Protagonist Chu Myungki
Just how did this… rebirth come about?
As Kang Jinha pondered over this question, he quickly entered his most natural state – zoning out.
After being shot in the head and before waking up in the ballet school infirmary, Kang Jinha had a hunch that something important – really, really important – had happened in between, but he simply could not recall it no matter what. Everything turned hazy as if he was merely having a dream.
But if he had to mention one thing that left a profound impression on him… it was a book.
That's right, he remembered reading a book.
A book about this world, though the protagonist was not him but instead, someone he knew very well. Someone whose name used to make his heart race and fill him with tenderness and warmth — Chu Myungki.
As this name flashed through his mind, Kang Jinha couldn't help the way his heart sank ever so slightly, making him feel a little breathless.
This person… he was neither his lover nor did they ever have a history together. He was simply… an acquaintance, a
Yet for Kang Jinha, Chu Myungki had filled his entire lifetime.
The entanglement between them could be traced back to the time when Kang Jinha awakened as a guide at sixteen.
Soon after receiving the shocking report, he made his way back to the ballet school in a daze, but instead of entering the training room, he took a seat on the flower bed downstairs, staring blankly at the noisy basketball court on the university next door.
Unknowingly, tears welled up in his eyes.
Now that he thought back about it, he could not pinpoint the exact reason why he was crying either. It might be the teenager's hormonal imbalance talking, or it could just be because of a lame reason of being the 'weakest of the weak'.
To others, Kang Jinha often gave off the impression that he was a dull and indifferent person with little to none emotional fluctuations. He looked like he couldn't care less about anything aside from dancing, but come on, who hadn't dreamed of becoming a superhero when they were young and hot-blooded?
Not to mention, Kang Jinha was right at the rebellious age where he wanted to be seen by his grandma as strong and dependable. He wanted to be a figure she could rely on instead of the other way around.
And what's the most suitable symbol of power other than being an 'Esper'?
When he awakened, he had harbored the tiniest bit of hope that he would become an Esper – S or A level would be too far-fetched, so he hoped he would be a B-level. Even C-level was fine!
But when he finally received the report, what did he find?
Let's not mention the rank, he was not even an Esper! He was a Guide, the so-called mental support, and an F-Class to boot! What's the difference between this and being an ordinary citizen?!
Kang Jinha could not help but wallow in self-misery, and it was at this moment that Chu Myungki spotted him, having chased the ball that bounced out of the court. At that time, Kang Jinha did not even know who he was, but apparently, Chu Myungki seemed to have paid attention to him for a long time because having a male attending a ballet school was quite a rare sight.
It was a piece of memory Kang Jinha dearly cherished during his youth, which later became the source of his nightmare for the years leading to his death.
Clad in a jersey, the twenty-year-old Chu Myungki was slightly flustered at the sight of Kang Jinha's tears, yet still tried his best to comfort him, "Hey, what's wrong with being a guide? I think being a guide is the coolest! You know, you don't have to fear going rampant like Espers! Don't cry, don't cry, how about this? If I become an Esper one day, I will make you my guide!"
If I become an Esper one day, I will make you my Guide!
What a grand promise spoken with such impulsivity and casualness.
Perhaps even Chu Myungki had thrown it to the back of his mind after a few short minutes, just like how someone would randomly toss a candy to a bawling child to make them stop crying. Who in their right mind would remember such a fleeting moment?
Alas, it was only Kang Jinha… only he would foolishly hold onto that dashing promise and cherish it in his heart like a priceless treasure.
A single sentence, a careless vow, an illusory future— and his fate was sealed for a lifetime.
Less than two months later, Chu Myungki awakened as an A-Class Esper, yet the promise seemed to have been forgotten for good.
***
Kang Jinha's first love began on that beautiful spring day.
Alas, little did he know that it would mark the start of his doom.
On his nineteenth birthday, because he wished to celebrate it with Chu Myungki, he braved through the heavy rain and protected the cake with his body, only to discover that Chu Myungki wasn't home because he had to send his
He waited outside Chu Myungki's apartment with his body soaked down to the bones, puddles of water forming beneath his feet, watching as the icing on the cake melted bit by bit. He was so cold that the tips of his fingers went stiff, and his teeth chattered incessantly.
But even as he waited for the whole night, Chu Myungki did not return.
When dawn broke, all he received was a single light-hearted reply that was like a bucket of icy cold water doused on his fervent heart, 'My bad, my battery died. Why are you looking for me?'
Apparently, Chu Myungki had forgotten his birthday despite having promised to spend it together with him.
Kang Jinha did not wait for him to show up. Or to be exact, he couldn't, for he just received an emergency phone call from the hospital.
Feeling weird that Grandma Kang did not show up as usual, a neighborhood
When they barged into the house at last, Grandma Kang's body was already cold. She died of a heart attack in her home, without anyone noticing.
Since then, Kang Jinha never celebrated his birthday again.
After the funeral, he was taken in by his aunt, his grandmother's eldest daughter whom he had never seen or heard before. Alas, Kang Jinha, who was overwhelmed with grief and self-blame at that time, simply could not bring himself to accept the kindness that was extended to him. He became gloomy, hot-tempered, and irascible – an annoying brat through and through. There was even a hint of hatred directed to his aunt's family.
Why? Why did you only show up now? Just where have you been all this time?! If you had been here… would Grandma have died all alone?!
It was such a mindless and unreasonable resentment, but Kang Jinha just could not stop himself.
During his darkest time, it was Chu Myungki who offered him warmth and comfort. The man became his solace, his safe sanctuary, and the one and only place where he could be himself.
What had started as a secret crush rapidly sprouted into a deep and irredeemable love.
The winter he was twenty, he received news that Chu Myungki had been assigned to a dangerous A-level dungeon. Anxious, he rushed to apply to the team in order to support him, only to end up grievously injured. Half of his face was ruined by the monster's venom and he had to spend the entire winter bound to the hospital bed, washing his aunt's face with tears every single day.
The searing pain notwithstanding, he was feeling quite happy in his heart as he had successfully shielded Chu Myungki at the last moment, not allowing any harm to come to him.
Yet during his hospitalization, not even once had Chu Myungki visited. Not even so much as to send him a single inquiry of his well-being. It was as if his existence had been wiped away from the man's mind, so inconsequential and insignificant that it couldn't even create a single ripple.
And when he was discharged, he finally knew the reason why.
Soon after emerging victorious from the A-level dungeon, Chu Myungki had undergone the bonding ceremony with his hoobae, a newly awakened A-Class guide.
The pair was widely discussed within the campus. One was a school hunk and an A-Class Esper with dual wind-fire abilities to boot, while the other was a school belle, a beautiful, gentle, and competent A-Class Guide.
A match made in heaven, they all said.
The memory was seared into Kang Jinha's mind, each frame branded into his flesh and soul like a harrowing curse. That day, the heavy rain was almost deafening when Chu Myungki happily broke the news to him, his eyes shining with pride and joy.
Kang Jinha maintained an impeccable smile when he congratulated the man, but when he returned home, his spiritual energy went haywire and he vomited a mouthful of blood. His mental domain almost collapsed were it not for his cousin noticing something amiss in the nick of time and rushing him to the hospital.
Kang Jinha let out a bleak laugh amidst his tears.
From the start, there was never a chance between the two of them, was there?
Setting aside the difference in their class, his face was now ruined and he would only invite inquisitive gazes whenever he was in public. Such a scarred and ugly him, how could he be qualified to stand beside Chu Myungki? Just like how a cracked pebble should be content with staying on the muddy ground, staring at the twinkling stars in the sky that was so far out of its reach. He, too, should know his place and never yearn for that dazzling radiance.
Now that he knew it was impossible for him to be with Chu Myungki, he decided to keep his distance and forget the man entirely.
But who could have guessed that Chu Myungki would come knocking on his door three years later, hugging him and crying his heart out?
From sixteen to twenty-nine — a full thirteen years. All of them were dedicated to Chu Myungki.
For this man, Kang Jinha was willing to forsake everything. His wishes, his safety, his pride, his dignity, even his own future. To the extent of dragging everyone who cared about him down to the abyss together.
Yet for Chu Myungki, he was not even worth ten pages of the book.
Sitting outside the ICU ward, a flicker of mockery flashed in Kang Jinha's beautiful blue eyes. It took him thirteen painful years and a humiliating death to realize what a joke his self-sacrificing act was.
But fortunately… he was given a second chance to fix everything. This time, he would make sure not to do anything he would regret in the future.
Closing his eyes, Kang Jinha placed a hand on his chest and sensed his heartbeat carefully. Perhaps his hopeless love had died alongside him on that cold execution ground, but he no longer felt palpitations or any other sentiments at the thought of Chu Myungki. Only numbness and indifference. And the revelation brought a huge relief to him.
It's good this way…
In this lifetime, he would make sure to stay as far away as possible from Chu Myungki. The man could become the protagonist and a world-saving hero for all he cared; it had nothing to do with him anyway.
All he wanted was to live a good life with his family and… to stand on the dazzling stage once more.