On November 2nd, Kwon Jihan and Seo Chaeyoon went on a long vacation. During a press conference, Kwon Jihan announced that unless an extremely dangerous event like the creation of an S-class Red-Black Portal occurred, he wouldn't be stepping in. The press conference took place at Seokyoung headquarters, and on that day, there were both protests and rallies in support of the vacation. The supporters outnumbered the opposition, thanks to Seo Chaeyoon's die-hard fans.
The very next day after the solemn vacation announcement, Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo gathered in Seokyoung's Guild Master's office. Yoo Juncheol and Do Deungsoo were also present.
Do Deungsoo began the briefing, displaying a hologram of a countryside mansion.
"The 100-pyeong plot is surrounded on all sides by a fence carrying high-voltage electricity. There's only one iron gate at the entrance, and no one has been seen coming or going. As you can see from the aerial footage, aside from birds and cats, no living creatures have entered the garden. However…."
The hologram zoomed in on something.
It was a machine. More specifically, a humanoid robot. It moved so smoothly that if you covered it in human skin, you could easily mistake it for a real person.
"A robot, huh."
Kwon Jihan zoomed in even further on the robot, which was busy tending the garden.
"Earth's robotics technology is mostly focused on military and industrial AI, so humanoid robots are still a long way off. This wasn't made on Earth. It's either an item or skill from the Gaia System. Or maybe…."
"It was probably made by aliens."
Yoon Seo responded briefly.
"Zoom in on the second-floor window."
Yoon Seo, occupied with petting a small bird, asked Kwon Jihan to do it for him. When Kwon Jihan zoomed in on the window, a faint gray object could be seen inside the glass.
"There's a robot here too."
"Yes, it looks similar to the one in the garden."
"They say there are three humanoids like this. To think the 'writer' of 'Love in Han River' was not only an alien but also a collector of humanoids… What is this world coming to?"
Yoo Juncheol sighed.
When they first started investigating 'Love in Han River', they didn't think much of it. Just a coincidence, they assumed. There have been hundreds of cases throughout history where fictional stories coincidentally aligned with reality. But the more they dug, the more they realized this wasn't something to be taken lightly. The writer, who none of the production team had ever met. A person who had borrowed a name from a poor individual and transferred a large sum of money. Who exactly was this writer? Were they truly a superhuman native to Earth? Or perhaps the very first Awakened?
Tracking down the 'writer' had proven to be even more difficult than tracking Seo Chaeyoon, and when they had hit a dead end, contact with extraterrestrials began to pick up. Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo asked the Ystävä aliens if there had been anything similar to 'Love in Han River' on their planet. To their surprise, several planets responded that they too had experienced similar hints. On some planets, it was a novel, on others, a song, and on some, an oral tale, but the message was always the same.
'The grueling process your world is currently enduring is merely a trial period. When it's over, a new universe will open.'
The one who delivered the message had wanted to forewarn them of this fact.
In other words, the 'Love in Han River' writer was either a divine being or… a senior.
A senior who had long since completed the tutorial and surpassed level one.
"Maybe the writer isn't a collector of alien robots but a robot themselves. There could really be a planet out there populated entirely by robots! A machine planet, a droid empire come to life…."
"Enough, Deungsoo."
Yoo Juncheol threw a tablet at Do Deungsoo, who grumbled about being silenced.
Other planets had also tried tracking down their hint-givers but found no helpful clues, except for a single scrap of paper measuring 4cm by 1cm found on Idor. Earthlings traded nuclear fusion technology with the Idorians in exchange for the paper scrap and brought it back to Earth. Even though 13 years had passed since 'Love in Han River' was published, the writer had probably already left Earth. But just in case, Yoon Seo used
The last place that material was detected was in Naju, Jeonnam, South Korea.
The countryside house where those humanoids resided. Officially, the property belonged to someone who had died during the Great Cataclysm. The 'writer' had been living there, tax-free, in an abandoned house.
"If they really are from a machine planet, it might not be safe for just the two of you to go. We should mobilize all the Hunters. Do you know how strong droids can be?"
"They've come to give us a hint about the secrets of the Gaia System. I doubt they'll attack us. And no matter how strong those humanoids are, the two of us should be enough. What do you both think?"
Kwon Jihan shrugged and passed the question to Yoon Seo, who calmly replied.
"If we bring too many, they might think we've come to fight. The 'writer' has been on Earth for over ten years, so they must already know about 'Kwon Jihan' and 'Seo Chaeyoon.' They'll know we're not bad people, so nothing you're worried about will happen."
"I agree with hyung."
Peep.
"Riceball agrees too."
"We're really lucky to have Yoon Seo and Jihan here on Earth."
Despite Yoo Juncheol's words, he let out a sigh. The leader of the Seokyoung Guild, who had become busier after entering Level 1, was growing paler by the day. His complexion hadn't been great to begin with…
It wasn't just his close acquaintances who noticed; even non-Awakened people could see that his health wasn't in good shape. Many had already agreed that after Kwon Jihan and Seo Chaeyoon's break, Yoo Juncheol would be next.
"When do you plan to head down to Naju?"
"I'll go right after the briefing."
Do Deungsoo was startled.
"So soon?"
"Yeah. We've got a lot of questions for the person who created 'Love in Han River'. Let's wrap this up."
"Oh…"
Do Deungsoo nodded as if he understood. In the past, he would have dismissed 'Love in Han River' as a trivial kimchi stew drama, but now that a book titled 'The Prophecy of Kimchi Stew' had been published, it was hard to think that way anymore.
What was even more regrettable was that, from now on, it would be difficult to dismiss any absurd or nonsensical work. After all, it could be another alien hint.
Maybe even the countless hunter genres that had been popular before the Great Cataclysm were also hints.
If there's a planet somewhere where such a genre is currently booming, they'd better realize that a Great Cataclysm might be on the way.
***
Out of the three humanoids, one was always in the garden. All of the humanoids were equipped with saws, knives, flamethrowers, and electric shockers, though they were only used for garden maintenance, so their full power hadn't been tested.
Kwon Jihan inspected the double gates, walls, and electrified barbed wire with a telescope and said.
"Let's start in five minutes. I'll use
"Got it."
"They like kimchi stew, right?"
"Of course. That's probably why they're still in Korea."
The two were parked 500 meters in front of the countryside house, chatting. To commemorate meeting the writer of the kimchi stew drama, they had brought four types of kimchi stew: pork kimchi stew, tuna kimchi stew, mackerel kimchi stew, and fish cake kimchi stew. Though it was past dinnertime, the two had bought it because they were hungry.
Both Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo were eagerly anticipating this meeting.
When the time came, Yoon Seo put on his Seo Chaeyoon mask. The two stepped out of the car and headed toward the mansion.
Peep.
Riceball yawned and settled on top of Kwon Jihan's head.
"Hyung, you know what to ask the 'writer' first, right?"
"Of course."
They both said in unison.
"We have to ask why the male lead gave the female lead an apple in episode 11."
"We have to ask why the male lead gave the female lead an apple in episode 11."
It was a long-standing question among the passionate fans of 'Love in Han River'.
In episode 11, after a tense moment where the male lead and female lead clashed over developing a new menu, the male lead suddenly hands the female lead a perfectly ripe, red apple. Then, the scene jumps six months ahead, showing the success of the new menu and a store piled high with apples.
"I don't understand why people interpret it differently. It's obviously a sorry apple."
"No way. I'm sure the new menu was apple kimchi stew. In episode 11, the male lead hadn't fully opened up to the female lead yet."