After Story. 002 – Future Foresight (5)
There was a time when Boram Funeral Services—no, Gwon Boram—had given me advice.
“If I may warn you in advance, if you work as a Shield operative in Academy City, you’ll likely have to handle electronic devices like computers, as well as motorcycles, cars, and even boats, helicopters, and planes. Sometimes even things like… Gundams. Or robots.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“I wish I were joking.”
“Haha….”
“So just in case, it would help if you practiced handling those things well in advance.”
Why hadn’t I listened to Gwon Boram’s advice back then…?
If I had, I would have known how to pilot a passenger plane by now….
A belated regret washed over me.
Having checked the message to that extent, we were thrown into confusion.
“Hey, Do Gyeonuuuu! You said the difficulty was low, so clearing the dungeon wouldn’t be hard!”
“But what the hell is going on!?”
“My name is U Dongdong… so even if we crash into the sea, maybe I’ll be the only one who floats safely, dongdong… hehe… Now I think I finally understand why my mom and dad named me U Dongdong. My parents wanted me to live… ehehe….”
“This oppa seems like he’s lost his mind, doesn’t he? No, oppa, more importantly, what are you going to do!? I believed in you! I believed in you even though you’re a lowlife, a pervert, trash! How could you do this to me!? This is betrayal!”
“I feel like I’m going crazy too! Like I’m going crazy! Not like ‘stepping out for lunch’ crazy, but actually losing my mind! Gyeonu, you said it would be fine, so what the hell is this!?”
“It’ll be fine, guys! If we have guts, we can even land a passenger plane!”
“Haerang, I don’t think this is something that can be solved with guts alone… Ah, what are we really going to do….”
“Ahaha! Guys, sorry in advance! No matter how skilled I am at alchemy, it has nothing to do with piloting a passenger plane!”
“Yum yum.”
The triplets, Go Eunbi, and Ham Minju swarmed me and demanded answers, acting as though they had lost their minds.
Yong Haerang, whose train of thought was a mystery—whether he still hadn’t grasped the situation, or whether he had but was insisting on his theory of guts anyway.
Lisa Grace, her face clouded with shadows as she heaved deep sigh after deep sigh.
Nam Yuri, laughing cheerfully even in this situation and saying bizarre things out of nowhere.
Cha Eunsol, unchanging as ever.
And so on.
The varied reactions of everyone made this an even more total disaster.
“Gyeonu….”
Yeon Haneul and Yeon Bada were also calling out to me anxiously.
As for me….
I was drained by the flood of lamentation.
‘So that’s why no one had cleared the Hidden World. Because they failed the emergency landing of the passenger plane… Well, how would a Hunter know how to pilot a plane? Normally….’
Ahaha….
Letting my body sway wherever my friends shook it, I smiled helplessly, my mind blank.
Then I came to my senses and placated my friends.
“Everyone, stop and calm down. How long are you going to cry and fuss?”
“Have you found a solution?”
“There is a solution, of course.”
“What is it, Gyeonu oppa?”
“Well, you see….”
The truth was, there was no need to worry.
As my friends gradually fell silent, I deliberately nodded in answer to Yu Gaeul, who had asked on their behalf, and then sought out Gang Hanbyeol.
Unlike the friends who had been making a fuss, he had been watching calmly from the beginning.
“Hanbyeol, you can do it, right?”
“…….”
So that was why in the game—no, why the World Tree had chosen Gang Hanbyeol as its Apostle.
Because he was someone capable of versatile, multifaceted activity.
I sought confirmation from him.
Only then did my friends let out sounds of “Ah….” as though they had realized.
And Gang Hanbyeol.
“Yeah, I’ll give it a shot!”
Smiled refreshingly, as if washing away our anxiety.
* * *
As expected, Gang Hanbyeol’s Gift, Resonance Hands, applied to the passenger plane as well.
Seated in the cockpit, Gang Hanbyeol delivered good news to us.
“Fortunately, I don’t think I’ll have any problems piloting it. Nothing seems particularly broken, either.”
However, there was one problem.
Gang Hanbyeol scratched his cheek sheepishly.
“But guys, what should we do? I think it’ll be hard on my own, so could someone help me out? I’ll teach you how to pilot.”
“…….”
My friends exchanged glances.
Then, Nam Yuri raised her hand.
“I want to try piloting a passenger plane! If no one else will, I’ll—hup…!”
“I’ll do it.”
“Oh, thanks. I’m counting on you, Gyeonu.”
I felt the same, and the other friends didn’t want to leave the piloting to Nam Yuri either.
There was no need to take unnecessary risks.
Since we all prioritized safety, it was decided by unanimous consent that I would take the role of co-pilot.
Meanwhile, Nam Yuri, freed from my grip, made a sulky expression.
“Gyeonu, Gyeonu, how could you steal my fun? Are you upsetting me?”
“You go pilot outside.”
“Can I do it outside?”
“Yeah, at the arcade.”
“Aw, it was just the arcade?”
“What? What’s wrong with arcade games? There’s a variety of them, and they’re fun, right?”
“Hmm….”
Nam Yuri scrunched up her brows and puffed out her cheeks, as if expressing her feelings.
She asked in a somewhat sharp tone.
“Then will you play with me?”
“Of course. I’ll play with you.”
“Okay, got it! Gyeonu, Gyeonu will pilot! I’ll go outside, then! With Gyeonu, Gyeonu!”
By now, I was fairly adept at handling Nam Yuri.
As expected, once she received a definite answer from me, she quickly cheered up.
She soon withdrew obediently, and I sat in the co-pilot’s seat.
“Then Hanbyeol and I will pilot, so you guys go sit in your seats.”
“…Got it. You two be careful, okay?”
“Yeah, you too.”
To brace for the impact of the emergency landing, Yeon Haneul and the others decided to protect themselves in the first-class cabin.
After seeing them off, Gang Hanbyeol and I got to work.
Shortly after.
“Gyeonu, you ready?”
“Yeah, I’m ready.”
It was time to attempt the emergency landing.
Following Gang Hanbyeol’s instructions, I checked the instrument panel and gripped the control yoke.
And to inform my friends, who would be nervously waiting in the first-class cabin, of the situation, I turned on the intercom.
[Ah, ah, ah. Mic test.]
The broadcast seemed to be working fine.
As Gang Hanbyeol lowered the plane’s altitude, cutting through the clouds, I spoke off the cuff.
[Ladies and gentlemen, our passenger plane will now attempt an emergency landing. Please fasten your seatbelts tightly and put on your life vests.]
Shortly after, the clouds cleared.
Beyond the window, the blue, rippling sea came into view.
“Gyeonu, reduce speed! It’s too fast!”
“…I know.”
Crackle!
Was it thanks to my Gift’s evolution?
Even without Gang Hanbyeol telling me, my Gift, sensing life-threatening danger, was appealing to me.
How to hold the yoke, how much to press the pedals, how to adjust the distance, and so on.
The fact that I was learning piloting techniques I didn’t even really know through survival instinct was a truly mystical feeling.
Before long.
“Gyeonu, hold on tight! We’re landing!”
“Yeah!”
Crackle!
Having descended and circled above the water’s surface, we made our decision.
We were attempting an emergency landing on the water’s surface, with no sturdy runway to support us and waves crashing and surging, making it difficult to maintain balance.
Rumble-rumble-rumble! Thud-crash! Shhh-splash!!!
The passenger plane touched the water.
A massive fountain of water erupted.
“Ugh! Gyeonu, check the left side! Don’t let the wing touch the water! We have to maintain horizontal level!”
“It’s fine! It didn’t touch!”
Crackle!
Not a single mistake was permitted.
Gang Hanbyeol and I endured the impact and desperately did our jobs.
Soon, the passenger plane’s speed decreased, and the fountain bursting from the front grew lower….
Finally, in the end.
“Gyeonu… we… did it…?”
“Yeah… I think so?”
We had succeeded in the emergency landing.
Even after the plane had come to a complete stop, we stared blankly at the horizon, and then finally swelled with joy.
I embraced Gang Hanbyeol intensely, then sent a broadcast to the first-class cabin.
[Ladies and gentlemen, our passenger plane has successfully made an emergency landing! We’re alive!!!]
Immediately afterward, a tremendous cheer erupted from the first-class cabin behind the cockpit.
All my friends were happy.
It was then that a message appeared.
[You have completely cleared the Gate!]
[Clear status: 12 → 20/20]
[For subsequent re-entries, the Hidden World ‘Vampire’s Cockpit’ will be downgraded.]
* * *
Plop!
I threw the red orb that had come from the boss monster into the sea.
With this, I had prevented the future disaster that would have been caused by the red orb.
I let out a sigh of relief.
On the other hand, I felt a bit depressed.
‘Does this mean I have to suffer countless hardships to save the world from now on… until the next Apostle of the World Tree, who will succeed Gang Hanbyeol, is born?’
Just how much time would it take to wait for the next Apostle?
I let out a hollow laugh and watched my friends playing while sitting on the plane’s wings.
“Guys, the seawater is super clear! I can see fish down there! Let’s go in and play!”
“I’ll just rest here. I’m exhausted from working myself to the bone; where would I have the energy to play in the sea? I’ll be satisfied just enjoying the breeze….”
“Ugh! Let’s dive in together!”
“…Kyaaack!”
Splash!
Suddenly, Nam Yuri took Min Arin and plunged into the sea with a splash.
Min Arin, who had gone into the water out of nowhere and come back up with her hair plastered to her face, was naturally furious.
“Nam Yuri! What do you think you’re doing!? What if I couldn’t swim? Why would you pull such a dangerous stunt!?”
“We were wearing life vests anyway. And if you couldn’t swim, of course I was planning to save you!”
“Hey, you call that an excuse!? Did you think I would just take this lying down!? I can’t stand it! You’re dead!”
“Kyack! Arin is going to kill me! Let’s run!”
“Hey, you stop right there!?”
Nam Yuri swam away, and Min Arin chased after her, huffing.
My friends burst into laughter.
Then, perhaps having changed their minds, some jumped vigorously off the plane’s wings and followed after them.
‘Hanbyeol, Eunbi, Haerang, Gaeul, Eundong… They said they didn’t even have the strength to move a moment ago, but I guess they had energy left to play.’
While someone had worries as heavy as Mount Tai ahead, having just prevented the world’s destruction, some were enjoying themselves comfortably without a care for the future….
I envied my friends so much.
‘Still….’
It was a nice sight.
I let out a short laugh.
Then, Yeon Haneul, who had approached me at some point, sat down beside me.
“Why are you sitting here all sentimental? Aren’t you happy since we solved the crisis of destruction?”
“I am happy. I am, but… thinking about how I’ll have to suffer like today from now on, I can’t just be happy….”
“Is that what it was? You were depressed because of that? It’s okay.”
Yeon Haneul took my hand.
With her back to the horizon and the passenger plane, she smiled gently.
“You’ll pull through again anyway.”
“…….”
“Next time, and the time after that, and the time after that….”
Just as we had until now, always.
We would move forward.
“…You’re right.”
Yeon Haneul was right.
Comforted by her, I shook off the anxiety lurking in one corner of my heart.
Strength naturally entered my shoulders.
“There’s no need to worry in advance. Let’s just enjoy the moment now.”
“Right?”
Yeon Haneul responded with a bright face.
Soon, she gestured toward our friends with her eyes.
“Let’s go play in the sea too. With the kids!”
“Yeah, good idea.”
Yeon Haneul pulled my hand.
At that, we got up from our seats and hopped off toward the sea.
We didn’t fall in.
Having landed on the water’s surface, we immediately ran toward our friends.
Right then.
[Gift ‘Future Foresight’ has captured the most probable future from the present point in time. Will you check it?]
[Yes / No]
[Note: If you select ‘No,’ there will be no re-notification.]
No, why….
What is it this time….
I had just barely finished one ordeal; did that mean I shouldn’t rest and just keep working?
That was too much, really.
I couldn’t help but resent the message that had suddenly appeared.
‘But this time, seeing as there’s no notice of re-notification even if I press No, it doesn’t seem to be a future related to the world’s destruction….’
What future did the Gift want to show me, reacting arbitrarily regardless of my will?
Half anxious, half curious, I decided to activate the Gift.
[Gift ‘Future Foresight’ is being activated.]
“…….”
Immediately after, I was in a pure white world.
And from afar.
“Dad! dy! Mom! my!”
A little girl was hopping toward me with a bright face.
She was an impressive child with forsythia-yellow lion ears and tail, stiff and voluminous long hair reminiscent of a lion’s mane, and red eyes.
“Welcome back!”
She grabbed my hand abruptly and greeted me, showing her canines.
Really….
She was incredibly cute and lovely.
Then, she raised her other hand and grabbed someone’s hand.
The owner of that hand was someone a bit more mature than they are now….
“Haneul?”
“Hm? What?”
“Ah….”
Before I knew it, the future shown by the Gift had ended.
Coming to my senses and realizing reality, I looked at Yeon Haneul.
She was running ahead holding my hand and looking at me worriedly.
“If you’re tired, should we just go out and rest? There’s a Gate over there….”
“…No, I’m not tired. I’m fine. I just saw the future for a moment….”
“Future? What kind of future? Was it… another bad future?”
“It wasn’t a bad future. No, rather, it was a happy future.”
“A happy future?”
“Yeah, you see, it was—”
No.
I couldn’t tell Yeon Haneul and cheaply steal the joy she would come to know in the future.
I stopped mid-sentence and glossed over it playfully.
“It’s a secret.”
“What? You’re really not going to tell me?”
“Yeah, it won’t be fun if you know now. You’ll find out someday.”
“Tch… Anyway, it really wasn’t a bad future, right?”
“Yeah, it really, absolutely wasn’t, so don’t worry.”
“Okay, then I’ll let it go.”
Just what intention did my Gift have in suddenly showing me the future?
Was it telling me to cheer up after seeing this?
If I keep moving forward like this, I might reach that future? If so….
I could say the intention got through.
I definitely perked up.
“Let’s go, Gyeonu. To the kids.”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
No matter what hardships awaited us in the future.
To survive in this world, to reach the ending we desired.
Together, we would continue onward.
《I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss》 THE END