LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 1
Episode 1 – Prologue
The place Su-jin told me about was an Italian Restaurant located just a 3-minute walk from Exit 2 of Cheongdam Station.
It looked luxurious at first glance.
The parking lot was filled with high-end foreign cars.
Si-hyun felt a bit self-conscious about his shabby outfit but bit his lip and entered the entrance anyway.
The interior was even more pristine.
The expensive antique-style furniture was arranged to provide a comfortable ambiance. The walls were adorned with stylish accessories, and there was none of the unpleasant odors typical of restaurants.
A man who seemed to be the floor manager greeted him politely.
“Good day, esteemed guest. Please tell me the name of the person who made the reservation, and I’ll show you to your table.”
He had heard that these types of restaurants operated on a complete reservation basis, and it seemed that was indeed the case.
“Su-jin. Kim Su-jin.”
“Ah, Ms. Kim Su-jin. Please wait a moment… Ah, yes, I have confirmed it. This way, please.”
Following the manager, they arrived at a slightly dimly lit table by the window.
There she was.
Kim Su-jin.
“I hope you have a pleasant time,” the manager said before exiting.
Su-jin was the first to break the silence.
“It’s been a while.”
“The reason you’ve been avoiding me without any contact.”
“Oh, really? What’s that to you?”
“….”
Suppressing his excitement, Si-hyun sat down.
He mustn’t get too excited.
If he did, it would only make things more miserable.
As the awkward silence stretched on, a waiter entered with towels and a menu.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll be placing the order later.”
As Si-hyun said this, the waiter bowed and left.
Silence fell once more.
Si-hyun stared directly into Su-jin’s eyes.
He clenched his fists, trying to calm the shock he felt inside.
The familiar closeness in her eyes that used to be there just a month ago had vanished without a trace.
“…How could you do this to me?”
Si-hyun muttered, almost like a moan.
Each word felt painfully heavy to utter.
“Why say such absurd things? Isn’t it perfectly normal to break up after dating? How many couples must be breaking up even at this moment?”
Su-jin let out a thin, cold laugh.
Lee Si-hyun and Kim Su-jin.
They were a couple of civil service exam students who met five years ago in Noryangjin.
Feeling lonely in Noryangjin life, they might have fallen for each other more easily.
It was Si-hyun who passed first.
He had passed the correctional service exam in his second year there.
In a couple where only one person passes the exam, it was natural to grow apart.
But Si-hyun didn’t want that.
He made time to meet Su-jin, supporting her emotionally during her continued failures.
However, a year passed, then two, then three, and Su-jin still hadn’t passed.
Even so, Si-hyun genuinely cheered her on and spared no effort in supporting her in every way.
That was until a month ago.
But how…
“We said we’d get married if you passed. Was that a lie?”
“No, I meant it.”
“Then why?”
“Well, you know, when circumstances change, people change too, you know?”
Su-jin smiled slyly.
“Is this the kind of person you are?”
Si-hyun could no longer suppress his emotions and trembled with anger.
“Brother, were you really this pathetic? I didn’t think you’d act so shamelessly.”
“How… could you say that!”
“It seems you don’t quite understand my position now. If I married a guard or something, I wouldn’t even be able to hold my head up in public.”
“What?!”
“There’s a class difference, you know? A difference in status.”
Su-jin scoffed while placing her Hermes wallet, handbag, and watch on the table.
“This wallet is Hermes and cost 5 million won, and this handbag is also Hermes at 30 million. And this watch? It’s Vacheron Constantin, worth over 70 million.”
She continued with a triumphant expression.
“Is that not enough? I drive a Rolls-Royce and even bought an apartment in Gangnam. Your salary? It’s about 35 million won, right? Mine is 11 billion. 11 billion. I’m a golden spoon now.”
“….”
What had caused her to change this much?
Did money and power truly have the ability to change people like that?
Or was she always like this?
“Being an A-Class Awakened Being is great, isn’t it? Most people bow and scrape and smile at you, right? I’ve heard they’re under special management in both the guild and the state? Well, nowadays, awakened beings are such a crucial measure of national power… and to think I’m an A-class, less than 1% of all awakened beings.”
“…I don’t care how you spend your money now that you’ve succeeded, but belittling someone’s important job? That needs an apology.”
Si-hyun glared at Su-jin with icy eyes.
“Oh, were you offended by calling guards ‘such lowly people’? My apologies. Enjoy working in a prison with criminals for the rest of your life, bro.”
“….”
Si-hyun bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.
With a stiff expression, he stood up from the table.
“Thanks for meeting me today. Thanks to you, I can part ways without any lingering feelings.”
“If you had come out like this sooner, it would’ve been better. Don’t contact me again.”
Su-jin waved her hand playfully.
◈ ◈ ◈
I couldn’t recall how I arrived home in what state of mind.
In the plastic bag I carried were three bottles of soju.
I drank straight from the bottle without any snacks.
Having consumed more than double my capacity, I got incredibly drunk and before losing consciousness, a sight appeared before Si-hyun’s eyes.
[You have awakened the powers of the otherworld.]