Dimensional Rift
That night, Seong-min and Yoo Ji-ah spent the birthday celebration well.
At the restaurant party, every child living at the orphanage was included. They ate delicious food, and representatives from among the children and the teachers stepped forward to offer congratulations to the director on her birthday. Seong-min and Ji-ah were part of it as well.
In particular, an unexpected and generous delivery of chicken and pizza arrived, and the children were genuinely delighted. On top of that, Kim Geum-rye received a gift of wild ginseng extract gold worth a million won along with formal suits she could wear in spring and summer. She was truly moved, and everyone smiled and applauded for her.
After that joyful birthday feast where laughter never left the room, Seong-min and Ji-ah climbed the back mountain carrying churu treats, milk, and paper cups.
“I really have to be grateful to Teacher Ju A-ram…”
“Yeah… Haengboki’s still looked after because of Teacher Ju A-ram. And the fact that you and I could meet again like this is thanks to her too.”
“Mm…”
They had been genuinely astonished that Haengboki’s grave was still so carefully maintained. If Teacher Ju A-ram had not tended it, the little grave would never have remained so intact.
“We’re here, Haengboki…”
Third grade of elementary school. It had been a short meeting. With their little hands they had even made a grave. Years passed, and the boy and girl who had once been children were now adults coming to visit Haengboki once more.
“You’re not upset that we haven’t come to see you for so long, right?”
Yoo Ji-ah squatted down and gently plucked the small weeds around the grave.
“Still, I brought you something tasty.”
Ji-ah peeled open a churu treat and set it carefully in front of Haengboki’s grave. Then she opened the milk, poured it into a paper cup, and Seong-min sprinkled it thoroughly over the grave and the surrounding earth.
“We bring good things every time we come, so don’t feel left out, Haengboki.”
To both Seong-min and Ji-ah, even if Haengboki had already gone to cat heaven, the little cat remained someone special.
“Haengboki… I promise you. From now on I’ll never lose heart… I’ll live my life hard. I’m already trying to live that way. If you don’t believe me, Seong-min right here can be my witness—whether I’m really living like that or not…”
After pouring the last of the milk into the cup and sprinkling it carefully for Haengboki, Ji-ah looked at Seong-min.
“Right, Seong-min?”
“Of course.”
The way Yoo Ji-ah squatted there, turning her head to gaze at Haengboki’s grave, still carried the exact look of the third-grade class president she had once been.
While Seong-min was lost in that quiet emotion, looking at Ji-ah and Haengboki, his phone rang. He turned, checked the screen, and answered.
“Hey, Min-hyeok.”
The caller was none other than Min-hyeok himself.
“Hyung…”
“I saw the texts you sent. Looks like you’re having a really good time.”
Just from the photos Min-hyeok had uploaded to the group chat, it was obvious how much fun he was having in Sokcho.
“Min-hyeok?”
When Ji-ah asked, Seong-min nodded.
“We just finished the birthday party a little while ago and came up the back mountain for a bit to see Haengboki…”
“Hyung, it’s chaos right now.”
“Huh? Chaos?”
Seong-min was puzzled.
“A dimensional rift appeared in Sokcho.”
“…What?”
“Sokcho Beach is completely turned upside down.”
“A dimensional rift?”
Seong-min adjusted his grip on the phone.
“A dimensional rift appeared at Sokcho Beach?”
Ji-ah stared at him with wide, startled eyes.
“Hyung, that’s not the important part…”
“Why? Did someone get hurt?”
“Everyone’s okay… but…”
“But what? Stop dragging it out and just say it.”
Seong-min listened to everything Min-hyeok told him.
“So I got there and took the monster down, right?”
“What about Mi-ju?”
“I already told you… everyone’s okay.”
“Did she get proper treatment at the hospital?”
“….”
Min-hyeok did not answer.
“Min-hyeok?”
A bad feeling settled over Seong-min.
“…Did she use it?”
“…She almost died. It happened so suddenly. I jumped in front to protect Auntie and Noona and took a heavy hit myself. I was badly hurt.”
“….”
“There was no choice… In that situation there really was no choice. If I wanted to save Mi-ju…”
“Min-hyeok, where are you right now…?”
“At a rest stop…”
“A rest stop?”
“We stopped for a bit on the way to National Safety Group headquarters…”
“….”
“Hyung, the reason I called… the situation right now isn’t easy.”
“Got it. I’m coming.”
Seong-min ended the call.
“Seong-min, what happened? A dimensional rift?”
“Ji-ah, I think we need to head back up to Seoul.”
“Okay…”
Ji-ah could feel that something serious was going on as well.
They came down from the back mountain and asked Director Kim Geum-rye and Teacher Ju A-ram for understanding, explaining that something had come up and they would have to return to Seoul that same day. The two women told them it was fine and to go right away.
“We were planning to stay the night. I’m sorry we can’t.”
“No, no… If it’s urgent, of course you have to go. We still got to celebrate the birthday together, didn’t we? That’s enough.”
They apologized once more to the director and Teacher Ju A-ram who had come out to see them off, then got into the car and left.
“What do you think happened…?”
Watching Seong-min’s BMW 520d pull away, Ju A-ram asked with a worried expression.
“I don’t know… Looking at how quickly they’re leaving, it must be urgent. I just hope it isn’t something bad…”
Kim Geum-rye and Ju A-ram stood there watching until the car disappeared from sight.
“Seong-min, what on earth is going on…?”
Ji-ah still had not asked for the full details of what had happened. She only knew that a dimensional rift had appeared in Sokcho and that monsters pouring out of it had caused an uproar. More importantly, A-reum unnie, Min-hyeok, Auntie Hye-suk, and even Mi-ju had all been there. She had first met Mi-ju the previous autumn; the girl had a prickly side, but she was not a bad kid. Once they got to know each other, they had naturally grown close.
And there was one more thing Ji-ah knew.
Mi-ju liked Min-hyeok.
On the surface they bickered and sniped at each other, but even Ji-ah could see it clearly—Mi-ju liked him. If today had not been the director’s birthday, they would have gone to Sokcho together.
“No one got hurt, right?”
Back on the mountain he had said everyone was fine. But the fact that they were racing back to Seoul meant something had definitely happened.
“She recovered.”
“Recovered?”
On the mountain he had said they were okay. Now he was saying she had recovered.
“I’ll tell you too, Ji-ah. That day… why I couldn’t go back to gombang work, and why A-reum noona came looking for me and we ended up sleeping together.”
“You said it was because Auntie was really sick.”
“She was sick… but it wasn’t just ordinary sickness.”
As they sped along the highway, Seong-min began explaining everything that had happened, slowly and carefully. The further he went, the more Ji-ah’s expression shifted from moment to moment. The things he was telling her were that shocking and that astonishing.
“So Auntie became an Awakener like Min-hyeok?”
What surprised her most was that the period of illness had not simply been illness—it had been the stage of awakening.
“That’s right… after Seong-jun hyung…”
“….”
When she had first heard about Auntie Hye-suk’s son Seong-jun, Ji-ah’s heart had ached too. Thinking of a son who became an Awakener, entered a Monster Hole, was badly injured, and lost his life—what must it have felt like for her to awaken herself? It could not have been a happy thing.
“And… I learned about the existence of the White Angels.”
“White Angels…?”
As they drove the highway, Seong-min explained what the White Angels were.
“The name White Angel really suits them perfectly, doesn’t it…? Even if the body is completely ruined and the person is on the brink of death, as long as there’s still a breath of life left, they can restore them…”
It was a miracle, pure and simple. White Angel—the words fit them completely.
“How many of them are there…?”
“It’s known that there are forty-seven in the whole world.”
“That’s definitely a small number…”
“Originally there were fifty-one.”
“Then what about the other four?”
“They died.”
“Killed by monsters…?”
“No. They burned through their own life force.”
Seong-min explained how the White Angels’ miracle actually worked.
“That’s so cruel…”
Hearing it, Ji-ah’s face filled with pity. In the end, that power saved someone by consuming the user’s own life.
“Some people call it the sacrifice of the few for the greater good… but I don’t see it that way. When you’re the one involved, you can’t think like that. Especially…”
“Especially…?”
“From my position, looking at Auntie who already lost Seong-jun hyung…”
“What do you mean by that…?”
Ji-ah found Seong-min’s words a little strange. Why was he suddenly bringing that up?
“Now… there are forty-eight White Angels.”
“For… forty-eight…?”
At that answer, something rose in Ji-ah’s mind.
“W… wait, you don’t mean…?”
“Auntie isn’t an ordinary Awakener.”
“?!”
In that instant Ji-ah turned to Seong-min with a look of pure shock.
“…Auntie should never have used that power. In the age of Awakeners, White Angels are truly important beings—assets.”
“…She used it, didn’t she? Earlier you said she recovered… That’s it, right? She used that power…!”
“…There was no other choice. If they’d left things as they were… Mi-ju would have died.”
“……?!”
All the way to Seoul, Seong-min explained everything that had happened to Ji-ah. She had known they were heading back because something had come up, but she had never imagined an incident of this scale.
When they finally entered Seoul, parked in the National Safety Group headquarters lot, and walked toward the main gate, a large crowd had already gathered. Security personnel were controlling the area and blocking the way.
Seong-min walked straight toward the man who looked like the officer in charge of the guards. One of the security men stepped in front of Seong-min and Ji-ah.
“You cannot approach any farther.”
“Would you mind telling that man something for me?”
“Tell him what?”
“That I have a private relationship with the Director.”
“…Excuse me?”
The unexpected claim left the guard momentarily blank.
“I’ll give you a clear warning. If you stop me from going inside, Kang Jung-gil himself will come out.”
The words might have sounded absurd, but the look in Seong-min’s eyes was completely serious.
“J-just wait a moment.”
The guard turned, went to the officer in charge, and seemed to explain something. A short while later he came back.
“May I ask your name?”
“Lee Seong-min.”
The guard returned to the officer again. The officer appeared to make a call somewhere and waited. After about five minutes of further conversation, the officer himself approached.
“My apologies. They’re sending someone out from inside. Please enter through that side door and wait; they’ll meet you at the rear entrance.”
Seong-min nodded and went with Ji-ah through the side door into the guard room. Not long after, a knock came from the door that connected to the interior. It opened, and a man with a rough, solid face stepped in.
Everyone waiting inside the guard room rose at once and offered a respectful greeting.
It was none other than Deputy Director Jeon Dok-jin.