Awakened, Assemble - 3
Given the gravity of the situation, I had expected the meeting to proceed in a very solemn atmosphere.
Solemnity? Forget it. It was nowhere to be found.
They clearly knew everything and were just doing this on purpose. Some people were even mixing in fabrications to talk behind Lee Junghwan’s back.
There were people chatting among themselves, and then there were others talking about *me*.
...It was only thanks to Yoo Iseul acting as a dampener that things were even this calm. Without her, it would have been a total circus.
Everything is fine, but why are they so interested in me? I’m not even that big of an Awakened.
Sorry to break it to you, but I already heard. I unbanned you? That means I was one of the people who lifted a ban recently. Which means someone with the title of "Awakened" was sitting in their room making "fan-art" with their keyboard. ...That’s a little creepy.
I was curious about what kind of face they had, but what if I took the "red pill" and got traumatized? As the noisy atmosphere continued, at exactly 1:00 PM, someone stepped onto the podium. It was Kim Junghwan, an investigator for the Awakened Association and my handler.
Wait, why are *you* here at this timing? I was slightly flustered to see Kim Junghwan instead of Lee Junghwan, but I figured there must be a reason, so I waited quietly for him to speak.
Ahem, *cough*!
Kim Junghwan cleared his throat and spoke into the microphone.
"Hello, fellow Awakened. I am Kim Junghwan."
As he greeted them, the Awakened began to cheer enthusiastically.
"You're handsome, Kim Junghwan!"
"Dance for us, Junghwan oppa!"
"I like Kim Junghwan! Guess if this is true or a lie!"
"Ugh, you gay bastard!"
It was a dizzying display of cheers, but it was clear that everyone had a favorable opinion of him. I knew vaguely, but... for Kim Junghwan to appear as the moderator of this historic meeting meant he was an incredibly important figure.
Truth Seeker: Can distinguish between the truth and lies of a target's words.
I knew the Association valued his unique and useful ability highly, but I didn't know it was to *this* extent. As I looked surprised, Ahn Suhee, who was next to me, whispered the answer to my curiosity. According to her, *all* Awakened must "necessarily" have a consultation with Kim Junghwan immediately after resolving an anomaly. ...I had thought I was only going through that annoying process because he was my handler.
Thanks to Ahn Suhee’s explanation, I could clearly understand why Kim Junghwan was such a vital figure in the Association. He was the reason for the absolute trust built between the "Awakened Association" and the "Awakened." Awakened cannot scam or lie to the Association. Why? Because of Kim Junghwan’s ability. Conversely, the Association can trust the Awakened 100%. Why? Because of Kim Junghwan’s ability. If Kim Junghwan were to disappear from this world tomorrow... the trust between them could collapse.
Hmm. My handler was such a capable and well-established person. I felt strangely proud. Good job, Kim Junghwan.
The reason Kim Junghwan appeared was to buy some time. Naturally, it would be correct for Lee Junghwan to conduct such an important meeting, but he was the Chairman of the Awakened Association. Wouldn't it be no exaggeration to say he was the busiest man in South Korea? The Awakened knew the meeting would only start once the Chairman appeared, so the atmosphere remained light.
Kim Junghwan said, "First of all, I want to thank you all for gathering despite your busy schedules. And..."
The Awakened retorted, "Junghwan, don't read the script, just dance!"
"I told you I like you! Check if it's true or false!"
Yoo Iseul started sleeping with her head on the desk, as if she had no interest. ...It was a mess. I felt like a fool for imagining I’d be lynched by the Awakened before coming here. Are these people Awakened or elementary schoolers? It was a moment where my illusions about them were thoroughly shattered. Ugh, it’s so damn loud.
Looking at these "golden children" of Awakened, I let out a sigh. They definitely aren't normal. Maybe Yoo Iseul is actually the reasonable one... No one knows how the "Awakened" came to awaken their "abilities." There is a very interesting hypothesis about this. Just as Prometheus gifted "fire" to humans in Greek mythology, some say a god-like being gifted "abilities" to humanity. Yeah, that’s total nonsense. Seeing that they gifted abilities to these brats, that god-like being clearly isn't normal either.
Right. Even the Shining Stars themselves aren't exactly normal...
THUD!
"Gah."
THUD!
"Ugh..."
THUD!
"Jiaaaaaaaaah!"
CRACK.
CRASH.
CLATTER.
The conference room table was a long, continuous piece of furniture. It was long enough to seat forty people. There were five such long tables arranged in five rows. Yoo Iseul, Ahn Suhee, and I were sitting in the center of the third table. Just now... the third table had broken.
"Ah, damn it."
Yoo Iseul, woken from her sleep, cursed, Kim Junghwan put his hand to his forehead, and Ahn Suhee’s eyes went wide with shock. And the other Awakened...
"Oh..."
A moment of silence. And then:
"OOOOOOOOOH!"
"It’s here, the Price of Blasphemy!"
"That wasn't just RP, it was real?"
They started cheering for me. ...I didn't think it was quite "blasphemy," but they seemed to have taken it that way. The intensity was incredible. Ah. I wanted to die of embarrassment.
Finally, Chairman Lee Junghwan entered the conference room.
"..."
He looked at the wrecked conference room with an absurd expression. Our eyes met. I broke into a cold sweat, and Lee Junghwan let out a sigh. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please kill me. Ah, cancel that. You can't kill me. It’s not my fault. It’s because of the Shining Stars.
Lee Junghwan, who had reached the podium, spoke into the microphone.
"That’s enough. Everyone, let’s focus for a moment."
Phew. It seemed my mistake would pass smoothly, thankfully. As Lee Junghwan spoke, the chaotic atmosphere of the meeting room instantly turned cold. Right. I had momentarily forgotten due to the chaos, but this was the first time in history that 200 Awakened had gathered in one place. I had to be nervous. Even if others weren't, I was a "Fervent Follower" myself. I had to focus with eyes ablaze. ...My concentration had been scattered by the broken table, but I tried my best to focus.
In the solemn atmosphere, Lee Junghwan spoke with gravity.
"Ten years have passed since the emergence of anomalies. The first year... as you Awakened here know well, the first year was hell. Ten years ago. The day the anomalies first appeared. We all remember that day. One day after the first appearance of anomalies, the government’s systems were paralyzed. Two days later, society collapsed. Three days later, the national foundation completely crumbled..."
Starting with the grim stories of the past was certainly effective. All the Awakened began to pay attention to Lee Junghwan’s words. It was the same for me. Ten years ago. The day the anomalies first appeared. How could I forget that day?
A "Fervent Follower" cannot dream. At least, I haven't had a single dream in the last six months. I only realized how pleasant it is not to dream after becoming a Fervent Follower. I had been liberated from the nightmares of that day ten years ago. ...This, too, must be the grace of the Shining Stars.
I don't really want to recall the past. It’s already in the past, and... recalling it now wouldn't change anything.
"But it was only for a year. Thanks to the courage and sacrifice of the Awakened gathered here, we eventually overcame the anomalies."
That is true. It wasn't mindless human praise, nor was it over-glorifying the Awakened. It was a literal fact. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Awakened, the difficulty of resolving anomalies had become easy enough that they no longer needed to be called a "threat" at this point. Of course, only an omnipotent god like the Shining Stars would know what kind of anomaly would appear next... but even so, since the first year after their appearance, humanity has been resolving anomalies without major damage.
"However."
Ugh. However.
At Lee Junghwan’s following words, everyone in the room looked at me.
"As you all know, in the last six months... the patterns have changed significantly."
"The cycle of anomalies has accelerated."
"Entities that pose unprecedented threats have appeared."
"And a catastrophic situation occurred where the security of the Awakened Association was breached."
"At the center of all these situations."
"Exists the being known as the Fervent Follower."