Chapter 310
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 310
Chapter Title: A Whale's Farewell
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The great whale cloud floating above the Sea Save Center drifted west with the wind. Its pace, seemingly slow yet fast, was just like a whale swimming through the ocean depths.
Everyone at the Sea Save Center, as well as those nearby, looked up at the whale cloud.
With looks of amazement, people raised their phones to take pictures.
Their gaping mouths only closed after the colossal cloud whale passed through other feather-like clouds and vanished.
"Wow... I've never seen anything like that."
"Me neither. I feel like today's going to be a lucky day!"
"Wait! Did you film that?"
"Yes, sir! Of course I did!"
At the producer's words, the cameraman, a true professional, grinned and held up his camera.
"Send it to the station right away... No, wait. A cloud that big, everyone else must have filmed it too. It'd be better to just include that footage in the documentary."
While the producer checked the recorded footage, Seojun clenched and unclenched his fists. Before him, Uri and Loki's gazes remained fixed on the remnants of the Continental Whale that had disappeared beyond the horizon.
Seojun scratched his cheek at the crowd's excited reaction.
‘…Is this a bit too grand in scale?’
But this ability seemed like the best choice.
For Sea Save, who worried about the weather, and for Uri and Loki, who would now live in the sea.
With the power of the Continental Whale, the Earth's atmospheric environment would revert to how it was a few years ago.
The temperatures, which had been higher than in the past, would return to normal, and the disappearing spring and autumn would return.
Whether they would rejoice at the miraculously restored atmosphere and preserve it, or simply marvel at it while continuing to pollute—it was now in the hands of the people again.
Seojun took a deep breath in and out.
The morning air was fresh.
* * *
After the commotion died down, Seojun and the Sea Save team had breakfast and began to move. It was time to return Uri and Loki to the sea.
The Sea Save vessel, the Sea Saver, appeared in front of the oceanarium. Next to the Sea Saver was an unfamiliar boat that looked more like a square tank than a ship.
"That's a transport vessel."
"A transport vessel?"
"When we release marine animals into the deep sea, we load them onto a transport vessel to take them there. See the lines connecting it to the Sea Saver? Those are the same lines we used to rescue Uri. We attach them to the transport vessel, and the Sea Saver pulls it."
"I see."
"People can't ride in the transport vessel, but when you activate the mechanism, the four walls open wide, making it easier for the animals to return to the sea."
Seojun nodded in understanding as Kate cupped her hands and then opened them wide. It opened just like a flower blooming.
"But do you normally put two animals in one vessel?"
Seojun tilted his head, seeing only one transport vessel. Kate gave a small smile at his question.
"We figured if we put Loki in the transport vessel alone, he might try to escape, so we're planning to load him onto the larger vessel with Uri."
Seojun couldn't help but laugh at Kate's words. It sounded exactly like something Loki would do.
"Now we need to move Uri and Loki to the transport vessel... Will you help, Jun?"
"Yes!"
Seojun headed over to Uri and Loki.
"Uri! Loki! Come over here!"
Seojun and Loki's handler guided Uri and Loki toward the transport vessel, which had one wall open.
At their handlers' gestures, Uri and Loki obediently swam toward the vessel. Once they confirmed the two were safely inside, the handler gave a signal, and the open wall of the vessel began to rise slowly.
"It might be a little cramped, but just bear with it for a bit."
*Oooong!*
At Seojun's words, Uri cried out as if to say not to worry.
* * *
With Uri and Loki loaded onto the transport vessel, Seojun and the Sea Save team also boarded their ship.
Soon, the Sea Saver set off toward its destination. The lines connecting the Sea Saver and the transport vessel tightened, and the vessel was slowly towed along. Uri and Loki, who had seemed a bit startled at first, soon grew accustomed to it.
Seojun watched them from the deck of the Sea Saver. Seeing his somber back, Kate said with a wry smile.
"This area is the closest point on the humpback whales' migration route. It's near the Sea Save Center. The weather is good, so it won't take long."
"I see."
Seojun, who had been looking at the map Kate showed him, soon looked away from it. Even if he memorized the place where they were releasing Uri, he didn't think he would ever meet him again.
‘I should get a good look at them now.’
Seojun turned his gaze back to Uri and Loki, who were playing well.
Just as Kate had said, they reached their destination quickly.
-Team Leader! We've arrived.
The radio crackled, and the Sea Saver came to a stop in the middle of the ocean. The transport vessel, towed behind it, also stopped moving.
Now, all they had to do was press a switch, and the four walls of the transport vessel would open wide, returning Uri and Loki to the sea. Seeing the look of regret in Seojun's eyes, Kate smiled and said.
"Jun. Would you like to go down?"
"...Is that okay?"
"You're wearing your life jacket properly... you just have to follow the safety rules. You can do that, right?"
Don't lean out of the boat, don't panic if you fall in the water, and if you go underwater, relax your entire body. Recalling the rules Kate had taught him before boarding the Sea Saver, Seojun smiled brightly with gratitude.
"Yes! Of course!"
Seeing Seojun's radiant face, An Daho also nodded, trusting the Sea Save team.
A small boat was lowered from the Sea Saver to the water's surface. It was the same boat they had used to rescue Uri. Onboard were Kate, Seojun, Loki's handler, the camera crew, and a few other team members.
As the boat approached the transport vessel, its four walls slowly opened.
*Oooong!*
*Peeee!*
Uri and Loki looked bewildered by the suddenly widened view. The one to leave the transport vessel first was, expectedly, the curious Loki. As Loki left the vessel, Uri also gently moved toward the ocean.
Before long, they seemed to have gotten used to it, diving and resurfacing. Uri and Loki poked their heads above the water, spotted Seojun, and approached the boat.
Seojun, who had been watching without even blinking since the transport vessel opened, checked for the remnants of the Continental Whale's blessing on Uri and Loki, and then smiled.
"Uri. Loki. You have to grow up strong and healthy."
*Ooo-oong.*
As if knowing this was the end, Uri's eyes never left Seojun.
"Loki. Don't be too mischievous. It'll be a big problem if you get hit by a boat while playing with people again."
Loki's handler started nagging him as he playfully splashed water on him again. Finally hearing the reason for his injury, Seojun chuckled. It was a cause that sounded just like Loki.
*Peeee!*
Was that a sign of understanding? Loki cried out loudly.
*Ooo-oong!*
Uri cried out as if saying a final goodbye. Though he felt happy, his heart was also heavy, and Seojun forced a smile.
It was the first time in this life he had to face a farewell without the promise of another meeting.
Seojun gently pushed Uri's back as he came closer.
*Ooo-oong.*
Uri cried as if sensing the farewell and slowly moved away from Seojun's boat.
"That rascal is really leaving without a second glance."
At the handler's words, Seojun, who had been watching only Uri, followed the handler's gaze. Loki was already far away, jumping above the water's surface.
*Ooo-oong!*
Uri followed behind him.
"I thought they were close, but it seems they've gotten really close."
"They're both cetaceans, but... a dolphin and a humpback whale. It's a curious thing."
Uri and Loki's two handlers watched with somber eyes as the two whales swam away. After a moment, both Uri and Loki disappeared, having seemingly dived into the sea.
"Shall we head back up, then?"
Seojun nodded at Kate's words.
It was at that moment.
Seojun noticed something rising from below the sea at high speed.
"Everyone, hold on to the boat!"
At Seojun's voice, everyone instinctively grabbed the boat. They didn't know what was happening, but on the ocean, one had to be careful of everything.
And then,
*Chwaaaak!*
White water droplets rose into the sky.
Everyone forgot to even blink as they stared into the air. In the center of that huge splash was something black and white. It rose from the sea into the air, drawing a beautiful arc. From head to tail, it was perfectly clear.
Still small, but soon to be larger than anything,
"Uri!"
It was Uri the humpback whale.
Seojun exclaimed with a bright smile.
Uri fell back into the ocean. The collision of the baby humpback whale and the water's surface created a massive sound. The small boat rocked from the impact. The people in the boat held on tight.
"It's a breach!"
The handler, soaked by the splash, shouted with a flushed face. The others were just as excited. The camera director tried not to miss a single moment.
A breach.
The act of a whale leaping high above the water's surface.
Although one could easily find pictures of whales breaching online, seeing it this close was a first.
"The reason why whales breach is still unknown, but!"
Kate said with a bright smile, gripping the boat tightly.
"This is definitely a thank-you!"
Seojun agreed with Kate's words.
"Here comes another one!"
At Seojun's voice, everyone held on to the boat tightly.
The people on the Sea Saver were also all looking toward the small boat. Several cameras were filming Uri.
Once more.
The baby humpback whale shot up from the water, rotating with its white belly facing upward as if doing a high jump. White water droplets rained down on the boat.
"Huh? Loki!"
While everyone was admiring Uri's magnificent breach, a relatively smaller splash shot up next to it.
It was Loki the dolphin.
As if copying Uri, Loki also leaped above the water, creating a white splash.
*Chwaaaak!*
"He's so small, it's cute."
"Keuk."
At Kate's remark, Seojun and the others burst out laughing at the handler's expression, who couldn't refute it.
Like that, Uri and Loki leaped out of the water several times.
Seojun's eyes never left Uri and Loki for a second.
It was a truly magnificent thank-you.
* * *
After returning to the Sea Save Center, Seojun took a tour of the facility and said his farewells to the team members. The team members, with whom he had grown close over just three days, shook Seojun's hand with teary eyes.
"Take care, Jun!"
"We'll definitely watch your next project!"
Some team members even revealed the fan-like admiration they had hidden due to filming. When asked for autographs and photos, Seojun readily agreed with a smile.
After saying goodbye to the production crew, who still had filming left to do, Seojun looked at Kate. He never thought a connection he expected to be fleeting would continue like this.
When Seojun extended his hand with a smile, Kate smiled back and took it.
"I'll be sure to visit."
"I'll be waiting."
Seojun and Kate shook their lightly clasped hands.
And just like that, the filming for Seojun's documentary came to an end.
* * *
That evening.
The news broke.
"Wow. That cloud went all the way to Korea?"
Seo Eunhye, who was having dessert after dinner, had a surprised expression. Lee Minjun and Nara Kim also watched the television with interest. Seojun, who had been messaging his friends, also lifted his head.
<The whale-shaped cloud, first spotted on a California beach, has traveled through Europe to East Asia...>
A world map appeared behind the news anchor, with a red arrow drawn across it. Photos of the whale cloud taken by people from all over the world began to be placed along the arrow.
"I saw it too, it was really amazing."
Lee Minjun nodded in agreement with Nara Kim's words.
"It was a sight you couldn't help but admire."
Its presence was so overwhelming that you couldn't miss it unless it passed by in the middle of the night. Rumors even circulated online that some countries had scrambled fighter jets.
"It even got a name. They're calling it Moby Dick."
Moby Dick.
Seojun smiled with satisfaction.
It was a cool name befitting the Continental Whale.
* * *
[What Omen is the Whale Cloud that Appeared in the Sky?!]
[Whale Cloud First Sighted on a California Beach!]
[From the US Through Europe to East Asia! The Path of the Whale Cloud!]
[What Caused the Whale Cloud 'Moby Dick'?]
- ...Feels like the world is really about to end.
= I'm starting to get nervous ;;;
- Can a cloud shape really last that long?
= Nah, it would've been scattered by the wind long ago.
= Even a typhoon probably can't circle the globe.
- Is there something special about California?
= I guess California will be known for whales now.
= Yup, seems like you have to see a whale if you go to California lol
- Speaking of whales, when is Seojun's documentary airing?
= For real, I hope it airs soon.
= But isn't it an American broadcast, so we won't be able to watch it?
= Nah, we'll probably be able to watch it on Korean channels too.
= ^^^ Heard the broadcasting stations are competing fiercely for it haha
= Wonder who'll win lol