– ABS reporter Kim Daegi here! I’m currently standing at a spot where the Olympic Highway is visible. The road, which is usually jam-packed with traffic, is now completely empty! The only vehicles passing by are emergency vehicles operated by the government!
– And there’s not a single person in sight on the streets! Even though it’s midday, the streets are as quiet as the early morning.
– Currently, following the advice of the Disaster and Safety Management Director, a travel restraint advisory has been issued. On such a windy day, I urge all viewers to stay safe and remain indoors!
Wow, what a dedicated reporter, I thought while watching the news. Trash was being swept up and tossed around by the wind, but Reporter Kim Daegi was diligently informing us how dangerous it was outside. Flyers were flying around like birds, and just by looking at them, you could tell how strong the wind was.
– Uh- Ughhh!
But even the reporter couldn’t withstand the typhoon and got injured by a flying flyer. I don’t know how the cameraman managed to film all this. As soon as the reporter got hurt, the broadcast quickly switched to the news desk, where a professor was explaining the dangers of this typhoon.
– This typhoon is different from previous ones… and…
– It’s moving very slowly and carrying a lot of moisture…
– Perhaps it absorbed the magical energy from the Gate, which might be why this typhoon is so intense…
– A state of emergency should be declared, and the government must recognize this as a national disaster-level typhoon and respond accordingly…
Professor No was speaking with a sense of urgency, while Bora, sitting next to me, casually munched on snacks and said, “Typhoons usually pass in half a day. They’re making too big a deal out of it. Right, Hana?”
Bora had a point. No matter how strong or huge a typhoon was, it usually moved on after half a day. Still, something felt off. It didn’t feel like this would end simply.
“Hana, wanna watch a movie?”
Bora was in my room, dressed super casually. Seeing her so relaxed was a bit unusual compared to her usual neat self.
Bora, Haru, and Maru each had their own distinct vibes. Bora felt like a dad, Haru like a mom, and Maru like a close older sister. Well, now that she’s in a woman’s body, should I call her “unnie”? But the word just didn’t feel right, so I didn’t want to use it.
“No! Bora, let’s watch the news!”
“Oh… okay? Then let’s watch the news.”
Bora seemed surprised. I did want to watch a show or a movie, but I was more interested in the news. Since the typhoon had just made landfall, the news was constantly warning about its dangers.
I sneakily stole some snacks Bora was eating. She didn’t seem to mind, as she was busy fiddling with her phone. I turned my attention back to the TV, where live updates about the typhoon were being broadcasted.
But just watching the news felt a bit empty. So, I snuggled into Bora’s arms. It was soft and comforting. I leaned my head against her and watched TV in total comfort, so much so that I almost dozed off.
—————————————
Maru was initially thrilled about working from home. As a new employee, working from home felt way better than commuting. Earning money while staying at home? What could be better than that!
But Maru’s excitement quickly took a 180-degree turn.
*Crash!*
Hearing a loud noise outside, Maru rushed to the window to see what was happening.
“Whoa…”
A sign from a building had been torn off by the strong wind and landed on a car. Poor car owner, but thankfully no one was hurt. Maru started feeling that something unusual was happening. It was only the beginning of the typhoon, and the wind was already this strong… The pouring rain only added to Maru’s anxiety.
And the bad news didn’t stop there. It came in like a tangled vine, mostly through phone messages.
[Due to damage caused by the typhoon to the supply system…]
“Ugh!”
Maru couldn’t help but gasp after reading the message. It said that gas supply had been cut off because of the typhoon. And due to the storm, technicians couldn’t even come out for emergency repairs.
No way! If I had known this would happen, I would’ve switched to an induction stove instead of a gas one!
Should’ve installed it!
But luckily, Maru had bought a gas burner last time, assuming a disaster scenario, so it was a relief. At least she could boil some ramen. Maru focused on working from home again. And she turned on the news on NewTube.
On NewTube, the people at the desk were hyping it up as the biggest typhoon since the founding of the nation. They said the typhoon was moving so slowly that no one knew when it would end. Hearing this made Maru even more anxious.
“It’s already this tough, and it’s gonna get worse?”
But thankfully, nothing major happened until work was over. However, the wind from the typhoon was now so strong that going outside was impossible.
Outside, trees were uprooted and fallen. Cars were so damaged by falling signboards that they might as well head straight to the scrapyard. Maru took a moment to silently mourn for the car owners. Does insurance cover disasters? Maru, who didn’t own a car, had no idea.
*Growl*
Maru’s stomach growled loudly in hunger. She smoothly prepared to boil some ramen. She abandoned the gas stove, which wasn’t working due to the gas outage, and placed a pot on the gas burner instead. She started boiling the ramen.
“Something feels off…”
Just hearing the wind outside made her feel like this wasn’t the end. And as usual, her uneasy premonition was spot on. Suddenly, the fluorescent light in the room went out. Maru, with a sinking feeling, quickly flicked the switch off and on. But it didn’t work.
Maru hurriedly took out her mobile phone, turned on the flashlight, and went to the window to look outside. It was pitch black. Even the usual advertisement lights were off, and the darkness greeted her like an old friend.
“No way…”
Maru had no choice but to admit that a truly massive typhoon had arrived. A typhoon strong enough to cause a blackout wasn’t something that happened often. She tried to make a call, but the communication was down too.
Only her laptop and smartphone, disconnected from the internet, were functioning in this blackout.
—————————————-
“Hey! Bora, I’m skipping school tomorrow!”
I cheered as I read the text saying school was canceled due to the severe typhoon.
Bora, seeing my text, laughed and said,
“Then I guess I can sleep in tomorrow?”
“Yeah!”
I decided to stay up all night watching movies. By the way, the view outside was quite spectacular. Being on the 10th floor, I could see the trees swaying wildly below.
There was no sign of people outside. If Bora hadn’t been here, it would’ve been terrifying. Being alone in this huge building…
“Bora, I’m hungry!”
“Alright, alright.”
Bora went out to cook some rice. I wondered what we’d eat today. I hoped it would be meat.
But Bora came back with a frown.
“Hana, the gas is out, so I can’t cook rice…”
“No!!!”
I couldn’t help but cry inside. Delicious rice was the joy of my life, and not being able to eat it was too sad.
But then Bora brought out the gas burner and said,
“Let’s have ramen and ready-made rice!”
Not a bad choice. Even if I couldn’t have meat, ramen and rice were still something. If we hadn’t prepared properly, we might’ve starved.
*Bubble bubble*
The ramen in the pot was cooking deliciously. I swallowed my drool and picked up my chopsticks. But then, a strange sound was heard, and the lights went out, plunging us into darkness.
“Oh, the power’s out!”
I said in my innocent voice. It seemed like a blackout had occurred. Clearly, this typhoon was strong enough to cause one.
