Chapter 53
As soon as it was time to board, the crowd surged in like they’d been waiting for it.
But because first class had its own boarding line, our family could board the plane before anyone else.
Murmur-murmur~
We could feel the envious stares of the economy passengers behind our family.
'The thrill of going in ahead of everyone else while others are still lining up... once you learn that as a kid, it really does spoil you!'
"This way, please."
The moment we boarded the plane and stepped into the first class I'd only heard rumors about.
"Wow...!"
Mom, Dad, and I all shouted at the same time.
A peaceful hush.
Private space shielded by partitions.
A menu of luxurious in-flight meals to choose from.
And plush seats and blankets soft enough to stretch out and lie down on.
"Whoa, this is huge. Even the finish looks different."
We plopped down in our seats, stretched our legs out, and grinned with excitement.
But then.
Arin looked around the cabin once and said,
"Hmm... is that all?"
"What...?"
"What did you say...?"
Ziiii-.
Mom, Dad, and I all stared at Arin.
"Arin. What do you mean by that?"
Arin tilted her head and said,
"It doesn't really seem all that insanely luxurious? The seats are comfy though. Oh, there's a TV in front too. But why are the windows so round?"
Thwack-!
I slapped my forehead with a pitiful look.
'Someday, when I have to spend twelve hours crammed into economy, I'll be like... Ah! The first-class service I rode in back then was seriously insane...!'
Arin doesn't seem to understand how incredible it is to get enough space per person to stretch out and lie down.
She'd never flown before, so with nothing to compare it to, it's only natural she wouldn't know.
This is why people need to be grateful for the hand they're dealt.
No, wait.
Time to inject Arin with some positive mindset, round two...!
Squeeze-.
I gently pressed Arin's cheeks.
Mmmph...
"Arin. If you ride this thing, you'll fly high through the sky, you know? Above the clouds, even. If that's not magic, what is it? Come on, repeat after me. Good~ Good~"
"Mmmf... mmmf..."
Pfft!
"Wow, wow... the round window is so interesting? It really is nice..."
"That's right. You get it now, little sis."
Nod nod-.
I crossed my arms and nodded in satisfaction.
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And then.
Takeoff began.
Vroooom-.
Rrrrrrrr-.
The plane's jet engines roared as if they were about to burst, and it kicked off the runway with about 50,000 horsepower worth of thrust.
The plane pitched sharply upward and climbed.
At the same time, acceleration yanked our bodies backward.
"Hiiyaaa!"
A cry escaped me before I knew it.
The difference in air pressure was hammering my eardrums.
It felt like my ears were being torn apart.
On top of that, the plane shook all over, making my head swim and my stomach churn.
Looking out the window only made it worse.
I glanced to the side.
Arin was leaning against her seat with a pale face.
She had her eyes squeezed shut.
"Uuuh... this is... a plane?"
Arin said in a weak voice.
"It's so different from floating around on clouds like I imagined..."
"Arin, but... that comes later..."
I replied weakly too.
There was no helping it.
Pressure changes, vibration, noise... children's bodies react to planes much more sensitively than adults'.
Mom and Dad, still clinging close to us during takeoff, moved as if they'd expected it.
Mom took out a damp towel and laid it on our foreheads.
The cool, refreshing chill made me feel a little better.
Dad quickly shoved earplugs into our ears.
Then he stuck a straw into a plastic bottle of barley tea and pressed it to our mouths.
"Our daughters. Sip it little by little. You have to swallow so your ears will go pop!"
Following Dad's instructions, we desperately gulped down the barley tea.
After a few swallows, with a pop, it felt like the pressure crushing our eardrums was slowly slipping away.
Our grimaces loosened a little.
Still, we were pale.
Even though the pressure difference was fixed, the motion sickness hadn't been solved.
Then.
Mom hugged me tightly, and Dad hugged Arin tightly.
"Don't look out the window. Focus on Mom's heartbeat. Close your eyes and breathe deeply."
"Sweetheart, take deep breaths. If you sleep for a bit now, you'll be fine when you wake up."
Huu— haa— huu— haa—.
Even in the middle of that awful dizziness, we could doze off in our parents' warm embrace.
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And while we were sleeping.
The plane reached a cruising altitude of 40,000 feet.
It then leveled out almost completely and began a smooth cruise.
An hour later, we opened our eyes again.
Once the altitude stabilized, the motion sickness stopped too, and we were lively again in no time.
"Yu A-yeon is fully revived!"
"Yu Arin is fully revived too!"
Humans really are creatures of adaptation!
Before long, the seatbelt sign had gone off, and the flight attendants were walking around serving everyone.
We poked our faces out of the round window.
Fluffy-fluffy~
White, soft clouds were spread everywhere.
"Heehee-. So pretty..."
"If we could make cotton candy out of that, it'd be delicious!"
The two sisters grinned at the clouds.
A little while later.
A pretty flight attendant came over.
"I'll prepare your meal."
What came out as the in-flight meal was a Korean course menu.
It started with appetizers, then soup, the main course, dessert, and tea.
As each dish came out, Arin kept going, "Ohhh," in admiration.
"First clas... might actually be really good?"
"See, I told you, Arin. It's super good."
Munch munch-.
Sweet, soft porridge. Savory, fragrant meat. Sweet-tart cake and fruit.
"Huaaah... delicious-."
We savored the full Korean in-flight course meal.
Come to think of it, wasn't this my first course meal ever?
To think we'd get to taste such a carefully prepared course meal on a plane.
I almost teared up with emotion.
It's always a shame when a super delicious meal comes to an end.
I patted my full belly with satisfaction.
"Huaaah-. Yu A-yeon's belly is all puffed up."
"Yu Arin's belly is all puffed up too."
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Once the meal was over, the question became how to spend the time.
I wanted to chatter like usual, but this was a public place.
We decided to keep quiet and play so we wouldn't bother the other passengers.
I briefly thought about pulling out a chess board.
"Uuuh... I guess I really can't do anything brainy..."
As expected, on the plane, with that constant buzzing vibration, we weren't going to do anything that would give us a headache.
Maybe sensing what I was thinking.
Dad grinned and pulled out a deck of cards.
"How about we play Catch the Thief?"
"Yeah! Sounds fun!"
We enthusiastically played Catch the Thief and shouted, "One Card!"
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And about thirteen hours later.
At last, we were able to set foot on the ground in Paris.
"Uuughh-! Huaaah-!"
I stretched out and inhaled the fresh air.
My joints crackled.
Still, because it was first class and we hadn't been crammed in like sardines, I felt like I recovered faster.
I never knew I'd be so grateful for solid ground that doesn't shake. I should be grateful to the ground every day. Ground, thanks for not shaking.
At this rate, I might get so grateful to the ground that someday I'll scoop up dirt and awaken as a dirt mage.
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We arrived at the hotel reserved by the Clay Mathematics Institute.
After checking in and opening the room door.
"Wow!"
The four of us shouted at the same time.
This time, Arin didn't go, "Hmm, that's all?"
First of all, the room was huge.
The afternoon cityscape of Paris spread out outside the window.
The bed was what stood out most.
And the bed was huge.
A bed big enough for Mom, Dad, me, and Arin to all lie down on.
And the blanket looked so white and soft...
Arin and I made eye contact.
No more words were needed.
Da-da-da-da-!
We ran at the same time and dove forward!
Plush~
The fluffy bed caught us safely.
"Heheh."
"Heheh."
We climbed onto the bed with a little effort.
It was hard to keep our balance, but we put our semicircular canals to work and managed just fine.
Boing-.
Boing-boing-.
The bed springs bounced me, 19 kg, and Arin, 15 kg, high into the air.
While the two of us were happily jumping on the bed.
Dad, who was setting down the suitcases, quietly picked something up.
"Look here!"
Then he tossed a pillow!
Poof.
A soft, fluffy impact covered my face.
"Dad! You wanna go, huh!"
I picked up a pillow too. Arin joined me as well.
"Hahaha! Bring it on, my daughters!"
Dad grinned and picked up his pillow again, taking a fighting stance.
And the pillow fight began.
"Posture matters more than strength!"
Dad lifted the pillow and pulled off a MyQ move.
Pow! Pow! Pow!
Sure enough, he had the fierce look of 'Iron-Blooded Yujinhu,' the Silver 3 gatekeeper from fourteen years ago.
"Mom, let me join too!"
Since it looked fun, Mom also picked up a pillow and joined the fray.
Pow! Pow! Pow!
Dududududoo-!
"Take this! Body slam!"
Arin charged at Dad, holding a small pillow in both hands.
It was a charge almost as fierce as a goblin suicide bomber's.
Thwack!
"Oops!"
Dad pretended to stagger after taking Arin's attack.
Mom blocked my pillow and counterattacked.
Pow-pow-pow!
The room was filled with laughter.
We didn't care about jet lag or anything like that.
We just enjoyed the moment.
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About thirty minutes passed.
I flopped onto the bed.
"Haaah..."
I was out of breath.
Arin collapsed beside me too.
"Haa..."
After a flight that lasted more than twelve hours, plus a pillow fight.
Our stamina had completely hit rock bottom.
It felt like nursing a 15 percent battery until it finally hit 1 percent.
Sliiide...
My eyes closed on their own.
Then.
I could feel Mom and Dad lift our bodies, straighten us out, and cover us with blankets.
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And finally!
It was the day of the ceremony!