A Gentle Tug
Jeong In-ah gently tugged at my collar. The pull was so weak, but I still took a step toward her, drawn by that faint force. Her hand gripping my collar trembled slightly, as did her slumped shoulders.
"……You can't not go, right?" I said, looking at her.
Jeong In-ah kept her head bowed, so all I could see was the crown of her head. She didn't lift it, just clung to my collar. Was she crying right now? Or frowning? Maybe smiling? Before, I could always read her thoughts from her tone or gestures, even without seeing her face. But now, I couldn't tell what she was thinking—or even if she was crying or smiling. The shadows from the streetlamp darkened her expression even more.
"Then, you really can't not go?"
"……."
"Don't go."
Jeong In-ah finally raised her head. Her eyes, gazing at me, held firm resolve instead of fragile tears. But her lips were still pursed in a pout. Even as I looked straight into her eyes, she didn't avert her gaze.
I shook my head. "……Saying all of a sudden two days before that I won't go would be kinda weird. No reason or anything."
"Say you're scared."
Jeong In-ah tugged at my collar once more. I let myself be pulled along helplessly. She continued, "Say you can't go because the state religions are different, Islam and Romanica don't get along, so it seems dangerous. Or that you're scared of flying."
"I'm not scared, so how do I pretend to be?"
"Why can't you? You lie really well."
I shut my mouth. She was still holding onto that time during the practical exam when I'd deceived her.
Jeong In-ah stared at my face for a long while before dropping her gaze to the ground and speaking. "……Sorry. That was thoughtless of me just now."
"No. The practical exam thing…… Even I'd be upset if it happened to me."
"Truth is, I'm just…… scared."
Jeong In-ah let go of my collar as she said it.
"Scared of what?"
"That you won't come back."
"I will."
I gave her a smile. She stared at my face intently. I'd hoped she'd smile back, but contrary to my expectations, her expression remained stiff.
"How can you be so sure?"
"No reason I wouldn't."
"You could get hit by terrorism, or Satanists could show up."
"That stuff doesn't usually happen."
"We've been through way too many 'not usual' things."
I looked at Jeong In-ah. I'd never realized dry eyes without a hint of moisture could hold such deep sorrow. She went on, "Any guarantee it won't happen again?"
"It's fine."
I smiled and continued, "I'll win anyway."
She narrowed her eyes and glared at me. Her face was full of displeasure. Her lips twitched, then she let out a deep sigh of resignation.
"……Don't say ridiculous crap again."
"I'm serious. I'll win."
"Stop trying to brush it off with jokes. This time it's really—"
"Not a joke, so don't worry."
I looked at her and went on. "I'll come back, and……."
I'll definitely find a way to cure your sister.
I held back the rest. On this missionary trip, I'd obtain the Retrograde Staff, use it to find a way to restore Jeong Yun-ah to human form, and reunite the sisters. Then everything would be okay. For her, and for me. That's why I had to go on this trip no matter what. And I had to come back, no matter what.
I keep my promises. Always.
"……And, what?"
She asked as I silently gazed at her. I smiled.
"Let's skip school and grab some food."
"……We can go after school. Why skip? You delinquent?"
"Skipping makes it more thrilling."
She let out a small chuckle and nodded. "Fine, whatever."
With that, we parted ways. I watched until she entered her house before heading back to the dorms.
By the time I got to the dorm, I'd already missed curfew. The dorm supervisor gave me an earful. How could I always come back so late? What was I doing out so late? The usual tired nagging. In the end, I got demerit points.
Only then did I realize what Legba meant.
'Then at least check the time properly.'
Legba must have known I'd be late past curfew. Maybe he even knew Jeong In-ah was fine. That's probably why he tried so hard to stop me from going to see her.
Still, no regrets about my choice.
*
The day of the missionary trip arrived. We were on our own to get to the airport, so I hitched a ride with my uncle.
He'd been too busy to even show up at the chapel lately, barely responding to messages, but this time he readily agreed.
"Where was it again…… Saudi Arabia?"
"Yeah."
I nodded at my uncle's question. Soft music played from the car speakers. It felt pretty vacation-like.
My uncle yawned, popped some gum in his mouth, and continued. "But Saudi…… isn't that kinda dangerous? It's an Islamic country, right?"
"Yep."
"Heard there are a lot of extremists there. Well, probably not worse than Romanica folks."
"Extremists are always the problem. What could go wrong on a quick 2-night, 3-day trip?"
"Hey…… watch your mouth. That's a flag."
"Flag?"
"Saying stuff like that guarantees something happens."
My uncle grimaced. Something would probably happen, yeah. The Retrograde Staff was on display at the national museum, and the goal of this trip was to steal it. It'd be weirder if nothing went wrong stealing something valuable enough for national display.
But I had the museum staff's cooperation and a fake replica to swap in. If I played it right, I could pass it off as a minor incident and return home safely.
"Well…… you'll handle it fine, you're you."
"Yeah. Not like I'm gonna die."
"Right, just don't die. As long as you're alive, there's always a way."
My uncle said it casually as he kept driving. As I stared out the window, he spoke up again.
"But Saudi…… you might end up on the same flight back with that girl."
"Who?"
"The one from Gyeonggi Order exec, the one I mentioned last time."
"What's her name?"
"Hates her old name. Told me to call her 'Sophia.' Said that's what she went by in England."
"Sophia…… Did all that hiding drive her nuts?"
"Kinda seems like it."
My uncle chuckled and explained. Sophia—the Gyeonggi Order exec—had to route through various countries to return home. Border checks had tightened with signs of Satanist activity. He grumbled about nearly dying forging her Romanica cover identity.
"Well, thanks to the Satanists, I made some cash."
"What?"
"When borders tighten or war looms…… international panic's great for short-term gains."
We chatted idly until we reached the airport. I grabbed my suitcase from the trunk after getting out. My uncle told me to have a safe trip and drove off.
I wheeled my bag inside. Finding the group was easy—thanks to Kang Dae-man. His massive build stood out from afar.
I used him as a landmark and approached.
"Been waiting, Do Seon-woo!"
"Lower your voice, please."
Kang Dae-man's greeting boomed, so I frowned and shushed him. I glanced around. There were Ma Yu-hyeon and Kang Dae-man, plus Yeo Min-seo and Han Su-ryeon. Kim Jin-seo and Seong Ha-yeon hadn't arrived yet.
But why was Han Su-ryeon here?
"What? Didn't you say you weren't coming?"
"Oh…… yeah? But I changed my mind, so I said I'm going!"
Han Su-ryeon said cheerfully. Whatever, no big deal.
More people was better for me anyway. More eyes meant more distraction when stealing the staff from the museum.
"Hey, Yeo Min-seo. First time flying?"
While waiting for the other two, we bantered. Ma Yu-hyeon started by needling Yeo Min-seo.
She shot him a fierce glare. "What bullshit? What're you implying?"
"Nah, you just look tense. Thought it was your first time."
"……I just hate crowds, you fuck."
"Then say so instead of cursing. You really never flown before?"
"Truth is, I've never been on a plane! First time, super excited."
Kang Dae-man jumped in between them. "Whoa, then Dae-man doesn't even know you gotta take off your shoes?"
Han Su-ryeon smoothly joined in. Kang Dae-man laughed mockingly.
"Han Su-ryeon, you're underestimating me. I already know that much."
"Oh? You know you gotta tip the flight attendants too?"
Kang Dae-man's face turned serious at her joke. "Didn't know that…… Didn't bring cash."
"Want me to lend you some?"
"Hey…… stop teasing. Kang Dae-man's serious."
Ma Yu-hyeon cut in to stop Han Su-ryeon midway. She clicked her tongue regretfully. Kang Dae-man looked back and forth between them cluelessly.
Yeo Min-seo had been listening intently to Han Su-ryeon, then sighed in relief upon realizing it was a joke.
By then, Kim Jin-seo arrived, followed by Seong Ha-yeon. I'd expected Seong Ha-yeon to say something to me, but surprisingly, she didn't utter a word. She didn't even glance my way. Her expression was cold and dry, like back at the start of the semester when she was icy to everyone.
Kim Jin-seo just waved hello, nothing more.
"So, tip the attendants or not?"
"No, don't."
"Got it! Then shoes—"
Kang Dae-man stopped mid-sentence. A murmur rose from the airport entrance.
We all turned toward it.
A line of clergy was entering the airport. It was huge. Unlike our group—missionary trip in name only, mostly tourism—theirs were dispatched to safely repatriate missionaries from Saudi Arabia. Even mix of holy knights, holy warriors, and priests. Easy to distinguish by uniforms.
One massive guy broke from the line and strode toward us. A slimmer, weaselly-looking man followed. Both in holy knight uniforms, but their builds and vibes clashed wildly.
Up close, I recognized them.
"Ah, everyone's gathered here. Nice to see you. As you know, I'm Han Dae-ho."
It was Han Dae-ho. He scanned our group and continued.
"For this missionary trip, I'm handling supervision, security, miscellaneous duties, etc. Take care of me for the next three days, kids."
(To be continued in the next episode)