The Greatness of the Box
The day before spring. Yet her worries didn't last long.
The box began to bob and shake. It seemed he'd spotted Mina as well. With every shift of his body the box jolted, inching steadily toward her. She wondered how anyone could move like that while wearing full plate armor, but the thought passed quickly. He's the guide, right? His appearance was bizarre, yet the fact that he'd been waiting like this made it clear he was the escort for her request. Having someone even slightly familiar guide her would surely be more comfortable than a total stranger. Still, watching him shuffle closer inside the box left Mina feeling more burdened than relieved.
Especially when she read the words Please take me with you scrawled across it.
It might have been better if it was a stranger. The whole thing looked like he was begging to be adopted like a pet. Mina unconsciously swapped the image of her dog Ppomi with Lee Jun in her mind and shuddered. That's a hard no.
When she instinctively took a half-step back, the figure approaching her froze. Then he drooped his head in obvious dejection, and Mina realized what her reaction must have looked like.
"W-wait! I didn't mean it like that! I don't find it weird or upsetting or anything!"
"Grrroong."
"Huh?!"
But her words only made him wilt further. He withdrew completely into the large box. Mina rushed over, only to find the lid already shut tight. What do I do now?!
If the guide refused to guide, what was she supposed to do? Thinking an apology might help, she knocked on the lid like it was a door. A single sheet of paper slid out through the gap. She took it without thinking and read the message.
The current resident is unavailable. Please leave a message after the beep...
"What do you mean, unavailable?!"
"Grrroooooaaan!"
Mina kicked the box. It wasn't even a phone—he'd simply crawled inside one. The force sent the whole thing tumbling, and Lee Jun spilled out into the snow.
"More importantly, are you the guide assigned to this request, Mr. Lee Jun?"
"Hmm?"
She approached as he rose from the snow and shook himself off, then showed him her request form. He scanned it briefly, nodded, and stood. Then he lifted the box he'd been hiding in and settled it over his head like a helmet.
"Do you really have to carry that thing everywhere?"
As if he'd anticipated the question, the words Please take me had been written so they would appear right-side up when worn. She was speechless. It was just an ordinary yellow cardboard box—the kind you could grab at any supermarket if you didn't mind the size.
To her question, still holding the box, he replied, "This box's size and material are the most comfortable."
Mina decided it was simpler to assume he lived in an entirely different dimension. His reasoning existed in a realm far beyond her comprehension.
She followed him past the control station. The snow grew heavier with every step. It was hard to believe spring was nearly here. The drifts were so deep that her feet sank with every stride, making her seriously question whether this was still Korea. None of this was mentioned on the request form.
If she'd known, she would have dressed warmer. Still, the journey wasn't entirely miserable.
"Behold the greatness of the box!"
"What kind of cult are you running?!"
Following behind him as he held the cardboard box before him like a shield made walking surprisingly easy. Most of the snow and wind were blocked by his body and the box. She still couldn't understand why he felt the need to praise it so fervently. He didn't take this guide job just for this reason, did he?
While Mina trailed after Lee Jun with that uneasy thought, something changed.
"Huh?"
The blizzard that had grown fiercer the higher they climbed suddenly receded. When she lifted her head—previously bowed against the gale—the view that greeted her took her breath away.
A forest of jagged, skeletal trees had been left far behind. In their place stretched a vast expanse of pure white snow crowning the mountain. She finally understood why this place had become a ski resort instead of a village.
Then Mina noticed something odd.
"Excuse me, we're definitely heading toward the ski resort, right?"
"Correct!"
"...Then why are all the buildings behind us instead of ahead?"
She had spotted the lift running alongside them, its cables dangling like telephone poles. Following the line of the lift downward with her eyes, she saw resort buildings clustered at the bottom. Tents were pitched in front of them, clearly marking a campsite. When she looked forward again, only the silhouette of the mountain peak and the top of the ski slope was visible. No buildings, no camp—nothing.
"Um... I got lost!"
His utterly confident answer left her speechless for a moment.
"Actually?"
"I wanted to enjoy skiing at least once, grrrong."
Mina hadn't realized because he'd been blocking the blizzard ahead of her, but the mountain wasn't actually that tall. It wasn't small either, yet the ski resort sat only halfway up. She now understood there had been no need to walk so far from the control station where she'd arrived.
In other words—
"You deliberately took a detour!"
"Of course. I've memorized every path, so there's no risk of getting stranded."
"That's not the problem heeeere!"
Her scream echoed across the ridge like a lingering howl. In that moment, Mina realized the truth. This is bad. I'm done for. This man is the real deal.
She hadn't known him long, but anyone who didn't even bother hiding an impulse like this was beyond saving. She never would have guessed he'd veer off the path in the middle of a blizzard just to ski all the way up near the summit.
"Haah... Fine. Now that we're here, let's head back to the destination as quickly as possible."
"I can do that, but a problem has occurred."
"A problem? We can just head down and—"
Mina couldn't finish her sentence.
Thump. Thump.
At the heavy sound coming from behind them, she turned.
"We were followed along the side path."
"So taking the side path was the problem after all!"
An ice golem as tall as the surrounding trees was lumbering toward them along the route they'd taken.
"That's not the problem."
"Then what is?!"
"The avalanche."
"...Pardon?"
Rumble, rumble.
Mina heard the sound building behind them and finally understood what he meant. The golem was made of ice, but its steps carried tremendous weight. The real issue was the open ski-slope terrain with nothing to anchor the snow. When something that heavy started walking across it, the result was inevitable.
"Uwaaaah! What are we supposed to do?!"
She had only followed her guide to the request location. Why did she have to face a crisis the moment she arrived?
"There's only one solution! Get on immediately!"
"You want me to ride a box in this situation?!"
Lee Jun set down the box he'd used to block the blizzard and climbed inside. Mina had plenty to say about his behavior even now, but—
"If you don't get on, you die!"
"Ugh, fine!"
Thump. Thump. Rumble, ruuumble!
With the sounds closing in behind them and no better options, Mina had no choice but to squeeze into the remaining space, clutching Ppomi's carrier and her luggage.
"Run, Talula Number Three!"
"Can you not be serious for even five seconds?!"
She hadn't imagined he would actually name the box. Ignoring her feelings entirely, events unfolded.
The box began sliding down the steep slope at terrifying speed.
The golem's listless roar rolled after them, followed immediately by the avalanche itself. Having triggered the slide, the golem had long since been swallowed by its own creation, turning into one massive, deadly obstacle tumbling behind them.
"Uwaaaaaah! Why would you ever do something like this?!"
"Don't worry!"
"What exactly am I supposed to trust you on?!"
"Trust not me—trust Talula Number Three!"
"It's a cardboard box!"
Yet the absurd truth was that the box was far more reliable than Lee Jun. The reason they were speeding fast enough to stay ahead of both the avalanche and the rolling golem was entirely thanks to the makeshift sled beneath them.
"The box is truly great!"
"It was just a coincidence—!"
That was the moment.
The box suddenly caught on something. The jolt launched both of them into the air. Mina's mind couldn't process what was happening, but her body instinctively tightened its grip on Ppomi's carrier.
"Betrayal?! Talula!!"
"A box doesn't have a personality to betray anyone with!"
Even while airborne, his shout was so ridiculous it snapped her back to reality. Then he fell silent. Mina looked down and saw the box being swept away by the avalanche and golem, unable to escape their path.
"Wait... did it just sacrifice itself for us?"
"I keep telling you it was a coincidence!"
"Talulaaaaa!"
"Oh my god."
She pressed a hand to her forehead at the sight of him wailing so mournfully. When they finally landed again, the avalanche's momentum had carried past them, letting them drop safely onto soft, untouched snow.
"Where is it? Where did you go?!"
Watching him frantically dig through the snow in every direction, Mina genuinely didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Found you!!"
The box, when he finally unearthed it, was predictably crumpled beyond recognition.
"...."
Seeing the way he quietly stared at the wreckage, Mina thought that despite how absurd it all was, he looked genuinely sad. Maybe she should offer some words of comfort, but—
"Hmm. It's useless now. Time to find Talula Number Four."
"Wait a secoooond!! Can you really say that so casually? It sacrificed itself for us!"
Of course she knew that wasn't true, but still.
"What nonsense. A box is just a box."
"...."
Mina really couldn't handle him.