FLIA 23

“Him?”

Yohan tilted his head, confused. He often watched documentaries, vlogs, and clips about the Sunrise Team. Yoon Seungryong had always come across as a cheerful, active, and diligent person, maybe a bit of a punk, sure, but definitely not lazy. He wasn’t sure about the appetite part, but he didn’t seem like the slothful type at all.

Lee Hyunmook reminded him of a key detail.
“Yohan, you know how corruption amplifies negative traits, right?”

“Ah, yes. I’ve heard that.”

‘Negative amplification’ was a symptom of corruption, where an existing personality trait was drastically intensified.

For example, someone who was already quick to anger might become uncontrollably violent. Or, someone who used to be calm and composed could lose all restraint and blow their life savings on gambling or entertainment. Most people just lumped it all under the phrase “corruption makes you crazy.”

“Seungryong, last time I saw him, he took a bite out of my thigh.”

“…Sorry, what?”

Yohan doubted his ears. Did Yoon Seungryong really eat part of someone’s leg?

“So we’re going to have to be prepared, mentally and physically, before we go.”

This wasn’t just about a big appetite anymore…
Couldn’t they just not go bring him back? The thought surged to Yohan’s throat, but he swallowed it down with effort.

***

Lee Hyunmook’s plan was simple:
1. Train Yohan.
2. Locate Yoon Seungryong.
3. Beat him into submission and purify him.

The word training alone made Yohan tense up. He recalled scenes from documentaries about the Sunrise Team where members were trained to the point of vomiting from exhaustion.

Lee Hyunmook changed into comfortable clothes and stepped into the yard. He told Yohan,

“From now on, you’ll be learning how to sense danger, and how to dodge it well.”

“Yes, I’ll do my best!”

Determined, Yohan braced himself. In such a dangerous, unforgiving world, he expected brutally harsh training, something that would wring the tears from his eyes.

Then Lee Hyunmook raised his left hand and said,

“Let’s start easy. Today, just try not to get touched by my left hand.”

“Okay! I’ll dodge it!”

Yohan clenched his fists, eyes wide, ready for a fierce punch. But what approached wasn’t a fist, it was an open hand, slowly creeping toward him. Yohan hesitated, unsure if this was a joke, and stepped back to avoid it.

Even a kindergartener could’ve dodged that, but Lee Hyunmook praised him anyway.
“Good job.”

“Th-thank you…?”

“Let’s keep this up for an hour.”

Yohan nodded. This time, the hand moved slowly upward from his side. Yohan dodged again.

The slow-motion attacks continued… then gradually picked up speed.

Something’s weird about this movement…

As LeevHyunmook’s hand accelerated, Yohan began to notice that its movements felt… unnatural. Almost like watching a monster’s motion on slow playback. It must’ve been deliberate, meant to mimic the behavior of corrupted creatures.

Lee Hyunmook continued the training in hour-long sets of attack and rest. Every time Yohan got used to the speed, Lee Hyunmook made it just a bit faster. After three or four days, the pace became truly intense.

Panting, Yohan wiped the sweat from his brow after surviving another hour.
“Is it okay for training to be this easy?”

“You’re a high-level awakener. Even this much basic groundwork is enough to survive. You’re weaker in physical strength and stamina than a dealer or tank, but your reflexes are just as fast.”

Then Lee Hyunmook picked up a stone and flicked it. It flew with a sharp whistle and embedded itself deep in the side of the shed.

“That’s how fast the attacks you dodged today were. Most monsters won’t be faster than that. It’d take a mid-level awakener several years of training to reach this level.”

Staring at the stone, Yohan was stunned.
“Your hand was that fast?”

“It also means that dodging the tree’s attacks in the forest last time wasn’t just luck.”

Only then did Yohan realize the true level of his training. It had escalated so gradually he hadn’t even noticed. For the first time, he truly felt what it meant to be a high-level awakener.

Then Lee Hyunmook started using both hands. The speed remained the same, but now there were two attacks at once, and Yohan began to lose track.

“Ack!”

“Gotcha.”

Startled, Yohan froze as he was caught for the first time. But there was no pain. Lee Hyunmook had simply pressed a vulnerable spot on his side and stepped back. Then, mimicking a beak with his hand, he said,

“If that had been a monster’s claw or mouth, it would’ve ripped right through. Wouldn’t kill you right away, but it’d hurt like hell.”

The message jolted Yohan awake.

Then Lee Hyunmook began grabbing all of Yohan’s pressure points with frightening accuracy, describing potential injuries in detail, how his tendons would tear so he couldn’t walk, how blood would spurt like a fountain, how his intestines might spill out.

And the most terrifying thing of all…

“But don’t worry too much. You’re a high-level awakener. A few days bedridden and you’ll be fine. And we’ve got morphine, too. Thank God we picked that up at the hospital, huh?”

Panting, on the verge of tears, Yohan focused with desperate determination.

By the end of the day, he had successfully dodged Lee Hyunmook’s dual-hand attacks for ten minutes straight. Lee Hyunmook looked satisfied and praised the completely exhausted Yohan.

“Well done. At this level, you’ll be able to survive against most monsters. As long as you hold out for a minute, I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Wow…”

Yohan collapsed onto the dusty ground, not even caring how dirty it was. Wherever he dragged himself, the ground was left spotless, like it had been mopped. He barely managed to climb onto the couch and flopped down, limp.

Feeling embarrassed at how filthy he looked next to the spotless Lee Hyunmook, he instinctively purified himself. Lee Hyunmook sat on the edge of the couch and looked down at him, now soft and sluggish.

“Why don’t you eat something, then sleep?”

“So tired…”

Yohan mumbled, resting his head against the armrest. Thanks to his purification ability gently seeping out, the dusty leather couch was slowly becoming glossy and clean.

Lee Hyunmook gently tapped his body.
“Then lie on your stomach. I’ll give you a massage. If you sleep like this, your muscles will be wrecked tomorrow.”

“A m-massage…?”

Yohan immediately sobered up. A vivid memory rushed back, one he’d forgotten in the heat of the moment. The giant monster he’d mistaken for a subway. The memory of Lee Hyunmook grabbing and kneading his butt like mochi.

Of course, thinking back now, Lee Hyunmook wasn’t trying to harass him. He was trying to snap Yohan out of a powerful hallucination.

Later, Lee Hyunmook had explained and apologized.
“I figured calling it a subway station would help limit what you saw in the illusion.”

It had worked, Yohan had been entranced by the fake subway and the people inside it. If Lee Hyunmook hadn’t intervened, who knows what might have happened? Yohan understood the situation and had accepted the apology, even assuring him it was okay.

Still… why was that memory resurfacing now?

After some internal conflict, Yohan hesitantly nodded, partly afraid of seeming weird for refusing, partly afraid of the muscle pain.

“Then… please be gentle…”

He lay face down on the bed, trying his best to ignore the strange thoughts bubbling up.

He thought of the Sunrise Team documentaries. Lee Hyunmook had always taken care of his team, even giving them massages after training. And every time, the teammates had looked like they were being tortured.

He remembered how Yang Yosep had teased him back then, “If you ever get a sports massage, you’ll cry and confess all your secrets.”

No matter how painful it gets… I won’t cry. Determined, Yohan took a deep breath. But when Lee Hyunmook sat on his lower back and hips, his heart thudded uncontrollably. Thankfully, his blushing face was hidden.

“You can fall asleep during the massage if you want.”

As he said that, Lee Hyunmook placed a hand on Yohan’s nape. Could anyone even fall asleep during a sports massage? Yohan tried to relax his body.

But strangely… the massage wasn’t painful.

‘Weird… this feels way too close to the kind of massage I’ve been fantasizing about.’

Lee Hyunmook’s strong fingers pressed with just the right pressure, loosening the tense muscles. It wasn’t without pain, but each deep press was followed by a wave of soothing relief. A soft, dreamy moan escaped Yohan’s lips.

Lee Hyunmook even flipped him over once to work on the front, then flipped him back again. And that’s when it happened.