"Uptown Punk you up."
Singing along to the upbeat music that had just hit its final note, Oh Shinu sat across from Soohyeok and placed one of the two paper cups he was holding in front of him.
Soohyeok slowly opened his eyes and checked the contents.
As he had already guessed from the familiar scent, it was the same old sweet instant coffee.
"This stuff tastes amazing.
There's a reason foreigners go crazy for it.
I like it too. Unless… do you not?"
Shinu asked with a grin.
"I like it,"
Soohyeok replied, chuckling faintly as he nodded and raised the paper cup to his lips.
The sugary-smooth mix coffee, brewed with boiling water from a kettle heated on a gas heater, filled his mouth.
"Good."
With a bright smile and a thumbs-up, Shinu raised his own cup and took a sip, sitting down across from Soohyeok.
"To be honest, I don't like ordering assistants to make coffee. They're already busy—do they really need to handle something so trivial? I've got hands, don't I?"
Soohyeok responded with a quiet smile.
It wasn't a sentiment he was familiar with, so he could only offer silent agreement.
Another song began playing from the speaker.
Another popular one.
"Maroon 5, Moves Like Jagger"—
Surprisingly, Soohyeok and Shinu seemed to share a similar taste in music.
While drinking his coffee and listening to the music, Shinu picked up the remote and lowered the volume.
"Hm, I like this kind of music.
You don't seem to, though?"
"I like it."
"Your face says otherwise."
"I'm here with a purpose."
Soohyeok gave a small smile again.
Shinu also smiled.
"Right. Then let's get down to business.
Mr. Yang Soohyeok, would you consider joining the Association? I can promise the best treatment we've got—even if that's not saying much."
"I'm not interested."
"Wow, that was sharp. Like a blade."
Despite his words, Shinu showed no sign of surprise.
"Well, a guy who becomes a Hunter of his own accord was never going to fit with the Awakeners' Association."
The Association's role was the management of Awakeners—and the protection of the country.
Shinu didn't think Soohyeok was unaware of that.
That was why he wasn't fazed.
"Then let's move to the next question—"
"I'm not joining a Guild either."
"You psychic?"
Shinu asked, clearly surprised. It had been his next question.
"Felt like you were going to ask. Oh, and for the record—I'm not immigrating either."
"Good. Nice. No, scratch that—excellent.
I love this country too, you know?"
Shinu clapped his hands and sprang to his feet.
Soohyeok already knew what Shinu's visit was really about.
Admittedly, it had been unexpected, but not a bad outcome.
From Shinu's point of view, the whole purpose of today's meeting was to hear Soohyeok out.
Which made Soohyeok's purpose all the more intriguing.
"For someone who's been lying down for ages, you're surprisingly sharp. Alright. Mr. Yang Soohyeok—what exactly is your goal?"
Shinu suggested they talk it out, and Soohyeok calmly followed his lead.
It wasn't out of fear of the Association's name.
In fact, he could've refused.
He might've even answered everything then and there if Shinu had known his goal.
But instead, they moved to a more private, secretive space to start the conversation.
He even signaled in advance that this talk had a purpose.
It was only natural for curiosity to build.
"Just what is it that this monster of endless potential actually wants?"
Shinu's eyes sparkled.
He didn't know Yang Soohyeok well.
A few rumors from education centers, and now this short meeting—that was all.
But even from that, there was something he could tell.
"This isn't your average rookie."
He was facing someone who might become the strongest Awakener in Korea—or even the world.
His actions might seem casual, but his attitude was anything but light.
He was listening closely.
And if possible, he intended to accept Soohyeok's requests.
Why?
To build rapport.
The stronger the bond, the better.
Today's answers were ideal—but people's minds were always changeable.
"Good impressions and a good image—that's everything."
And so, spreading his arms wide in an open gesture, Shinu spoke confidently:
"If there's anything you want, say it. If it's within my power, I'll make it happen."
And then Soohyeok spoke.
***
Later, on his way out of the Association building—
News had already spread.
Many guilds began reaching out to Soohyeok.
Korea's Big Three: Baekdusan, Cheonhae, and Imoogi Guilds all reached out.
Even others took their shot, hoping against the odds.
As he'd already told Shinu, Soohyeok made clear that he had no intention of joining any guild.
Even so, many refused to give up, handing him their business cards.
But once there were no more eyes chasing after him, Soohyeok discarded most of the cards.
To be precise, all but one.
He kept just one.
Vice President of the Awakeners' Association, Oh Shinu.
"Hope I get the answer I'm looking for…"
From Yeouido, Soohyeok began running toward Eungam-dong.
He already had a clear path in mind.
'Come to think of it, what happened to Yeon and Changhyuk?'
Just as the question rose in his mind, his phone chimed with a new message.
He stopped mid-run and checked his phone.
The sender: Baek Iyeon.
"A picture?"
In it, she was beaming, arm-in-arm with Jin Changhyuk.
There was also a message:
[Ajusshi! We both made Rank 3. Feeling awesome! Kyaa >_
Alongside it, some unfamiliar cartoon emoji doing a happy dance.
"Rank 3, huh? Things are going to get busy over there too."
As mentioned, just reaching Rank 3 already means you're a rookie with serious potential.
Chances are, the two of them were already getting swamped with offers.
From Soohyeok's perspective, he wasn't particularly thrilled by that kind of attention—but for them, it might be exactly what they needed.
They were now at the point of walking their own paths, but having gone through training together, it was hard not to care.
[Congratulations. I hope everything goes well for you both.]
And so, with sincerity, Soohyeok sent them a message too.
He then closed his phone, put it in his pocket, and resumed running.
A few more notifications followed soon after, but he didn't bother checking again.
He figured it was probably from Baek Iyeon.
And if it wasn't, he could just check once he got home.
'Come to think of it, sooah's been acting like she suspects something lately…'
Unlike their busy everyday lives—or their parents, Yang Seungbon and Han Junghui, who were filled with concern for Soohyeok after his reawakening—his younger sister Sooah had been showing signs that she was sensing something different about him.
Not that she said anything directly, probably not to worry their parents, but still.
'Should I just explain a bit to her?'
Sooah would worry too, but she was more likely to accept the situation if it was explained properly.
As he continued running, those thoughts filling his head, the glow of city lights flashed around him.
Near Sinchon Train Station.
Running alongside a road packed with famous universities, Soohyeok suddenly heard a faint ringing in his ears.
'What was that?'
Since learning martial arts, he rarely experienced tinnitus.
Unless he took a serious blow to the head, was attacked by a sonic skill, or caught in a spell—it was basically unheard of.
Which meant: tinnitus shouldn't happen without a physical trigger.
But here it was—and a long one, too.
That wasn't the only strange thing.
His energy flow had shifted.
Soohyeok's gaze snapped to the bus stop in the middle of the road across from him.
The space between the crowd waiting for the bus was warping.
'No way…'
His eyes widened.
It was the kind of phenomenon they learned about during theory training—signs that a portal was about to appear.
But there was one key difference.
There was no warning.
Normally, before a portal appears, the local branch of the Awakeners' Association detects it with magic instruments, issues an evacuation order, and deploys a Guardian to secure the area.
If the portal's world is small or hostile, a Hunter is dispatched to handle it.
Of course, if the other world contains intelligent life or the difficulty is high, things get complicated—but that's rare.
Just like this current situation.
Without any warning, the world seemed to rewind, spiraling in on itself—and then a pale green light burst out.
A portal had formed.
A gateway to another world.
"KYAAA—!"
"What the hell?!"
"A portal!"
"People got pulled in!"
Screams and chaos erupted instantly.
A portal, appearing suddenly without any alert or evacuation order.
WEEEE-OOOOOOH!
A siren finally sounded, far too late.
[A portal has appeared. Citizens, please remain calm and proceed to the air-raid shelter located below Sinchon Station. Repeating: A presumed Rank 5 portal has formed near Sinchon Train Station. Citizens, please…]
WEEEE-OOOOOH!
The chaos had begun.
People were panicking—these kinds of sudden portal appearances were supposed to be a thing of the past after the formation of the Dimensional Alliance.
Fortunately, the Awakeners' Association wasn't slow to respond.
Within less than a minute, eight Awakeners and police officers were already on the scene.
"Please stay calm! An Awakener is here!"
"Children, the elderly, and pregnant women first! This way!"
The police moved efficiently, calming the frightened citizens.
The Awakeners stood back a bit—calm, but focused on the portal glowing pale green.
It was a threat. No one knew when it might spit out a lifeform from another world.
Still, the surrounding chaos seemed to be settling, little by little.
But the real problem remained.
"Over ten people got pulled in, right?"
"It's been over three minutes already."
As the Awakeners checked their watches and whispered among themselves, Soohyeok quickly approached.
"You're not going in for rescue?"
"Who are you?"
Their sharp gazes softened the moment Soohyeok raised his left arm and revealed a silver bracelet.
"You're an Awakener?"
"I'm a Hunter."
At Soohyeok's words, the group of Awakeners exchanged glances.
"I'm Kim Yumin. Rank 3 Guardian."
The young man in his late twenties stepped forward with a somewhat skeptical posture.
"There's no Hunter among us.
Are you planning to go in alone?"
Soohyeok frowned at the question.
The truth was, ever since the portal appeared, he'd been debating whether to jump in.
His body wanted to move already—but there was only one thing holding him back.
A Hunter is not allowed to enter a portal alone.
As mentioned before, Earth highly values its Awakeners.
Every single one is a precious resource.
So naturally, there are strict regulations against solo actions.
In dangerous circumstances, you need teammates you can rely on.
Breaking that rule can result in major sanctions and fines.
Having just earned his Hunter qualifications, Soohyeok had every reason to hesitate.
But then the Awakeners and police arrived.
Now, with backup on site, Soohyeok no longer saw a reason to wait.
And just then, he got hit with an unexpected question.