The Boss Who Left the Gate
The management of gates in the field was usually handled through shift work. For ordinary gates or low-grade ones, they sometimes managed with nothing more than barricades. High-grade dungeons were different. At least two personnel maintained constant surveillance, working in twenty-four-hour rotations as if standing guard. The goal was to detect any anomalies as quickly as possible and respond in the initial stages.
…And so, just before the emergency alert, during lunch hour, Han Ji-hyeon of the Administration, a Hunter, sat at an outdoor convenience store table eating a sandwich with banana milk. Across from her, her male partner from the two-person team slurped ramen noisily. They had been dispatched to monitor the recently appeared unrated special gate. There was still time until the shift change, but moving far away was a hassle, so the two had decided to grab something nearby.
Han Ji-hyeon, having sucked the last of her milk through the straw, spoke without taking her eyes off her smartphone. “It’s chaos out there. Every headline is about the special gate.”
“Can’t be helped. If the monster inside comes out, Seoul could be finished.”
Slurp. Gulp.
“Still, a few countries have given positive responses. They say they’ll help before the break happens, even if it’s not immediate.”
“What if they’re too late? That dungeon’s mana stability is already at rock bottom. The break could happen today for all we know…”
“Come on, don’t say things like that. Words have power, you know?”
The male staff member said this while gulping down the ramen broth, then washed it down with a cold soda from beside him.
That was the moment it happened.
Beeeep———!!
An alarm blared simultaneously from both their smartphones. The high-decibel sound alone sent a chill down their spines. The two, skin crawling, hurriedly checked the disaster message that had just arrived. And then—
“……”
“……”
Their expressions hardened instantly.
At approximately 13:05 today, a break phenomenon occurred at the unrated special gate. Residents in the vicinity are advised to evacuate to a safe location.
“Hrk…”
“…This is insane.”
Of all times for the saying to come true! The male staff member stood up in a rush and looked at Han Ji-hyeon, who rose with him. Both wore grim expressions—hers probably matched his own. With trembling hands, they shoved their phones into their pockets. Just as they were about to hurry away—
“Are you not going to drink that?”
A sudden, clear and pristine voice tickled their ears. The sound was so pleasant that the male staff member instinctively turned toward it despite the emergency. At almost the same moment, a voice came from beside him.
“Whoa.”
It was Han Ji-hyeon’s voice. But both their attention was fixed entirely on the woman before them. Han Ji-hyeon felt the same.
She looks like a fairy from a myth…
The surroundings seemed to brighten all at once. It was as if someone with an entirely different art style from the rest of the world stood before them. From her hair to her skin, wherever the eye landed, there was a radiant glow. It almost felt like a halo was spreading around her.
No, is it not an illusion?
Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, Han Ji-hyeon tried to clear her head. When she opened her eyes again, the fairy-like woman who was still there spoke.
“Here. You left this behind.”
“Ah, that’s…”
It was the canned coffee the male staff member had brought to drink during his shift. He had completely forgotten it after the disaster message. The fairy smiled faintly as she held it out. The can was still unopened.
Han Ji-hyeon stared blankly at the elegant hand before blurting out without thinking, “W-would you like to have it…?”
“Huh. Is that okay?”
When Han Ji-hyeon nodded vigorously, the woman accepted the can with a bright smile. For a moment, Han Ji-hyeon’s heart skipped a beat at that smile. Then, belatedly—
Huh? Wait a second.
Her gaze locked onto the fairy’s attire. Just as her first impression suggested, it looked like something straight out of a myth—a pure white garment. More precisely, it resembled white cloth wrapped around her body, tied at the waist with a cord that accentuated her slender, alluring silhouette. No matter how she looked at it, this was clearly from another world…
Gasp!
Han Ji-hyeon quickly used her wits. She clasped both hands over her mouth, subtly curving her eyes as she glanced at the fairy, who was now sipping the canned coffee with evident enjoyment. Then—
Tap-tap-tap.
She swiftly pulled out her phone and typed something into the notes app. Elbowing the dazed male staff member in the side to get his attention, she showed him the screen.
“…!!!”
The male staff member, finally snapping out of it, widened his eyes and stared at the fairy. The same thought flashed through both their minds at once—the rumor that the gate boss might be a beautiful young woman. And the fact that their own lives were now in immediate danger!
“……”
“……”
Their faces turned deathly pale. It was a physiological reaction they couldn’t control. Now that they thought about it, the way she had suddenly appeared out of nowhere was suspicious in itself. Watching the fairy tilt her head back and shake the empty can, the two frantically exchanged messages. Finally, Han Ji-hyeon, clenching her fists to suppress her trembling, spoke up.
“E-excuse me, fairy?”
Oh no! Is it okay to call her that? She was so terrified that the words had slipped out before she could think. Feeling her eyes twitch, Han Ji-hyeon desperately tried to maintain her expression. Smile. Smile, Han Ji-hyeon! If you want to live, you can’t afford to offend her over something trivial.
After what felt like both an instant and an eternity, the fairy parted her lips.
“Yes, go ahead.”
She smiled faintly as she spoke. Ari was in an exceptionally good mood right now. The city’s characteristically acrid air stung her nose, but that very fact made her chest swell with emotion. It was the clearest proof that she had returned to her home planet! She must have lived in the fantasy world for quite a long time—otherwise, why would everything feel so unfamiliar? She almost wished she had broken through the spatial suppression earlier. Still, waiting patiently had allowed her to tidy up the cave and leave without much trouble.
What should I do first? She had thought of several things in advance. If she had to prioritize—
“Th-the empty can! I’ll throw it away for you.”
The woman, who had been hesitating, extended both hands in a polite gesture. Ari’s interrupted train of thought shifted to the can in her own hand. Feeling the sweetness followed by a lingering aftertaste in her mouth, she lifted the can. The woman nodded vigorously. With a small laugh, Ari handed over the trash. As she turned to look beside her, she noticed the stiff-faced man holding a small black slab in his hand.
Wow, it’s been ages since I’ve seen a smartphone.
Based on the information she had obtained from her attacker last time, roughly twenty years had passed since her previous life. She didn’t know the exact details, but the time she had spent in the fantasy world likely amounted to three digits in years. It seemed odd that the difference was only this much, but…
Well, whatever. She decided to take the good with the good. If that much time had truly passed on Earth, her hometown wouldn’t have felt like home anymore anyway.
As she organized her thoughts, the woman in front of her spoke again. She was an interesting person who had recognized Ari as a fairy. Could there be another being like her on Earth?
“I-if you liked it, would you like to try something else?”
“Something else?”
“Yes! There are much tastier things than that.”
She pointed to a nearby vending machine. Following the direction of her finger, Ari asked, “Are you buying it for me?”
Taking that as agreement, the woman nodded quickly and ran over to the vending machine, inserting her card and gesturing for Ari to come over. Ari glanced at the man, who was watching cautiously, then walked over to stand beside the woman. The woman enthusiastically explained how to use it, assuming Ari didn’t know. Ari listened with one ear while asking, “What’s your name?”
“Uh, uh-uh-uh… It’s Han Ji-hyeon!”
“I see. Han Ji-hyeon. I’m Ari.”
“That’s a pretty name!”
The woman clapped her hands, her lips curving upward. Though subtle, the muscles in her face were trembling. Ari selected a slightly cheaper drink next to the one her finger had originally pointed toward. Click. Thunk! She naturally took it out and began drinking.
“Y-you seem quite familiar with it?”
A surprised voice reached her. Ari paused with the drink at her lips, considering whether to reveal that she had lived in Korea in her past life.
……No need. What benefit would come from revealing it? It didn’t seem like there was much to gain. She didn’t know how immigrants were treated in Korea, but information only gained value and power when kept secret. So she decided to brush it off vaguely.
“Is it strange that I’m familiar with it?”
“Ah, th-that is… Ah, haha! I must have said something silly!”
When Ari countered with a question, Han Ji-hyeon backed down on her own. The situation continued similarly afterward. Han Ji-hyeon kept offering more things to try, while the man fiddled with his phone a short distance away. And Ari… was slowly starting to feel bored.
Chatting after so long isn’t bad, but…
Wasn’t it about time? Just as she thought that, something unexpected happened.
Thud-thud-thud-thud———
A loud noise approached from afar, followed by a powerful gust of wind strong enough to whip at their clothes. A helicopter cut through the sky, and—
Screeech!
Several black vehicles came to a sudden stop, forming an encirclement, while two-and-a-half-ton trucks followed in a rush, surrounding the area from all sides. It was clearly a dire situation. Even so, Ari quietly curved her lips into a smile. The moment she had been waiting for had finally arrived. From the very beginning, she had approached the two of them with this exact scenario in mind. Now it was time to meet the higher-ups.