FLIA 99

Yoon Seungryong quickly typed the passcode and opened the door. Lee Hyunmyeong leaned into her brother’s arms and staggered inside. Watching her break down into sobs, finally letting out the sorrow she had bottled up, made Yohan tear up again. He quickly wiped his eyes. The others stepped aside to give them privacy. Holding Yohan in her arms, Seo Yakrin spoke gently.

“Our Yohan must be missing his family too, and yet you can’t go see them. That must be hard.”

“I’m okay…! It’s not just me who can’t see them.”

Yohan answered briskly. They’d said it wouldn’t take long for the embargo to be lifted, so he could hold out a few more days.

“Her position as director of the affiliated hospital must’ve earned her clearance. She’s often handled classified matters, even before this.”

It was as if Seo Yakrin had read his mind, answering what he hadn’t asked aloud. As talk turned to the hospital Lee Hyunmyeong ran, the tears and conversation gradually quieted. The bathroom door closed, water ran briefly, then stopped. Hearing footsteps returning, Yohan perked up.

Lee Hyunmyeong walked in with a smile. Aside from the redness around her eyes, she looked composed, cleanly dressed and put together.

“I’m so relieved that every single one of you made it back. You all went through so much. My goodness… look how much weight you’ve lost, Seungryong…”

She went around checking on everyone, one by one, but hesitated in front of Yohan. Then she turned to her brother with a questioning look, as if to ask who this unfamiliar boy was.

“Hello, I’m Yang Yohan.”

Yohan had been waiting for a chance to introduce himself. He quickly bowed. Lee Hyunmook put an arm around his shoulder and said,

“Yohan is the one who saved all our lives. It’s all thanks to him that I’m standing, that I was able to emerge from the Abyss. If not for Yohan, we’d all still be trapped there.”

“Oh, no, that’s… I did help a little, but… there’s no way I could’ve done it alone!”

How could surviving and escaping the Abyss be entirely his doing? Flustered, Yohan was about to explain that he only made it out because he met Hyunmook in there, and that it was thanks to everyone working together, when Lee Hyunmyeong took his hand and clasped it tightly. Her palm was warm, slightly damp with sweat.

“Yang Yohan-gun, thank you so much. I don’t even know how to begin thanking you… I thought I’d lost the only family I had left. But thanks to you, I was able to see Hyunmook again.”

“It’s really not just me, Hyunmook-hyung just makes it sound that way. Please, talk casually. Really…”

Yohan, overwhelmed by her deep gratitude, flailed a little. She was far older than him, maybe closer to his parents’ age, and her eyes were full of kindness, along with curiosity. She was clearly wondering what kind of ability Yohan had, if someone like Lee Hyunmook, a high-level awakener, credited him with their survival. But she held back and stood up.

“Yohan-gun, I’ll never forget this debt. I’ll repay it, however I can.”

Even though he’d asked her to speak casually, her tone stayed heartfelt. She wiped away her tears with a smile.

“You must all be exhausted. I’ll get going now. If you need anything, just let me know.”

“Wait. Let me see you out.”

She smiled and looked at her brother with an affectionate gaze. It’s said that awakeners age slowly, but aside from his white hair, his appearance hadn’t changed at all.

“What do you mean, see me out?”

“There are still reporters nearby. I also have something to tell you.”

Lee Hyunmook gave Yohan a small smile and opened the front door, speaking to his teammates.

“I’ll bring dinner back. Rest in the meantime.”

“Yes, sir! Have a safe trip, noona!”

As the door closed, the others stood in place, staring. Yoon Seungryong scratched his head and mumbled,

“It’s been so long since I saw noona. Thought I’d forgotten her face, but… it all came back. Every bit.”

“Yeah. I’ve ended up way older than her now.”

The conversation unfolded, revealing complex emotions that even Yohan couldn’t fathom. After spending so many years in the Abyss, they were now people decades older than Lee Hyunmyeong. To lighten the odd mood, Yohan asked, pretending not to notice the tension,

“Is there a big age gap between her and Hyunmook-hyung?”

“Oh, he’s the youngest in the family. Yohan-gun, sit down first.”

The youngest…? Hyunmook-hyung is the youngest…? Yohan was shocked, he sat on the sofa like Lee Chanha suggested. Someone who seemed like the farthest thing from “youngest”… and yet. He felt as if his body was sinking into the sofa. Whether they had someone keeping the place clean or Lee Hyunmyeong had come earlier, the place was spotless.

“How can Hyunmook-hyung be the youngest?”

Yohan asked earnestly, and the others chuckled. Seo Yakrin quickly sat beside him and said,

“He’s one of five siblings, apparently? Born much later than the others, so his noona practically raised him. But, well… after the First Great Rift, only the two of them were left.”

“Oh…”

The Great Rift. When a localized rift expands all at once, it’s classified as a Great Rift. And when that happens, the Abyss always follows. There have only been three Great Rifts in Korea, and each time the casualties and disappearances were devastating. Lee Hyunmook had awakened during the first one.

“So just imagine how hard it must’ve been for her,” Seungryong said.

Yohan nodded. She’d lost everyone but her youngest brother, and then he disappeared into the Abyss. Words couldn’t describe what she must’ve felt. Seo Yakrin sighed and murmured,

“I should probably go visit my family too. But I’m already feeling embarrassed because I don’t even feel like crying.”

“Uh…me too,”

Seungryong said, echoing her sentiment. Like Hyunmook, who had seemed calm when reuniting with his sister, they all appeared emotionally dulled. It was probably a result of spending too long in the Abyss, but it only hurt Yohan. Ju Hoyoung, who had no family left to feel awkward about, asked flatly,

“Chanha-hyung, what about your lover? What happened to your younger sibling?”

“Well, I haven’t really looked into it, so I guess I will have to contact him to find out. My brother and I weren’t on good terms yo begin with, so I’m sure he’s fine.”

While they talked, the door opened again. Unable to take the dry mood anymore, Yohan dashed out like a bullet. Seungryong ran out right after him. Hyunmook had returned with armfuls of food.

“Ch… Chicken! Pizza! Pig’s trotters!”

“Cola! Tteokbokki! Pork stir-fry! Jjajangmyeon!”

Seungryong and Yakrin, indifferent during the family talk, now dropped to their knees in awe. Yohan was just as excited. The spread looked glorious. The meals from the isolation room had been decent, but seeing this mountain of greasy, salty delivery food made his mouth water. Ju Hoyoung was already devouring spicy chicken feet.

Only Hyunmook and Chanha were still deep in conversation, unfazed by the food. Yohan glanced over curiously, and Hyunmook met his eyes with a smile.

“Eat up, Yohan-ah.”

“You too, hyung! Let’s talk after we eat!”

At Yohan’s urging, the two finally picked up their chopsticks. For a while, the only sounds in the house were chewing and clinking bowls. The amount Hyunmook brought was enormous, yet they still had to order more midway.

Only after dessert did the binge end. Yoon Seungryong, whose appetite had grown since the corruption, sprawled out in satisfaction. Even though he ate the least, Yohan was full to bursting. He’d noticed it in the Abyss too, but these people really had black holes for stomachs.

“But… I have a question.”

Yohan sat up straight, looking at his teammates.

“Why am I supposed to hide that I’m a purifier?”

The moment he escaped the Abyss, Yohan had felt something stirring inside him, like a stream ready to burst out. The same power that awakened the Eternal Stones at the Black Mountain, it told him that, if he released it, hundreds, maybe thousands of purifiers would awaken.

That impulse had felt natural, instinctive. And yet, at Hyunmook’s urging, he had sealed it tightly.

“There are a lot of reasons. But mainly because we can’t trust the government.”

Hyunmook’s reply made Yohan slowly set his soda down. Without surprise, he asked,

“Did the government do something to the Sunrise Team?”

While in quarantine, Yohan had started to suspect something. Why did Hyunmook ask him to hide that he was a purifier? Why turn down the Rift Management’s offer? Anyone could tell that they were wary of the government.

“You’ve heard how the current regime suppresses awakeners, right?”

“Yes.”

Yohan nodded. At first, the government had forcibly conscripted awakeners. Now, they imprisoned corrupted ones. Laws that worked against awakeners were piling up. For example, airport screenings were extremely strict. Sometimes, even where they lived was controlled. They were punished more severely than civilians and had to undergo humiliating corruption checks regularly.

They were laws born of crisis. But in practice, they were also tools to tighten control.

Yohan had once thought that had nothing to do with him. But now, he was involved.

“Yohan-gun, I believe the government was involved in our disappearance into the Abyss.”