"Good work. We'll take about a 30-minute break from now, according to real-time standards."

"Huff...!"

"Ugh, I feel like I'm losing my mind..."

About a week had passed since I had a conversation with the shark and polar bear.

It was already more than half of October gone, and it was now nearing the second half of the month, but my tasks remained the same, and the repetition felt like I was running on a hamster wheel.

Still, the difference from a year ago was that, back then, there were occasional reactions like "So who is Eugene, and why is he suddenly rolling in, playing both coach and player?" But now, that wasn't the case. Everyone seemed to believe that I would bring victory to Korea again this year without a doubt.

Of course, no matter what expectations people had of me, or whatever illusions they held... that was all Dice's and Harmony's responsibility. After all, a year had passed since the end of last year's finals, and the 4th Final Championship was set to take place again. The gap of one year meant I had no idea how much preparation everyone else had put into it.

Defeating the national teams of other countries was no longer my job—if I'd participated starting from the tournament rank with reverse corrections, I might not have known either.

Harmony and Dice, who seemed quite exhausted, came close to me, sat down, and stretched out on the ground.

Although my physical strength in VR was immensely enhanced compared to my real body, they still appeared drained. But then again, as the Korean national team members kept rolling on, the probability of achieving victory or producing excellent results was high. It was a natural course of events.

Without saying a word of appreciation, about 30 minutes passed in the virtual reality, and Dice and Harmony, drenched in exhaustion and fatigue, slowly started to regain their senses.

I had considered pouring water on their heads if they hadn't regained consciousness, but it turned out that wasn't necessary.

"Are you starting to wake up?"

"Yes."

"Good job."

"...What you said in Hawaii was true."

"Except for broadcasting it live, everything else was true, of course."

Although I had said that, it wasn't just these two—Ink, Michael, Gambit, and all the others from the Asian qualifiers, sprawled around in different places, wouldn't be complaining.

They were the national representatives. They had the ability to compete with other countries, but that wasn't enough. They had to defeat, crush, and shatter their opponents. At the very least, no one in this room was here with a nonchalant attitude, unaware of the weight on their shoulders.

And that was the end of the heavy talk.

I had just given them a break, so there was no need to bring up work again.

Now, there was something I needed to ask the two of them, who had started to recover some energy.

"Are you two interested in fashion?"

"Out of the blue?"

"When else would I ask? I can't bring it up during training, can I?"

After their puzzled reactions to my sudden question, I shut them down with the usual approach and waited for their answer.

I gave them about 30 seconds to think, but after around 7 seconds of silence—accompanied by gestures like 'I'm thinking'—they opened their mouths, confident in their responses.

"I'm not completely uninterested. I follow a lot of Western fashion influencers. Sometimes, when I’m unsure about what to wear or what kind of outfit to go out in, I refer to their styles, and sometimes I even buy clothes from their online stores..."

"Oh, sounds like we're similar."

"It seems like Mina isn't that different, huh?"

"Right. But the people I follow are probably different from Yerin's. There's a height difference, after all... I’m a bit under 160 cm, so I follow people with similar heights to mine... and I guess Yerin follows similar ones too."

"Hmm."

I hadn’t really considered that difference before. Thinking about it, Mina was 162 cm, and Dice was 168 cm. It wasn’t a huge difference, but it wasn’t insignificant either. But it didn’t really matter to go any deeper into it. Just let it be, I thought.

Anyway, I’d laid the groundwork, so now it was time to give the reason I’d asked this question to these curious friends.

After taking a deep breath, I added casually.

"Have you ever heard of Olivia Nyx Lorelei?"

"Lorelei? Of course!"

"Isn't she quite famous?"

"...Yeah, she is. I guess I'm just a bit out of the loop."

...What the hell has this person been doing in reality?

Honestly, it might sound unbelievable, but I had no idea what this person had been doing in real life. Especially after the Dark Zone overlapped with reality. Since Task Force Laser had continued its activities, I had thought she’d be with SOF, just like Logan and Lorentina.

I hadn’t looked into it, but letting my guard down or assuming things is exactly what I shouldn’t have done. The result of thinking as I always did hit me in the back of the head much sooner than I’d expected.

Anyway, instead of just blabbering and asking random questions, I decided to get a sense of how Olivia was viewed in this world, specifically, by asking the two of them.

"...She’s quite the popular star."

"Of course. She’s like 183 cm tall, often modeling herself, and collaborates with famous overseas brands... it’s weird she hasn't launched her own brand, but still, she's super popular."

"I didn’t know she was that well-known... Anyway, I’ve seen her a lot while searching YourSpace. Her hairstyle is really unique, and people talk about it a lot."

"Aha."

It was a brief exchange, but I learned a few small things. Dice clearly hadn’t kept track of Olivia—or rather, Nix’s recent activities. If he had, he might’ve asked me why she was at the outdoor shooting range, repeatedly firing a Barrett rifle.

And through Harmony’s answer, I learned a second fact: they didn’t know that Olivia was EM-level. To be honest, it made sense. Olivia wasn’t someone whose physical strength had dramatically increased like mine, Lorentina’s, or Logan’s.

Still, she was definitely stronger than an ordinary person. The last time I checked, her stats were around 1500 for the three major lifts. Even that was essentially beyond human limits.

After that, they didn’t ask any more questions, and they started speculating about why I had asked about Olivia. They went off on their own.

"Well, now it’s about time for Eugene to take an interest in fashion too."

"It’s a crime to keep wearing ordinary clothes when you have such a good figure. You must have a lot of money, so how about hiring a stylist? Every time you turn on the drone cam, you look like you're going out bare-faced. Didn’t you see how hard we were working on our makeup in Hawaii?"

"Give it up, Mina. It’s been almost a year since we got the drone cam. Even when we went to Hawaii, you could tell he’s the type who just looks like a supermodel no matter what he wears."

"..."

Yeah, saying weird things like that and not getting hit in the temple by a punch is probably Dice’s growth.

As I stared at them blankly, the two quickly picked up on it and continued.

"So, why did you suddenly start showing interest in that person? Did she send you a collaboration request?"

"Now that you mention it, that does seem like it could be the case... But if such an offer came, it’d be better to ask actual professionals instead of us."

"That’s not it, High!"

"Oops, my bad."

"Oh, really? It’s not like you're planning some suspicious business... can I ask if this is okay?"

Hmm.

After hearing that, I hesitated for a moment, but since I didn’t know how long this person would stay in Korea or how we might interact later, it’d probably be better to just tell these two.

I briefly moved my lips and opened my mouth.

"I know her."

"...Huh?"

"And she’s visiting Korea tomorrow."

Of course, when the two of them heard that, their faces contorted in surprise.

I had expected that.

"...And what did she say?"

"Well, what else? She told me to turn on my blinkers when entering. But I’m also a victim here. She said she didn't know how long she'd stay in Hawaii, but then, just before her departure, she emailed saying she'd arrive around dinner time, Korean time."

"Mutants are like that, huh? They make jokes within their allowed boundaries, knowing just how far they can go without crossing the line."

"...Anyway, it’s a good thing the senior was awake at dawn. Are you going in now?"

"I have the day off tomorrow, so it doesn’t matter when I sleep."

Mutant jokes, huh. It’s a strangely relatable remark.

I should probably reduce making these kinds of jokes to Dice and Harmony. Especially after I promised last time on the Hawaii trip that I’d get them rolling with excitement. I don’t know if I’ll keep that promise later, though.

Anyway, it was a little after 5 PM now, and Lorentina was somewhere around 4 AM. Since she hadn’t gone to sleep yet, I decided to check in with her through the secret line.

I’d heard that it was the last day of training, and she’d just finished the debriefing and was about to disperse. Special forces tend to have crazy schedules, so it wasn’t unusual for her to still be awake at this hour.

Tomorrow, she planned to sleep all day, so after hearing her insist I talk to her before going to bed, I couldn’t resist and finally made my way.

And a bit of late explanation here: I was currently at Incheon International Airport.

"The airport is always the same. It’s always busy here."

"Ah, I remember passing through here when I was heading to Hawaii. It was a pretty fun experience."

"All I remember is that you two wiped out the food in the first-class lounge."

"It was a good joke, though, wasn’t it? Heh."

Of course, we didn’t wipe out everything. Just enough, just enough.

If Hotteok had come along, the food in the lounge might’ve been completely gone, but fortunately, that disaster didn’t happen.

Anyway, the reason I was at Incheon Airport wasn’t anything major. I was there to meet Olivia, who was, by now, somewhere above the central skies of South Korea.

"Olivia seems like the type who just shows up without much thought, but you're not too concerned about it, are you, Junior?"

"It’s lonely living alone. While Jin and Rain come and go, what’s the harm in inviting one more person as a guest? Besides, you were the one who came all the way to find me, right?"

"Heh, since you gave me an eternal pass, I might as well use it."

As we walked toward the gates, I could see the sign for the arrival gates for foreign passengers.

The entrance was divided into Gate A and Gate B, and Olivia's flight would be closer to Gate B, so I headed that way as well.

Apart from that, the main issue was... the person we had been talking about the whole time.

"Come to think of it, I heard that person posted something on social media just before leaving Hawaii."

"She said she was coming to Korea. She cleverly hid the exact departure date and time, so I guess only I knew."

"At least she had some thought. I don’t know why she’s doing it, though."

"They say it's a job hazard."

It’s something that people labeled as influencers do.

It's a bit vague to call her a celebrity or public figure, but she certainly has the kind of influence that makes her well-known. And based on my findings, she's a significant figure in fashion, which is why she likes having her name pop up everywhere.

Well, to be precise, she used to like it.

Now that I remember, she probably regrets it. It's hard to understand how someone who liked being reserved is now a trendsetter in fashion, but that's none of my business.

Anyway, now back to the point, her being attention-seeking like this is all a calculated act. She’s not a natural-born attention seeker like Lorentina. In fact, before she became famous, she was with the NSA.

For someone who had worked in such an intensely secretive and secure environment for about 12 years, it makes no sense that she’s now craving attention like this.

Anyway, I hope that during her stay in Korea, this celebrity mentality will fade a bit. Given how quiet I’m staying, why is she causing all this fuss on her own?

And just as I muttered that, laughter followed.

"...Pfft."

"That laugh sounds pretty meaningful."

"Junior, you sometimes say things that are hard to believe even by yourself."

What have I done to deserve this? I’ll go crazy, seriously.

Anyway, as I headed toward Gate B, I noticed a few suspicious individuals. There weren't many of them, but they were staring intently at the entrance, each holding or fiddling with large cross-body bags.

As I did a quick pulse scan, I saw the contents inside their bags. It was a large camera. I could roughly guess what was going on. They were likely staff from a magazine trying to grab an interview by rotating around the airport for a week or two.

What should I do? I decided to just block them briefly. As soon as Olivia walks next to me, the reporters won’t even think about taking a picture. Any photos they try to take before we make contact can be distorted using the Icarus Gear.

I got a message from Olivia, confirming she was heading to Gate B.

I quickly relayed the situation and said I’d help adjust the visuals so the cameras wouldn’t line up. I then waited for a few minutes.

The gate opened.

A figure appeared through the opening. Compared to Logan or Lorentina, she looked a bit more ordinary, but she still had the distinct feature of an owl. That slight brown bob haircut complemented it beautifully.

As I thought about how she was dressed, it was quite simple. But then, unexpectedly, her gaze met mine.

In that instant, Olivia disappeared from my sight. The suitcase, seemingly autonomous with some motor, sped outside without its owner, and I was frantically looking around to figure out where she’d gone when—

"Yujin—!"

"Gah...!"

Her massive chest blocked my view, and Olivia embraced me tightly, starting to squeeze me in a bear hug.

She may have been EM-level, but at this moment, her timing was perfect, and I had no way of escaping her grasp.

As my face was buried in her dark blue sweater, I heard,

"Turn on the hologram quickly! The reporters are losing their minds! Hurry!"

Automatically, my optical camouflage activated, and a hologram of Olivia and me appeared, covering us as we walked in another direction.

The reporters, fumbling with their cameras and snapping wildly in the wrong direction, couldn’t catch us as we casually walked out of Gate B.

Still, I could smell the sweater’s scent on my face... seriously.

Laughing in disbelief, I finally spoke:

"Task Force Laser team leader, Olivia Nyx Lorelei. Welcome to Korea."

"Where did you learn such grand explanations?"

Logan, playing the strict father role.

Lorentina, always the playful uncle.

And Olivia, who had always taken the motherly role, was finally coming to Korea.