Marine Park Ji-hoon.
Marine Park Ji-hoon.
Time passed, and my Illytion electric car arrived.
"Whoa..."
I muttered next to Dad, who was already in awe.
"As cool as thirty million..."
I had seriously never seen a car this sleek in my entire life. The exterior looked like something out of a sci-fi fantasy from the distant future. Twenty in the world, and only one in Korea.
White and black mixed together... so I decided to name it Spotty.
Our house was right on Dosan-daero, so to get driving fast, I skimmed the contracts, signed two pages, and stuffed one into my bag.
Then I sat in the driver's seat and started touching everything.
"Dad!!! Hurry up!!!"
"Si-yoon... there are a lot of people taking pictures... I'm a little embarrassed..."
"What are you talking about, get in!"
Vrrrroooom!
This was the future...
I could check the vehicle status by touching the screen, so I spent about ten minutes cramming every piece of information about the car into my head. When I switched the screen back to the standard instrument panel and started moving slowly, a deep navy light glowed underneath with a humming vroom-vroom-vroom sound.
"Whoa..."
Even Dad was marveling at it. I could adjust this and change the color too.
When I put my foot on the accelerator for the inaugural drive, it felt like only the scenery outside was changing, as if there was no friction on the tires—the floating-on-air sensation was perfectly realized. They also said they'd tune it however I wanted, so I immediately requested a handbrake.
Supercars are meant for drifting...
I planned to use it only to the extent that it wouldn't put serious strain on the tires, but... even I had zero intention of putting a scratch on a hypercar that surpassed supercars.
Its very form was like a work of art in itself.
The moment we exited the parking lot, every gaze locked onto us. On top of that, its high-pitched vroom-vroom, as if boasting how special it was, seized even more attention.
If I had to sum up my first impressions of driving it—honestly, not even an ambulance could part the Red Sea this fast. When I pulled up right behind some car's rear end without a second thought, the car in front panicked and sped away. We reached Dosan-daero and got the green light... By my memory, the light would change in three seconds.
I pressed the brake all the way down and activated launch control. The moment I floored the accelerator while holding it, Dad's pupils dilated and he called my name urgently.
"Si-yoon!!"
"Gotta feel the power of zero to a hundred in 1.1 seconds."
SKREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
Whoooosh!!!
The fully digital instrument panel raced to its limit as Dad and I felt the force of well over 2,000 horsepower together. When I lifted my foot off the accelerator, Dad was in a cold sweat, clutching the oh-shit handle like a little kid.
"Whoa."
As I slowly made a U-turn and passed by, countless photos were taken. I parked where a Starbucks was in sight and said to Dad.
"Dad, get out. Hurry! So I can take pictures."
"Only now...?"
"Hurry up~"
Dad took pictures of me, and I started photographing the car too.
"Kyah... it's almost as well-shaped as my body."
"Outside... what are you saying... are you crazy?"
I could see people around us taking pictures of me and Dad, but what could I do? Most of the world would know it was my car soon enough anyway. From now on, I was going to drive this to school.
As I was driving back home, Dad let out a sigh.
"You like it?"
I drove with one hand while sipping a sweet smoothie from Starbucks.
"Of course. Might be the best money I've ever spent. But I just can't bring myself to drift it."
Drifting a car I liked this much and getting even a scratch would probably feel like the scratch was on my heart, not the car. For now, the beautifully designed handbrake was sealed.
"We're going to see Ji-hoon tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah, he's graduating tomorrow."
"Should Dad come with you?"
"I'll pick Ji-hoon up in this."
"Oh~! That's great! Ji-hoon will absolutely love it, won't he?"
"Right?"
That day. My Spotty, naturally, set the internet ablaze. Along with the fact that I drove like an absolute maniac.
There was even a review from the truck whose tail I had been riding. I took Spotty to go see Ji-hoon's parents. The two of them marveled at my car.
"Whoa..."
When I pressed the button with the Illytion logo that appeared on the car's connected app, it let out a high-pitched vroom vroom.
"Hah..."
"Amazing, right!?"
"The car is really beautiful..."
"Let's hurry and go get Ji-hoon. I seriously want to drive this thing..."
"Yeah, let's go."
We reached the highway and started racing toward Pohang. A hypercar trailing behind a supercar.
A dump truck in the left lane spotted our car behind it and changed lanes, telling us to go on ahead. I flicked on the turn signal and hit the accelerator.
Skreeee!
I even felt a thrill at the speed climbing in an instant.
Ji-hoon's family car was a state-of-the-art supercar, but the moment it was next to Spotty, it might as well have been a shitbox.
Still a long way from enough, but after enjoying it to some extent, I parked in front of the Marine battalion. When I got out of the car, its doors spreading open like wings, every gaze zeroed in on me. As I stepped out, I fixed my eyes on the military policeman, and his pupils shook violently as he stared back at me.
"Where do I go for the graduation ceremony?"
The MP couldn't tear his eyes away from my face, standing there dumbstruck.
"Uh...? Ah... yes. You can drive in and follow the road."
"Yep."
When I operated it with my phone, Spotty opened its side like it was going to take me into its embrace.
The 'vroom-vroom' sound was the highlight.
I slid into Spotty's body, rolled down the window, and waited for Yoo Mi-seon. And then a supercar appeared.
"Ma'am! They said we can just drive in!"
"Got it~"
I followed Park Ji-hoon's mother's car. When all eyes were on us, I parked cleanly, got out, and went to see Park Ji-hoon.
The weather was beautifully sunny—a good feeling.
We took our seats and watched the Marine Corps graduation ceremony. Seeing a shaved head shaped exactly like Park Ji-hoon moving in crisp military angles was hilarious. The fact that his knife-sharp precision outclassed everyone else's was a bit of a showstopper, though.
Park Ji-hoon, who had never taken anyone's orders seriously, following commands with a solemn expression—was it a little refreshing, maybe?
I'd heard they barely gave them any food, so I'd wondered if Park Ji-hoon had gotten thinner, but even from a distance, his build hadn't changed at all. I approached Park Ji-hoon, who was standing at rigid attention, together with Ji-hoon's family.
Ji-hoon's mother told me to put the cap on him, so I picked up Park Ji-hoon's cover.
Park Ji-hoon stared at me intently.
"Hey, dipshit, bow your head."
"Long time no see?"
"You had a rough time, you little shit? Ahaha. The Illytion's here, gotta take it for a spin."
"For real?!"
Park Ji-hoon brought someone over to me—looked like he'd made a close buddy in boot camp.
"...?"
"Just one picture, please."
"Pretty sure they want a picture with me, not with you."
At my words, a Marine who was nodding vigorously approached.
"I'm really a huge fan... could I get an autograph..."
"I'll send it to Ji-hoon later. If I start doing it here, it'll never end."
"Ah..."
Looking around, the place was packed with people gauging the right moment to ask me for a photo. After the ceremony ended, Park Ji-hoon immediately started walking around with me.
Countless eyes were on us, and some people were even trying to take pictures.
"It's insane here. The number of people asking for the photos you sent was seriously fucking ridiculous. Even the company commander asked."
"Heh?"
"Said he'd trade cigarettes for 'em."
As he walked, Park Ji-hoon turned his gaze to my car, and his eyes flew wide open.
"Is that it!? That's it!?"
The moment he spotted my car, Park Ji-hoon sprinted toward it. When I started the engine, Spotty let out a shallow vroom-vroom and spread its wings, and Park Ji-hoon's eyes sparkled.
I pressed a feature I'd never used before, and the car's color changed.
"Holy shit!? That's fucking insane, goddamn...!!"
"This is the future..."
"As cool as thirty million."
Park Ji-hoon said exactly the same thing I did.
Before getting into the car, Park Ji-hoon started knocking the dirt off his shoes with a reverent posture and looked at me.
"Should I take 'em off?"
"Just get in. Getting your parents' car or this one washed costs about the same."
"Hey, but there's not a speck of dirt in here?"
"Just get in, you shit!"
"It's gonna be mine in the future!"
"Maybe I won't give it to you?"
"Aww~"
".....?"
Normally the roads would be jammed after a graduation ceremony, but today a lot of considerate drivers were graciously waiting for me to pull out.
I set my Spotty to Black & White mode and switched it back to white and black. The MP flinched when he saw it.
"Thanks for your hard work~"
"YES, MA'AM!!!"
Park Ji-hoon sat next to me and started messing with my phone. He got in by drawing my passcode pattern like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Whoa... feels like I'm touching a rock...?"
"Dumbass, you never used more than 5% of your phone's features anyway."
Park Ji-hoon, awkwardly fumbling with the touchscreen, went into my gallery.
"Looks like you had a fun seven weeks, you son of a bitch."
"Yeah, it was sweet as hell~ So, anything you want to eat?"
"Meat. No question."
With the mindset of letting him feast for the first time in forever, I headed for a beef restaurant.
"The food there is seriously tiny portions, it's ridiculous."
"Eat slowly."
"Look at the muscle loss, seriously, damn..."
Maybe he wanted to show me that his muscles had shrunk. He suddenly flexed his arm, but they hadn't shrunk at all. If anything, the fat had melted off, making Park Ji-hoon's bronzed forearm muscles even more defined. The thick veins squirming around were fucking grotesque.
"You're training to the point of exhaustion—you think a normal person could handle that?"
"Nope, I eat a ton more, but I train about five or six times harder than everyone else. The platoon leader was an acquaintance of Jong-hyeon."
"Riding that sweet connection."
"The hell!?"
I looked at Park Ji-hoon, smirked, and said,
"Honestly, you needed my photos, didn't you?"
"... I admit it."
"Come here."
When we hit a red light, I snatched Park Ji-hoon's cover and put it on. Park Ji-hoon's head wasn't that big, but my head was really small, so the size difference was huge.
So it looked like a kid wearing her dad's hat, but anyway, I took a picture with Park Ji-hoon. And this little shit, for the first time ever, was smiling in a photo.
"Oh, look at that. You look good when you smile. You always had that face like you were chewing on something."
"Yeah? Watch the road, the light changed."
We drove for quite a while and arrived at the beef restaurant I'd scoped out in advance. It was a place with private rooms, and Ji-hoon's parents handed him some workout clothes and told him to change.
Park Ji-hoon came out after changing. I put on Park Ji-hoon's military uniform and took some photos, and since it looked surprisingly good on me, I sent a picture to Da-yeon.
Da-yeon responded with squeals of excitement.
While Park Ji-hoon watched me chat with Da-yeon from the side, we took several pictures together, and I sent them to Park Ji-hoon. Park Ji-hoon looked at the photos, smirked, and then started eating.
"Why are you pretty?"
"You are pretty~"
For a split second, a chill ran through my entire body, and a catastrophe involving my left-hand taser in front of Ji-hoon's parents nearly unfolded.
"Recon battalion? Or Yeonpyeong?"
"Recon battalion. The platoon leader told me to stick with him."
"So you're transferring units now?"
"No, I still have to do two weeks of recon basic training and then seven weeks of specialized training."
"At this rate, your discharge will come faster."
Park Ji-hoon was even eyeing the meat I'd reserved and was painstakingly grilling, but he looked so pitiful I just let him be.
Park Ji-hoon had always been the type to shove anything remotely edible in his mouth, but today he was eating even more, so we had three grill plates going at once. Park Ji-hoon's parents were focused on grilling meat at the side for their son...
Since hell week was coming up and he wouldn't be able to eat his fill, they were feeding him with extra diligence.
"They give you leave often?"
"The platoon leader said to just follow him. Told me to look forward to it."
"Oh~ that's some reliable backing you got there."
Park Ji-hoon had filled his stomach to some degree and started eating slowly, and only then did Park Jeong-ho start eating his fill too.
Park Ji-hoon's Marine Corps pride was something else, and just thinking about how he'd act all cocky once he got discharged already exhausted me.
We moved to the lodging I'd booked for a short stay, and Park Ji-hoon fell asleep.
Park Ji-hoon wasn't normally someone who slept that much, but the military really must leave you short on sleep.
I lay down next to Park Ji-hoon and was looking at my phone when I remembered that Ji-hoon's parents had really wanted to drive my car.
So I handed over the car key I rarely used.
"Go for a drive~"
Yoo Mi-seon smiled mischievously.
"Oh my? Planning to do something with our Ji-hoon?"
"Huh? Heh heh... he and I have been stuck together for thirteen years. If nothing's happened by now, there's nothing there~"
"Come on~ Ji-hoon really likes you, Si-yoon."
"Hmm, I doubt it?"
Yoo Mi-seon was still persistently misunderstanding things, just as she had since the old days.
I sat on the sofa for a while, chatting with Da-yeon, when Park Ji-hoon woke up and came out.
"Yawn... where's Mom...?"
"She went for a drive in my car."
He plopped down on the sofa and immediately started nodding off.
"Hey, look at this."
Park Ji-hoon opened his eyes and looked at the phone, and on the phone I showed him was Da-yeon.
-"Wow~ Ji-hoon looks so cool!"
Park Ji-hoon waved his hand half-heartedly, and I touched Park Ji-hoon's shaved head.
"You're basically bald lol"
-"I should've gone too... sorry, my grandpa called me over..."
Park Ji-hoon answered while yawning.
"Yawn. It's fine~"
-"Ah! I have to go. Have fun with Si-yoon~"
Nothing to do at the lodging. Ji-hoon and I headed outside.
"I'm hungry."
"There's nothing around here, though?"
"Wanna hit a PC bang?"
"Sure, why not?"
I searched for a PC bang on my phone, and the closest one was three kilometers away, so I called Jong-hyeon. A moment later, an HSW security vehicle stopped in front of us, and I naturally got into the driver's seat.
With nothing to talk about while driving, I brought up Han Jong-su to Park Ji-hoon.
"That bastard is seriously unique."
"Honestly, he was impressive."
"What's so impressive about him?"
"If someone told me to go overseas for a year with no money at all, I don't think I'd do it even for a hundred billion won."
"I'd do it."
"Broke-ass piece of shit."
"The fuck!? Hey, who wouldn't do it for a hundred billion, you crazy bitch."
"Right here, someone who wouldn't."
"....."
"Look at that reaction. Anybody listening would think I blow through money, you know?"
"You mean you don't?"
"Yeah~ on average, at least one of my paintings sells a month. If just three sell, it covers every single won I've spent in my entire Si-yoon life, you get that?"
"....."
"And honestly, that's just counting the paintings. The money coming in from incentives for My Love Was a Gumiho is still overwhelming to this day."
"....."
"Same with the music."
I smirked at Park Ji-hoon, who was at a loss for words.
"Basically, I'm practically a miser with how little I spend~"