Chapter 14: Encounter (2)
Chapter 14: Encounter (2)
Since the Association treated Wolyeong with the utmost respect, providing a private jet for her international travels was a matter of course.
“I’ll be taking my leave now. Please call me immediately if you need anything.”
“Understood.”
The Association staff member noticed that Wolyeong had become uncharacteristically cooperative this time, acting in a way that benefited the Association and Japan. However, he also realized her underlying attitude hadn't changed one bit.
In fact, her voice was as icy as ever. Detecting a slight edge in her tone that suggested she wasn't in the best of moods, he quickly bowed and retreated, closing the door behind him.
Having frequently served as Wolyeong’s attendant, the staff member’s intuition was spot on.
At this moment, Wolyeong was incredibly confused and furious.
As soon as the employee left, she pulled out her smartphone.
She had glanced at it briefly earlier, but now she could clearly see the sharp cracks spiderwebbing across the screen, making the display flicker unstable.
The screen showed a credit card transaction notification.
‘Why is the card I gave Shin-a...’
The woman hidden beneath the black robe and black veil was Han Shin’s older sister, Kang Yujin.
She was currently in a state of profound confusion and rage.
The card she had given Han Shin for his convenience was one she had personally issued.
Curious about what Han Shin would eat or buy while she was away, she had set it up so that every transaction notification would be sent to her.
To Wolyeong—no, to Kang Yujin—Han Shin was more precious than anything else in the world.
Being away from him like this was incredibly irritating and loathsome to her. However, Han Shin had been severely injured two years ago, resulting in massive medical bills. Even now, he had difficulty moving, and a vast amount of money was required to ensure he could live comfortably.
That was why she had begun working as an Awakener while keeping her identity a secret.
An Awakener could grasp basic wealth and fame, but that came with an equal weight of responsibility.
Kang Yujin believed that if she officially revealed herself as an Awakener, the time she could spend with Han Shin would be drastically reduced.
In truth, Yujin could have ignored all that and insisted on living only for Han Shin...
But considering Han Shin’s past, Awakeners weren't exactly welcome existences to him. She also knew he wouldn't stand by and watch her do nothing with her abilities.
Even if he were okay with her being an Awakener, he would undoubtedly insist she use her powers to help others rather than stubbornly staying by his side.
This was why Yujin hated the fact that her periods of separation from Han Shin were becoming so long.
The reason for Yujin’s current confusion and anger was the notification that Han Shin had purchased women’s clothing and underwear.
Furthermore, the purchase had been made in the evening at a large mart near their home.
‘Just what on earth is going on?’
Yujin knew better than anyone that Han Shin didn't even have a woman he could call.
Because she had blocked them all.
Beneath the black veil, Yujin’s eyes were cold and hollow.
To her, Han Shin was her younger brother and her entire world.
She didn't know exactly when it had started.
Was it during the chaotic period when monsters first poured out of the portals and they both lost their parents? When Han Shin had grabbed her hand and sprinted through the streets, hiding in the alleys?
She didn't know if her feelings for him had sparked then, but they certainly weren't as intense as they were now.
After entering the same orphanage together, they lived as siblings despite not being blood-related. It was an undeniable fact that her feelings for him had grown bit by bit over time.
Before she knew it, Yujin was completely infatuated with Han Shin. Then, late in middle school, her talent finally awakened.
She was a Psychokinetic, capable of manifesting telekinetic force according to her will.
Yujin knew instantly that she possessed an incredible talent.
Things that others considered amazing were nothing to her.
But she always kept it hidden.
She knew that if she revealed her powers at that age, there was a high probability she would be separated from Han Shin.
Yujin was confident that even if she didn't become an Awakener, she could live a perfectly happy life with Han Shin as an ordinary person.
That was the case until Han Shin nearly died trying to save others right after he was discharged from the military.
“Sigh... What could have happened?”
No matter how much she thought about it, Yujin couldn't understand.
Back when they attended the same high school, she had secretly chased away all the vixens who clung to him...
And after he was injured, she knew better than anyone that he had no opportunity to meet anyone else.
Because she, Kang Yujin, had intended it that way and made it so.
No matter how she looked at it, there was no way Han Shin was meeting a woman, let alone buying her clothes and underwear.
It wasn't as if Han Shin had been kidnapped or a burglar had broken in, stolen his card, and harmed him.
If that were the case, they wouldn't have bought just a single women’s tracksuit and a set of underwear.
‘He definitely bought them as a gift for someone...’
On her second day in Japan, after helping clear a dungeon and returning to her lodgings to rest, she had seen the notification and wanted to fly back to Korea immediately.
She considered calling him right then to interrogate him...
But doing so might leave a trail that could expose her identity.
Whether it was the Japanese or Korean governments or the Association, she couldn't fully trust them despite their hospitality, so she acted with extreme caution.
Thus, after calming herself down, Yujin’s chosen course of action was to check on him via an untraceable messaging app.
[Shin-a, is everything okay?]
She feared a long message would betray her emotions and look suspicious, so she kept it as brief and restrained as possible...
[Yeah, nothing’s wrong. Don’t worry about me, Noona.]
Han Shin replied immediately, insisting he was fine.
Yujin’s eyes narrowed slightly.
To her, it was obvious something was wrong, and seeing Han Shin lie about it made her feel both slighted and certain that some woman had somehow managed to worm her way into his life.
‘Did he meet a woman through an internet chat or something...?’
She knew well that since Han Shin regained some use of his upper body a month ago, he had been using the computer to look for work.
Even though she told him not to, she couldn't stop him from trying.
Since Yujin monitored everything about Han Shin, she knew he didn't do much on the computer other than check the news.
He didn't play games; he was solely focused on job hunting, which had made her feel sorry for him.
But now, she began to hallucinate scenarios where a weary Han Shin, seeking comfort elsewhere, had been targeted by a woman looking to take advantage of him.
Snap.
“Ah...”
Without realizing it, she had gripped her smartphone too hard, breaking it.
Fortunately, it wasn't completely pulverized and still functioned, but the communication features were fried, making it impossible to call or text.
Since that day, Yujin had no way to contact Han Shin. With only the credit card notification history saved on her phone, she stared at it, wishing she could return to him sooner.
The reason she had rushed through her scheduled tasks and handled matters in a way that benefited other Awakeners was precisely for this.
At the thought of seeing Han Shin soon, Yujin steeled her resolve in a different sense.
Yujin’s mission in Japan had been in the Osaka area, so the return trip to Korea was naturally short.
The private jet carrying her arrived at a military airfield in Sejong City.
The woman in the black robe disembarked and left immediately without a word.
Usually, she would at least offer a brief greeting, so the Association staff member sighed, realizing Wolyeong’s mood today was truly foul.
“Whew...”
The staff member looked away for a moment, and when he looked back, Wolyeong had vanished into thin air.
“She’s already gone. I should report this first.”
The staff member hurried away, deciding he should also report Wolyeong’s apparent bad mood.
The reason Kang Yujin had disappeared so suddenly was due to an artifact she had obtained in a dungeon.
The black robe was something Yujin had acquired while working as an Awakener after Han Shin’s injury; it was a Stealth Artifact that granted invisibility.
Before she had this, she had to go through the hassle of jumping between buildings and using her psychokinesis to destroy every CCTV camera that might catch her. This was much more convenient.
While invisible, Yujin used her psychokinesis to fly through the air toward the urban center of Sejong City.
Her destination was a building on the outskirts of the city where she used to "commute" before her activities as Wolyeong.
Naturally, it was a building she owned. Before she began her life as an Awakener, she always stopped here.
It was part of her effort to hide her identity as much as possible, fearing that Han Shin would worry or distance himself if he knew she was an Awakener.
The relationship between ordinary people and Awakeners was complex and subtle.
While some were enthusiastic about those who displayed supernatural abilities seen only in movies, novels, or games to fight monsters, others were apprehensive and hostile.
It was natural for people to feel uneasy about beings clearly stronger than ordinary humans...
And since not all Awakeners were good people—many were villains—crimes did occur, leading many to hold such negative views.
Most importantly, Han Shin’s parents had been murdered not by a monster, but by an Awakener.
The problem was a psychopath who, upon gaining power as an Awakener, developed a strong urge to kill.
A piece of trash who lacked the courage to face monsters but was addicted to the thrill of murdering weaker ordinary people.
Tragically, Han Shin’s parents had both been killed by that man.
Of course, Yujin had never seen Han Shin express hostility or discomfort toward Awakeners because of it.
In fact, he seemed to view them much like any other ordinary person.
However, Yujin could never bring herself to reveal the truth, fearing that Han Shin might harbor a secret hatred for Awakeners and distance himself from her.
“Phew...”
After quickly washing up and changing clothes, Yujin returned to the career-woman look Han Shin was accustomed to.
Normally, she would have meticulously checked her appearance in a full-length mirror to ensure there were no flaws...
‘I don’t have time for that right now.’
Yujin wanted to get home immediately, see Han Shin’s face, and find out what was going on.
As she drove home, her grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly.
Fortunately, even though it was rush hour, there was no traffic, and Yujin arrived home quickly.
For some reason, she had to calm her racing heart.
Strangely, she felt certain that Han Shin was with a woman right now.
Logically, it was unlikely, as she believed he wouldn't be attractive to other women given his injuries and limited mobility... but seeing that he had bought women’s clothes and underwear, she couldn't help but think that way.
She even spiraled into delusions that someone might be treating him well just to pull off an even bigger scam.
This was a side of Kang Yujin that those who knew her from her school days or her brief time at a major corporation would find impossible to imagine.
Fidgeting with her hands on the wheel, gripping and releasing, she looked visibly anxious to anyone watching.
‘Calm down... Why am I so worked up?’
Yujin tried to steady herself.
She worried that if she got too excited, she might accidentally misuse her powers and hurt Han Shin.
“Haa...”
Having calmed down slightly, Yujin got out of the car, pulled her carrier, and headed for the front door.
She punched in the code for the door lock...
And when the door swung open, standing before her was a Platinum-haired Woman in White Tracksuit, staring right back at her.