With a sense of frustration over the meaninglessness of the stakeout, half of the vacation had already passed.
In the midst of enjoying the performance of a new smartphone without any stuttering…
“Mary, have you tried this game?”
“Huh?”
Suddenly, Shiyeon appeared in the room, showing off the smartphone screen.
Curious about what she was so proudly displaying, I saw it was none other than a certain game.
It was a game that used GPS to pull up a map of the surrounding area, allowing players to go around catching things.
What do you call this, an augmented reality game?
I vaguely remembered hearing that some game was becoming a huge trend during the vacation period.
But to be honest, I hadn’t been interested in games recently, finding them no fun at all.
Anyway, it seemed like Shiyeon was quite engrossed in this game.
“It’s about anthropomorphizing various objects and catching them with this round ball. Look here! This one’s a pencil!”
“Huh.”
She began to excitedly tell me every little detail without me asking anything.
But despite her passionate explanation, as someone who hadn’t played, I found myself totally unaware of how great the characters were.
I just managed some casual responses.
Now, catching something and turning it into a cute character…
Aren’t these just monsters and mascots?
Do we really need to do something in a game that we can do in reality?
While thinking this, I checked the character encyclopedia Shiyeon was showing me.
Man, man, only men.
Although there were many types of objects, all the characters turned out to be men, making me wonder if this was a female-oriented game. I stared at the screen and asked.
“Are there only male characters?”
“No? If you change the player gender in the settings here…”
There was a gear icon in the corner of the screen.
When I clicked it and changed the player gender from female to male, all the male characters transformed into female characters.
“Oh.”
A natural exclamation slipped out.
To cater to both male and female players, what a bold challenge!
Every type of character was prepared with both male and female models.
I didn’t know which game company it came from, but they clearly understood how to make money.
Just for a moment, a line-up of cute SD female characters appeared before the round, chubby male characters filled the screen again.
“Do you want to play too, Mary?”
“Well, it seems like a good way to exercise.”
I tilted my head and casually left a positive response, downloading the game app.
I was intrigued by the idea of a game that required physical movement, and considering that it seemed like a game we could play together without overlapping, I decided to install it.
Just as it was nearing completion, Shiyeon said something.
“But I can’t play right now.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I don’t know, but they said you can’t play in Korea right now; the characters don’t appear around you.”
True to her words, after setting it up and launching the game, the only things visible were my character and the map’s layout.
It seemed the announcement about starting service in Korea had not yet followed through.
Looking for news from overseas, it appeared there was a system where characters with various attributes and skills could battle.
Is it a popular game among kids? In group chats, some were boasting about the characters they caught while traveling to places where it was actively running.
Watching with envy, Shiyeon seemed to feel the same way.
“……”
Her glances towards me were quite unusual.
No, no, that can’t be it.
I voiced my doubts, directly asking Shiyeon.
“Are you seriously suggesting we travel overseas for this?”
“…Is that not okay?”
Peeking subtly, Shiyeon’s head lowered while she glanced at me, asking if that was not allowed.
“No way, that would be a major priority issue…”
I waved my hands in the air, shaking my head, clearly expressing that it wasn’t a good idea.
Perhaps if it was a coincidence and we happened to play while on vacation, it would be different.
Even during vacation, suggesting to travel just for a game felt a bit… off, right?
I dismissed Shiyeon’s travel proposal for the first time, and just a few days later, a strange event occurred.
[Going to catch characters! The only available area for the mobile game ‘Earth Walk’ is Sokcho.]
[Why is ‘Earth Walk’ possible in Sokcho?]
[Gather everyone! The place that has become a sacred site in an instant.]
“What on earth is happening?”
The sudden event unfolded too abruptly.
The game that had been blocked for service in the country, the one Shiyeon had shown me just a while ago.
That game with a simple meaning implying to walk the Earth had suddenly gone viral, starting with news of it operating normally in Sokcho.
Seriously, what is going on?
It wasn’t overseas; it was within our own country that the game was operational.
“Ma, Mary…”
Shiyeon, looking dejected and miserable, cradled her smartphone like it was the most heartbreaking thing.
Is that game really that amazing?
Regardless, standing idle and saying no wasn’t an option.
With a glimmer of hope, I called the Minister…
“What’s happening in Sokcho? Are people really flocking there to travel? There won’t be anyone left around there to help!”
“Ugh.”
Thanks to the magical girls, who were a step ahead, who found out the news and left for Sokcho, our area was left without support.
Hanging up the phone, with a voice laced in frustration, all I could see was Shiyeon engulfed in the sadness of the world.
I couldn’t bear to watch her head lowered in gloom, so I took a deep breath, placed my fists on my hips, and spoke.
“Lee Siyeon!”
…My chest may as well be flat as any boy’s, but still.
It was uncommon to call out her full name, which left her in a state of surprise, her expression shifting from gloomy to flustered.
“Yeah, huh?”
“If you just say at the academy that you’re taking a few days off, that will be fine.”
At the few words that escaped my lips, color returned to Shiyeon’s face.
While Cheorwon might be far away, Sokcho had pretty decent transportation.
One taxi and one intercity bus would suffice. I took out a large bag from the closet, packing chargers, a power bank, and clothes, stacking them neatly inside.
“You think you’ll be able to go alone?”
“Yeah… Is that really okay?”
Despite her response, Shiyeon looked uneasy, as if worried about the rules set for magical girls, asking hesitantly if it really was allowed.
“Of course, it normally wouldn’t be.”
I replied in an indifferent tone, as if to question why she would even ask such a thing.
While I added that normally it wouldn’t be okay, my hands kept moving, continuing to place items into the bag.
After all, the key point of Shiyeon’s journey was sneaking away.
So I also advised her to bring plenty of cash instead of using cards.
It would be troublesome if there were any records left behind.
Military leaves might have designated areas, but in the end, as long as you don’t get caught, it’s all good.
As the bag swelled in volume, Shiyeon’s sudden solo journey was about to commence.
After packing this and that, the bag ended up being nearly the size of a school backpack.
I had only intended to pack clothes and power banks for convenience, but with unnecessary items like wet wipes and various odds and ends thrown in, it took that form.
Following Shiyeon, who was headed to Sokcho, I stopped in front of the entrance.
“Go safely, and since it’s summer, watch out for seafood. Leave a message once you’re checked into your lodging. If things get dangerous, transform without worry, understood?”
Before she left, I added my usual words of caution, looking at Shiyeon with a worried expression.
Whether she understood my feelings or not, Shiyeon wore an excited expression, gripping the straps of her bags while beaming from ear to ear.
“Okay! I love you, Mary!”
With her bold response, she hugged me tightly and stepped back slightly.
After that heartwarming conversation, I left a stern remark for Shiyeon’s mascot, who was only sticking its head out of her pocket.
“Make sure nothing goes wrong, and give me some updates, okay?”
“Uh, sure….”
“Ugh, alright! You’ll come back before the vacation ends, right? While you’re there, play to your heart’s content!”
I sighed briefly and clapped my hands, blessing Shiyeon’s very first solo trip.
Instead of keeping her back with worries, it seemed that sending her off brightly would be more comforting for both of us, so I told her to play to her heart’s content.
After waving her off until I couldn’t see Shiyeon anymore from the balcony, I returned inside.
With only two people in the house, the moment one person left, an overwhelming silence filled the void.
“Ah, the chicken from Sokcho was so good…”
“Bringing it here would probably ruin it, right?”
“Oh, then how about chicken today?”
“Hmm, I’ll think about it.”
With Shiyeon temporarily out, even the pesky Gomtaengi turned into a decent companion.
To fill the quiet house with some noise, I turned on the TV and lay down on the sofa.
Grabbing the smartphone that had been resting for a while, I found a missed call from the Minister.
I wondered if she was trying to say they could go travel after all… and without much thought, I called her back.
Before the ringing tone could sound twice, I heard her pick up.
“Hello, why are you calling again?”
“Uh, it’s nothing… Just wanted to let you know that quite a few other magical girls are heading to Sokcho, so just for about five days, your area will be extended; since it’s vacation, right?”
She seemed bored by the question of why I was calling again and informed me that other magical girls went on vacation similar to us.
Thanks to that, our area was temporarily extended.
I probably shouldn’t have picked up.
“Then please take care of it?”
“Sure.”
While internally I was voicing plenty of complaints, I answered nonchalantly on the surface and hung up.
What could be done? We had done the same when we traveled, so this was how it worked.
If there was a problem, it was simply that—the designated work outside standard hours.
In other words… taking the possibility of monsters appearing even in the early morning into account.
‘Looks like I won’t be getting much sleep for a while.’
