming back?
"Dad can go!"
Besides, I didn’t even have a driver’s license. Manager Lee, who could actually drive, would be far more efficient.
"Your father drank and fell asleep."
"Still…!"
"Here."
"……?"
Mrs. Kim handed me a small card from her wallet. This couldn’t be…
"While you’re picking up Ha-im, buy whatever you want."
"Yes! Understood!"
I flashed a capitalist smile. In the end, everyone was a slave to capitalism.
Ring ring~
I stepped outside again and made a call. First, I needed her location.
[The phone is turned off. Connecting to voicemail…]
That little—
She must have turned it off on purpose. She thought I wouldn’t find her if the phone was off, but that was a huge mistake.
***
A regular barbecue restaurant near the university. Awakeners and ordinary students were drinking together amicably—everyone except one.
"Sunbae, what do we do? Ha-im sunbae just passed out."
"Haah, why did she drink so much…"
The class president sighed. They had tried to stop her, but in the end she’d gotten drunk anyway.
"Oppa—aaaaah!"
"Here we go."
Ha-im’s drunken routine: searching for her brother. Whenever she drank, she would burst into tears and call for her oppa. She claimed he had gone missing eight years ago. No one knew the details; they just knew she would throw a fit demanding they bring him back.
"Sunbae, you need to wake up now. You said you had a curfew."
"Bring my oppa—aaaaah!"
Ha-im shouted and tried to pull a weapon from her shadow.
"Everyone, stop her!"
The Awakeners and students lunged at her as if they had been waiting for this. But it was reaching its limit. Ordinary students couldn’t restrain an A-rank at her peak.
"Sunbae, we’re at our limit! Should we call Rona sunbae?!"
"At this hour…?"
Screech!
"Huh?"
The restaurant door opened, and gasps of admiration rippled through the room. Even the S University students turned their heads. When they saw the newcomer, they couldn’t help but stare just like everyone else.
Long black hair that seemed to weave the night sky, obsidian eyes, and an indescribable elegance in every step. When that person stopped at their table, tension filled the air.
The beautiful woman with the cold expression halted in front of the S University students.
"I’m here to pick up my little sister. Is she here?"
"Your little sister?"
She had come looking for her sister? Who here had an older sister…?
"Oppa—aaaaah!"
"……!"
An unexpected figure leapt up and clung to the unknown woman like a black sticker.
"Sigh. I’m sorry my sister caused trouble."
"N-no, it’s fine. If anything, we’re the ones who’ve been indebted to her…."
After the formal greetings, Ha-im left with the woman. Watching them go, everyone shared the same thought.
She definitely said “oppa,” right? But she’s a woman?
***
The moment they arrived home, Mrs. Kim’s storm of scolding began.
"You’re twenty-two years old and you’re out drinking this late?! And on top of that—!"
"I’m sorry…."
Watching Ha-im get scolded was oddly satisfying. My job here was done, so I could just—
"Where do you think you’re going?! You’re getting scolded too! I told you to buy whatever you wanted, so why did you come back with a three-million-won VR whatever?!"
Ah. So I was getting scolded after all.