To Wales
Kansai International Airport, Japan.
Jinhyeok stepped up to the counter reserved for first-class passengers.
"Welcome. This is the Korean Air VIP check-in counter."
He swallowed dryly.
Despite being in a foreign country, the counter had been designed with an air of extravagant luxury.
It was his first time coming alone, and he felt nervous.
"Hello, sir. Do you need any assistance? I can also direct you to the counters of other airlines, so please feel free to ask."
Ground staff member Yumira greeted him with a smile.
Naturally, she assumed he was a young man who had simply wandered to the wrong place.
After all, today's first-class cabin had been booked by a group of twelve.
"Hello."
Jinhyeok greeted her cheerfully and handed over his passport.
"I'd like to check in, please."
Though puzzled, Yumira accepted the passport.
Her eyes widened as she checked it.
The name matched the twelve-seat reservation exactly.
Does this look strange?
Jinhyeok put on an utterly innocent smile.
That's okay. I'd probably react the same way.
When he had made the reservation so boldly, there was one major misconception on Jinhyeok's part.
He had assumed that his friends—excluding Kancho—could all check in together with him.
But on the way here, he realized that was impossible.
His friends didn't have passports.
No, they didn't even have identities to begin with.
If they came along, they wouldn't be heading to Wales—they'd be dragged straight into a secret interrogation room.
"U-um… Mr. Yoo Jinhyeok. Did you really reserve twelve first-class seats for today? If there's been a mistake in the reservation, I can help resolve it."
This kind of reservation wasn't impossible.
Celebrities and business magnates sometimes did the same thing.
People who wanted privacy and booked surrounding seats at once.
But even they didn't reserve all twelve seats.
"I like being alone. Please check me in as reserved."
"Y-Yes! I'll take care of your check-in right away."
Yumira stepped inside the counter area and explained the situation.
The staff's attention converged on Jinhyeok.
Their minds buzzed with speculation.
A chaebol heir, perhaps—or a crypto tycoon.
Since it's already weird, why not make it even weirder?
He stepped closer to the counter and spoke cautiously.
"Could I receive all the in-flight meals for the seats? I eat quite a lot."
Maybe because he was a homebody, saying something like this felt oddly difficult.
"Of, of course. We'll bring you all the in-flight meals prepared for first class."
The staff replied kindly, doing their best to hide their fluster.
He was an unusual guest, but as a VIP, they couldn't afford to make him uncomfortable in the slightest.
"Thank you."
He gave a small bow and gazed out the window at the distant mountains.
Honestly, he didn't think he could handle this level of attention every time he checked in.
How much does a private jet cost?
He seriously considered it and pulled out his phone.
Pitya, I want to buy a private jet. Can you tell me the prices?
@ I'll summarize based on recent figures.
@@ Light and small aircraft range from 200 to 300 billion won.
@@ Mid-to-large aircraft range from 400 billion to 1 trillion won.
@@ Ultra-luxury class starts at 1.4 trillion won or more.
That's insanely expensive.
@@ Yes, it is. Private jets are for chaebol-level billionaires.
I make 50 billion won a year. Isn't there something I can buy?
@@ There isn't. You might be able to buy an outdated propeller plane. For something cheaper, I recommend a paper airplane. Up it goes, up it goes, fly, airplane. That last part was a joke.
"…What?"
Jinhyeok rubbed his eyes.
He'd heard AI had grown at an incredible pace lately, but this was something else.
It had even learned how to roast humans.
Still… it was a little sad.
Now that he earned 50 billion a year, he'd thought there'd be nothing he couldn't buy—but a trillion?
Private jets were truly on another level.
I'll keep climbing.
He steeled his resolve once more.
Until the day he could buy an ultra-luxury private jet, he'd keep climbing the Tower.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Your check-in is complete. If you proceed inside, you'll go through the first-class procedures. After that, the VIP lounge is located nearby, so please feel free to use it as much as you like."
"Thank you."
With passport and ticket in hand, Jinhyeok headed where he was directed.
The first checkpoint—check-in—was complete.
Now, it was time to enjoy first class to the fullest.
He leaned back into the plush seat.
"Hoo…"
Maybe he'd eaten too much.
A sigh escaped him.
He'd planned to eat lightly since so many in-flight meals were coming.
But he'd ended up overeating, picking at everything.
"Boss. I'm hungry."
Kancho appeared on his lap, wearing a pitiful expression.
"I'm so skinny I might die."
Momo followed in a weak voice.
Too plump and glossy-cheeked to die of skinniness—but still.
"Just wait a bit. The in-flight meals will be served."
"Are in-flight meals tasty?"
"They're good."
"There's a lot, right?! Momo likes a lot, even if it doesn't taste great!"
"There'll be a ton. Enough for twelve people."
"Yay! I'll eat everything and become a pig!"
He squeezed Momo's chubby cheeks.
Momo as a little pig would be even cuter.
"Hoh. This is far better than the sofa at home."
Dark smiled in satisfaction from across the aisle.
Seira, who had manifested in another seat, seemed to like it as well, shifting her body as if testing the cushion.
Looks like he'd need to buy a sofa too.
A top-tier recliner even better than first class.
"But Master, is this really okay? Even if we dematerialize, traces of us staying here will remain."
"They'll probably think you just moved around a lot."
"Oh… yeah. That works. Well, it's fine. You're already a strange guest anyway."
He'd already chartered the entire first-class cabin and requested twelve people's worth of meals.
Moving between seats now wouldn't make things any stranger.
"Someone's coming!"
His companions dematerialized in a flash.
"We'll be taking off soon. Are you comfortable? Is there anything you need?"
"No. It's perfect."
"I'm glad to hear that. I was told you prefer being alone. In this cabin, crew will only enter during takeoff, landing, and mealtimes. Please press the call button anytime if you need assistance."
"Thank you."
He'd been wondering if he should request that himself—how thoughtful.
Smiling, he gave a double thumbs-up.
Now he could indulge freely on the way to Wales.
As he buckled his seatbelt and tapped on his phone—
We will now take off.
The plane lifted off the runway and soared into the sky.
Snowdonia National Park…
The destination was Cardiff Airport in Wales.
The park was five hours from the airport.
I can take a rental car or a train.
Jinhyeok's nostrils flared.
He couldn't rent a car anyway—no driver's license—but he'd always dreamed of riding an antique train in Europe.
Is the UK part of Europe?
He wasn't sure, but it was roughly in the same place, so close enough.
Before long, the plane reached cruising altitude.
"We'll begin preparing the in-flight meals."
The flight attendants disappeared briefly.
Then—
Clatter. Clatter.
Several carts rolled in one after another.
Piled high atop them were twelve servings of in-flight meals.
The amount was staggering.
Out of nowhere, he found himself thinking that being a flight attendant must be a tough job.
To witness something like this and still maintain a neutral expression.
"Thank you! From here on, I'll help myself."
"Yes. Please enjoy your meal."
The attendants gave a small bow and left the cabin.
Not long after—
Chomp chomp chomp chomp!!
The feast began.
His companions devoured the food at an astonishing pace, as if they'd been starving.
Dark, apparently parched, chugged champagne straight from the bottle.
They'll probably think I'm a giant mukbang YouTuber.
He nodded to himself and reached out.
His stomach was already full, but skipping in-flight meals was out of the question.
Until they arrived in Wales, he planned to pack it all away—mentally, at least.
Wobble, wobble.
With a belly swollen like Namsan, Jinhyeok exited Cardiff Airport.
From the VIP lounge to the in-flight meals, he'd thoroughly gorged himself.
He stopped and looked back.
They looked pretty shocked.
Perhaps because he'd finished even the final meal cleanly.
The flight attendants' faces just before landing had been etched with unmistakable bewilderment.
Possibly the biggest pig in Korean Air history. Anyway, thanks for the food.
Giving a thumbs-up, he headed toward the train station.
Momo and Kancho had dematerialized after eating until they were ready to burst.
Thanks to that, he probably wouldn't hear complaints about hunger for a while.
"Hhhah!"
He took a deep breath as he entered the station.
Mm, the scent of antiquity.
He wasn't sure what that meant exactly, but for a basement-dwelling country bumpkin, the air alone made his chest swell with emotion.
He went to the place he'd researched online in advance and bought a ticket to Snowdonia.
If he couldn't communicate, even this would have been difficult.
He felt grateful to the Tower of Despair for granting him universal language comprehension.
Huh?
On his way to the platform, Jinhyeok noticed a group standing to one side.
A girl with long hair braided into several strands, flanked by two adults.
The middle-aged man resembled the classic aristocratic butler from manga or dramas.
The woman, around Jinhyeok's age, had an intensely sharp expression.
Does her stomach hurt?
Unlike the calm girl, the man and woman kept scanning their surroundings restlessly.
So busy it looked like they were searching for a restroom on her behalf.
Jinhyeok shrugged and continued toward the platform.
The train would depart in ten minutes.
Ohhh.
An old European train, just as expected.
Overflowing with atmosphere and romance.
He quickly found his seat and sat down.
Perhaps because he'd just flown first class, the seat itself felt uncomfortable—but even that felt romantic.
The Trista bound for Snowdonia will depart in five minutes.
Even the name is cool.
He nodded in satisfaction.
Just then, the group he'd seen earlier entered the same car.
The girl sat diagonally across from him, with the two adults beside her.
Someone chasing them?
Even after sitting down, the man and woman couldn't shake their unease.
The Snowdonia-bound Trista will now depart.
Only after the train began moving did they seem to relax.
Ah.
Maybe he'd been staring too much.
His eyes met the girl's by accident.
To dispel the awkwardness, he smiled and gave a small wave.
He'd worried she might ignore him or scowl.
Thankfully, she returned a faint smile and waved back.
She's kind.
And those eyes.
Even from this distance, that deep green gaze was striking.
After the brief exchange, he turned his attention to the scenery outside.
The Trista gradually picked up speed.
So peaceful…
Just as he inhaled the fresh air and tried to savor the calm—
A strange presence began to make itself felt.
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T/N:
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