By Zephyria It was coming from the monster rooted to the floor, from his brother. Perhaps it was too quiet to be heard by Yohan alone, as his parents showed no reaction. Whether he knew it or not, his brother Yang Yosep, hearing the two voices, continued to say he was fine in a voice that seemed to be fading.
Even if he were to go back to the past, he had thought he would volunteer to enter the Abyss to save Lee Hyun-muk and others, and that thought remained unchanged. Nevertheless, seeing his family in this state because of him, Yohan felt a deep sense of guilt. Swallowing back his tears, he said.
“I’m sorry, because of me…”
“No. It’s not. Mom is just so relieved that you, at least, came back safely.”
Along with the guilt towards his family, hatred for Park Seung-min boiled within him. If he had at least honestly said he was missing in the Abyss, his brother wouldn’t have pushed himself to enter the Rift. Even worse, the sole reason for that lie was money. As Yohan clenched his fist tightly, Kim Ye-ju sobbed and asked in a desperate voice.
“I know this might put you in a difficult position, but could you ask Lee Hyun-mook to treat him with that Eternal Stone? Yohan…”
Yohan now understood how overjoyed his parents must have been when Lee Hyun-mook announced the existence of the Eternal Stone, capable of treating Corruption. After seeing his severely corrupted brother once more, Yohan said.
“I actually had something to tell you about that…”
Just then. Ding-dong! The doorbell rang from outside, startling the two of them. They hastily locked the door from which a foul odor was seeping and turned on the newly installed ventilation fan. Yohan gestured to the two of them and said.
“I’ll go out and buy us some time, so you two can clean up and come upstairs. It’s probably nothing.”
Perhaps they were too flustered, but they didn’t seem to consider that Yohan would also be permeated with the stench. Of course, for Yohan, a Purifier, the stench was irrelevant anyway. As he ascended the stairs, lightly purifying the surroundings, Yohan checked the intercom and his face hardened.
― Yohan? Yohan, are you home?
Park Seung-min’s grinning face appeared on the intercom screen. With his sensitive senses, Yohan detected several other presences besides Park Seung-min.
― It’s Seung-min… It’s cold outside. Could you let me in? Auntie? Uncle? It’s Seung-min!
Taking a deep breath to suppress the anger and disgust boiling within him, Yohan replied in a bright voice.
“Yeah, I’m home. Wait a moment. I’ll open it soon.”
Yohan informed the two, who had not yet come up from the basement, that Park Seung-min had arrived. Then, deliberately taking his time, he slowly opened the main gate, and then the front door. Behind Park Seung-min, members of the Special Unit were visible.
“Why did you take so long to open?”
Park Seung-min snapped irritably and strode towards the entrance without hesitation. Blocking him with his body so he couldn’t just walk in, Yohan replied.
“I was a bit busy with something. But… who are these people behind you?”
“Ah… They’re escorts the government assigned to me. Quite a lot, aren’t they? They insisted on assigning them even though I said I was just visiting a friend. Someone high up.”
Park Seung-min said proudly, puffing out his chin. Imagining delivering a strong punch to that chin, Yohan feigned surprise.
“Escorts assigned by the government? What’s all this about?”
“That’s what I came to talk about! There’s something I really want you to see together!”
As he blocked Park Seung-min, who was trying to enter boastfully, he scowled. Yohan wondered how he had managed to act in front of him like this until now, given how overtly displeased he was.
“What’s wrong? I just want to bring a friend inside.”
“I can let you in. But I can’t let all these people behind you in. My parents are here. Our home isn’t that dangerous for you, is it?”
Unable to refute Yohan’s words, Park Seung-min hesitated, then replied rudely in a gruff voice.
“Your brother is here, so how would I know if it’s dangerous or not?”
“Why would my brother be dangerous to you?”
As Yohan asked, gazing intently, Park Seung-min muttered, “Aish.” Had Yang Yosep noticed his Corruption, or had Yang Yosep already noticed something suspicious about Park Seung-min? Judging by his reaction, it seemed to be the latter. Park Seung-min nervously glanced at a shiny wristwatch he hadn’t seen before, then shoved a Special Unit member behind him, taking out his frustration. Now that he looked, the clothes he wore also seemed quite expensive.
“Sir, don’t you have any sense? My friend is telling you not to come in! What are you going to do if we’re late because of this!”
“But the escort must be provided.”
After a bit of a standoff, Yohan sensed his parents’ presences moving upstairs and their breathing stabilizing. Only then did he pretend to negotiate.
“If that’s the case, how about just the two of you coming in? I don’t know why you’re wary of my brother, but he’s not home right now.”
Since the argument had gone on for quite some time, Park Seung-min and the Special Unit reluctantly accepted Yohan’s proposal. Park Seung-min entered as if it were his own home, shamelessly and with a broad smile, greeted Yang Hwa-pyeong and Kim Ye-ju.
“Auntie, Uncle! How have you been?”
“Yes, Seung-min. Have you been well?”
“Of course! I’ve been doing fantastically well! I’ll show you just how well I’ve been doing soon!”
Yang Hwa-pyeong’s face became peculiar after greeting him. He too quickly noticed the change in attitude, which was now impolitely different from before.
Kim Ye-ju, seeing the two Special Unit members who had followed Park Seung-min in, took a long breath through her nose and calmly sat on the sofa as if nothing had happened. Yang Hwa-pyeong, who was particularly bad at acting, didn’t even look at the Special Unit members. Park Seung-min went into the living room, turned on the TV at will, and flopped onto the sofa. Then, with a smirk, he beckoned Yohan.
“I almost missed the broadcast. Come here, let’s watch it together. You two, sit here and watch with me.”
“What broadcast is it?”
Seeing his behavior, Yohan couldn’t help but smile. As he sat down next to him, Park Seung-min’s smirking smile faded slightly. Then, he asked in a suspicious voice.
“What’s so funny?”
“A welcome friend has come to visit, of course, I’d smile. Wouldn’t you agree?”
As he said this, he put his arm around Yohan’s shoulder in a show of familiarity, but Yohan visibly uncomfortable, pulled away.
“Ah, uh. Just focus on the broadcast.”
“What broadcast is it, exactly?”
Even when Kim Ye-ju asked, Park Seung-min just smirked unpleasantly and didn’t answer. A moment later, even though it wasn’t news time, an emergency news broadcast suddenly began.
― Good evening, we will first bring you the latest news. At precisely 11 PM tonight, the government announced the acquisition of a High-level Awakener capable of removing Corruption. This Awakener has been officially named a Purifier. With countless citizens suffering from Corruption, this is welcome news after a long time…
As the anchor announced the High-level Awakener’s identity, Park Seung-min exclaimed excitedly.
“That’s me! It’s me! Do you see?!”
Yohan watched as Park Seung-min became widely known to the world as a High-level Awakener. He could clearly see everyone’s surprised joy and admiration. His own family, right beside Yohan, were no exception. Seeing Yang Hwa-pyeong and Kim Ye-ju’s reactions, Park Seung-min, his face flushed with elation, shouted.
“Haha! Now you know what a great person I’ve become!”
“Wow, that’s wonderful. That you became a Purifier. You’ll be able to do good deeds.”
Yohan, who had been smiling genuinely even before, could offer a rather convincing congratulation. Glancing at his parents, who were fidgeting and about to say something to Park Seung-min, Yohan spoke first.
“Seung-min, we’re friends, right? So, could you do me a favor?”
As he said those words, Yohan could see the elation filling Park Seung-min’s face. He could also see Park Seung-min’s inferiority-complex-ridden heart, which had come all the way to his house just to play this broadcast. Park Seung-min had been eagerly anticipating seeing Yang Yohan, who always seemed superior, become subservient. Yohan could faintly hear Park Seung-min’s heart pounding as if it would burst.
“A favor? What kind of favor? Go ahead and tell me.”
Park Seung-min, not even taking his eyes off the broadcast announcing his own identity, said in an arrogant voice. Yohan met his parents’ eyes, then deliberately looked slowly at the Special Unit members standing behind him. Noticing his gaze, Yang Hwa-pyeong and Kim Ye-ju finally calmed down. They were desperate to ask Park Seung-min to purify Yang Yosep right away, but at the same time, they knew they couldn’t and might be caught and dragged away by the Special Unit.
“Someone I know is severely corrupted. Could you possibly treat them?”
As soon as he heard this, Park Seung-min burst into laughter. Laughing as if he found it incredibly amusing and entertaining, he slapped the sofa and replied.
“Corruption treatment? Of course, I can.”
As he said this, he conjured a shimmering light above his hand. Seeing this, Yang Hwa-pyeong’s expression changed, and as he opened his lips to say something, Kim Ye-ju pinched his thigh hard to stop him. Seeing their reactions, Park Seung-min smirked.
‘Ah? So Yang Yosep, that bastard, is corrupted? That’s why the three of them are acting like this. Wow, shit.’
Seeing the three people who always looked down on him acting like this made Park Seung-min so happy he got goosebumps. In fact, the three had always treated him well, never looking down on him, but Park Seung-min’s inferiority complex had distorted his perception, and he had built up hostility on his own.
He found it amusing that Yang Yosep, who had threatened him immediately, suspecting him when he lied about the Rift area where Yang Yohan disappeared, was now at least a Severely Corrupted individual. However, for some reason, the desperation of Yang Yohan and the other two seemed insufficient. Park Seung-min replied with an air of bestowing a favor.
“But I can’t do it for free. I have a contract with the government, so I can’t just treat anyone.”
“How much? What do you want in return?”
“1 billion.”
1 billion? For treating such severe Corruption, 1 billion… Although Yohan had spent quite a lot of money searching for him recently, Kim Ye-ju and Yang Hwa-pyeong thought they could afford that much. However, their faces hardened at his next words.
“1 billion per treatment.”