Rank 0 at the Awakened Academy — Episode 6: One Second Behind
…Looks like that kid can really run.
From what Jiwoo had overheard among her group mates, they all seemed convinced that this Moon Yoojin boy would take first place. Jiwoo spared him a single sidelong glance and then withdrew her eyes. Better to do some light stretching before the run.
…Ah, but first.
I should cover the wound on the back of my hand.
She rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. The wound itself wasn't large—it would heal soon enough anyway—but…
— Some people might try to use your ability for bad things, Jiwoo. So you must never use your Core carelessly in front of strangers. You understand what Mom and Dad mean, right?
Her parents had always worried about Jiwoo using her Core in front of others. Both of them were gone now, but habits, it turned out, were not so easily broken.
Sorry, Mom, Dad. Somehow I've already used my Core twice today alone.
The first time had been in front of the Abyss.
And the second, just now, in front of that injured boy.
If Mom and Dad were still alive, they'd have fainted dead away.
One Awakened, one Core. In the modern world, that was simply common knowledge.
But not for Jiwoo. Jiwoo had been born the one and only Awakened in history to possess multiple Cores.
Her first Core was Regeneration. Unlike Jihyo, whose power could heal only her own wounds, Jiwoo's could accelerate healing in others as well. In a word, it meant healing.
There was a catch, as one could plainly see—a side effect. She took on the other person's pain and injury exactly as they were.
Then there was her second Core, Psychokinesis. The ability to move objects without ever touching them—telekinesis in the purest sense of the word.
That was all? No. Healing, psychokinesis, and one more besides… a final Core that the world knew nothing about. Which meant that Jiwoo carried three Cores in total.
— What kind of Awakened in this world has more than one Core? She'd have to be a monster.
The hand wrapping the handkerchief around her knuckles froze mid-motion.
"……"
Jiwoo's expression darkened.
What if word ever got out that a being with three Cores existed? If anything, the world would be thrown into an uproar.
And not in a good way.
Worse still, Jiwoo surpassed ordinary Awakened in every physical respect—stamina, strength, lung capacity, agility, all of it.
But that was precisely why she had to be locked away for her entire life. Her extraordinary abilities hadn't come to her through simple good fortune.
— We should have disposed of her right then. Do you truly fail to grasp how fatal a liability it will be to keep that thing alive?
— Father…!
— Why don't we just advertise it, then? Tell the whole world the company manufactures Awakened through human experimentation.
Those were the words her grandfather had spoken to her parents. Jiwoo had come to understand what they meant shortly after her parents died—she'd been around six years old at the time.
A project that the chairman of the pharmaceutical company had been carrying out in secret for many years.
【An experiment to artificially create Awakened.】
Jiwoo was a byproduct of that experiment.
Since Jihyo and Jiwoo were twins, to be precise, they had both been born of the experiment. But Jihyo and Jiwoo were different—because Jihyo, at least, was a success. She had been born a "normal" Awakened with a Regeneration Core.
And what about Seol Jiwoo?
—A smashing success. A jackpot no one had intended. She had been born too perfectly.
An unprecedented Awakened wielding three Cores—and yet, burdened with a fatal flaw: an infant who couldn't fully control even her own power. Anyone who looked at Jiwoo would be seized by the same question. Could such an Awakened really exist in this world?
And if someone ever dug up the story of her birth?
The shadow of Seolhwa Pharmaceuticals—unethical, inhumane, criminal—would be laid bare before the world.
She understood now. That was what her grandfather had feared.
His conscience was already burdened enough, and then her parents had gone and risked breaking the law to save Jiwoo's life—pouring fuel directly onto his fear. Her grandfather had wanted Jiwoo dead.
But what could she do about it? She had already been born.
Still… they said the CCTV in front of the Abyss didn't catch my face.
When she'd used her healing Core earlier, the other party had been a small child, too. It would probably be fine. It wasn't as if she could have just walked past a kid that young, hurt and crying, without it weighing on her.
"Last group, you're up. Line up."
The teacher's voice called from far away, and Jiwoo shook off her thoughts.
"Hey, gather round! It's Yoojin's turn!"
"Where? I'm sitting front row."
"Move it, I got here first. I have to film it."
The class swarmed over in a rush, all of them hoping to witness the moment Moon Yoojin ran. Jiwoo walked calmly toward the white starting line.
Setting aside their special ability—the Core—Awakened were leagues beyond ordinary humans in every attribute: stamina, strength, endurance, all of it. Of course, even among them, the occasional Awakened stood out with visibly exceptional numbers.
That Moon Yoojin fellow, presumably, was one of them.
Just how fast can he run?
Standing shoulder to shoulder at the starting line, she felt a flicker of nerves. Come to think of it, Jiwoo had never once competed against anyone in her life. Every class she'd ever taken—including PE—had been taught at home.
Soyoung said someone at my level could keep up with the curriculum just fine, but…
While she was still thinking it over, the teacher raised a hand high.
"Ready—"
Before the starting signal even fell, Jiwoo and her groupmates eased into their crouches. Jiwoo stole a glance to her right.
Bathed in the cheers of his classmates, Moon Yoojin's smooth face showed no change of expression whatsoever. The whole class believed without a shred of doubt that he would take first. In that case…
Let's aim for second place.
That would be just right, if she could manage it. Taking first for no reason might invite suspicion. A respectable result, but not one too eye-catching—second place fit the bill.
I just need to come in a second or two behind Moon Yoojin, right?
Bang!
The gunshot tore through the air, and her feet kicked up dirt.
Ta-dat…!
The gap opened the instant they launched. Moon Yoojin pulled ahead at what could only be called the speed of light.
"Kyaaah! Yoojin!"
Amid the fervent cheers swelling around her, the rest of the group gritted their teeth and churned up the dirt trying to catch him—
…Huh?
A trace of bewilderment crept across Jiwoo's face as she closed in on Yoojin.
And no wonder.
He's slower than I thought…?
From everything she'd heard, she'd expected this Moon Yoojin boy to have astonishing athletic gifts.
Oops—almost caught up.
Better slow down a little more. As inconspicuously as possible, Jiwoo let the distance to Yoojin stretch back out.
"Moon Yoojin, first place!"
Only after she'd confirmed that he'd crossed the finish line did she put on a full sprint.
Ta-at!
However she looked at it, the plan had gone off without a hitch. Jiwoo crossed the line exactly as intended, about one second behind Moon Yoojin.
That was close. I almost took first.
A different kind of sweat prickled out on her, bead by bead. She was lightly brushing the sweat from her chin with the back of her hand when it happened.
"S-Seol Jihyo, second place…"
…Hm? Something about the atmosphere felt off. Strangely quiet all around—
The instant she straightened up from wiping her face, someone muttered, as if they couldn't believe their own eyes.
"…Is this for real?"
The children began to murmur among themselves.
"What. What just happened?"
"Hey, did I see that right?"
"Yoojin ran a forty, and Seol Jihyo ran a forty-one…?"
She couldn't follow their conversation perfectly, but one thing seemed clear.
"Isn't that faster than Han-gyeol?"
Jiwoo's lips parted slightly.
…Ah. I may have messed up.