Why sheep, really? The next day, sitting on his hospital bed and scrolling through online reactions, Yohan had the same thought. He didn’t stop at thinking, though—he asked in the group chat.
Why is the guild name Sun?
It’s not the sheep I’m thinking of, right?
Yoon Seungryong
lolololololololol
Joo Hoyoung
lolololololololol
Seo Yakrin
Because our youngest is cute hehe
Joo Hoyoung
Because the sun shines brightly?
Yoon Seungryong
The mascot should be cute
Seo Yakrin
Did our youngest eat lunch yet?
Yoon Seungryong
Yohan, just heat up what’s in the fridge for 3 minutes in the microwave
None of them gave him a proper answer, just laughing and deflecting, clearly all in on it together. Even Lee Chanha, who had been silent for a while, sent a cute sheep emoji from somewhere. And finally, Lee Hyunmook’s message arrived.
Lee Hyunmook
Yangyang
Yohan clenched his fist but still took a screenshot of the chat and saved it fondly. Just a year ago, he could never have imagined chatting with these people. In truth, he liked being called Yangyang, even if it embarrassed him, and though he tried to hide it, he was secretly—actually, very—proud of being the symbolic figure of the new guild.
He was rereading the warm, bustling chat when [N O V E L I G H T] a knock sounded. Knock, knock. The door slid open, and in walked a face Yohan hadn’t forgotten even in his dreams.
“Yang Yohan...?”
Carrying a fruit basket, Park Seungmin entered the room with a worried expression. Yohan stared at him coldly for a moment, then quickly adjusted his face, greeting him as if he were an old friend he was happy to see after a year.
“Park Seungmin! Wow, it’s really good to see you again! I’m being discharged soon anyway, so what’s the point of a hospital visit?”
Only after seeing that reaction did Park Seungmin stride in, feigning nonchalance, and gave Yohan’s shoulder a light smack.
“Hey, you... You should’ve contacted me as soon as you got back!”
“Sorry. The Rift Management Agency wouldn’t let me contact anyone. I only got to speak to my parents yesterday. But what’s with the fruit?”
Still watching Yohan’s face closely, Park Seungmin awkwardly set down the heavy basket.
“Well, I had to bring something if I was visiting.”
Then, studying Yohan’s clueless expression, he asked carefully.
“You... really don’t remember anything?”
“Oh. You heard from my parents?”
Yohan, digging into the basket, muttered casually as he searched for a mango he’d been craving.
“I guess I must’ve hit my head. When I woke up, I was in the Abyss. I remember joining an Awakening Party and entering, but after that, nothing. Even after living there for a year, nothing came back. Guess those memories are gone for good.”
“Really...? So you truly don’t remember.”
Relief flickered across Park Seungmin’s face. He quickly hid it, but Yohan saw it clearly.
“What does it matter? The important thing is I made it back safely.”
“True. And thanks to that, I Awakened.”
That was news to Park Seungmin, who whipped his head around. He tried to look pleased, but Yohan could see that his Awakening was anything but welcome to him. The man’s mean streak was obvious now.
“You Awakened?”
“Nothing big. Just physical strength enhancement. I’m just a low-tier, so at best it’ll be pocket money.”
“Pocket money...”
Park Seungmin murmured blankly. Yohan had said it just to dig at him, but in these hard times, even low-tier Awakeners earned more than “pocket money.” Safer rifts existed, and even outside of exploration, demand for bodyguards and security was high. Yohan pressed further.
“Anyway, I don’t even need the money. My family’s rich enough. Oh! And don’t tell anyone, but I just joined the Sun Guild.”
“The S-Sun Guild? You... how?”
Trying to stay calm, Park Seungmin’s eyes went wide. Since his Awakening, Yohan’s senses had sharpened—he could see the man grinding his teeth and even hear it.
“Guess I was lucky. I met Hyunmook hyung in the Abyss. After escaping, he and the others told me to stick with them. My salary’s insane—basically I’m getting paid to do nothing. My life’s set now.”
As Yohan flaunted his success, Park Seungmin’s mouth twitched until he couldn’t hold back anymore.
“You... seem different. Your personality, I mean.”
“Do I? Maybe it’s from hitting my head. Or maybe coming back from the Abyss changed me. That place was hell. If it meant escaping, I would’ve done anything.”
Yohan’s face hardened, then he smirked as if nothing happened. Park Seungmin, unsettled, looked away. Still, shameless as ever, he settled into the visitor’s chair. Clearly, he wasn’t done.
“What did the doctors say? Think your memory will come back?”
“They said most people never recover. And honestly, maybe it’s better if I don’t.”
“Yeah... I think so too.”
Park Seungmin, showing not an ounce of shame, shrugged and added,
“You know, we got separated because you insisted on looking for medicine. You went into the pharmacy alone and got ambushed.”
“Yeah. My parents told me that. But I don’t get it. My dad could’ve gotten me any medicine I needed—why would I risk it all for some drugs?”
Baffled, Yohan tossed the mango back into the basket and asked,
“Do you know why I’d do that?”
“Well... maybe you were upset about being scolded, acting out. Who knows? You don’t remember, so I guess no one ever will.”
Evasive. Then finally, Park Seungmin revealed his real reason for coming.
“So... are you close with the Sunrise team?”
This bastard. How could someone be so brazen?
Yohan stared at him, simmering with contempt. After all, it was Park Seungmin who had coaxed him into joining an Awakening Party, promising safety and “connections.”
He had seen Seungmin’s selfishness before but dismissed it as personality quirks. After all, he treated Yohan well and got along decently with others. Yohan had chosen to trust only what he saw firsthand—until that trust ended with betrayal in the Abyss.
Now he understood. Park Seungmin had kept him close as a useful connection, while secretly envying him. Betrayal made it all clear: this “friend” was nothing but inferiority, jealousy, and petty spite. Yohan answered slowly, deliberately.
“It’s not Sunrise anymore. It’s Sun.”
“Yeah, Sun Guild. So, are you close with them?”
Agitated, Park Seungmin pressed.
“If I wasn’t, would I be in the Sun Guild?”
“So... does that mean you can use that Eternal Stone to treat contamination? Maybe even for friends?”
As expected, that was the real question. Yohan, already itching to throw this despicable traitor out, replied flatly,
“No idea. I’d have to ask. But I don’t have anyone contaminated around me, so why bother?”
“Well, the thing is... ever since I went to that Awakening Party in the rift, I think I got contaminated.”
“You’re not contaminated.”
Yohan’s gaze fixed on him. As a Purifier, he could sense contamination levels—and Seungmin barely had any, no more than what nearly everyone carried.
“I mean, not physically. Mentally. Like, nothing goes right, I get angry all the time, and I just keep drinking...”
“So what? You’ve always been like that. From what I see, you’re not contaminated.”
“...What kind of friend says that instead of worrying?”
Park Seungmin’s face hardened. He had never seen Yohan jab at him like this before. Uneasy now, he asked sternly,
“You... really don’t remember anything?”
“Maybe hitting my head changed my personality. Or maybe some contamination lingers and affects me. But why do you keep bringing up memories that aren’t there? Is there something I absolutely should remember?”
Yohan smiled brightly as he asked, making Park Seungmin flinch.
