Flicker of Normalcy
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The Hanwool Guild hospice was smaller than Min-jun expected—a modest brick building tucked between a pharmacy and a laundromat. No glass towers, no armed guards. Just a faded sign reading "Eternal Dawn Care Facility" and a receptionist dozing behind a cluttered desk.
Soojin met him at the entrance, her hoodie sleeves frayed and her sneakers scuffed. She looked older than he remembered, shadows under her eyes.
"You're late," she said, but there was no bite in her tone.
"Traffic," Min-jun lied.
Their mother's room was on the second floor. Park Eun-ji lay propped on pillows, her face gaunt but lit up when they entered. "Min-jun-ah," she whispered,
reaching out a trembling hand.
He took it, noting how cold her fingers were. "Eomma."
---
They spent the afternoon in quiet conversation. Eun-ji drifted in and out of sleep, her condition stabilized but fragile. Soojin recounted mundane updates—the pharmacy's closing hours, a neighbor's new dog, the rising cost of bus fares. Min-jun listened, absorbing the ordinary rhythms of a life he'd distanced himself from.
"[Perception Check (Lv. 3) Activated]"
"[Notice: Soojin's left glove remains on despite the room's warmth.]"
When Eun-ji finally slept, Min-jun nudged his sister. "Your hand."
Soojin stiffened. "What about it?"
"Show me."
Reluctantly, she peeled off the glove. Faint violet veins spiderwebbed across her knuckles.
"I Awakened," she said flatly. "Three months ago. Heat resistance, I think. It's weak."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because you vanished!" Her voice cracked. "One day you're here, the next you're sleeping in subway tunnels and dodging guild patrols. What was I supposed to say? 'Oppa, I can boil water without a stove now'?"
Min-jun stared at the floor. The system's interface flickered uselessly, offering no prompts for this.
"I'm here now," he said finally.
---
Soojin's apartment was a cramped one-bedroom unit above a noodle shop. The walls were papered with Eun-ji's old nursing certificates and Soojin's childhood drawings. Min-jun stood awkwardly in the doorway, his pack heavy with dungeon gear that suddenly felt out of place.
"Shower's broken," Soojin said, tossing him a towel. "But the bathhouse down the street is open until ten."
He spent the evening relearning domesticity—folding laundry, scrubbing dishes, listening to the drip of a leaky faucet. Soojin's Awakening manifested in small ways: reheating leftovers without a microwave, drying rain-soaked clothes with a touch. She refused to call it a power.
"It's just a trick," she insisted. "Like those street magicians in Hongdae."
---
For three days, Min-jun did nothing. No gates, no alerts, no fire. He walked Eun-ji through the hospice garden, her arm looped in his. He ate takeout with Soojin, arguing over dramas and dodging questions about his scars.
On the fourth morning, Eun-ji gripped his hand with surprising strength. "You'll leave soon," she said, not a question.
He nodded.
"Take Soojin with you."
"Eomma—"
"She's stronger than you think. And you…" Her gaze sharpened, decades of maternal intuition cutting through guild lies and Aurora corruption. "You need someone to remind you what you're fighting for."
---
Min-jun found Soojin on the rooftop, staring at the distant glow of Gangnam's guild towers.
"Remember when we used to fly kites here?" she asked.
"They always crashed into the power lines."
She snorted. "Because 'you' insisted on using newspaper."
A cold wind swept through, carrying the scent of rain and exhaust. Soojin pulled her glove off, letting a flicker of heat dance on her palm. "Teach me. Not just the heat thing. Everything."
"[New Quest: Mentor Soojin]"
"[Objective: Basic combat training, Awakening control]"
"[Reward: ???]"
"Tomorrow," Min-jun said. "We'll start with footwork."
---
That night, Min-jun lay on Soojin's couch, the system's alerts muted. His corruption levels held steady, his fire affinity dormant but responsive. For the first time in years, his dreams weren't of burning gates or snarling monsters.
They were of a kite soaring above power lines, newsprint fluttering in the wind.
---
( Check out the auxiliary chapter to see his status panel all the skills, quests etc )