Liria's Status
Liria was no ordinary figure even in the otherworld.
She came from a mid-sized elven family settled at the edge of the forest. The family name was Silvain. Compared to the great royal elves or the ancient houses, they were far smaller, yet they earned a steady living through magical research and the cultivation of medicinal herbs.
Liria was the second daughter of that house. Her elder sister devoted herself to magical studies as the family heir, while her younger brother was still a child.
From a young age Liria had been fiercely curious. She would finish every book in the family library on her own and even slip into forbidden zones when no one was watching. She took a particular interest in the old records concerning “other worlds”—tales of rifts that appeared by chance in times of unstable mana, and of the strange objects said to come through from beyond them. Most dismissed the stories as pure fancy, but Liria took the accounts seriously.
After coming of age she left the family and made a small house for herself at the forest’s edge. She grew herbs and crafted simple magical tools to sell, and the income was decent enough. In a world where silver and gold coins were not nearly as scarce as they were in reality, an elf who could handle magic lived with relative ease.
Then, one day, a door appeared for her.
On a stone wall she passed every day, a wooden door that had not been there the day before suddenly stood. It was a door visible only to those who possessed a certain measure of mana. Liria hesitated, then finally opened it. Beyond it she found a strange shop called a convenience store—and Han Siwoo.
At first she was drawn simply by the curious goods: cold drinks, food wrapped in odd paper, fine white salt, fragrant soap. They offered a level of convenience and quality that even otherworld nobles rarely enjoyed. Yet soon her interest shifted from the goods to Siwoo himself.
He was different from the men of her world. He seemed an ordinary human with neither magic, swordsmanship, nor family backing. And still, somehow, she found herself drawn to him. When she finally entrusted her body to him, the touch of his hands and the warmth of his skin lingered long afterward.
Liria grew more and more clearly aware that she harbored feelings for him. It was not mere curiosity or physical satisfaction. There was the anxiety that the door might one day vanish, the bitter sense that Siwoo seemed entangled with other women in his own world, and yet the simple desire to see him again.
Some nights she would stand before the stone wall and wait for the door to open, half-believing that the portal visible only when mana touched it opened especially for her alone. She knew the relationship could not last forever. Even so, Liria wanted to go to Siwoo through that door—carrying gold and silver coins, buying strange things, and for a little while feeling a warmth that did not belong to the otherworld in his arms.
On a quiet afternoon Siwoo left the storage-room door open. When it rattled he locked the glass front door and stepped into the storeroom. He opened the portal and found Liria standing there. Today she carried neither gold nor silver coins. Her expression was different from usual—worry and tension mixed together.
The moment she saw him she spoke.
“Siwoo… I have a request. Could you come with me to my house today?”
Siwoo frowned.
“All of a sudden? What’s wrong?”
Liria glanced around, then lowered her voice.
“Strange mana reactions keep being detected near my house. The guards have stepped up their patrols, and I’m a little uneasy staying alone. If you’re with me… I think I’ll feel safer.”
Siwoo studied her face for a moment. Anxiety lived in her earnest eyes. He gave a short nod.
“All right. Let’s go.”
Relief softened her expression. After checking that the main glass door was locked, Siwoo stepped through the portal with her. The night air of the otherworld brushed their faces. Beneath a sky holding two moons, a stone path stretched ahead. Liria took his hand and led the way. Her palm was a little cold.
“This way. It isn’t far.”
They walked in silence. Liria’s silver hair shone in the moonlight, and Siwoo’s convenience-store uniform looked strikingly out of place against the otherworld landscape.
When they reached Liria’s house she opened the door and guided him inside. It was a cozy stone dwelling. A fire burned in the hearth, and the scent of herbs drifted gently through the air. Still holding his hand, she said,
“Having you here… really puts me at ease.”
She drew him toward the bed. When they sat side by side she rested her head on his shoulder.
“Lately… I think about you a lot. And I’m afraid this door might disappear someday.”
Siwoo stroked her silver hair. Liria lifted her face and looked at him. Moonlight poured through the window and lit her features. Slowly she pressed her lips to his—soft, lingering. As the kiss deepened she clutched the collar of his shirt and whispered,
“Tonight… I want to sleep in your arms. Here, in my house.”
When Siwoo wrapped an arm around her waist she leaned into him as if surrendering. They began to undress each other without haste. Liria’s white dress slipped from her shoulders; Siwoo’s uniform fell to the floor. She laid him back on the bed and climbed astride him. Her silver hair spilled across his chest. Taking him in her hand she spoke in a low voice.
“Siwoo… I like you. In this world or that one… it’s you.”
She lowered her hips slowly and took him inside. Their breaths tangled. Liria guided his hand to her breast and began to move. Beneath the twin moons of the otherworld they held each other deeply and made love. Soft moans echoed inside the stone house; Siwoo answered by gripping her waist and driving deeper.
Long afterward, still wrapped in each other’s arms and catching their breath, Liria pressed her ear to his chest and whispered,
“Siwoo… you’ll stay a little longer, won’t you?”
He stroked her back and nodded. The otherworld night enfolded them in quiet.
Inside Liria’s house only moonlight and the glow of the hearth mingled. They lay naked on the bed. Liria placed a hand on Siwoo’s chest and slowly traced it. Her fingers paused as if feeling the beat of his heart.
“Your heart… is racing.”
She gave a small smile and met his eyes. Moonlight settled on her silver hair and pale skin. Liria climbed astride him once more. Rubbing her most sensitive place against him, she began to sink down. As each inch entered her, her brows knit faintly and a thin breath escaped her lips.
“Haa… Siwoo… it’s… all the way in…”
The moment they were fully joined she buried her face against his neck. Her inner walls wrapped him hotly and tightened. For a while she simply stayed still, as if savoring his body heat. Then she began to move her hips—up and down, gently yet deeply. Silver hair brushed his chest and face; her breasts swayed in his vision. She took his hands and set them on her breasts, whispering,
“Touch me… with your hands…”
When Siwoo cupped the soft flesh and rubbed her nipples, her waist trembled. Soft moans spread beneath the moonlight. Their rhythm quickened. Liria gripped his shoulders and rocked her hips hard. The sound of skin meeting skin filled the room as her insides clenched tighter and tighter.
“Siwoo… I… feel strange… it feels so good… I think I’m going crazy…”
Moisture gathered in her eyes. She kissed him as if stealing his breath. Tongues tangled; their breathing became one. Siwoo sat up and held her close, arms around her back, thrusting up hard from below. Liria swallowed a thin cry and shuddered.
“Siwoo…! I’m… coming…!”
Her inner walls convulsed violently. Hot fluid spilled out and soaked them both. Unable to withstand the contractions, Siwoo came deep inside her. They clung to each other and trembled for a long time. Liria buried her face against his neck and let out a soft, broken sob—joy and excitement mixed with the fear that this moment might not last forever.
When Siwoo slowly stroked her back she lifted her head. Looking at him with eyes wet by moonlight she whispered,
“Siwoo… I love you. Even if this door disappears… I won’t forget you.”
Instead of answering he kissed her forehead. They lay down again, still holding each other. The hearth crackled; the otherworld night wrapped them in silence. Liria closed her eyes, listening to the sound of his heart. Siwoo stroked her silver hair and said nothing for a long while. In that moment it felt as though the door between the two worlds did not exist at all.
The otherworld was fundamentally different from reality. Two moons ruled the night sky. The larger shone silver; the smaller held a pale blue-green light. When the twin moonlights overlapped, forest and stone path looked unnaturally clear, and shadows fell in double layers.
The region where Liria lived lay at the edge of a frontier forest far from the royal capital. Ancient trees towered high enough to blot out the sky, and the stream that wound between them carried a faint trace of mana that glowed softly at night. The stone-paved road ran irregularly, lined here and there by low stone walls and thatched cottages.
People used magic in daily life—simple spells to kindle fire, household magic that briefly lifted objects into the air. Yet only a few could wield powerful magic; most lived by herbs and handwork. Currency centered on silver and gold coins. One silver coin bought an ordinary meal; a gold coin was worth dozens of times more. Because silver and gold were relatively abundant compared with the real world, those who handled magic or possessed special skills could live quite comfortably. Ordinary people without magic or special skills, however, scraped by much as they did in reality.
At night the guards patrolled with torches. Lately, as mana reactions grew unstable, the frequency of patrols had increased. Whenever rumors of sudden rifts or strange doors circulated, they reacted with sharp vigilance.
Liria’s house stood in a quiet corner of that forest edge—a modest single-story dwelling enclosed by a low stone wall. The windows were small; the roof was slate lightly furred with moss. Inside, the smell of drying herbs always lingered. A hearth, wooden furniture, and handwritten grimoires filled the shelves. When moonlight slipped through the window, silver hair gleamed and a white dress rippled softly. This place was both Liria’s everyday life and her sanctuary.
Yet one mysterious door that had appeared in a stone wall had linked that ordinary life to an entirely different world. Beneath a night sky holding two moons, through a forest and stone path where mana flowed, stood a small stone house. When Siwoo first set foot in this world, what he felt was air and time utterly unlike reality—and the existence of Liria herself.