“This….”
As he stood in the side street surrounded by the sound of groans, Yongno sensed something new, something different from his other five senses. However, it didn’t feel foreign. Actually, it felt familiar, as it filled the region between the heavens and the earth and was the basic building block of the world.
Mana.
It was spiritual energy that was also referred to as qi in martial arts. Modern humans didn’t know about this mysterious power since those born on Earth had their divine nature and qi sense restricted, so they could not sense mana.
Great sages like Yahweh or Buddha were exceptions, as they had understood the truth of the world through enlightenment. They could create an Astral Body and free themselves of spiritual restrictions and the world itself, but Yongno didn’t fall into that category. He hadn’t even realized the principles of Everything, attained divinity, or acquired a divine position and ascended to become a divine being. Instead, he’d gained freedom with the help of an external factor.
“Hey, you over there, flat chest.”
“W-what? You little… no, wait, I mean… are you alright?”
Though her natural personality was vibrant and outgoing, Leaf remained cautious. After all, those boys had been sexually assaulting her mere moments ago; it wouldn’t be weird if she collapsed at any moment and burst into tears.
“Worry about yourself. You call yourself a celebrity, but you walk around late at night alone and get yourself in this unfortunate situation….”
Yongno lectured Leaf as if he was unhappy about her choice of action. He didn’t typically complain or act cold, but his head was filled with too many chaotic thoughts, and he was also emotionally unstable. Due to the sudden influx of memories and his new ability to sense mana, Yongno was at a loss. It was surprising that he didn’t choose to leave immediately without a word.
“Go home. If you stay, you’ll just ruin your life and a few others’ lives as well.”
“W-wait!”
When Yongno turned around after he finished speaking, Leaf’s arm abruptly shot forward and grabbed him. With a great deal on his mind, Yongno made a vicious expression.
“What?”
“You see… I don’t… don’t have any strength in my legs….”
“…”
Yongno frowned before offering Leaf his back, and as she apologized, Leaf climbed on.
“Sorry. As long as we get far away from those guys, if you can take me to the apartment’s security office, I can go on my own from there.”
Leaf stuttered as she found it difficult to speak to Yongno. Despite saving her, he had crushed ten high school boys, so she couldn’t help but keep her guard up.
“… Ugh!”
“S-sorry, are you alright?”
Unexpectedly, the areas on his shoulder and back where the boys hit him were starting to bruise and swell. Yongno didn’t notice this in the darkness, but the boys had been wearing brass knuckles. His adrenaline had been pumping at full steam during the fight, so he didn’t feel the pain back then, but now that his body was returning to normal, the pain was quickly setting in.
“Just hold on tight.”
“I… I think you… need to go to the hospital….”
“It’s not that bad. Instead, you should call your manager. You’re a celebrity, so you should have one, right? Or call that one guy that you were with before.”
“The guy I was with before?”
Leaf looked confused at this unexpected turn. However, she soon recalled where she had heard Yongno’s voice before.
“Ack! You’re the idiot that I met when I was with the president! Are you a stalker?”
“A stalker?”
“You followed me all the way from Pyeongyang, didn’t you?!”
“…”
Irritation and annoyance spread across Yongno’s face.
“I’m going to throw you off.”
“S-stalker, you… kyak?!”
After throwing Leaf to the ground, Yongno turned to start walking away. Surprised, Leaf quickly whipped her head around to survey her surroundings. She was on a quiet street that was less than 30 meters away from where she was attacked by the boys.
“S-sorry! It was a mistake! A mistake! I never expected to see you! Why were you here?”
“Don’t talk as if you own the neighborhood. I live here, and my parents live in the same apartment complex as you.”
As she heard Yongno’s clear, guilt-free voice, Leaf lowered her head.
“I’m so sorry! I was in the wrong! I’m appreciative of all that you’ve done for me; I’m the bad person!”
“Man….”
Yongno lowered himself to Leaf’s eye level and scoffed. Of course, Leaf was in the wrong, but Yongno didn’t expect her attitude to take a 180-degree turn within moments. Yongno couldn’t understand how Leaf was a celebrity with such a personality.
“Where’s your house?”
“Apartment Building 103.”
“That’s the same as mine.”
Unlike a romance novel or K-drama, Leaf didn’t live across the hallway or above Yongno’s home. Yongno lived on the sixth floor, while Leaf lived on the fifteenth.
Ding!
Once inside the elevator, Yongno pushed the buttons for the 6th and 15th floors. Neither person spoke during the ride as they didn’t have any further questions for each other. Since his mind was disorganized at the moment, Yongno was happy for the silence.
“Ah, um, I think I can stand on my own now.”
“Good. I didn’t want people getting any ideas anyways.”
/[Sixth floor.]/
After the announcement rang out, Yongno left the elevator. For whatever reason, Leaf also got off.
“… What?”
When Yongno made an angered expression, beads of sweat immediately started forming on Leaf’s face.
“L-let me rest for a moment at your place. It’s a little difficult for me to go back home right now.”
/[The doors are closing.]/
With the sound of sliding doors, the elevator doors closed, leaving Yongno to stare at Leaf exasperatedly.
“You’re not scared of much, are you? I live by myself.”
“W-well, you saved me from a dangerous situation. If you do anything bad to me, it’ll serve as some sort of compensation.”
After hearing her straightforward yet logically twisted words, Yongno’s eyebrows started twitching.
“Are you saying you’re okay with being taken advantage of?”
“Well, I’ll still file a police report.”
“Oh my goodness….”
Though at a loss for words, Yongno opened his door and went inside. As he was taking off his jacket, he felt chills. His jacket was soaked wet, and it had an ammonia-like smell to it.
“You.”
“S-sorry! W-when did this happen… ah, right… from before… ack!”
Leaf started turning beet red when she realized that her underwear and pants had been soaked wet from earlier. She recalled that she peed herself when the boys were placing their hands on her legs and stomach. Fortunately, it wasn’t enough to wet her other clothing, but her underwear was soaked.
“I knew it… it’s best if you go home.”
“W-what? N-no!”
“Why can’t you go home?”
As he threw his jacket into his washer, Yongno asked Leaf a question in a serious, irate tone. His mind was in a mess due to the sudden awakening of his divine nature and the deluge of memories; thus, there was no way he’d look kindly upon Leaf, as Yongno just wanted some peace and quiet to sift and go through his thoughts.
“Some family stuff. I’m a minor, so my parents control all my income without giving me any chance to speak for myself. There’s also a bunch of relatives that are mixed into the mess.”
Leaf had a depressed expression. As a successful idol, she brought in billions of won a year, but she couldn’t do anything with that money or even make her own choices in life. Her schedule was always packed, and she never had any free time. Leaf didn’t have any say in what programs and events she participated in, and she didn’t know how her income was being used.
“What do your parents do for a living?”
“I don’t have parents. I live with my aunt and her husband.”
“Tsk.”
Yongno clicked his tongue as he rummaged through his closet. Obviously, he didn’t have any underwear for girls. Actually, he didn’t even have a single pair of briefs.”
“You’ll need to change your underwear… are boxers fine?”
“Y-yeah. It’s not like I can walk around without underwear, so… sorry.”
“Whatever.”
When Yongno handed over a pair of his boxers, Leaf quickly snatched them and ran into the bathroom.
“This is troublesome.”
Yongno sighed and took off his shirt. When he checked his body in the mirror, he saw that his shoulder area had swelled, and there were considerable bruises on his back. Luckily, his bones were unharmed, so he didn’t need to go to the hospital. After taking off the rest of his clothes, Yongno put on comfortable workout clothes.
Click.
When Yongno was done changing, Leaf opened the bathroom door and walked out. It seemed she had taken a brief shower, as her hair was a bit wet. Well, she had peed herself, so she probably felt the need to wash up a bit. Unexpectedly, though, she was holding the soiled underwear.
“Why did you bring that out?”
“I-it’s not like I can leave it here.”
“Just throw it away.”
At Yongno’s curt responses, Leaf’s gaze hardened.
“Hey! Are you considering my underwear trash!”
“If it’s not trash, what is it?”
“That’s….”
Leaf was at a loss for words. After a moment, she spoke in an unconfident tone.
“You see… this… it’ll sell for a high price if it’s sold on the internet….”
“…”
“Sorry.”
Under Yongno’s cold gaze, Leaf meekly apologized and threw the underwear into a trash can before walking over to the sofa and sitting.
“How long are you planning to stay?”
“I’m not sure. I think my aunt and her husband are planning to negotiate with my agency to try and get more money. I believe they’re planning to discuss their plans with my other relatives… they keep telling me to inform the agency that what they’re saying reflects what I want. I already have a contract in place, but they keep telling me that it’s all wrong.”
“What do you think?”
“I don’t know. I just like singing.”
Leaf picked up a teddy bear that was nearby and started rolling around on the sofa.
“I only wanted to sing, nothing else….”
Her mumbling voice slowly became quieter before it fell silent. Once her tensed nerves had settled, a rush of exhaustion overcame her, causing her to fall asleep. Yongno was dumbfounded at how Leaf could fall asleep in the middle of a conversation.
“I really don’t understand her….”
Yongno shook his head, but soon, he picked her up from the sofa, placed her on his bed, and covered her with his blanket. Since she had physically and mentally gone through so much in such a short period, Yongno wasn’t surprised that she had exhausted herself. He was initially suspicious that she was faking, but Yongno’s heightened senses didn’t substantiate that claim.
“Phew….”
As he sat on the sofa where Leaf had been lying earlier, Yongno let out a long, deep sigh. Some time had passed since his breakthrough and awakening, so he had somewhat regained his calm. He wanted to chalk up what happened earlier as simply an illusion or dream, but he couldn’t deny the presence of mana surrounding him. He possessed a sense that shouldn’t exist, but the sense seemed all too familiar. It was the power that he utilized in DIO.
“This….”
As he stood in the side street surrounded by the sound of groans, Yongno sensed something new, something different from his other five senses. However, it didn’t feel foreign. Actually, it felt familiar, as it filled the region between the heavens and the earth and was the basic building block of the world.
Mana.
It was spiritual energy that was also referred to as qi in martial arts. Modern humans didn’t know about this mysterious power since those born on Earth had their divine nature and qi sense restricted, so they could not sense mana.
Great sages like Yahweh or Buddha were exceptions, as they had understood the truth of the world through enlightenment. They could create an Astral Body and free themselves of spiritual restrictions and the world itself, but Yongno didn’t fall into that category. He hadn’t even realized the principles of Everything, attained divinity, or acquired a divine position and ascended to become a divine being. Instead, he’d gained freedom with the help of an external factor.
“Hey, you over there, flat chest.”
“W-what? You little… no, wait, I mean… are you alright?”
Though her natural personality was vibrant and outgoing, Leaf remained cautious. After all, those boys had been sexually assaulting her mere moments ago; it wouldn’t be weird if she collapsed at any moment and burst into tears.
“Worry about yourself. You call yourself a celebrity, but you walk around late at night alone and get yourself in this unfortunate situation….”
Yongno lectured Leaf as if he was unhappy about her choice of action. He didn’t typically complain or act cold, but his head was filled with too many chaotic thoughts, and he was also emotionally unstable. Due to the sudden influx of memories and his new ability to sense mana, Yongno was at a loss. It was surprising that he didn’t choose to leave immediately without a word.
“Go home. If you stay, you’ll just ruin your life and a few others’ lives as well.”
“W-wait!”
When Yongno turned around after he finished speaking, Leaf’s arm abruptly shot forward and grabbed him. With a great deal on his mind, Yongno made a vicious expression.
“What?”
“You see… I don’t… don’t have any strength in my legs….”
“…”
Yongno frowned before offering Leaf his back, and as she apologized, Leaf climbed on.
“Sorry. As long as we get far away from those guys, if you can take me to the apartment’s security office, I can go on my own from there.”
Leaf stuttered as she found it difficult to speak to Yongno. Despite saving her, he had crushed ten high school boys, so she couldn’t help but keep her guard up.
“… Ugh!”
“S-sorry, are you alright?”
Unexpectedly, the areas on his shoulder and back where the boys hit him were starting to bruise and swell. Yongno didn’t notice this in the darkness, but the boys had been wearing brass knuckles. His adrenaline had been pumping at full steam during the fight, so he didn’t feel the pain back then, but now that his body was returning to normal, the pain was quickly setting in.
“Just hold on tight.”
“I… I think you… need to go to the hospital….”
“It’s not that bad. Instead, you should call your manager. You’re a celebrity, so you should have one, right? Or call that one guy that you were with before.”
“The guy I was with before?”
Leaf looked confused at this unexpected turn. However, she soon recalled where she had heard Yongno’s voice before.
“Ack! You’re the idiot that I met when I was with the president! Are you a stalker?”
“A stalker?”
“You followed me all the way from Pyeongyang, didn’t you?!”
“…”
Irritation and annoyance spread across Yongno’s face.
“I’m going to throw you off.”
“S-stalker, you… kyak?!”
After throwing Leaf to the ground, Yongno turned to start walking away. Surprised, Leaf quickly whipped her head around to survey her surroundings. She was on a quiet street that was less than 30 meters away from where she was attacked by the boys.
“S-sorry! It was a mistake! A mistake! I never expected to see you! Why were you here?”
“Don’t talk as if you own the neighborhood. I live here, and my parents live in the same apartment complex as you.”
As she heard Yongno’s clear, guilt-free voice, Leaf lowered her head.
“I’m so sorry! I was in the wrong! I’m appreciative of all that you’ve done for me; I’m the bad person!”
“Man….”
Yongno lowered himself to Leaf’s eye level and scoffed. Of course, Leaf was in the wrong, but Yongno didn’t expect her attitude to take a 180-degree turn within moments. Yongno couldn’t understand how Leaf was a celebrity with such a personality.
“Where’s your house?”
“Apartment Building 103.”
“That’s the same as mine.”
Unlike a romance novel or K-drama, Leaf didn’t live across the hallway or above Yongno’s home. Yongno lived on the sixth floor, while Leaf lived on the fifteenth.
Ding!
Once inside the elevator, Yongno pushed the buttons for the 6th and 15th floors. Neither person spoke during the ride as they didn’t have any further questions for each other. Since his mind was disorganized at the moment, Yongno was happy for the silence.
“Ah, um, I think I can stand on my own now.”
“Good. I didn’t want people getting any ideas anyways.”
/[Sixth floor.]/
After the announcement rang out, Yongno left the elevator. For whatever reason, Leaf also got off.
“… What?”
When Yongno made an angered expression, beads of sweat immediately started forming on Leaf’s face.
“L-let me rest for a moment at your place. It’s a little difficult for me to go back home right now.”
/[The doors are closing.]/
With the sound of sliding doors, the elevator doors closed, leaving Yongno to stare at Leaf exasperatedly.
“You’re not scared of much, are you? I live by myself.”
“W-well, you saved me from a dangerous situation. If you do anything bad to me, it’ll serve as some sort of compensation.”
After hearing her straightforward yet logically twisted words, Yongno’s eyebrows started twitching.
“Are you saying you’re okay with being taken advantage of?”
“Well, I’ll still file a police report.”
“Oh my goodness….”
Though at a loss for words, Yongno opened his door and went inside. As he was taking off his jacket, he felt chills. His jacket was soaked wet, and it had an ammonia-like smell to it.
“You.”
“S-sorry! W-when did this happen… ah, right… from before… ack!”
Leaf started turning beet red when she realized that her underwear and pants had been soaked wet from earlier. She recalled that she peed herself when the boys were placing their hands on her legs and stomach. Fortunately, it wasn’t enough to wet her other clothing, but her underwear was soaked.
“I knew it… it’s best if you go home.”
“W-what? N-no!”
“Why can’t you go home?”
As he threw his jacket into his washer, Yongno asked Leaf a question in a serious, irate tone. His mind was in a mess due to the sudden awakening of his divine nature and the deluge of memories; thus, there was no way he’d look kindly upon Leaf, as Yongno just wanted some peace and quiet to sift and go through his thoughts.
“Some family stuff. I’m a minor, so my parents control all my income without giving me any chance to speak for myself. There’s also a bunch of relatives that are mixed into the mess.”
Leaf had a depressed expression. As a successful idol, she brought in billions of won a year, but she couldn’t do anything with that money or even make her own choices in life. Her schedule was always packed, and she never had any free time. Leaf didn’t have any say in what programs and events she participated in, and she didn’t know how her income was being used.
“What do your parents do for a living?”
“I don’t have parents. I live with my aunt and her husband.”
“Tsk.”
Yongno clicked his tongue as he rummaged through his closet. Obviously, he didn’t have any underwear for girls. Actually, he didn’t even have a single pair of briefs.”
“You’ll need to change your underwear… are boxers fine?”
“Y-yeah. It’s not like I can walk around without underwear, so… sorry.”
“Whatever.”
When Yongno handed over a pair of his boxers, Leaf quickly snatched them and ran into the bathroom.
“This is troublesome.”
Yongno sighed and took off his shirt. When he checked his body in the mirror, he saw that his shoulder area had swelled, and there were considerable bruises on his back. Luckily, his bones were unharmed, so he didn’t need to go to the hospital. After taking off the rest of his clothes, Yongno put on comfortable workout clothes.
Click.
When Yongno was done changing, Leaf opened the bathroom door and walked out. It seemed she had taken a brief shower, as her hair was a bit wet. Well, she had peed herself, so she probably felt the need to wash up a bit. Unexpectedly, though, she was holding the soiled underwear.
“Why did you bring that out?”
“I-it’s not like I can leave it here.”
“Just throw it away.”
At Yongno’s curt responses, Leaf’s gaze hardened.
“Hey! Are you considering my underwear trash!”
“If it’s not trash, what is it?”
“That’s….”
Leaf was at a loss for words. After a moment, she spoke in an unconfident tone.
“You see… this… it’ll sell for a high price if it’s sold on the internet….”
“…”
“Sorry.”
Under Yongno’s cold gaze, Leaf meekly apologized and threw the underwear into a trash can before walking over to the sofa and sitting.
“How long are you planning to stay?”
“I’m not sure. I think my aunt and her husband are planning to negotiate with my agency to try and get more money. I believe they’re planning to discuss their plans with my other relatives… they keep telling me to inform the agency that what they’re saying reflects what I want. I already have a contract in place, but they keep telling me that it’s all wrong.”
“What do you think?”
“I don’t know. I just like singing.”
Leaf picked up a teddy bear that was nearby and started rolling around on the sofa.
“I only wanted to sing, nothing else….”
Her mumbling voice slowly became quieter before it fell silent. Once her tensed nerves had settled, a rush of exhaustion overcame her, causing her to fall asleep. Yongno was dumbfounded at how Leaf could fall asleep in the middle of a conversation.
“I really don’t understand her….”
Yongno shook his head, but soon, he picked her up from the sofa, placed her on his bed, and covered her with his blanket. Since she had physically and mentally gone through so much in such a short period, Yongno wasn’t surprised that she had exhausted herself. He was initially suspicious that she was faking, but Yongno’s heightened senses didn’t substantiate that claim.
“Phew….”
As he sat on the sofa where Leaf had been lying earlier, Yongno let out a long, deep sigh. Some time had passed since his breakthrough and awakening, so he had somewhat regained his calm. He wanted to chalk up what happened earlier as simply an illusion or dream, but he couldn’t deny the presence of mana surrounding him. He possessed a sense that shouldn’t exist, but the sense seemed all too familiar. It was the power that he utilized in DIO.
