* * *
The next day, after sleeping soundly, Yohan woke up with a slightly swollen face and thought to himself.
‘Wow, that was really amazing.’
He had always believed his sex drive was about average for someone in their twenties, but yesterday he felt like he had pushed himself past his limits. Maybe it was because he had practically been celibate for a whole year, or maybe it was because it was the first proper night he had ever spent with a lover—or maybe it was both. Either way, it was so, very, unbelievably good....
Feeling a bit stifled, he glanced to the side and saw Lee Hyunmook sleeping deeply, having wrapped Yohan tightly in the blanket and pulled him into his arms. It was a sight he hadn’t seen in what felt like forever.
Since escaping the Abyss, Yohan knew that the contamination in Hyunmook and the other team members had stopped rising. At the same time, he also knew that the traces of contamination that could never be erased had left deep scars within them. Because of that, he quietly let out a faint glow. Watching Hyunmook’s expression soften and relax even more, he lazed around for a long while on the soft, clean bed.
While purifying his partner, Yohan unknowingly drifted back to sleep. He woke up again to the smell of something delicious. The bed was empty, leaving him still rolled up tightly in the blanket. His stomach growled so loudly that he crawled out of the covers and sluggishly headed toward the kitchen.
“You’re up? You must be hungry.”
Hyunmook was busy cooking something. The smell of Korean food made Yohan’s mouth water, and he obediently sat at the table to wait. Soon, bubbling doenjang jjigae, freshly made kimchi, seaweed, fried eggs, stir-fried dried squid, stir-fried anchovies, and even freshly steamed rice were all laid out. His mouth filled with saliva at the sight.
“Did you make all this by yourself?”
“Actually, I’m not that good at cooking.... Seungryong brought most of it over. All I did was fry the eggs. It’s kind of embarrassing.”
Hyunmook smiled sheepishly. At that, Yohan remembered that his cooking skills were about the same as Hyunmook’s. Still, he was grateful for the effort, so he quickly scooped up a spoonful of fluffy rice with a bite of egg dipped in ketchup. After chewing and swallowing enthusiastically, he praised him.
“This is really delicious!”
“I’m glad the fried eggs taste good, at least.”
Honestly, the food Yoon Seungryong had made looked tastier, but for his lover’s sake, Yohan could easily manage a little white lie like that.
After finishing their breakfast, they had coffee on the terrace. The bright sun in the clear blue sky never got tiring to look at. Even the strong wind blowing at such a high floor was a welcome feeling. The faint smell of exhaust was nothing compared to the vile stench of the Abyss. They even waved down to the Special Suppression Division agents who were staring up at them from the mansion entrance.
The two of them spent ages just watching the sun, then had lunch in the living room while watching a movie. Salty popcorn and cola made a perfect pair. In the evening, they ordered loads of delivery food with the others, and late at night Yohan tumbled around in bed with Hyunmook. They spent several indulgent, restful days like that, until one morning Yohan woke up and immediately looked at his phone.
Hyunmook quietly hugged him from behind and planted ticklish kisses on his ear and cheek. Yohan stared endlessly at the family photo and murmured.
“At last, I can go see my family.”
Caressing the faces in the photo, Yohan muttered again. His nose was already stinging as he sniffled lightly. Today was the last day of the government’s embargo. In other words, it meant he could finally go see his family. For once, his tears stopped quickly. This time it was because of the burning rage and desire for revenge that boiled up inside him. Turning off the phone, Yohan spoke in a determined voice.
“And Park Seungmin, too.”
* * *
Not long ago, ever since their son Yang Yohan had gone missing in a rift, Kim Yeju and Yang Hwapyeong had not managed a single proper night’s sleep.
Their second son had always been a source of worry. Compared to the eldest, he was always slower in everything he did, needed more attention, and never quite reached the standard. From childhood, he was often sick, and because he was so soft-hearted, they constantly feared that someone might take advantage of him in such a harsh world. They worried endlessly—would he even be able to earn a decent living? When they offered him a position at the company, he even refused, saying he didn’t want to just follow in his brother’s shadow. In this desperate world, harsher than ever since the rifts had begun, he had the nerve to say such spoiled things. When they scolded him for it, he stormed out.
For days he didn’t come home and refused to answer calls, leaving the couple sighing helplessly. They were waiting to scold him until he cried when he came back, when suddenly his old high school friend Park Seungmin arrived in tears, looking a wreck. With a trembling voice, he gave them terrible news that turned both their faces pale.
‘H-hic, Auntie, Uncle... what should we do... Y-Yohan... he hired an Awakening Party to try Awakening....’
‘What? Awakening? He hired an Awakening Party?’
‘But he got separated from the others and—hic—he went missing...!’
It was like being struck by lightning. And then came the words that made everything collapse. Their second son had spent all his money to hire mercenaries so he could go into a rift, saying he wanted to Awaken like his brother. And in the middle of it, he supposedly went into a pharmacy alone to find medicine, only to be attacked by monsters and separated from the group.
‘Y-Yohan, our Yohan went missing inside a rift....’
Before he could even finish the sentence, Yang Hwapyeong fainted, and Kim Yeju screamed. When he finally regained consciousness, both of them were in total panic. Park Seungmin consoled them gently.
‘If you could give me some money, I know some people who could be hired to search right away. The sooner the search begins, the higher the chance of finding him alive. You understand, right? It has to start immediately!’
Without a second thought, Yang Hwapyeong rushed to withdraw cash and handed it over to Park Seungmin. But even after a week, then two weeks, there was still no news of Yohan being found. In the meantime, Seungmin asked for more money, and they ended up giving him a total of 500 million won, not counting ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) the additional expenses they paid to hire others for the search. It was a huge financial burden, but if it meant finding their second son, nothing else mattered.
They hired other mercenaries as well to form more search teams.
If only they hadn’t scolded him that day. If only they had talked to him kindly instead. They regretted it tens, hundreds of times, to the point they couldn’t even focus on work. They clung to the faint hope that maybe their son was still alive somewhere in the rift, but when experts said it was more likely he was dead, they wept and tore at their hearts in grief. Misfortune piled on top of misfortune until they were left bedridden, unable to do anything.
In such a half-crazed state, it was natural that they didn’t even pay attention to the news of Lee Hyunmook’s return from the Abyss. All they could do was pray desperately every day that Yohan might be found and return home—even maimed, as long as he was alive.
Neither of them ate properly. People missing in rifts weren’t always found dead, but as time passed, the chances of survival plummeted. Four weeks later, when mercenaries advised them to give up and accept reality, the couple sank deeper into despair. And then one day, they received a call.
-Is this Kim Yeju?
“Yes, this is Kim Yeju, but who are you...?”
-This is Hyunsan Hospital. Yang Yohan is currently admitted here. Are you and Yang Hwapyeong listed as his guardians?
Answering weakly, Kim Yeju’s eyes suddenly flew wide. Her whole body bristled as strength flooded back into her. In a hoarse, desperate voice, she cried out.
“Y-Yohan? Yang Yohan, right?! Our Yohan is there?! Is he alive? How badly is he hurt?”
At the sound, Yang Hwapyeong, who had been lying in bed in despair and hadn’t even been going to work, shot upright. He rushed to his wife’s side, panting.
“W-what about Yohan? What’s going on?”
“Honey, Yohan is alive! He’s in the hospital right now...!”
The rest was a blur. They threw on coats in a rush and drove straight to Hyunsan Hospital. Only when they arrived at the ward where their second son was admitted did they finally catch their breath.
With trembling hands, they opened the door. There stood their son, by the window, bathed in sunlight. For some reason, a faint, almost holy aura seemed to shimmer behind him. Feeling their presence, Yohan turned to face them. The moment Yang Hwapyeong saw his son’s face, he collapsed onto the spot in overwhelming relief.
