After being hospitalized for a week, Byeongkyu was finally discharged, grinding his teeth as he left the hospital.
A week ago, he had taken a hard hit to the groin from some weird guy and ended up in the hospital. The doctor told him that if the hit had been just a little off, he might’ve never functioned as a man again.
Furious, he asked around if he could get any settlement money, but was told the other guy was seriously injured too, so it was pointless. That only made him angrier.
Because of the hospital bills, he had to ask his family for money, got chewed out by his old-school dad, and even heard talk about disowning him. Byeongkyu was now consumed with thoughts of revenge.
As soon as he was discharged, he called one of his crew members.
He planned to gather the whole gang and beat Yonghoon to within an inch of his life. But what he heard on the phone was ridiculous.
The boss had disbanded the group and joined a martial arts gym.
Byeongkyu was so stunned he couldn’t even lower the phone from his ear.
It was a group he had put together himself.
It wasn’t many people, but he had rounded up some local thugs and lured in a strong leader with his fists. It was weak now, but it was a gang that held his dreams. And now it had crumbled in an instant.
Wandering aimlessly, he ended up at a convenience store after sunset, bought some soju, and headed to the Han River.
His face was so twisted with rage that everyone enjoying the river view cleared out of his way.
“Damn it, I’m just trying to live-who the hell is screwing me over like this?!”
Sitting on the steps by the river, growling as he drank, people passing by whispered about him, but he couldn’t care less.
He was just looking for somewhere to vent his anger.
He even thought about going to the boss who joined the gym and smashing the back of his head with a bat, or tracking down the guy who put him in the hospital and wrecking him.
But with his current skills, he clearly couldn’t take on either of them. He’d just heard on the phone that the boss had gotten beaten by that guy again-it was hopeless.
Time passed, and he finished the alcohol he’d brought. Byeongkyu stared blankly at the river. The dark water only deepened his gloom.
And then it happened.
The river began to glow faintly green. It looked like a green curtain was swaying in the water.
Byeongkyu stared blankly at the brightening water when people around him started shouting.
“Look at the sky! It’s an aurora!”
“Wow, it’s so beautiful.”
Couples around him held hands and looked up at the sky, while people who came alone fumbled for their phones to call someone.
“Oppa! Hurry, go out to the balcony and look at the sky! It’s amazing!”
“Wake the kids! This is incredible!”
Byeongkyu frowned at the noise around him, then looked up. He was dumbfounded by the green light filling the sky.
When he looked around, everyone was staring up at the sky.
Byeongkyu looked up too.
A massive green curtain stretched across the entire sky in dozens of layers, moving. It was the aurora he’d only ever heard about. He stared at it, mesmerized.
The aurora filled the sky with light for nearly ten minutes before slowly fading away.
The people who had been staring in awe began heading home once it vanished, likely eager to talk about the phenomenon with their families.
In the end, no one was left around Byeongkyu.
Byeongkyu stood up and brushed off his pants.
Whatever buzz he had left from the alcohol had vanished while looking at the sky. He figured it was time to head back to his apartment.
But after just a few steps, he suddenly dropped to his knees as something stirred inside his body.
It felt like something was pouring in through his skin, and then that energy began to move throughout his body.
Byeongkyu felt like his whole body was on fire from the energy coursing through him. As time passed, he felt it seep into every corner of his being.
After a while, still kneeling, Byeongkyu stood up. He raised his hand and clenched his fist tightly.
His body was overflowing with strength. Then he looked down at the ground. It was a concrete floor.
Following the sensation guiding him from within, he gathered energy into his hand. His hand began to glow faintly.
Staring in wonder at his dimly glowing hand, Byeongkyu slammed it into the ground without a moment’s hesitation.
Boom!
When his fist struck the concrete, it exploded with a thunderous sound.
The spot where his fist landed caved in with the shape of his hand, and cracks spread out in all directions.
Byeongkyu raised his fist and inspected it. Not a scratch.
Seeing that, Byeongkyu began to laugh.
“Hahaha! I’ve been chosen!”
He had doubted the message the energy gave him, but after seeing the shockwave his punch created, he decided to believe it.
In the end, he had been chosen.
He thought he was in hell, but it was like a rope from heaven had dropped down to him. Byeongkyu smiled as he looked into the distance.
It was time for revenge.
First, he’d crush the guy who nearly turned him into a eunuch, then take out the boss, and then gather people around himself again.
After that, he’d conquer Seoul, and then all of Korea. But first, he had to get his revenge.
“Hahaha, get ready to die. I’m definitely turning you into a eunuch.”
Unlike when he came to the Han River, Byeongkyu now walked boldly toward his apartment. Behind him, only the dark river flowed.
Yonghoon woke up at his usual time, washed up quickly, put on his workout clothes, and stepped outside.
It was a morning filled with the scent of spring.
He stared blankly at the peaceful alley for a moment, then snapped back to his senses. He couldn’t afford to let his guard down.
Not long ago, he had spent ten years in a hellish war. Letting his guard down now could lead to trouble-or he might even cause it himself.
Yonghoon began to run. His injuries had fully healed, and he could move without issue.
Cutting through the morning air, Yonghoon ran.
And as he ran past the playground, he saw a man standing in front of him.
Wearing a cap pulled low and a jacket collar turned up, the guy’s whole posture screamed trouble.
Yonghoon slowed his pace.
Judging by the way he was standing, it seemed to be the same reason as the big guy before. But since no one else would block his path like this, Yonghoon was puzzled.
The man raised a hand toward Yonghoon, and Yonghoon stopped in front of him. As Yonghoon calmly looked at him, the man gritted his teeth and lifted his cap.
“You recognize me now, don’t you? Everything went to hell because of you. I’m going to crush you and set everything right.”
It was Byeongkyu.
After barely sleeping in his apartment, he had gone out at the crack of dawn to test his powers again. Then he came straight to the playground where he had fought Yonghoon, waiting for him.
“Who are you?”
Yonghoon couldn’t remember the face and had no choice but to ask. Byeongkyu’s face turned bright red at that.
“You bastard! You stomped on my groin here a week ago! I just got out of the hospital! You still don’t remember?!”
Yonghoon looked like he was thinking hard.
It must’ve been the thug he fought after the big guy, but Yonghoon couldn’t remember his face at all. He must’ve fought on reflex because the injury was worse than expected.
Seeing Yonghoon deep in thought only made Byeongkyu angrier. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“I’ll make you remember. Once you’re in the hospital, you’ll definitely remember!”
With that, Byeongkyu took a stance.
To Yonghoon, it looked sloppy. But that stance jogged his memory.
He hadn’t been very skilled-Yonghoon had no idea what made him come back. But since he was blocking the way, he’d just break through.
Yonghoon stepped forward and charged at Byeongkyu.
The way Yonghoon’s body swayed as he ran was enough to make Byeongkyu flinch.
“Damn it! I’m the chosen one!”
Byeongkyu shouted to the sky and tensed his whole body. Power surged from deep within. Confidence returned to his face.
Thud!
And then Yonghoon’s fist crashed into Byeongkyu’s face while he was distracted. But it was Yonghoon who bounced back.
He grabbed his punching hand with the other. It felt like he had hit a stone wall. No matter how trained someone was, a human body shouldn’t feel like that.
Yonghoon’s expression hardened.
As far as he knew, there was only one way to make a human body this hard. Yonghoon opened his mouth and asked Byeongkyu,
“Did you see the aurora in the sky last night?”
“Yeah! I got power from the aurora and became a superhuman!”
When Yonghoon’s attack didn’t work, Byeongkyu proudly raised his glowing fist. It gave off a faint light.
Yonghoon’s expression grew even more serious. Mistaking it for fear, Byeongkyu grew even more arrogant.
“Hahaha, I won’t kill you, so don’t worry. But you can forget about ever holding a spoon again!”
With that, Byeongkyu lowered both hands and walked toward Yonghoon. He was so confident he didn’t even bother to defend.
He stepped up and threw a punch. The form wasn’t great, but the speed was faster than a pro fighter’s.
Caught up in his thoughts, Yonghoon was startled by the attack.
Barely dodging by leaning back, Yonghoon rolled backward to create some distance.
This wasn’t the time to be distracted. It was hard for an ordinary person to go up against the physical abilities of an Awakened.
Yonghoon focused all his efforts on dodging. Luckily, the wind-up was big enough that stepping back could get him out of the attack range.
Byeongkyu didn’t care that Yonghoon kept dodging his attacks.
His stamina had also become incredibly strong, so he wasn’t getting tired. At this rate, he could keep fighting for a long time.
Eventually, Yonghoon failed to avoid one of Byeongkyu’s attacks.
Seeing Yonghoon fly back from the punch and roll across the ground, Byeongkyu trembled with ecstasy. So this is what it feels like to be strong! A grin spread across Byeongkyu’s face on its own.
But then he saw Yonghoon, who had been lying on the ground, start to get up.
Byeongkyu tilted his head. He’d definitely felt the impact in his fist.
With how far he flew, it should’ve been hard to get up-but Yonghoon looked like he had just stumbled and was now rising.
Yonghoon gave a bitter smile at Byeongkyu’s confused expression. He felt a little sorry for the rookie Awakened in front of him.
Thinking back to when he had first Awakened, Yonghoon was sure Byeongkyu must be feeling amazing right now-but he was about to crush that feeling.
As he rose to his feet, Yonghoon shivered at the energy surging through his body. This was the moment he would become an Awakened too.
Originally, in his world, Yonghoon had become an Awakened long after auroras first appeared and Awakened individuals began popping up all over the globe.
But there was no way he couldn’t draw out the Dimensional Power he had used for nine years after Awakening.
Yonghoon forcibly drew out the Dimensional Power within his body and Awakened.
Suddenly, Byeongkyu found himself afraid of Yonghoon again.
He didn’t know why, but when Yonghoon-his body trembling-lifted his head, the fear he had shaken off came rushing back.
And when Yonghoon raised both hands, Byeongkyu’s face turned pale.
The edges of both of Yonghoon’s hands were glowing white.