In front of the hotel, Lee Tae-Han was having a serious conversation with an officer who appeared to be in charge of the operation. Then, he spotted me from afar, so they stopped talking.
As Lee Tae-Han approached me, the officer turned around and communicated via radio. Then, vehicles carrying martial law forces moved in perfect order. The scent of blood coming from the hotel was stronger here than the trail of fumes that cars left behind.
“The martial law will be lifted soon. Start the conference just in time,” I said.
He nodded. “Then, I will get to Seoul first.”
Yeon-Hee smiled behind Lee Tae-Han’s back and said in a delighted voice, “See you at the hotel tomorrow. Bye for now!”
Despite the blood stains, she was pleased to be able to get into the hotel.
The entrance of the hotel was cluttered with evidence of the removal of martial law soldiers’ bodies, and the traces led to the lobby, elevators, and emergency stairs.
“This is not too bad. It seems like the situation ended without the Awakened doing anything.”
The lobby appeared as if it had been devastated by a storm, and nothing was left unscathed. The sight of the destruction was reminiscent of a bomb that had gone off. Rifles and limbs of the soldiers were scattered in a pool of blood, and hand prints stained the walls.
In the area with the heaviest concentration of blood, it was still seeping through the tile crevices. Yeon-Hee tracked the flow of blood and discovered a martial law officer in a corner. He was still in a panic even after everyone had withdrawn. He crouched there, trembling, and had clearly been there for a long time.
He was speechless and only gazed at Yeon-Hee with wide, quivering eyes.
“Coward.”
Yeon-Hee came back to me after saying that.
The best suite was usually on the highest floor of the hotel. We used the emergency staircases instead of the broken elevator.
“I promised Seong-Il that I would prepare a gift for Ki-Cheol. What would be a good one?” Yeon-Hee asked.
There was nothing to worry about if it was for Seong-Il because nothing was better than a bottle of cheap soju and a bowl of ramen to us now.
We kept walking up the stairs as if we were chasing the trail of bodies being dragged away. Then, we came out into the hallway on the last floor. Although the genres all differed, we heard snippets of music greeting us.
Some had left their doors open, while others had closed them. Everyone had finished taking a shower, so they were enjoying the modern technology and civilization of the earth.
In an open room, I made eye contact with Ji-Ae. It had been a while since I last talked to her. As she had done every time she ran into me, Ji-Ae stopped what she was doing and slightly lowered her head toward me. It was obvious that she had no intention of returning to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
We came into the empty room that had been prepared for us. Yeon-Hee threw herself onto the bed with a short exclamation. The room only had a mattress, but she enjoyed the softness of the bed as she buried her face in it. Then, she turned to me and smiled.
“I know now.”
Her eyes were shining.
“Gift?” I asked.
She smiled. “A wish coupon would be perfect. With our names on it. Odin and Mary. We will grant his wish whenever he wants to use the coupon!”
***
Krong. Its real name was Kronos’ Chest Armor, but Seong-Il affectionately referred to it by its nickname and cherished it.
He was now happier than when he had first won Krong. We made the wish coupon by roughly tearing up a piece of memo paper that was provided in the hotel. Regardless of its rough appearance, it was more valuable than a challenger box due to the inclusion of Odin’s and Mary’s names.
Seong-Il definitely knew that this was for Ki-Cheol, not him. He had simply fulfilled his obligations and maintained his loyalty, but the reward he received was excessive.
Seong-Il put the coupon in his pocket, then rang the doorbell.
Woof woof!
He heard a dog barking in the yard. His ex-wife actually hated dogs, but she was raising this one to guard them from Seong-Il in case he broke in. Anyway, he was worried that Ki-Cheol might have gone to the shelter, like many others had, as there were numerous abandoned houses. But fortunately, he sensed people inside the house.
“It’s me.”
Seong-Il smiled at the intercom camera, and tears welled up in his eyes. He didn’t want to see his son with tears and a runny nose, so he put on a broader smile than usual and tightened his fists.
His ex-wife’s blunt question almost made Seong-Il cry immediately. He had longed to hear that voice. It was as if his nose was already running.
Then, the voice coming from the intercom changed.
Tik!
Seong-Il heard the door open. It was his first time entering the house. It had always been closed before, and in the past he only saw Ki-Cheol briefly on weekends near the station for less than an hour. As Ki-Cheol entered puberty, the frequency of their meetings decreased.
A beautifully maintained garden stretched out before him, which matched what he had heard about neighborhoods inhabited by wealthy elderly men. However, a madly barking dog was interfering with the heaven-like scene.
When Seong-Il stared at the dog, it ran into its house. Only then did the stunning view that he couldn’t even dream of in the Stage of Advent come into view.
His ex-wife and the old guy walked out of the house. In the meantime, her ex-wife kept her mouth shut tight, as if her husband had just scolded her to remain quiet. She was fierce like a pitbull when she had lived with him, but now she was gentle like a golden retriever.
“Thanks for opening the door. But where is Ki-Cheol?” Seong-Il asked.
“Calm down first,” the old man said.
“So where is Ki-Cheol?” Seong-Il asked again.
The old man smiled. “He is taking a shower. Come in first. A father wants to see his son, and there is no reason to stop that. This could be… the last time.”
Piles of daily essentials were stored in the house starting from the front door. Seong-Il sat on the leather couch while his ex-wife glared at him. The old man stared at him with an uncomfortable gaze, then went into the master bedroom.
Then, his ex-wife stood in front of him and said, “Can you stop shaking your legs? You are making me nervous too. And why do you look like that?”
She cast a disapproving look at Seong-Il. He was wearing a shirt and jeans that he didn’t usually wear, but the cuffs of his jeans and socks were soiled with mud.
Seong-Il quipped, “Aren’t you glad to see me again? I really wanted to see your face…”
She sputtered, “You… you… are… you’ve become insane since the world became chaotic, right?”
“I’m sorry. I should have treated you better when we were married,” he suddenly apologized.
She grimaced. “Oh my gosh, stop! Do you think you will go to heaven if you atone for your sins? Then, why didn’t you go to church instead of here? You should be glad that my husband is a gentleman.”
Seong-Il sighed. “Ugh, never mind. I’m not here to fight you. I… I…”
She interrupted him with a hiss, “Then stop saying nonsense and be quiet. Okay? If you scare my son, I won’t let you go alive.”
Only then could Seong-Il focus on the sound from the washroom. He didn’t care about the pouring water. He concentrated on Ki-Cheol’s breathing, which sounded like something was scratching the nasal cavity due to his sinusitis.
Seong-Il’s vision became blurry, and he could no longer hold in his tears.
“Are you crying? Are you… actually?”
His ex-wife became speechless when she saw him crying. Then, tears began to flow from her eyes, which usually was only filled with disdain as if he was a crazy man. It was because of fear. She was shocked to see Seong-Il crying, as she had never witnessed him in such a state before.
She was afraid that the world was ending and that she would witness the monsters that had come to Seoul with her own eyes in this house. She squatted down and buried her face between her knees, then murmured while shedding tears nonstop.
“What should we do… what should we do…” she wailed quietly.
Then the sound of water running stopped in the washroom. Seong-Il began to cry harder.
Seong-Il blinked his eyes rapidly because he heard Ki-Cheol’s voice.
“I heard dad’s voice. Is he here?”
Ki-Cheol came out of the washroom, and Seong-Il rose unsteadily. He attempted to shout his son’s name, but no sound came out of his mouth. He was still crying with tears and a runny nose, and his body continued to shake, hindering his movement. Ki-Cheol took a step back, but the wall was blocking his way.
Seong-Il only thought about one thing when he hugged Ki-Cheol tight.
‘I should control my Strength. Control it… If not, I will hurt my son.’
His son cried out, “What is going on? What’s wrong with dad? I’m suffocating. Cough. Mom. Mom! Stop crying. Oh my gosh! Please don’t fight. Please!”
She replied with an unsteady voice, “We didn’t fight, son. I told you not to scare Ki-Cheol. You… seriously… What’s wrong with you? Get out if you are going to keep doing this.”
Seong-Il didn’t realize his ex-wife was hitting his back at the moment. He felt as if the background had faded away and the sound around him quieted down. It was something that he had only felt when entering the gate.
His memories flooded through his mind, including his first meeting with Odin, to the moment Kang Ja-Seong, who looked like his son, had made the ultimate sacrifice for him.
Despite everything, he made it through and was now holding Ki-Cheol. Odin leading the way and Ki-Cheol pushing from behind were the only driving forces that had made him come this far. If either of them were missing, he could never come back alive.
“Thank you. Thank you.”
Seong-Il sobbed as he came back to his senses. His hands were on the ground without him realizing it after he let go of Ki-Cheol, who struggled. His wailing and tears hit the living room floor.
After a while, he carefully put his hand into his pocket as he suddenly remembered Ki-Cheol’s gift. He refrained from calling the coupon a ‘gift’ as he feared it would diminish its value, and chose not to give it a label.
“Keep this, and use it only when you really need it. This is worth countless lives,” he stated solemnly.
Seong-Il placed a coupon in Ki-Cheol’s hand.
“...”
“It’s a wish coupon. Mary and Odin will grant your wish when the time comes. It’s written there.”
“Mom. Dad is…”
Ki-Cheol alternated his gaze between the coupon and Seong-Il, then faced his mother, appearing frightened. However, Seong-Il’s ex-wife, with her face buried in her knees, was still deeply afraid and unable to accept her son’s desperate look.
It was then that the old man came out of the master bedroom. His face was also filled with anxiety. Then, his gaze inadvertently turned to the television and was fixed there. He widened his eyes.
「 [Breaking News] Martial Law Command, ‘Defeated aliens in Gwacheon.’」
「 [Breaking News] Global Awakened Brings Increased Stability to Earth. 」
「 [Breaking News] The World Awakened Association’s Prediction Has Become Reality. Mankind on the Brink of Victory. 」
「 [Breaking News] Martial Law has been Lifted. 」
The old man increased the television volume, and Ki-Cheol and Seong-Il’s ex-wife also turned toward it.
“After a ten-day enforcement, the martial law was lifted as of 11 PM on March 17th, today. Despite the lifting of the law, residents in areas severely impacted by the recent alien invasion, such as Gwacheon, Anyang, and Gunpo, will remain under curfew.”
“The implementation of a curfew is a precautionary measure aimed at ensuring the safety and security of residents as they recover from the destruction caused by the attack. The Supreme Council for National Reconstruction is…”
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The TV announcer’s voice was filled with excitement. The TV then had its connection for a moment, and then her voice reappeared, “The World Awakened Association has started a press conference.”
When Seong-Il looked up, he saw Lee Tae-Han. Within twelve hours, the blood stains on his face had vanished and his hair was neatly styled. He was dressed in a suit like a person who had never stepped onto the Stage of Advent.
Seong-Il got up on the floor and put his arm around Ki-Cheol’s shoulder.
Ki-Cheol said, “Wait, dad. Let me watch this.”
It wasn’t just Ki-Cheol. His ex-wife and her husband also couldn’t take their eyes off the television.
“Decades ago, I was an Asian entrepreneur. Decades ago, I was filled with anger and terror at the alien civilization that invaded our dear human society and beloved neighbors and families. The world was ablaze with numerous cities being destroyed, and we were powerless to defend against the alien invasion.”
He took a breath and continued, “As Director Joshua von Karjan had mentioned, our current firepower cannot subdue these monsters. Therefore, we would likely be forced to use nuclear weapons as a last resort.”
He paused and continued, “However, Director Joshua von Karjan’s prediction that we, the Awakened, would reappear ready to tackle any new threats at a moment’s notice had become a reality. This is real. We emerged from decades of relentless warfare in the Stage of Advent, and we were victorious over the savage alien civilizations.”
He smiled. “I would like to pay my heartfelt tribute to Director Joshua von Karjan for giving me this opportunity to deliver honorable news to the world, to all global leaders and officials who refrained from using our last resort, and to everyone who had faith in us and remained calm.”
He looked squarely at the camera. “Hello, I’m Lee Tae-Han, the president of the World Awakened Association.”
People clapped and applauded not just on the television, but Seong-Il’s ex-wife, his husband and Ki-Cheol also cheered as they jumped in joy. Seong-Il hugged Ki-Cheol, who threw himself into his father’s arms and sniffed.
Lee Tae-Han continued speaking from the television, “We humans have experienced fear and awe at the mysterious events that have occurred and have bestowed the name of gods upon some of the most powerful Awakened.”
He continued with gravity, “Today, I would like to tell you about Odin, the deity of Nordic mythology. Odin is the god of the sky, magic, war, and wisdom. He possesses wisdom in one eye, wields the power to summon storms and thunder with one hand, and brings victory with the other. He is considered the ruler of all gods. Odin was present in the Stage of Advent and has returned with us.”
He stated seriously, “Please remember us who fought under his name. The Association Director Mary, Director Osiris Joshua von Karjan, Director King of the Hell Jonathan Hunter, Director Caliber Kwon Seong-Il, and all other two hundred thousand Awakened will move on to the alien civilization that attacked our humanity, starting with today’s victory.”
He raised his fist and announced proudly, “We will bring back everything we have lost. We will bring reconstruction of the new world instead of being content with the current situation. We, the World Awakened Association, promise a new era for all mankind. Today’s victory is a great first step and turning point in human history, and we will prove to ourselves how strong our civilization is.”
The television then became noisy with Lee Tae-Han saying that he will answer questions. The old guy and Seong-Il’s ex-wife were still immersed in television, but Ki-Cheol was different. He was unfolding the memo paper that was crumpled in his hand.
「Wish Coupon
Content: From Odin and Mary, for Ki-Cheol, the son of Caliber Kwon Seong-Il. 」
“That’s not you… right?” he stuttered in disbelief.
Ki-Cheol blinked his eyes quickly.
Seong-Il grinned. “It is me. I’m the Caliber Kwon Seong-Il!”