The UN General Assembly usually began its session once a year on the third Tuesday of September. However, a separate meeting could be convened if there was a special agenda to discuss, and there was a UN Emergency General Assembly this year.
Lee Tae-Han could hear the situations that had occurred in the association’s headquarters through the phone call with Odin. Creatures resembling those commonly found in human mythology and fantasy had infiltrated the headquarters, and their attempt to disrupt the ritual suggested that time was running out.
He started revising his speech after hanging up the phone.
「I am honored to stand before you today to discuss a monumental moment in our history. The defeat of the alien invasion on the Day of Advent was not just a triumph for our nation, but for the entire world. It was a spiritual achievement that should be acknowledged as such by the United Nations.
The repulsion of the alien invasion was no small feat. It was the result of the tireless efforts of our Awakened as well as the strength and determination of all humankind.
…
I urge and appeal to the leaders of the United Nations, including the esteemed members of the Security Council, as well as leaders across the globe. The core principles of the security community, enshrined within the UN Charter, must be manifested throughout the world. To that end, it is imperative that the World Awakening Association serves as the vanguard for realizing this shared goal of global peace, for it is precisely in such a capacity that its vital contribution is most urgently required.」
At that time, a guest came to the room where he was waiting. It was Catalina Ronea. She was a world-famous movie star before becoming an Awakened, but now she was a mere low-level Awakened who was taking full advantage of her celebrity fame.
She took all kinds of interviews and published her memoirs before anyone else. She was also good at hiding a viper-like expression unique to the Awakened behind a fake smile. Despite her low-level, she was spreading a reputation as a competent Awakened among the civilians.
Nevertheless, no one stopped her because she was playing an important role in repairing the Awakened’s tarnished reputation. It seemed she had earned the trust of even the most skeptical individuals in the public. In fact, Lee Tae-Han himself had recommended her as the ideal candidate to become the next speaker.
Catalina straightened her back and put her hands together in front of her stomach. She was always bright and pleasant when talking to the media, but her face was stiff when she faced Lee Tae-Han. She was even conscious of blinking her eyes in front of him.
It was their first time meeting each other in person. He approached her while holding a revised speech in his hand. The manner in which he grasped her chin and turned her face from side to side multiple times was reminiscent of someone assessing the quality of a product.
“Smile,” he said.
Catalina’s stoic face immediately broke into a smile. All Awakened in the lower sections had the habit of smiling or employing sexual tactics when someone pressed their buttons. They had no choice but to learn the skill to survive.
However, her smiling face at that moment wasn’t that beautiful because Lee Tae-Han was forcefully gripping her face. Despite the pain she was experiencing, she continued to smile while quivering. Her face was unnaturally serene, lacking any indication of discomfort or agony. Only her blonde hair swayed as a result of Lee Tae-Han’s touch.
He commanded, “Cry while smiling.”
Following that, Lee Tae-Han checked her various facial expressions. While there were directors who could coach speech writing, coordination, and presentation intonation, in this case, Lee Tae-Han was doing the teaching as there were two issues that would bring a huge impact. One was the agreement between the World Awakened Association and UN member states, and the other was about the extraterrestrial space that the Awakened would enter soon.
Therefore, he had to pay close attention and be responsible for everything.
***
Sinchon, Seoul, South Korea.
“Kim Ji-Hoon, that motherfucker is hopeless. There is nothing much we can do. Just give up. You will never be able to get it from that bastard.”
This was their first time meeting since the world had gone crazy. One fortunate thing was that none of his friends were dragged to the Stage of Advent. Those who were unable to attend didn’t do so for various reasons such as their wives not allowing them to go, attending job interviews in Busan, or owing large sums of money to their friends.
“People say don’t lend money even to parents and siblings. But Ji-Hoon? Gosh, Soo-Il. What made you lend that much to him?”
Soo-Il groaned. “His father’s hospital bill… Ugh. Let’s stop talking about this. I am an idiot.”
“Let’s just say it was bad luck. God might have seen you being nice and didn’t drag you into the Stage of Advent.”
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It was safe to say that most of the people who were sent to the Stage of Advent had died there because fewer than two hundred thousand of the original forty-five million people returned. Also, the association announced that there were fewer than two hundred Awakened in Korea.
He grimaced. “Yes, I’m an idiot.”
Oh Soo-Il couldn’t help but sigh whenever he thought of Kim Ji-Hoon. It wasn’t only because of money. Of course, his heart ached when he thought about the money, but it couldn’t be more painful than Kim Ji-Hoon’s life. The more he thought about him, the more he felt sorry for him. Whenever things were about to work well, his father interfered every time.
His life had been like that for more than thirty years. Oh Soo-Il couldn’t forget the last word Kim Ji-Hoon said as he worked multiple part-time jobs to make ends meet. He said it was becoming increasingly challenging to secure new part-time jobs as he was getting older. He then proceeded to ask for money.
Of course, not all parents were loving and caring. In many cases, they were worse than enemies.
Oh Soo-Il tilted his soju glass as he recalled his memories in middle school.
“It was a mess back then.”
He wasn’t talking about the Day of Advent. There was a period of time that they always talked about when drinking. It was the day when their grade 8 homeroom teacher’s mother came to school and made a fuss. She ran wild while calling her daughter “crazy.” The school ended up kicking the daughter out.
“Woo Yeon-Hee wasn’t crazy. Wasn’t her mother the crazy one?”
“She shouldn’t be called by the word ‘mother.’ Her actions have become even more absurd to me now that I have kids. By the way, don’t you guys miss that time?”
“Yeah.”
“That was the best year of my life.”
“We were too mean, haha. We didn’t even open a textbook during class.”
“Yo, take a shot.”
Their soju glasses clinked.
“But even if that guy went into the Stage of Advent, I feel like he would have survived somehow. I was so nervous in front of him. He was different from us.”
“Na Seon-Hu?”
“You were the one who chickened out the most, bruh.”
“Hey, you were the same as well.”
This was why Oh Soo-Il liked his middle school reunion the most. Everything was a good memory, free from any concerns that he had to be careful in what he said. Everyone spoke freely and laughed without a care in the world. They talked about the same thing every year, but he always had so much fun.
When they were tipsy, they began talking about how they were forcefully dragged to the martial law forces on the Day of Advent. When they took another shot, they were comparing the installed applications on their phones. Those who didn’t install certain applications mentioned a website that dealt with the same content.
The world hadn’t changed much for them, so the topics of their conversations revolved around trivial matters. The Awakened and alien monsters sounded as unreal to them as North Korea’s fat dictator who existed but was deemed as a cartoon character. They didn’t exist in the reality of Oh Soo-Il and others.
“Let’s watch this first. Lee Tae-Han is coming out,” Oh Soo-Il said while putting his smartphone on the table.
「Lee Tae-Han’s, the President of the World Awakened Association: “The defeat of the alien invasion was a brilliant achievement of the United Nations.” 」
“He is fluent in English. He must have learned it in the Stage of Advent.”
“He was already good at it. Ah, I should have bought Ilseong stocks earlier.”
「 “The role and contribution of the United Nation in the international community will grow.” 」
“Yo, stop talking about stocks. I don’t want to think about it.”
“Did you lose a lot? They are going up again these days.”
“Ugh, I sold everything when China went crazy. I can’t even bring it up to my wife. Lend me two thousand too. I will pay you back with interest, haha.”
“Interest worth twenty years?”
“Hahahaha, don’t even think of touching the stock market, dude.”
「 “The microchip will be implanted in the Awakened as scheduled two days later, on the registration day ” 」
“Of course, they should.”
“Would you say the same thing if you were Awakened?”
“I’m not. Heheheheheh. Let’s order more food. Excuse me, ma’am. One more fish soup and soju, please!”
「 “Thank you for the international community’s support and interest in our association.” 」
“Lee Tae-Han looks like he’s gotten younger somehow.”
“He should shut up and show us his skills, ugh.”
“Then, he will destroy that podium.”
“Is he in the challenger section?”
“Isn’t that why he is the president? I envy him so much. Fuck. He has money and a superpower. He is also pretty young. I want to live as him at least for one day.”
「 “The World Awakened Association requires a crucial need for global peace as urged by the United Nations.” 」
Lee Tae-Han’s speech ended there, and Catalina Ronea came up to the podium.
「 [UN General Assembly] Awakened Catalina Ronea 」
“I can’t stop watching videos of her these days. She said the Stage of Advent was like hell.”
“At least, she survived.”
“Is she going to rely on special effects in her next film? It will be dope if she actually uses her skills.”
“Why is she crying? Did Lee Tae-Han scold her with his fire bat? I heard the Awakened have such intense sexual energy.”
“Ew, don’t even imagine that.”
「 Awakened Catalina Ronea: “What happened at the headquarters of the World Awakened Association was the result of the invasion of a new alien species. Our heartbreaking condolences to the victims and their families.” 」
「 Breaking News: Catalina Ronea Claims There Was an Alien Attack at World Awakened Association's General Headquarters 」
Oh Soo-Il and his friends suddenly felt completely sober. The smiles on their faces disappeared as well because they realized that they would have to wear a military uniform again.
People at other tables began to speak noisily. Oh Soo-Il didn’t understand English, but he increased the volume of the phone.
「 “What is certain is that there should be no more damage and humans dying from extraterrestrial raids” 」
「 “The association is rushing to advance into outer space where the attack began.” 」
No one was giggling anymore. Wearing a military uniform itself was a pain on the Day of Advent. In addition, the sociopathic orders of their bosses at work was much better compared to being instructed by their martial law military superiors.
Oh Soo-Il was scared.
The images of what appeared to be new alien species were being displayed on the monitor. Whenever Catalina Ronea picked up the printed photos one by one, the camera zoomed into the pictures.
「 “New extraterrestrial invaders resemble humans.” 」
「 “Other species that resemble our imaginary creations, such as elves and dwarves, were found.” 」
「 “If the attackers are similar to mankind, unlike alien monsters on the Day of Advent, it is even more painful and sad.” 」
The photo revealed dead bodies and their severed limbs. Most of the gruesome details were hidden by mosaics, but their sharp ears and blunt noses were exposed.
Oh Soo-Il said while his lips trembled, “I should go home. You guys are going, right?”
They were definitely sober. Even though it was his first time standing after drinking so much, he wasn’t stumbling at all.
“Hey… We would have been dragged already if they were to do so. The Ministry of National Defense is evil.”
“...We don’t know that yet.”
Oh Soo-Il sat down again as his friends looked at him in bewilderment.
「 “That’s why it’s time to boldly take a leap forward for peace.” 」
「 “Full support of United Nations member states and citizens of the world are desperately needed.” 」
The time was passing by. Catalina had finished her speech, but Oh Soo-Il and his friends were just swallowing their saliva with blank looks in their eyes. The screen turned from the scene of the busy United Nations General Assembly to a Korean announcer sitting in a studio.
「 Breaking News: The World Awakened Association President, Lee Tae-Han, Proposed a Membership Agreement Between the World Awakened Association and UN Member States 」
Oh Soo-Il didn’t know what that was, but things were going quite urgently.
It was then.
“Come to think of it, I can pay you back now. You can take it or sell it.”
As those words were spoken, a hand firmly grasped Oh Soo-Il’s shoulder, holding a car key. Oh Soo-Il looked up and shouted reflexively.
“You! Kim Ji…”
However, he couldn’t finish his words because he realized something as he looked into the eyes that looked down at him. The guy wasn’t the poor bastard who took money from him last Chuseok. This guy’s eyes were filled with a kind of confidence to an extreme extent that they felt aggressive.
“I told you I would give it back with twenty years worth of interest.”
Twenty years' worth of interest?
When Oh Soo-Il received a message from Kim Ji-Hoon previously, he believed that the other man had made something up to avoid the situation. However, Oh Soo-Il soon realized that Ji-Hoon was indeed an Awakened, having returned from a place that had been described as hell.