Prologue
Even back then, watching news like this always left me feeling suffocated.
"This case presents circumstances of the utmost gravity, none of which may be taken lightly. The defendant took the wheel of a large dump truck while drunk, and in his heavily intoxicated state grossly neglected his duty to watch the road ahead and drive with due care. As a result, an entire family was dealt a wound from which it can never recover."
"Three of the victims died at the scene, and the suffering of the surviving family member is no less profound. The bereaved have made it unmistakably clear that they cannot forgive the defendant, and they are petitioning this court for the maximum punishment. This court does not, by any means, regard lightly the culpability of a defendant who brought about such horrific consequences."
"That said, the circumstances in the defendant's favor cannot be ignored either. He is a first-time offender with no prior convictions of a similar nature. He rendered aid immediately after the accident. He has admitted to the crime in full and shown an attitude of deep remorse. And though he himself is in difficult financial straits, he submitted a large settlement deposit for the bereaved — however modest an effort at restitution that may be — and carried comprehensive insurance coverage."
"Case Number 2022 Go-Hap 4741. On the charges of violating the Special Act on the Handling of Traffic Accidents and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes."
"This court hereby sentences the defendant, Hong Chang-sik, to four years' imprisonment."
Bang. Bang. Bang—
Funny, isn't it? A man who murdered an entire family by ramming them with a dump truck gets a measly four years — and we're meant to believe that's close to the maximum the law allows? And the sole surviving victim, on top of it all, was just supposed to swallow it willingly?
The gun was one I'd made on a 3D printer — a crude, shoddy thing, the kind you couldn't expect to aim straight even once.
—BANG!!!
Fortunately for me, the distance was very short. And just like that, the son of a bitch who had killed my mom, my dad, and my younger sibling — every last one of them — collapsed where he stood, blood pouring out of him onto the courtroom floor.
"Hey!! Grab him!!!"
And in the very instant the heavyset court guards bore down on me and pinned me beneath their weight — every sound in the world went silent.
[Congratulations. Designated candidate Jeong Ba-reum has been selected as an Awakened.]
It was the moment of my Awakening.
I'm kicking off a new series. For the time being, following the current trend, updates will run seven days a week. Thank you for reading, and I hope you'll enjoy it!!