Chapter 165

Awakened and non-Awakened.

Back in the early days when Awakened first appeared in the world, people had been under a fairly naive, romantic misconception.

That an Awakened was just an ordinary human with a single new skill — "superpowers" — laid over the top.

No one talks that comfortable line anymore.

The gap between Awakened and non-Awakened wasn't on the order of "a human with slightly better abilities."

To draw a comparison: an eagle and a field mouse.

Predator and prey in the food chain — an entirely different order of creature, on wholly different terms.

The precise cause of awakening still hasn't been clearly established, but the accepted view in the field splits broadly into two.

Either it manifests through survival instinct in an extreme, life-threatening situation, or the power has been carried inside from birth.

The twins were the latter.

Barely four years old, no warning signs at all — a huge power had abruptly opened its eyes inside those tiny bodies.

And this is exactly where the tragedy starts.

What happens when a child manifests under ordinary non-Awakened parents?

This isn't a matter on the order of raising a gifted child.

It means that the flesh-and-blood infant you carried and delivered has, in a single stroke, become an uncontrollable predator who could snap your neck in an instant.

On top of that, the aura an Awakened gives off unconsciously imprints a bone-deep biological dread on non-Awakened.

Which is why parents, far from being able to hold their own children warmly, come to be afraid even to approach them.

In the end, most parents, unable to bear this awful terror, end up treating their own child as a monster and dumping them at a guild or the Bureau.

And from the child's side of it — what about the Awakened children born to non-Awakened parents?

To a small child, parents are the whole world, the one and only universe.

And that universe looks at them with the loathing you'd give an animal, even shows contempt for the fact that they were born at all.

Before their sense of self has even had a chance to form, their very existence is brutally denied.

Inside that vicious wound, Awakened children come to hold one of two extreme emotions toward their non-Awakened parents.

Complete "indifference," or unchecked "rage."

The former — treating their parents like pebbles by the roadside and tuning them out — was frankly the better outcome.

Because the moment it manifested as the latter, that suppressed hurt tended to explode into horrific incidents; that pattern was anything but rare.

So for Awakened children, a non-Awakened caregiver who actually looked them in the eye and loved them without conditions — it goes without saying what an absurd, precious miracle that was.

Not even a caregiver, necessarily — just meeting a non-Awakened who treats them not as monsters but as ordinary little kids, and willingly offers them a warm feeling.

It was as good as the one salvation ever handed down into the dark, arid lives of Awakened.

And the twins had already met that miracle of a non-Awakened.

With a real, dazzling diamond already in hand, no dulled, threadbare imitation was going to catch the eye.

Which was why, when their birth parents had turned up and announced they wanted the kids back, the twins didn't feel a hint of gladness or excitement.

If anything, only a cold suspicion and instinctive wariness had risen in them.

"Why didn't you tell him the truth?"

"…"

"That there's no way Mom and Dad would come looking for us."

At Hajun's careful question, Hayun's small, round shoulders — walking down the corridor — heaved up and down.

"That's because…"

Hayun worked her tiny fingers, restless, and bit down hard on her lip.

"If I said it honestly… the Direektuh might get shcared of us."

"Scared? The Director?"

Hajun's eyes went round, as if he couldn't understand, and Hayun scrunched up her face, frustrated.

"Think about it! Your real mom and dad come looking for you, and you're not happy at all, just shuspicious… normal kidsh don't act like that!"

"They don't?"

Hajun echoed, as if hearing it for the first time.

"Nope! I shaw it on TV. Normal kidsh, when their parentsh come, they cry from being sho happy."

"Ohhh…"

"I really, really don't want the Direektuh to shee ush differently."

The Director, a non-Awakened, had always treated the twins the way you'd treat any ordinary, lovable little child.

Not Awakened wielding terrifying power, but delicate little ones who needed to eat well and grow up strong.

The warm, whole shell the Director had wrapped them in — the kids loved it past bearing.

Which was exactly why they never wanted to disappoint him, or come across like some emotionless little monsters.

"So! Instead of stewing on it just us, let'sh have a meeting with the older kidsh firsht!"

Conclusion firmly reached, the twins bustled off, short legs pattering.

The two of them padded back into the Sunshine Room, and laid out the whole story to the kids gathered there.

"What? Your parents came?"

Most of the kids' reactions were pretty flat.

Because there was hardly a child here who properly remembered what their own parents looked like.

Only Sea-ah and Ari — who'd at least fully known a caregiver's love — seemed to grasp the situation.

"If they came to see you… isn't that a good thing? Your parents came to take you home, didn't they?"

At Ari's guileless question, the twins shook their heads, firm.

"No way, it's shushpicious. Our mom and dad are the last people who'd ever come looking for ush."

"Why? Even if things were rough before, maybe they're rich now and came to find you! In dramas, that 'turns out I'm from a chaebol family?' thing comes up all the time!"

"That's ridiculoush! People who trembled just looking at ush — how are they shuddenly gonna take us back!"

"Maybe they're not scared anymore! I was really scared of my grandma at first too, but after seeing her all the time, now I'm not scared at all!"

Sea-ah, who'd been listening quietly to the two of them squabbling, clapped her hands together lightly and calmly stepped in to settle it.

"All right, that's enough. So what Hayun's saying is — the parents who were that afraid of you, the fact that they came looking for you at all is what's suspicious?"

"Yeah! And… if we're not really the target…"

Hayun glanced quickly around, then dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

"What if they're coming for the Direektuh?"

"What? The Director?"

At the unexpected turn, the kids' eyes flew wide.

"Why? What's the Director got to do with it?"

"Think about it! It'sh weird enough that people that shcared of ush are suddenly coming back for ush! And after only one year!"

"That is… weird."

"Right?! Sho we're the bait!"^※TL she smart

Hayun stretched her chubby fingers wide, jabbing at the air like she'd turned into a great detective.

"Bad grown-ups are alwaysh watching for a chance to kidnap our weak Direektuh! I bet our mom and dad have teamed up with them, and they're planning to lure the Direektuh out and shnatch him for shure!"

It was a spectacular leap of logic, but astonishingly it landed as convincing with the kids.

That was because they'd already witnessed, more times than they could count, the spectacular everyday of a Director who — the moment you thought things had settled — was getting swept up in the next incident.

Well, the Director is weak and precious, so it makes sense the bad grown-ups are always eyeing him.

And if they use us as bait, the Director'll definitely come to save us!

Perfectly under the spell of Hayun's miracle logic, the kids all bobbed their heads in unison.

Just as opinion in the Sunshine Room was tipping in a heartbeat toward "the parents are suspicious!" —

Cha Yul, silently working on his conditioning in the corner, cut in flat and cold.

"Or they really do want you back. Little Awakened have plenty of uses. Force them into Gates to make money, or sell them off for a high price."

At that chilling, ruthlessly realistic line, the Sunshine Room went quiet, as if cold water had been dumped on it.

In the mood that had crashed heavy in an instant, Sea-ah shot Cha Yul — killjoy — a sidelong glance and opened her mouth, calm.

"Whether it's the Director they're after, or some other scheme like oppa said, or if they really did come to find you with good intentions — we don't know yet. If you're that suspicious, we can just check it out ourselves."

"How?"

"There's something I've been thinking about."

At Sea-ah's words, the kids swarmed in and pricked up their ears.

Early the next morning.

Knock knock.

"…Who is it."

Well before sunrise.

At the knocking, I let out a groaning noise and dragged my heavy eyelids up.

After meeting the twins' parents, I'd tossed and turned all night and barely managed an hour of sleep.

Staggering over and pulling the door open, I found two little crowns at knee height in my line of sight.

"Uh…?"

There stood the twins, already changed into neat outdoor clothes, hands firmly clasped.

"Direektuh! We've decided! We want to go see them!"

The one line snapped me wide awake.

Already? This fast? Without even giving me time to steady myself?

Confusion and something a lot like hurt hit like a tidal wave, and I froze on the spot — and then —

"But!"

Hayun caught the look on my face and hurriedly shot a hand up, calling out.

"Not for good! Just… uh… a t-tashting? We want to try that firsht!"

"…Tasting?"

Not ice cream — a parent tasting?

"Yeah! Just meeting them a few times a week. We shtill live in the Sunshine Room! Meet them like that a few timesh and decide later!"

The brain, still stiff from an all-nighter, finally caught up.

Not packing up and leaving that same day, but a kind of grace period — a slow look before deciding.

"That plan… did Sea-ah teach you?"

At my question, the kids glanced sidelong at each other and gave a small nod.

Right, thought so. Sharp as they are, that's not something that comes out of a five-year-old head.

Seemed they'd gone back to the Sunshine Room yesterday and held a proper little strategy meeting with the older kids.

Only then did I let out a deep breath of relief and unwind the tension knotted through my shoulders.

"Right. Tasting — that's a great idea."

I let out a small laugh and lightly stroked the kids' round little heads.

A short while later, I called the couple to the café we'd met at before.

Like they'd been waiting for the call, I spotted the two of them from a distance, rushing over out of breath.

I watched them approach, then crouched down toward the twins clinging tight to my leg.

Then I carefully fastened the artifact bracelets I'd brought along around those tiny wrists.

Taking their taste into account, I'd even had them specially processed into an adorable rabbit shape.

"Woooow! Rabbits!"

At the cute rabbit shape, the kids' eyes went huge.

"These are really important artifacts, so don't take them off, no matter what. They'll protect you."

"Yesh! We'll keep them on!"

At the sturdy answer and the sight of the kids tenderly stroking the little rabbits on their wrists, I gave a faint smile.

"And… I told you not to use your abilities on regular people, right? But there's a time when it's okay to use them?"

"When we're in danger!"

At the chirping little chick chorus, too cute to resist, I stroked their heads.

"Right. If anything even a little scary happens, don't hold back — use your abilities. Even if the other person ends up half dea… I mean, seriously hurt, the Director'll handle all of it, so don't worry about a thing."

"Hehe, okay!"

The kids beamed and threw their arms tight around my neck.

I hugged the small backs in return and patted them, then slowly turned around, and there — reaching me out of breath at some point — was the couple.

"Hajun! Hayun!"

The couple called out in desperate voices as they came closer, but the twins slid behind my legs and only sent them wary looks.

"One moment."

I raised a hand, stopping them.

"As I said, we're not combining living arrangements right away. There'll be a grace period — a few meetings outside — so the kids can adjust."

"Yes, yes! Even that much is more than we could ask for."

The man answered as if genuinely moved, then began sneaking careful glances at me and, cautious, opened his mouth again.

"Director… we're aware this is asking a lot, but there's one favor we'd like to request."

"Go ahead."

"During this time we're meeting with the children, if possible, we'd like you not to see the kids outside separately, Director."

"…Excuse me?"

My brow tightened, hard, and the man scrambled with both hands.

"Please don't misunderstand! It's just — we're worried it might confuse them. If you could show us that much consideration, so they can spend their time with us — their birth parents — fully, we'd never forget it as long as we live."

It was a proposition galling enough that I wanted to fire back on the spot, but I swallowed a short internal sigh.

Right, the kids wanted this… just bear with it a little.

"…All right. For the time being, I won't meet with them separately outside. That said, managing and meeting with the kids inside the guild is part of my job, so that's an exception."

"Oh! Thank you so much! Your consideration — Director, I won't forget it!"

Watching the man bow theatrically, over and over, I put on a stiff voice and asked,

"So where are you taking them today?"

"For today… I really wanted to show them our new place."

"Which district?"

"District Three."

For a split second, a look of superiority flickered across the man's face.

District Three, huh…

It didn't have the political weight of Districts One or Two, but it was a very upscale residential area where the wealthy clustered.

A couple who'd been living in the outskirts of District Ten — basically the slums — had, by what means exactly, managed to set up a respectable home in District Three in such a short window?

The stink of it was overwhelming, but for now I kept it off my face.

"Understood. If anything happens, contact me right away."

I gave the couple a short line, then nudged the kids who'd been tucked behind me out to the front.

"Don't forget a word of what I said."

"'Kay. Shee you later, Direektuh!"

I watched the small backs following behind the couple until they'd shrunk to complete specks, and then, without a sound, a black shadow drew up beside me.

Kang Taemin.

"Let's go."

At my cold command, he silently nodded.

On the tiny screen of the device I pulled from my coat, the two red dots — the artifacts I'd fastened on the kids — were slowly drifting farther away.

Eyes fixed on the blinking points, I set off after them, hard.