It has been almost a year since I met Sang. In this short time, many changes have occurred. Most notably, Sang himself had changed the most.
"Pass it over here!"
The boy who used to read old textbooks alone in front of the bookshelf was no longer there. He played soccer with friends before I arrived, and when I wasn't around, he took care of other kids and ate with them. I was no longer the only connection between Sang and the rest of the world.
Moreover, he became more expressive with his emotions.
"Hyung. I told you I can't eat spicy food."
"This isn't spicy at all. Really."
"....I don't believe you anymore."
"What? That's sad."
When asked about his food preferences, he used to look troubled as if faced with a difficult math problem. But now, he clearly states his likes and dislikes in everything, not just food. It was a significant change, though sometimes it was startling when I became the subject of his affection.
Considering all that, I'm no longer needed.
"Sang-ah. I heard everything."
"What?"
"I heard someone confessed to you."
Sang could quickly form new connections.
"I'm not interested."
"Why? She seemed cute."
"…Is that your type, hyung?"
"No, I prefer someone older."
"…Someone older.."
With his good looks and personality, he could easily find a suitable male or female partner. However, I hoped he would find someone who could heal the wounds given by his parents. If he could live happily ever after and occasionally remember, 'there was someone like that,' I wouldn't ask for more.
"Me, too…."
"Hm?"
"People say that I'm mature for my age."
He should gradually forget me.
"Well, you grew up too fast. You've always been completely self-indulgent, both when you were young and now."
"…That's not what I meant."
I should remain a person of the past.
"Hyung. You know already, right?"
"What?"
"…..Never mind."
I had to leave. I can't delay it any longer.
But my feet didn't move easily. If I leave now, I'd be no different from his parents. I'd be a selfish person who gave affection as they pleased and then abandoned Sang without taking any responsibility. I wanted to be at least better than his parents.
It was when I saw a story on the news by chance that I had an idea.
Two days ago, an incident occurred at a building in Sinchon. Someone had jumped, and their reasoning was to 'awaken.' Recently, more people have attempted peculiar actions to fulfill awakening conditions.
Anyone could use their abilities if they became awakened. However, to awaken an ability, specific conditions had to be met. Moreover, the conditions varied for each person and could never be known in advance.
Some people easily awakened just by turning twenty, while others had to fulfill more extreme conditions, such as falling 229 feet. As a result, many people gave up on awakening and chose to live ordinary lives, while others committed self-destructive acts to awaken.
My awakening condition was simple—it was activated simply by me tripping over a stone. But the ability I gained that day was anything but ordinary.
[Awakening condition met.]
[Awakened Hajae Shin has acquired 'Pioneer of the Unknown().']
An ability with no rank indicated was truly useful.
[The ability to see the conditions to awaken hidden abilities.]
I could see people's awakening conditions. The moment my father learned about my ability, he firmly warned me.
'Hajae. Never recklessly awaken someone. Don't tell anyone about your ability. Do you understand?'
Of course, it would be great if many people awakened and used their abilities for good, but my father, who'd worked as a hunter for a long time, knew the reality. It wasn't all positive.
What if the person I awakened grew up to be a ruthless murderer? What if a war broke out because of that? To my father, preventing one villain from being born was more important than awakening ten heroes. So, he decided to protect me even if it meant deceiving the association.
Understanding my father's feelings, I lived as if my ability didn't exist. But finally, I found a way to use my ability.
"Sang-ah. You said you wanted to be a hunter before…. Do you still feel that way?"
"Yes. Well, as long as I can support myself, I don't care what it is. But I can't stay at the orphanage forever."
I could help fulfill Sang Heo's dream.
"Why?"
"Just curious."
"What's your dream, hyung?"
"Hmm. To live happily and for a long time."
When I smiled, Sang Heo pouted as if finding it uninteresting.
"What is that….?"
"Is it too ordinary? But that has always been my dream."
I'm serious. Sang-ah. Isn't a dream something that can't be realized in reality?
That night, when I said I would sleep at the orphanage, Sang couldn't hide his joy. We had dinner together, played chess, and had a cube-solving contest for the first time in a while.
Before we knew it, it was dawn.
When I followed him to his room, two blankets were laid out side by side. I felt like an excited child on a school trip. As I jumped into the cozy blanket, Sang Heo let out a small laugh.
"But why did you suddenly decide to stay over?"
"I heard you've been having nightmares lately. I'm worried."
"Ah….."
Glancing beside me, I saw Sang lying on his back, staring at the ceiling. Perhaps because the night sky was clear, the moonlight streaming in through the window was particularly bright. Thanks to that, even though the room was dark, I could see his face full of sorrow.
"Can you tell me what the dreams are about?"
I was nervous, thinking it might be a dream related to his parents, but the answer was completely different.
"…It's a dream where you jump off a cliff and never resurface."
Was it the day we both ended up looking like drowned rats? An ordinary person would've required hospitalization for hypothermia, but I had no issues. However, it seemed that day existed as a trauma for Sang.
I muttered jokingly, trying to alleviate some of the worries.
"It's just a silly dream."
"Hyung. I'm serious."
"Yeah. Me too."
Turning to the side where Sang was, I wrinkled my nose and smiled.
"In reality, you saved my life. So, it's just a silly dream."
Even I found it ridiculous. Sang, who had been staring at the ceiling for a long time, glanced at me and let out a deep sigh. It seemed he had a lot to say, so I deliberately acted more shamelessly.
"How about it? No more nightmares now, right?"
"…You're really carefree, aren't you?"
"Of course, that's my strong point."
When I grinned widely, Sang shook his head as if he'd given up. But seeing the smile across his face, it seemed he wasn't really angry. Although it was fun joking around like this, there was something I needed to do today.
I had to check his awakening conditions. To use my ability, 'Pioneer of the Unknown,' there were a few things I needed to confirm.
First, there should be no one within 5 meters.
"This room is bigger than I thought."
"The priest was really considerate of me and gave me a large room."
And I had to be in contact with the subject.
"It's a bit cold, isn't it?"
"…What?"
Naturally, I lifted his blanket and quickly lay down beside him. Sang's face appeared very close as I lifted my head under the same blanket. That was the first time I noticed his black eyes glistening navy blue under the moonlight.
As I temporarily forgot my purpose and stared at him, Sang's cheeks turned red in real time.
"W-What…"
I grabbed his hand under the blanket as he tried to sneak away.
"Hey. Why are your hands so cold?"
They felt like ice. When he held my hand and prayed before, my body temperature was much lower because I had been in the sea, so I hadn't noticed. I never thought his hands would be this cold usually. Moreover, his face was red as if it would explode, but his body temperature was low, which was somehow fascinating and cute.
"Hyung, why are you doing this suddenly?… You're teasing me again, right?"
His eyes rolled aimlessly. Seeing his lips unable to move and his throat gulping down dryly, I felt a bit sorry. But it was a necessary process to check the awakening conditions.
"I told you, it's cold."
"It's still autumn…."
"I get cold easily."
"Hyung!"
When I whispered for him to be quiet since everyone might wake up, Sang shut his mouth tightly.
I was frustrated, too. Even though all the conditions were met, nothing showed up. Was something missing? Or do I need to get closer? There were no such conditions, though.
With a mindset of trying anything, I pressed myself against him, almost hugging him, and abruptly leaned my face in. I could feel his body tense up through our touching skin. It was just before our noses almost touched.
[Activating 'Pioneer of the Unknown().']
[Would you like to view the awakening conditions for the unawakened 'Sang Heo'?]
It worked! I was both curious and worried about using the ability for the first time and whether Sang's awakening conditions would be difficult. Trying to hide my nervousness, I blinked to signal affirmation, and a short sentence appeared.
['Experience separation from a precious person.']
Huh. A chuckle escaped my lips unconsciously. The corners of my mouth twitched upward. I had to act like nothing had happened, but I couldn't hide my bewilderment. As the letters disappeared, my distorted face reflected in his clear eyes.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah…."
Afraid of being found out, I quickly turned my back and pulled the blanket over my head.
"It won't work, you're freezing. You'll give me a cold."
"Huh?"
"See, I told you the blanket is the best."
Separation from a precious person. Should I be thankful that he didn't awaken after losing his parents? While I was glad there was something I could do, I felt a complicated mix of emotions. It's not arrogance, but I'm the only person who fits Sang's awakening conditions right now.
This must be a chance God is giving me to atone.
"Goodnight, Sang-ah."
Or maybe it's a perfect excuse for me to leave Sang's side.
****