CH 12

It was a violent sound that could not be heard as flesh collided flesh. Then, Seon-woo recovered his leg and immediately began to use his powers. He was also an expert at using his body as an S-class Awakener, but he realized something after bumping into Do-jin. Physically, it wouldn’t be easy to beat him.

Apparently, Do-jin’s abilities were related to his body. So, there was no hesitation in using his powers. Drops of water spinning sharply were shot at him like bullets, but when he swung his fist hard again, they exploded as if they were being swept away.

Meanwhile, the driver took Hyeon-woo and Kero out of the car and evacuated them outside. ‘I know it wasn’t okay for me to be attacked in the car.’ Spontaneously, Hyeon-woo saw the two of them fighting with his own eyes.

‘Well?’

Hyeon-woo, who naturally judged the situation, stopped moving for a while. The man holding on to Seon-woo was stronger than he thought. ‘During the time I have stayed on Earth, it seems that I have been exposed to a lot of the world through the media.’

‘In the process, I came to know more about Seon-woo, and he did say that he was one of the strongest in the world.’ Naturally, it also meant that he was the strongest in Korea. But that man looked stronger than Seon-woo. However, he did not show any intention of harming Seon-woo. So, it was difficult for the man to move right away, without harming him.

Suddenly, Hyeon-woo made eye contact with the man. They were sharp but cool eyes. ‘It was the man I saw in the department store. But I think I have seen him before.’ Hyeon-woo tried to look through his memory to find where he had seen him before. There weren’t many people that he had met in his life.

He was only fifteen when he was sent to the Demon Realm, and he had no choice but to live in the Demon Realm. So, his memories before going to the Demon Realm were not that clear. Most of his remaining memories were of Seon-woo.

‘So where did you get those eyes?’ Hyeon-woo paused a bit and finally remembered.

“Han Ye-won.”

Hyeon-woo remembered a person who had been buried in the back of his memory for a long time.

Han Ye-won, a girl who was three years older than Hyeon-woo. A sophomore in high school that cared a lot about others ahead of herself, even in a difficult situation. She especially tried to take care of Hyeon-woo, who was the youngest.

As soon as Hyeon-woo uttered her name, Do-jin, who was rushing like a madman, stood tall on the spot. Because of that, Seon-woo’s attack hit him, but he shouted without regard for it.

“Han Ye-won, do you know Ye-won?”

The words continued quickly.

“She has short hair, and her hair is lighter than other people. Her height is about 160 cm. Her personality is very bright and cheerful, and she likes to help others. She was eighteen years old at the time of her disappearance.”

As the atmosphere strangely changed, Seon-woo lowered his raised hand, unable to attack. Do-jin stood there and shouted with an expression of wanting to really find out what had happened to her.

“That child is also a First-Generation missing person!”

‘I know. Remembering these memories that had been buried all along makes my head ache.’ Hyeon-woo was reminded of the terrible circumstances he had been put through at that time.

Ye-won was a very kind person. But the Demon Realm was not a place where she could survive just because she was kind. She had to have a knack for combat and venom to survive. She did, but before a year had passed, she was killed in a reckless battle. He could still remember it even now.

‘I have an oppa.’

The last person to see her was Hyeon-woo and he even watched her die. It was because he was the person who was closest to Ye-won.

‘He looks cold on the outside, but he’s actually a good guy. I have to take care of him.’

Ye-won vomited blood and wept bitterly.

‘I can’t protect you now. Oppa, Do-jin oppa.’

Ye-won, who always tried to look strong, cried like a child.

‘It hurts, it hurts a lot.’

She didn’t want to cry until she got her brother back. So, she clenched her teeth and endured it. Even Hyeon-woo was shaken at the end of Ye-won. He couldn’t help but be shaken. Ye-won, who had died, was pitiful and Hyeon-woo was afraid that he would become like that too. He just wanted to cry too.

‘It’s alright, Ye-won. I’m here.’

He lied with his words. He tried to deceive her with his voice and pretended to be Ye-won’s older brother. Perhaps the dying Ye-won would have already known it was him. It was all because of Hyeon-woo’s clumsy consideration. Still, Ye-won smiled and said one last time.

‘Oppa. Thanks.’

That was the end of Ye-won. It felt like his stomach was going to explode. The deaths he had been trying to forget the whole time, shook Hyeon-woo’s heart. He pressed his hand against his trembling chest and struggled to endure it. He did not want to show the suffering of the past in front of Seon-woo.

‘Did he notice him?’ Seon-woo said firmly.

“Hyung, ignore it.”

Without thinking much. Seon-woo, whom Hyeon-woo knew, was a very friendly child, so he shook his head. It was okay for him to be in pain. Now that he met Seon-woo, he would endure this much.

“No, I know. I know Han Ye-won.”

If so, that man must have been with that person at least.

Han Do-jin. Han Ye-won’s only one oppa.

“Then you would be Do-jin.”

“...That’s right.”

Do-jin’s lips trembled. He hesitated several times, hesitated, and then opened his mouth.

“Ye-won, what happened to Ye-won?”

‘He looks cold on the outside, but in reality he is a good person.’ He remembered the story Ye-won had told him. Hyeon-woo looked carefully at Do-jin’s face. His handsome face, like a man, looked cold at first glance because of his eyes, but his eyes were different. The black eyes swaying under the dim light looked so deep and beautiful. Hyeon-woo took a deep breath.

“Han Ye-won… My younger sister.”

He paused for a moment.

“She’s dead.”

Do-jin’s eyes narrowed.

“I am the only First-Generation Awakened to return alive. The others are all dead.”

There was some silence for a moment.

Tears welled up in Do-jin’s eyes, and then immediately fell to the floor. The soil on the floor soaked up the water and dyed it a dark color.

“Ugh.”

A groan escaped Do-jin’s mouth. Was it sad to hear the cry of an animal that had lost its young? The corners of Hyeon-woo’s eyes looking at him trembled.

“Uh-a-ah!”

Do-jin, who collapsed on the spot, smashed the ground with his fist and wept. The tears didn’t stop. His parents hated Do-jin from an early age because he stuttered his words. The stuttering, stupid child was dismissed and abused because he was not their child. However, his three-year-old younger sister did not abandon Do-jin. She always smiled and stayed by his side.

‘Oppa!’

She was a bright and lovely child. So, he wanted to protect her. He wanted to protect her, but he couldn’t.

One day, 10,000 people disappeared from Korea. Among them was Do-jin’s beloved sister, Ye-won. From the moment Ye-won disappeared, Do-jin’s world became hell. Even in that situation he struggled to get himself to stand up again.

Because he had to find Ye-won. From that day on, he started working by selling items. He traveled all over the country to find his sister, gathering information. But it wasn’t easy.

Around that time, 100,000 people disappeared again, and the portal opened. The world was a mess, but Do-jin did not give up and moved on. And then, some of the Second-Generation missing persons returned as saviors.

‘You can come back.’

Hope had arisen. His hope became the driving force behind Do-jin. It made him continue searching for her again. So, at some point, he was awakened. He gained strength, and he also fixed his stuttering. It seemed that he could find happiness just by finding his younger sister.

Being Awakened made it much easier to gather information. It was easy, but there was a clear limit to what individuals could collect. So, a guild was set up.

The name was Peace Guild.

Being the Guild Leader made it easier to gather information, but he still couldn’t find Ye-won with that. It was because the First-Generation missing people did not reappear in the first place. Some analysts have talked about it. Maybe the first 10,000 people who disappeared were experiments that were perished due to bad luck. Because as the generations went on, the missing people returned more quickly, and more survived.

The first generation was a throwaway.

That was the conclusion of others. Still, he did not want to give up, so he continued to pursue the information, and finally found the information of the First-Generation missing person. There was a First-Generation missing person who had returned.

‘Let’s join hands together.’

He did think it was a bad thing to combine forces with him, but he still took his hand. The Seon-Hyeon Guild, who had the First-Generation missing person, refused to show him, so he made dozens of requests to visit him, but all were rejected.

‘Just hold onto Ji Seon-woo’s ankle. I’ll take care of the rest.’

Was what Ga-jun said. However, Ga-jun failed, and Do-jin became more desperate. He was afraid he would never see the First-Generation missing person again. Because, once they entered the guild headquarters, meeting the First-Generation missing person would be like picking a star in the sky. So, he hurried to find them and came this far.

He came. The news he found out was not good news.

‘My beloved sister, my precious being, had died.’ Do-jin lost control all over his body. He didn’t know what to do with himself now.

‘Is there any reason to live?’

He didn’t know. Do-jin blankly looked down at the floor. Darker thoughts began to fill his mind.

‘I’d rather end this.’

He pulled out a weapon that he hadn’t taken out the whole time.

Kara. The cursed dagger he obtained from a dungeon. A dagger with a longer blade than normal rotated in Do-jin’s hand. Then, the dagger held in reverse moved straight towards the target.

That target was himself.