Side Story 3: That Day (3) Kwon Seong-Il and Lee Tae-Han

Five people were the heroes of the great victory, and they were listed by name by Seon-Hu. However, Joshua was sealed in the life vessel waiting for resurrection, and it was clear that Yeon-Hee was reluctant to reveal her face to the public.

Therefore, the first person Seon-Hu brought back after his speech was Seong-Il.

[Victory! The Final Stage has ended.]

He was summoned by Seon-Hu, in an appearance covered in blood. He had been at the forefront of the battlefield just a few seconds ago, so his face was flushed with the excitement of war. Soon after, a fiery heat spewed from Seong-Il’s nostrils when Seon-Hu looked back at Seong-Il.

I knew you would win! For real!

Huff.

The heat that grazed beneath his nose reddened his face. However, the camera zoomed in to Seong-Il’s face and the dripping blood from his chin. Faces were smeared with the blood and flesh of monsters, so the process of his face flushing was not captured by the camera.

Then, Seon-Hu placed his hand on Seong-Il’s shoulder. It was only when Seong-Il faced Seon-Hu that his legs gave out. All he could see was one reporter standing in the middle. Everyone else was kneeling, showing respect to Odin.

If Seon-Hu had not stretched out his hand for a handshake, then Seong-Il would have knelt right there.

“We won, Kwon Seong-Il.”

Seon-Hu said, but Seong-Il could not shake his hand. He was conscious of the camera floating in mid-air.

It seems to be broadcasting all over the world, so how can I dare to shake his hands?

As Seong-Il hesitated, the camera slowly moved. It was evident that the camera was controlled by Odin’s power. Hesitating further seemed to challenge Odin’s authority, so Seong-Il hastily wiped the blood from his hand on his pants.

Of course, his hand was not perfectly clean by doing that, but Odin grabbed his hand first. When their hands met, Seong-Il felt a rush of unspoken emotions. Therefore, he forcibly silenced himself.

It was only after the handshake that he realized there was one more person standing beside the reporter. The King of Hell, Jonathan Hunter, was standing guard behind Seon-Hu. That was when Seong-Il saw an expression on Jonathan he had never seen before. The King of Hell was smiling.

The female reporter asked, “Mr. Caliber. Would you like to say a few words to the people around the world?”

As Seong-Il was overwhelmed by the joy of realizing the war was finally over and that Odin had achieved victory, he couldn’t afford to think about it.

He stiffened his face towards the reporter, then remembered that everything happening was with Odin’s permission. The scene here was being broadcasted worldwide?

Odin… You revealed your…

What the hell is going on? Is He coming out to the world? Is this really okay for Him?

He had always hidden his face as if it would become a fatal weakness, but he was out in public, revealing himself to the world. This was unbelievable.

***

Seong-Il had a hard time understanding Seon-Hu’s true intentions, but even Lee Tae-han, who was summoned next and allowed to give a speech, began to feel that the spotlight was on them as well. In other words, it was a place that Odin had prepared for his people.

No one was called in after Lee Tae-Han. Hera’s performance in the Final Stage was outstanding, but she was only described as one of the ‘Awakened armed with determination.’ Seong-Il confirmed this on the way back to the association headquarters.

“It still doesn't feel real.”

The sight of the audience kneeling to Odin lingered in his mind. Although the war had truly ended, he still felt like he had to go back to fight.

Seong-Il looked at Lee Tae-Han, who remained silent. Tae-Han seemed deep in thought, staring out the car window without reveling in the joy of victory.

Seong-Il gave up and closed his eyes. He thought he could fall asleep in a second if given time, but there was something he had overlooked. A headache crept in, and his eyes remained hot. He had not slept well for a long time. Ironically, that was why he struggled to sleep deeply.

“I think Odin did this for us, hyung.”

Lee Tae-Han finally broke the silence, though his gaze was still fixed at the window. The world before and after the war was no different.

“Did you just realize that now?”

“Today, we stood as equals with him.”

“It was very touching. He didn’t need to do that much.”

“Such a man with divinity mentioned our names right after his. In front of everyone. Do you understand what that means? We received too great a reward.”

“Now that you are saying it, it feels real. The war has actually ended.”

“...His war is over.”

Lee Tae-han said no more. Seong-Il wanted to reply but just closed his mouth. Overcoming his headache, he felt he would be content if he could just fall asleep. Even a brief nap would be nice.

***

The summoned location was close to the association headquarters. It was only a ten-minute drive.

Meanwhile, Lee Tae-Han was more focused on the car in front of them than the approaching association barrier. In that car were He and the Demon King. If He was a god, moving through space would have been easier than breathing. However, he was traveling by car.

He is not using his divinity. He chooses not to use his authority to influence humanity. Then, the rules on Earth will remain the same. And the Awakened would…

Lee Tae-Han was certain.

If He decides to keep the earth’s rule as it had been, then He won’t allow the Awakened to return!

However, how many of them would even want to return to Earth? This was especially true for those who had a territory or were deeply involved in their leader groups. They would never be able to forget the freedom and difference they experienced there compared to their regular, boring lives on Earth. Furthermore, he did not interfere with anything they did in outer space even if those actions did not align with the moral values of present-day humanity.

If he did not change his intentions, then Saint Dragorin would be left to them.

It could be considered a war trophy.

Though the whole world became a mess because of the natural disasters at the Final Stage, Star Dragorin was a bigger planet than Earth and had their own traditional civilization. There were unearthed natural resources and the Natives would obey them. On top of that, it would be easy to make a kingdom greatly prosper with the modern technology of humanity.

Nonetheless, the problem was that everyone could have such thoughts. Hera often used the slogan [A new beginning after the end].

The most important thing is His intention, but it seems like it will never change. He had only been focusing on the peace of humanity. Odin is…

That was why she could frankly use that slogan.

Lee Tae-Han put more strength on his hand that wrapped around his forehead. More precisely, he applied pressure with the base of his thumb and middle finger to massage both temples. The moment to make a decision would soon come. He needed to decide whether to stay on Earth or head to Saint Dragorin.

That was undoubtedly the reason why Odin was mobilizing the Awakened to the headquarters.

Seong-Il interjected, “That is your problem. You can’t enjoy things when you should. Don’t overthink it.”

“You barely slept.”

“I thought I could sleep soon, but the more I think about it, the more regretful I feel.”

“Regret?” asked Lee Tae-Han.

“I mean, Odin prepared everything for us, but I ruined it. I still think about how miserable I was… It’s embarrassing. Bro, you are lucky. You will leave a good legacy.”

Lee Tae-Han shook his head.“I have been doing this for a long time. You are different. You did well for what you had.”

“Nah.”

“Ki-Cheol. Dad is here.”?

“Ki-Cheol. Dad is here.”?

“Ki-Cheol. Dad is here.”?

“Ki-Cheol. Dad is here.”?

“Ki-Cheol. Dad is here.”?

“Ki-Cheol. Dad is here.”

Seong-Il couldn’t help but laugh at the phrase echoing in his head right now. At that time, the car carrying the two was passing through the association barrier. Staff had come out to welcome them outside the building, but no one cheered.

The vehicle in the lead was conscious that He was onboard that vehicle.

All the cars came to a halt one after the other. Seon-Hu exited through the door Gillian and his wife had opened.

They entered the chairman’s office on the top floor of the association. Despite his lack of sleep, Seong-Il’s face lit up suddenly as his headache had vanished and the joy of victory kicked in.

Huh!

Woo Yeon-Hee was waiting for them. Seong-Il was going to say, “Oh my, sis! It feels like it has been ages since I last saw you!” But he stopped himself. However, he was not the first one to greet Mary. Seong-Il unconsciously clenched his fist when he watched Woo Yeon-Hee and Seon-Hu walking toward each other.

What a beautiful sight. You guys have a bright future ahead of you!

Tears that had not fallen even at the end of the war seemed about to surge at that moment. After all, no one had gone through as much as Mary noona did.

Nonetheless, the scene Seong-il had imagined did not unfold. Even if they didn’t kiss, he had at least expected that the two lovers would hug and exchange passionate glances with each other, enjoying the triumph in their grand victory.

However, all the two did was look up and down at each other. They seemed to be looking at each other as comrades-in-arms, recognizing each other’s efforts that ultimately led to their victory.

It’s fucking cool!

A chill enveloped Seong-il for a moment.

***

“The Awakened will be returning to Saint Dragorin.’

Seon-Hu explained the plan to his close aides. He made it clear that he would not allow the Awakened to return to Earth, and only those who had acquired a certain level of reputation up to the end of the Final Stage would be permitted to visit. In that case, the abilities of the Awakened entering Earth would be blocked.

“I wanted to hear your thoughts. We achieved today’s victory together.”

There were no objections. Seon-Hu spoke as if he had expected that.

“Then we will proceed as discussed. I want to share the joy with Joshua once he arrives.”

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Jonathan looked slightly disappointed, but Seon-Hu’s resolve did not change. There was plenty of time now. Even if they could spend the night talking about their journey so far, Seon-Hu believed the gathering where everyone was together should only happen when Joshua could join them.

Seon-Hu exchanged farewells with his companions and finally spoke to Woo Yeon-Hee.

“Let’s go.”

“Where to?”

“To my parents.”