Earth's Representative Just Wants to Clock Out
Osaka Gate Temporary Control Base.
As soon as the briefing room door swung open, a roar of beasts erupted.
Flash! Flash! Flash!
Hundreds of flashes exploded, ready to shred retinas.
Mics thrust in from all sides.
Camera shutters battered eardrums.
Noisy.
Just wrap this up and get home to crash.
She slumped crookedly into the chair on the podium.
Her feet didn't reach the floor, dangling in the air.
She lightly tapped the mic head with her finger.
Thump! Screeeeech!
A piercing friction sound tore through the speakers.
The room's din cut off like someone had dumped ice water on it.
"I'll answer questions as much as I know."
The reporters' eyes gleamed with greedy hunger at her dry voice.
"But one at a time, in order. Yell, and the mic's off."
A front-row American reporter shot up, slamming his panel like he meant to break it.
"I've heard the otherworld is on the brink of destruction! How dire is the situation?!"
Dire, huh.
Images flashed of the missing people, their chubby cheeks puffed from gorging on organic fruits in the elf forest.
"Nah. It's super peaceful. Little elves are playing in the dirt in the plaza."
"Huh? B-but monsters from the unknown are invading..."
"Their alliance is handling all that slaughter."
The room buzzed uneasily.
Not the juicy soundbite they wanted.
Reporters' faces soured in an instant.
Next, a British reporter snatched the mic.
"Then why beg Earth for an alliance? Is your defensive line about to break?!"
"Monster blood splatters the soil and contaminates it."
"Huh?"
"Can't farm anymore, so food shortages hit."
"Food... shortages?"
"Yeah. And they've got about 50 to 100 years till doom."
"A hundred years?!"
"Their lifespans are long, so their sense of time's off."
Deflated sighs haunted the briefing room.
Then a French reporter in the back frantically shot his hand up.
"Any... civilian exchanges planned with the otherworld's intelligent beings? Like international marriages with elves or immigration policies!"
The question ignited a weird buzz in the room.
Reporters' eyes filled with impure curiosity.
She looked down at them pityingly, impassively.
"None."
Sliced it clean off.
"Huh? But if two worlds ally, surely..."
"You've watched too many fantasy flicks."
She clicked her tongue into the mic.
"That's a place with bows and magic. Go marry internationally if you wanna end up monster chow."
The reporter who asked flushed beet red under her fact-bomb.
"Any more questions?"
Silence.
Reporters turned into honey-mute bees, no more sensational hooks.
She stood.
"That's it. I'm clocking out."
Turned without hesitation.
No grounds left to hold her.
Back in the lounge behind the briefing room.
Door shut.
Noise perfectly blocked.
She flung her upper body onto the chair like collapsing.
Crushing fatigue crawled up her spine.
"Look at you, sly as a fox."
Old man Park Jin-cheol grinned by the door.
"Won't grab the mic again."
"Don't jinx it. Couldn't do it twice."
"Hunters are hitting a celebration dinner later. Join?"
"Why would I? I'd just choke on the vibe."
Those foreign hunters she'd crushed under her mana in the meeting room, heads to the floor.
She'd instilled iron discipline—could meat go down easy with her there?
She'd just wreck the mood.
"Fair. They'd piss themselves and pass out anyway."
Old man chuckled, waving her off.
"Good work. Head home and rest."
Lounge door opened again.
Park So-jin and Ryu Ji-hwan.
Both had hollow shadows under their eyes.
"Kiddo. Got a flight? Let's roll together."
"Noona doesn't drink? Everyone's heading to dinner."
Park So-jin snorted in disbelief.
"What booze? Gotta get home and see my girl's face."
Ji-hwan hyung nodded vigorously beside her, wordless.
Alliances, diplomacy, bullshit—everyone was running on fumes.
She hauled herself up.
"Car's waiting. Straight to the airport."
Inside the top-tier sedan courtesy of the Japanese.
Suffocating silence flowed.
Osaka's glittering nightscape slid indifferently past the window.
Airport hit, straight onto the waiting private jet.
She threw herself into the plush leather seat.
"This otherworld crap turned Japan into a corner store run."
Casually tossed it out while ripping open the in-flight sandwich wrapper.
"Tell me about it. Once things calm, gotta bring my kid for a trip."
So-jin noona grinned vacantly out the window.
Ji-hwan hyung, flipping a magazine beside her, nodded faintly.
"Our world's nonstop bloodbath busy. This peace feels alien."
Quiet crushed by exhaustion.
The plane roared down the runway into the night sky.
Incheon Airport.
Past midnight.
Immigration gate opened.
"Mommy!"
A sharp kid's voice sliced the quiet lounge.
A little one rocketed over from afar.
So-jin noona's daughter, Ha-yoon.
Behind her, her husband stood with a huge bouquet, beaming good-naturedly.
"Aigoo, my baby! Missed Mommy?"
So-jin noona scooped Ha-yoon up high.
Her weary face bloomed with life in a flash.
Light eye-greeting with the husband, then she turned to Tae-ho.
"Unnie!"
Ha-yoon, nestled in So-jin noona's arms, pouted at her.
Unnie.
No energy left to retort.
"Why haven't you come play at our house?"
"...Busy."
"Liar! I know you went to Japan and ate all the yummy stuff!"
Ha-yoon latched onto her finger tight.
"Come to our house quick and play with me. Okay?"
Just wanna get home and crash.
Crushing fatigue clashed in the air with the kid's innocent stare.
A battle she couldn't win.
Finally, a short sigh, pinky extended.
"Okay. I'll go."
"Really? Promise? For real!"
Pinky hooked, thumb stamped—finally freed.
"Kiddo, good work. Let's grab food soon."
So-jin noona approached.
Yanked her cheek out playfully.
"Ow, cut it."
Swatted the fiddling hand away roughly, nodded.
Ji-hwan hyung raised a hand lightly in salute.
Each piled into waiting Association cars.
Finally, home.
Finger trembled faintly punching the door lock.
Door opened.
Familiar lived-in smell.
"Oh, Tae-ho's back?"
Mom shot up from the living room couch, TV on.
"Eaten?"
Food.
That word triggered gut churn on reflex.
The nightmare feast right before Osaka.
Beef, grilled eel, abalone.
Plus the mountain of fruit second raid.
Mom's blind love force-fed till her belly nearly burst.
Show weakness here, and who knew what ingredient range would blanket the table.
"Yeah. Stuffed."
"Really? Stomach not empty? Mom'll grill some meat?"
"No. Ate hearty there, belly's bursting."
Slapped up iron walls quick, shed outerwear.
Mom eyed her gut, finally smacked lips regretfully.
Dad, watching news beside, peered over glasses.
"Big job done—good work. News was chaos."
"Just did the briefing."
"Tired, huh. Go rest."
"Yeah. Back."
This blunt greeting was gold when beat.
Dumped bag in couch corner, heading to room.
"Yo, back? Our hero?"
Ha-eun, sprawled face-down tapping smartphone, glanced over.
"Yeah."
Then Ha-eun sprang up like a spring.
"Hey! So the elves?"
Her eyes sparkled.
"Pics? Are they really pretty? High elves like that?"
Expectant gleam.
Predator spotting prey.
Brain short-circuited.
Disciplining awakeners.
Debating doom with the queen.
Sealing alliance.
Smashing reporter barrage.
"Pics."
The word slipped out short.
Mind blanked white.
"No way..."
Ha-eun's brows twitched.
"Forgot."
Heavy silence blanketed the living room.
Ha-eun's face soured fast.
"Argh, seriously! You carry that phone for show? Not one pic of those pretty elves?!"
"Smartphones don't work there."
Lazy deflection.
"Data off, basic camera works! Shoulda snapped some!"
"Busy dying sealing alliance and meetings—pose elves for V-sign kimchi shots?"
"Yeah! Exactly! Elves everywhere, right?!"
She flopped on the couch, kicking tantrum.
"Couldn't snag a Starsta at least? No body language?"
Ridiculous, a hollow laugh escaped.
"No Starsta there. Dislike you, arrow to the forehead."
"Ugh, what's the point of Earth's strongest? Can't even show pretty elf pics. Zero sense!"
She snatched a fluffy couch cushion.
"Go back tomorrow and snap some! Or I yank your room's Wi-Fi cord!"
Whoosh!
Dodged the flying fluff with a twist.
"I'll post some later."
"Liar! Open gallery now! Hiding to hog 'em?!"
Ignoring the eardrum-piercing whine, bolted to her room.
Door slammed shut firm.
Flung herself spread-eagle on the bed.
Pics my ass.
Fatigue crushed her whole body.
Eyelids heavy.
Shift over.