“In addition, there’s also the goal of raising Taeyang Guild’s stature. Sunrise Guild depended entirely on one team, but Taeyang cannot afford that. Considering the Great Rift, our team will eventually have to work ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) overseas. To prepare for that, we’re expanding personnel and building a more systematic dispatch system...”
Yohan was listening intently when a presence stirred. Everyone turned their heads just as a knock came at the door. A secretary entered, looking troubled. Even upon seeing Yohan attending the Taeyang team meeting, he showed no surprise—he clearly had been informed beforehand.
“Sorry to interrupt the meeting. I have an urgent message.”
“It’s fine. What is it?”
“Awakener Go Jaewon has come to visit. What should we do?”
At those words, Lee Chanha suddenly smiled broadly. His smiles were so rare that the secretary flinched—it wasn’t the least bit a positive smile. Considering the recent rumors surrounding Go Jaewon, it was all the more unsettling.
“Good. Let’s meet him.”
Contrary to Yohan’s expectation of a flat rejection, Chanha immediately granted permission.
* * *
Go Jaewon’s face was dark and irritable, the result of recent heavy stress. He nervously bounced his leg as he spoke.
“Does it have to be here? Let’s at least talk in a meeting room.”
He was visibly uncomfortable for a reason. Chanha had insisted they meet in the café in the first-floor lobby. It was an open space, where anyone passing through the lobby could watch them. The moment they sat down, people began ordering drinks for no reason or pretending to read the menu board, all while eavesdropping.
But Chanha only smiled in response. No words, no anger. Just a smile. The others were the same. The way they stared, eyes unblinking, faces stretched in silent smiles—it was terrifying. If they had raged, mocked, or sneered, it wouldn’t have been so chilling.
‘Is it because they re-Awakened and the power gap widened?’
He glanced at Lee Hyunmook, the kindest one of them all, clinging to a shred of hope. But the instant their eyes met, Hyunmook turned away. Every hair on Jaewon’s body stood on end. What was that? His face had been plain, not smiling, yet it felt like staring into something unspeakably dreadful...
“L-look, there must be some misunderstanding, Chanha.”
Jaewon began speaking in a low, strained voice. He felt wronged. He had only ever intended to deal with Chanha. He knew Hyunmook was untouchable; all he wanted was to push aside the one of similar age and take his place. He never imagined it would lead to the entire Sunrise team vanishing into the Abyss.
The more he thought, the more unfair it seemed. He hadn’t meant to throw Chanha into the Abyss—just to contaminate him a little and land him in a government facility for rest. And when the Sunrise team disappeared, hadn’t he struggled like hell to hold the guild together? He had fought to maintain their number one ranking, and now, with them returned, he was ruined.
The last month had been a nightmare. Accusations from all sides—why had he abandoned them and built Taeyang Guild, wasn’t he the traitor? Employees resigning, many defecting to Taeyang. His pride in leading Korea’s top guild had shattered. Overnight, Sunrise was no better than second, even third tier. And worse, the public outrage was viciously directed at him.
“I read that interview too. You said there were unidentified attackers three years ago. But I had nothing to do with it.”
He knew exactly what had happened. He had faked a rescue call to lure only Chanha. His mistake was not anticipating Joo Hoyoung’s swift return.
“I was conducting rescue operations elsewhere, I swear. There are witnesses.”
That much was true—there had been rescue work, there had been witnesses. Everything else was lies and scheming.
Grinding his teeth, Jaewon recalled how softhearted his teammates used to be. He poured out his explanations, begging, hoping even one of them would admit it could have been a misunderstanding. Surrounded by a storm of media attacks and public hatred, he had no one to turn to but his old comrades.
“And no matter what, this isn’t right. You can’t just steal all the guild members away. What’s Sunrise supposed to do? Don’t you remember? How hard we worked to build it, how much effort we put in...”
His voice faltered, trembling. Sweat drenched his back as his hands clenched.
“Say something! Why are you just staring at me like that!”
Unable to endure their silent smiles any longer, he shouted. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead. He was terrified—yet he couldn’t understand why, couldn’t even run.
“A-anyway, you came back safe...!”
Not just safe—re-Awakened, carrying Eternal Stones that could purify contamination. Misfortune had turned into blessing! But then Chanha burst out laughing.
“Safe? You think we came back safe? Hahaha!”
It wasn’t just Chanha. Yoon Seungryong clutched his stomach, howling with laughter. Seo Yakrin slammed the armrest, cackling. Joo Hoyoung shrieked with mirth. Only Hyunmook smiled serenely.
At first Jaewon had held his ground, but his face slowly drained of blood. The laughter didn’t stop. It kept going, grotesque, endless. Why weren’t the bystanders reacting?
They laughed like lunatics—yet no one else seemed disturbed.
This wasn’t what people untouched by contamination looked like. They looked far too contaminated.
Jaewon glanced around wildly. The laughter roared on, and the crowd just peeked curiously. As if only he could see how bizarre it was.
‘An illusion?’
He thought of another survivor who had escaped with them. Not present here, but maybe they were hiding an illusion-type ability. Chanha had once fallen victim to illusions in the Abyss—was this revenge?
“Stop it! Answer me, damn it!”
At last, Jaewon sprang to his feet in terror. Clearly, no plea would reach them. Then, wiping tears from his laughter, Yoon Seungryong spoke:
“Hey, Go Jaewon. You’re going to hell.”
No honorifics, no “hyung,” nothing—just raw contempt. Oddly, Jaewon felt relieved. At least it was a normal response. Seo Yakrin, still breathless from near-hysterics, added:
“We’re going to make you feel agony so bad you’ll beg us to kill you.”
“What...?”
Were they openly declaring revenge here, in public? Jaewon looked around in panic. The onlookers acted as if nothing unusual was happening, just as before. He clenched his teeth. Fine. He had a recorder. And the threats kept coming.
“Slice the traitor, trim him, blanch him, freeze him.”
“Boil him, roast him, shred him, steam him until he falls apart into pieces.”
“Eat him raw, bite by bite. Fresh meat is best.”
What...?
Jaewon stumbled back. Were these really the people he knew? Only now did he realize—they might not be the same as before. Seo Yakrin’s bloodshot eyes gleamed as he shouted on and on:
“With fists! Smash! Smash! Pound him, tear him, crush him, kill him! You fucking bastard! Die! Die! Die!”
“No, it won’t taste good. Too disgusting to eat. Let’s bury him deep and rot him into fertilizer! Then our vegetables and fruit will thrive.”
“Freeze him solid, then rrrrip him apart! Wah, just imagining it is fun!”
It had to be an illusion, right? That was why they seemed completely insane, why his old comrades looked like monsters. It had to be.
