The Awakener Who Saves the Day
The manhole cover in the bustling downtown square began to rattle as if something were wriggling beneath it.
At first it trembled slowly, then suddenly shook with a force that felt like an earthquake. Citizens who had been passing by scattered in panic, their faces paling.
A monster.
A monster is here.
He didn’t need to think of anything else.
And his instinct proved correct.
The asphalt cracked and exploded as a two-headed monster burst upward from the ground.
The creature was roughly the size of two cars. Its appearance made the onlookers’ complexions drain of color—especially the owner of the damaged vehicle nearby.
People started calling in the reports. They needed the dedicated unit to handle the monster.
Among those who were quick on the action was this young man.
He had been the one who reported the monster invasion last time as well, and he had witnessed the unit’s arrival and the creature’s silence.
…Could I send out that same unit again?
He remembered every detail. The Awakener group that had silenced the monster. The goddess-like figure with flowing black hair standing firmly on the ground.
Would he ever see her again? He hoped he would.
His hand was already moving before he finished thinking the wish. In the blank field marked “requester,” he typed: Send the Awakener who responded last time.
And just like that, his wish was granted.
The unit members appeared—slightly late—eyes catching the gaze of the young man.
One hundred percent female. Goddess-like figures whose every step would leave behind a trail of flowers, whose mere walk could bloom greenery in their wake.
Among them, one caught his attention especially strongly.
Ah, you’re here again.
Seo Harang.
The Awakener whose black hair gleamed like a galaxy was truly striking.
Eh? You tied your hair today…
It was a bit disappointing. But her beauty had not dimmed. The alluring cat-like eyes remained unchanged.
Really, how can someone look like that?
If he could, he would walk over and talk to her. To learn about her personality, her speech patterns, her voice.
Her voice might not even suit the situation… she teases with those little tics, but underneath it all, she feels kind…
Thanks to his rambling fantasies, the man hadn’t noticed the ground-shattering monster charging toward them.
—Kwaaaah!!!
Two mouths. Stereo sound from every direction.
Wow, the visuals are insane. Is this 4D? It feels like the saliva is actually splashing.
“Ah, no! No! I’m late! Aaaah!!”
The man’s brain reeled from the thunderous shout. Too late. Humans couldn’t outrun Awakener anyway.
Other Awakener? The ones who had come here? Sadly, while their durability or strength might suffice, none specialized in speed—until now.
It was his own fault. The man’s life ended chasing the fleeting hope to see that person once more. His corpse—
“Uh…?”
Was gone.
Are you okay?
Perfect. Both arms and both legs intact.
Curious, he looked up.
Standing there was the Awakener from the unit he had called for help—Seo Harang.
Her tied hair had been torn away by the monster’s jaws.
The strands floated down like a black waterfall across the sky. Even though it was daytime, it looked like night had fallen. Stars twinkling in that endless darkness.
It’s good you’re not late. Go stand over there. It’s dangerous.
“Y-yes… yes, yes…”
The man nodded several times.
Though he had met and gotten close to many other people before, he had never felt this kind of heartbeat. He didn’t need to look—it was written all over his face.
+++
Back home, he tried to freshen up lightly. The moment he stepped into the washroom, he realized it was impossible.
The washroom was packed with seniors.
Since women naturally cared a lot about their appearance, when the washroom got busy, it usually took at least an hour.
In society he could have slipped in smoothly with a polite “Excuse me for a moment.” But as a junior, he couldn’t.
On the plus side, it was quite a sight. They had said hair color changed upon Awakening, right?
Everyone was crammed in with hair of every color imaginable. His eyes were starting to tire.
…I’ll wash later. If I’m too late, I’ll just sleep. Yeah, what’s one day without washing my hair?
He kept brushing the strands that kept sticking to his chest and tucked them behind his ear.
Harang.
Superhuman Seo Harang.
Kim Heejin spoke, wrapping her arm around his chin and waist.
Women initiating physical contact. And not just any woman—the kind whose beauty would steal your breath away.
His body trembled and raced, yet he felt nothing of the usual nervousness.
At heart, it was just animals craving animals in an animal den.
He preferred kind women who spoiled him. Like Jeong Seung-ah.
No! It wasn’t like he had that kind of feeling for his living-quarter senior. What he felt for Jeong Seung-ah was admiration!
Anyway, Kim Heejin laughed with a drawn-out “Fuhuhu” and pressed her finger against his cheek. It wasn’t particularly forceful.
“Harang’s tail is wagging nicely, huh?”
Superhuman Seo Harang. Which tail are you referring to?
“Didn’t you see the man’s expression earlier?”
“The man earlier?”
“The one… that person you saved, right?”
“Ah.”
He remembered. He hadn’t wanted to, but he did.
Ugh. He felt gross. Why did he have to watch a guy’s heartbeat just because of something he liked?
Of course, the moment he had saved her, he had felt pretty good. Protecting someone with his strength had turned out to be more satisfying than expected.
He scratched at the hair that had stuck to his face like it was trying to escape.
“What? You’re sulking? I just hugged you like this?”
“No, it’s fine. Just that I was thinking about the man earlier, and it made me feel bad.”
“Feeling bad is bad. When you feel bad, your bad sister comes and smacks you. Right?”
“No. I really like Kim Heejin, Superhuman.”
“Hah, so you’re a lesbian?”
He said no. But then he thought about it and felt something strange.
Right then, his reflection appeared in the mirror on the washroom sink.
Sharp, piercing eyes.
Flawless white skin.
A midriff that was thin yet firm in its convictions.
Smooth skin that could probably be stroked gently.
But the real him was inside. He had no interest in dating anyone, but if he did, he would pick a woman.
…Of course, he wasn’t actually dating a real woman. After all, he didn’t even know if he was a man or a woman in the first place, so declaring it felt impossible.
Ah, he had caught the eyes of another senior.
“What are you staring at? Hey, which living quarter are you from?”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“What? Who are you? Is it becoming a trend for new juniors to start fights now?”
“Ah, ah…! Kim Heejin, Superhuman! No! I’m sorry!”
In their living quarter he was a demon, but when it involved other quarters, he was reliable.
…The biggest problem was still being a demon in their own living quarter.
“Anyway, today was good, huh?”
“Today?”
“Yeah. I knew you were from that lineage, but I didn’t expect you to handle it so quickly. Well done.”
Ah.
Emotion.
He shouldn’t feel this way about something so trivial.
Like how when someone you hate gives you a treat, it suddenly hits right in the sweet spot. Every time you get scolded and then finally get acknowledged—it felt strangely good.
“Thank you. I really will work hard.”
“Work hard at what? Here, working hard gets you nowhere.”
“Nowhere?”
“Yeah. Not too much, not too little—just right in the middle. That’s the best.”
Middle ground. Did he even know how hard it was to stay there?
“Like today is fine. Just like today. Don’t stand out too much, don’t overdo it. Don’t run all over the place. Only do what’s necessary, exactly. So, since you’re fast, you’ll have to save the humans who couldn’t flee.”
At least she was giving him direction. That was lucky.
“Thank you for the kind words.”
“No, what? It made my skin crawl.”
Kim Heejin pulled her arm away from his waist, waved her hand vaguely, and continued as if remembering something.
“Oh, right. Han Jihye was looking for you.”
“Ah.”
Yeah, there was that thing I had been putting off. It seemed like she had wanted to raise her voice about something with Jeong Seung-ah earlier.
Han Jihye coming to find him would mean even stricter words. Better for him to go to her.
“May I be excused? I need to go speak with Hero Han Jihye…”
“Sigh, that bitch Han Jihye—why is she causing you so much trouble?”
?!
His steps halted. It was due to the sudden clash between 1st and 2nd barracks.
Were they not getting along? What?
No way—she didn’t mean today’s incident made Kim Heejin take his side?
He looked at her with faint hope.
“You don’t think that, do you? That bitch—why is she picking on me only? I’ve thought that before—”
“Isn’t that what you think? Of course.”
“You can be honest. Even if you look like a bad sister, you’re serious. Just spill it all out. If you hold it in, it’ll boil over.”
“It… is a bit like that. It seems like she’s only picking on me, and it’s a bit too much…”
“Really? Really? Sincerely?”
“Yeah, just a tiny bit…”
“Fuhahah! Caught you! Hey, Harang. You’re hilarious! You!”
“Eh.”
Kim Heejin’s gaze had drifted. Despite the uneasy feeling, she followed it and saw—
“Ah, I see. So you thought that? Our Harang?”
Han Jihye was there.
“I wanted to get close with Harang because I like her, but I’m a bit disappointed. What do I do?”
“I didn’t know Harang thought like that— if you think that way, there’s nothing you can do, right? People’s hearts are all different anyway.”
Kim Heejin smiled sweetly and stepped back into the washroom. She squeezed past him as a junior and started washing as if nothing had happened.
“Harang.”
“Superhuman Seo Harang. I’m sorry.”
“No, no. You could feel that way. For now, let’s talk together with your sister, okay? Over there at the smoking spot?”
Today their unit was peaceful.
“I… understand.”
“Let’s talk closely together, all right?”
He missed his mom. Damn it.