Step on It, Sunbae!
Seo-ha's off to the races! Natsumi had headed out with Kanna and the other team members to tackle their afternoon schedule. Seol-ah... would probably get up on her own eventually.
"Baek Ga-yeon, let's get going too."
Ga-yeon gave a short nod. We left the practice room and headed for the elevator.
As the elevator doors closed, a brief silence settled in. The bass thumping from the practice room grew fainter with each passing floor.
Sunbae cleared her throat awkwardly. "Ahem."
Ga-yeon said nothing. She leaned against the wall, checked her phone screen for a moment, then slipped it back into her pocket. The fluorescent light from the elevator ceiling made the end of her ponytail glimmer faintly.
The doors opened, revealing a vast parking area thick with the smell of cold concrete. Rows of vehicles emblazoned with the Luminus logo stood lined up—mostly black sedans and vans.
"Whoa—."
Sunbae's exclamation came first. "Damn, so many cars. These all belong to Luminus, right?"
"Probably."
Sunbae whistled as she looked around. "Man... takes me back to that rickety old van from the Association. The door would rattle when you closed it, and turning on the AC felt like it might kill the engine."
"Government vehicles are all like that."
"Our scrap heap had its charms, though."
I pressed the key fob, and a sleek new sedan in the corner responded with a chirp. "Oh. That's ours?"
Sunbae's eyes widened more and more. "Whoa, whoaaa..."
"Don't drool."
Sunbae stared at the car like she'd lost her soul. The glossy black body shone so brightly it was an insult to compare it to the Association's battered van. She touched the door gingerly, then gripped the handle as if handling fine art.
Baek Ga-yeon opened the back door and slid in like it was routine.
"Oh my, oh my. Look at you. Can I flirt like this on our first meeting? She's in the shop right now, but she's already got an owner."
Don't get the wrong idea. She was talking to the car. "In the shop" meant her personal car was in for repairs.
Sunbae plopped into the driver's seat, reclining it almost flat as she fussed excitedly. Her fingers caressed the dashboard here and there with reverence.
I buckled into the passenger seat. "Sunbae, let's just get going. Baek Ga-yeon is waiting."
Sunbae gave the dash one last loving stroke with a reluctant expression before hitting the start button.
Vroom.
"...Insane."
She shifted gears with extreme care. The car glided forward smoothly.
"Whoa... what is this... so smooth."
The car began ascending the gentle slope of the underground garage.
"Sorry, scrap heap."
Sunbae muttered seriously as she gripped the wheel. "You were a good car in your own way..."
A moment of silence. Then she declared suddenly. "But!"
Sunbae shifted gears and tapped the accelerator lightly. The car picked up speed quietly.
"Gear shifts are god-tier... exhaust note is next-level..."
I squeezed my eyes shut. Here we go again.
"This smoothness... this silence... this ride quality..."
Sunbae gushed in rapture. "I've been ruined for anything but Zoom-Zoom...!"
"Just drive properly."
Sunbae shut her mouth for a bit. But the quiet didn't last, and she soon started muttering again.
"Sorry, Speedy too."
"She's in the shop for repairs right now, but..."
Sunbae glanced in the rearview mirror. "My heart's already moved on..."
"Sunbae."
"What. Let me geek out."
"I don't care, but Baek Ga-yeon is right behind you."
Sunbae's shoulders twitched. Her ears turned bright red.
"...Oh."
Baek Ga-yeon's face twisted like she'd seen something she wished she hadn't.
See? I'm the normal one here, and sunbae's the weirdo.
"Manager Lee Sang-woo, where are we headed?"
For the first time, she addressed me directly instead of sunbae. Even if she hated men, sunbae must've looked subhuman right now.
Not that I wanted to bond over this, but...
"Seoul D District. Old city center patrol."
I turned on the tablet on my lap and answered. Unlike the clunky Association system, Luminus's UI was clean and sleek. The map showed D District's sectors in blue, dotted with blinking red points logging incidents.
"In the last week: 43 spider-type small monster sightings, 29 other types."
I swiped through the screen. "Spiders are unusually common, but low threat level. High spawn rate means frequent patrols."
Sunbae nodded while steering. "Ah, that kind of spot. Mob spawn zone."
"...Not a game."
Sunbae thought for a sec, then tilted her head. "But don't Association C-grade or lower magical girls handle that stuff?"
"Normally, yes."
I swiped the tablet. "But Baek Ga-yeon, Magical Girl Cherry Dream is under Luminus and unlicensed by the government, so she's unranked. Even with A-grade capability, she can't take major missions."
Sunbae in the driver's seat nodded. "Aha. Like a tutorial."
"Kinda, but not a game, I said. And you heard the briefing too—why don't you know?"
"...Seo-ha was sleepy."
"Don't copy Min Seol-ah. You're not cute, sunbae."
"We'll see at the red light..."
Sunbae grumbled through gritted teeth. I ignored her and swiped the tablet again.
"Anyway, Baek Ga-yeon. Patrol D-2, D-5, D-6 sectors. Eliminate any monsters, report anomalies to us. That's the rundown."
"Simple. No anomalies, probably."
Ga-yeon gazed out the window, speaking flatly.
I checked the tablet once more. D District's minor outbreaks were old news, cause unknown. Like she said, probably nothing major.
Sunbae chimed in. "But usually, saying that flags something."
"Why plant that flag?"
The car passed under an overpass into the old city center. Dingy shops and houses replaced skyscrapers. Faded signs lined the streets, alleys thick with the scent of daily life.
I glanced back at the tablet. "Three detected nearby. We'll wait in the car—call when you're done."
We pulled up near an alley entrance between old commercial buildings. Dim even in daylight, sunlight barely penetrated.
Ga-yeon opened the door. "Be right back."
"Comms channel open. Weak monsters, so no property damage needed—easy hunt."
"Got it."
She stepped out with a curt reply.
Click. I confirmed her position signal activated on the tablet. A small pink dot appeared at the alley mouth on the map.
"Cherry Dream, comms connected."
Sunbae peered out the window needlessly before leaning back. "First time watching a monster hunt live. Kinda exciting?"
Sensor data updated slowly on the tablet. Faint mana reactions deep in the alley: three spider-type small entities. As expected.
"...Should be quick."
Maybe catch a nap. Drowsiness hit harder than usual—couldn't fight it.
Why am I so tired?
"About 20 minutes. I'll rest my eyes."
"OK! I'll keep watch. Sleep, Sang-woo. You looked beat since morning."
Sunbae had lost Ga-yeon's trust. Should've watched her words...
I closed my eyes. The seat was comfy, fatigue from last night pulling me under fast. Ga-yeon would be back soon; I'd handle cleanup then.
Scratch.
......
"-woo."
My shoulder shook. "Sang-woo. Wake up."
Eyelids heavy, I scowled and lifted my head. "What... done already...?"
Scratch.
"What the hell. Why's it night?"
It had been daytime for sure. The car interior was sunk in ocean depths darkness.
"Night...? No..."
Sunbae's expression was off. Scratch.
Something scraped across the roof. With my half-awake brain, I slowly peered at the window.
Not even night. Pitch black, no light at all.
I flicked on the interior light. Outside still swallowed by darkness.
Scratch. Scratch scratch. Scratch scratch scratch.
Like dry pine needles raking glass.
I sat up slowly. "...Sunbae."
"Yeah."
"Why's it like this outside?"
Sunbae didn't answer. She stared through the windshield, unblinking.
Then it hit me. Spiders.
Hundreds blanketed the glass. Spider monsters crawled over each other, legs scraping with every movement.
Scratch scratch. Scratch. Scratch scratch. Scratch. Scratch scratch. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch scratch. Scratch scratch. Scratch. Scratch scratch. Scratch. Scratch scratch. Scratch. Scratch scratch. Scratch. Scratch scratch. Scratch.
So many, no light got through.
"Fuck. Cherry Dream—comms?"
"Sang-woo... I dozed off too. Woke up to this. No contact with Ga-yeon."
"You say that now?"
Goddamn idiot. Sunbae looked wronged.
A spider pressed right against the glass, body the size of a human head squished flat as it crawled by.
I grabbed the tablet instantly. "172..."
"What?"
"172 of them. Same type."
I locked eyes with one spider. Thousands of fine hairs on its legs writhed as it peered in. My distorted face stared back from its compound eyes.
The spider bared massive fangs and slammed them into the glass.
Crack.
A crack spiderwebbed across.
"Uh uh..."
"Sunbae, step on it!"
My shout ripped through the old city's silence as the sedan's exhaust roared like a scream.