“Customer number 16~ Your drinks are ready~”
After getting our drinks, we sat down.
“.........”
“.........”
The atmosphere was painfully awkward.
The woman who had been speaking so hesitantly just moments ago now sat with her head lowered, unable to say a word.
“(What are you doing, Yu Eunseo!)”
“(You were talking so much just now, so why can’t you say anything now!!)”
“(There’s an ability user right in front of you! An ability user!!)”
“(If not now, you won’t get another chance..!)”
I could hear every bit of her inner voice.
Somehow, she mustered up the courage to speak first.
“Um... what’s your name?”
“I’m Lee Suhan.”
“Ah, I see!”
“My name is Yu Eunseo!”
When I gave my name, she introduced herself as well and greeted me.
Then I cautiously asked what it was she wanted to talk about.
At first, I wondered if she had come because she needed some kind of help, but her answer was truly pure and simple.
“I just wanted to get to know you.”
“I’m absolutely not a suspicious person..”
“I see.”
“By the way, how did you know I was an ability user?”
“Because the only people who run around on rooftops like that are ability users.”
Fair enough. Even people who film parkour videos would have a hard time moving like that.
“I guess I stood out.”
“The people nearby were glancing at you too, you know?”
I’d thought I wouldn’t stand out much, but it seemed I was more visible than expected.
“(I guess I shouldn’t do that for a while.)”
“There are a few things I’m curious about. May I ask?”
“Yes.”
I thought for sure she would ask what kind of ability I had, whether I belonged to the Tigers,
or whether I had ever fought monsters.
But the question she brought up was completely different from what I expected.
“Do you perhaps have a girlfriend?”
“No...? I don’t.”
“Huh... You’re handsome, so I thought you would. That’s surprising.”
She said that, but I wasn’t really sure whether I counted as handsome.
“Then what school do you go to?”
“I’m currently attending Sang○ University.”
“I went to Gang○ Middle School, but I’m not attending high school due to personal circumstances.”
“I see. Then what are you doing these days?”
I answered that question without hesitation.
“I’m living at a shelter with my teacher and friends.”
“Yes? A shelter...?”
She looked slightly flustered by my answer.
“I don’t have parents, so I grew up in an orphanage when I was little, and now I’m spending my time peacefully at a good shelter.”
When I finished answering, the woman rose from her seat and apologized to me.
“I-I’m sorry! That was a rude question...”
I didn’t particularly feel offended.
Even if the past had been difficult, I was satisfied with the present.
“You don’t have to bow your head and apologize like that.”
“I’m satisfied with how I’m living now.”
“Ah... yes.”
When she sat back down, this time I asked her a question.
“It’s interesting.”
“I thought you’d ask what kind of ability I have, or whether I’ve fought monsters before.”
“I thought asking an ability user something like that might be a little rude....”
“Are you curious about my ability?”
“Uh... um... well... I am a little curious.”
Even if I showed her, I only had to show her one ability, so I decided we should move locations first.
“There are a lot of people here, so shall we move somewhere else for now?”
“Ah! Yes!”
We tried to move to a place without people so we could talk in more detail,
but since the entire area nearby was a downtown district, it was difficult to find somewhere empty.
“There are a lot of people.”
“There are a lot of good restaurants and things to enjoy around here.”
“Do you live near here?”
“Yes, I live on my own not too far away.”
Just as I was looking around, wondering where we should go,
I spotted an alley where no one was passing through, and I led her toward it.
“Get on my back.”
“Pardon?”
When I crouched down and told her to get on, she was flustered and asked why,
and when I answered that I knew a good place with no people,
after a brief hesitation, she slowly climbed onto my back.
“Hold on tight.”
“What?”
I put strength into my feet, kicked off the ground, ran up the outer wall, and in one breath climbed onto the roof of the building.
“Here, no one should see us.”
But perhaps because we had gone up too quickly,
her expression turned dazed, as if she had just ridden a terrifying amusement park ride.
“Are you all right?”
“Ah... yes.....”
“As expected... ability users really are amazing....”
After she caught her breath for a moment, we sat on a chair on the roof and talked.
“You remember the large-scale monster attack that happened before, right?”
“Ah, yes. My family and I hurriedly evacuated too, but it was really scary.”
An ability user might be able to fight and defeat monsters,
but from the perspective of ordinary citizens, it was fear and terror itself.
“That was the first time I fought monsters.”
“It was a little scary, but if I wanted my teacher and my friends to evacuate, I had to fight.”
I told her about the things that had happened when I fought the monsters.
She listened closely to every word I said,
and she empathized with all the emotions I had felt as well.
“That’s amazing. To think you saved people even in a situation like that.”
“You’re really like a hero from a comic.”
What would have happened if I hadn’t done anything back then?
I didn’t particularly want to imagine it.
“Now that I’ve finally poured out everything I wanted to say, it feels like my heart has gotten lighter.”
Something like this should probably have been discussed with my teacher,
but for some reason, I just wanted to tell this person everything.
“It isn’t easy to listen to a stranger’s entire story the first time you meet them. Thank you, truly.”
At my words, she smiled and answered.
“I’m the one who should be thankful. Thanks to you, my wish came true.”
“Ah, right.”
Having forgotten that I was supposed to show her my ability, I showed it to her.
“What do you think? Isn’t it fascinating?”
She looked amazed at the small flame burning at my fingertips.
“It really is a power that surpasses science.”
“Could I maybe take just one photo?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
We had only met by coincidence today, but even so, it felt like a connection was still a connection.
“When we meet next time, can I call you noona?”
“Of course.”
“Next time we meet, I’ll speak comfortably too.”
After carrying her on my back again and coming down to the ground,
we exchanged phone numbers and parted ways.
***
Beyond the horizon, the red sunset was fading as evening approached.
The very top floor of the Tigers Headquarters.
Inside a room, an elderly figure was slowly drinking coffee while looking at the sunset beyond the window.
Knock, knock.
And when someone knocked on the office door, he answered in a deep voice, telling them to come in.
“Excuse me, Chairman.”
With the sound of the door opening, Combat Division Chief Jeong Minhyeok entered and greeted him.
The man with tiger-like eyes slowly set down the cup he was holding and spoke.
“Yes, you’ve been working hard, Team Leader Jeong Minhyeok.”
His name was Park Cheolmin.
The man who had founded the Tigers in cooperation with the government and bore the title of White Tiger.
And the man who, in his prime, had driven the leader of the Black Lion to the brink of death.
Now that he was older, he was no longer as strong as he had been back then,
but in order to fulfill his responsibility to the end, he had taken the position of chairman,
and continued to protect the Tigers and the citizens.
“I came because there is something I need to report.”
“Then let’s sit for a moment and talk.”
He brewed another cup of coffee and handed it to Jeong Minhyeok,
and the two sat down and began their conversation.
“I intend to scout an ability user.”
“Are you talking about the one who helped with the recent incidents?”
Jeong Minhyeok nodded and explained in detail what kind of help that ability user had provided,
and Park Cheolmin immediately grasped what the problem was from his expression.
“The issue is that he is young.”
“Yes. I believe he is a good talent, but he is still only seventeen.”
“He’s young. And yet you still want to bring him in?”
“I will explain the reason from now on.”
Jeong Minhyeok explained that Lee Suhan possessed two kinds of power and that his ability was unusual,
and once the story ended, Park Cheolmin put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it.
Click.
“Suuup... Hoo....”
Park Cheolmin’s face looked heavy with thought.
“If you grant permission, Chairman, I plan to proceed immediately.”
“Will you bring him in through the selection exam?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Since everyone else enters through the exam, we need to confirm his skills as well.”
After deep consideration, Park Cheolmin answered that he would allow it,
and added that he would personally watch that ability user on the day of the exam.
“Understood.”
“I will inform him immediately tomorrow.”
In that way, it was decided that Lee Suhan would be brought into the Tigers,
but Park Cheolmin’s face showed that he was worried about something.
***
[You have exceeded the question limit.]
[Please try again after some time has passed.]
Unfortunately, it didn’t answer one of my questions,
but my curiosity about my ability had been resolved to some extent.
I learned that the system window was not an ordinary ability.
And that it also included conditions that would be difficult to bear.
I didn’t know how difficult those conditions would be, but they would be given later, so I decided not to think about them for now.
“I can ask the rest tomorrow. Now, what’s left is...”
Just then, as if on cue, I received a call from Team Leader Gang Suhyeok.
“Yes, Team Leader.”
“Permission came down from the higher-ups.”
“With this, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“That’s a relief.”
“However, you’ll have to enter through the selection exam.”
“The selection exam?”
“Yes. The Tigers select ability users through an exam at the beginning of May and October.
“After checking your capabilities in that exam, I plan to bring you into my unit.”
“It won’t be extremely difficult, but it will still be pretty tough.”
The team leader told me the date of the exam,
and said that he had already submitted the application documents himself, so all I had to do was prepare.
“Then I’ll be looking forward to it.”
After answering that I would work hard and hanging up, I checked the calendar.
There was only about a week left until the exam day,
and though it was a bit short, I decided to prepare as hard as I could within that time.