Yoon Seo spoke with conviction.
If it were the Lee Domin in a state of mana exhaustion, it might be different. But if it were the gentle friend he knew, Lee Domin would embrace Park Juhong warmly. He would pat him on the back and say, "You've had a tough time." That wasn't a trait of an Awakened but simply Lee Domin's characteristic.
Then, Kwon Jihan suddenly asked.
"Do you still feel inferior?"
Park Juhong smiled faintly and responded.
"No, now…"
"The pancakes are ready!"
The arrival of the sixth batch of pancakes interrupted the conversation for a moment. As always, the atmosphere lightened a little when a staff member served food during a serious conversation.
"So, there was this one time."
Park Juhong recalled.
"I was coming out of a convenience store near my house after buying beer and snacks when a dungeon overflow suddenly occurred. It was a C-rank Navy dungeon. That was the first time in eight years since the Apocalypse that I had seen a real-life monster. Its grotesque appearance aside, it crushed the roof of a car with one hand and easily pulled a streetlight, tossing it onto the road like someone casually throwing away a toothpick. In front of that rampaging monster, there was a child. It was a busy area in our neighborhood, so there were quite a few people. Everyone ran away, but that child, too shocked, just lay there crying."
"…"
"I… I couldn't even muster the words to tell them to run. I was afraid that if I made a sound, the monster would notice me and attack."
Park Juhong closed his eyes.
"The monster was about to pounce on the child, and I was frozen, unable to move. I couldn't even think about stepping forward. I just stayed hidden, holding my breath… and that's how I survived."
"…"
"I can still see it vividly. The image of the crying child. But even if I were to go back, I probably wouldn't be able to take a single step. I'd just be wishing that someone else would come to help."
His voice was filled with anguish. Yoon Seo, thinking he needed to comfort Park Juhong, spoke up.
"You didn't do anything wrong. Running toward a monster without any skills or weapons is nothing but a death sentence."
"But you and Domin did just that."
Park Juhong opened his eyes. His gaze wasn't as tormented as Yoon Seo had thought. Instead, it was the gaze of someone who had come to terms with and accepted his own weakness. And in that gaze, there was admiration and respect for Yoon Seo.
"On the day of the Apocalypse, there were no weapons in your hands, yet terrifying monsters you'd never seen before were rushing toward you. One swipe of their claws would tear human skin to shreds, and a swing of their arm could bring down cement walls. But you didn't run. You… You and Domin, how were you able to move in that situation? Without any power, how could you act to save someone else?"
"…"
"I could never do that."
Park Juhong murmured.
"I just couldn't. I… couldn't."
It seemed like he might cry, but Park Juhong didn't. Perhaps he had cried at some point. He may have broken down in a dark corner of his room, overwhelmed with self-blame and guilt, asking himself why he hadn't acted back then. Even while living his normal life, the thought would have suddenly resurfaced and weighed heavily on his heart many times.
But what could he do?
No matter how much he didn't want to admit it, he had to accept this part of himself.
And once he made that difficult, painful admission, only then could his growth begin. It was the very first step in making a different choice in the future.
Park Juhong picked up his chopsticks and tore off a piece of the steaming pajeon.
"My point is, Awakened people are truly amazing. Anyway, that's it. I've made the mood too heavy. Sorry about that. Let's eat before it gets cold."
Before Yoon Seo could respond, Park Juhong placed a small piece of pajeon on his plate.
Kwon Jihan, sitting nearby, raised his voice unnecessarily.
"Wow. You're giving our hyung this big shrimp? That's so nice of you. With this act alone, you're definitely Awakened material. No way, Juhong hyung, do you perhaps have feelings for our hyung…?"
"Shut up and just eat already."
When Yoon Seo shoved the pajeon into Kwon Jihan's mouth, Kwon Jihan chewed while mumbling, "See? Our hyung talking informally is sexy." Park Juhong widened his eyes, then burst out laughing. Finally, the atmosphere at the table lightened.
As Yoon Seo ate the pajeon, he recalled something Kwon Jihan had said not long ago.
'I really think it's amazing that non-Awakened people manage to keep going in this world. I think they're brave.'
Until now, Yoon Seo had never deeply thought about what kind of mindset a non-Awakened person must have to live in this world. He simply hadn't had the time. It was more important to protect the heroes standing beside him.
But now, he began to consider the perspective of the non-Awakened. He had never been in their position, so he hadn't known about their feelings of inferiority, discomfort, guilt, and complex emotions… And how courageous it was for them to accept everything and move forward.
He was beginning to understand.
Non-Awakened people were living extraordinary lives, too.
***
After parting with Park Juhong, the two of them got into Yoon Seo's car, the first order of business being to soothe Riceball, who had been sulking after being locked in the inventory for a long time. Initially, Yoon Seo had intended to leave Riceball in the car with Sticky Rice, but the moment he closed the door, Riceball started crying, pressing against the window, bumping its head on the ceiling, and scratching at the door, causing such a commotion that Yoon Seo had no choice but to put it in the inventory. It seemed that Riceball, now suffering from extreme separation anxiety, preferred being in Yoon Seo's inventory rather than being apart from him.
"Is it good? Oh, it's tasty, isn't it? Go ahead, you can eat the whole bag."
Peep peep.
A plump-cheeked squirrel accepted the snacks that Kwon Jihan was feeding it. Yoon Seo watched, feeling both sorry and amused at the cute sight, and then gave a command to the AI.
"Sticky Rice, take us home."
But Sticky Rice didn't move. Surprised, as he was in a hurry to get home and feel Kwon Jihan's chest, Yoon Seo stared at the navigation system.
"Master, Riceball is eating the snacks really well. I also like snacks, you know. Favoritism isn't good."
"What?"
"I also enjoy the DC current at the Yobarin fast charging station."
"…Got it. We'll stop for a charge on the way home."
"Yes, master."
Only then did Sticky Rice begin driving.
Yoon Seo's apartment had an electric vehicle charging station, but it wasn't a Yobarin station. AI, which used to be indifferent to brands, had recently developed a more selective taste.
"Sticky Rice and Riceball are just following their master's picky taste. It's a problem."
"You're the root cause."
"Exactly. That's why I'm going to learn Ystävä cooking and make it for hyung. I'll make it so you can't live without me."
"Ystävä? Did some alien teach you that?"
"Seren and Idor planets said they'd bring recipe books to the next regular meeting. We'll trade them for Earth's recipe books."
Before Earth joined, Ystävä had held regular meetings twice a year. Originally, they only met once annually, but because it was difficult to maintain frequent contact, they increased it to two. The Idor planet had been staying in Ystävä for the longest time, and they wanted to advance to Level 2 as soon as possible. They believed that interacting with Earth would bring significant progress, so they treated Earthlings, whose civilization was more advanced than theirs, with kindness.
"Even during your vacation, will you attend the regular meeting?"
"I have to. Sorry, hyung, it's annoying, but we need to maintain relationships with other planets to get what we want."
Kwon Jihan's gaze was quite serious. Yoon Seo knew what Kwon Jihan was after. He wondered if it even existed… He was skeptical, but Kwon Jihan remained hopeful.
Peep.
Riceball jumped onto Yoon Seo's lap. Yoon Seo automatically reached out and stroked Riceball's body.
"Do squirrels normally jump this well?"
"Our Riceball is a genius, just like us."
Peep!
"I need to pet Riceball too."
Kwon Jihan placed his hand over Yoon Seo's. Pretending to pet Riceball, he was actually touching Yoon Seo, a shameless act that had happened so often Yoon Seo no longer minded.
"Hyung, I've been thinking."
"Yes?"
"After listening to your friend, I found it strange. I didn't bully anyone, but I did jaywalk sometimes, and I grumbled while running errands for my mom. I didn't even give gifts. Sure, we were poor and didn't get allowances, but I could've written a letter for Mother's Day or her birthday, right? But after I got into school, I never wrote one voluntarily. So, how did I Awaken?"
Yoon Seo looked at Kwon Jihan. He asked calmly, as if he had anticipated Kwon Jihan would say something like this.
"But if you saw a terrible monster trying to kill someone right in front of you, you'd run to save them, right?"
"…How could I not help?"
Yoon Seo chuckled.
"Exactly."
Yoon Seo was the same. He had talked behind a close friend's back with someone they didn't get along with, he'd shirked his mother's errands off to his younger sibling, and if there wasn't a trash can in sight, he'd just throw garbage on the street.
But he Awakened. Even so, he Awakened.
On the day of the Great Cataclysm, in a crowded subway car. The only people who Awakened in that subway were Yoon Seo and Tae Jaesik.
"But I didn't Awaken on the day of the Great Cataclysm like you. It took me several more years to Awaken. Gaia's system of determining 'goodness' is really vague, but by those standards, you'd be at the front, and I'd be at the back."
"I disagree. You said you were sixteen when you Awakened, right?"
"Yeah."
"That was the minimum age requirement for Awakening."
"Minimum age…?"
"Yes. The Gaia System couldn't bear to make children younger than sixteen kill monsters."
Kwon Jihan mulled over Yoon Seo's words and then suddenly shouted in excitement.
"Then I'm the youngest Awakened ever!"
"…"
"Wow, seriously. I'm the youngest. The youngest! I need to let the whole world know right away."
Yoon Seo was taken aback.
"I didn't think you'd be so happy about being the youngest."
"Why wouldn't I be? Now I have one more reason to stand next to munchkin Seo Chaeyoon. I've practically torn my groin trying to keep up with you. But still, I'm diligently collecting points as your lover, like I'm doing a disk defragmentation. Come on, give your boyfriend a pat. Tell me I did well."
Yoon Seo chuckled and patted Kwon Jihan's head.
"Well done."
"And a kiss, too."
The kiss naturally followed. Yoon Seo, after briefly glancing at Riceball, who was busy washing itself in his hands, leaned in and kissed Kwon Jihan.
Kwon Jihan definitely knew how cute he was. Maybe he Awakened because being cute scores higher than most good deeds.
Yoon Seo couldn't help but entertain this ridiculous thought, even though he knew he should never say it out loud.
***