[What's life anyway, just living as it comes]
[What's life anyway, just living as it comes]
The Korea Forceuser Union (KFU). That organization, shortened to KFU, is an agency where the majority of Force Users belong, tasked with defeating the Enemy Species that appear in Korea and protecting the safety of citizens.
Established 20 years after the Great Depression, it is the agency that deployed Force Users to population-dense areas nationwide to respond at any time and built the current system. The citizens of the Republic of Korea, even if they curse the country for everything else, acknowledge that one thing.
"Team Leader-nim. The investigation is complete."
"How are the ones that appeared this time?"
"They're small Heptagon (seven-sided) types."
"That's pretty strong. Small ones are usually Hexagon (six-sided) types."
Enemy Species are categorized by the shape and size of the core that emits Raf Energy.
Pentagon (five-sided), Hexagon (six-sided), Heptagon (seven-sided), Octagon (eight-sided), Nonagon (nine-sided), etc., distinguish the core shape, and among them, they are divided by size: small, medium, large, and extra-large.
20 years ago, most were Pentagons, and the appearance of a large Hexagon type, which took an entire division's worth of ammunition to barely defeat, was considered strong. But as time passed, the level of appearing Enemy Species was rising.
Of course, as time passed, the number of Force Users stronger than back then also increased. Thanks to that, there were no problems with countermeasures against Enemy Species, but if Enemy Species that are stronger than the growth of Force Users appear because the level is gradually rising, then there is no guarantee.
"Any of our people hurt?"
"Han-seok-i is a bit hurt. But it's a wound that will heal if treated by a Healer-type User, so he just needs a day off."
"Good that no one died."
The person giving orders at this rest area scene right now is Team Leader Jo In-hyung of the Seoul 67th Branch. He is a Force User for whom direct combat is difficult, but his Force trait is 'Detection'. He is a person who was put in the Team Leader position because he excels at battlefield analysis and command.
"Did you total the deaths and injuries?"
"Since it didn't happen in the city center but at a highway rest area, the response was delayed... We predicted the Dimensional Rift, but because of the distance, a few people died."
"They're going to throw another shit-fit. Dammit, it's not like we wanted to be late."
Precognition-type Users are very rare, but they exist. Their numbers are extremely small worldwide, so only one had ever appeared in Korea.
"But those idiot national leaders killed him."
"Won't we also die of overwork someday?"
However, that Precognition-type User was dragged in half-forcibly to predict Dimensional Rift forecasts. Precognition ability is a Force trait that overworks the brain, not the body, so about a year later, that Precognition-type User died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
Brain problems don't show on the outside, and on the other hand, it was the result of the burden of being the only Precognition-type ability user and the stress from overwork.
Only then did the government think "oops," but it was already too late. The bus that has already left doesn't come back.
If it were just predicting Dimensional Rifts of a certain size, that Precognition-type User wouldn't have died of overwork, but they were overworked to the point of being cruel, so it was only natural they died of overwork.
Since then, a Precognition-type ability user has not appeared in Korea.
"Anyway, it's hard to deliver the news to the bereaved families and all that, so let's withdraw quickly. Did you collect all the byproducts?"
"Since it's a highway, transport should be easy."
"Is that a misfortune in the midst of fortune? I'd rather this kind of misfortune didn't exist at all."
Team Leader Jo In-hyung, who was about to move, suddenly turned his gaze to something that caught on his Force.
Among the corpses of the Enemy Species to be transported, a relatively intact corpse stood out. The other corpses were slashed, riddled with holes, and in a mess in various ways, but that corpse had no damage other than the place cut open for core extraction and a broken wrist.
"This..."
"Why, Team Leader-nim?"
He frowned and touched the corpse of the Enemy Species. He looked here and there and used his Force trait to obtain information he could know.
"......Hey, this doesn't have Force? It's a corpse that didn't undergo the Force Fusion Phenomenon."
"Yes? It has no Force?"
When Enemy Species appear on Earth through the Dimensional Rift where they originated, Earth's Gaia Force is naturally absorbed by the Enemy Species. That is called the Force Fusion Phenomenon.
The speed is so immense that in just 3 minutes, the Gaia Force dwells in the Enemy Species' core as well as its body to the point where it is clearly distinguishable. It is by using that Gaia Force as a medium that Force Users can inflict greater damage on Enemy Species than firearms.
However, traces of Gaia Force cannot be found in this Enemy Species.
"Team Leader-nim, to not have the Force Fusion Phenomenon occur, wouldn't you have to kill it within 1 minute of it appearing?"
The influx of Gaia Force takes a minimum of 1 minute and a maximum of 3 minutes. Research results also showed that, and cases that fall outside that time are when the Enemy Species is large or extra-large. Even in such cases, it is said to take less than 10 minutes.
"Right. But killing an Enemy Species that hasn't even finished adapting within 1 minute of it appearing is impossible for most Force Users."
Enemy Species are basically monsters. Crushing iron plates with bare hands is basic, and in terms of pure physical ability, they are better than most physical enhancement Force Users. It is no exaggeration to say that the reason Force Users can defeat Enemy Species is entirely due to the Force Fusion Phenomenon.
"Then the person who could..."
"Roughly Master-class? At the very least, top-tier Expert."
"Are you out of your mind? Lee Kyung-jin-ssi would come all the way here if something happened. I heard that person is defending the capital region, so he can't even take a proper vacation."
Most Force Users are powerless against firearms and are specialized solely for hunting Enemy Species. However, there are Force Users called Masters who have transcended those limits.
Monsters who can rule alone and whose Force capacity approaches the millions. They are truly, literally as strong as monsters, capable of taking on an army with a single human body.
"Hey, is there a CCTV here?"
"It's over there."
Seeing that a CCTV was installed next to the rest area gas station, they soon began to enter the on-site investigation.
"Ah, seriously. It's perfectly obscured."
"This was installed to film vehicles entering the gas station, not to film the rest area."
Because the angle was insufficient, the CCTV didn't film everything, but it was still filmed to some extent.
An Enemy Species was filmed running out of the screen and then flying away. And seeing that it fell far away and didn't move anymore within the screen, it seemed to have died just like that.
"It died just from being flown away?!"
"Did they hit it once?"
"If they hit it with a fist, there would have been a fist mark at least, given they pushed with force. But there were no major wounds other than the broken wrist."
Team Leader Jo fell into thought. What kind of person could do something like this? Even looking at it roughly, judging by the recorded video, it happened within 1 minute of the Enemy Species appearing.
"Huh? There's something more."
"Rewind and play it again."
Team Leader Jo focused on the CCTV video again. In the noisy rest area, when the Enemy Species appeared and moved to kill people, everyone was running away, but there was one person who was leisurely and relaxed.
He walked slowly and sat down in front of a crushed, overturned vehicle. Seeing someone reach out and struggle through the broken window of the vehicle, it looked like he was talking to the person inside.
"Are they trying to save them?"
"Doesn't look like it?"
Soon after the man left, the Enemy Species approached the vehicle and grabbed the arm to pull the man out. What followed was a scene so cruel it was hard to even watch.
"If this person is that Master-class user, did they just leave without saving them?"
"Could have had a grudge. Can't you zoom in on this?"
"What do you expect from a gas station CCTV. If we send it elsewhere, we might be able to, but... Are you trying to find them? This person?"
"Yeah, we're short on personnel. If there's a person like this, we have to find them."
"What about persuasion? Seeing people dying right in front of them and just ignoring it, I don't think they're a proper person."
"That's something to think about later."
Team Leader Jo looked at the man on the screen with shining eyes.
What kind of person is he, and what is he doing now?
Eating meat!
Chiiik!
"Kuh, it's been a while since I heard the sound of meat cooking."
"Have you never eaten meat in the military?"
"Sometimes when there was an event, they'd grill Samgyeopsal for a company dinner, but is Samgyeopsal the same as beef? This brisket melts!"
The beef grilled after a long time goes into my mouth as soon as it's grilled. The unique smell and juice of beef, completely different from pork, mingle in my mouth and whet my appetite again.
Until a few hours ago, Enemy Species were performing a talent show, but if I worried about things like that, I'd never be able to eat for the rest of my life.
"Beer? Soju?"
"Soju, please."
"Order here."
I called the server and ordered more. The meat is lacking, and should I order a couple of bottles of alcohol?
"Two bottles of Soju and two glasses here, please. And two servings each of brisket and skirt steak."
"Uh, customer... We don't sell alcohol to minors at our shop."
"Huh? Minor?"
If I said I looked old, I'd hear that I looked old, but I wouldn't look young enough to be seen as a minor, right?
As I was thinking that, I realized Sion, sitting opposite me, was eating meat. Ah, just looking at her, she's a minor. Even though she's actually older than me.
"Hey, if you want to drink, take out your ID. Do you even have it?"
"I always carry it because if I don't, you might get caught by the police later."
"Well, to others, I'm just a pure, young kid walking around with a suspicious-looking guy with mean eyes."
"Anyway, here is my ID."
Sion took her resident registration card out of her bag and showed it. Even though the name is Western-style, did she get the name through a naturalization application, or did she make a name and register it separately? It's a resident registration card no different from mine.
"Eh?! Born in '96?!"
"Don't suspect it's a forgery. Even though she looks like that, she's older than me."
"It's because I'm sick. I have a medical certificate, should I show it to you?"
"Ah, no... Yes, two bottles of Soju and two servings each of brisket and skirt steak, order received."
After the server left and it was just me and Sion, I asked her.
"Do you carry a medical certificate around too? To cosplay that you're sick?"
"I carry it just in case. You never know. I also hacked the hospital's computer system, so there's no problem."
"Your preparation is perfect."
"This is all a measure to ensure you don't get caught."
"I'm grateful for that."
Honestly, if she hadn't prepared like that, I would have been caught by the police a long time ago. It's not that I'm afraid of going to prison, but it feels shitty.
To live in society, you have to cosplay to fit that society. If I just blurted out, 'This kid is an alien, so she's about 900 years old, older than me. So it's legal,' I'd only hear people asking what kind of idiot is spouting bullshit.
If they saw how she acts at night, that talk would disappear instantly.
"Your order is here."
I received the glasses and the Soju bottle from the server. I gave one glass to Sion, opened the Soju bottle, and poured it, glug, glug, glug.
"Anyway, I won't get drunk even if I drink. Well, I'll drink for the mood."
"Then why did you order it?"
"You're drinking, so I ordered it to match you."
"..........My wife is the cutest in the world."
"Saying obvious things is useless."
While saying that, she slightly avoids my gaze. She seems shy.
Seeing couples, I used to wonder why they said such cringey things, but once you have someone you like, you're actually dying to do it. It feels like just hugging and rolling around would be overflowing with happiness.
Is this love!
"This is cooked. Eat up."
"Ah—"
"You want me to feed you?"
Feeding each other is the exclusive property of couples. I put a well-cooked piece of skirt steak into Sion's mouth. Seeing her chew it is cute.
Is this a heart of paternal love or a heart of love? Hmm, in my view, it's the latter, but in others' view, it would be the former, right?
"But is it okay to just leave that alone? I'm worried that some traces will be left and an investigation will come in."
"They won't chase me over just that. It wouldn't be anything special if I killed one thing that would have died anyway when the Force Users came."
Anyway, I wasn't going to go out that way, so I was intentionally not even paying attention. I just thought of it as the countryside where wild animals roam well, so I had no wariness.
I don't want to be dragged away half-forcibly and worked to the bone, and I don't want to pay more taxes because of that if I don't do it.
Who the hell made the law that if a Force User doesn't beat up Enemy Species, they get taxed more?
"If you're still hungry after eating, we can go home and have a second round. Ah, I've secured a house, so you'll be able to live there from now on."
"With a car, money, and a house, I'm completely a gigolo."
"Others would say it's a loli's gigolo."
"Wait, that's disgusting."
Both as a title and literally.
Anyway, I have to eat a lot. Enough to bankrupt this shop today. Otherwise, I won't have the stamina later.
I'll eat a lot, digest a lot, and prepare for what happens when I get home (hehe).
"I should get a job too. How should I find a job..."
"I bought a building, so why don't you open a shop. You're good at cooking, so in that field."
"I'll have to get a certification. It's not like I haven't gotten one or two before, so I'll be able to get it quickly."
Practical skills are no problem, so I just need to study for the written test. It's not like I've completely forgotten, so I'll be able to pass even if I study just 2 weeks before the exam.
"Should I open a chicken place?"
"That's not bad. Because we can welcome the Chicken God every day."
"1 chicken a day, that's luxurious."
Should I really look into a chicken place? I can borrow the capital from Sion and pay it back after I earn it.
"Being a building owner isn't that easy either. Because of my appearance, it's hard to solve things if something happens. Well, I can call someone to solve it, though. I'll introduce you to our Lawyer Kim later."
"Ah, so you don't just collect monthly rent."
"I leave the general things to facility companies, but you can't always call them for simple things, can you?"
"Then I'll do it. I didn't know I'd use what I learned in the military here."
"What on earth did you do in the military?"
"............Something that's not good to talk about while eating."
The position I had in the military was a plumbing soldier. It was originally a position for field construction soldiers, but since there are so few people enlisting in the military these days, I ended up entering to match the headcount. What I did there was plumbing, that is, fixing pipes where water comes out, air conditioners, and other boiler facilities.
Besides the plumbing soldier I belonged to, there were electrical construction and carpentry soldiers. As expected, since there were so few people, I was dragged here and there to work, so I became able to do everything to some extent.
I suffered because I went to the same 27th Division I went to before, thinking it would be familiar. No, I saw shit.
Among the plumbing facilities, you know that. The bathroom. That's also plumbing. I even learned welding, so that says it all.
"I've gained a versatile worker. Now I don't think there will be any worries."
"Pay me a lot of salary."
"I'll pay you a Sergeant's salary."
"Don't do memory violence?!"
With a mere 200,000 won that doesn't even reach the minimum wage, who are you trying to feed?
I drank alcohol with Sion for quite a long time, and I was tipsy, so I headed to the house she mentioned... Yeah, it must be our newlywed house. Anyway, I headed to that house.
The location of the house was a detached house 30 minutes away from Myeong-dong. Even so, it's near Myeong-dong, where land prices are expensive and there's a station nearby, so it's not an apartment but a detached house.
Just how much money did this kid earn in 2 years?
"I earned a decent amount. I designed and built the house myself, so it will be good to live in."
"Science is amazing."
Soon, we entered the house. It looked like a house of someone who lives well, the kind you'd see in a drama, and the front yard was quite nice to look at. Nice enough to raise a large dog.
The door was an automatic door lock. The password was 555*, and after thinking for a moment at a pattern I seemed to have seen somewhere, I let out a dry laugh.
"Is this Faiz?"
"Isn't it cool?"
Sion and I have similar tastes, so what we watch is similar too. We also like tokusatsu shows like the Kamen Rider series.
Entering the house, there was no smell that would cause sick house syndrome, but a natural house smell. There were several rooms, and since it was a 2-story house, it was incredibly spacious for two people to live in.
"Just in case, I left several rooms. I'll explain other things gradually, but above all, the soundproofing is perfect."
"Really?"
I smiled and responded to Sion, who was gently taking my hand.
I held her hand, lifted her up, and hugged her. The small frame that fit into my arms at once and the faint smell of shampoo felt good.
"Shall we check it out?"
"........Beast."
Sion, even though she said that, didn't look like she hated it.
She says no, but I'll make her body honest!