Awakeners

Even with the government enacting measures on par with martial law—police, military units, and even Awakeners who had stepped forward for public order all joining the effort—it still wasn't enough to stamp out the disputes and chaos. An Awakener could be anyone, at any moment. No one could predict when the moment of awakening would arrive, and once it did, those intoxicated by their new power inevitably wanted to flaunt it.

With the kind of power that could turn a person into a superhuman, it would be absurd not to get excited. Anyone would want to show it off. Anyone would want to use it. And so, inevitably, incidents erupted.

Of course, ordinary people committing such acts were becoming rarer. The harsh punishments handed down for crimes by Awakeners had made even them feel the weight of consequences. But criminals, psychopaths, and those with rotten hearts—once they awakened—wanted nothing more than to unleash that power freely. They became drunk on the superiority of being an Awakener.

As a result, gangs of such Awakeners began forming, and suppressing those groups was no easy task. Yet as social chaos deepened and the sense of crisis grew, many Awakeners themselves recognized the gravity of the situation and stepped forward actively. And this was hardly limited to Korea. The same scenes played out across the entire world.

In countries like the United States, where firearms were legal, or China, with its population exceeding a billion, the situation was even worse. Just as America had swiftly declared martial law to quell the unrest and move to regulate and control Awakeners, China immediately deployed military units for armed suppression while granting preferential treatment and special privileges to Awakeners who sided with the government, pouring everything into crushing those who sowed chaos. Japan was in a similar position to Korea—without openly declaring martial law, they deployed military units around the same time and began intervening aggressively alongside friendly Awakeners. Europe was no different. In the Middle East, terrorist groups and rebel factions now bolstered by Awakeners had plunged the region into pure pandemonium. Africa was no exception. South America was just as chaotic. In short, the emergence of Awakeners had thrown the entire world into a state of turmoil not seen since the Great Depression.

Ordinary citizens could only tremble with anxiety. Talk even began circulating that the country itself might be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠finished.

Then, as February gave way to March, President Jeong In-su once again took the podium at a Blue House press conference and delivered a national address. Seong-min watched it from the living room with Hye-suk.

What President Jeong In-su announced was the establishment of a special response task force under the Ministry of National Defense—the National Safety Group—for the sake of social order and public safety.

"They're trying to create a proper agency to deal with the Awakeners…?" Hye-suk murmured worriedly as she watched the address. Having nearly suffered greatly at the hands of an Awakener herself, the current situation left her deeply unsettled.

"Looks like they're officially setting up a dedicated special response unit to help the government fight the Awakeners committing evil acts."

The address continued: the ruling and opposition parties had already reached an agreement on victim support and additional funding for the new agency, and supplementary budgets for the subordinate organizations would soon be allocated. One hundred Awakeners would join the National Safety Group under the Ministry of National Defense, and a man named Kang Jung-gil would serve as its temporary director.

The unexpected name made Seong-min's eyes widen.

"Who's this Kang Jung-gil…? If he's taking the temporary director seat… is he an Awakener too?" Hye-suk wondered aloud.

Seong-min was stunned. Kang Jung-gil? He never imagined the man had been planning something like this.

After the national address, both online and offline exploded with noise. Some people placed their hopes on the creation of a special response task force; many others remained skeptical that it could handle the crisis at all. Interest particularly boiled over regarding the one hundred Awakeners who would face their own kind—and especially the man appointed temporary director to lead them. Just who was Kang Jung-gil?

Before long, information surfaced. Kang Jung-gil was the heir to Jungang-hoe, the largest organization in the country, and a legendary figure who had forced every gangster nationwide into submission during last year's underworld power struggles. The irony that Korea had become a drug-free nation because the gangs themselves had cracked down on narcotics—and that the effort had been led by the top national organization, Jungang-hoe, with Kang Jung-gil at its center—spread rapidly. In the wake of President Jeong In-su's address, Kang Jung-gil shot to the number-one search term and topped every SNS trending list. All eyes locked onto him overnight.

One week later, Kang Jung-gil made his official appearance at a press conference. He declared that the nation's current crisis demanded a proper response, and that he himself would take the lead.

Seong-min, of course, did not miss the live broadcast.

During the questions that followed, the inevitable inquiries poured out. When a reporter from a certain newspaper was called on, he took the microphone.

"There have been reports that Mr. Kang Jung-gil is the heir to the largest domestic organization. Is that true?"

Kang Jung-gil nodded.

"It is true."

"Oh my god—he was a gangster?" Hye-suk exclaimed in shock.

As the conference hall buzzed, another reporter was called.

"The National Safety Group is understood to be a special response task force composed of Awakeners. Even as a temporary appointment, doesn't sitting in the director's seat feel like a heavy burden?"

"I believe that level of pressure is something one must naturally carry."

Yet another reporter was pointed to.

"Then are you yourself an Awakener, Mr. Kang? It's said that even among Awakeners there are vast differences in ability. Where would you place yourself among them?"

"I pride myself on standing at the peak."

At the word "peak," the press conference hall erupted once more.

"And one more thing I should add… I am not an Awakener."

The hall exploded.

That day's press conference once again became the talk of the nation and a source of fierce controversy. People reacted violently to a man who was not even an Awakener declaring himself the peak. By now, no one was ignorant of what Awakeners were. For an ordinary human—not an Awakener—to call himself the pinnacle went beyond absurd; it was incomprehensible.

As the reporters in the hall continued to stir, Kang Jung-gil stated that he would resolve the crisis within one month—starting exactly one week from that day.

For a full week the arguments raged. Skepticism ran high that a response team led by a madman who wasn't even an Awakener yet called himself the peak could possibly clean up the situation.

The overall mood on SNS was dominated by insults and criticism aimed at Kang Jung-gil. A man who wasn't an Awakener spouting nonsense about being the peak was the perfect target for mockery and ridicule.

And tomorrow would mark exactly one week—the day he had promised to begin operations.

With the entire nation watching, the National Safety Group centered on Kang Jung-gil finally moved. Naturally, those who had watched with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pure skepticism, certain the crisis could never be stopped, and the netizens who had torn him apart on SNS all settled in to watch how thoroughly he would humiliate himself.

Then the operations began. The citizens who had looked on with doubt, and the netizens who had publicly roasted him, could only stare in absolute shock.

Among the most notorious Awakener gangs nationwide, the Red Curl crew that had terrorized Incheon was crushed with overwhelming skill. The thirty Awakeners who had moved with him never even needed to step in. Kang Jung-gil alone subdued every Awakener in the Red Curl gang, displaying power of staggering magnitude.

Footage of the entire Red Curl crew being arrested and loaded into transport vehicles aired nationwide, and the public reeled. That was only the beginning. Kang Jung-gil sought out every infamous, vicious Awakener gang across the country and burned into people's minds exactly what the word "superhuman"—so often attached to Awakeners—truly meant.

The Awakeners belonging to the National Safety Group handled only the cleanup. Kang Jung-gil alone beat down and subdued the criminal Awakeners. An unbelievable spectacle. A shocking display he presented to the masses—as an ordinary human who was not an Awakener.

One month. That was how long it took Kang Jung-gil to suppress and subdue every Awakener who had built a fearsome reputation. Within that span, every last one of them fell to him.

During that single month, Kang Jung-gil created a storm that swept not only Korea but the entire world. Overwhelming presence. Absolute strength. He showed the world an ordinary human suppressing and thrashing Awakeners who had reached the realm of superhumans. As a result, the word he had first spoken at the press conference—"the peak"—was repeated everywhere. He was called the one who stood at the summit.

In the space of a month, Kang Jung-gil had established himself as a being no one dared approach.

Seong-min could scarcely believe the results Kang Jung-gil had produced over those thirty days. The netizens who had cursed and publicly flayed the man for calling himself the peak at a press conference had all become his followers. They were singing his praises.

And that night, Seong-min received a phone call.

It was Kang Jung-gil himself.

"…I did."

"……"

"……"

Seong-min ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had no choice but to acknowledge it. Even if Awakeners were extraordinary enough to be called superhumans, they were fundamentally different from those who possessed a Status Window—just as the man had said. Because Kang Jung-gil had earned the title of Jeoldaeja—The Absolute.