I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 72 – First Contact

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[The worst heatwave that swept the nation for the past four days has subsided, and the monsoon front is once again intensifying. The rain will start again at 7 PM tonight and will be concentrated until early tomorrow morning.

Today’s highest temperature in the metropolitan area is expected to be 34 degrees Celsius, with a minimum temperature of 24 degrees Celsius. Due to the continuous monsoon front, the air is filled with water vapor, so the heat is expected to be sticky during the day. Meanwhile…]

“…Ugh, the weather these days is really terrible….”

August always forced people living in South Korea to make a harsh choice.

Would you prefer the stifling heat that feels like your skin is burning, or would you rather be drenched head to toe in endless rain, with water marks that don’t dry and sweat and humidity that never evaporate?

For Koreans, the four seasons of Korea were never pleasant. Just as they say, too much of anything is never good, summer was extremely hot and humid, and winter was extremely cold and dry.

Harmony was no exception to this.

The monsoon front, which had quietly approached since last night, poured an enormous amount of water outside while she was asleep. The view outside, which was clear even though it was hot just before she fell asleep, was now shattered and gloomy.

Fortunately, Harmony was one of the few high-income earners in modern society who, even if the electricity bill came out to hundreds of thousands of won, would only curse and never suffer financially.

In other words, it meant she could keep the air conditioner running 24/7 for several weeks without worrying, making her home free from any trace of humidity.

But that was that, and the fact that she had to go outside soon did not change.

The current time was 9 AM. There were still two and a half hours left until the appointment time, but considering the time needed to shower, prepare, and reach the destination, it wasn’t much.

After taking off her clothes and neatly folding them, she stood under the waterfall-like stream of water from the ceiling and let her mind wander for three minutes. After touching all the shower items in the basket, thirty minutes had quickly passed.

After drying her hair and doing some cleansing… when the moisture was gone from her body, she put on the clothes she had thought of since yesterday. After putting on her underwear, she wore the denim shorts she had bought recently and a thin striped T-shirt over it.

After finishing her outfit, she lightly applied makeup. But thinking that the outside humidity would stay at 95~100% for a while, she didn’t overdo it. On such days, makeup tended to get cakey or clump.

By the time she finished, an hour and forty minutes had already passed.

She roughly organized the time in her head. The navigation said it would take 30 minutes to get there, but considering she lived in Seoul, where traffic was unpredictable, she couldn’t be sure.

Moreover, the rain from yesterday had left a mess outside. Overnight, 170mm of torrential rain had hit Seoul, and its effects remained even now that the rain had stopped.

In short, she needed to leave earlier than the navigation app’s estimate. Besides, she was going to a high-end buffet at a hotel, so there were plenty of places to spend time or rest if she arrived early.

So Harmony put in extra effort to add volume to her hair for the remaining ten minutes, then reluctantly opened the front door.

“Ugh.”

The weather was awful.

Breathing was uncomfortable, as if someone had placed a couple of humidifiers right next to her mouth.

The only consolation was that, just a few minutes away, there was an entrance to the Independence Gate Station. Since she often had to go out, her transportation card was well loaded. Specifically, it had a six-digit balance.

It didn’t take long for the subway to arrive, and the moment the screen door and the doors opened simultaneously, she felt a cool breeze. However, after only five stops, she transferred to Line 2 and rode one more station.

The outside was still gloomy, and the luxury department store next to it looked dull under the falling raindrops. But despite the weather, there were many people around, and the lanes were clogged with cars like the arteries of a person with high cholesterol.

With only about ten minutes left until the appointment time, Harmony turned right around the department store building. In front of her stood a hotel that looked like a Baumkuchen cake.

She hadn’t been there often, but it wasn’t her first time either. People need to learn how to spend as much as they earn, and this place was part of that.

[Harmony: I’m almost there!! Where are you??]

[Yoo Jin: I’m walking from City Hall Station (^▽^)/]

[Harmony: Oh, you’re coming from the opposite side!! ( ∀)]

[Harmony: I’ll wait inside!]

[Harmony: But what if we can’t find each other… (*´⌒`*)]

[Yoo Jin: If you wait inside the hotel and hear people whispering, you’ll probably find me there.]

[Harmony: Hahahahaha]

[Harmony: You always cause a commotion!!]

At this point, she really started to wonder.

Was Yoo Jin really an Awakened, or was the photo from somewhere else? Her rational mind concluded that it couldn’t be, but humans are creatures that always imagine the worst.

But Harmony decided not to think about the ‘what ifs’ and forcibly removed her speculative focus on that part.

Before she knew it, she was at the hotel entrance.

Marble and sculptures, a clean and luxurious interior. The building’s floor was designed with slopes in mind, so even going to the basement, you could see the outside scenery, but the buffet was underground anyway.

It would be best to stand at the entrance.

The current time was 11:28 AM, and the buffet opened at 11:30 AM. Arriving on time had its perks, one of which was freshly made food.

She was very hungry, having not eaten breakfast.

Aside from that, countless curiosities began to bubble up. Did Yoo Jin really look exactly like her avatar? Or were there some differences?

Frankly speaking, Harmony had never had a proper conversation with Yoo Jin. Specifically, not one where she could learn various things about her. Communicating through the phone wasn’t the same.

Yoo Jin was a matryoshka box full of secrets, but she held the key herself.

Thinking about this made her heart race. She checked her phone again, then put it away, wondering if another message had come, feeling restless, like someone who won a meal with a celebrity.

How much time had passed?

“Harmony, right?”

“Oh, yes… wow!”

At that moment, Harmony’s emotions were as chaotic as a seesaw.

A voice heard at an unexpected timing – but she had heard it so often in VR that she immediately relaxed and then quickly snapped back to her senses.

The voice was identical to the avatar’s.

Her head turned quickly, and her brown pupils took in the figure of a person.

Of course, along with words that shouldn’t be spoken.

“Is this real?!”

“…Your reaction isn’t like any I anticipated. You’re amazing.”

There was a lot to say, but what should she say?

Just,

just…

Yoo Jin looked exactly like her avatar.

Harmony almost fell over backward at that moment.

Reason always loses to instinct, and humans are animals that primarily act to satisfy their curiosity rather than suppress it.

So…

“Wow, this is really amazing….”

“Are you satisfied?”

“You’re even prettier than I thought!”

…Touching the tail like this was an irresistible action.

But still.

Contrary to what she had imagined, Yoo Jin was much prettier and more amazing. Her texture was smooth and elastic, and as she focused on touching it, the tail started to wrap around her hand.

The color was a pleasant light brown with a mottled pattern that wasn’t monotonous. Although she wasn’t particularly fond of reptiles, this was simply too fascinating.

Swish, swish.

If it had been a real anaconda, she would have been very scared, but human fear stems from the uncontrollable. In that sense, Yoo Jin was someone she could trust, and so she justified feeling at ease touching her.

“Stop touching it. The tail will wear out.”

“Oh, um, sorry.”

“Why do people always react the same way?”

The words continued as if she had experienced this several times before.

Feeling like she had done something she shouldn’t have, she cautiously looked around. Even though they were in the elevator.

Before she knew it, the screen above indicated they had reached the LL floor.

As the door opened, an interior decorated with marble and black-painted wood was revealed, and the aroma of food filled the air.

They passed by a place with a plethora of wine bottles while conversing.

“I didn’t know what you liked, and you said you eat a lot, so I brought you here. Is it okay?”

“Oh, it’s great. If we went somewhere else, it would’ve cost a fortune.”

“Do you eat that much?”

“You’ll be surprised.”

“I’m already quite surprised….”

Given what she said, who knows.

As they approached the entrance, the servers were confirming their reservation.

“Welcome to Recitativo. Do you have a reservation?”

“Yes, under the name Hamina for two people, for lunch on a weekday.”

“Hamina for two… yes, confirmed. We’ll guide you to your reserved seats.”

Their seats were right next to the window.

Had it rained, it would have been picturesque, but unfortunately, the weather outside was just dreary.

While the servers hurriedly cleared the regular chair

, realizing Yoo Jin couldn’t sit on it due to her condition, Harmony’s eyes scanned her companion from head to toe.

A small head, believable as a fist-sized one, with naturally voluminous long straight hair, a light summer knit, and loose black slacks. It was hard to believe she had any experience in sports given her soft body lines.

And the thing on her left wrist… was it a watch? It was a type she had never seen before.

Yoo Jin sat on a chair without a backrest, tolerating some discomfort.

Facing her directly, Harmony finally took in her face. How should she put it, it was hard to pinpoint, but despite her slightly languid eyes, there was an impression of sharpness that didn’t go away, even if she seemed expressionless.

Before silence could settle, Harmony naturally spoke up.

“What kind of food do you like? They have good seafood here, and you can take as much lobster as you want.”

“Have you been here often?”

“Ah… sometimes?”

“Then I should follow the advice of someone who knows.”

“Oh, let’s go together.”

Ssss.

Although she hadn’t eaten anything while coming, she first quenched her empty stomach. The sparkling water in the round glass burst in her mouth, cleansing it, and she carefully pushed her chair back and stood up.

“I’m going to the Japanese section first. Do you want to come with me?”

“Yes. Do you have any recommendations?”

“Well, I always find the tuna here delicious.”

“Hahaha, should I expect a lot then?”

“Oh no, it’s not like that. It’s not my fault if it’s not good, really.”

“Of course.”

How should she put it?

Despite her stern exterior, Yoo Jin’s occasional casual jokes were strangely not unpleasant – in fact, they never were. If she had mixed in personal feelings, it would have been burdensome, but she never did, not before and not now.

If she had been greedy and constantly clung on, demanding to appear on the broadcast, Harmony would have pushed her away, but she didn’t.

Somehow, even though I was a streamer, which required as much caution as an ordinary influencer, I felt comfortable with her.

Anyway, the Japanese section.

Sea bream, tuna, salmon, shrimp. Sashimi side had octopus, salmon. Tuna belly, etc.

As always, knowing she couldn’t eat it all, she felt an odd sense of greed in a buffet. Even Yoo Jin’s plate was already piled high.

Among them was the freshly replenished lobster and scallop section.

“Oh, it just came out. I need to get some, but I don’t have room in my hands. Yoo Jin, neither do you….”

“Would you like to put it here?”

“…What?”

Then Yoo Jin… coiled her tail to make space for a plastic dish.

While looking at her with a curious expression and placing the plate on her tail, the staff, including the chefs and servers, all started looking in their direction.

“Haha, I’ve never seen such a sight in my life. Shall I serve you some?”

“…Yes. Thank you.”

The staff, who had come to serve the food, looked at her tail with the same expression as Harmony had just a few minutes ago.

Anyway, the food was delicious when they returned to their seats.