Suwon – Early Morning
Sunlight poured through the window of the small apartment.
Birds chirped on the rooftop railing. The world, still recovering from its strange new age of awakened hunters and dungeon portals, went about its business. And in one quiet room, Jung Ha-Joon opened his eyes.
No system boot-up.
No mission prompt.
No threat level assessment.
Just silence.
And the warmth of Earth's morning air.
---
He sat up slowly. A soft creak came from the old mattress. His body, unchanged from when he disappeared, felt light. Natural. Like nothing extraordinary had happened.
But he knew better.
The invincibility was still there—woven into his very existence. He didn't need to activate it. It didn't glow or radiate. It simply was.
Crimson eyes blinked once in the morning sun.
Still calm.
Still watching.
---
Downstairs, his mother hummed in the kitchen.
His father had already left for his early shift as a security guard.
His sister, Ha-Rin, was packing lunch for her shop.
None of them questioned why he was back.
They didn't dare.
They were too grateful to see him again.
Ha-Joon appreciated it.
They didn't need to know what had happened.
Not yet.
---
"Joon-ah," his mother called softly, "I made soybean soup. Your favorite."
He came down quietly.
Sat with them.
Ate in silence.
And smiled.
---
Across the City – Seoul
At the headquarters of the Korean Awakening Research Division, alarms remained offline. No threats detected. No gates near Suwon. No high-rank hunter activity in the area.
Yet deep scans showed a missing anomaly—like a gap in the world.
A trace of something once colossal, now sealed.
The director furrowed his brows.
> "Something returned. But we don't know what."
And they wouldn't find out.
Not unless he let them.
---
Later That Day – Suwon High School
The building stood tall with red-brick walls and faded banners.
The principal's office was silent as Ha-Joon stepped in.
He bowed respectfully.
The teachers stared at him.
Confused.
"…You're… Jung Ha-Joon?"
"Yes, sir."
"You disappeared. The police… everyone… thought…"
"I was found," Ha-Joon said quietly. "I don't remember much."
"…You want to return to school?"
"Yes."
The principal looked at his record—flawless grades, perfect attendance… before he vanished.
"…We'll make an exception. Welcome back."
---
In Class 2-B
The moment he entered, whispers started.
> "Isn't that him?"
"Didn't he disappear?"
"They said he died."
"Look at his eyes…"
Indeed, some noticed.
Crimson eyes—subtle, but unnatural.
Still, no one had the courage to ask.
Because Ha-Joon didn't act special.
He didn't boast.
He just took a seat by the window like he always used to and stared outside.
---
But even as he returned to routine…
He noticed the changes.
More students awakened.
One boy could generate fire in his palms.
Another girl had healing abilities.
Portals opened weekly in cities now, and licensed hunters were paid to enter them and retrieve dungeon cores and crystals.
The world had changed in just one year.
But it was still early.
Still manageable.
And Ha-Joon?
He had returned just in time.
---
That Evening – On the Rooftop
Ha-Joon stood under the pink sky.
He could hear it.
The pulse of the world.
The subtle tension in the air.
The murmur of portals stretching too far.
The decay of balance between magic and reality.
Others hadn't noticed it yet.
But he had seen the end before.
> "This world doesn't know what's coming," he whispered to himself.
He raised his hand and held it out.
A pigeon flew near.
Paused in the air.
Rested on his finger.
Even animals could feel it.
He wasn't normal.
But he wasn't dangerous either.
Not unless the world forced him to be.
---
Later – At Ha-Rin's Shop
Ha-Joon sat behind the counter, helping his sister restock ramen cups and canned coffee.
She glanced at him often but didn't ask anything.
Finally, she whispered:
> "You're… not hurt, right?"
He paused, then smiled.
> "Not even a little."
That was all she needed to hear.
---
At Midnight – In His Room
He sat at the desk where he once studied as an ordinary schoolboy.
No status screen.
No system voice.
Only the hum of city life beyond the window.
He took out an old notebook.
On the first page, he wrote:
> I returned from a world where time had no meaning.
I survived everything.
Now I must live quietly…
…until the world needs me again.
He closed the book.
And for the first time in 60 trillion years, he fell asleep peacefully.
---