ALL NOVEL Chapter 282
Chapter 282. Departure (2)
“Why are you just now telling me this?”
—What if I told you and it caused some trouble?
Yoo Ji-han, who was merely a hero in a newly formed guild called Sweet Fun.
Once the Sylph found her voice, she had no intention of bringing up the previous contractor, Erna Hass, until the current contractor passed a certain threshold.
Curiosity can lead to danger.
Having already experienced one contractor’s death, the spirit didn’t want to put a new contractor in jeopardy.
—But now that you’re all grown up, I suppose it doesn’t matter!
“Are you acknowledging me?”
—Of course!
“Well, thank you.”
—Uheehee!
The Sylph rolled around on the bed, her unique laughter filling the space.
Yoo Ji-han watched the Sylph, then spoke.
“Si-hoo’s mother must have been a great contractor.”
—Of course! She was just so kind!
“I’ve heard her abilities were impressive too?”
—None of the elves in the Shioron royal family had talent that surpassed Erna. Even throughout Grudia and all of Earth, there aren’t many as remarkable as her! To give you an idea of just how incredible she was, there was an incident where she was chosen to duel on behalf of others after a dispute with another kingdom…
The Sylph lavished praise on her previous contractor, Erna.
If the spirit had a mouth, she would’ve continued to sing Erna’s praises until she dried up!
Such was the strength of the Sylph’s faith in Erna.
Therefore, Yoo Ji-han had a question.
“The fact that such an incredible person died from an illness… Honestly, I find it hard to believe.”
—It was an incurable disease. They couldn’t even properly identify its cause.
Magic Discoloration Syndrome had symptoms where the skin turns black in response to magic.
But the illness Erna suffered from simply left her body gradually weakening over time.
There were no clues to treat her illness.
—I could feel Erna’s aura fading each day. The doctors said there was rapid aging happening in her internal organs.
A disease where everything looks fine on the outside, but what’s inside ages quickly.
No patient with similar symptoms existed in any other country besides Erna Hass.
For that reason, it was a disease that still hasn’t even been named.
“Could it have been a curse?”
—Well, who knows.
Magic Discoloration Syndrome was confirmed to be a curse.
Likewise, Erna’s symptoms could have been classified as a type of magic stemming from a curse.
However, with her already gone, what was there to do?
‘If the researchers knew about that curse…’
The illness Erna Hass suffered from.
And the researchers who secretly came to collect her hair right after her death.
Yoo Ji-han suspected there had to be a connection.
*
“The plane tickets have arrived.”
“Show me.”
Kim Si-hoo showed Yoo Ji-han the image of the message that had come to his mobile phone.
It was a ticket to Japan sent by Watanabe Yosuke.
But there was something a bit odd about the ticket class.
“Ultra First Class? Is there even such a thing?”
“I’ve never heard of it before either. ‘A dedicated seat for only very special VIPs’.”
“That’s quite thoughtful of them.”
“They said it would be difficult to contact them until the day of arrival due to personal schedules.”
“They must be very busy.”
Even with the flight duration being only 2 to 3 hours at most between Korea and Japan, Yoo Ji-han found it amazing that there was such a high-priced, first-class seat.
“Chilla can sit with us in the passenger cabin too.”
“Wait? Didn’t they say he had to go in the cargo hold?”
“They said he could just come along.”
Chilla returned to the office with Lee Mi-a after a holiday.
Having never been on an airplane, it was in high spirits, scratching its belly.
Meanwhile, Min Yu-ri looked at her mobile phone and said,
“Ji-han, our fan cafe membership has surpassed 200,000.”
“Wow, when did that many people join?”
“A lot of posts are being made in English too. It seems there’s been a lot of overseas activity.”
The only surviving fan cafe after defeating similar ones, which was managed by Won Yeong-guk, a soldier who once accompanied them to Gye-yang Mountain.
There were even photos of Yoo Ji-han that he didn’t know about.
“When was this photo even taken?”
“Mi-a’s photo is in here too.”
“There’s a collection of Chilla’s photos too!”
“Wait! That’s an invasion of privacy!”
Officially, these were the fans of Mi-a, who was allied with Yoo Ji-han’s party.
They had already shifted from the Kim Hyun-tae party’s fan cafe to Yoo Ji-han’s fan cafe.
‘Hateful comments, huh.’
And where there are people who like someone, there are bound to be those who dislike them.
There were quite a few making indiscriminate critical posts about Yoo Ji-han’s party.
Naturally, the fan cafe members strongly rebuked them.
[Chilchilla: This person is an active passionate member of the Kim Hyun-tae fan club.]
[Chilchilla: Stop causing trouble and go back to your base.]
……
……
A brawl broke out on the bulletin board after members from the Kim Hyun-tae party invaded.
As Yoo Ji-han skimmed through the nonsensical posts, he soon turned off his mobile phone.
‘I wonder how they’re doing.’
It was known that the Kim Hyun-tae party had also entered the other world.
However, the place they were headed was a dimension where they couldn’t contact the Hero Department, just like Grudia.
Despite Kim Si-hoo providing some help, they were still unreachable.
And the next day.
At the appointed time, Yoo Ji-han’s party packed their bags and headed to the airport in Min Yu-ri’s vehicle.
The one driving was not Min Yu-ri, but her father.
“Yu-ri is always indebted to you.”
“No, no! We’re the ones indebted.”
Yoo Ji-han waved his hands dramatically in response.
Seated in the passenger seat, he primarily conversed with Min Yu-ri’s father.
“The reason I’m driving today is because of you, Ji-han.”
“Me?”
“I wanted to meet you. Our Yu-ri can’t stop talking about you when she comes home!”
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Listening in on the conversation, Min Yu-ri knocked on the back of the driver’s seat.
In the rearview mirror, she was glaring intensely at her father.
But her father was not one to be silenced by such tactics.
“During the vacation, she was constantly searching about the party all day and worrying. Every sentence ended with ‘Ji-han this, Ji-han that’…”
“Oh, come on! Dad!”
“Huahaha!”
Only after Min Yu-ri raised her voice, her face flushed, did her father finally stop laughing.
“You have a good relationship with your daughter.”
“We’ve gotten quite close lately.”
Her father looked fondly at Min Yu-ri, whose eyes glimmered like a goblin’s.
When Min Yu-ri was running her one-person guild called Snow Flower, she was solely focused on saving her younger brother.
‘That good-for-nothing dad offered no help…’
Being an ordinary person, Min Yu-ri’s father couldn’t do anything for his eldest daughter.
He could only watch as she headed into dangerous battlefields time and again.
How powerless must he have felt on the days she came home injured!
For a father, it was a continuous series of sleepless nights.
‘But now it’s different.’
The current Min Yu-ri had, as her wife said, regained much of her cheerful demeanor from before.
The change began the moment she abandoned her one-person guild.
When she gained companions who were riding along in this vehicle.
“Should I drop you off in front of the airport?”
“Yes. And here’s a gift I prepared separately. Take it with you when you go back.”
Yoo Ji-han pulled out a personal gift he had brought along.
“The courage is really high quality! Is it alcohol?”
“It’s traditional liquor from Kallem, brought from Kabuum. Watanabe Yosuke from Japan praised it as being exceptionally good.”
“Then that must be quite precious?”
“It’s true that it’s something you can’t buy with money.”
“My goodness….”
Min Yu-ri’s father, amazed by the rather rare gift, flicked a glance at Yoo Ji-han while keeping his focus on driving.
‘Quite the character indeed.’
The leader of a flourishing party.
So considerate as to take care of even the families of his companions, and above all, a hero trusted by his daughter.
There aren’t many people one can come across in life who are on par with him.
So, it would be a lie if he said he didn’t feel greedy at all.
“Yu-ri.”
“Yes.”
“I’m rooting for you.”
“……?”
Min Yu-ri tilted her head at her father’s words.
*
“Hey? Isn’t that Yoo Ji-han’s party?”
“Yeah! Looks like they’re going abroad!”
“What are you doing? Hurry up and take a picture!”
The reporters armed with cameras greeted Yoo Ji-han’s party when they arrived at Incheon Airport.
Originally gathered to shoot another celebrity, the reporters hurriedly changed their position upon spotting Yoo Ji-han’s party.
As a result, Yoo Ji-han had to walk amidst the flashing lights.
“Excuse me, can we have a quick interview?!”
“Where are you headed today?”
……
……
After a brief interview with the clingy reporters,
the group entrusted their equipment and artifacts, which posed a security threat, to the airline and moved to the departure hall.
The VIP-only departure hall, the first time for them, was incredibly spacious.
“Um, can I get your autograph, please?”
“Can I take a picture of your finger? Is that okay?”
Every time they met Yoo Ji-han’s party, they displayed surprised expressions.
Finally boarding the plane, Kim Si-hoo said,
“After meeting Watanabe, we’re heading to Kyoto, right?”
“You should go see your father.”
“Seriously, what could he be so busy with…”
Despite his son returning from another world, all he managed was a video call.
Kim Si-hoo couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed.
——Don’t tell Si-hoo.
The Sylph’s warning to absolutely not share the story of Erna’s death with Kim Si-hoo.
Having heard from the Sylph about the moments right after Erna Hass had died, Yoo Ji-han pursed his lips into a straight line.
[Dear passengers, we will soon be taking off.]
[Please confirm once again if your seat belts are secured…]
The plane carrying the group began to ascend alongside the announcement.
“Chirp, chirp…!”
Chilla, sticking to the window, bristled its fur and curled up while watching the airport grow distant.
After reaching cruising altitude and feeling the plane stop shaking, it finally calmed down.
And when the plane left the Korean Peninsula and reached the sea.
Chilla and Lee Mi-a ordered food and were eating on the plane.
“Chirp! Si-hoo! Want a bite?”
“I’ll pass.”
“You need to eat a lot if you’re going to escape that skinny body! Chirp!”
“I’ll just eat it myself.”
“Chirp! Pig girl! Stop it!”
While Lee Mi-a and Chilla were fighting over a giant sausage,
Yoo Ji-han sensed a commotion coming from the first floor of the economy section.
“It’s a bit noisy down there.”
—I can feel it too.
The sounds didn’t come from the closed door.
Since forming a temporary contract with Mumu, he could now even sense subtle tremors in the ground.
Woom!
But just then, a message arrived on Yoo Ji-han’s mobile phone.
It was Watanabe Yosuke’s message translated into Korean.
[Watanabe: Our guild member says he cannot contact your guild master, Kim Si-hoo.]
[Watanabe: If you let me know the time zone, I will send a private jet to Korea.]
“……What does this mean?”
Watanabe Yosuke was offering to send a private jet from the guild, instead of a plane ticket.
But Yoo Ji-han was already in a situation where he had used the ticket he previously sent.
‘What am I currently riding in?’
Amidst the unease of sensing something off.
A flight attendant slowly climbed the stairs, opening the closed door from the first floor.
A group of men, wearing sunglasses and masks, followed her, their faces as pale as the dead.
What they pulled from their pockets were well-sharpened knives and firearms.
“Raise your hands if you don’t want to die!”
It was hijacking.