Leona's Sunday # 4
Leona's Sunday # 4
But Leona's warmth was powerless against fear. We kept shrieking through the rest of the movie, and finally staggered out completely wrecked.
"Honestly, Kim Geun-cheol, why were you so scared?"
And the moment we were outside, she started deflecting!
"Leona, you were freaking terrified too!"
"Surely you didn't think I, Leona Kainus, was actually scared? Honestly, I'm baffled. Kim Geun-cheol, you were so scared I simply played along. Noblesse oblige, you see."
"What kind of noblesse oblige is that!"
With a supremely haughty face, she spouts such shameless bullshit!
"It's true, though? I pretended to be scared on purpose to save your face. Wouldn't it be kind of sad if a guy was trembling all alone in fear? So go ahead and praise my generous heart!"
It was the most brazen bullshit ever, but today Leona is a goddess.
"Uwaaah! Leona, your heart is the widest in the world! Thank you so much for saving my face!"
—A thunderous roar!
The moment I threw my chest wide and bellowed like a gorilla—
"No! Quiet! Be quiet!"
Leona reacted like she was dumbfounded and smacked my back with her palm—whap, whap!
"Ack! I'm praising you! Praising you!"
"Everyone's watching! Are you trying to draw aggro again!"
"So what if I draw aggro? We're outside."
"You're really crazy!"
"Okay, okay!"
I figured I'd stop teasing her. But she was so blatantly lying just now that I couldn't let it slide. She was genuinely terrified too, and now she's trying to bail by herself? No way. Leona has to be in it with me.
"But Leona, honestly, it was scary. What if you enter a dungeon and end up drifting in another dimension?"
"It's a common urban legend. Dungeons are spaces connected to another world, after all. People have long wondered what would happen if the connection suddenly cut off."
This got a little interesting.
"So what happens?"
"Well, nobody really knows."
Leona lowered her voice as she said it.
"What? You don't know? You don't know?"
"Of course I don't know. Nobody who disappeared like that has ever come back."
"What do you mean! Leona, are you trying to scare me!"
"I'm not trying to scare you, it's the truth! Kim Geun-cheol, didn't you take dungeon class!"
"Well, about that."
What was it again?
"Honestly. Fine, I'll explain, so listen carefully."
"Yes, Instructor Leona!"
"First, a dungeon is literally a passage connected to another world. It isn't one-way—it's two-way."
"I know that part. They say it feels like you're linked to a part of another world."
"That's right. However, because it's a passage, it can disappear over time."
"Ah."
"Of course, the signs of disappearance are so obvious that nobody gets trapped unless there's a major accident."
—Swish.
Leona raised a finger and went on.
"They say a lot of accidents like that happened in the old days. People couldn't escape the dungeon before the passage closed."
"For real... You never come back?"
"Yes. You become a literal dimensional castaway. No one knows what happens after that."
"But Leona. Those monsters in the movie just now."
"They were humans who became dimensional castaways and got twisted... Raawr!"
"Gyaah!"
I jumped when she suddenly yelled!
"Hohoho, why are you getting spooked again?"
I'm such a scaredy-cat, I startle easily. Leona must have found it funny because she covered her mouth and laughed softly.
Seriously, this woman lives to tease me.
"It's because I was focused on your lesson, Leona. Focus."
"Just stay focused from now on. Ah, Kim Geun-cheol, what time is it?"
"About 2:30. It's still early."
"Hmm, then... Ah! Let's stop by the department store on the way back!"
"Department store?"
Seems like I ended up on this exact route with Yu-ri last time. Well, when you go out, what else is there to do anyway?
"Sure. Let's go. Anything you need to buy?"
"I'll decide once I get there."
"As expected of Leona!"
She displays the class of the rich so naturally!
"Okay! Great! Today I'm your porter, Leona! I'll carry everything!"
"That's the correct answer I wanted! Now let's go to the department store!"
"Yes!"
Very vigorously, I headed to the department store with Leona. The store was right next to the cinema anyway, so it didn't take long.
"Let's do some shopping and head back around dinner time."
"Sounds good."
"Ah, Kim Geun-cheol? Shall I pack up a bunch of vegetables for you to take home?"
"No, it's fine. I've been going to the supermarket with Si-hoo and buying stuff. We're eating dinner properly, so don't worry about that."
"*Sniff*! You've finally grown this much...! I'm so moved!"
Leona pretended to cry and wiped the corner of her eye with her wrist. She really seemed like a mom watching her son become independent.
"Huh?"
Yeah... That's right.
I clearly fooled around for a bit after my discharge and then moved out on my own, more or less. I think my mom said something then too. Something about how living alone is all good experience.
"Kim Geun-cheol?"
"Huh?"
"Is something on your mind?"
"Nah, it's nothing."
My memory is a little hazy... Lately, it kind of feels like this sort of thing is happening more often.
"..."
My forgetfulness has gotten worse.
"Alright, let's hurry inside. It's a little hot walking around."
Anyway, we arrived at the department store. I stuck right next to Leona and escorted her.
"From now on, all you have to do is buy stuff. I'll handle everything you carry."
"You're being so pointlessly solemn. Well, guess I'll shop hard, then."
"But is there actually something to buy?"
Every time I come into a department store, I feel like there's nothing to buy. The space is needlessly huge. I'm the type to only buy what I need and leave, so I just don't get the joy of shopping.
"Like I said, I'll look and pick. Ah, while we're here, should I buy you some clothes, Kim Geun-cheol?"
"Nah, you keep buying me clothes. It's fine. I can buy my own."
"Hohoho, then I'll skip it this time. Just focus on carrying the bags, my dear Kim Geun-cheol."
"Yep."
So I dove into shopping with Leona.
We just went around the damn floors, looking at shoes, bags, and clothes like crazy.
"Kim Geun-cheol? How's this coat?"
Leona came up to me wearing a beige trench coat.
"I have only one thing to say... It's so pretty."
"Then describe it in detail, please. So that I'm satisfied."
"How the hell do you pull off this fashion? Leona, pulling off a trench coat is usually super hard, you know? But shit! Leona, your proportions are so good that the clothes come alive like on a model! Leona, are you a model or what!"
Especially the way you tied the waist belt to accentuate your lines—perfect!
"Good! That's it! That's exactly the reaction I wanted! Hurry, Kim Geun-cheol, go pay for this and come back! I'm going to try on the next outfit!"
—Shwip!
Leona practically yelled in excitement, took off the trench coat, and handed it to me along with her card.
"Got it!"
I dashed to the counter and paid for it on the spot!
"This one! How's this?"
"A waist belt! This one also has a waist belt—nice! Leona, you're literally a model, so when you wear something with a waist belt, you're just an angel, an angel!"
"I'll buy everything with a waist belt!"
"So many outfits look good on you, it's too damn hard to carry them all!"
And with that kind of craziness, I showered Leona's fashion with compliments for a solid hour. Every time I praised her, she was absolutely thrilled.
She's secretly weak to compliments. She has a bit of a narcissistic streak, but honestly, Leona is perfect enough to be narcissistic, so it's not an issue, right?
"Hah! With Kim Geun-cheol offering such great reactions, it's actually fun to pick things!"
"But seriously, how much did you buy?"
The price of the piled-up clothes was beyond imagination.
"How am I supposed to carry all this?"
While I was worrying about that—
"You're worried about that?"
"What?"
—Swish, swish, swish.
Suddenly, guys in suits walked over smoothly, gathered up all our bags, and walked off.
"What kind of people are we? Aren't we the delivery people? Let's make good use of delivery services."
She's the textbook image of a rich girl.
"Good. But Leona, you're not exactly the delivery people. You're a Westerner, aren't you?"
"I'm half, okay? Kim Geun-cheol, you nationalist!"
"Hey, why is that suddenly coming up!"
"Because in modern times, ethnicity doesn't really matter anymore. Alright, anyway. Shall we head upstairs?"
"Are we going to go around the whole damn department store today?"
"We have to see everything worth seeing. Hurry, go-go!"
So we're going to do nothing but shop all day?
* * *
We'd made it up to the 5th floor and were looking at electronics when it happened.
—Wheeeeeeee-oooo!
A siren suddenly went off inside the department store.
—Thud!
—Thoom!
All the windows slammed shut. Emergency defense shutters came rolling down. It looked like a gate had appeared outside.
"Oh dear, looks like shit's hitting the fan outside while we're shopping."
"No kidding."
"Seriously, do these monster bastards have no concept of weekends? Useless."
You could say we've gotten used to it. Given our status, both Leona and I were completely unfazed despite what was happening.
Because this happens all the time.
—Murmurmur.
The civilians were the same. Even with the sirens blaring and the windows closed, the people in the store just kept shopping as if nothing was going on.
"But isn't this way too nonchalant? No matter what, this feels like safety insensitivity."
"What can you do? This is everyday life. Plus, buildings like this department store are legally built to withstand attacks from D-rank or lower monsters without a scratch."
"There's a law like that?"
"Yes."
Pretty amazing. Well, I suppose when monsters actually exist in the world, the building code needs to account for it in various ways.
"But what if a C-rank shows up?"
"If a C-rank monster appears, the omens are usually so severe that heroes are already on standby. In the end, as long as you're inside, it's not that dangerous."
"Damn reliable! Our department store!"
Right as I was being impressed, the building's security personnel poured out and started shouting.
"A gate emergence alert has been issued! Attention, customers, please follow the security team's instructions in an emergency! This is a legal measure to preserve your lives! A broadcast will follow shortly! Please listen carefully!"
The guards were shouting, but the customers just kept shopping. I swear, the safety insensitivity of Koreans is something else.
—Ding-a-ling.
Soon a broadcast came on.
[A gate emergence alert has been issued. We apologize for the inconvenience. Customers are asked to remain inside the store until the situation is resolved and to follow the security team's instructions.]
Just a perfectly everyday scene.
But that everyday scene shattered in an instant.
—Bzzzt.
A gate formed right inside the department store.
"Kyaaaaaaah!"
"Aaaaaaaah!"
"Help meeeee!"
"This way! This way! Come this way!"
Shit's gone down.
