"Hyung, don't pay attention to people like that. There are more people who don't think like them."
"Don't worry. I'm not bothered."
"..."
Kwon Jihan looked at Yoon Seo for a moment before asking.
"Should we head out for now?"
"Huh? Why?"
"If we just awkwardly stand here blocking the way, it'll be uncomfortable for both us and the others."
"No, I'm just feeling really anxious right now. Afraid that a system window might pop up."
"What system window?"
"'Yoon Seo's disillusionment with this world has increased by 10%.'"
"..."
While Yoon Seo was left speechless, Kwon Jihan fell into a serious thought all by himself.
"What should I do? How can I make hyung feel better? Should I offer to let him touch my chest? I pumped up a lot this morning, just in case."
"Stop with the nonsense… We'll deal with that when we get home."
"Okay. We'll leave the chest touching for later. For now, what should we do? How about this: Let's imagine the seafood pancakes we're about to eat. Close your eyes."
When Yoon Seo just stared at him with wide eyes, Kwon Jihan covered his face with his large hand.
"Close your eyes and listen carefully. Imagine the savory smell of oil and the sizzling sound of the pancake frying… The perfectly cooked seafood pancake… You tear it apart with chopsticks, dip it into salty soy sauce, and as you bite into it, it's crispy and delicious… Ah."
Yoon Seo blinked his eyes, tickling Kwon Jihan's palm with his eyelashes, so he removed his hand.
"Damn it. You're using that adorable blinking technique again…"
Yoon Seo hadn't intended to be cute at all; he was just impatiently thinking about getting home and touching Jihan's chest. Why did Jihan only now mention that he had done intense muscle training this morning? If Yoon Seo had known, he would've rescheduled the meeting with Park Juhong earlier and gone home faster.
"Those guys aren't heroes; they're nothing but thieving conmen. And anyone who supports them is a sucker."
"Hey, hey. Please stop it. Everyone's staring at us."
"Why should I stop? If anyone has a problem with what I'm saying, they can speak up! No one's saying anything because they know I'm right!"
The commotion at the next table continued. Kwon Jihan watched Yoon Seo's expression and mumbled.
"Still no change. Thank goodness…"
"..."
"Hmm. It seems like your disillusionment gauge isn't filling up as much as I thought. Love really is powerful."
"And if the gauge fills up, what exactly are you going to do?"
Yoon Seo asked, half-hoping Jihan might start undressing right then and there. But Kwon Jihan just grinned, "Curious?" and pulled out his phone.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm looking for good news stories to show you. Just one good deed could easily cancel out 10 points of disillusionment."
It wasn't quite what Yoon Seo had hoped for, but it wasn't bad either.
"Yesterday, I also read an article about some students who bought tteokbokki and fish cakes for a lost child. What should I search to find it?"
Yoon Seo's lips lifted slightly as he watched Kwon Jihan tap away at his phone. Soon, Jihan found the article and showed it to him. It was a photo of high school students surrounding a sniffling elementary schooler, feeding them tteokbokki and fish cakes.
Kwon Jihan, observing Yoon Seo's expression as he read the article, breathed a sigh of relief. He even mimicked tapping a virtual system window, joking that the "disillusionment meter" was steadily decreasing.
Yoon Seo smiled. Having a younger boyfriend was quite something—showing such adorable behavior could make anger or disillusionment melt away. Though, truth be told, he wasn't really angry in the first place, just feeling a bit bitter.
Meanwhile, the table next to them continued to erupt with curses and shouts. People around began to frown, staring at the man making the commotion. But the man, fueled by his anger, didn't stop.
"Those goddamn Revengers bastards… Riding on the sacrifices of the old Revengers, and now they act all high and mighty… It's enough to make me sick!"
"Hey, that's enough."
"Huh? What?"
"I said, enough. You're being too harsh."
Both Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo turned to look at the nearby table.
The person they'd been waiting for, Park Juhong, was standing in front of the man, frowning.
The man suddenly stood up.
"Who the hell are you? Are you some Revengers' family member?"
"I'm, like you, someone connected to the old Revengers."
"Then why are you butting in, defending the new Revengers?"
"You can insult them, but no one's allowed to defend them? The new Revengers also risked their lives going in. You have no right to criticize them."
"Risked their lives? Don't make me laugh! Those bastards had the answers handed to them on a silver platter thanks to Seo Chaeyoon. My mother spent 40 years working in a restaurant before awakening, had no proper training, and was forced to enter the Great Dungeon. The new Revengers had all the support they needed, so don't talk to me about risking their lives!"
Yoon Seo understood who the man was referring to. His mother must have been one of the old Revengers who died shortly after entering the Great Dungeon.
"Why does my mother have to be mocked? If it weren't for those new Revengers making a mockery of the old Revengers' deaths—"
"No. If even one of the new Revengers had died, that would have made your mother's death truly in vain."
"What the hell do you know?"
"I understand. Because your mother went into the dungeon to protect people."
Unlike the agitated man, Park Juhong spoke calmly but with conviction, looking the man directly in the eye.
"I'm sure she would have thought it was fortunate that no one died this time. Your mother, my friend, and all 1,202 of the dead Revengers…"
"..."
"Isn't that right?"
"..."
The man couldn't respond, biting his lip and showing a tearful expression.
"Yeah, you're right. But what does that matter? Whenever I see those posts online, it makes my blood boil…"
"There are always some non-awakened people who refuse to acknowledge the significance of the new Revengers' success. Don't let what they say get to you."
"If I could do that, I'd have awakened a long time ago… Damn it. And you're non-awakened too, aren't you?"
"..."
For the first time, Park Juhong lowered his eyes.
"Yes. I'm non-awakened too…"
In his acknowledgment, there was a mix of frustration, despair, and a deep-seated resentment.
Why?
I've lived a good life.
Why can't I awaken?
Why…?
Park Juhong bowed his head in defeat.
Kwon Jihan glanced at Yoon Seo's side profile. Yoon Seo's lips were pressed tightly together. Afraid he might bite them in frustration, Kwon Jihan placed a hand on his shoulder. Yoon Seo slightly turned his head and motioned towards Juhong, indicating he should go comfort the sorrowful, despairing non-awakened.
"If my hyung says to bring him back, I have to bring him back."
Kwon Jihan gently patted Yoon Seo on the back and stood up from his seat.
***
"I was honestly jealous of you two."
It was after they'd moved to a restaurant and polished off five plates of crispy, golden-brown pajeon, ordering a sixth, that Park Juhong confessed, his face tense like he was making a confession to a priest.
"You and Domin, I mean."
"..."
Yoon Seo carefully placed his chopsticks on the plate. Kwon Jihan also put down his chopsticks after giving Yoon Seo the last piece of pajeon.
Park Juhong tried to act as if nothing was wrong after the café incident, but it was clear to both Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan that he was struggling. He was emotionally shaken.
Fortunately, after eating some delicious food, the flood of emotions calmed down considerably.
Once he regained his composure, Park Juhong, looking a bit embarrassed, confessed the feelings he'd been holding in for a long time to Yoon Seo.
"At first, no one knew, right? That only good people awaken. Back then, I just thought you guys were cool and envied you… But once that fact came out, it was impossible not to be jealous. I tried to hide it, but I'm sure you and Domin noticed my inferiority complex and jealousy long ago. I'm really sorry. For disappointing you…"
"You don't need to apologize. Domin wasn't disappointed in you either."
"I hope that's true…"
Park Juhong took a long gulp of beer, as if his mouth was dry.
He still had a lot to say, so Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo just watched him quietly.
After wiping his mouth with a tissue, Park Juhong spoke bitterly.
"I always wondered, 'Why me?' Why can't I awaken? I thought I was a good person. I thought I lived a good life. I never bullied anyone, studied hard, never showed up late, did the dishes without complaining, saved up my allowance to buy gifts for my parents. I never even jaywalked."
"..."
"You and Domin jaywalked, though. You'd cross when no cars were coming. Not sure if you remember."
"I remember."
"You don't do it anymore, right? It's dangerous."
Park Juhong spoke like he was scolding a disobedient child. Yoon Seo nodded half-heartedly. Park Juhong continued.
"As ridiculous as it sounds, I used to hate it when people called me nice and gentle. Back when we were kids, being 'nice' meant you were dumb and weak. But later on, I wanted to hear it. Even though being called nice doesn't increase your chances of awakening. I found myself doing nice things on purpose, just waiting to hear 'Juhong, you're such a good person,' like a kid hoping for a gold star. I never thought the day would come when being nice became a compliment."
Park Juhong wore a complicated expression, somewhere between laughing and crying.
"I was… so ashamed of the fact that I was jealous of you two."
"..."
"When Domin couldn't make it out of the Great Dungeon… I thought, 'Do I even have the right to feel ashamed?' My friend risked his life to save others, and here I was feeling inferior. How pathetic is that?"
"No. Domin would never think you were pathetic."