VOLUME 2
The astonishment that Kim In-gyu felt when he looked at Soohyeok was a sentiment shared by many of those gathered at the scene.
However, there was certainly someone whose feelings were quite different.
Kim Yumin.
He was grinding his teeth, eyes red with fury.
"Closed the portal all by himself? Came back as a hero?"
He didn't want to believe it. But the scene before his eyes confirmed everything. Everyone was looking at Soohyeok with admiration, respect, even deep emotion. Kim Yumin didn't like that at all.
"Sure, he did well—but if he broke the law, he needs to be punished."
That slightly bitter tone slipping out of his mouth was probably because of that sentiment.
But the eyes that turned to Kim Yumin weren't Soohyeok's.
Han Taemin, his fellow classmate, looked at him with disbelief.
"What law do you think Soohyeok broke?"
"He entered the portal alone. I told him not to."
That part was true.
But then, Han Taemin and two others followed him into the portal.
"That's nonsense. Don't try to tear him down with that twisted logic. In the end, he didn't go in alone."
And…
Han Taemin's gaze shifted to the group of 21 survivors, huddled near the now-vanished bus stop, still trembling.
One life was lost—but many were saved.
Without Soohyeok, that wouldn't have been possible.
That alone made his actions worthy of praise.
There was no reason to disparage him.
Kim Yumin knew this, rationally.
But emotionally—his feelings refused to accept it. His reason had been trampled by emotion.
He couldn't stop thinking about Soohyeok's mocking smirk and back as he'd vanished into the portal, as if to taunt him one last time.
"Don't feed me that crap! That bastard never had any intention of following the rules! You guys just got dragged into it by sheer luck!"
"It wasn't luck."
Han Taemin replied coldly.
That's when Soohyeok, who had been silently watching, stepped forward.
"Kim Yumin."
"Don't act like we're close enough for you to use my name."
Yumin's breath was ragged, eyes red.
He looked like someone who had long since thrown away his reason.
Pathetic. Not even worth provoking.
So Soohyeok didn't bother responding with a retort.
"Sigh…"
Instead of speaking, he let out a deep sigh.
As he shook his head, Yumin's eyes flared even redder with fury.
"A sigh? You think this is funny? Huh? You mocking me?"
"Hey, Kim Yumin."
Han Taemin tried to step in quickly.
"Shut the hell up, you son of a bitch!"
Yumin snapped, suddenly turning and screaming.
Naturally, all eyes turned toward them.
With his aggression, foul language, and shouting, ignoring the scene was no longer an option.
**"That bastard tried to enter the portal alone! I told him not to, but he ignored me!
If you're just gonna do whatever the hell you want, why even have laws? Huh? Is the state, the Association, just a joke to you, you piece of shit?!"**
Yumin's vulgar shouts directed at Soohyeok only grew louder and more furious.
He probably believed that the gathered crowd would keep Soohyeok from retaliating.
But no one looked favorably upon Kim Yumin.
'What the hell is wrong with this guy?'
'Can't even say thank you?'
'Who even is this dude? Is he with the Association?'
That's what most people around were thinking.
Yumin could feel their disapproval.
And it only deepened his rage, as he felt more and more isolated.
"Somebody arrest that bastard! Let him see how miserable life is for an illegal awakened one!"
No one moved.
Instead, Yumin stormed forward alone, grabbed Soohyeok's collar tightly—who simply looked at him, unimpressed.
Faces around them, including Soohyeok's, hardened.
**"What? You gonna hit me? Gonna add assault to your record while you're at it, criminal?
Go ahead. Hit me, you piece of shit!"**
Soohyeok said nothing.
Kim Yumin, a twisted grin curling at his lips, shivered slightly as he spat out:
"You're just scared. Can't do a damn thing. Why don't you go cry to your mommy or something—"
Before he could finish—
A silver bracelet flashed through the air.
And smashed straight into Kim Yumin's abdomen.
"Ugh..!"
He screamed in pain, his face contorting.
"Bleaargh—!"
He let go of Soohyeok's collar, coughing violently and gagging, doubled over in agony.
"You lunatic."
The one now exhaling harshly in front of him wasn't Soohyeok.
It was Kim In-gyu, president of the KR Guild and a Rank 7 awakened one.
The silver bracelet that had struck Yumin wasn't Soohyeok's—it was Kim In-gyu's.
Unable to bear watching any longer, In-gyu had stepped in himself.
His face twisted in fury like a wrathful spirit.
"He saved people and closed the portal, and you're calling him a criminal? You son of a bitch. What the hell do you think awakened ones are, huh?!"
Kim In-gyu's fierce voice thundered down on Yumin.
He swept back his messy hair with a hand, glancing over at the survivors still gathered near the bus stop.
"Shit. What an embarrassment. Seriously."
"Who… who the hell are you…?"
Yumin croaked, his voice still shaking, eyes brimming with tears of pain.
"Who? KR Guild president. And now officially a violent offender for smacking another awakened one just now. You little shit."
As Kim Ingyu raised his hand again, Kim Yumin instinctively flinched.
Getting hit once seemed to have knocked a bit of sense back into him.
"Man… whew."
Kim Ingyu let out a deep sigh and reached into his coat for a cigarette, placing it between his lips and preparing to light it.
"Pop!"
With a light sound from somewhere nearby, the end of his cigarette lit up.
Surprised, Kim Ingyu looked toward the source of the sound—and saw a man walking toward him in casual attire, flanked by four Association employees.
Wearing dark sunglasses and moving with an air of laziness, he looked laid-back. But not a single awakened one present dared to underestimate him.
Because everyone knew who he was.
"Vice President Oh Shinwoo."
At Kim Ingyu's tense greeting, Oh Shinwoo approached with a bright grin.
He lightly tapped Ingyu on the shoulder and said,
"That was cool, hyung-nim. You're absolutely right. It's disgraceful for someone to become an awakened one and then treat a man who saved civilians like that."
"Uh…"
Though Shinu called him hyung-nim, Kim Ingyu didn't actually know him personally.
Strictly speaking, they'd probably just seen each other at formal events, never had a private conversation.
So his overly familiar tone was baffling.
"Heard most of it from afar."
Shinwoo discreetly showed Ingyu a smartphone still on a call and shifted his gaze toward the female Rank 2 awakened who had entered the portal with Soohyeok.
She offered a sheepish smile, clearly uncomfortable.
"I'm always kind to female staff. Excuse me for a moment."
With a soft chuckle, Oh Shinwoo moved toward the survivors.
Their faces looked worn, but they didn't seem to be physically injured.
A doctor examining them stood up, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Externally, they seem fine… but…"
The diseases of the otherworld were unpredictable in form and onset.
There were plenty of cases where ordinary people, not awakened ones with strong immunity, had entered and exited otherworlds only to later die of mysterious illnesses.
Oh Shinwoo understood the implication and nodded gravely.
He then removed his sunglasses.
His eyes looked gentler than expected, and with them, he bowed deeply.
**"Hello. I'm Oh Shinwoo, Vice President of the Awakened Association. First, I sincerely apologize for not responding quickly to this unexpected situation.
We'll do our utmost to ensure something like this never happens again. And if any of you feel ill, please visit any of the university hospitals affiliated with the Association. We've already arranged for all medical expenses to be fully covered."**
It was a surprisingly sincere tone and expression for Oh Shinwoo.
But his genuine sentiment came through clearly.
And so, the gathered survivors found themselves nodding.
Then, one by one, they began to speak.
"It's fine. We're just glad to be alive."
A young man raised his hand and called out.
"If it weren't for that awakened man over there, we'd all be in serious trouble. Please don't punish him, sir."
A grandmother, likely over seventy, spoke up loudly.
"Honestly, if it weren't for him, we'd all be dead."
A young woman in her early twenties also expressed that she didn't want Soohyeok to be punished.
"I… I thought I'd die before ever getting to buy my daughter a real gift. Please… he's not someone who deserves punishment."
Park Taejun, clutching a poster tube filled with idol merchandise to his chest, sobbed as he spoke.
Their eyes were filled with heartfelt gratitude as they looked at Soohyeok.
A life-saving grace——is never something taken lightly.
Oh Shinwoo could deeply feel their sincerity.
That's why he smiled as he spoke.
"No need to worry. From the start, he had no reason to be punished."
Reward where due, punishment where due.
That is the foundational principle for any government, corporation, or organized body to function properly.
Even a good deed, if done improperly, must be evaluated. There must be balance.
Oh Shinwoo knew this well.
After all, he was practically running the massive organization that was the Awakened Association.
"Mr. Yang Soohyeok, shall we check your license?"
While all this was going on, Soohyeok had been silently watching.
Now, at Shinwoo's question, he tapped his silver bracelet twice.
A translucent license window appeared in the air.
At a glance, it seemed like a standard awakened license. But the final row, under "Special Classification," contained a word that stood out:
Solo Player.
Startled, Soohyeok looked at Oh Shinwoo.
This was something Soohyeok had specifically requested during a prior visit to the Association.
A license that only one person in South Korea had, due to the dangerous responsibility it entailed.
But to Soohyeok, it was a necessary title for his personal growth.
And now that title had officially been added to his license.
Just now? Or earlier?
It didn't matter.
What mattered was that Soohyeok now held the official authority to enter a portal alone.
"If a Solo Player enters a portal solo, it's not a violation. And saving all those people as an awakened one? That's definitely worthy of praise. Honestly, it sounds like we owe him a medal."
With a chuckle, Oh Shinwoo draped an arm around Soohyeok's shoulder.
Soohyeok, slightly thrown off, gave an awkward laugh.
"Now then—let's give a round of applause for today's hero, Mr. Yang Soohyeok!"
At those words, cheers and applause erupted all around.
At that moment, no one could blame Soohyeok for anything.