Surviving Every Worldview

Chapter 36: Surviving the Transition Period? (1)

The situation was resolved in the early hours of January 1st.

Before dawn, all of the accomplices were arrested and Jung Sewon was taken away unconscious.

The arrested people’s phones have clear evidence of the chat room, so they won’t be released.

Of course, since the plan failed, the suddenly stronger accomplice did not escape.

None of the recognition would have gone to them, as they left the story in defeat.

Instead, the recognition they should have gotten would have gone to me…….

[Your story has written a page.]

[Payment is being withheld.]

Somehow, for no apparent reason or expectation, a settlement hold was initiated.

* * *

“This is you.”

On the day of January 1st at a bar, around 6pm.

In a space that had been thinned out by the incident, Seorin held up her cell phone.

A photo of the scene, taken by a reporter who had entered the amusement park, was pulled up.

“What kind of picture is that?”

“It’s not funny, stop pretending you don’t know.”

“It’s …….”

“See-! You’re always lying!”

My drunken sister Seorin grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and shook me hard.

I feel dizzy and embarrassed.

Luckily, there were only a few customers for New Year’s, so no one was staring.

When there are no stares, it’s easier to say things you can’t say out loud.

I told them the whole story of what happened in the early hours of the morning.

They had already seen a lot of news stories, so they weren’t particularly shocked.

“The world is ending.”

Seol Do-yeon sighed and took a sip of her drink, having heard what I had gone through a few hours earlier.

It was a fitting response to a murder that had sent the country into a panic again.

“It’s okay, everyone gets used to it after a few months, just like people in earthquake-prone countries don’t freak out when the alarm goes off.”

“Why is she always so relaxed? Shouldn’t she be the most anxious?”

“Yoo Seon-woo does this all the time…….”

It was the usual nagging, but today it sounded different.

When I finished everything and went home in the morning Do-yeon jumped up from the couch and checked on me, wondering what the hell I had done to myself.

She said she’d seen the news and was worried, but hadn’t been able to call me for fear of getting in trouble.

After hearing that, I thought she was overly worried.

……Immediately afterward, I felt strange for having such thoughts.

I couldn’t believe I was so nonchalant after something that could have killed me.

I was already so affected by the unwritten rules that I felt so foreign to the way I thought.

“……But what do you mean I should be the most anxious?”

“What do you mean, the news is all about you, aren’t you scared?”

“Oh…….”

This was the same thing I had just heard.

Even though they didn’t show my face, all the news outlets were writing about the murder, posting pictures of me and the killer.

Still, I didn’t shudder.

Even though every single article, every single comment, every single person I read said they should track me down and arrest me.

“It’s okay, I won’t get caught.”

“I don’t mean if you get caught, I mean if everyone thinks you’re a criminal.”

“……It doesn’t bother me in a weird way. It’s okay.”

I was wearing a mask anyway, so they couldn’t see my face.

It was my choice to unravel the story and reveal the mask in the first place when I got in front of the camera.

But apparently not satisfied with my answer, she tilted her head and glared at me.

“Why are you so fearless now, Seon-woo? You were such a child when you were a freshman.”

“…Don’t say that.”

“He did that?”

Seol Do-yeon listened to Seorin’s words with interest.

Since they met, it was the first time Seol Do-yeon had ever spoken up and asked a question.

“How long must we live in fear? We must catch all the superhumans!”

However, the chance for conversation was cut short when a voice interrupted them.

The booming voice came from the store’s wall-mounted TV.

“The volume on the TV is… a little loud.”

“The interviewer must have a particularly loud voice. Everyone’s looking at the TV in surprise.”

Caught off guard, we took a moment to listen to the person on the TV.

They spoke about recent anomalies in general and people using strange powers.

All of it was unsettling, and there was an extreme suggestion that we should find them all and arrest them.

“He wants us arrested.”

“There’s been a lot of crime news lately…….you’re the biggest story.”

I knew there was an increase in crime.

The ones I’d seen once or twice were supposed to be big.

“The fact that the people who create stories are awakening has spread through rumors. I’ve seen stories before about people who do art being arrested.”

“It’s not that I don’t understand…If I didn’t have any abilities, I would be scared of Seon-woo too, right……?”

I nodded in agreement with Seorin’s words.

The murderer who was arrested earlier today, Jung Se-won, from what I could tell, he was the author of a famous webcomic called “At the End of the Wish.”

It’s an webtoon about people who make a pact with the devil to grant their wishes, but if they fail to fulfill the terms, they die.

I don’t know why someone whose work was well-received and non-controversial would do such a thing, but…….

In other words, it’s a world where even people who weren’t ‘bad’ have been turned.

It was greedy to hope that the Awakened would not be caught off guard by this situation.

“…Still, it’s too much. Some people have gone missing.”

“What are you talking about-?”

Seeming to seize the opportunity to talk again, Seorin asked Do-yeon.

“There are people like celebrities. Since they receive so much attention, they report their survival through SNS or videos. It means that even though they can’t broadcast, there’s no need to worry.”

“Ah. I think I’ve seen such a video.”

“But…there are a lot of people who don’t have news, like my favorite music channel. It’s probably not a good situation.”

Seol Do-yeon was watching the news with a dark expression.

That person seemed to be saying that even if a missing person was a celebrity, they wouldn’t care.

If this was going to continue, it would be better if the story didn’t exist at all.

“I don’t care about those people. I’m done with them.”

“…Don’t you realize who I’m talking about right now? You! You! You’re the only one they talk about on the news.”

“Okay, I’m sorry.”

I was suddenly scolded.

I knew she had no choice, but to yell at me.

“Oh…and, you know what?”

Seol Do-yeon said, downing the rest of her drink.

The bitter taste made her face twist for a moment.

“Uh, I’m going back home tomorrow. The intercity buses have started running again.”

“Oh, really?”

“I have to go back, right? My family’s worried about me, and I’m worried about everyone.”

Well, the time to go back was bound to come.

Forcing her to move was a long way off.

It’s probably okay because the airport disappeared and nothing similar has happened since then.

At the very least, it was overprotective to keep her around for that.

“It’s a shame. If you go, we won’t see you again for a while.”

“Well…I’ll have to come back when the next episode starts anyway, right? Rather, if you want to come often in the future, you should go now and convince my parents…….”

This was also a transitional time for Seol Do-yeon.

She had a lot of decisions to make as she was traveling several hours away from home.

Whether it was okay to be away from her family while an episode was in progress.

How she would travel back and forth between the two regions in the future.

And what if her family disapproved of her risky behavior.

What if they objected to the risky behavior, and how would we cover our asses to avoid that situation?

Seorin and I were close to home, so we could go back without saying anything, but not Do-yeon.

If Seol Do-yeon is here and her family is in danger and she can’t help them, I’ll be the one to blame…….

“What do you think, Yoo Seon-woo? If you don’t ask for my understanding, you won’t be able to receive my help. Don’t you think I’m more valuable now?”

“In that case, send the equipment by courier. Just like when I got it.”

“How come you’ve never failed me?”

Why does she ask me so shamelessly every time?

I can’t help but swallow my pride when she asks me that.

“You know what, guys-?”

Tick, tick, tick.

At that moment, Seorin, who was standing between us, knocked on the table and said.

“The TV is too loud in here, do you want to go somewhere else?”

“Sure. Where, the cafe?”

“We’re going for a drink.”

“……Okay.”

Eventually, we were dragged out by Seorin to find another place to pass the time.

Eventually, she suggested we go for cocktails, so off we went, dragging Seol Do-yeon, who had never had one.

Unfortunately, we had to turn back when we saw a sign saying that the cocktail bar was closed for a while.

* * *

A day later, on January 2nd.

After checking the news to make sure there were no new incidents in the neighborhood, I walked Seol Do-yeon back to the terminal.

“I’m finally going home…….”

Seol Do-yeon looked tired, as if she hadn’t gotten enough sleep yesterday to finish everything I asked her to do.

Still, I have everything I need, so I’ll be fine without her for a while.

“I’ll give you a heads up. I’m going to stretch out and sleep as soon as I get home, so don’t expect to hear back from me for 24 hours.”

“Just DM me when you get home. I’m just worried about you.”

“When I remember.”

Seol Do-yeon checked the bus schedule on her phone.

It was now 11:21. The bus would leave at 11:30.

It was time to let her go.

“Next time you come back, I’ll find a place for you to stay. Thanks for the trouble this time.”

“It’s… it’s… if it’s not a good fit, you don’t have to force me. I’m not a kid, I don’t mind staying with you.”

Seol Do-yeon averted her eyes and opened her mouth to speak.

It wasn’t that uncomfortable to stay at my place.

It’s not like something happened because we stayed together.

“See you later! Call me when the second episode starts. I’ll come over to help.”

“Yeah, thanks for the past few weeks.”

“Bye-bye-”

Seol Do-yeon got on the bus.

A few minutes later, the bus left the terminal and disappeared from sight.

I won’t see her again until the next episode so I’m back to my normal routine.

It’s going to be quiet at home.

As I stood still and dazed, Seorin tapped me on the shoulder with her finger.

“Shall we go for a drink?”

“Again? At this hour……?”

“What’s new? When you were a rookie, you came when I called you in the morning.”

“I didn’t say no much back then.”

“I know.”

Seorin closed her eyes and laughed lightly.

“So, what do you say, shall we go?”

“Just promise me you’ll let me go home before the bus leaves.”

“Aah- how many times have I held you until then?”

“A lot. Do you want me to ask the guys?”

“Yeah…….Okay, okay, I won’t hold you for long, will you come with me?”

I nodded and we left the terminal together.

I had other things to prepare, but for today, I didn’t want to leave early for that reason.

In a month’s time, it would be impossible to enjoy the routine we’re used to now.