* * *
“Ah, is that so.”
Accidents were common in the early stages of awakening.
And not just small ones—big, catastrophic accidents.
That so-called “beginner’s luck” only applied to the very first manifestation.
After that, you had to rely on practice and memory to handle your ability safely.
Especially in my case—my ability leaned heavily toward lethality.
I had sliced through a monster’s neck in a single strike.
That’s probably why my rehabilitation training had been postponed until after my interview with the Bureau.
With no choice but to comply, I spread my arms, and Taehwan picked me up effortlessly, smiling.
“Wow, it’s this high up?”
Being held in Taehwan’s arms made my field of vision significantly higher.
It was a strange feeling.
Taehwan had carried me so many times during my hospital stay—it was an everyday occurrence, something I was completely used to.
But now that I could see, it felt entirely different.
Before, being held like this had just felt safe and comforting.
But now, with my vision restored, I instinctively tightened my grip on his arms out of nervousness.
Also… I couldn’t help but feel a bit self-conscious about my family watching.
Being carried around like this by a friend…
Anyone seeing this might misunderstand our relationship.
“This will all be over soon anyway.”
It was definitely embarrassing, but at the same time, I felt a tinge of regret.
My sight was back, my legs were healed.
From now on, I had to start doing things for myself.
Thinking that, I hesitated before letting go and, just for a moment, pulled Taehwan into a tight hug.
If I wanted to do this, now was the time.
Once we were out in public, two grown men doing this would definitely get us weird looks.
“Ugh. W-what are you doing?”
“Nothing. Just… I suddenly felt grateful.”
“…What’s with you?”
“Heh.”
He grumbled as if annoyed, but… was he feeling the same way?
His face seemed a bit red. He couldn’t even meet my eyes.
He had grown taller—so much that his appearance felt a little unfamiliar now.
But his actions were still the same as ever.
When I finally let go, he quickly grabbed a napkin for me, then picked up a large piece of salmon and brought it to my lips.
“Enough of that. Eat this. Open up.”
“Ah.”
Without thinking, I took the bite.
And then—realized we weren’t the only two people here.
I had just eaten before my mother, the eldest at the table…
As I froze, Taehwan quickly spoke up.
“Ah, sorry! Mother, please, have some first. Everyone, dig in.”
“Thank you, Taehwan. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Finally! Let’s eat!”
“Thank you for the meal, hyung.”
Despite the awkward start, once we actually began eating, everything felt fine.
“Whoa, this is amazing! Hanwoo A5 steak is just different! The cook on this is perfect. You can tell it was made by a master!”
“Haa… I hate to react like Eunseo, but… it really is good.”
Just as expected, the high schoolers ate incredibly well.
Eunseo kept gasping in awe, while Eunyul, though quieter, was shoveling food into his mouth at an alarming speed.
Even Mother, who ate slowly and quietly, was clearly enjoying the meal.
I found myself grinning.
I couldn’t even remember the last time our whole family ate together like this.
No, we always gathered during holidays, but we’d eat separately or just have brief conversations before leaving.
Sitting down together like this… that hadn’t happened in ages.
Back when I was blind, even if food was placed in front of me, eating had been difficult.
But now, we were eating together.
And I could see it all.
My chest tightened with emotion.
“When I heard you got caught in a dungeon incident, I freaked out. I mean, seriously, how unlucky can you be? Not only did you get trapped in a Gate, but the hospital you were in got absorbed into a dungeon?!”
Maybe now that she was full, Eunseo suddenly brought it up, and the table’s attention shifted to me.
“I almost had a heart attack when I heard about it at school. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Ah… Sorry for worrying you.”
“Why are you apologizing, hyung? It’s not like you did it on purpose.”
“Still, because of me, you probably missed a lot of classes.”
“Classes aren’t the issue here…”
“Oh! Right, Oppa, is it true? You can really see now? And your legs are healed? Can you walk? Can you see me?”
“Yeah. I can see you.”
Eunseo and Eunyul must have come straight from school—they were still in their uniforms.
And they looked even more beautiful than I had imagined.
They were fraternal twins, but when they were younger, they’d looked so alike that even I sometimes got them mixed up.
Now, even in identical uniforms, their individual personalities stood out.
It was overwhelming.
To be able to see them like this, in their uniforms, with my own eyes.
“You two really grew up well. I’m relieved.”
“Oh, come on, Oppa, of course we did! But wait—how did you recover so suddenly?”
“Well… they say I awakened.”
“Awakened?”
Eunseo, who had been cracking open a lobster, abruptly stood up.
Her round, dark eyes sparkled like gemstones.
“Then… does that mean you’re a Hunter now?!”
“I don’t know about that… Not all Awakened become Hunters, right?”
“Still, this is amazing! Wow. We have an Awakened in our family now!”
“Oh, hyung, does that mean you can be discharged? If you can see and walk now, doesn’t that mean the poison is out of your system?”
“Maybe…? It’s not certain yet, but I think there’s a high possibility.”
I’ve heard countless stories of people whose lives changed the moment they Awakened, but mine has to be the most dramatic of them all.
My mother took my hand, her eyes welling up with tears again.
“This is… This is so wonderful.”
“Jehee-oppa getting discharged… It’s surreal.”
“Honestly, I never imagined this, so I still feel a bit dazed.”
“We should make a list of things to do once you’re out, oppa. You must have so many things you want to do! Don’t forget—write them down!”
“Well… Yeah, but you guys are busy.”
“It’s fine. Studying is nothing compared to our oppa!”
“Studying can be done anytime. I can definitely make time for hyung. Maybe not Eunseo, though.”
“Ack! Jung Eunyul! Why do you always have to start something when we’re getting along just fine?!”
I’ve now learned that our twins don’t just bicker with words—they throw punches too.
It’s not exactly violent, but the way they hit and block each other makes it clear they’ve done this before.
And in the end, Eunseo’s fist landed squarely on Eunyul’s stomach.
A triumphant smile spread across Eunseo’s lips.
She even exhaled on her knuckles as if celebrating her victory before turning away with a dramatic flourish.
“Ah, but if our oppa gets discharged, what’s poor Taehwan-oppa going to do? He’s going to be so heartbroken. Right?”
“……”
Taehwan, who had been quietly peeling shrimp and placing them on my plate while listening to our family’s chatter, reacted for the first time.
Just as he lifted his head and parted his lips to speak, my mother smiled at him.
“This is good. Taehwan, you’ve worked so hard all this time.”
“Taehwan hyung, you’ve been coming here almost every day for over ten years. That’s incredible.”
“Seriously. You’re used to seeing him every day—how will you handle not seeing him anymore?”
“Oh… Right. That means home is far now.”
Our family moved twice while I was hospitalized.
The house I lived in as a child was less than a ten-minute walk from Taehwan’s, but that’s probably not the case anymore.
Besides, he moved out of his family home and now lives on his own…
‘So if I get discharged, I won’t see Taehwan as often.’
Even the four days he was away for work had felt long, and now the thought of seeing him even less often… I can’t quite imagine it yet.
I just got my sight back… but now I won’t see him as much.
Feeling a strange sense of loss, I turned to look at him.
He was quietly wiping his hands with a wet tissue, his profile as calm as a crescent moon.
Pure and expressionless, as if he felt nothing at all.
Am I the only one who’s feeling this way…?
Well, maybe Taehwan is actually relieved to be free of me.
“I actually have a proposal.”
“…Huh? What proposal?”
Taehwan shifted his gaze to me briefly before straightening his posture and turning toward my mother.
“I understand that you’re all looking forward to finally being together under one roof again. However, Jehee has only just Awakened. He doesn’t yet know what his abilities are, how to use them, or how strong they might be. For the time being, it would be safer for him to stay with me during his rehabilitation training.”
“Uh…”
“Besides, he’ll need to visit the Hunter Management Bureau frequently, at least for now. My place is closer, which would be more convenient. I’ll make sure Jehee has everything he needs and is as comfortable as possible. Please entrust him to me.”
Was he always this talkative?
I thought he only nagged a lot…
It wasn’t just me—our entire family sat there, dumbfounded.
His expression and tone were so serious that it didn’t seem like he was saying this on a whim.
* * *
