novel
| ← Ch.049 | Ch.051 → |
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
When Min Sung came out to the living room, he found Ji Yoo sound asleep on the couch.
'Is she really napping? At a house occupied by a man? In hot pants and a T-shirt? I can't tell if she's brave or gullible, ' Min Sung thought, shaking his head and opening the front door to leave the house. At that point, noticing that its master was getting ready to go out, Bowl, who had been sprawled across Ji Yoo's belly, jumped down to the floor and rushed to catch up to the champion. Meanwhile, Ji Yoo was still snoring, fast asleep.
—
"What time is the flight?"
"At one, sir, " Ho Sung said with dark circles under his eyes, showing the ticket to Min Sung. Soon, they arrived at the parking lot of the airport. Since he hadn't been able to leave any instructions for his clansmen before he had been told to go to Hong Kong, Ho Sung had had to check up on the state of his clan well into the night. On top of that, having to look for tickets to Germany on the same night meant even less time for sleep. As a result, Ho Sung had been left with less than three hours of sleep.
However, paying no attention to Ho Sung, who was rubbing his blood-shot eyes, Min Sung got out of the car and handed the driver a ten thousand won bill, saying, "Go get me some coffee. iced Americano."
Taking the bill from the champion's hand, Ho Sung bolted toward the airport as if he were on fire. Huffing and puffing, he arrived at the coffee shop within the airport.
"Maybe the running was unnecessary, " he said, feeling like his head was spinning."Man, I feel like throwing up."
He ordered two iced Americanos and paid for them separately, using Min Sung's cash and his own debit card.
When Ho Sung, with the two iced coffees in hand, found the champion, he saw the champion in a massage chair.
"Sir, here's your change, " Ho Sung said, handing the change and the coffee to the champion. Taking both from Ho Sung's hand, Min Sung put the change in his pocket and drank the iced Americano casually. By contrast, Ho Sung practically inhaled the liquid that was in his cup.
'Whew! That's better, ' he said to himself, feeling the caffeine spreading through his body. At that moment, he was struck by a certain realization and his expression darkened.
'Wait a minute... Was that a mistake?'
The flight from Korea to Germany spanned almost twelve hours. Needless to say, being unable to sleep was bound to make the trip miserable.
'Son of bitch... '
Looking down at the ice-filled cup in his hand, Ho Sung's face twisted into a scowl.
'Agh! Shit! Shit!"
—
After boarding the plane, Ho Sung looked around with widened eyes.
"What are you doing?" Min Sung asked.
"Oh! Nothing. It's just that I'd never sat in a first-class seat before, " Ho Sung said with an innocent smile.
"But you're a hunter."
"Yes, but the price for first-class seats went through the roof after the hunters appeared. As if it wasn't already expensive enough... With my income, I could only dream of getting my hands on a first-class ticket. But now, here we are, thanks to you!"
Then, while the announcements came from the speakers, a slim stewardess appeared and demonstrated how to use the life vest and exit the plane during an emergency.
"Well, hello, gorgeous, " Ho Sung murmured with a perverted smile on his face.
"Ho Sung Lee."
"Yeah?" Ho Sung replied haphazardly, staring at the stewardess with the same perverted smile.
"Will you look at me?"
"Oh, right. I'm sorry, sir. Go on, " Ho Sung said politely, straightening his face and his back.
"What's our eating situation like?"
"That's a good question. I've never flown first-class before. One moment."
Then, as the announcements were nearing the end, Ho Sung called for the stewardess in order to ask her about the meals. Shortly after that, he nodded, looked toward Min Sung and said, "OK. Apparently, flying first-class comes with a course meal by default. Do you see the menu over there? All you gotta do is pick whatever main course you want, whenever you want."
With that, Ho Sung, fiddling with his first-class seat, looked around, fascinated.
Soon, the plane took off, and Min Sung looked out the window at the plane getting further and further away from the ground.
Going out to see the fireworks with his grandmother had been the closest he had gotten to a family trip. Now, he was flying in an airplane for the very first time.
On the other hand, Min Sung didn't find the experience all that special. Perhaps it had something to do with having lived through the Demonic Realm.
When he looked out the window again, he saw the plane was flying above the clouds and across the ocean. Resting his chin on his hand, Min Sung enjoyed the beautiful scenery.
—
Rubbing her eyes, Ji Yoo woke up from her nap. Then, looking around, she tilted her head in confusion and called the champion's name. However, there was no response.
"Mr. Kang?"
With that, she started to look around the house and realized that she was alone. Even the moving doll was nowhere to be found.
"... Am I here alone?" she murmured, shaking her head and thinking, 'I knew the guy could be standoffish, but leaving a guest alone at his home is on a-whole-nother level. '
'The person you're trying to reach is unavailable... '
Hearing that, Ji Yoo let out a frustrated sighed and pouted. Her phone was burning with messages regarding the various reports that required her attention, not to mention the hundreds of missed calls. Then, placing her hands on her hips, she screamed piercingly, "This guy can't be serious! Where could he possibly wanna go, even at the cost of ditching such a fine lady like me!?"
—
After dozing off briefly, Min Sung opened his eyes and straightened the backrest of his chair, rubbing his belly.
'Think I'm starting to get hungry. I better order something, ' he thought, looking toward Ho Sung, who was watching a movie while wearing headphones, snickering. At that point, the champion communicated his need through telepathy, which was an ability that enabled its user to be heard without having to speak directly to another person. It was a skill that he had naturally acquired during his time in the Demonic Realm.
'Ho Sung Lee. '
Startled by the champion's telepathic voice, Ho Sung sprung up from his seat, took his headphones off and looked around frantically.
'Over here. '
Hearing that, Ho Sung looked toward the champion with widened eyes and astonishment.
"H-how did you..."
"Nevermind that. How do you order food?"
"I-I'll go ask."
After speaking to a flight attendant, Ho Sung returned to his seat and said, "Somebody will be with us in ten minutes."
"Good. Well done."
'Ten minutes... ' Min Sung thought. Tapping the armrest of his seat with his index, the champion waited patiently for someone to come and take his order. Soon, a stewardess walked up to him with a welcoming smile and said, "Hello, sir! I'm here to take your order. What would you like to eat and drink?"
Having already made up his mind ahead of time, the answer was an easy one.
"I'll have a roasted tenderloin meal with a ginger ale."
"Great choice, sir. Your order comes with a salad with a dressing of your choosing. What would you like?"
"Balsamic."
"Fantastic. One moment, sir."
With that, the stewardess went away, returning with a warm towel soon after. While Min Sung was wiping his hands with the towel, a glass of champagne arrived at the champion's seat as an apéritif. Although pleasantly sweet, there was nothing captivating about it. Then, the first course arrived. It was a top-quality smoked salmon.
"Would you move the glass for me, sir?"
The presentation was simple yet incredibly elegant. It looked like it had been put together by an artist. Although the portion was quite small, Min Sung reminded himself that the dish wasn't meant to fill him up. After all, the meal was going to be a course experience. At that moment, just as Min Sung picked up the small wooden fork that came with the dish, an announcement came from the speakers.
[Ladies and gentlemen, we're having an emergency situation, and we urge you all to fasten your seatbelts. The captain will now attempt to make an emergency landing in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. ]
The voice shook subtly. Sensing danger, the passengers in the first-class area started to panic.
"Sir, I'll go find out what's going on, " Ho Sung said, springing up from his seat to talk to a flight attendant. After returning to his seat, Ho Sung came back looking like he was about to cry at any given minute and said, "S-sir. It's bad. There's a monster outside!"
At that moment, the plane shook violently due to an unknown impact.
"Agh!" Ho Song let out as he fell on the ground, his face pale with fear. At that moment, something came flying toward the plane and rammed against it. With a loud thud, the rigid acrylic windows started to crack. Furrowing his brow, Min Sung looked out the window to identify the threat.
"T-that's a griffin!"
A griffin was a mythical monster with a hawk's head and wings and a lion's body. Shrieking, the monster shook its body while flapping its wings. Clenching his teeth, Min Sung looked down at his meal with a furrowed brow. The beautifully plated appetizer was no longer. At that moment, what appeared to be magical energy surrounded the plane, and a storm of sharp projectiles spiraled out of the plane, tearing the monsters into shreds. In less than a second, nineteen griffins fell through the clouds, their blood splattered all over the plane. Bewildered by what he had seen, Ho Sung blinked in confusion and looked toward the champion.
"S-sir?"
Seeing that the window was covered in blood, Min Sung drew the curtains irritably and picked up a piece of the smoked salmon with his wooden fork.
—
| ← Ch. 049 | Ch. 051 → |