19 – 19.
Breaking up with Mayeon, Yoochan still felt a lingering pain in his wrist, so he applied a patch.
He didn’t think he could easily forget about her, but at least until his wrist healed, it would come to mind every moment.
“…I hope it heals quickly.”
Then, by chance, Ryeowon, who had come to bring side dishes, witnessed that sight…
“Huh? What’s wrong with your wrist? Did you hurt yourself somewhere?”
“Um…just, had a little accident.”
“What? Let me see! Did you get seriously injured?”
“It’s nothing. Just surprised my muscles.”
“That’s nothing?!”
Yoochan tried to hide his relationship with Yeonseo, but Ryeowon kept hitting his arm with worry, so he couldn’t help but confess.
The fact that they broke up after arguing in the Maenseo.
“…That’s how it turned out.”
“So, are you completely broken up now? Really…?”
“Well… I guess so.”
Since then, there hasn’t been much contact, but Yoochan couldn’t completely let go of his worries about her.
Because she was always doing unexpected things.
But Ryeowon could tell.
“She gave up.”
That Maenseo had completely left his side.
Realizing this, she comforted Yoochan, cutting to the chase.
“Aigoo. Our Yoochan, you must have suffered a lot…”
“What suffering…”
“Since it turned out this way, let’s forget everything and meet someone better! There are plenty of women in this world! You’ll have only good days ahead!”
“…Yeah. Thanks for worrying about me.”
Yoochan forced a smile in response to her sincere encouragement.
For a while, he didn’t want to dream of love.
Naturally, Ryeowon changed the topic, bringing up the side dishes she had brought.
“But, what did you bring earlier?”
“Oh, right. It’s something my aunt made for us…”
And so, the two of them had a meal together with the side dishes Ryeowon’s aunt had prepared.
Ryowon, who found out that there was no rice, barely managed to stop her and quickly prepared a simple meal with instant rice.
“Why didn’t you just cook it in a rice cooker?”
“Nah. It tastes good because I stir-fried it well.”
“hehehe, right? Even heating something in the microwave is a skill.”
“Just because you’ve never done it properly.”
Yu-chan, who had been feeling down for the past few days, was able to catch her breath for a moment thanks to Ryowon’s positive energy.
“I’m glad I have a real Ryowon.”
For Yu-chan, she was a grateful presence in many ways.
“Take care. Make sure to tell your aunt that the side dishes are delicious.”
“Yeah, yeah. Eat well…! I’ll contact you again.”
With that, Ryowon had to go to the academy and left the villa with Yu-chan’s farewell…
“Heungheung….”
Humming a light tune with light footsteps, she suddenly burst into laughter.
She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, worried that someone might see, but she couldn’t stop the laughter from bursting out.
“hehehe.”
She was so happy that she couldn’t control her expression.
*
Time passed relentlessly, and before they knew it, warm spring arrived.
Around that time, the suspect who had harmed her mother was caught.
“A, a corpse? So, the culprit is dead?”
Exactly, his body was found.
“It seems to be a suicide, judging by where it was found. But from above…”
“Detective Kim.”
“Oh. I-I’m sorry…”
“Anyway. Unfortunately, it seems like the case with your mother will end here. I apologize for not being able to help.”
According to the police who came to deliver the news, the investigation was closed due to the suspect’s death and lack of jurisdiction.
With no subject to investigate, it was forcibly concluded.
“Why on earth…?”
From start to finish, it was a case full of questions, but as a mere citizen, there was nothing I could do except accept it.
Just our poor mother who became a sacrifice.
It was a bitter and pitiful reality.
“This is ridiculous! Is it really over like this?”
“…Yes.”
“What do we do…?”
Upon hearing the news, Hanyeo-won couldn’t hide her astonishment and comforted me.
Since I’ve been alone, she has occasionally come to bring side dishes or spend time eating together or studying, saying that I get depressed when I’m alone.
She was a relationship where no matter how much I repaid her kindness, it would still be insufficient.
“Oh, by the way! What are we going to do with this house?”
“For now, I think we’ll continue living here until graduation.”
“Oh. That’s really fortunate. Then we’ll keep going to the same school, right?”
“Right.”
Luckily, the timing was right, and I quickly received government support, so I no longer needed to move out and could receive various forms of assistance.
Naturally, I didn’t need to force myself to drop out of school just to make a living.
It was truly a relief.
“What’s this? Did you already eat all the braised codfish?”
“Oh, that. It was so delicious that I ate it first. Aunt’s braised codfish is the best, as expected.”
“If you ate it all, you should have said so. We could have bought more for cheaper…”
“That’s why I’m saying it now.”
“Really…!”
That’s how I gradually became accustomed to my new life.
Slowly, the hot summer arrived, and I needed an air conditioner.
I declined the suggestions of my new friends and was having dinner at Hanryeo Garden after a long time.
“Hey!”
But suddenly, Hanryeo Garden’s eyes widened as she pointed at the TV while eating.
“That…”
“What is it?”
Without thinking, I shifted my gaze to the TV and unexpectedly heard news about my ex-girlfriend.
[After 70 years, the youngest S-class Awakened has changed in the country.]
It was none other than Ma Yeon-seo appearing in breaking news.
[Ma Yeon-seo has been determined as the 18th S-class in the country. She is the youngest in the country and ranks within the top 12 in the world, an astounding achievement…]
And that was the news that she had achieved S-class.
“Wow… S-class! Wasn’t she definitely C-class?”
“….”
As Hanryeowon exclaimed in admiration and wonder, I couldn’t help but feel a strange emotion upon hearing the news of her departure.
It was a mix of feelings.
While I was relieved that things had worked out well, the memory of our last moments together, which I had momentarily forgotten, came flooding back and made my heart feel heavy.
“…Well, it’s better than something bad happening.”
In any case, her good news was just as good news to me.
If I had heard that something bad had happened to her, I wouldn’t have felt at ease either.
That’s just how the human heart is.
“Things will get better from now on.”
In truth, Ma Yeonseo’s life was naturally prosperous.
She was beautiful, came from a wealthy family, and was not only intelligent, but had also awakened a rare ability.
Her life was one that couldn’t fail even if she wanted to.
In contrast, what about me?
I had nothing, an uncertain future, and not to mention a household to speak of.
I didn’t even have any special abilities.
Honestly, I thought I might have been the only obstacle in her life.
…That’s what I thought.
*
Time flew by quickly once again.
Before we knew it, Hanryeo-won and I, who were preparing for the college entrance exam, were spending busy days.
“Ah, I really don’t want to go to the academy.”
“Just a few more days and it’ll be over.”
“Ugh, even those few days are unbearable.”
Both of us were aiming for the regular admission, so we were relatively more relaxed than the students aiming for the early admission. However, since it was the biggest event in our school life, we were naturally more sensitive.
It felt even more intense than during puberty.
“Oh, right. Yoochan, have you seen that?”
“What?”
And then, one day, a sudden piece of news caused a stir in the world.
“The Stone of Origins! It was all over the news yesterday.”
“Oh, yeah. I saw it too.”
Out of the blue, it was a story about an ancient artifact.
[The Stone of Origins exists. I saw it with my own eyes. This is a picture of the stone, and you have the right to know. I repeat, the Stone of Origins exists.]
A middle-aged man who identified himself as Daniel Kiesling, a member of the European Awakened Association, made a serious claim.
The ancient artifact called the “Stone of Origins” really exists.
In modern times, an ancient artifact usually refers to a special item created in a tower.
In other words, the Stone of Origins is one of the items found in the tower…
This content was quite mind-boggling.
It is said that there are several Stones of Origins throughout all the towers.
These stones possess different powers and each symbolizes the origin of the world.
Among them, the powers of ‘Strength’ and ‘Light’ were revealed.
It was claimed that the United States possesses the Stone of Strength, and the European Union possesses the Stone of Light.
Even up to this point, the contents are already something that could appear in a comic or a movie.
But the reason for the revelation was even more absurd.
[ The Stone of Origin is not just an ancient artifact with ‘power’. It is a ‘weapon’ that should not be handled lightly. We must absolutely prevent this weapon from falling into the hands of our enemies. ]
There is an evil organization somewhere in the world that is targeting these stones.
Taking it a step further, he claimed that governments around the world are aiming to seize and weaponize these stones, and that he will prevent the reckless use of the stones through this revelation.
“Isn’t it too grand in scale?”
People didn’t take his claims seriously.
Wasn’t it just a groundless story?
However, surprisingly, many people also supported his claims.
“Wow…! How cool!”
From Noble mtl dot com
Hanryeo-won said next to me.
“To sacrifice oneself for justice…! So noble…!”
As a member of the Awakened Ones Association, her admiration for Daniel Kiesling’s self-sacrifice was high.
It was a sentiment that I found hard to understand.
“What if he dies for nothing?”
“Oh come on. Do you really think he’ll die? It would be more bizarre if he did.”
And soon after, Daniel Kiesling died.
The sign was a simple robbery by a certain awakened individual driven by greed.
Naturally, no one believed that he was simply a victim of robbery.
His death made everyone realize.
That there was something more to it.
“Hey, look. He’s dead.”
“But, still… It’s confirmed that the stone exists!”
Unlike me, who was still clueless, Hanyeo-won showed great interest, constantly searching for articles about the stone while preparing for the entrance exam.
And a little later.
“Yoo-chan! Yoo-chan! It was true!”
“Why all the fuss from the morning?”
“It’s the Stone of Origin! It really exists!”
“…Really?”
It was the first time that the existence of the stone was acknowledged in the United States.
[ This is the ‘Stone of Power’ that the United States possesses. ]
The President of the United States officially announced the identity of the stone at a formal ceremony.
“No way, is this for real?”
Even I, who was skeptical of the stone itself, had to show interest when the United States took a stance…
“…Hm?”
As I watched the announcement video through my phone, leaning my head against Hanyeo-won, I felt a strange sense of familiarity when I saw the greatly magnified shape of the stone.
Somehow, it felt oddly familiar.
“Is it because of my mood?”
The “Stone of Power” revealed on the screen looked quite ordinary compared to its abilities.
It was a flat, black stone in the shape of an egg, with a beautiful red gem embedded in it like a pattern.
Just like the gem that the “uncle” promised to give me when I was young.