Changing Nationality
The group had gathered at a restaurant on the second floor of the Shilla Hotel, a place called Guseon. But an unfamiliar woman was already seated at the table.
"This is Karina Aguilar, from Sweden."
The two women, unaware of the full situation, instinctively sensed something about the attractive stranger and offered only a curt nod as a greeting, eyes slightly narrowed in caution.
Karina, noticing the striking appearances of the two women, immediately stood up and bowed her head politely.
"Please, just call me Karina. It's a pleasure to meet you."
She could instinctively sense from Lilingwei's presence alone that this woman was no ordinary person.
"This is Kang Kichan. He's part of the same squad as me. And these two are… also in the same squad—Juriel and Lilingwei. They've come from the Otherworld."
Karina's eyes widened in disbelief as Seowoon paused briefly before introducing them.
"I… I see. I've heard about this. I was told that top-tier games have main quests, and some of them contain items that let you travel to another world…"
"Oh, I guess it's not a universal rule across all games then."
"Right… I've heard that main quests only appear in games that gather high-ranking players."
As Karina nodded, digesting the new information, Lilingwei still hadn't relaxed her expression and finally spoke.
"Seowoon. What is that woman doing here?"
Karina quickly jumped in to explain.
"Ah, I should've clarified earlier. I'm here to offer you Swedish nationality and support for your convenience."
Her mind, working rapidly, had already reached a conclusion: not just Seowoon, but every person at this table was someone she couldn't afford to lose.
She had also quickly picked up on the subtle tension between the two women and Seowoon and grasped exactly why they had crossed dimensions to come to Earth.
"If you two haven't been on Earth for long, I'm sure there are many things that are inconvenient. You can think of me as someone who resolves all those inconveniences."
The moment she clearly defined her role, the lingering wariness in Juriel and Lilingwei's expressions melted away like snow.
By framing her involvement as professional and tied to Seowoon's official matters, Karina had deftly disarmed their suspicion and drawn closer to them.
"I'm sorry to say this, but officially, the two of you have no legal status here. You're in a situation similar to undocumented immigrants. To make life easier, Sweden is offering to guarantee your identities."
"Well, that's quite generous. Seowoon, does this mean we're going to Sweden instead of staying in Korea?"
Karina quickly answered in Seowoon's place.
"Not necessarily. You're free to go wherever you want, but we'll make sure you're able to live comfortably right here in Korea if that's what you prefer."
Once things had settled, Seowoon got to the main point.
"Alright. Now that introductions are done, let's talk about the support and conditions."
At those words, Karina's expression grew tense.
She straightened her posture, clearly preparing herself, and Seowoon looked at her with calm, focused eyes.
"Last time, you said you would offer support and laid out some specific conditions, correct?"
"Yes. Here… this is the contract that outlines all the terms we're offering and guaranteeing."
When Seowoon received the document, he saw that it was written entirely in Korean.
Still, the dense legal terminology made it difficult to grasp the full meaning.
"To put it simply, as we discussed before, it includes diplomatic immunity and tax exemption as standard. Additionally, there's a clause stating that all Cloyd items you sell will be purchased at 10% above market value. If you turn to the next page…"
She trailed off slightly, waiting for Seowoon to flip through the contract.
"The next section outlines free access to Sweden's public infrastructure. And the following page lists private companies backed by the Swedish government. You'll be able to use their services and facilities for free as well."
Even Seowoon, who had expected a fairly generous offer, found himself surprised by the increasingly luxurious conditions.
Kichan, who had received a copy of the contract as well, finally spoke up.
"ASB Airlines? We get to fly for free, too?"
"Yes. It's a national airline operated jointly by Sweden and a few other countries."
As Karina answered with a smile, Kichan scrolled through the long list of services they could access for free, murmuring his amazement the whole time.
Once they finished reviewing the list, Karina continued.
"The last page contains Sweden's commitments to your ongoing care. You can consider them benefits you'll receive while residing in Korea."
"This is… incredible."
Kichan looked genuinely impressed, and Seowoon nodded in agreement.
"Alright. Let's sign."
"Yes, then…"
As Karina reached into her bag to retrieve something, Kichan suddenly remembered a detail.
"Oh! I read online that Sweden reinstated conscription…"
He trailed off uncertainly, but Karina replied with a smile.
"Of course, Mr. Jin Seowoon's family and squad members are exempt from all mandatory obligations."
For the first time in his life, Kichan realized just how beautiful the word exempt could be.
Once all the contracts were signed, Karina made a phone call.
"Bring up seven sets."
Not long after, seven men in elegant blue suits arrived. Each carried a luxury briefcase cuffed to their wrists.
They respectfully set the briefcases on the round table, gave a polite bow, and left.
Karina gestured to them.
"Please, open them."
When she stopped speaking, the four of them opened four of the briefcases.
Inside each was a small passport-like booklet, a black card, and an informational pamphlet.
"The booklet becomes a temporary ID once your name and photo are attached. As of now, your identities are officially guaranteed by Sweden, and you are no longer subject to the laws of any other nation. Well… aside from a few very specific countries. I strongly advise you not to visit those."
Seowoon nodded in understanding.
"The black card is linked to an account we've prepared for each of you in Sweden. Each account contains a signing bonus of ten million US dollars. By using the card, you can even make purchases within Korea free of consumption and other taxes."
At that, Kichan tilted his head in confusion.
"Is that even possible?"
"Yes, it is," she replied with a gentle smile, watching Kichan fiddle with the card, visibly intrigued.
"But these three bags…" Seowoon trailed off, glancing at Karina.
She responded with the same composed smile.
"We did some preliminary research on Mr. Jin Seowoon and Mr. Kang Kichan's families. The bags are to provide them with the same conveniences. I hope you understand. And if there are any other family members you'd like us to include, just let me know anytime."
"You mean… my family gets the same benefits?" Kichan asked, clearly surprised.
"Of course," she replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"For example, Miss Gahee will receive free education and financial support through to the university level, as listed in the booklet."
The mention of educational support for his younger sister made Kichan nod in approval.
"This really is some next-level support."
"Sweden is offering you better terms than any other country. And if there's ever anything inconvenient or difficult about your daily life, please don't hesitate to tell us. We'll do our best to help."
"Wow… this is kind of overwhelming. What if we end up failing? That'd be a disaster."
At that, Seowoon frowned.
"There you go again, jinxing it. You know words have power."
He gave a pointed glance at Juriel and Lilingwei, prompting Kichan to quickly cover his mouth with his hand.
"You don't have to worry about that," Karina said smoothly.
"These benefits remain valid even if you choose to stop participating in Cloyd. It's clearly stated in the contract."
"Like a promotional event deal," Seowoon remarked.
Kichan tilted his head, confused. Karina nodded in confirmation.
"Sharp as ever. That's exactly it. We're using this as an opportunity to show the world how well Sweden can treat top-tier players. We're hoping more will be drawn to us because of it."
"Oh… so if you offer the best to the best, more of the best will gather? Sweden's a smart country."
Once the contracts were settled and food began arriving, the mood at the table grew noticeably lighter.
Juriel and Lilingwei, in particular, took the chance to bombard Karina with questions about Earth's culture and daily life, gradually satisfying their curiosity.
After the meal, Seowoon spoke up.
"Kichan and I are going to get in some training. What about you two?"
"We've got things to take care of," Juriel replied.
"Let's go together next time," Seowoon said.
Privately letting out a sigh of relief, he and Kichan made their exit.
"Hyung, we should probably deliver these bags soon, huh?"
"Yeah, I'm worried too. My parents are going to freak out."
"My sister as well. Things have already been hectic with all the talk about ability users lately. She's bound to worry."
"Yeah. Well… let's cool off in Wonju and think things through. When your mind's a mess, nothing beats physical activity."
"Agreed."
News that Jin Seowoon had signed a groundbreaking contract with Sweden spread like wildfire across the globe.
Of course, the general public wasn't fully aware—it was mostly circulated through the right channels—but the impact on the international stage was undeniable.
Countries that had previously been passive about ability users suddenly began to actively recruit and support them, and that shift in sentiment quickly reached the public consciousness as well.
"You're going where?"
Seowoon's eyes widened as he stared at Juriel and Lilingwei, who had just shown up in Wonju after some busy time with Karina.
Juriel casually flattened a patch of overturned dirt with a spell and replied as if it were nothing.
"We have to say hello to our parents, right?"
Lilingwei nodded, wiping sweat from her brow with a towel pulled from her subspace.
"It's on the way anyway. No need to feel burdened."
Even after a grueling two-on-two sparring match, the two women still radiated energy. Kichan shook his head in disbelief.
"You two have insane stamina."
Lilingwei spoke while looking down at Kichan, who was sprawled out on the ground.
"You rely too much on magic. If you trained just a bit more, you'd hit a solid level as a martial artist."
"I'm a mage by trade, you know. Martial arts are just my side gig. Even Juriel noona only knows the basics of movement techniques and hasn't trained in martial arts at all."
Lilingwei shook her head at that response.
Meanwhile, Seowoon glared daggers at Kichan, still lying flat on the ground, gritting his teeth.
He had planned to give his family the bag and explain everything today, but Kichan had blabbed about it earlier, making everything unnecessarily complicated. It was no surprise Seowoon wasn't feeling generous.
"Kichan. Lilingwei's right. You play a crucial role, combining a mage's support with a knight's defense. You need to sharpen your martial skills more. Time for focused training."
Sensing the barely concealed killing intent in Seowoon's voice, Kichan bolted upright.
"N-Next time! I promised to meet Gahee soon anyway. I'll be heading off first!"
He practically flew down the mountain path. Lilingwei watched him go and shook her head.
"His movement technique is actually quite good."
"Well, we should get ready too," Juriel said.
"Yeah… I suppose we do need to pay our respects."
Honestly, with two stunning women this forward and persistent, it wasn't like Seowoon disliked the attention.
It was just… the fact that it was two of them—that was the complicated part.
He was only twenty-four. Still young enough to think more about dating than settling down.
"You bought a car?"
Seowoon's eyes went wide at the sight of the Bentley Continental GT parked at the foot of the mountain, its undercarriage coated in dust from the unpaved ground.
"Karina said life in modern Earth is extremely inconvenient without a car."
It had only been two weeks since they'd accepted Karina's proposal.
"W-Wait, you already got a license?"
"Karina took care of it for me. And driving turned out to be more fun than I expected."
Seowoon, who had been obsessed with his Hayabusa motorcycle and never really thought about cars, found himself momentarily captivated by the alluring curves of the Bentley.
"Earth's technology is amazing. You just enter an address, and it guides you perfectly—even to places you've never been. I'm constantly surprised. Come on, let's get in."
As the two women climbed into the driver's and passenger's seats, Seowoon followed and took the VIP seat in the back of the Bentley.
The comfortable ride welcomed him as he settled into the backseat behind the driver.
While chatting on the way to his parents' house in Incheon, Seowoon found himself filled with conflicting emotions.
Spotting his parents standing in front of their usual restaurant, he hurriedly got out of the car.
"Seowoon?"
The look of surprise was clear on their faces—understandable, given that their son had just stepped out of a luxury foreign car.
"I'll explain everything inside."
"Hello, honored mother and father. I am the maiden Lilingwei. It's truly a joy to meet you."
By the time she had gracefully stepped out and bowed, Juriel had quickly followed behind her.
"I'm Juriel. I hope you're both doing well."
Seowoon's parents looked back and forth between the two women in a daze before finally turning their gaze to Seowoon.
Sensing their bewilderment, Seowoon gently guided them inside.
"Let's go in for now."
Once seated inside the restaurant, Seowoon's mother was the first to speak.
"Are these your friends, Seowoon?"
Noticing the elegant and refined air that the two women carried, she instinctively raised her tone to one of formality.
"Mother, feel free to speak comfortably."
"Yes, please, no need for formality with us."
"O-oh… I had no idea Seowoon had such beautiful friends."
While his mother was still clearly flustered, his father was reacting a bit differently.
Sensing the subtle tension between his son and the two women, a smile slowly spread across his face.
***
"Jin Seowoon? The one who was supposedly a Crown-ranked in Korea?"
"Yeah. The fact that one of his core teammates is the first to show up on Earth has stirred up quite a buzz."
"I heard Subaru got wrecked in Japan. Sounds like this guy's making waves lately."
"Subaru was just coasting on gear. This guy seems a lot more interesting, doesn't he?"
A man doing dumbbell curls with a barbell weighing over 200 kilograms smirked.
"What are you thinking?"
"If we could take the powers of someone getting that much attention, wouldn't the spotlight shift to us?"
"You think he'd agree to a guild war with us? He's not insane."
"Then we just have to make it happen. Why not send Andrei?"
"…If things blow up, it could get messy."
"So what? Weren't you itching for a real fight anyway?"
"Hmph… Korea, huh. If Subaru's gear ended up with him, it might actually be worth it…"
At Arseny's remark, the smirk on the other man's face deepened.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]