If you’ve visited Sweden and Norway, it only makes sense to check out the green land of Iceland and the icy land of Greenland.
[Nah-me? Isn’t it about time you start heading back?]
“I still haven’t enjoyed my vacation enough…”
[You have to be at Incheon within 12 hours. Otherwise, we’ll come to get you.]
Thud-
The command from my subordinate was short and to the point.
Now that I think about it, I have a schedule to meet with Prime Minister Pham Thiet Min about investment cooperation the day after tomorrow.
“Ughhh!”
I groaned as I washed my face with cold water.
Why didn’t I consider that an important schedule would be squeezed in during my vacation?
I looked at my younger siblings hastily packing their things into their carrier.
“Cheon Saetbyeol, your chest size is definitely different from before. Did you really have cosmetic surgery like people say?”
“What, what nonsense are you talking about? My chest was always this size!”
Quickly Cheon Saetbyeol covered her cleavage.
“Hmm… I understand. I won’t ask further.”
“I’m natural! Do you want to touch? Go ahead! Touch it!”
Cheon Saetbyeol and Cheon Luri were still bickering.
“Hey, guys, it’s a bummer, but I think we have to stop our trip here.”
“Huh?”
“I have plans tomorrow. I’ll drop you off at Incheon Airport, so can you make your way home from there? Or should we ask Bo-reum Unni to pick you up?”
“No, we can just take a taxi together. So, does that mean Iceland and Greenland are canceled?”
“Yeah, sorry.”
“That’s okay! We can go again when we have time. Just not with that little dragon…!”
A tense current flowed between them.
I decided I shouldn’t let them hang out too much longer, so I put them in a headlock.
“Be good to each other while I’m gone.”
“When will you be home again, Unni?”
“I’ll be traveling around Southeast Asia, so it’ll be a short trip of ten days or, at most, two weeks.”
“Waaah, I’ll miss you! Eat lots of mangoes for me!”
“We’re not saying goodbye yet. We’ll do that when we arrive in Incheon.”
“Huh? We weren’t just leaving?”
“I just told you, I’m dropping you off at Incheon Airport first.”
“Aha!”
I tousled the foolish Cheon Saetbyeol’s hair and called the office again.
“Please let everyone know to gather at the Incheon Business Aviation Center by 10 AM(KST).”
[✅]
The Secretary-General sent back an okay sign.
Along with that, a packed schedule was added to my calendar.
I suspected the COO’s claim that the Vietnam visit was all there was might be a lie.
But I never imagined it would be planned so tightly without a moment to breathe.
“I’m not an idol or anything… Luri, can you close your eyes from here?”
“Sure. Please do that, Unni.”
Terrified of heights, Luri grabbed my hand and gently closed her eyes.
One careful step at a time, we stepped onto the private jet.
[Dear passengers, our flight is about to take off. Please check that your seatbelts are fastened.]
“I’m all strapped in, Captain!”
“Me too…!”
The kids shouted loudly enough for the cockpit to hear.
Finally, the airplane took off.
Waack-
Luri tightened her grip on my hand and squinted as she spoke.
“Will I ever be able to fly freely in the sky someday?”
She seemed a bit embarrassed to be showing such feelings.
“If I were an arrow in my past life, here I’d be an ICBM missile. I just want Luri to stay just as she is now.”
“Hehe, that’s true. Humans are all so timid. I’ll show my cool wings only to you later.”
“Okay, I’m looking forward to it.”
“Cheon Luri! Hurry up and join the Market Monsters battle. I’ve raised all six to max level.”
“Are you still not giving up, Cheon Saetbyeol? You stand no chance against me.”
The girls began to focus on the Market Monsters battle, lying on the floor.
I pulled down the partition and opened the window cover.
The fluffy clouds blanketing the sky were now below us.
“Phew. It’s already March.”
Memories of the past vividly came to mind even with my eyes closed.
[Don’t cry. I’m not hurting at all… I’m just a little cold. Just hold my hand. Esha, your hand is always warm.]
Humans are beings that live overcoming pain.
[Please survive, Nah-me. Hold on tightly until the end and live for your mom too. One day, if you wait and wait… someone will come to take you out from here.]
Sometimes, the pain feels so deep that it seems impossible to stand back up.
[Please just stay quietly in the imperial palace. If the place you’ll always return to is here, is there really a reason to leave?]
What is the reason for taking steps toward an exit we can’t see in an endless tunnel?
Maybe it’s simply because I don’t want to stop. Stopping would make the pain all the more vivid.
If I keep walking like that,
[Hey, Nah-me, are you considering being adopted by an uncle? I wish you could live in a slightly better environment.]
Whether I believe I can someday reach the end,
[The food I’ve eaten until now is nothing compared to this. Thank you for giving me this body, Unni! Waah!]
Or whether I just think walking is living, I can’t exactly tell.
[You know… it’s so happy to be born in the same world as Eomeoni. I feel like Eomeoni has become warmer than before, and I like that.]
In the end, no matter where the end of the path leads, just the fact that I’m walking has helped me endure many days.
Even if the memories of the past continually resurface, if those memories serve as something that helps me overcome today…
That alone seems sufficient.
*
The core material for the virtual reality connection device, semi-flux, has nine processes: ‘Design, Pallium Manufacturing, Scripting, Ether Tuning, Channeling, Incline Coding, Deposition, Testing, Packaging’.
Currently, Janjeol is primarily focused on channeling.
To be exact, they were in the business of selling channeling engraving equipment to capsule manufacturing companies.
Therefore, the direction Janjeol has to move forward is clear.
‘Let’s not just sell engraving equipment; how about we engrave them ourselves and sell them?’
To achieve this, we had to make contact with countries that offer low labor costs and provide large investment subsidies.
“For the first four years, we can apply a 0% corporate tax, and from the fifth year, we can implement a 70% reduction policy. If you reach a certain level of local reinvestment, we’re pushing for a special bill that gives you tax benefits up to ten years. Additionally, we’re creating a national fund through our SemiFlux Future 2054 strategy, through which we can receive ample financial support from the government for constructing manufacturing plants. For Janjeol, there will be around $500 million in subsidies—”
“Hmm? Five hundred million?”
“Oh, this is a typo; I’m sorry. It’s $1.5 billion in subsidies and other—”
Corrected documents were provided immediately, and I distributed the policy plans to the staff.
After concluding my meeting with the prime minister, I stepped outside.
There were two awkwardly placed one-person sofas outside.
Amidst the flashing cameras of journalists, I shook hands with Prime Minister Uncle and wore a warm smile.
Outside of practical discussions here, we promised to mainly share stories to build camaraderie.
It’s always the same rigged game.
“Do you know how popular World of Arseria is in Vietnam? Our national team won the WoA category at last December’s Southeast Asian Games! Haha!”
“Yes, the Vietnam server is always among the top user counts. It’s one of the regions we’re paying the most attention to. And congratulations again on winning the recent esports tournament.”
“I also happen to love games, but my sons are really into WoA.”
“Is that so? I’m grateful they enjoy it so much.”
“Especially around the city, there’s that character that always appears in large hologram advertisements. My kids say they want to work for Janjeol or Wearsoft, and they envy how the CEO works in that avatar.”
“Pardon? Wh-Which character are you referring to…?”
I asked in a voice full of panic.
If it’s the CEO of Janjeol, that’s me, right?
“It seems that since you’re so young, Nah-me, your way of thinking is very open. I suppose there’s no reason to insist on an avatar without adjustments in virtual reality. The employees say they enjoy working thanks to you, CEO?”
“Haha… I can’t say for sure about that…”
I couldn’t raise my head out of embarrassment.
“I had no idea that friend was that famous before meeting you; I learned about it when I asked young secretaries for talk topics. They say if you don’t know the Eastern Witch in Vietnam, you’re a spy.”
The prime minister suggested that perhaps my avatar’s face might be more famous in Vietnam than my own.
That could be possible.
After all, only my ‘name’ is famous, while my ‘face’ has rarely been revealed outside of personal broadcasts or national exchange tournaments.
The only time I appeared was as a cameo in a girl group NV’s music video.
In comparison, World of Arseria DLC was being heavily promoted through major media outlets in each country.
“By the way, I can’t believe you’ve never seen an advertisement. They seem to appear whenever you look up at the sky.”
Wearsoft must’ve let the ads run wild by using my avatar without my knowledge.
Of course, it’s too late for me to get involved now.
“Speaking of which, when we entered the building, didn’t we see a WoA signboard set up on the first floor?”
The prime minister tilted his head and asked his secretary.
“Yes, I think there was one, Prime Minister.”
“Good, bring that one over. The CEO should see it too.”
“Ah, no need for that…”
“It was truly beautiful! Hahaha! I’m sure Nah-me will grow up just as wonderfully as she!”
Is this guy running with lip service or what?
‘We have different races, you know!’
Clattering Sound-
Two men climbed the stairs carrying a large signboard on their shoulders.
Thud-!
They propped the signboard up right next to the sofa where I was sitting.
““Ooooh!””
Click, click, click, click-!
At that moment, the journalists gasped while taking photos.
I slowly turned my head to check out the promotional material.
A blonde woman wielding a sword in her right hand and operating a magic circle with her left.
Behind her, Luri made a special appearance.
“Ah…”
I had a strong feeling that some strange rumors about Janjeol would start spreading from this moment.
“Wow, the company’s welfare is quite substantial,” one journalist muttered, making my face flush.
