Chapter 12 – Trauma (1)
—
“An-bin.”
“……”
“Your younger brother, Kim An-bin. It’s him.”
Kim Pyung’s shocking statement.
I was momentarily stunned, unable to act or speak.
I had suspected it, but for it to actually be Kim An-bin?
‘…Well. At least it’s not dangerous.’
That was all that mattered for now.
Relaxing my guard, I spoke with a hint of unease.
“Is it really him?”
“Come to think of it, you haven’t seen him in quite some time.”
True, I hadn’t seen him in about three years.
But still, can a person change so drastically in just three years?
‘He looks like he weighs at least 150 kilograms.’
And it wasn’t even muscular weight—it was pure, unmanaged obesity.
The Kim An-bin I remembered was nowhere near that out of shape.
While he wasn’t exceptional, he was at least average.
‘Not that it’s any of my business…’
It’s not like An-bin and I were close enough to call each other friends.
Still, having spent a few years together, I found his transformation quite shocking.
At that moment, Kim Pyung suddenly lowered his voice and addressed me.
“Yujin.”
“Yes.”
“I have a favour to ask.”
Why did I have a bad feeling about this? The request was all too predictable.
“I’m not doing it.”
I refused outright, but the old man was relentless.
“Can you help An-bin get his act together? He’s locked himself in his room, and he’s gained a lot of weight. His temper has worsened too…”
He gripped my hand tightly as he pleaded.
“It’s no use.”
Of course, I refused.
I’m not a psychologist. How could I possibly fix someone like that?
It wasn’t just that I didn’t want to help—it was simply impossible.
“If you shared some of your experiences as a Hunter, wouldn’t it inspire him? Real stories from the field could be impactful. Please, as an old man’s last request…”
“Do you really think that would change anything?”
“Ha… At this rate, I’m worried about what will happen to him once I’m gone…”
Despite my repeated refusals, the old man even resorted to guilt-tripping.
But it wasn’t going to work.
Some things just aren’t possible.
Sigh.
And then—
“Grandpa.”
“Yes?”
I let out a deep sigh and looked at Kim Pyung directly.
Having spent seven years by his side, I knew better than anyone that he wasn’t the type to make such heartfelt requests.
‘Even though I haven’t seen him in three years…’
It wasn’t likely he had changed completely in that time.
I spoke firmly.
“Cut the act.”
“……Tch.”
I heard the old man click his tongue.
His expression quickly shifted from one of desperation to his usual shrewd demeanour.
“You heartless brat.”
Gone was the pleading look, replaced by his rational, true self.
As expected, it had all been a performance to get me to work for free.
Realizing this, I smirked.
“Your acting hasn’t improved. I told you, it won’t work on me.”
“Usually, when an old man asks like this, most people at least pretend to go along.”
“Do you want me to pretend?”
“…Forget it.”
The old man shook his head and moved on to a new proposal.
“Fine. Just talk to him once. In exchange, I’ll waive the fee for the favor you asked of me. Deal?”
“No service fee?”
“Yes.”
The favour I had asked for was to arrange a meeting with Ji Hyun-woong.
The fee for that was one million won.
So essentially, he was offering me one million won just to talk to Kim An-bin.
And—
“Besides, it’ll take some time to set up a meeting with Hyun-woong anyway. Don’t you have nothing better to do in the meantime?”
“That’s true.”
The fact that I didn’t have anything urgent to do also played a role.
More importantly—
‘If I play my cards right, I could get a substantial amount of money from this.’
Kim Pyung was wealthy.
Considering his involvement in illegal activities, it wasn’t surprising.
Depending on how I handled this, I could potentially make a lot of money.
‘You need money to be a proper Hunter. This might not be such a bad deal.’
The decision wasn’t hard to make.
“Alright, I’ll hear you out.”
I decided to listen and assess the situation.
With a heavy sigh, Kim Pyung began explaining in more detail.
Sigh. “That damned Awakening… I think he’s acting out because he hasn’t awakened yet.”
“…Awakening?”
“Yes. Whenever I try to talk to him, he just brushes me off, saying everything will change once he awakens. He doesn’t even listen.”
“……”
But something about what he said felt off.
‘He’s not awakened?’
The Kim An-bin I had encountered earlier didn’t seem like someone who wasn’t awakened.
At that moment—
‘I think I’ve got it.’
An idea came to mind.
“Grandpa.”
“Yes?”
“If I can get An-bin to awaken, how much will you pay me?”
“……!”
The old man’s eyes widened in shock.
“Th-that’s impossible—”
“It’s possible.”
“If you can actually do that, I’ll pay… ten million won.”
“Grandpa?”
“…Thirty million?”
“Fifty.”
“Yujin, you brat! Have you no gratitude for how I raised you?”
“Fifty million won for an Awakening! What a bargain!”
“……”
A smile crept onto my face.
There was no way I could lose this negotiation.
“Yujin, I’d love to, but I don’t have that kind of money. Be reasonable—”
“I’d love to let it slide, but considering what I know… let’s see…”
I began listing the old man’s hidden stash locations.
Hearing that, his expression twisted.
“Fine. Fifty million.”
“I’ll serve you to the best of my abilities.”
“Tch. Damn brat.”
With that, I successfully secured fifty million won.
***
“Is it tasty?”
【Yes!!!!!】
Prill nodded vigorously with a delighted expression.
Her mouth was full of the ice cream I had taken out from the refrigerator.
【How can something like this exist? Is this heaven?】
“…Is it really that good?”
I had guessed she might like ice cream since she’s a Spirit of Frost.
But she liked it far more than I had anticipated.
【I love it! It’s so delicious! Wow!】
Prill took another big bite of the ice cream.
After happily munching on it for a while, she held out her hand to me.
【Give me more!】
I firmly rejected her request.
“No.”
【Why not!?】
“I’ll give you more if you behave.”
【Hmph.】
Prill pouted, but I ignored it.
If you give in to tantrums, it’ll never end. You need to maintain control.
And besides—
“It’s time to work now.”
I couldn’t sit around eating ice cream when there was work to be done.
The task was none other than the “Pretend to Awaken Kim An-bin” project.
Naturally, I didn’t have some miraculous ability to make someone an Awakener.
‘He’s already awakened.’
Kim An-bin was already an Awakener.
It’s just that Grandpa Kim Pyung didn’t know it yet.
‘He’s going to be mad when he finds out later.’
But, well, that wasn’t my problem.
He should’ve checked the contract more thoroughly.
Getting tricked in a deal is the fault of the one who falls for it.
After all, Grandpa had taught me that lesson himself.
Now then—
“How should I handle this…?”
Strictly speaking, I didn’t need to do anything.
I could simply reveal the truth—“Kim An-bin is already an Awakener, ta-da!”—and be done with it.
However—
“That would be too unethical.”
Since I was being paid a hefty sum, I figured I could at least find out why he was acting like this and try to help him.
Moreover—
“It’s reassuring not to leave Grandpa alone.”
If I could turn Kim An-bin into a proper Awakener, he’d be a reliable companion for Grandpa.
In a world where monsters could appear anytime or rogue Hunters could cause harm, having an Awakener grandson would be a significant advantage.
So, in a way, I was repaying Grandpa’s kindness.
‘Of course, earning 50 million won is a huge motivator, too.’
With that in mind—
I swung open the door to Kim An-bin’s room.
Bang!
“An-bin, your brother’s here!”
“Wh-what!?”
The chubby figure, engrossed in an online forum, flinched and panicked upon seeing me.
“Get out!”
“You’ve gotten a lot crankier since I last saw you.”
“Kim Yujin!”
“And you’ve become quite disrespectful toward your brother.”
“You…!”
Kim An-bin glared at me with all his might.
But it wasn’t scary at all.
I’d endured the bullying of Hunters who killed monsters daily.
The gaze of a shut-in was nothing more than child’s play.
“So, what were you looking at?”
I glanced at the online forum he was staring at.
“What are you looking at!?”
Kim An-bin frantically tried to block the monitor, but I caught a glimpse of the screen.
<Why Life is Hopeless Without Awakening.txt (4)>
– If an eruption happens in front of you, you’re dead. Agree?
└ LOL
└ I can’t live like this LOL
└ Damn it, I want to awaken too!
“Huh.”
It seemed to be a forum where non-Awakeners shared their despair.
One thought crossed my mind as I saw it.
‘Does he not know he’s already awakened?’
But—
‘That’s impossible.’
I shook my head.
There was no way he wouldn’t notice the mana in his body, let alone the system that appeared upon Awakening.
It didn’t make sense.
‘Then the only explanation is…’
To confirm my suspicion, I asked a question.
“Do you want to awaken?”
“…Why do you care? Just leave me alone!”
“Things would change if you did, right?”
“…Of course, they would! I just haven’t awakened yet. But once I do—!”
“Then?”
“…Ha. Why should I tell you? Get out of my life already!”
His responses had slight pauses.
There could be many interpretations, but this was what I concluded:
‘Awakening denial symptoms.’
That was likely the most accurate term to describe Kim An-bin’s current state.
It wasn’t an uncommon case.
Some people, after luckily Awakening, would deny their Awakening upon facing the harsh reality of fighting monsters.
‘Come to think of it, his parents were killed by monsters.’
Awakening denial symptoms often stemmed from trauma.
If that was the case, it was understandable why Kim An-bin would hide his Awakening.
At that moment, he shoved me away and shouted.
Thud!
“Damn it, leave! I don’t need to hear anything from a porter like you, even if you’re an Awakener!”
…I decided not to understand.
I had overcome my trauma, but it had been a significant issue for me.
‘Now I’ll have to resort to shock therapy.’
Of course, that had been my plan all along.
It definitely wasn’t because he hurt my feelings and made me change my approach.
“Hey.”
“What!”
“You’ve awakened.”
“…H-how do you know that? Huh!? What do you even know to be saying that?”
He flinched and stammered.
Did he really not expect his Awakening to be discovered?
“Mana. If you don’t manage it properly, it’s obvious to anyone.”
“…Damn it.”
Grandpa Kim Pyung, a non-Awakener, probably couldn’t sense it. But any Awakener could have.
Kim An-bin hadn’t even thought to conceal his mana.
‘He’s not even at 1-star rank.’
And yet, his mana level was equivalent to that of a 2-star Hunter.
Mana at a 2-star level right after Awakening?
Honestly, that kind of potential would earn him significant recognition.
‘Of course, with that body, he wouldn’t be treated as a proper 2-star Hunter…’
But that could be fixed with some exercise.
If he had the will, it wasn’t an insurmountable problem.
‘If he had the will.’
“…You don’t understand.”
“What don’t I understand?”
“You want me to fight monsters? I can’t do it! Damn it, I can’t!”
Kim An-bin, his hidden feelings exposed, started shouting even more aggressively.
Behind those words, faint traces of fear could be felt.
‘Tsk.’
I clicked my tongue internally.
‘This won’t work with ordinary methods.’
The level of fear was too severe to be addressed with simple conversation.
Something drastic was needed.
‘What should I do…?’
As I pondered a solution—
A scream rang out from outside.
“Ahhhhhh!”
And then—
Creak. Screech!
The distinctive giggling of 1-star monsters, goblins.
‘A monster?’
It seemed an Eruption Gate had appeared, spilling out monsters.
An idea suddenly came to mind.
“An-bin.”
“What!”
“Let’s go outside.”
“What? No… Aaaah!”
I grabbed him by the back of his neck, and he screamed.
“Sorry, but you don’t have a choice.”
With that, I leapt out the window.
—
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