Dawn at Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High arrived with a chill that clung to the skin like an omen. Mist drifted lazily between the wooden buildings, whispering across the stone paths as if the school itself exhaled ancient breath. Even without tapping into cursed perception—if you could call whatever I had "perception"—I felt the tension in the air.
Not normal tension.
Not simple cursed residue.
The world pulsated.
It was faint, but constant—like a heartbeat deep beneath the ground.
And my own body responded to it.
Not with fear.
Not with pain.
But with recognition.
[ARCHIVE: Ambient cursed energy detected.]
[Subconscious absorption: 0.07%]
Absorption again.
I didn't know whether to be comforted or terrified.
Probably terrified.
I stepped out of my room in time to see Gojo Satoru lounging against the hallway's wooden railing, wearing his usual grin—the kind of grin that meant chaos was already scheduled for today.
"Morning, Hyeon," he said casually.
"Sleep well?"
"No," I answered honestly.
"Great! That means you're adjusting."
"That's not… that's not how adjusting works."
He ignored that.
"Today's the day you meet your classmates."
My chest tightened.
"Yuji, Megumi and Nobara… right?"
Gojo nodded.
"Yep! They're on their way. And given your whole 'I destroy special-grades by existing' thing, I think they'll be excited."
"That is NOT something to be excited about."
Gojo shrugged and began walking.
"Come on. Let's go before Megumi decides you're a threat and tries to shadow-stab you."
"…excuse me WHAT—?!"
But he didn't answer.
Which, knowing Gojo, meant he was absolutely serious.
We reached the courtyard just as the first-years arrived.
And seeing them in person hit harder than any training blow ever could.
Yuji Itadori walked with a bright, almost sun-like energy, his smile warm enough to make the cursed air around him seem less oppressive.
Megumi Fushiguro followed, tall, quiet, and intense, his eyes scanning the area like a predator sizing up threats.
Nobara Kugisaki strutted in with a confidence sharp enough to cut wood, her hammer peeking out of her bag.
Characters I watched from a screen.
Fictional people.
But they were here.
Real.
Breathing.
Alive.
Gojo lifted a hand.
"Kids! Meet your new teammate."
Megumi looked at me with cool suspicion.
"That's not a student."
Nobara leaned closer, squinting.
"He looks like a human. But feels like… not a human."
Yuji walked straight up to me, smiling.
"Hi! I'm Itadori Yuji! Nice to meet you!"
I swallowed.
"I'm Kang Hyeon."
Megumi stepped closer.
"You don't have cursed energy. At all."
Nobara's eyes narrowed.
"That's weird. Even non-sorcerers have a tiny amount."
"Maybe he's a curse," Megumi said.
"I'M LITERALLY RIGHT HERE," I shouted.
Gojo chimed in cheerfully:
"He's not a curse. He's not a sorcerer. He's not even technically human. He's a—"
"DON'T SAY IT—"
"—cursed anomaly!"
I sighed into my hands.
Yuji tilted his head.
"So… what can you do?"
"I don't know."
"Can you fight?" Nobara asked.
"No."
Megumi crossed his arms.
"Then why is he here?"
Gojo grinned.
"Because he breaks reality in fun ways."
"…that's not an explanation," Megumi muttered.
"Sure it is!" Gojo insisted. "Now let's train."
"Wait, train? Train WHAT—?"
Gojo clapped.
"Today's lesson:
Try not to die."
"…Gojo-sensei, please don't say it like that," Yuji whispered.
Even Nobara winced.
Gojo led us to the back training grounds—an open dirt field surrounded by forest and old stone lanterns. The air here was thick with lingering cursed pressure from past battles.
"Alright," Gojo announced dramatically, "today's training is simple."
"That's a lie," Megumi said immediately.
Gojo ignored him.
"Hyeon, your job is to stay alive."
"…from what?"
Gojo pointed at Yuji.
"From him!"
"HEY WHAT—?!!"
Yuji cracked his knuckles.
"I mean… I don't want to hit you, Hyeon. But training is training!"
"No! WAIT—!"
Yuji dashed forward.
And then I learned something important:
Yuji Itadori was terrifyingly fast.
He closed the distance in a blink, fist aimed at my ribs. But before the impact—
Something inside me clicked.
A sigil flared across my arm like liquid fire.
[ARCHIVE: Defensive Protocol – Soft Mirror]
Yuji's fist hit an invisible barrier—
—and bounced backward with equal force.
"WHOA—!!"
He flipped through the air, landed hard, and immediately stood back up.
"That was AWESOME!"
Nobara rolled her eyes.
"Please. Amateur."
She flicked her wrist.
Three nails flew through the air.
Instinct activated again.
[ARCHIVE: Trajectory Distortion]
The nails curved mid-flight, twisting around my body and embedding harmlessly into the ground.
Nobara stared.
"…the hell?"
Megumi stepped forward.
"None of this is intentional, is it?"
"No!" I shouted. "My body does this automatically!"
Gojo clapped enthusiastically.
"Exactly! Isn't it fun?"
"THIS ISN'T FUN, GOJO-SENSEI!"
Megumi rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"We need to test his limits."
"Great idea!" Gojo said.
"No it's NOT—!"
Megumi formed a hand sign.
A deep rumble echoed through the sky.
Nue descended like a thunderbolt.
"Oh come ON—"
[ARCHIVE: Protocol Override]
[Forbidden Subroutine: Soul Pulse]
[Warning: Output unstable]
My chest ignited with symbols.
The air crackled.
"No—NO—STOP—!"
A shockwave erupted outward.
Silent.
Invisible.
Deadly.
Nue disintegrated midair like smoke shredded by wind.
The ground cracked.
Megumi staggered.
Nobara froze.
Yuji blinked in shock.
Gojo smiled like Christmas arrived early.
"Well well… something interesting awakened."
I fell to my knees, hands trembling.
"I didn't… mean to do that…"
Gojo lowered himself to my level.
"Hyeon, relax. Nue is a shikigami. Megumi can resummon it. No harm done."
Megumi glared.
"…it still hurt."
"But you're fine!" Gojo chirped. "See? Training!"
I groaned.
"This isn't training. This is torture."
"Same thing," Nobara said.
Yuji helped me stand.
"You're strong, Hyeon. Stronger than me when I started."
Megumi eyed me.
"No. He's dangerous."
Gojo nodded.
"He's both."
And then the ground vibrated.
Again.
Harder.
A chill ran through the air.
Something was approaching.
Very fast.
Gojo straightened.
"…Oh boy."
Yuji stiffened.
Megumi summoned his shadows.
Nobara raised her hammer.
Out of the forest emerged a twisted, bone-like creature with a cracked Noh mask fused to its skull.
A cursed spirit.
And not a weak one.
"Special grade," Megumi whispered.
"…seriously?!" I cried.
Gojo stepped forward.
"Hm. It's attracted to Hyeon."
"WHY ME—?!"
"Because you're basically a glitch in reality," Gojo said cheerfully. "Curses LOVE that sort of thing."
The special-grade lunged.
Straight at me.
My body responded.
[ARCHIVE: Adaptive Combat]
[Soul Shear]
My hand lifted.
The world vibrated.
The cursed spirit's entire form imploded inward like collapsing gravity before dissolving to dust.
Silence.
Yuji: "…..BRO?"
Nobara: "That's… not how jujutsu works."
Megumi: "That's something only… entities beyond special grade can do."
Gojo smiled.
"You didn't exorcise it, Hyeon."
I swallowed hard.
"…then what did I do?"
"You erased it."
My blood froze.
"That's… not possible."
Gojo held my gaze.
"You're right.
It isn't."
He tapped my chest.
"But you? You make impossible things happen."
My breathing was shaky.
"Hyeon," Gojo said quietly, "your existence is accelerating. Your power is growing."
He straightened.
"And the world is beginning to change because of you."
A cold weight settled in my stomach.
Megumi walked away tense.
Nobara eyed me like a loaded weapon.
Yuji offered a worried smile.
Gojo placed a hand on my shoulder.
"This was only the beginning."