Eons of years ago, in a dimension entirely different from South Korea, there was a material called "Kiaora" that once illuminated the Jewel of Truth. Placed at its peak, the ornament broadcasted the jewel's existence to every corner of the world as if it was radiating the light of truth.
However, Kiaora was a shapeless material. It merely copied the quality and shape of anything it touched and was impressed with. This was the case when the Kiaora sat at the peak of the jewel. It took on the appearance of something it duplicated, so no one ever saw its true form.
Even Dragon King Verkis didn't see its true form either. But he was only interested in moving the material to another dimension. When the Kiaora was transferred to South Korea, it revealed its true form: a metal cube. Like a dice thrown in the hands of a god, it fell into a railing factory warehouse in South Korea.
Clang!
The warehouse was stocked with finished rails, and Kiaora had landed on one of them. At that moment, it decided that the railing it touched was remarkable and wished to copy it.
Crackle…! Right after that, something eerie took place in the middle of the night. The Kiaora copied and transformed into the shape of the rail. It then stayed in the warehouse for a few days until it was transferred by the Seoul city government and installed as part of the railings that decked out the city landmark, Namsan Tower. It eventually became used as part of the "Love Lock Rails," where couples hung locks together as a promise of their love and future together. And thus, that was what led these two men from the Lorasian continent into this conundrum today.
"What... are we supposed to do with that?"
Lloyd sighed heavily as his gaze cast in the direction. A throng of couples stood on the observation deck, inhaling the fresh mountain air and basking in the nighttime view of Seoul below the mountain. Some rested their heads on their partners' shoulders and whispered sweet words into their ears as they fastened their locks in the metal railing. Everything was good except that this very railing was the last key material for the jewel, the Kiaora!
Crud. This is driving me nuts.
Lloyd wanted to clap his hand over his forehead. He was flustered. It never crossed his mind that the last key material for the jewel would take this form. Since the Jewel of Truth resembled The Tomb of the General, he presumed that Kiaora would be a special-looking stone, just like how all the others had been. As such, Lloyd believed that the material he was looking for would be buried beneath the mountain or found on the floor of the observation deck.
Tsk. That was why I thought it would be pretty easy to obtain the material and leave. But right now…
There were too many eyes watching him here. Worse, the Kiaora sat in the most crowded section of the deck. Lloyd felt a shaft of dismay. Could it be that Javier grasped the situation through Lloyd's mood?
"Master Lloyd," Javier called as he cocked his head to the side.
"Yeah."
"Could it be... The railing you are looking at with dismay..." muttered Javier.
"You are right," sighed Lloyd. "That's it."
"I see."
"Yeah."
"So, what will you do?"
"I'm not sure." Lloyd nibbled his lips. "I was hoping it would be somewhere without many people. That way, it'd be easy to take out, and no one would throw a fuss from seeing us remove the Kiaora. I thought we could quietly carry out the job."
"I never expected it to be in such a crowded place," remarked Javier.
"Yes, I agree. If we try to take this out here, we'll attract everyone's attention." That was why Lloyd was flustered. Actually, there was nothing wrong with being noticed in itself. The problem arose once people went further than that. "The people would surely start an uproar. They'll report us to the police and whatnot. The situation has become troublesome."
"Tell me about it, Master Lloyd," remarked Javier with equal remorse. "Why don't we wait for now?"
"Yeah, that's what I think we should do." Lloyd looked around. Though it was hard to tell the exact time since he wasn't carrying a watch or smartphone, it looked like it was around eight o'clock at night. "I think this is the most popular time for visitors. Let's wait a little and start moving when the crowd gets smaller."
"Understood."
"Let's sit down and rest in the meantime."
"Good idea, Young Master."
As luck would have it, there was a bench nearby. Lloyd sat down and collected his breath as he cooled off the sweat. The cool breeze softly brushed against his chest and brought back his past memories with the scents that it carried. Lloyd became sentimental.
The people stealing glances at them and those who were looking at Javier with desire. They all felt like friends and family he missed from his hometown. He suddenly became curious about trivial matters. For example, he wondered what shows and songs were trending these days, what slang teens used nowadays, and what new Galactica and iFone models had been released.
The view and the people here. Despite everything, I want to remember it all.
Though they were complete strangers who just lived in Seoul, Lloyd surprisingly felt close to them just because they used the same language and ate kimchi and doenjang like him. He figured it was because this was his hometown. Even the various couples fastening locks in the Kiaora couldn't look any more loving and kind in Lloyd's eyes.
"Honey," a young lady said in a high-pitched voice, "It's so nice up here. Isn't it?"
"Um, I don't know," the guy remarked coolly.
"Why?" She looked up at him in wonder. "The nighttime view here is so pretty."
"I don't think it's pretty at all. My eyes are completely blinded by something else that's entirely too bright."
"What's too bright?"
"You, babe."
Blushing, she whispered, "Baby, stop that. Kiss me now."
Lloyd clenched his teeth.
No. I take that back. Kind and loving my ass!
Lloyd reflexively clenched his fists. Feeling that the morals of this world were going down in shambles and wanting to re-establish righteousness, he shot a deathly glare at the couple in pure jealousy.
"You," Lloyd murmured under his breath.
"Yes, Young Master."
"Let's just take it out now."
"I am with you on that matter."
Silently understanding one another, Lloyd and Javier jumped to their feet in rage. They trudged toward the Kiaora, the love lock railing, pushing against the shoulders of couples and ignoring their protests. The two then stood before the key construction material for the jewel and grabbed its bottom half after stooping down at the same time. The gazes they exchanged then burned with sincere anger to purify this filthy corner of the world. And inwardly giving their middle fingers to the couple, Lloyd and Javier rotated their three-strand mana circles at full speed.
Ziiing! Their manaheart became full as giant waves of mana grew inside them and bestowed great strength on their muscles, which bulged with determination to take revenge against the sickeningly cheesy couples around them. As a result, both of them possessed strength that went well beyond that of an ordinary human.
Crunch! The railing was taken out with one try.
People's eyes widened. They had thought of Lloyd and Javier as a good-looking yet odd pair of foreigners, seeing them roughly approach the railing. However, they never even imagined the two would take the entire rail out. And they were even more taken aback by how they ran away with the stolen rail.
"W-wait a minute!"
"Huh? Huh?"
"Hold on!"
They heard countless couples shouting at them, saying to stop for a second, that they had just fastened their locks, or were just about to propose to their girlfriend! Their shouts grew more frantic. But Lloyd and Javier, carrying the Kiaora together on their shoulders, didn't stop. Like a wild boar, the two hurtled right through the thick crowd down the stairs of the Namsan Mountain.
"Haah! Huff! Haal Don't stop!" yelled Lloyd.
"Understood."
It was water under the bridge. The two continued to dash off, syncing their steps and pace together. At times, they jumped down several flights of stairs at once, almost sliding down the mountain. Soon, their surroundings grew noisier.
"There! There they are!"
"The tourists over there! You can't take that!"
Whistle! Whistle!
It looked like people reported the matter to the authorities. A number of men, who appeared to be mountain rangers, rushed toward Lloyd and Javier. Their dismayed shouts and whistles echoed through the mountain. The two, however, were not deterred from running in the slightest.
"Ignore them and keep going!"
"Yes."
The two continued to run. Hundreds of locks clanged loudly against the metal railing, and the din continued to sound even after they were out of the mountain premises. This time, they were met by two police cars. It looked like they received calls from people. What did Lloyd do this time?
"Ah! Whatever! Keep running!"
Zoom! Zoom!
Lloyd turned a deaf ear to whatever the police were bawling through their megaphones. He didn't have any reason to listen to them.
Obviously! What would happen if I listened to their shouts and stopped? They would throw us behind bars for vandalism and whatnot. We'd be investigated, and the Kiaora would be confiscated. Moreover, Javier and I don't have any paperwork on us like an ID card or a passport.
They fit the exact definition of an undocumented immigrant. As such, happily cooperating with the police with a smile on their face would only bring detrimental consequences to them.
"This way!"
Lloyd raced through the areas near the Namsan library and the statue of Korea's national hero, An Jung-geun. Lloyd took the lead, and Javier followed him, all the while carrying the Kiaora on their backs. Of course, the police were avidly chasing them from behind.
"Stop! Stop right there!"
The noise of the siren and megaphone boomed behind them, but it fell on Lloyd's deaf ears. He intentionally ran toward the Hoehyeon-dong district and dove into the twisted alleys in the residential area to lose the chasing police. The view of old residential homes and low-rise commercial buildings came into his eyes. Lloyd was familiar with this area.
"Follow me. Over here."
Since it was late at night, the back of the residential areas was relatively quiet. Avoiding the people's gazes and running along the dim streets, Lloyd and Javier ran through the maze-like alleys until they finally managed to lose the police. Once they were safe, the two decided to slow down and catch their breath as they walked.
After a while, Javier, who was looking at Lloyd walking ahead of him, called, "By the way, Master Lloyd."
"What is it?"
"Did you know all along?"
"Know what?"
"That we could lose the people pursuing us if we take this path."
Lloyd scoffed. "Did you not know?"
"Master Lloyd?" Javier stopped, not knowing what to say.
Lloyd stopped walking and swiveled. Giving Javier a reproachful look, Lloyd said, "Didn't you survey the nearby terrains when we were up in the mountain? When everything was out in the open?"
"That is-"
"Whew," sighed Lloyd half-jokingly and half-seriously. He added in a playful tone, "My Javier. You have a lot to learn. The first thing you must do when you're in a foreign land is to closely survey your surroundings. That way, you'll know which area is dangerous or safe. Otherwise, determine where to move in case something happens and which terrains could be used to your advantage in specific situations. Don't you think?"
Javier remained silent.
"That's why I scanned the area in advance," Lloyd said proudly.
"This street, Young Master?"
"Yeah. It looked perfect. The low-rise buildings were compacted together, and the alleys were almost like a labyrinth down here. So, I thought that this place would be a good hiding spot should we ever face a situation like now. And ultimately? It's as you can see." Lloyd shrugged and lifted his chin higher. "When you're in a foreign land such as this place, all you've got to do is just trust this hyung of yours and follow my lead. Okay?"
"I understand..."
"Eh?" Lloyd lifted his brow. "It's rare of you to accept my words so easily."
"Am I not allowed to?"
"No. You can't. It's strange. I have the chills right now."
“...”
"You. Who are you?" asked Lloyd in astonishment. "The Javier I know is far from being a docile, humble, or loyal fellow. He's even farther away from being someone who would just nod at my words without snapping back."
“...”
"You better tell me honestly. Where did you hide my dear Javier?"
"Haah... Seriously..." Javier broke into laughter. "Who else could possess such a dashing appearance but me? On another note, I have one more thing I am curious about."
"What is it?"
"What's a phone number?"
"What…?" A look of mild surprise came over Lloyd.
"While you went away for the restroom, a lady came up to me and asked me about it."
"And then?" Lloyd gulped.
"I was nervous, so I said nothing. I was scared that I might give us away."
"Yes, good job. I don't know what this phone number or whatever is, but it's best to play dumb during those kinds of situations."
"As I thought, that is the case."
"Yes, yes." Lloyd then resumed walking. Looking at the young master's back, Javier thought to himself…
Play dumb? Like what you're doing right now, Young Master?
Now, Javier was convinced. Even if Lloyd was pretending not to be, this place called Seoul was his hometown. The way he spotted the alleys and the direction of his steps told Javier the truth. It was equally so when Lloyd enlarged Ppodong.
"Hey, Ppodong. Over there. You'll find two large statues. We're going to run past them and straight in that direction. That's where our return point will be."
"Ppodong!"
Lloyd and Javier got on Ppodong's back with the Kiaora. Ppodong then dashed through the boulevard in the middle of the night, so openly and nonchalantly that the panic-stricken cars driving on the twelve lanes across the road honked their horns. The police cars that lost them were now chasing them again. But Ppodong was uncatchable, except for the security cameras and mobile cameras filming him. But Lloyd concluded that none of that mattered.
I don't plan to come back ever again anyway.
As such, it wouldn't be a problem for Ppodong to sprint in the middle of the twelve lanes. Even if the video went viral on the news and social media, it would be an event that happened in a world Lloyd had nothing to do with. Furthermore, not a single person would even recognize him.
So, there's no reason to remain here.
Lloyd encouraged Ppodong harder until they arrived at their return point in the Gwanghwamun intersection. Their arrival immediately spelled the dimension-shifting magic to react. A three-dimensional magic circle emerged, emitting brilliant light all around. The door of dimension opened, and the sight of his hometown, Seoul, started to grow hazy.
Meanwhile, Lloyd stared at the fading view of the city. He only had to say the word that would activate the magic circle. He thought he wouldn't miss anything about this place. He wouldn't get carried away by meaningless sentimentality. He would go back without any regrets. He repeated those thoughts over and over again.
Seoul was just a city he once lived in. The fading streetlamps, hubbub from the crowds, car lamps, flashy neon signs, and the musty air. His childhood neighborhood he had just passed through, in the poorer residential areas opposite the apartment complex where he once lived with his parents. The alleyways were filled with memories. All of it was nothing but a memory that would fade away in the hazy light.
So…
Lloyd bit his lip without realizing it. He whispered the magic word to himself as though bidding farewell to the nostalgic memories of his past.
"Home sweet home..."
