Private Jet
The top of Conwy Castle.
"Chief."
Kancho walked over, mouth absolutely smeared with whipped cream.
"What are you doinggg?"
Jinhyuk quickly pretended to look classy, leaning an arm on the railing.
Then he lifted the wineglass in his other hand and gave her a wistful, melancholy look—
the cool city-guy style.
"Admiring the night view, I guess."
"What night view? It's pitch-blackkk."
Kancho climbed up onto the railing and peered around.
In truth, he'd just been spacing out.
Wondering how he was supposed to get back to Korea.
"Actually… I was looking at the stars."
He cautiously lifted his gaze upward.
Kancho tilted her head back as well.
"There's so many clouds, you can't see a speck of starlighttt."
Jinhyuk swallowed dryly.
He'd wanted to show off a sophisticated, noble image as the Chief… but it had completely fallen apart.
He pulled the soft, squishy Kancho into a hug.
"What did you eat?"
"Whipped-cream cake!"
"Why are you already on dessert? You should've eaten more… Actually no, you really shouldn't."
He rubbed Kancho's stomach, now round as a drum.
Any more and she might actually explode.
They all really did eat a lot, huh.
He turned around.
The special buffet Conwy Castle had prepared just for them.
When it first appeared, the amount of food seemed impossible to finish.
But when he came to his senses, most of the containers were scraped clean.
"Kancho."
"Deputy Chief Kancho!"
"What would people say if they saw this? They'll think I ate it all myself."
"They'd probably say you're a pig, right?"
"Probably."
He nodded slowly.
He used to be embarrassed by it, but by now he'd grown used to it.
Munch munch munch!
Maybe she'd gotten tired of using a fork.
Momo was shoveling tiramisu into her mouth with her bare hands.
Her stomach already looked like Namsan Mountain, but her appetite showed no signs of stopping.
"Kancho. Go stop her. Her stomach's gonna burst at this rate."
"Yes sirrr! Seriously, you can't take your eyes off her for a second! Yodel-Ranger, move out!"
Kancho hopped down and sprinted toward Momo.
Then immediately drop-kicked her.
"Wha—?!"
He told her to stop her, not to attack her!
Momo toppled over—
or she should have. Instead, she sprang back up and started windmilling her arms.
Chunks of tiramisu flew everywhere.
Jinhyuk watched them scuffle for a moment before turning his gaze outward again.
He really shouldn't have said anything.
A shocking announcement has rocked the British monarchy. Queen Elysia Jerry Windsor has revealed the truth about the origin of the Windsor name…
The royal family had desperately tried to stop her, but Elysia refused to back down.
She personally stepped forward and publicly revealed the true beginnings of the dynasty and the truth behind Buried Windsor.
—If it's going to blow up anyway, better to let it all explode at once, right?
A bold, refreshing logic indeed.
And so, before the shock of the coup had even settled, Britain had erupted in chaos once more.
"Remarkable."
Standing beside him, Seira stared at her phone.
"To think someone in this age would utter Buried's name."
"My thoughts exactly. I always assumed he belonged to another era—another world. Still, I'm glad. Better late than never for history to be corrected."
Seira smiled.
"If Buried knew, he would've been grateful. And he'd be happy his sword went to its rightful master. He'd feel he repaid you, even a little."
"Really? Then I'm glad."
Jinhyuk drew Ferrican.
He hadn't been able to use it on the 58th floor, but he vowed to make full use of it on the next.
"Someone's coming! Retreat from combat!"
Kancho, who had been grabbing Momo's hair, instantly dispelled her manifestation.
Everyone else, who'd been casually enjoying the buffet in their own spots, vanished in a flash.
From the sound of it, not even a second had passed between Kancho's warning and their disappearance.
The power of repetition training, huh.
As he once again learned its importance—
Sophia, Charles, and Olivia came up to the rooftop.
"I hope the meal was… enjoyable."
All three froze mid-step.
He could feel their bewilderment from all the way across the rooftop.
Totally understandable. This is the normal reaction.
Never mind the food being wiped out.
The scattered traces from every table were enough to overload anyone's brain.
Sophia let out a faint smile.
I worried for nothing.
Preparations for the coronation had been so intense that she barely had time to breathe.
She felt guilty leaving her benefactor to dine alone, so she rushed up—
only to find he had thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed himself.
"You're busy. You didn't have to come up because of me."
"Of course I did. Who do you think kept me alive and breathing?"
Sophia walked over with two freshly brewed cups of tea.
"Mmm. Black tea."
Jinhyuk smiled as he accepted the cup.
Just the aroma warmed his heart.
"Charles told me. You'll be leaving soon."
"It's time to go home. And you're all busy anyway."
"I'm sorry. For calling you away again and again even though you're my savior."
"Oh please. Of course you're busy. You're about to become Queen."
Sophia leaned against the railing and let out a small sigh.
She wished she could stay and keep him company.
Not only out of gratitude.
She simply wanted to talk with him.
Maybe it was because she'd spent most of her life confined inside the castle—
but that brief conversation they shared on the train, the mood and feeling of that moment, still lingered vividly in her memory.
What a shame.
Once Jinhyuk returned home, and once she herself became Queen…
conversations like that might no longer be possible.
But there was no way she could express such a sudden, sentimental regret to her benefactor—
"I'll come again."
Sophia turned sharply, eyes widening.
"When Your Majesty isn't busy."
Their eyes met, and both of them let out soft laughter.
Sophia cleared her throat a few times before lowering her posture with a playful curtsey.
"I'll be waiting. So please do come."
"Of course."
Jinhyuk returned the gesture with a light bow.
"May I borrow your phone for a moment?"
When he handed it over, she typed something rapidly.
When she returned it, his Instagram—
with exactly one follower—
had been updated.
"With my secret account. Nobody knows about it. You're my first friend on it. Maybe my last too."
"It's an honor!"
After Cheon Seyun and Jin Seohee, he now had yet another unbelievably huge Instagram friend.
"You're taking good care of the necklace, right?"
The necklace she'd given him on the train.
He'd been wearing it but had forgotten about it.
When he took it out and showed her, Sophia's smile brightened.
"Lovely. Please keep wearing it. And put it away quickly before Charles and Olivia see it. It's originally meant to be given to a queen's first knight."
"I don't have to return it?"
"No. There wasn't an official knighting ceremony, but you protected me. You're practically my knight already. Any place with ties to the British royal family will recognize that necklace. They'll honor any request you make."
Jinhyuk swallowed hard and clutched the necklace tight.
He hadn't realized it was such an incredible item.
He would treasure it even more now.
"By the way… how are you planning to return home? Have you decided?"
"Not yet. But don't worry about it. I'll just go to Wales Airport and catch a flight."
"I wouldn't recommend Wales Airport. It's crawling with agents and reporters."
Various government departments and agencies had pleaded with the royal family—
begging for a chance to meet the Runner.
Or at least some clue to identify him.
Naturally, the royal family had refused.
But those people were not the type to give up.
"I sent you an address via DM. It's an airfield near Conwy Castle. If you go there, a plane will be waiting."
"Thank you. You even arranged my flight home."
"That one is yours, Jinhyuk."
"Huh?"
He couldn't help asking.
It wasn't like she was giving him cookies or chocolate.
She was talking about a plane.
A whole jet. And she was saying it was his.
"It's not one of those ultra-luxury models the Saudi oil tycoons use—those cost 6 to 11 trillion won. The British royal family seems wealthy, but we don't actually have a lot of cash on hand. Still, we did the best we could."
Even as she explained, it didn't quite feel real.
A private jet… just fell into his lap?
"Olivia and Charles will handle all the management and formalities. You just summon it and ride it whenever you need it. And when my schedule opens up… I'll borrow it sometimes. I've never had a jet that nice either."
Jinhyuk slowly raised both hands—
and gave two vigorous thumbs-up.
He'd been planning to book out an entire first-class cabin again, but now he didn't have to.
"Thank you! I'll put it to good use!"
He took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart.
If nobody had been watching, he would've jumped up and down on the railing.
Sophia glanced toward Charles and Olivia and winked.
They chuckled helplessly.
Both had tried to stop her.
The jet she was giving him cost over 500 billion won.
It wasn't that they hesitated to spend money on their benefactor—
but she was pouring nearly all the royal family's available cash into this one gift.
There were other possible options, like top-tier Tower items or royal estates.
—He always said he wanted his own plane.
But if he refuses three times, we'll do it Charles's way.
But apparently, he hadn't refused even once.
Judging from his reaction speed, not even close.
That was the Runner for you.
"Sophia, it's time for the briefing."
"Already?"
Sophia sighed deeply, then turned to face Jinhyuk.
She extended her hand for a farewell handshake.
"Thank you for everything—from the moment we met until now. Until next time, Jinhyuk."
"Until next time."
He didn't simply take her hand.
After all, he'd seen things on TV.
He knelt on one knee and placed a kiss on the back of her hand.
Sophia blinked for a moment—
and then a radiant smile spread across her face.
Please meet me again… my knight.
The airfield Sophia had sent him.
"Wow… wow."
Jinhyuk let out a low whistle.
A single plane stood at the center—
a beautiful craft painted in elegant black and gold, giving off an antique, regal aura.
That's mine?
Since Charles had come along, he didn't sprint over screaming like a child.
But in his heart, he threw hundreds of uppercuts.
"All preparations for takeoff are complete. We've also arranged your in-flight meal. Since you prefer traveling alone, no crew besides the pilot has been assigned."
"That's perfect. Thank you."
Charles stepped aside.
"The honor is mine. Please board."
After a warm farewell, Jinhyuk climbed aboard.
Mmm, the new-plane smell.
The sofa and bed were so luxurious he wanted to flop onto them immediately.
He exchanged a quick bow with Charles, and a few minutes later—
the jet accelerated down the runway and soared into the sky.
"This is amazinnng."
"This is our plane!"
Kancho and Momo manifested instantly, pressing their faces to the window.
Sitting beside them, Jinhyuk sank deep into the plush sofa.
Maybe a minute passed—
before he rose again and reached toward the translucent button.
[Entering the 10th Floor of the Mythic Tower.]
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T/N:
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