An Unexpected Reunion
Susukkang — real name Kang Suyeon — had been active on the Hunter Gallery for going on five years now. Every night, she'd set out a bowl of water and pray to awaken. And then, one day, she woke up in the morning and it had actually happened.
That very day she quit her job on the spot and made a beeline for the Hunter Association. Call it luck, but she walked out with a B-rank hunter license, certified as a mage — a noble class — with three skills under her belt.
Of course, on the very day of her awakening, that whole 'Azure Dragon' business blew up and she nearly got dragged off by force. Luckily, the whole thing vanished without a trace, and her life was spared.
Even now, whenever the memory of that day surfaces mid-sleep, she wakes up drenched in sweat. But hey — she's grateful to be alive.
Then came the news that 'AwakeningPlease' — a.k.a. 'Gakjae' — the fellow gallery denizen who'd been posting pointless threads about wanting to awaken, just like her, had finally awakened. Normally Suyeon wouldn't have been the one to suggest meeting up first.
But the fact that this person had awakened without posting a single license verification was suspicious, and there was an unspoken closeness between them besides. So she worked up the courage to ask for a meetup — partly to verify the truth, partly to see for herself.
That said, it was a well-known secret that said "closeness" had been built entirely on the two of them gushing at three in the morning about what skills they'd want if they ever became hunters.
She'd been at the meeting spot for twenty minutes already, with about ten left until the appointed time — and yet an unease she couldn't name kept creeping up on her. The reason was simple: 'Gakjae' had shown zero intention of reading the messages she'd been sending since earlier.
"If you're gonna ghost me, at least give me a heads-up."
She'd done her makeup from scratch first thing in the morning on the off chance this person really had awakened — thinking she might widen her connections, you see. So this was enough to make steam shoot out of her ears. Still, just to be safe, she decided she'd wait until two, and if they still hadn't shown, leave without a shred of regret.
Creeeak—.
The bus hissed to a halt, its doors folded open, and people came pouring out. The same Seoul bus scene as any other day. The only difference was the small foreign child squeezed out along with the crowd.
Golden blonde hair you'd never see on a Korean child, so otherworldly it caught the light. Vivid blue eyes that suited that face perfectly. An outfit like something a child model would wear — the kind a doting mother had clearly put together. It was the sort of kid that made passersby turn around for a second look.
The kind of child that made her think: if I ever get married and have a daughter, I hope she's exactly like that.
Apparently the bus ride had been stuffy, because the child let out one big, relieved exhale, then pulled out a phone and set fingertips flying busily across the screen. Hmm. Foreigner or Korean, smartphone addiction is universal.
Di-ring—.
Right on cue, her phone chimed, and a cascade of notifications from 'Gakjae' spilled across the screen.
Thank god. Didn't run away after all. If they'd ghosted her, she was fully prepared to make sure they could never post on the Hunter Gallery again.
Kang Suyeon read 'Gakjae's' message and scanned her surroundings. A middle-aged man, a grandmother, another grandmother. Students out enjoying the weekend, maybe because it was Sunday. No one in particular looked like 'Gakjae'.
Or... could that guy standing around blankly over there be 'Gakjae'?
Hard to believe, considering they whined every single day about not being able to find a job.
Kang Suyeon half-wondered whether 'Gakjae' was pretending to be here just to mess with her, but bottom line, she had nothing to lose — so she obediently described the outfit she'd put together for today.
"Haah... Why is meeting one person this difficult."
Just then, the little girl who'd been standing blankly in front of the bus stop, soaking up every passing gaze, lifted her head — and her eyes started darting around in a hurry.
Then her gaze snapped to a dead stop in Kang Suyeon's direction. The girl visibly startled and began toddling toward her in quick, short steps.
"Huh? Does she need directions?"
Made sense — a young woman like herself would feel less intimidating than a grandma or some middle-aged guy. Ah, she should've studied English. Great.
Just as she was cursing her school days and racking her brain—
"A-are you... S-Susukkang?"
The little girl had walked right up to her — and out of that child's mouth came words that should never, ever have come out.
"...AwakeningPlease?"
The girl's eyes went round as saucers, and a tiny finger rose to point at Kang Suyeon.
"Y-you're a girl?!"
"That's MY line!!"
Sliiiiip—.
Droplets of condensation beaded down the surface of the glass cup. I sucked at the iced tea Susukkang had bought me through the straw. Nothing in this world tastes better than free food, truly.
Clink—.
Ice knocked against the glass. I'd practically finished the whole thing already, yet the iced Americano sitting across from me hadn't moved an inch. Had maybe an ice cube or two melted? She'd been stroking her chin wordlessly and staring at me this whole time. Say something if you've got something to say — you're suffocating me here.
"S-so... AwakeningPlease...?"
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
"You really are the actual person, right? Not like, some bro posting on your behalf."
"...I'm really them, though."
"Well, I'd have to be able to BELIEVE that, wouldn't I."
"That night, drunk at three a.m., you said Cha Yura's butt—"
"HEY HEY HEY!! I believe you!!"
Susukkang's scream pierced the quiet jazz drifting through the café. I could feel every head in the place turning to gawk at us.
"Haah... No, seriously, why is a tiny little kid the one who shows up."
"I can hear everything, you know."
"I said it so you'd hear it. Anyway, what's your name? I can't keep calling you AwakeningPlease."
"...Seo Yeoreum."
"Korean? Ah, no wonder your Korean sounded so natural. I'm Kang Suyeon. Twenty-five. And you, Yeoreum?"
"...Twenty-six."
"Don't lie."
"I'm serious though...."
"Then show me your ID."
At Kang Suyeon's words, my hand went for my wallet — and froze. I... my body changed, didn't it? My ID still shows my original face. The male one. So picture this: a tiny little kid like me whipping out a grown man's ID. Wouldn't she just snort and assume I grabbed my older brother's by mistake?
While I fumbled, unable to produce the wallet, Kang Suyeon, sitting across from me, opened her mouth.
"Oh, come on. A pipsqueak this small lying to your unnie's face. Hmm? Is the whole 'awakened' thing a lie too?"
"Th-that part is real!"
"Gotta be able to believe it first."
"Grrrgh!!"
And here I thought she was a nice person, buying me iced tea and all. Susu— no, Ms. Kang Suyeon. Turns out you're not the considerate type at all. Disrespecting people like this!
But who am I? I'm the holder of a skill so good at showing off that calling it the GOAT would be an understatement. Time to enlighten this B-rank, shoulder-swollen Ms. Kang Suyeon about the truth of the world.
I raised my index finger straight up, positioning it at eye level where she could get a good look.
"Refrain... refrain from raising your voice."
FWOOSH—!!
In the blink of an eye, a soccer-ball-sized orb of flame bloomed at the tip of my index finger.
"Y-you—!"
The instant Kang Suyeon's eyes went huge with shock and she shot up from her chair—
I dismissed the illusionary fireball I'd just conjured. If I kept it up too long, I might actually get suspected. What do you mean, why isn't it hot? Short and punchy — one clean hit of impact was all I needed.
"Heheheh. Well? Still don't believe me?"
"No, I, uh. Wow. Huh. Okay. So this is a thing."
Still standing, Kang Suyeon dragged both hands down her face. Then her eyes ping-ponged between my index finger and my face.
'Who told you to disrespect me, huh?'
Who am I? The proud owner of an EX-rank skill. The awakened one who built the 'Azure Dragon' just last week and gave all of South Korea the fright of its life. A lowly B-rank isn't even in my weight class, that's what I'm saying.
"Whoa, what was that?! No wait, that was an incantation-less fireball, right? What rank ARE you, that your casting speed is that fast?"
"I told you already, I'm EX-rank."
"Wait, that was actually true?! Wow. Just... wow."
"Hmph. So anyway, I really did awaken. Right?"
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, you did."
Kang Suyeon dropped back into her seat and one-shotted her full glass of iced Americano in a single gulp.
"Kyaah. Wow, unnie got the fright of her life. Kid, you announce it first, THEN use the skill. I nearly passed out."
"Yeah, well, you should've believed me from the start...."
"How's anyone supposed to just believe that? Anyway, Yeoreum, once your hunter license gets issued, things are gonna go wild. Should I be buttering up the future S-rank now?"
"Not S-rank. EX-rank."
"Oh, you adorable little thing. Ah, but this is such a shame, though. If it weren't for the whole Azure Dragon mess, your license would've gone through already."
"Ah... ha... ha."
I'm the one who MADE that Azure Dragon, ma'am. Of course, I figured if I blabbed that anywhere, the feds would come crashing through the door with a search warrant, so I kept my mouth firmly shut.
"Actually, wouldn't the Association fast-track an EX-rank right through? Want unnie to put in a word for you?"
"NO!!! NOOOO!!!"
What is with this woman and her sudden nosiness?! Are you trying to suffocate me?! Just. Sit. Still.
"Oh my, you startled me. Oh — unless you wanted to say it yourself? You're a kid, but you're still your own person, huh?"
Out of nowhere, Kang Suyeon began bobbing her head and spinning delusions at me that existed nowhere in reality. How I surely didn't want someone else stealing my spotlight. How even the youngest among us should handle their own affairs. Etcetera, etcetera.
True to form for Susukkang — the undisputed queen of the three-a.m. gallery skill threads, my perfect mirror counterpart — her delusions flowed without end.
'Y-yeah... better to just let it slide like that.'
Mm-hmm. Far, far better than her suddenly calling the Association and going, 'I know someone who's EX-rank, but the Association's busy right now and he can't get an evaluation' — chilling everyone to the bone in the process.
Ring-ring—.
"Text me when you go to the Association. It'll be your first time, so there's a lot you won't know — unnie will help you out."
And so I freelanced off Kang Suyeon straight through dinner before finally escaping the restaurant. It was the first cream pasta of my entire life. Mm, it was good. Why did I never eat this before?
"I'm fine. I'll handle it myself."
"Aigoo, fine, fine. But you don't know the ropes yet, so at least give me your number."
"Th... hmmm."
"I bought you food and everything?"
"F-fine."
Wait. Did she buy me lunch planning for this too? What a devious woman. But I was the one who'd freeloaded, so I couldn't really look down on her. One phone number for a pasta — that's a bargain, isn't it?
"Yes yes, thank you, Yeoreum! Today was fun. Let's meet again sometime."
"...Bye."
"Buh-bye~!"
Kang Suyeon, whom I'd assumed would be as socially hopeless as me — someone who couldn't even hold a conversation — was the exact opposite. She flexed a capital-E MBTI from start to finish and sucked me dry of every last ounce of energy.
We were supposed to part ways at the café, but no — apparently "this was fate too," and she latched onto me and dragged me around all day long. Coin karaoke, a self photo studio. She picked out precisely the places that were most psychologically taxing for a shut-in like me. Every. Single. One.
Which is exactly why all I want now is to go home, collapse face-down into my blanket. My eyelids are literally drooping shut. I've been through way too much today. Dying of exhaustion over here.
Even so, I keep getting dragged around, and by the time the bus gets me home it'll probably be past eight. When do I ever get to go HOME.... If I was going to get a skill anyway, it should've been something like instant teleportation.
Hisss—.
I stepped off the bus, and what greeted me was the familiar shantytown landscape — streetlights flickering on and off like dying fireflies. Plus a built-in workout system, courtesy of the murderous slope.
"Haah. What good is awakening, anyway."
The reward for a thousand straight days of posting? This? No wait — maybe for a thousand days of prayer threads, this is about right. Whatever. My Illusion skill is useless in exactly every way that counts!
I stared up at the slope that made me sigh just thinking about the climb, and rubbed my calves. A habit ever since I once sprinted up here in a hurry and got a charley horse.
"Alright then. Heave-ho."
The moment I got home, I'd post on the Hunter Gallery first thing. Now I even had the rock-solid backing of Susukkang, official B-rank hunter of the gallery. All that was left was to bask in the status of an awakened one... and give the unawakened masses a good scare.
Word was, people had been getting suspicious of me lately — posting nothing but awakening threads without a single license verification. Heheheh. A long age of humiliation and persecution... but now is the time for 'AwakeningPlease,' the awakened, to return.
I was practically vibrating with excitement at the thought of getting home and churning out threads — and that was the exact moment it happened.
Tap, tap—.
Tap, tap—.
Behind my footsteps on the night road, another set of footsteps fell in behind me.
At first I figured I was imagining it, so I deliberately stopped mid-walk, then tried walking off-beat.
Tap. Tap.
Tap. Tap.
Behind me, the footsteps stopped and started in perfect sync with mine.
'Am I... being followed?'
Had I somehow, without realizing it, been caught summoning the Azure Dragon? Or was it Kang Suyeon's doing — had she reported me? Ugh... I trusted you, and THIS is the betrayal I get?
Flicker. Flicker.
I stopped under a streetlight that had broken ages ago — I'd filed a complaint begging for it to be fixed, and it had been ignored.
I turned around and looked down the hill. From below, I could feel a single man in a pulled-down cap staring up at me.
Beneath his trouser cuff, an ankle peeked out — and on it sat a black device. A thick wristband-like strap fitted with a square electronic unit.
"Hkk... hkkk."
Seo Yeoreum.
Twenty-six-year-old male.
Being marked by a child predator.