“Awakener Park Seungmin, you have worked hard. You may go ho now.”
Even after boarding the protocol vehicle returning to the Sunrise Guild, it took Park Seungmin quite so ti to regain his senses. Humiliated pride quickly flared into anger. The disappointed looks from Jung Siyoung and the Special Suppression Division mbers had cut him to the bone.
“Fuck, so what, unless you’re so high-tier Awakener you’re worth nothing?! What’s so great about being just another common dealer that you dare look down on like that...!”
It was a contradictory insult that applied to himself as well.
Cursing furiously, Park Seungmin chewed on his lips. To heal Jung Siyoung, he had scraped his purification power down to the bottom, leaving him unable to purify anyone else for the ti being. And yet, the only return for such effort was that kind of look.... Even though this was the first ti he had burned through his purification to the point of exhaustion! While fuming, a sudden unease crept into Park Seungmin’s heart.
‘...Why does it feel like my ability is getting weaker and weaker?’
That purification power, which had once swelled within him so abundantly, now refused to return even after proper rest. The more he used it, the more it dwindled, leaving him constantly anxious. Perhaps it was because of those vivid nightmares he had been having every night.
In those dreams, Park Seungmin lost almost all his purification power and could not recover. Then the whole world laughed at him, calling him a fraud....
“No. I am a high-tier Awakener. That dream is nonsense. Just a dream! Fuck!”
Shuddering, Park Seungmin shook his head so violently that his neatly styled hair ca undone. Over and over, he repeated to himself: If even he, a high-tier Awakener, recovered this slowly, then surely other purifiers must also struggle with purification. He comforted himself, insisting that purification ability had always been this ager.
* * *
Yohan, staring hard at the screen with all his focus, let out a regretful sigh.
“Ah! Lost again....”
On the screen, Yohan’s character lay sprawled out with (x_x) eyes. Joo Hoyoung, still on an unbroken winning streak, looked sympathetic.
“Want to play with just one finger next ti?”
“No!”
At the suggestion of facing only one finger, Yohan bristled. Joo Hoyoung was already playing with multiple handicaps: not using one hand, being distracted by onlookers, even getting tickled mid-match.... Determined to at least win against one hand next ti, Yohan stood up, but Seo Yakrin imdiately jumped in.
“Hey, play with too.”
“No getting mad if you lose.”
“Like hell I’d lose to just one hand!”
Brimming with confidence, Seo Yakrin was utterly demolished. Joo Hoyoung, who teased the youngest by nearly letting ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) him win for fun, showed no rcy against teammates. Seo Yakrin stared blankly at his defeated character. Yohan realized:
‘Even against one finger, I would’ve lost....’
Amused, Yoon Seungryong challenged him too—but this ti Joo Hoyoung outright toyed with him. Furious, Yoon Seungryong shouted:
“Rematch, rematch!”
The cheerful ga BGM filled the Taeyang Team’s private lounge with noise and laughter. Officially, Yohan was not a mber of Taeyang Team, but whenever he had free ti, he often joined them.
Even when Taeyang Team frequently ca to fetch Yohan, mbers of the Big Sheep team did not mind; after all, they had shared bonds in the Abyss. If anything, they thought it good for him to grow closer to Taeyang Team, even nudging him to visit more often. Each ti, Taeyang mbers offered snacks, warmly called out new recruits’ nas, chatted freely, and gave useful advice.
While four of them fooled around, the team leader, deputy leader, and the other two handled paperwork, phone calls, or typing. The three seed utterly unbothered, but Yohan, alone in his guilt, grew self-conscious. eting Yohan’s eyes, Lee Hyunmook gave him a smile, then turned to Lee Chanha.
“I figured the Rift Managent Agency would ask for our help soon.”
“They just don’t want to bow their heads to us. By now Captain Jung Siyoung must be reaching her limit, right? Honestly, I worry how long she can hold out with such little purification.”
Jung Siyoung.... The na rang painfully familiar to Yohan. He recalled the Special Suppression Division’s captain, her left arm severely contaminated. His whole body itched with the urge to heal her as soon as possible.
‘Still, they said the construction is nearly finished.’
The facility under construction—the Treatnt Ward for Severe Contamination Victims—was the reason Yohan still kept his status as purifier hidden. Once the ward was completed and they officially handed over severe contamination cases for treatnt, the governnt would have fewer excuses to bind him with obligations as a high-tier purifier. He was waiting for that day.
“Mm, we should get going.”
Finishing his report with practiced efficiency, Lee Chanha glanced at the clock. There was a reason Yohan had co early to the Taeyang Team’s lounge today: there was an event that afternoon.
“What a hassle. Do we really need to attend this thing?”
“The event was practically made for us. If we don’t go, it’ll cause more trouble.”
Yoon Seungryong grumbled with obvious reluctance, and Lee Chanha retorted. The event, organized by the Rift Managent Agency, was nad—of all things—“Abyss Survivors’ Return Commoration Ceremony.” Naturally, this ant Yohan was also invited.
“Yohan, if you feel uncomfortable attending, should I use hallucination for you?”
Lee Chanha asked in a formally polite tone. Ever since their escape from the Abyss—or more precisely, ever since Yohan had purified him—Lee Chanha had been excessively respectful, almost to the point of burden. As a result, Yohan also answered him with unusual courtesy.
“No, it’s fine! My identity is already more or less public.”
After Park Seungmin’s “parachute” remarks, Yohan’s na and face had spread everywhere through the press. On Joo Hoyoung’s advice, he tried to ignore it, but the flood of interview requests and ssages from old acquaintances had been so overwhelming he eventually had to change phones.
“Well, it would be strange to leave only Yohan behind anyway.”
Seo Yakrin nodded seriously. Even after returning to relatively safe Earth, they remained constantly by Yohan’s side—not just for his purification, but out of concern for his safety. Overprotective, perhaps, but not without reason; Yohan accepted it.
Since public opinion about Taeyang Guild after their return was already noisy each day, it was safer to attend than risk unnecessary trouble. Still, Yohan refused the governnt’s offer of a protocol vehicle, convinced it would carry surveillance devices.
“Why would they bug the car?”
On the way to the venue, Yohan asked in confusion. What use would eavesdropping on casual team chatter be?
“They probably suspect we’re hiding sothing about the Abyss. But even if not, they’d still do it. Worldwide, Awakeners of mid-tier and above—especially high-tier—are routinely monitored by governnts. They say it’s because we pose a threat to national security.”
Joo Hoyoung’s explanation made sense to Yohan. They did have much to hide about the Abyss, and wariness toward the powerful was understandable. Still, being spied upon left a sour feeling.
The venue was a hotel about an hour’s drive from Taeyang Guild headquarters. At the entrance, journalists sward, snapping away at the black-tinted car despite not being able to see inside. After a barrage of flashes, the vehicle stopped in front of the hotel’s annex.
Stepping out, they found themselves among a sea of suited figures. Yohan glanced down at his own outfit. The Taeyang Guild had chosen to wear their guild uniforms together. Relieved—since he would have felt awkward in a formal suit—Yohan felt at ease.
Being a governnt event, there were many foreign correspondents as well. The world’s first Abyss survivors were of global interest. Guided by hotel staff, they moved toward the annex. In the spacious courtyard stood a stage and rows upon rows of chairs, above which a massive banner fluttered.
[Rift Managent Agency – Abyss Survivors’ Return Commoration Ceremony]
“They’ve made our escape out to be their own achievent.”
Joo Hoyoung muttered flatly, pulling out his ga console. His indifference to such events was obvious. anwhile, Seo Yakrin’s expression hardened as he scanned the crowd.
“They’re here too.”
His gaze fell on Go Jaewon, Park Seungmin, and several other Awakeners. This was the new Sunrise Team, founded two and a half years ago. Even after the original mbers—including Lee Hyunmook—had returned, they stubbornly continued using the Sunrise Team na.
“Oh, you’ve all arrived! Co, co.”
Kim Jongseok, the Rift Managent Agency’s commissioner, hurried forward with a welcoming smile. But beneath that smile lurked a probing gaze. As Lee Hyunmook stepped forward to shake his hand on behalf of the group, reporters’ flashes exploded all around them.
User Comments
0 comments from readers