Tickets to the Kingdom of Entertainment
I loaded the corpses into the van and started the drive back to South Korea. I took the wheel — I'd lost a round of rock-paper-scissors to Shin Bora.
On the way, I felt eyes on us. Not Shin Bora's from the passenger seat. These were watching from a distance.
North Korean soldiers or North Korean Hunters, most likely.
They were making sure we actually crossed back into the South. I ignored them. I had no interest in getting tangled up in anything national. I just wanted to get home as soon as possible.
Static crackled. The radio that had been dead came back to life. I took it one-handed while I drove.
"This is Seong Yujin."
"…This is Baek Jieun. Finally got through."
Her familiar voice. Polite. Our relationship was a secret, so in official settings she always used formal speech.
"Yes, Ms. Baek. Things got a little complicated."
"I'm already aware that Jang Juseok and Kim Sieom are dead. What about Oh Ganghu and his men?"
She already knew Jang Juseok and Kim Sieom were dead?
She's asking about Oh Ganghu, so she wasn't watching the situation live. …Did they plant something on us? Something that tracks life signs?
Or maybe not. More likely it was just long-range life-detection magic, or some ability user's power.
I can ask Baek Jieun about that later…
I snuck a glance at Shin Bora in the rearview mirror. She was leaning against the window, staring blankly outside. Clearly had zero intention of reporting to the Association for me. So I opened my mouth and explained everything that had just gone down.
"…Kim Sieom killed Jang Juseok and then attacked the rest of you?"
Her voice went rigid. She clearly hadn't seen Kim Sieom's betrayal coming at all.
Baek Jieun doesn't half-ass her work, so Kim Sieom's file must have been clean. This was something he prepared thoroughly on his own.
"Haa. Seong Yujin, Shin Bora. You've both been through a lot. This was the Association's failure. I put my name on the line — I'll make sure you're both properly compensated. Is there anything in particular you want?"
I'd been waiting for that exact line.
"I want the credit."
"Understood. And Shin Bora?"
"……Still thinking. I'll tell you in person."
Shin Bora's answer was blunt as always.
"Of course. Take your time. Anything else unusual?"
"We've got North Korean eyes stuck to us."
"That can't be helped. North Korea won't do anything — just come down into the South quietly. And Seong Yujin. The Association's upper ranks have a favorable view of you. Good news should reach you soon."
"Oh. Looking forward to it."
I had a pretty good idea what that good news was. There was only one thing I wanted from the Association right now.
Finally getting promoted to A-Class?
The van jolted. I raised my voice on purpose.
"Ah! What's wrong with this road? Is it because we're in North Korea?"
We made it back to South Korea.
It was late, but I couldn't go straight home. I had to meet Association staff and explain everything that had happened.
By the time I got home, the sun was already rising. That sudden, brutal day finally came to an end.
The game begins.
I entered the world of God's Atlantis. It felt like I hadn't been here in a very long time.
Crawled out of hell… killed Balor and became master of the Vagina Constellation… picked up Federica…
It had been a packed schedule. Kang Myeong-jin, who had a rough idea of what I'd been up to, had given me a full two-week vacation.
Considering how hard the A-Plan Clan — the one Kang Myeong-jin and I belonged to — was growing, fifteen days was an absurdly long break.
I grinned. Nothing sweeter than taking time off while everyone else worked themselves to the bone.
This vacation, I'll wake up early. Then I'll watch the clan members grind themselves into dust and savor every second of it.
That plan died on day one. Kang Myeong-jin summoned me out of nowhere.
"……Tch. Seong Yujin…."
I ran into Ju Seo-hyeon right outside his office. Tall, with long sleek black hair, pale skin, and a body that filled out every curve in all the right places. A face that never got old no matter how many times you looked at it — and the second she saw me, she scowled. Even after sleeping with me hundreds of times, that was still her reaction.
For the record, she'd slept with me last night too. The memory of Ju Seo-hyeon on her knees in front of my legs, frantically sucking my cock, sent blood rushing south again.
"If you're just passing through, mind moving?"
"…You move. Kang Myeong-jin called me."
"Funny coincidence. He called me too."
I said it with a smile — because Ju Seo-hyeon hated my smiling face. Even now she was squinting at me like she wanted me dead.
What's this about? Why call both of us together?
My face was smiling, but my gut was burning with a bad feeling. Calling me and Ju Seo-hyeon on the first day of vacation? Maybe the "vacation" was just cover for more work.
With anyone else I'd dismiss it — but with a workaholic like Kang Myeong-jin, it was entirely possible.
"You going in or not?"
Ju Seo-hyeon asked, watching me stand there at the door.
"I was just about to."
I opened the door, praying my instincts were wrong.
Kang Myeong-jin was already at his desk that early, drinking coffee and writing something on a document. When the door opened, he turned toward us.
"You came together. You two always do get along so well."
"Wh-who gets along well with who?!"
Ju Seo-hyeon was the one who shouted. She even flushed as she denied it. Kang Myeong-jin didn't react. He just waved us closer.
"Myeong-jin. Today's the first day of my vacation."
He leaned back in his chair.
"…I know. I'm not here to put you to work. Quite the opposite — I called you so you could actually enjoy a proper break."
"…I don't need a vacation."
Ju Seo-hyeon said. Most people got overwhelmed by her looks and sharp presence. Kang Myeong-jin didn't so much as blink.
"Ju Seo-hyeon. You need rest. Training every day is admirable, but… you take it too far. Watching you is enough to make a person worry."
"You're telling me to stop training?"
"Stepping away from the sword for a while is its own form of training. Look at Seong Yujin. He doesn't grind the way you do, and he's still strong."
"……."
Ju Seo-hyeon's face twisted, but she couldn't argue.
Because she'd never beaten me. Not once. Her eyes went deep and thoughtful. Simple as she was, she might actually be entertaining the stupid idea that the secret to my strength was rest.
"What do you mean, help us with the vacation?"
I asked Kang Myeong-jin.
He pulled a document from a drawer and handed it over. Two blue tickets sat on top of it. Out of habit, I checked the ticket info.
Grants entry to the Kingdom of Entertainment.
Rank: C
"…Kingdom of Entertainment entry tickets?"
"Don't misunderstand. It's not an actual kingdom. That's just the name of the zone."
Kang Myeong-jin pointed at the document and continued.
"Zone 6,700 — the Kingdom of Entertainment. You can't enter without these tickets. Leaving, on the other hand, is free. Zone 6,700 is one of the rare modern-setting zones in Atlantis."
"Yeah, I already know that much. For Exiles like us who come from the modern era, it's a place that hits the nostalgia hard. That's why a lot of people go there for vacation…. These tickets. They can't have been easy to get."
"Difficult, not impossible. I'd like the two of you to enjoy your vacation in Zone 6,700."
"……You're not just handing these over for free, are you?"
"I'd also like you to handle a small favor for me while you're there."
Kang Myeong-jin said it with a completely shameless face.
Normally I'd have shut down a hassle like this on the spot. But Zone 6,700 — the Kingdom of Entertainment — was a different story.
Kingdom of Entertainment. That first word means entertainment as in celebrities.
In other words, the zone was packed with celebrity-tier beauties.
It only got mentioned in the original, never actually appeared, so I don't know the details myself…. But my personal cock-sleeve Ju Seo-hyeon is coming along too…. Yeah. Let's go.
I reached out and took the tickets. Ju Seo-hyeon was still hesitating, so I grabbed hers as well. A faint smile flickered at the corner of Kang Myeong-jin's mouth and vanished just as fast.
"What are we supposed to do in Zone 6,700?"
"It's not a job. It's a favor."
"Same difference."
"…I'd like you to recruit a man named Etwall into our clan."
"So it's a scouting mission. Is he someone the clan absolutely needs?"
I asked with a bored look. There was no side character named Etwall in the original. Knowing Kang Myeong-jin's personality, that meant Etwall wasn't a must-have talent.
"Nice to have, not critical if we don't…. No. With how steeply the A-Plan Clan is growing right now, he's the kind of talent we need."
"…Needed for growth, huh…. Someone in Kim Man-gi's category?"
Kim Man-gi. The man who handled the clan's administration.
Without him, the A-Plan Clan would have been drowning in paperwork headaches.
"Exactly. A support specialist. The details are in the document."
"Got it. We'll head out. No promises on making it back in two weeks, though."
"That's fine. But I'd prefer the return not drag on too long."
"I never said I was going."
Ju Seo-hyeon cut in. She glared straight at Kang Myeong-jin — her own clan master — without flinching.
Instead of trying to persuade her, Kang Myeong-jin looked at me. I grinned and put a hand on Ju Seo-hyeon's shoulder. She flinched.
"Come play with me. Vacations like this don't come around often. You know that."
"I don't need a vacation! And why would I spend one with you?!"
"We're together, aren't we? I'm asking nicely."
"……Tch."
Ju Seo-hyeon bit her lip. She could grumble all she wanted — she couldn't refuse me. Not with the bet hanging between us.
"Kang Myeong-jin. I'll handle Ju Seo-hyeon."
"Mm. Much appreciated."
"Let's go, Ju Seo-hyeon."
I steered her out by the shoulder. My eyes went to her neck. She was wearing the rose necklace I'd given her once — she always did. I brushed my fingers over it and asked,
"You wear this rose necklace all the time… You like it that much?"
"…It's the only decent necklace I have. That's all."
She said it as haughtily as she could manage. I snorted and reached for her ass.
Instead of soft, springy flesh, my hand met something hard.
The chastity belt.