— Beep, beep, beep!

"…Ugh."

In a room so dark it could pass for matte black, the alarm blared, rousing my body on autopilot. Both my mind and body felt heavy. The less sleep I got, the heavier I felt. My body desperately craved more rest, but it wasn't time for that yet.

Swish. I pulled the blinds aside, letting in a faint glow from the balcony. It wasn’t dawn yet, just the peak of the early morning. The light, I thought, must be moonlight.

With a click, a soft glow filled the living room. Instead of the harsh ceiling lights, I’d opted for a dimmer light, easier on the eyes. It was time to wake up the two who were tangled up in my tail as if it were their blanket.

Slap, slap.

It was wake-up time.

"Urrgh…"

"Why do we have to get up so early…?"

"Come on, up and at 'em. We've got a long way to go."

For the stubborn ones, a little “encouragement” was in order.

I gave their backsides a few gentle slaps with my tail, and they quickly squirmed awake. It was like we were on a retreat or something, folding blankets neatly into the closet and spraying deodorizer all around. We wouldn’t be back for about a month, and I didn’t want the place to stink when we returned.

After pushing our luggage to the entrance, we took turns showering. Harmony went first, of course, and took at least 30 minutes. By then, Dice and I had both crashed on the sofa. Naturally, we only woke up because she came over and nudged us.

"…Hey, Eugene! Your turn to shower!"

"Already…?"

"It’s been 30 minutes!"

Leaving Dice snoozing on the couch, I dragged myself into the bathroom, splashing cold water to wake up. Of course, I yelped a bit from the shock, but it did the trick.

After about 25 minutes, I emerged, having thoroughly dried even my tail. Outside, the scene was dismal. Harmony and Dice had both dozed off on the sofa. I nudged Dice's thigh, and he groaned and whined, shaking his head. A little threat about showering fully dressed got him to scamper into the bathroom.

"It's already five o'clock. Once Dice is done, I need to start the stream."

I jumped into the chat to post an announcement.

At 5 a.m., a crowd of 400,000 viewers greeted me with restless anticipation. Fortunately, after pinning a quick message and waving at the drone cam, they settled down somewhat.

Since it was my first official broadcast since revealing myself as an Emergent, I gave a little tail wag as a bonus. Donations came pouring in, with people commenting about me still trending as the top search term. I wasn’t sure how I should feel, but hey, overthinking never helped before.

"Hello, everyone. Honestly, seeing all of you again doesn't feel that different. I used an avatar that looked almost exactly like me, so it’s not really strange standing here in front of you now."

—Eugene! Eugene! Eugene! Eugene! Eugene! Eugene! Eugene! Eugene! Eugene! Eugene! —OMG, she’s streaming face reveal AND keeping us here for six hours?! She’s insane! —I’m rolling on the floor in shock! Waaah! —Damn, she’s so beautiful, lol. —Armpits! Tail! Armpits! Tail! Armpits! Tail!

Some comments were a bit too enthusiastic, but everyone was excited, so I let it slide.

Even though I had memories of another gender, personally, even with this body, I preferred female partners. Perhaps it was due to my years as a special forces operative, where strength was essential. In any case, I wasn’t against the excitement in the chat, and any over-the-top comments would be filtered by the chat bot.

The bathroom door clicked open, and Dice emerged with a towel wrapped around him. Of course, the drone cam didn’t show any of that—I'm not crazy.

The time was now 5:23 a.m. December was upon us, with long nights and short days. We wouldn't see the sun for quite some time. Hopefully, the 400,000 viewers hadn’t stayed up all night.

Once we were dressed and ready, it was almost 6 a.m. The apartment gate flashed with a notification. A large limo bus was waiting at the entrance. It was finally time to leave.

Dice finished getting ready at 5:53 a.m. I turned off the lights, and as we headed to the front door, the hallway lights flicked on. The drone, following behind with its charger in my suitcase, would be the only one getting a taste of America.

— Clack!

"…Wow, it’s freezing out here. What are you gonna do, Eugene?"

"Quiet down."

"Ow!"

Making nonsense the moment we step into the hallway, honestly.

I gave him a tap on the head with my tail, and the chat exploded again.

—OMG, what a reward, LOL. —I never thought I'd see this in real life! —Haha, getting hit with a snake tail must be a weird experience. —Dice, you fool, lol. —Am I dreaming???

The wind picked up as we descended in the elevator.

After trudging through the biting cold for a few hundred feet, we reached a large bus glowing softly under the streetlight. No one else was inside. It was reserved just for us three.

A hologram popped up on my wrist, opening the doors automatically. Normally, there’d be a driver, but this was fully automated. As the hologram confirmed our identities, the bus lit up, revealing a spacious interior with barely a dozen seats. It seemed excessive for just a one-hour drive to Incheon Airport.

But I was too tired to care. I sank into the seat marked “Eugene,” which even had a tail slot in the back so I could sit comfortably.

"Ah, this is heaven…."

"…Should we chat or something? I’m just so tired…."

"…Would you all be okay with a nap stream? It’d only be about an hour."

—Of course, we’d love it, lol! —Called in sick just for this! —Do they think they’re fooling anyone? We’re here no matter what. —Lol, just sleep already. We’ll entertain ourselves.

Much appreciated.

I leaned back, securing the drone cam to the wall and lying down, letting the warmth of the heater fill the bus. The three of us waved at the camera before the view faded to black.

—[Notification: You have arrived at Incheon Airport, Terminal 2.]

—[Notification: Wishing you a pleasant journey.]

"…Ah, that nap helped a bit."

"First-class and business passengers have to head to the premium check-in counter at Section A."

"Let’s grab some donuts and snacks! They have a Dunkin’ Donuts here!"

"Seriously?"

These two. What am I going to do with them?

The airport ceiling was high, and the air was warm. It felt more like an upscale department store than an airport. The reflective floors gleamed under the bright lights, which were a bit blinding.

Despite the early hour, Incheon Airport was already bustling. As we hovered near the first-class check-in, a well-dressed attendant approached to guide us.

As soon as the sensors detected us, the entrance opened, revealing a serene, modern space reminiscent of a palace. Three airport staff members approached, each tending to one of us.

"Please feel free to sit. We’ll handle your check-in and luggage. Would you like any refreshments? We have chocolate, snacks, various coffees, sodas, fruit juices, and sparkling water."

"Just the chocolate, please."

"Certainly."

Three luxurious chocolates appeared on a tray.

The seats here didn’t have tail slots like the bus seats, but I could manage. Dice seemed familiar with the setup, while Harmony was wide-eyed, constantly murmuring, "Oh…."

Once we were checked in, the staff led us to a private security screening area reserved for first-class passengers.

"We’ll attach a GPS patch to the drone and return it to you. You’ll need to turn off the stream before boarding."

"Understood."

If Serkins were here, he’d probably make some smart remark about it being a while since he’d gone through security for international travel.

The drone went through an extensive security check—serial numbers, purchase records, receipts, everything. It took about 10 minutes, but eventually, we were good to go.

"All set. Have a pleasant trip."

"Thanks for your hard work."

"Haha, no worries. Thanks to you, I got to scan a tail for the first time."

People really do love tails.

With that, we wrapped up the departure procedures. Since I had both U.S. and Korean passports, I didn’t have much to worry about.

Then, the part of the airport experience I’d been looking forward to finally arrived.

"Wow."

"A lounge with beds…?"

The first-class lounge.

It was like stepping into a luxury compartment from an airplane. Each seat was equipped with butter, bread, jam, utensils, and a snack tray. Never thought I’d get to experience something like this.

Apparently, neither did the tens of thousands watching the lounge tour through the drone cam.

—Wow, lol. —Shock: Snake tail spotted in the first-class lounge! —The staff look confused, lol. —Only Dice and Harmony look unfazed. —Turns out Dice looks exactly like her avatar, lol.

As soon as we sat down, four staff members rushed over.

One for Dice, one for Harmony, and two for me. Not sure why, but I wasn’t complaining. My only minor gripe was the lack of tail slots in the seats, but that’d be asking too much.

"Welcome, Mr. Lee Eugene, Ms. Seo Yerin, Ms. Ha Mina. Your boarding passes have been confirmed. Today’s lounge breakfast is abalone porridge, and you can enjoy unlimited snacks, cakes, salads, and drinks, including alcohol."

"I’ll have breakfast, then. How about you, Dice?"

"Me too. What about you, Mina?"

"Same here!"

"Breakfast for everyone, please."

And so, at around 7 a.m., we had our first meal of the day.

A hearty abalone porridge, succulent ribs, fresh fruit, salad, kimchi, and poached eggs—it was quite a spread for breakfast. Dice and Harmony were both astonished, and the food was just as impressive.

As we ate, Dice offered Harmony some advice.

"When we’re on the plane, they’ll give us so much food we’ll feel like bursting, so pace yourself here. Eugene can eat as much as he wants, though."

"You’ve adjusted well."

"After seeing someone spend tens of thousands on a single meal…."

—These three must’ve met tons of times, lol. —The breakfast spread looks amazing, lol. —Seriously, chew your food! It’s porridge, not a smoothie, lol. —Professor, are you a physics professor? Seems like you have a black hole in your stomach. —This guy’s eating three servings of porridge, lol.

The food was so good I ordered seconds, then went to the buffet for a bit more after that.

Living with a high calorie burn isn’t easy.