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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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I wasn’t familiar with Earth’s travel customs. Considering the vastness of the universe, the diversity of cultures was beyond comprehension.
But even someone who’d traveled extensively wouldn’t necessarily understand the nuances of a specific planet’s culture, especially after a long period of settlement.
I’d been on Earth for 20 years, and Korea was the only country I’d lived in, having spent over a decade here, but I still didn’t fully understand Korean culture.
I considered this perfectly normal. Even the people living here wouldn’t necessarily grasp the constantly evolving nuances of their own culture and social dynamics.
People were diverse, nations were numerous, and the universe was vast.
I was bringing this up for one reason: I was planning a trip. With the high probability of rain, most of our activities would be indoors, but planning was still essential. And the person helping me with the planning was…
“I don’t know much about kids either, so I’m drawing a blank.”
Yu-ra.
I was working my weekend shift at the cafe, and when I mentioned the trip, she’d bombarded me with questions: when, where, and with whom.
I couldn’t tell her I was going with Blue of Hunter Killer, so I said I was going with my nephew and his friends, as a chaperone, and Yu-ra nodded.
Talking to Yu-ra today felt a little awkward.
We’d had a duel two days ago, and Green hadn’t been there. Yu-bin, who usually talked about her “office assistant” job, hadn’t mentioned anything about Hunter Killer the day before the duel either.
I assumed the other Hunter Killer members had learned about Green’s situation. While neither Yu-ra nor Yu-bin had done anything wrong, I felt uncomfortable asking about Hunter Killer, knowing something they didn’t.
I usually didn’t initiate conversations about Hunter Killer; they were the ones who brought it up. But knowing Green’s secret had made me overly conscious of their silence on the matter.
“How about board games?”
“Board games?”
I’d never played board games. With my limited social circle, I’d never had the opportunity to play games meant for larger groups.
“Yeah, simple ones for kids. Like card games.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
It wasn’t that I knew nothing about them. I knew the rules of simple card games; I just hadn’t played them.
After my shift ended, I stayed at the cafe, sitting at a table with Yu-ra, discussing the trip, and I could feel the evening shift workers staring at us.
“Lucky you. I want to go on a trip, too.”
I was perceptive enough to understand the hint. She was clearly suggesting we go on a trip together.
“You’d have to adjust your schedule first.”
Yu-ra worked every day except Mondays, which were reserved for mandatory meetings. While she didn’t have a large social circle to coordinate with, she was the hardest to make plans with.
Adjusting her work schedule wasn’t as simple as it sounded.
For Yu-ra, who lived paycheck to paycheck, a trip, a major expense, was a significant risk.
She could make the time, but the financial burden was too great.
Some people might say, “People who want to travel always find a way,” but that only applied to those who could afford it. For Yu-ra, it required significant financial planning.
“Let’s go sometime. Later.”
I couldn’t bring myself to say no directly and just vaguely postponed it.
“Okay.”
Yu-ra, understanding her own circumstances, nodded in agreement.
If we were actually going on a trip, I wouldn’t mind paying more, or even covering all the expenses. While I received a regular salary, I’d lived frugally for 20 years on Earth, without any major expenses.
My bank account was growing steadily, and I could even access my savings from my time in space, converting them to Earth currency if needed.
I had the financial means, but Yu-ra wouldn’t accept it.
She was independent and insisted on taking care of her own expenses.
“Let’s grab a drink after the trip, then.”
“Really?!”
Her face lit up, her earlier disappointment at the postponed trip forgotten. I knew she liked drinking, but I hadn’t expected such a dramatic reaction.
“Yeah, it’s been a while.”
We hadn’t had drinks together since that night. I’d been too preoccupied with my research and then with Green’s situation to think about anything else.
Honestly, I still felt a sense of pressure, a weight on my shoulders.
But I couldn’t just dwell on it, so I tried to stay positive.
I’d gotten the trip details from Kirk. He’d booked a pension in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. It was a coastal city, but it would be a shame if we couldn’t enjoy the beach because of the rain. It seemed Eun-ji had made the decision.
She’d apparently been there on a family trip before and had fond memories of the place.
“Yay! Promise? We’re going to drink?”
Yu-ra clearly wanted to spend more time with me, but she must have sensed my preoccupation. She could have asked what I was so busy with, but she probably didn’t want to bother me.
I could have explained, but it was impossible. I couldn’t tell her I was researching superhumans and meeting with Green.
Her consideration had saved me from several awkward situations.
Yu-bin thought I was busy with programming work, so there was no need for further explanation.
“Okay, calm down.”
“Okay, I’ll calm down.”
While she said she’d calm down, her eyes, already bright, sparkled even more, clearly excited about our future drinking session.
“A trip during the monsoon season, even if it’s for kindergarten summer break… your niece must really like you.”
Her use of the word “your,” as if we were a couple, made me flinch. While we were practically dating, correcting her would only prolong the conversation. Moreover, we were already acting like a couple, and the cafe staff seemed to be aware of our relationship, even if we hadn’t explicitly confirmed it.
“She does. We’ve always gotten along.”
I decided to just accept her way of addressing me. It was easier that way.
Like last week, and the week before, Yu-ra had kissed me as soon as I arrived at work, and knowing I couldn’t avoid it, I’d reciprocated. She even kissed me whenever we had a free moment during our shift, and I was sure at least one of our colleagues had seen us.
In this situation, telling Yu-ra, “Calling me ‘yours’ makes us seem like a couple, so I’d prefer if you didn’t,” would only lead to one of three outcomes: she’d cry, she’d sulk, or she’d beat me up.
Or maybe she’d sulk, then cry, and then beat me up.
“Do you know what she likes?”
“Not specifically, but she’s energetic, so she likes physical activities.”
“She can’t play outside in the rain.”
“Right. We’ll have to hope for good weather.”
“They said it’s going to rain until next weekend.”
It seemed unlikely we’d be able to do anything outdoors with Eun-ji.
“I’ll think about it some more. I’m free tomorrow, too.”
“Are you coming tomorrow?”
“Of course.”
She seemed to want to continue our conversation, and I felt bad about leaving, but I had a lot to do.
I cleaned up my area, said goodbye to the other staff members, and left the cafe.
“Get home safe.”
Her voice sounded a little dejected, still wanting me to stay.
Did she enjoy my company that much?
I had to leave, but I couldn’t just leave her like this, her shoulders slumped.
“Yu-ra.”
I called out to her as she turned to leave, pulled her close, and kissed her.
It was the first time I’d initiated a kiss since that night.
“Mmm!”
She let out a small, surprised sound as I held her, then I pulled away and looked at her.
“See you tomorrow.”
I also had my shift tomorrow, so we’d see each other again.
That was all I could offer her, knowing she didn’t want me to leave.
“Okay.”
She nodded shyly, then looked up at me, wrapped her arms around my waist, and kissed me again.
We stood there under the streetlamp, in a quiet corner, exchanging kisses, anticipating tomorrow’s meeting and our future drinking session.
On the way home, surprisingly, I didn’t receive any calls.
My mind, which had been racing lately, finally had a moment of peace.
Yu-bin had said she had her “office assistant” job after her convenience store shift today.
It was probably Hunter Killer related, something to do with Green.
While she was young, she was still the team leader.
I hadn’t heard from Green today either. They were probably dealing with her situation internally, within Hunter Killer.
I wondered if it was right for me to go on a trip, pretending to be oblivious. Of course, it wasn’t for my own pleasure or enjoyment.
It was a trip I’d agreed to because of a child’s request, and my main goal was to ensure the children had fun.
But that didn’t change the fact that it was still a trip, a much-needed break for Blue from her demanding daily life. She now knew about Green’s situation, but that didn’t make Blue’s own struggles any less difficult.
Knowing Blue’s personality, even just from our two encounters, she’d be worried about Green.
“Life sucks.”
I’d never really dwelled on the ups and downs of my life. Living by the motto of going with the flow, I accepted things as they came.
But seeing the struggles of the Hunter Killer members, whom I’d always considered to be in a better position, having consistently defeated us, made me realize the world wasn’t as simple as I’d thought.
I wasn’t oblivious to the fact that for every fortunate person like me, there were others struggling. But this realization was still a shock, a stark contrast to my usual detached “I guess that’s life” attitude.
Spacetroe’s philosophy was fairness. While we were invaders, we competed fairly within the rules set by our opponents and claimed victory through legitimate means.
But our situations weren’t equal. Red, Pink, Green, Blue…
They were all struggling, and while we were enemies, I wanted to alleviate their burdens, even just a little.
If you asked why I, an invader, felt this way, I’d say it was because I was human. Despite our different origins, I was human, and so were they.
As humans fighting each other, we should be equals.
My efforts might be insignificant, unable to truly help them,
But if I could make even a small difference, I would.
My resolve brought a sense of peace.
As I arrived at my apartment, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.
There was a message, from Blue.
[I’m so sorry, but I don’t think I can make it to the trip. I apologize for the inconvenience, especially after you were so kind and considerate.]
Perhaps because I’d already made up my mind, I didn’t feel a sense of disappointment or frustration.
Knowing what I had to do, I called her.
She answered almost immediately.
“Can we meet?”
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