The pilot never gave his name, but his ability to land at night made it clear—he was a seasoned veteran.

    He flew at dangerously low altitudes, likely wary of anti-aircraft fire. Then, without warning, he executed a sharp turn so steep that the aircraft tilted nearly 90 degrees.

    "We’ll be taking the route over the sea."

    As the plane slowly climbed, the vast ocean, tinged with a murky yellow hue, came into view.

    I stared at the water from above the clouds, my mind drifting, until something caught my eye.

    "What is that?"

    Even from this high up, I could see massive, distinct trails.

    They weren’t exactly ship wakes, but something enormous was moving in the water, large enough to resemble vessels.

    I flipped through the mental archives of my long-forgotten animal encyclopedias.

    "Whales?"

    "That bad?"

    "Yeah. They were already smart, but now they’re bigger, stronger, and they move in packs. You can’t escape. The Busan supply ships have already lost two vessels to them. Even the navy has trouble. These bastards are clever—they recognize the sound of propellers and can tell which ships are a threat. If the ship is too dangerous, they flee. If it’s weak, they ram it until it sinks."

    "...That’s horrifying."

    The pilot chuckled.

    "The ocean belonged to the whales before humans arrived. They’re just taking back their old home."

    I stared at the eerie, shifting patterns in the water for a long time.

    The propeller plane was sluggish, its magic power unimpressive. Compared to the domestic flights I used to take from Gimpo Airport, this journey was dragging on.

    Two and a half hours had passed since we left the West Sea and continued over the South Sea.

    And then—land appeared on the horizon once more.

    For a moment, I forgot I was strapped into my seat and nearly stood up.

    Jeju.@@@@

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