* * *
“Ah, so you were keeping watch because the movements of the suppression unit seemed suspicious.”
Hearing that, the family, who had been both glad and puzzled at Hyunmook’s sudden appearance, nodded in understanding. Especially Yang Hwapyeong, whose distrust of the suppression /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ unit had only deepened after this incident, nodded vigorously. Yohan, meanwhile, felt awkward—gnawing loudly at the apple Hyunmook had already peeled for him. Yosep, who hadn’t even looked at the fruit, gazed at Hyunmook with eyes full of admiration and respectfully asked.
“Excuse me, but would it be rude if I asked for a handshake?”
“Of course not. Anytime.”
“It’s an honor, Senior Lee Hyunmook. Please, don’t bother with formal speech! I’m younger.”
Yosep’s giddy grin after shaking hands made Yohan bristle with annoyance for no reason. But since both Yang Hwapyeong and Kim Yeju were beaming happily, he bit his tongue and just kept eating fruit. Then, in a gentle and reassuring voice, Hyunmook spoke to the parents, who were anxious about their son moving out to live at the guild headquarters.
“I’ll be living with Yohan and taking good care of him, so please don’t worry. At the Sun Guild, Yohan is our most important asset. We’ll always look after him and give him top priority.”
Ack! Yohan screamed inwardly. He hadn’t expected Hyunmook to announce their cohabitation so blatantly. He even choked on his food, coughing hard until Hyunmook patted his back firmly but gently. Kim Yeju looked on warmly.
“My goodness, if Mr. Lee Hyunmook is living with our Yohan and looking after him, then we truly have nothing to worry about.”
Relieved, Yang Hwapyeong also smiled broadly. Their fondness for Hyunmook, already high, now soared skyward. He was invited to stay for dinner, and a feast far more splendid than breakfast was set out.
After a hearty meal, Hyunmook, under the pretext of needing to discuss guild matters, asked to see Yohan’s room.
“It’s kind of messy. I haven’t had time to clean....”
The room wasn’t dirty, but it was cluttered. Embarrassed, Yohan hurriedly tossed the pile of clothes off the chair and into the laundry basket. Hyunmook, however, didn’t mind at all. On the contrary, his eyes, full of affection, wandered slowly around the room, making Yohan’s face burn red.
“How long have you lived in this house?”
“Since elementary school. Before that, when my parents were busy, my brother and I stayed with our grandfather. I don’t really remember it well.”
It still felt surreal to have Hyunmook inside his room. Awkward, Yohan busied himself pretending to straighten things up, until suddenly, as if gathering courage, he sat right next to Hyunmook, close enough their hips touched. But then he froze, doing nothing more. Hyunmook chuckled and pulled him into his arms.
“Are you going to sleep here tonight?”
The sparkle in Yohan’s eyes left no doubt about his intention. Hyunmook’s eyes softened as he answered.
“Of course not. I’ll be leaving soon.”
Though disappointed, Yohan restrained himself. In just a week they would be living together anyway. Instead, he glanced around at the sounds outside, then stole a kiss. And another. And another. Hiding from his family’s eyes, he kissed Hyunmook several times before finally leaning comfortably into his lover’s embrace. Stroking Yohan’s ear, Hyunmook asked.
“Didn’t it feel like a waste, giving purification powers to someone like Park Seungmin?”
Indeed, Hyunmook must have seen Park Seungmin swaggering to their house with suppression agents in tow not long ago. Yohan nodded in agreement.
“It really was a waste. And he’s not even that talented. But then I thought—if he awakened with another ability, it would only hurt people. At least if he’s a purifier, it benefits humanity a little. Imagine if he’d become a dealer or a tanker—how much would he torment everyone around him?”
Already, Yohan was anticipating the day of revenge. He longed to see Park Seungmin float high into the sky only to be smashed miserably into the ground. Even if his own revenge failed, he knew Hyunmook and the others would help. So he endured, waiting for the fruit of vengeance to ripen sweeter still.
Thinking of revenge also brought another man to mind—Go Jaewon. Since the other Sunrise members had returned, he had been at the center of scandal and blame. Shutting himself away in the Sunrise Guild, he spouted nonsense about how the others must have grown closer in the Abyss, since they had excluded him and founded a new guild.
“Can I ask something? What are you planning to do about that man, Go Jaewon?”
“For now, we’ve given Chanha full authority. No one among us hates him more than Chanha.”
“Ah, Chanha hyung.... Makes sense.”
Yohan remembered how Chanha had looked the most horrifying of them all. The others despised Go Jaewon, but none had eyes as cold and murderous as his. After all, it was Go Jaewon’s deceit that had sent them all into the Abyss. And not only that—his madness had made him torment them with his compulsions, throwing comrades again and again into the Bumram.
Yohan looked forward eagerly to the day when vengeance against both Go Jaewon and Park Seungmin would be complete. He talked with Hyunmook of this and that until at last, though Yohan begged him to stay the night, Hyunmook gently soothed him and slipped away.
The next day, when Yohan strolled outside under the pretense of taking a walk, he found no trace of him—not even a single hair. He sighed in disappointment.
Respecting Hyunmook’s will, Yohan made the most of his time at home. To his surprise, his parents did not once compare him to Yosep during that week. Because of that, he spent the days peacefully and happily.
And then, after a good rest, the news came: the Sun Guild headquarters was finally complete. Yohan hurried to pack. Even though he only gathered clothes, the luggage piled high.
His parents, busy with their backlog of company work, managed only to escort him to the gate. Yosep would drive him the rest of the way to the Sun Guild. As she carefully packed his bags, Kim Yeju’s eyes brimmed with tears.
“Always be careful, all right? Stick close to Mr. Lee Hyunmook, no matter what. Promise me.”
Pacing around the car, reluctant to see his son leave, Yang Hwapyeong added.
“Yes, always cautious, always careful. Your health comes first.”
“Of course. I’ll always be careful.”
With his parents’ farewells, Yohan climbed into the car. Watching them shrink into the distance through the window, his throat tightened and he sniffled. Yosep clicked his tongue.
“Crying again.”
“What! Why!”
“Go ahead, cry, cry. Crybaby.”
His tone was more teasing than critical, so Yohan only shot him a brief glare and let it pass. Still, the fact Yosep was supporting him, even giving him a ride, suggested the purification’s effects would last a good while.
Their home was in Daejeon, while the Sun Guild headquarters lay on the outskirts of southern Seoul. The trip would take time.
After the Great Rift in Seoul, many had moved out of the city. But considering infrastructure, no one could go too far. Most settled in the suburbs—close enough yet far enough. That was why the Sun Guild had also settled there.
It was a societal headache. A high population density increased the likelihood of rifts, but sparsely populated rural areas were too dangerous when monsters appeared. Yohan was lucky, blessed with parents who provided him comfort and safety, but countless others lived in fear and hardship.
If we just purify the rifts, monsters will appear far less. If we chase the Great Rift and starve the Abyss, someday it will close.
As Yohan entertained such hopeful thoughts, traffic thickened. Car horns blared, then suddenly sirens wailed. The alarm everyone heard at least once every few months. Monsters had appeared nearby. Both Yosep and Yohan tensed, tuning the radio to the regional emergency broadcast.
—Five presumed level-3 monsters sighted near Anseong IC. Citizens are advised to evacuate immediately to Anseong Rest Area. Repeat, five presumed level-3 monsters near Anseong IC. All citizens, evacuate to Anseong Rest Area at once.
Screams and shouts erupted everywhere. With traffic locked, people abandoned cars and fled toward the rest stop, faces pale with terror. Yosep glanced at his brother, weighing his options.
“Five level-3s... Stay here. I’ll handle it.”
“No, I’m coming too.”
Yohan shook his head, insisting. Yosep hesitated, then nodded. He still couldn’t fully believe his brother was awakened, but a high-tier Awakener could only be helpful in battle, not a hindrance. He opened the trunk, pulling something out.
“You don’t have a weapon, right? Use this!”
It was a short spear. With a flick, it extended into a long spear just as Yosep showed him. Yosep himself had already armed with his usual weapon. Yohan thought wistfully of his own sleek weapon, currently left in Hyunmook’s safekeeping because it was too conspicuous to carry around.
Instead of pushing through the panicked crowd, the two brothers climbed onto the cars. From rooftop to rooftop, they leapt lightly forward. Far from worrying about their vehicles, people felt reassured—seeing two Awakeners wielding weapons and moving with inhuman leaps meant salvation was at hand.
