translation by mourningmoor
“L.I.T... isn't it?”
When I turned my head, two girls in school uniforms with flushed faces were approaching the table cautiously.
Judging by the unusual color of mana flowing out, they seemed to have quite a bit of affection.
“Yes, that's right.”
Since it was their first time experiencing something like this, while the kids hesitated, Gyuhyung, with a face like a black bear filled with smiles, answered.
“Yes, it's L.I.T.”
At that, the girls clapped their hands together and squealed, "Kyaaa!!" as they moved a little closer.
“We watched M-Start live today.”
“You were so cool, oppa.”
“The song was amazing too.”
“The choreography was amazing. You’re really good at dancing.”
Overflowing with 《excitement》 and 《joy》, the two girls let their heightened emotions pour out freely before asking if they could take a picture.
Because of Gyuhyung, who answered without hesitation that it was fine, we inevitably had to take photos with the girls.
Gyuhyung squeezed out of his seat and stepped away from the table, taking Girl 1’s phone in hand. Meanwhile, Girls 1 and 2 posed with beaming smiles, with us as their backdrop for the picture.
Should I be smiling? Or should I be annoyed?
Delaying my judgment, I scanned the expressions of the others before subtly offering a smile.
The exact expression Jaewon had mentioned—one that comes out when I’m in a good mood.
Yeah, honestly, I don’t feel bad about this.
“Can we post this on SNS?”
“Of course, you can. But you have to promote us a lot, okay?”
The girl looked at us as she asked, but the answer came swiftly from Gyuhyung.
Nodding as they turned away, the girls exuded 《Regret》 in waves.
It was a sight I had seen often and a feeling I was all too familiar with.
It reminded me of the people who would swarm wherever I went on the continent of Armania.
Crowds packed tightly into the streets just to catch a glimpse of my face, hands extended toward me in hopes of even the briefest brush of contact.
And the sight of them fainting as if in a swoon whenever I even so much as smiled faintly.
The 《Regret》 that overflowed wherever I left.
Somehow, I find myself missing it a little.
Perhaps it’s because of these girls who recognized L.I.T.
The atmosphere at the gathering became just a tad more cautious. Instead, the kids’ hearts seemed to float up, fluffy like clouds.
Watching the kids' backs as they entered the dorm, I felt a small sense of pride.
They were truly hopeless cases at times, but today, they were nothing short of admirable.
Despite the grueling schedule, not a single complaint escaped their lips—they endured everything in silence.
Perhaps that's why, once we returned to the dorm, they started collapsing one by one.
The release of tension likely had something to do with it.
Siu, who showered first, went straight to bed and passed out.
The two youngest did the same.
The last to shower, Hanjoon, paused as he was about to enter his room and glanced at me.
"It's one in the morning. Aren't you sleeping?"
Sitting at the living room table, staring at my laptop, I lifted my head.
"Ah—"
Has it already gotten so late? I still have a bit more to go through.
"I'm planning to study a little more before sleeping... yeah."
"Study? You already passed your GED. You're starting college with Siu next year through the remote—"
Hanjoon, casually drying his damp hair with a towel, suddenly stopped talking mid-sentence.
"Never mind."
Perhaps he figured the conversation would get unnecessarily drawn out, as he clicked his tongue and opened the door to his room.
"You worked hard today, so just wrap it up and sleep early."
"Yes, thank you."
Maybe it’s because we ate so much earlier, but Hanjoon’s usually firm defenses felt just a little softer tonight.
"Hyung."
I couldn’t let that softened defense take down his grit as well.
"Do twenty push-ups before you sleep."
For a moment, Hanjoon’s expression shifted.
《Annoying brat.》
I didn’t even need to use my Heart’s Resonance to know exactly what he was feeling—his expression said it all.
But I also knew this much:
That guy would definitely go into his room and dutifully knock out those twenty push-ups.
Admirable and endearing all at once.
“Goodnight.”
I warmly called out to the back of his head as he disappeared into his room without replying.
Then, the sound of the door closing echoed rather harshly.
Soon after, a deep stillness settled over my world.
A faint laugh escaped my lips, unbidden and light.
This silence was different—distinct from the emptiness I used to feel back in Parapara.
The Mage Tower, the very heart of Parapara. And within that tower, my room at the highest floor of them all.
The place, perfectly sealed with magic, wouldn’t allow even a single ant to enter without my permission.
After living for over 300 years, it seemed I had grown to embrace such isolation.
I kept no one close, and I allowed no one near.
The silence of the Mage Tower was my only companion, and I thought of the quiet tower as my grave, waiting only for death.
Then, I came to understand—my death was a far-off dream, and this life would never end.
It was despairing.
At that time, the Demon King made his move, and I used the Demon King to orchestrate my own death.
And now… it seems I am paying the price for it.
A stillness found amidst the chaos of a noisy life.
To think I’ve reached a point where I’m grateful for this silence.
“Enough. Stop thinking about it.”
Night falls, and being left alone again, all these pointless thoughts come flooding in.
Shaking off the heaviness clouding my mind, I opened my laptop.
“Focus on putting out the fire right in front of you for now.”
The fire in front of me.
A vending machine cocoa for 500 won, a box of Big House for 4,700 won, one serving of pork belly for 16,000 won.
Damn it, this world is a place where you can’t even scrape by without “money.”
How much exactly do I need to finally escape this filthy dungeon?
Letting out a long sigh, I opened the e-book 《Let’s Learn: The Dictionary of Economic Basics》, which I started reading yesterday.
* * *
A cramped bedroom, a bunk bed placed by the window.
The top bunk is my sleeping place.
Before I knew it, the spring days in Seoul, South Korea, had turned into mid-May and were a bit hot.
Yeah. It’s mid-May, so it can be hot. I can understand that. I can bear it.
But this isn't right.
"Kim Jaewon."
This is clearly my bed, my sleeping place.
Yet, the youngest one, who should be sleeping on the top bunk of the bed next to mine, has burrowed into my blanket and is tightly hugging my waist with both arms.
When on earth did he come over here?
"Get off."
I spoke through slightly clenched teeth, but there was no sign of him letting go.
"Hey, Kim Jae... Won."
I tried speaking with more force and thought I had harshly shaken off his arms... or so I thought.
But his fingers tightly gripped the hem of my T-shirt, refusing to let go.
Ha, a sigh escaped me on its own.
How many times has this happened already?
Being clingy is fine, but please, stop touching my body without permission...
"Huh?"
It was when I sat up, trying to shake off Jaewon's fingers.
His face, faintly illuminated by the twilight of dawn, came into view.
“Were you crying?”
His face, still soft with baby-like fluff, was streaked with tears. Now that I noticed, even his eyelashes were wet.
Did he have a nightmare?
I considered activating my Heart’s Resonance, but I didn’t.
I no longer wanted to peek into their hearts. No, it was more that these kids were overly simple and worryingly pure, and the idea of reading their minds didn’t sit well with me.
Especially this kid, Kim Jaewon. He’s so bright and cheerful it’s almost a problem...
“Jaewon-ah, why are you sleeping here?”
My voice softened a little.
I knew better than anyone how challenging it was to leave your parents at a young age and pursue your dreams, so I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
And now, seeing him wetting the blanket with tears, so unlike his usual self, it tugged at my heart even more.
He’s so young. Seventeen, he says. That’s 301 years younger than me.
Of course, that doesn’t mean he can just crawl into my bed and touch my body as he pleases. And how are two people supposed to sleep in this cramped bed? It’s physically impossible, even geometrically.
“Go sleep in your own bed...”
I was about to gently coax him back when Jaewon, who I thought was asleep, wrapped his arms around my waist again.
“Ichannie hyuung.”
With a damp voice, Jaewon sniffled as he called my name.
“I’ll stay like this just a little longer, okay? Just a little.”
His shoulders trembled slightly, as if he was holding back tears.
“Really, just a little.”
I seriously considered activating my Heart’s Resonance.
But I didn’t. Instead, I patted his shoulder and allowed the physically impossible.
In the cramped bed, Jaewon clung tightly to my waist and eventually fell asleep after sobbing for quite a while.
As I gently patted his shoulder, I finally managed to sit up.
“This kid...”
He had cried so much that the side of my T-shirt was soaked with his tears and snot.
"This filthy kid."
I grumbled for a moment before laying Jaewon down properly and covering him with the blanket. Then, I slipped out of the bed.
It was already 6 a.m.
The sun would rise soon, and I needed to head out for my morning exercise before it got too late.
If I ran for just an hour and then woke the kids up to send them off to school, the timing would work out perfectly.
It was then.
"Are you going too, hyung?"
Had I woken him up? Hanjoon sat up from the small bed near the entrance.
"Let's go together."
It was unexpected. He wasn’t following because he lost a game or was given a punishment, but he willingly wanted to join me for the morning exercise.
There was no real reason to stop him.
He needed to shrink his size, and I needed to increase mine, so there couldn’t be a better way to fulfill both requirements than through exercise.
“Alright. Let’s go together.”
I put on my black training pants and black hoodie.
Hanjoon, in similar attire, followed me from behind.
"Let's go."
I bounded down the stairs of the three-story villa with light steps.
Then, I stepped out onto the street, bathed in the faint light of dawn.
At first, I didn’t think much of it.
I planned to jog lightly and then sprint all-out once I hit the uphill, but the moment for that full sprint came sooner than I expected.
It was when I had taken about twenty steps away from the villa.
A strange presence made the back of my head feel uneasy.
I didn’t even need to activate my mind sense; I could sense it through the flow of mana. Something was following behind us.
“Hyung, run.”
The feeling was unsettling, so I shouted quietly and immediately increased my speed.
“Hey! Hey, damn it.”
As I started running, Hanjoon quickly followed suit.
"What's going on...?"
He asked, but I didn’t bother answering.
Even the slow-witted Hanjoon would soon figure out the reason on his own.
Six women with cameras were crazily following us from behind.
And they didn’t seem to have any intention of being quiet; they were screaming so loudly that my ears were ringing in the early dawn.
“Kyaaa! It’s Kang Ichan and Hanjoon!”
“Hurry, take the picture, take it!”
Damn it. This is a disaster.