The Era of Upheaval
The stage of awakening.
The moment Seong-min saw that mist, he knew Min-hyeok had entered it.
Awakeners were said to appear in an instant. No one could predict how or when. It was a fate decided by the heavens themselves. Those chosen were the Awakeners—and Min-hyeok was no different.
“…M-Min-hyeok… something’s wrong…!”
A-reum’s voice trembled with panic. Seong-min turned to her.
“Noona, he’s entered the stage of awakening.”
“…Awakening…?”
“Yes. Min-hyeok is going through the awakening process right now.”
A-reum’s pupils shook. She might not understand the details, but she knew what an Awakener was. And now they were telling her that Min-hyeok had stepped into that very process.
Seong-min quietly guided her out into the living room.
“They say when someone enters the stage of awakening, you leave them alone.”
“…Is Min-hyeok… going to be okay…?”
“He’ll be fine. He’ll run a high fever for about a week, but it’s not from any illness.”
It was the stage where the body was reshaped for awakening—seven days to forge the vessel. After that, for roughly three more weeks, energy would rise and circulate through him like water filling a cup. By the end of a full month, he would emerge as a complete Awakener. A-reum didn’t know any of that, so of course she was terrified something terrible might happen to him.
“Min-hyeok isn’t going to be hurt… Do you trust me?”
A-reum nodded. Seong-min led her to the sofa, sat her down, then crouched in front of her so their eyes met.
“Noona, listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”
He explained Min-hyeok’s condition in simple terms she could follow—exactly what the stage of awakening meant, tailored to her level of understanding. At first she sat there with anxious, frightened eyes, but as Seong-min’s words continued, calm gradually returned to her. When he finished:
“In a week, Min-hyeok will be able to move around like normal again.”
“…I… trust you, Seong-min… I believe Min-hyeok will be okay…”
“Have you ever seen me lie to you?”
A-reum shook her head.
“…You… never lie to me…”
“Then Min-hyeok will be fine.”
She nodded again.
“I’m just going to check on him for a second.”
A-reum nodded once more. Seong-min rose and slipped quietly into Min-hyeok’s room.
Saaa…
Blue haze rose from Min-hyeok’s sleeping body.
Awakening energy.
Commonly called awakening energy—or, by another name, Psychic Energy. It was flowing out of Min-hyeok right now.
Seong-min stepped closer and held a finger to the haze. It felt faintly warm, yet at the same time like nothing at all. This blue shimmer was the power that turned ordinary humans into superhumans.
Min-hyeok’s awakening…
It was astonishing. And strangely wondrous. He watched for a while, then stepped back out.
A-reum was at the sink preparing two mugs.
“…I was going to make coffee…”
“Then mind if I have a cup?”
She nodded.
She’s still anxious.
Seong-min knew it. His words had settled her somewhat, but her heart wouldn’t be that calm yet. He pulled out his phone and sent a text. A reply came almost immediately.
While they were texting, A-reum brought over the two cups.
“Thanks.”
He watched her sit beside him, cradling her cocoa in both hands. One sip, then another… After a few mouthfuls she looked at him.
“…Aren’t you… drinking your coffee…?”
“I am.”
Seong-min took a sip.
“It’s good.”
The sweet instant coffee spread across his tongue.
“A-reum noona.”
“…Yes…?”
“Even if I say all this, you’re still going to feel uneasy. But you can believe that Min-hyeok really will be okay.”
She nodded.
“You remember the text you sent me, right?”
A-reum had messaged him once—saying she was Min-hyeok’s older sister and asking him to help. How could she forget?
“…I remember…”
“Back then… I thought you were really something. Do you know why?”
She shook her head.
“You trusted me. You believed Min-hyeok would be rescued and waited patiently. You must have been scared and exhausted, terrified something awful would happen to him—yet you held on and got through it. That surprised me.”
“…You said… you’d save Min-hyeok… I… believed you…”
“And you’re going to believe me the same way this time?”
A-reum nodded.
“That’s why I’m telling you this. You acted like the big sister Min-hyeok deserves—with that mature strength of yours. Right…?”
A small smile touched her lips.
“…Yes… I’m… Min-hyeok’s noona… I won’t… get weak…”
“That’s right…”
Seong-min smiled with her.
Time passed, and Yoo Ji-ah arrived.
“Unnie, I’m here.”
Ji-ah waved with a bright smile; A-reum smiled back.
“…Did you… come to hang out…?”
“Yep. Came to see you.”
Then Ji-ah noticed the cups.
“Were you having tea?”
A-reum nodded, then stood.
“…Ji-ah… I’ll make you coffee…”
“Thanks…”
Ji-ah’s eyes curved into crescents. While A-reum prepared another cup, Seong-min glanced toward Min-hyeok’s room.
“It’s exactly like I texted.”
“Can I check?”
Seong-min nodded. Ji-ah rose, approached Min-hyeok’s door, and gently opened it. She took in his condition, then closed it again.
“It’s real…”
She had confirmed the stage of awakening—exactly as the message had said.
“……”
Ji-ah turned her gaze to A-reum, who was carefully making coffee for her. On the surface A-reum looked fine, but the text had already told her everything: A-reum noona seemed emotionally shaken.
A moment later A-reum brought the fresh cup and held it out.
“Thanks, unnie.”
A-reum beamed. That pure smile made anyone’s lips curve upward without thinking.
“While you were making the coffee I checked on Min-hyeok—looks like he’s entered the stage of awakening. Is that right?”
A-reum nodded.
“Then Min-hyeok’s going to be an Awakener now too?”
Another nod.
“Heh… That’s wonderful news, isn’t it? Not just anyone can become an Awakener. Looks like luck found Min-hyeok.”
A-reum smiled and nodded again.
With Ji-ah there as well, they spent the weekend watching over Min-hyeok, streaming a movie on OTT, and ordering fried chicken for delivery.
When night fell and Ji-ah was being seen off, Seong-min made a request.
“Then I’ll leave A-reum noona and Min-hyeok to you.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Thanks.”
“Thanks? The reason I could wash away that heavy gloom was mostly because of A-reum unnie’s help… so you don’t need to thank me.”
“You’re the same, Ji-ah.”
“Hm?”
“You… have something in common with A-reum noona too.”
“……”
Seong-min gave a wry smile, walked to the car, and climbed in.
“I’ll head out then.”
“Yeah…”
She watched from behind as his car slowly left the parking lot and pulled onto the road.
An Awakener, huh…
Min-hyeok had entered the stage of awakening. From this point on, he would become one. Plenty of people wanted to be Awakeners—of course they did. An Awakener rose beyond ordinary humans into something superhuman. Min-hyeok would probably be happy once he learned what he had become.
But Seong-min found himself hesitating. Was becoming an Awakener something that should only be celebrated?
Doesn’t mean I have to see it as bad, either.
There was no real reason to think of it negatively. Once he awakened, Min-hyeok would have power.
I heard they’re sensitive about gathering forces…
The thought came from the way things were now: monsters had appeared, and recruitment among Awakeners had grown fiercely active. Especially once the Central Guild and various regional organizations’ guilds emerged, the scramble only intensified.
A guild was power, influence, and the background that let you stand tall in the world. To secure a foothold and grow stronger, the number of Awakeners joining a guild had to increase—and any Awakener still unaffiliated made perfect prey.
Just as old-school gangsters used to scout popular school delinquents and raise them into full members, guilds were increasingly approaching teenage Awakeners to recruit them. It wasn’t only ordinary Awakener guilds, either. Corporations with capital were doing the same.
And the one leading the pack was none other than the Cheonseong Group.