092 – Attending the Reunion of Nymph and Haildo! #3
In the Era of Cracks, awakening occurred in adolescents during their teenage years and young adults in their early twenties. I saw a study that suggested the unique instability of their minds during that period triggered a response to mana. I don’t know whether that is true or not, but it had become a well-established theory that only young students could become Awakened.
The fiery youth. An age capable of chewing through railways. When such individuals were gathered in a place called the Cracks for training, a natural problem arose regarding romantic relationships.
Did I, Haildo, have such a problem? You could say I did, but it wouldn’t be accurate to say I did not at all.
Swoosh.
I looked at the woman sitting next to me. She had black hair that came down to her shoulders, and her face had a subtle touch of makeup. She was wearing a pink dress that suited her very well.
Thud.
Someone slapped the table. It was Kim Dan, equipped with a mechanical arm.
“Haildo, it’s been such a long time since you met Ji-hyeon, right? As far as I know, you two haven’t been in contact separately.”
Yoo Ji-hyeon. That was the name of the woman sitting next to me. She was the same age as me and had vaguely climbed up to B Rank Awakened.
I unconsciously glanced at Yoo Ji-hyeon’s left hand. There was a ring on her ring finger; it had a silver edge with diamonds embedded in it, which made it look quite expensive.
“Il-do, have you been doing well?”
Swoosh.
Yoo Ji-hyeon locked eyes with me. I was slightly surprised by how her voice was cheerful and warm, more so than I had ever heard before.
“Yeah, well, I’m always the same.”
“Really? You seem to be doing well. There are many classmates whose arms or legs have been replaced with auto-arms. But you don’t seem to have any injuries at all. You’ve still got all ten fingers.”
That was true. Looking at the classmates from our first batch who were participating here, many had mechanical hands, shoulders, legs, etc. Kim Dan, for instance, had all four limbs replaced with machinery. However, I had yet to replace any part of my body with machinery. Was it just luck?
“See this damaged shoulder? I was bitten by an ant the size of a car. Back then, I didn’t have any suits or gear, so I had to endure with just my body. I survived just because it was me.”
“Come on, is that really something to brag about? Can you see my leg? I was bitten by a king lizard. They even used my leg to make serum. I saved at least a thousand people, no joke.”
Where you were injured and how severely became a badge of honor, with everyone subtly bragging about it. It seemed that hadn’t changed much. I had nothing to brag about since I hadn’t been injured.
Swoosh.
I looked at Yoo Ji-hyeon again. She also didn’t seem to have any injuries. Now that I thought about it, she had quite a good skill set herself.
“Il-do, I’ve heard your name pop up occasionally lately. They say you roam around with Squirrel Beasts? They’re fascinating animals. It felt nostalgic to hear your name after such a long time.”
“Yeah! Squirrel Beasts! I’ll show you some!”
Kim Dan tapped the table with his mechanical arm. Soon, Kkungkkungi, who had been curled up in my pocket, peeked out.
—Kkungkkungi…!
Seems like he understood we were talking about him. Everyone from my batch observed Kkungkkungi, with Kim Dan very impressed by his fluffy tail swaying side to side.
“Wow, it really looks like a squirrel. It’s a real squirrel! Look at that tail!”
“Well, of course. It’s a real Squirrel Beast, not just any squirrel. It barks like a dog, which is why we call it a Squirrel Beast. I’ve heard they can evolve too.”
Swoosh.
Kkungkkungi began to bounce around on the table. Watching that, my first batch classmates remarked “Wow” or “Oh.”
A sniper who wore glasses and had a red-eyed prosthetic eye reached out, and Kkungkkungi climbed onto his hand.
—Kkungkkungi…!
“Smart, isn’t it? They say that if you go where Il-do lives, you can catch Squirrel Beasts. Is that true? I want to tame one too.”
It was natural for my classmates who had numerous experiences to be interested in Squirrel Beasts. I preferred to talk rather than sit awkwardly during the reunion, so I decided to explain more.
“There are also Honey Ants, aside from Squirrel Beasts. While Squirrel Beasts are suitable for battle, Honey Ants are more adept at household chores. I couldn’t bring any Honey Ants though.”
# # #
With the food and drinks flowing, I felt good. It was a long-awaited reunion, and sharing old stories made any awkwardness dissipate quickly.
“Do you remember the time Il-do got eaten by that fire-breathing crocodile turtle? That was hilarious!”
“No. Its shell was too tough, so I was trying to destroy it from the inside. It had a combustion mechanism inside, so if I just destroyed that, the Demon would self-destruct, you know.”
Looking back, the regulations back then were bizarre, and the methods of dealing with the Cracks were improvised at best, all at the level of having people thrown into the fray. I couldn’t understand how I survived.
There were many who actually didn’t survive. Normally, more than twenty would attend such gatherings. But for some reason, everyone seemed to want to keep a bright face and not show any signs of distress, sharing only cheerful stories.
Kim Dan chuckled, patting Kkungkkungi with his mechanical arm.
“So when Ji-hyeon was engulfed in flames, Il-do poured water on himself and jumped in. I thought, wow, this is real love!”
“Ohhhh!” my classmates exclaimed in unison.
I felt my face getting hot, perhaps due to the alcohol.
“I just saved someone in danger. What’s love—”
“Really? Then what about when you invited me to watch a movie on the weekend? I was honestly a little happy back then,” Yoo Ji-hyeon said, looking slightly flushed from the drink with her crescent-shaped eyes that seemed familiar.
I was surprised. Soon, Kim Dan was shocked too.
“Haildo asked you to go watch a movie? Really?”
“Yeah. But I refused. I had a boyfriend at that time. I guess Il-do really didn’t tell anyone about it? Though I did ask him to keep it secret.”
I recalled the time when I was still 19. Back then, Yoo Ji-hyeon had a lively personality and would laugh readily at my words, which made me harbor a flicker of hope “maybe—.”
Just like with Cash, I was weak against people who smiled at me.
And as boys do at the age of 19. If there’s a pretty girl who smiles brightly at you, it’s not weird at all to start liking them.
So I mustered up the courage to ask if she wanted to watch a movie together, but I got rejected!
It was a super popular superhero movie at the time, too.
—Sorry. I watched that with my boyfriend. On the day it premiered.
—Aha, you had a boyfriend.
Back then, Yoo Ji-hyeon was secretly dating an older college student, whom I heard was preparing to be some kind of celebrity… Thus, she couldn’t publicly date.
Anyway, my love story at 19 ended like, well, before it even properly started.
“I didn’t know. So do you still date that guy?” Kim Dan asked, seemingly concerned about the ring on Yoo Ji-hyeon’s ring finger.
Soon, Yoo Ji-hyeon raised her left hand.
“No. We broke up a long time ago. This ring is just something I wear for various annoying reasons. Right now, I’m single too.”
“Il-do! That’s great!”
Kim Dan burst into laughter. He seemed quite drunk.
I also felt the buzz of alcohol rising on my face.
“What? Why are you all talking about old times? More than that, I have something I want to ask you. Have you heard of ‘Witch’? A real witch who uses magic. A Nymph. A big Nymph.”
I had attended the reunion to gather information about the witch. However, everyone seemed a bit out of it, probably due to the alcohol.
In this way, the reunion for the first batch came to an end. Or rather, it was only the first round. Now they were talking about heading out for the second round.
The second round? I began to think of Inoi, Ahn Ahn, and Kalilnoi, who would be waiting at home. It seemed I had to skip this first round.
“Guys, I’m heading out. I’ll make sure to attend more often next time. And if anyone wants to tame a Squirrel Beast or Honey Ant, please contact me. It’s really good for mental health.”
Since Kkungkkungi and Ahn Ahn had joined my life, how much softer my life had become? I wanted to share this warmth with everyone.
Just then.
“I’ll head out too. I have to wake up early tomorrow.”
Yoo Ji-hyeon waved goodbye to her classmates, while those going off to the second round left. And now, it was me and Yoo Ji-hyeon who had to head home.
It felt awkward in various ways. I spoke to Yoo Ji-hyeon.
“Are you taking a taxi?”
“No, I’d rather walk. By the way, Il-do, about that witch I mentioned earlier. I think I’ve heard something about it. I have some materials regarding that.”
“Really?”
I had a feeling it was expected. If I dug into my classmates, something might come up.
“My place is nearby. Want to come with me? I’ll quickly find the information and give it to you. It won’t take long—about 10 minutes?”
“Really?”
Thus, I awkwardly walked alongside Yoo Ji-hyeon. It was genuinely very awkward. Soon, she chuckled.
“Just like before, when you’re nervous, you go quiet, huh? You were like that when you asked me to go see a movie too. You haven’t changed at all, Haildo. It’s nice that you haven’t changed since it’s been a while.”
“No, I must have changed a lot. I’ve become more impressive than before.”
“Is that so? Anyway, I broke up with my boyfriend. Maybe it was because he was a regular person, but he couldn’t understand my life as an Awakened. Everyone I met after him was the same.”
“Oh, really?”
Well, I suppose. Awakened individuals often engage in dangerous work, so it’s only natural that mingling with regular people isn’t easy.
“So Il-do, I enjoyed meeting you. It brought back old memories. I suddenly thought back today. I wish I had gone to see a movie with you back then. So how about you now?”
“Me?”
“Do you have anyone you’re dating?”
“I almost did…”
I thought of Cash. I recalled how Cash had tried to seduce me with her charms and attempt to manipulate me. Removing that, there was no pink atmosphere in my life at all.
“I don’t have anyone.”
“Really? That’s too bad. It happens.”
Honk honk.
Just then, as we were walking down the alley, we heard a car horn. Turning my head, I saw a car parked, which soon rolled up next to us and the window slid down. The face that came into view was familiar.
“Hey! Where are you going instead of home? Inoi and everyone are waiting!”
It was Seo Ye-rim. Didn’t she say she had business? It seemed that had ended.
She must have been planning to drop me off at home.
I spoke to Seo Ye-rim.
“Do you know Ji-hyeon here? You two have been in the Cracks together several times. You had worked a lot with the female team. Ji-hyeon has materials regarding the witch, which is why we were heading there.”
“Really? Then get in. I’ll give you a lift. Ji-hyeon, it’s been a while. I’ve heard from time to time, but I didn’t expect to run into you like this.”
“Ye-rim… No, should I now call you Ye-rim-ssi? It’s nice to see you. You really don’t have to go out of your way to drop me off. It’s close by. I prefer walking more.”
You prefer walking? Seo Ye-rim’s electric car was seriously an unbelievable ride. I really regretted that Yoo Ji-hyeon didn’t take this opportunity.
“Hey, Ji-hyeon. Let’s get in. This electric car is insane. You don’t even feel it rolling. Once you ride this, you won’t say you like walking. It’s not good for nothing.”
“…Is that so?”
Swoosh.
We got into Seo Ye-rim’s car like that. Her electric car rolled smoothly, showing it was a pinnacle of the fifth industrial age, so much so that it was comfortable enough to make me feel sleepy.
Before I knew it, we arrived at a one-room district near the university.
“Ji-hyeon, you live in a more modest place than I expected. I thought all first batch students except for Haildo lived in nice apartments.”
Swoosh.
Seo Ye-rim got out of the car. Yoo Ji-hyeon responded, “Well, everyone has different financial situations,” as she walked up the stairs.
The place Yoo Ji-hyeon arrived at was on the third floor, and thinking about entering a woman’s room made my heart race.
Beep beep.
After entering the house by punching in the code, inside was messier than I had anticipated.
“Is it a bit messy? I haven’t had time to tidy up. Please wait a moment. I’ll quickly find the information for you. It should be around here—.”
Swoosh swoosh.
As Yoo Ji-hyeon kicked some clothes aside and removed some cup noodle containers, Seo Ye-rim folded her arms and glared at her.
Rustle.
Rustle.
Five minutes, ten minutes passed—.
Finally, Seo Ye-rim spoke.
“Don’t bother trying to make something up. Yoo Ji-hyeon, you don’t have any materials regarding the witch.”
