Frustration Forges a Man
A few days after I had completely wrecked Ji-ah, I was out for a morning jog. Unlike my usual route, I was running a full circuit around the entire university from my studio apartment. The total distance was twenty kilometers. For an ordinary person, it would have felt like a forced march, but Awakened possess physical abilities that normal humans simply cannot match. Because of that, regardless of how strong or weak an Awakened is, they receive much harsher sentences under the law. There were inconveniences, like how everyday products designed for civilians became difficult to use, but there were plenty of advantages too. Above all else, the country provided Awakened with subsidies.
Worldwide, after the Great Awakening, the rise and fall of national power was decided by how many Awakened a country could claim. All existing military forces had become obsolete the moment the Gates opened, and the new power that emerged in their place varied wildly from person to person. These individuals could wield catastrophic strength on an individual level. It was only natural that nations would do everything in their power to keep them under control. The governments essentially promised to accommodate the convenience of the Awakened. Of course, they couldn’t simply hand out benefits while ignoring public sentiment. So nations imposed a legal duty on the Awakened to close the Gates that opened constantly, and they placed leashes around their necks through the law.
“Huff… huff…”
The sweat covering my entire body felt sticky, but the refreshing sensation that filled my lungs made it all worthwhile. This is exactly why I jog. Back in middle and high school, when I hadn’t exercised at all, I could never understand people who went out for a run first thing in the morning. Now, if I didn’t start my day with a jog, my body actually felt stiff and uncomfortable.
How long had I been running? The Hadong River, which cut straight through Jangwon University, came into view. The river had been meticulously planned and constructed from the design phase. It was an artificial waterway created by combining materials harvested from Gates with cutting-edge architectural technology. I’d heard it had become a habitat for all kinds of aquatic creatures, so casting a fishing line would supposedly guarantee a catch. How on earth did they build this? As someone not majoring in architecture, I couldn’t even begin to guess. Seeing the sun rise and brighten the dim dawn filled me with renewed determination.
Alright, let’s keep going.
I was about to pick up my pace again when I suddenly noticed someone on the riverside jogging path. It was a woman. The first thing that caught my eye was her hair, so black it seemed to drink in the night itself. Beneath the voluminous ponytail, her slender neck drew a graceful line. The pure white tank top she wore struggled to contain her overflowing femininity; even a sports bra couldn’t hide that generous volume. The dizzying curve from her waist to her hips flowed seamlessly into tight black leggings.
She appeared to be just starting her run and was in the middle of stretching. With each movement, her limbs extended long and supple, showing both flexibility and elasticity. Wait… isn’t that Professor Baek Seol-hee?
Baek Seol-hee, my supervising professor and one of the undisputed legends from the Great Awakening. I’d heard she appeared on all kinds of broadcasts, but since I didn’t watch TV, I wasn’t entirely sure. She must have spotted me too, because she stopped stretching, reached up, and removed something from her ear. Wireless earbuds. Did she enjoy listening to music while running?
“Good morning, student Hyun-do.”
“Ah, yes. Good morning, Professor. It’s a fine morning indeed.”
Baek Seol-hee gave a small nod.
“Are you jogging as well, student Hyun-do?”
“Yes, I run every morning. Today I took a different route.”
“I see. Then let’s go.”
“Pardon?”
“You haven’t finished your jog yet.”
She didn’t wait for my reply and simply turned away. I noticed how worn her running shoes were. If I had pretended not to see her, maybe I could have ignored it, but after exchanging greetings, I couldn’t just brush her off. If I ignored Professor Baek Seol-hee here and went my own way, the weekly “counseling sessions” that were really just physical conversations would become even more exhausting.
I started running behind her. As her ponytail swayed in the wind, a rich shampoo scent drifted back to me. Unlike Ji-ah, who smelled like warm milk, this was a crisp, refreshing mint aroma.
“How far do you usually run, student Hyun-do?”
Even while running, her voice didn’t waver at all. It sounded almost serene.
“Every day… huff… I run twenty kilometers in the morning… huff.”
“Is that so?”
Having satisfied her curiosity, the professor focused entirely on her run. Following behind her, I was dying. This woman isn’t showing me any mercy at all! She was just starting, while I had already been jogging for a while. My whole body was drenched in sweat; I looked like a drowned rat. But that wasn’t even the main problem.
Every time Professor Baek Seol-hee’s ponytail swayed, it carried the unmistakable scent of a woman. Visually, the sight of her from behind was incredibly dangerous. The outline of her shoulder blades showed clearly through the tight tank top. The deep valley of her erector spinae muscles ran straight down her spine, and every time she stretched her legs, her swaying hips presented an absolutely shameless visual that provoked any man who saw it. And unlike those shameless hips, her sleek, elongated legs formed a wicked harmony with the black leggings. I could now see with my own eyes why the connoisseurs in the Hunter Department rated her so highly.
My penis, which had already learned the taste of women, began drawing blood. I desperately tried to stay calm. If I get hard now, I’m screwed. No matter how early in the morning it was, there were bound to be other people on this jogging path. If anyone saw me right now, chasing after a woman with a raging erection, I’d be labeled a complete pervert. I could be socially executed.
Maha Prajna Paramita… Heart Sutra… Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva… practicing the deep Prajna Paramita… saw that all five aggregates are empty… thus overcoming all suffering…
I never imagined the Heart Sutra I had memorized while getting beaten by my high school ethics teacher would actually come in handy. I chanted it desperately, emptying my mind of worldly desires and focusing only on running. Somehow, my erection subsided. I let out a mental sigh of relief, only to realize that Professor Baek Seol-hee was no longer in front of me.
“Huh?”
I turned my head and found myself running side by side with her. Professor Baek Seol-hee stared up at me with wide eyes, clearly surprised that a mere student had caught up to her. It was the first time I had ever seen the usually emotionless professor show such astonishment. But I quickly realized something was wrong. There was a flicker in her eyes, like a flame had ignited.
“Um, Professor?”
“Student Hyun-do, you run quite well.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
I didn’t add that she ran well too. Professor Baek Seol-hee was a physical specialist, a fighter who didn’t rely on any particular weapon. I recalled that the reason she became my advisor was because I was also a physical type. Someone mediocre enough to be overtaken by a student could never hold a professorship.
Without another word, she turned forward and dramatically lengthened her stride.
Huh?
In an instant, Professor Baek Seol-hee’s speed surged. Once again, that rear view capable of causing my social death filled my vision.
I’m fucked.
Even though this was just a jog, it seemed she refused to accept that a student had caught up to her. She pulled ahead of me. And the second brain that had been calmed by my desperate chanting of the Heart Sutra began to rev up again.
Don’t get hard, don’t get hard, don’t get hard!
No matter how furiously I recited the sutra, my penis only grew larger. As if it had gained resistance to my attacks, my second brain began slipping out of my control. There was only one way to prevent my social execution: I had to desperately catch up to Professor Baek Seol-hee. Giving up? That wasn’t an option. I had my own competitive spirit, after all. Win and survive. Lose and face social death. Wasn’t that perfect?
“Hup!”
I forced strength into my trembling legs and increased my speed. Professor Baek Seol-hee glanced back at me. I had never run at full power like this before. As she watched me squeeze out every last drop of strength and pound the ground, a spark of competitive spirit appeared in her eyes. When she saw me gradually closing the gap, her gaze burned with a look that seemed to say, You think you can keep up with this speed? Then she accelerated even more.
Wait, you’re going even faster at this pace?
Her shoulders, which I had barely caught up to, began pulling away again.
Professor, you’re going to kill me!
I really was going to die! Fuck! We had long since surpassed normal human speeds. Every time the Awakened professor, capable of reaching seventy to eighty kilometers per hour on foot, extended her leg, only the scream of the wind remained in my ears. As she passed an ordinary man who had come out for an early morning jog, I saw him jump in shock and collapse on the spot. It seemed Professor Baek Seol-hee, now fully consumed by her competitive drive, could no longer see anything around her.
…
After who knows how long, I finally collapsed from exhaustion. I sat on a bench beside the jogging path, catching my breath, when Professor Baek Seol-hee, who had disappeared far into the distance, came jogging back. She looked far too fresh and neat for someone who had supposedly been sprinting at full speed.
She ran like that and didn’t even break a sweat.
I hadn’t expected to feel the gap so clearly, but compared to a professor, it was only natural. I kicked away the self-comfort that had risen in my heart. Professor Baek Seol-hee held out a can of drink.
“You worked hard trying to keep up.”
“Huff… huff… thank… you.”
I normally didn’t drink anything while jogging, but after running at a much higher pace than usual, my throat was burning. I opened the can and emptied it in one go. The professor let out a small, impressed “Oh.”
“The results for today’s field trip applications will be released, so make sure to check them. Understood?”
“Yes.”
Apparently having nothing more to say, Professor Baek Seol-hee turned and began running again. The sight of her hips growing smaller in the distance somehow looked almost resentful.