I Never Asked to Be This Happy

"Haaam~."

Yu Jaehui of Incheon National University's Department of Magic Stone Development Engineering yawned so hard his jaw cracked, mid-lecture.

Part-time job, studying, part-time job, class, part-time job, assignments. His days blurred together in a frantic scramble, and sleep was the first casualty.

Weeknight evenings he worked at a barbecue restaurant. Weekends he hauled packages for a courier service.

Exhausting, sure. But he couldn't quit. Every semester's tuition came out of his own pocket.

And that wasn't all. He paid his own rent on his one-room apartment. Covered his own living expenses, down to the last won.

And yet Yu Jaehui didn't regret a second of it. He believed that once you became an adult, it was time to stand on your own two feet after everything your parents had done to raise you.

"That's the whole point—paying for my own tuition, my own food. It feels right."

He'd done his military service too. How long could a grown man keep leaning on his parents?

He actually enjoyed the life he'd built for himself.

Of course, a scholarship would've been ideal, but the competition at his university was fierce and it never materialized. He'd missed the dorm cutoff by a hair on the distance score, and his parents' income bracket landed in that awkward middle zone, so the national grant came to almost nothing.

But hey, it was fine.

Isn't that what youth is for?

Maybe youth isn't defined by suffering—but being broke is practically a prerequisite!

Just then—

"Sunbae!"

"Oh, Eunsu."

"Let's walk to class together!"

Jeon Eunsu, a junior in his department, came bounding over. Short bobbed hair, an irresistibly cute vibe, top grades and a personality that made her popular with everyone in the department.

And of all people, the only one she ever sought out first was Yu Jaehui. The two of them existed in that delicate, ambiguous in-between.

"Yeah. Sure. Let's go."

"Sunbae, did you finish the assignment from last class?"

"Yup. Pulled an all-nighter for it, so I'm dead on my feet right now."

"You're always swamped, and yet you never miss an assignment."

"Gotta work harder, right?"

"Boooo! Total goody-two-shoes line!"

"Oh? Mocking your sunbae now, are we?"

Truthfully, Yu Jaehui wasn't entirely indifferent to Jeon Eunsu either. But between work and classes, dating felt like an outright luxury he couldn't afford.

So he attended class like any other day, and was on his way out when the department rep intercepted him.

"Yu Jaehui. Professor Jeong Ilhyung wants you in his office."

"Huh? Me? Why?"

"No idea. Just go."

"Ah... okay."

A sudden summons from the department chair.

"Whoa—no way. Sunbae. What did you do wrong?"

"Nothing, you brat."

Jaehui rapped a light knuckle against the teasing Eunsu's head and headed for the professor's office.

"Hello, Professor. I heard you were looking for me."

"Ah, Jaehui. Come in, come in."

Professor Jeong Ilhyung greeted him with an exceptionally bright smile.

Jaehui had been quietly terrified that he'd somehow screwed something up, but the atmosphere said otherwise, and relief washed over him.

"The thing is—you've been awarded a scholarship."

"I'm sorry... me?"

"That's right. Turns out you have quite the helpful older brother."

"My brother?"

He was getting a scholarship. And his brother's name came up?

Jaehui's head was spinning.

"Yes, your brother. Yu Jaewoo is an Awakener, you see—"

The professor's explanation was simple. Thanks to his brother, Jaehui would receive a full-tuition scholarship. There was even a living-expense stipend on top of that—two million won would be deposited into his account every month.

And then—

"Is there anything else you need for your life here at school?"

Jaehui found himself staring at a department chair suddenly bending over backward to win his favor.

What is this. Is this real life?

The moment the smooth-as-silk meeting ended, Jaehui hurriedly called his mother, Madam Jo Geumhwa.

"—Hey, Jaehui~ my sweet boy~"

"Mom. I just got a scholarship from the Awakener Association out of nowhere—"

"—Oh my goodness, oh my. Your brother Jaewoo said he'd take care of everything. It was true!"

"Wait, you knew about this?"

"—I have to tell your aunt right this second. No wait, my whole social club too. Aigoo, when am I ever going to tell them all~ Oh! And Jaehui, come home sometime soon! My skin lately, you wouldn't believe—"

"Mom, hold on, breathe. But why is it so noisy around you?"

"—Ah, your father and I are at the department store right now. Shopping for clothes with the gift certificates Jaewoo gave us. Would you believe he paid off all our debts and transferred us ten million won each in allowance?"

Only then did the full picture snap into place for Yu Jaehui. Right. His older brother Yu Jaewoo had Awakened—and hit it massive.

"That's insane."

"—Isn't it? Your father's been ranting and raving about going to a class reunion now. Aigoo, honestly, I've never seen a man so full of himself in my life!"

"Mom, I'm gonna hang up, okay?"

"—Sure~ call me again~"

"Love you, Mom."

The moment the call ended, it finally hit him.

He never had to scrape for tuition again.

And—

Two million won. Every single month.

A living stipend, his.

"Haha. Hahahaha."

Laughter bubbled up out of him unbidden.

Only then did he understand. Earning your own way was a good thing, truly—but having a mountain to lean against was even better.

Just then, he spotted Jeon Eunsu walking off alone past the window. Jaehui bolted out of the building and dialed her number, and she picked up without a moment's hesitation.

"—Hello, sunbae? What's this? You're calling me first?"

"What are you doing tonight?"

"—Huh? Me? Just, uh, studying—"

"Want to get dinner together? My treat. Then a café after, and we study together. Sound good?"

"—......Huh?"

"Eunsu. Turn around."

Somewhere along the way, the voice had stopped coming through the speaker and started coming from right behind her.

Jeon Eunsu turned, and there was Yu Jaehui, sprinting toward her, breath ragged.

"Haah. Haah. Dinner. Tonight. Eat it with me."

She stared at him with eyes that asked, Did I really just hear that? And he stared back with eyes that answered, I have never been more serious in my life.

"Well... I mean... okay."

"You mean it?"

"Yes!"

Jaehui looked ready to leap straight into the sky, and Jeon Eunsu's cheeks went pink.

Shaaa—

Late November.

The wind carried a bitter chill, but for those two, it couldn't have been warmer.

And someone was watching the pair of them from the rooftop of the engineering building.

"Damn it all. My little brother."

It was Yu Jaewoo.

"I never asked to be this happy."

That's what he said—but the smile spreading across his face was pure, doting father. He raised his phone.

Tak- tak- swish-

An alert chimed on Yu Jaehui's phone.

Ding-

Naturally, Yu Jaehui's phone went completely unnoticed, ringing away in his pocket.

Cho Sanghyuk sat at his desk and pulled out a notebook.

Scratch- scratch-

He jotted down everything the 48th-floor assault would demand.

Environment — the open ocean.

Monster — the Mega Sea Serpent.

What were the deciding factors?

1. Survival. The beam the Mega Sea Serpent fired. The scales it launched like missiles.

2. Hunting. How did you pin down a monster underwater? Securing mobility beneath the waves. Breaking through scales harder than diamond.

3. Equipment. The 『Abyss Dragon Suit』 crafted by a [Millennium Blacksmith]-class Awakener. Propulsion units built into the soles, back, and shoulders—injected with mana, they allowed for rapid movement underwater. Additional capabilities: underwater breathing. Water pressure ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and temperature regulation. Sonic detection.

+a

Once worn, the suit rendered the wearer visually indistinguishable from the water itself—enough, in theory, to slip past the Mega Sea Serpent's eyes and close the distance.

Sanghyuk filled the page to the margins with additional gear.

"I suppose this will do."

He finished his notes and leaned back in his chair.

Then he found himself thinking about Daniel Jensen.

How had the man—a Weapon Master-class at that—acquired a skill like Flower-Eye Golden Gaze? The answer was simple: the skill book reward granted to whoever conquered a Tower floor first in the entire world. Thanks to it, Daniel had amassed a whole arsenal of skills beyond that one.

But soon—

World Rank 1 might change hands.

It will send shockwaves around the globe.

Cho Sanghyuk felt something he hadn't in years: genuine excitement. Like the first time he'd ever cleared a Tower floor. Exploring a new level had become fun again.

How long has it been since I felt like this?

"Looks like retirement will have to wait a little longer."

Cho Sanghyuk placed a call somewhere.

"Yeah, it's me. Tally up the money the US, China, and Japan paid for the 48th-floor investigation and transfer it to him. Yes, I'll authorize it myself. Proceed."

Click-

Phone ended, Cho Sanghyuk left work early and headed home, chicken for his children in both hands.

Was it just because he hadn't seen his little brother in so long?

He'd never seen him smile like that before.

Watching the youngest of the family grin like an idiot, Jaewoo felt good.

Youth is supposed to be rose-colored, after all!

He stopped by the convenience store on campus. Seeing his happy little brother was nice, it really was—

"But somehow, I could really go for a beer."

And when you say beer, you say Han River, obviously.

Conveniently, there are some rats that need taking care of, too.

He bought two cans of beer and a bag of potato chips, then employed Gyeonggong to drift over to the Han River.

The Han River in November had a certain moody charm to it.

He pulled out his phone and started scrolling Shorts.

Tak- tak- swish-

Then one post snagged his eye and wouldn't let go.

"What even is all this."

Honestly. Back when he was an office drone, he wouldn't have given this a second glance.

But for some reason, his finger twitched toward the button.

I do need to sort out my living situation before long.

A new house demands new knowledge!

Pre-registration was a no-brainer for stuff like this.

With the registration submitted, he opened the [Awakener Association VIP] app.

And then—

He searched for the item he'd been thinking about all along.

Category > Sword > S-Class

Not bad.

"It really is stupidly expensive... but I want it."

Eh. I can always earn more!

He purchased the Nebula Sword and two more international translation devices. What remained was around 400 million won.

"...Somehow, I feel empty inside."

Just then, a notification arrived on his phone.

"Wha— wh-wh-whaaat?"

127 billion won?

His balance had suddenly become 127.4 billion.

Good thing he hadn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cracked his beer yet. If he'd been mid-sip, he'd have sprayed it everywhere.

"Holy crap. What even IS this?"

Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.

Ding-

A text from Team Leader Cho.

"Woooooh—!"

The hollowness in his chest filled right up to the brim.

The sun was bleeding out into dusk, right on cue.

Crack- hiss-

He cracked the beer and gulped it down.

"Ahh— now that's refreshing."

Was it because there was a hundred billion won sitting in his account?

The beer tasted even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠better today.

And somewhere in the drinking, his thoughts drifted to his Master.

Would his Master enjoy beer ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠too?

Maybe something classier—Yantai aged liquor, perhaps.

Either way—

Tonight I should go have salmon with Master.

He'd been staring blankly at the water for ages, and the sun had fully set. One by one, the signs of life around him faded away.

No—

Not just any signs. The ordinary ones vanished.

And the presence of Awakeners drew near.

Chilmyo did his job properly after all.

"Are you the legendary Awakener?"

—the words came in Chinese.

Jaewoo knew at once who owned the voice—because standing directly behind the speaker was Chilmyo.

Perfect timing, really.

Catch these guys first, then hit up Traders for the salmon, the capers, the horseradish, the pickled radish, the soy sauce, the lemon juice, and so on and so forth.

Crunch-

He crushed the beer can flat and turned around.

"Ni chi fan le ma? (Have you eaten yet?)"