After Parting with Ma Yeonseo
With a lingering ache in his wrist, Yuchan applied a pain relief patch.
He didn't think he'd forget what happened with her so quickly, but at least until his wrist healed, it seemed like it would pop into his mind every moment.
...I hope it heals fast.
Then, by chance, Yeoryeon, who had come over with some side dishes, caught sight of it….
"Huh? What's wrong with your wrist? Did you hurt it somewhere?"
"Uh…. Just, something happened."
"What? Let me see! Is it bad?"
"It's nothing. They said the muscle's just shocked."
"That's nothing?!"
Yuchan tried to hide what happened with Yeonseo, but Yeoryeon kept slapping his forearm and worrying so much that he ended up confessing the truth.
The fact that he'd broken up with Ma Yeonseo after their fight.
"…That's how it went."
"So you're completely broken up now? For real…?"
"Probably… yeah."
There hadn't been any contact since then, but having dealt with her all this time, Yuchan couldn't fully let go of his worries.
Because she'd always done things that exceeded expectations.
But Yeoryeon could tell.
She's given up.
That Ma Yeonseo had completely left his side.
Noticing this, she pretended not to know and comforted him.
"Sigh. Our poor Yuchan, you must've been through so much…."
"What do you mean, through so much…."
"Now that it's come to this, forget her completely and meet someone better! The world's full of girls! Good days are ahead!"
"…Yeah. Thanks for worrying about me."
Yuchan forced a smile at her sincere encouragement. He didn't think he'd even dream of dating for a while.
Naturally, he shifted the topic to the side dishes she'd brought, avoiding any more talk of Yeonseo.
"By the way, what's that you brought earlier?"
"Oh, right. My aunt made it…."
And so the two of them had a meal together with the side dishes Yeoryeon's aunt had prepared.
Yeoryeon had found out there was no rice and insisted on cooking, but he barely managed to stop her and set the table with instant rice.
"Should I have just used the rice cooker?"
"Nah, it's good. Maybe because I microwaved it right."
"Hehe. See? Even microwaving takes skill."
"One compliment and you don't know your place."
Yuchan, whose mood had been rock-bottom these past few days, could finally catch his breath thanks to Yeoryeon's positive energy, if only for a moment. I'm really glad I have Yeoryeon.
To Yuchan, she was someone he was grateful for in many ways.
"Take care. Make sure to tell your aunt the side dishes were delicious."
"Okay, okay. Eat your meals properly…! I'll text you."
Yeoryeon, who had to go to her academy, left the villa with Yuchan seeing her off….
"Hum de hum…."
She walked lightly, even humming a tune, then suddenly burst into giggles.
She hurriedly covered her mouth with her arm in case someone saw, but she couldn't hold back the laughter bubbling up.
"Heehee."
Her face showed pure, uncontainable joy.
Time flew by relentlessly, and before long, warm spring had arrived.
Around that time, the suspect who had killed his mother was caught.
"A, a body? So the culprit's dead?"
To be precise, his body was found.
"It was discovered in the mountains, so it's been ruled a suicide for now. But from higher up…."
"Detective Kim."
"Ah. S-sorry…."
"Anyway. Unfortunately, your mother's case seems to be closed like this. Sorry we couldn't help more."
According to the police who came to deliver the news, the investigation had ended due to the suspect's death—no prosecution possible.
With no one left to investigate, it was forcibly wrapped up.
Why the hell…?
The case had been full of mysteries from start to finish, but as an ordinary citizen, all he could do was accept it.
All he could think was how pitiful his sacrificed mother was.
It was a bitter, regrettable reality.
"No way! So that's it?"
"…Yeah."
"What do we do…."
Han Yeoryeon, upon hearing the news, was shocked and comforted him.
Since he'd been left alone, she'd been bringing side dishes now and then, and to keep him from getting depressed alone, they'd eat together or study sometimes.
It was a connection he'd never repay fully.
"Oh, right! What about the house?"
"I'll probably stay here until graduation."
"Phew, that's a relief. So we'll keep going to school together?"
"Yeah."
Fortunately, the timing worked out, and he quickly got government support—no need to move, and no need to drop out for work.
It was truly a blessing.
"What? You already finished the braised beef?"
"Oh, that. It was so good I ate it first. Your aunt's braised beef is the best."
"You should've said something. I could've brought more…."
"That's what I'm doing now."
"Really…!"
He was gradually getting used to this new life.
The hot summer when air conditioning was needed.
He turned down new friends' invitations and was having dinner with Han Yeoryeon for the first time in a while.
"Whoa!"
Suddenly, Yeoryeon stopped eating, her eyes wide as she pointed at the TV.
"That…."
"What?"
Casually glancing at the TV, he unexpectedly heard news about his ex-girlfriend.
It was none other than Ma Yeonseo appearing on the breaking news.
That she'd achieved S-rank.
"Whoa… S-rank! Wasn't she C-rank before?"
"……."
As Yeoryeon exclaimed in admiration and wonder, Yuchan felt a strange mix of emotions hearing about her for the first time since the breakup.
A jumble of feelings, perhaps.
Glad things were going well for her, yet the memory of their last moments resurfaced, leaving his heart heavy.
…Yeah. Better than something bad happening.
Either way, her good news was his good news too.
If he'd heard she'd met with misfortune, his heart wouldn't have been at peace. That's how people were.
She'll do even better from now on.
In truth, Ma Yeonseo was destined for success.
Beautiful, rich family, smart, and awakened a rare ability.
She couldn't fail even if she tried.
Compared to her, what about him?
No money, uncertain future, terrible family situation.
Not even any special powers.
Honestly, maybe he was the only obstacle holding her back.
…That's what he thought.
Time flew by again.
Before he knew it, he and Yeoryeon, on the cusp of college entrance, were busy with their days.
"Ugh, I really don't wanna go to the academy."
"Just a few more days."
"Tch. Even those few days suck."
Both aiming for early admission, they had more leeway than regular admission kids, but it was the biggest event of school life, so they were on edge.
Even more than puberty, honestly.
"Oh, right. Yuchan, did you see that?"
"See what?"
Then one day, news that rocked the world exploded.
"The Primal Stone! It was all over the news yesterday."
"Oh, yeah, I saw."
Out of nowhere, it was about some ancient artifact.
A middle-aged man identifying himself as 'Daniel Kissling' from the European Awakener Association stated gravely.
That the ancient artifact called the Primal Stone truly existed.
In modern terms, ancient artifacts usually meant special items generated from Towers.
In other words, the Primal Stone was one of the items found in Towers….
It was pretty absurd.
There were said to be several Primal Stones across all Towers.
Each held different powers, symbolizing the origins of the world.
Among them, the revealed ones were 'Strength' and 'Light'.
He claimed the US had the Strength Stone, and the European Union the Light Stone.
Up to here, it already sounded like something from a comic or movie.
But the reason for the leak was even more outrageous.
The Primal Stone is not merely an ancient artifact with 'power.' It is a 'weapon' that must not be handled recklessly. We must prevent this weapon from falling into the hands of our enemies.
There was supposedly an evil organization somewhere in the world targeting these stones.
Going further, he claimed governments worldwide were trying to monopolize and weaponize the stones, and this leak was to prevent their misuse.
Isn't the scale too big?
People didn't take his claims seriously. Even Yuchan dismissed it as pie-in-the-sky talk.
But surprisingly, many supported him.
"Whoa…! So cool!"
Around him, Yeoryeon was one.
"Sacrificing himself for the greater good…! Ugh…!"
Aspiring to work at the Awakener Association, she praised Daniel Kissling's sacrificial spirit.
It was a sentiment Yuchan couldn't quite grasp.
"What if he gets killed for that?"
"Pfft, no way he'd die. If he did, that'd be weirder."
And soon after, Daniel Kissling died.
Cause: simple robbery by an awakener after his money.
Of course, no one believed it was just a robbery.
His death made everyone realize.
There really is something going on.
"See? He died."
"B-but… at least it proves the stones exist!"
Unlike Yuchan, who was still skeptical, Yeoryeon kept tracking stone-related articles even amid college prep, showing huge interest.
And not long after.
"Yuchan! Yuchan! It's real!"
"Why the fuss this early?"
"The Primal Stone! They say it really exists!"
"…For real?"
The US was the first to officially acknowledge the stone's existence.
The US President himself announced the stone's identity at an official event.
No way, it's real?
Even Yuchan, skeptical of the stone itself, couldn't ignore it now that the US had stepped up….
"…Hmm…?"
Watching the announcement video on his phone with Yeoryeon, he zoomed in on the greatly enlarged image of the stone and felt a strange sense of familiarity.
It felt somehow familiar.
Just my imagination?
The revealed Strength Stone looked quite ordinary for its power.
A flat, egg-shaped black stone embedded with an intricate red gem like a pattern.
Just like the gem that 'Uncle' had promised to give him as a kid.