***
"Ms. So-hee."
Someone approached Cha So-hee while she was tidying up the break room.
It was Kim Seo-jin, who had come on a business trip from the research headquarters. They'd crossed paths often enough through work to be familiar with each other.
"Yes?"
"You know those three samples you brought back from your recent Otherworld expedition?"
"Ah, yes."
"They're incredible."
The assignment Cha So-hee had been responsible for had concluded successfully.
Kim Seo-jin was a member of the research team that had analyzed those samples.
"Every single one of them turned out to be something valuable."
"Really?"
"Yes. You know that branch that sprays water when you apply heat? That discovery was particularly significant. You know our company's motto, right? 'Applying the Otherworld to Modern Life.' It's a perfect example of that, so even the higher-ups are paying close attention. It's an environmentally friendly sprinkler!"
"I see···."
"And that's not all. The red fruit and the Scaven Wolf's fang were impressive too. I'm actually curious how you managed to get your hands on them."
"I wrote everything in the report."
Of course, it was a fabricated report.
After all, Kang Seon-hu had provided every single item.
The researcher gave her a meaningful smile before leaning closer and whispering.
"By any chance··· do you happen to know a Hound?"
"Pardon?"
"The management team was suspicious at first. They wondered whether you'd secretly commissioned a Hound and were pretending otherwise. That would violate company regulations, after all. But··· they searched through the entire transaction database and couldn't find anything, so they dropped their suspicions. Hounds aren't the kind of people who accommodate our circumstances, are they? They're completely cold-blooded."
"That's true."
"So I was wondering whether you might personally know a Hound. Perhaps someone you could make a deal with in some back alley?"
"Oh, come on."
Cha So-hee laughed and waved her hands dismissively.
"There's no way. You know me."
"Right. They say you shouldn't trust a Hound even if they're your own flesh and blood. I was just asking. Besides, there isn't a Hound in the entire country who could accomplish something like this in a single week, is there?"
In truth, Cha So-hee herself had been wondering something similar.
The Bermuda Forest was dangerous even around its outskirts.
In fact, there hadn't been a single officially documented case of anyone properly investigating its interior.
The forest was so unpredictable that nobody could recklessly set foot inside.
That was precisely why, although she'd believed Kang Seon-hu when he'd confidently promised to handle the task, she hadn't been able to completely suppress her anxiety.
And yet, as though mocking all those concerns, Kang Seon-hu had brought her everything in a single day.
It had been almost impossible to believe, even after seeing the samples with her own eyes.
A man who had survived in the Otherworld for well over six years.
That alone sounded extraordinary.
But the more she thought about the specifics, the more she began to suspect that his achievement might have been far greater than she'd initially imagined.
"So-hee!"
"Yes!"
"You know you're scheduled for a business trip to the Otherworld today, right? You should probably get going. Apparently, there's a lot of traffic entering today, so things are backed up."
"Ah, I'll leave right away."
"All right. Good work. And don't bother coming back to the office. Just go straight home once you're finished."
"Yes! Thank you! Oh, yeah!"
"Don't look so obviously happy about it, you brat."
"Oh, yeah···."
"Hey, quit fooling around and get going already!"
"I'll be off, then!"
Cha So-hee bowed to her senior colleague, who let out an incredulous chuckle, and hurried out of the office.
This was another assignment that required traveling to the Otherworld, but her steps felt considerably lighter than before.
After all, her destination wasn't some remote wilderness.
It was merely the base camp on the Otherworld's side.
With nothing to worry about, she got into a taxi.
During the ride, she took out her phone.
[Me: Hey] 1
[Me: ? Did you turn your phone off again?] 1
[Me: Heyheyheyheyheyheyheyheyhey] 1
[Me: I got an extra bonus. Drinks are on me.] 1
[Me: This message was deleted.] 1
[Me: Photo] 1
[Me: Video] 1
[Me: So-hee has sent you a gift and a message. Now···] 1
"Ah, damn it···."
It had been about a week since Kang Seon-hu had handed over the samples, but he still hadn't read a single one of her KakaoTalk messages.
She couldn't reach him by phone either.
Had he turned his phone off again, as he habitually did?
"Where the hell are you, and what are you doing?"
She knew perfectly well that he was a born wanderer.
Even before he'd gone missing, his restless nature had often made him impossible to contact for extended periods.
So she assumed this was simply another one of those occasions.
Still, she couldn't shake a strange feeling of unease.
She couldn't explain why.
"We've arrived."
"Ah, thank you."
Before she knew it, the dimensional gate plaza, laid out much like a train station, had come into view.
"Heading to the Otherworld for work?"
"Yes."
"Must be tough. My daughter works in that sort of place too, and honestly, the industry's so new that they haven't even established proper laws yet··· She's having a hard time. Makes me wonder whether those companies are even legitimate···."
Whether they were legitimate companies.
It was the sort of question that arose everywhere during the early days of a newly emerging industry.
Even Cha So-hee had to admit that quite a few companies deserved such criticism.
"Take care of yourself. And keep your spirits up."
"You too, sir!"
She gave the driver a bright smile, gathered her belongings, and got out.
After hurriedly completing the entry procedures, she stepped through the dimensional gate.
The shock of interdimensional travel made her vomit until there was practically nothing left in her stomach.
Then, like everyone else, she staggered out of the facility.
The Otherworld's base camp spread out before her.
It was a fairly expansive village whose every corner had been designed around a single theme.
For some people, it was an unusual tourist destination.
For Cha So-hee, however, it was nothing more than her workplace.
"Sigh."
Thoughts of Kang Seon-hu had long since slipped from her mind.
Her assignment today involved visiting a business partner.
More specifically, she had to stop by an inn that the Hound Association used as one of its bases.
Just thinking about having to deal with those secretive Hounds and their strangely delinquent attitudes was enough to make her sigh.
She was about to set off when she realized that the atmosphere was different from usual.
"Where are those supplies going? I haven't heard anything about them."
"Well··· you know. That guy who pitched a tent on the outskirts recently."
"A tent? Is he camping?"
"No idea. From what I've heard, he's calling it some kind of office."
The contractor shook his head as he transported a load of materials on a cart.
Even at a glance, it was obvious that the cargo consisted of construction supplies.
New buildings going up at the base camp weren't anything unusual.
OWIC generally took the lead in construction projects here.
But the reactions of those workers were somehow strange.
"Are they building something new?"
Her curiosity was piqued.
She had plenty of time to spare.
Before she knew it, she was following the cart.
It traveled along the village roads before eventually passing beyond the fence.
It continued for a surprisingly long distance, finally stopping where the boundary between the village and the wilderness began to blur.
"······?"
Cha So-hee couldn't move or utter a word, even after the cart unloaded its cargo and departed.
There stood a makeshift tent, roughly 2.5 meters tall, that hadn't even been properly erected.
And in front of it, a man was reclining in a crudely assembled chair, his face covered by a hat.
He hadn't even bothered to acknowledge the arrival of the construction materials.
That utterly carefree attitude alone was enough to tell her who he was.
"Kang Seon-hu?"
He lazily lifted his hat.
"Are you here to commission a job?"
"···Commission?"
Only then did she notice a crude sign planted nearby.
<Explorers' Guild Office>
"···What? What kind of··· guild?"
"Please note that commission fees vary depending on the nature of your request~."
"Hey!"
"Ah, I'm sleepy."
Kang Seon-hu pulled his hat back over his face.
***
I hadn't expected to get everything arranged within a week.
Setting aside all the minor details, the guard captain's assistance had been enormously helpful.
"You want to establish an office in the Otherworld? I can help you with that."
The guard captain quickly resolved all the paperwork.
Apparently, what I'd done during our previous encounter had left quite an impression on him.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to help me.
"But why establish an office in the Otherworld instead of Seoul······?"
"Rent in Seoul is expensive."
"Ah."
The guard captain understood immediately.
If there was one thing the Otherworld had in abundance, it was land.
Ownership was a rather ambiguous concept here to begin with, so the government managed the territory inside the village.
And as for the land beyond the fences, it basically belonged to whoever claimed it first.
Then why not make that my base of operations?
"If I have an office in the Otherworld··· I might get fewer commissions, but there should still be work available. And I'll have a base of my own in the Otherworld."
Truthfully, I rather liked the atmosphere of the village too.
It gave me the feeling of moving to some quiet countryside town to start a new life.
That was a major part of its appeal.
If I stayed here, I could earn a reasonable amount of money while continuing to explore the Otherworld.
Only this time, unlike when I'd been fighting desperately for survival, I could do it comfortably and safely.
After listening to my explanation, Cha So-hee spoke casually.
"So you still haven't given up on it, huh? Exploring."
"······."
At this point, I decided to acknowledge it once and for all.
This was simply my nature.
Ironically, the thing I wanted to do while resting and enjoying life was, in the end, exploration.
"To be honest, I really was sick and tired of the Otherworld. But I lived there for so long that even that feeling eventually disappeared."
My resentment toward the Otherworld had gradually faded, and before I knew it, familiarity had taken its place.
"But once I realized I could travel around safely···."
"You changed your mind?"
I nodded.
"···When you think about it, doesn't it make your heart race?"
My hat was still covering my face, so I couldn't tell what sort of expression Cha So-hee was making.
"We're living in an age when even the Amazon has been completely mapped. There aren't many places left on Earth that can truly make your heart race. And the places we still know nothing about are so dangerous that exploring them without proper protection is practically unthinkable."
This was an opportunity to experience, in the twenty-first century, the same overwhelming excitement humanity must have felt when it first set foot in unexplored lands.
And I could experience it with nothing but my own body.
Once I'd thought that far, I simply couldn't resist.
"······."
Cha So-hee said nothing.
For some reason, that bothered me, so I lifted my hat slightly to look at her.
She was smiling brightly.
"That's just like you."
"Is it?"
"Honestly, I figured you'd end up doing something like this. You're completely fucking crazy, after all."
"Hah."
Then she shifted her gaze to the area behind me.
"Hmm."
"Can I go back to sleep now?"
"Are you stupid? Seriously, at least make the place look presentable. If you leave it like this, even customers who come here will turn around and run away. And have you thought about marketing? Advertising?"
"It'll work out somehow. Maybe I'll hand out some flyers."
"······."
I was completely serious.
I'd never had the slightest intention of becoming some passionate startup entrepreneur in the first place.
Besides, the weather was nice.
For somewhere in the Otherworld, the sunlight was pleasant, and the air was reasonably dry.
And most importantly··· it was safe.
There was even a village nearby, so obtaining groceries and other essentials wouldn't be a problem.
If I felt like it, I could even walk all the way to downtown Seoul.
"Holy crap. Now that I think about it··· isn't this basically paradise?"
"Paradise, my ass. It's certainly a good place to reach the afterlife early."
As she spoke, Cha So-hee took off her suit jacket, hung it on a tree, and rolled up her sleeves.
"I'll give you a hand."
"Why go out of your way to make more work for yourself?"
"I owe you, remember? And besides···."
She looked up at the tent.
"I have a feeling I'll become a regular customer here. Maybe if I get on the owner's good side, I'll get a few benefits."
Well, people like Cha So-hee were exactly the customers I'd had in mind.
The whole idea had occurred to me while I was helping her with her work in the first place.
Putting the skills she'd previously demonstrated while building that crude device to full use, Cha So-hee began tinkering with the tent.
"Wouldn't this kind of work actually suit you better?"
The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that Cha So-hee preferred working with her hands.
Her current job seemed to involve somewhat similar activities, but the nature of the work was different.
Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she enjoyed making things.
"Who knows? What you want to do and what you can actually do are two different things, aren't they?"
Apparently, money was the problem.
Making a living from something you genuinely enjoyed wasn't easy.
I didn't know what she'd been doing during the two years I'd been gone, but ultimately, Cha So-hee was now working for a company involved in the Otherworld.
Since I was already up and moving around, I decided to help her.
The tent repairs were finished in no time.
The construction materials were moved somewhere out of sight behind the tent.
The crooked tent was straightened.
And the uneven, dirt-covered ground was swept clean.
"If you're going to run a business, this is the bare minimum."
"Hmm."
Cha So-hee picked up her jacket again.
After looking up at the tent for a moment, she spoke quietly.
"···Looks like it'll be fun."
There was envy in her gaze.
Office workers inevitably dreamed of freedom.
It was simply that reality got in the way.
"Maybe I'll open a shop of my own if I ever get the chance."
"They say everything in South Korea eventually leads to opening a fried chicken restaurant."
"···Guess I'd better buy a deep fryer, then. Anyway, I should get back to work. Want me to send you a congratulatory flower wreath sometime?"
"If you've got money for that, put it toward your deep fryer."
I watched Cha So-hee disappear behind the trees for a moment before stepping inside the tent.
There wasn't a single piece of furniture inside yet.
In the middle of the completely empty tent, illuminated only by the faint light filtering through the thick fabric, I dropped down onto the dirt floor.
Then I began tracing an indescribable geometric pattern with my finger.
Rune Language in the form of 'characters.'
At first, I'd had to look at it every single time I drew it.
But at some point, it had become the only sentence I could reproduce even with my eyes closed.
After completing a sentence that could almost be mistaken for a magic circle, I quietly spoke.
"Kaahz."
Literally translated, the word meant 'activation.'
At the same moment, the sand rippled like waves and began arranging itself into the shape of a miniature city.
Then twelve glowing orbs of various colors gathered in a circle around the sand city.
A sword-shaped figure rose vertically into the air above the city and began slowly rotating.
"······."
This was the sentence that had kept my heart beating during the years I'd struggled to survive in the Otherworld.
The Rune Language I'd just written on the ground carried the following meaning.
『In the Golden Kingdom forsaken by God, I buried the King's Sword.』
『The one who holds the King's Sword.』
『Shall sit upon the eternal throne.』
I gazed at the mysterious structure, roughly the width of a desk, for a moment before raising the back of my left hand.
A tattoo shaped like a sharp fang had appeared there, radiating a vermilion glow.
It was a tattoo that manifested only temporarily whenever I activated this Rune Language sentence.
I had absolutely no memory of ever getting it.
More importantly, there was a connection between the tattoo on the back of my hand and the glowing orbs surrounding the city.
One of those orbs was shining with the exact same vermilion light as the tattoo.
"······."
The tattoo and that particular orb were resonating with each other.
They were connected by some incomprehensible power.
The mysteries of the Otherworld.
The true nature of Rune Language.
And the tattoo on the back of my hand, which responded to Rune Language despite my having no idea when it had first appeared.
The clue that could lead me to the answers to all those questions lay within the 'Golden Kingdom.'
How could my heart not race?
After all, this was the decisive reason I hadn't been able to give up exploring the Otherworld.
"···An Explorers' Guild established to search for the treasure of an ancient king."
It was a beginning that stirred something fierce within me.
··Of course, I was the guild's only member.