Chapter 8
After playing with Subin, my phone buzzed with a message from Yejun.
Yejun: Rheon, let's have lunch at one of my family's restaurant chains.
I tapped out a quick reply.
Me: I'll bring Seongha with me. We'll be there.
Yejun: Gotcha.
Yejun and I had grown close over the years. Unlike most kids in the Union, he had been upfront from the start about his father's intentions to have him befriend me. But what made our friendship real was that Yejun himself was different—he had no delusions about impressing me or trying to use our connection for gain. We trained together sometimes after he awakened, though his win record against me was... let's just say, nonexistent. Still, I had to admit, he was good. Persistent, too.
Seongha, on the other hand, was family. The first time we met was when his father—Hwan Lee, my father's younger brother—visited Seoul. He was one year older than me, and we hit it off immediately. Seongha was talkative, a far cry from his canon counterpart, and most importantly, he was genuine. He never treated me differently because of my status. Now, he was in Seoul to train as a Union agent—his lifelong aspiration. As the second son, he had the freedom to choose his own path, unlike his older brother, Yojun, who was currently managing the family businesses in Busan. Meanwhile, our fathers, along with Chang-min and a Union entourage, had flown to Europe for the World Awakeners Association Convention. As Korea's representative, the Union had a significant role to play this year.
I called Seongha's phone. It rang a few times before he picked up.
"Sup, Rheon," he greeted casually.
"Where are you right now?" I asked.
"In my room. Why?"
"Yejun invited me to eat at their restaurant. I'm bringing you with me."
"Sure, why not? Just make sure their food tastes good."
I smirked. "Let's meet at the Union. The restaurant's nearby. Be there before 11:30 AM."
"Roger that." He hung up.
I pocketed my phone and headed to the living room, where Mom was sitting with a book in hand. She looked up as I entered.
"I'm heading out to lunch with Yejun," I informed her. "Taking Seongha with me."
She smiled softly. "Alright, be safe. Don't cause trouble."
I feigned mock offense. "Me? Trouble? Never."
She gave me a knowing look before returning to her book. I took that as my cue to leave.
Back in my room, I headed straight for the bathroom to wash up. The cool water was refreshing, washing away the lingering sweat from earlier. After drying off, I picked out my outfit—something casual but put together. A dirty white plain t-shirt, denim shorts, and green Adidas shoes. To finish it off, I threw on a crossbody bag and fastened my Patek Philippe watch, a calatrava rose gold around my wrist.
I paused in front of the mirror, my reflection staring back at me. The adolescent face was unmistakably that of Sung Jinwoo—only with my family's signature ash-gray eyes. I noted my height. 5'8 and still growing. At this rate, I'd easily reach six feet in a couple of years.
A knock on the door signaled Donghyun's arrival. I grabbed my phone and headed outside, slipping into the waiting car.
"To the Union," I instructed, leaning back into the seat as the car pulled away from the estate.
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I first heard of Rheon Lee when I was just a kid, the same age as him—eight years old at the time—but his name had already spread like wildfire through the awakened community.
A prodigy. No, more than that. A monster in the making.
The youngest known awakener in recorded history only matched by the awakeners of old, awakening at five years old with a form of cryokinesis unlike anything seen before—a dark, midnight blue ice, colder and more potent than anything people had ever witnessed. The moment he awakened, people were already talking about him as South Korea's future strongest, a guaranteed powerhouse who would one day stand toe-to-toe with the world's highest-ranking awakeners.
At first, most people didn't believe it.
In Europe and the Americas, they dismissed the news outright. They called it a fabricated story from some small-time family in South Korea trying to gain international recognition. But here in Asia? It was a different story. People took it seriously—very seriously. High-ranking awakeners from China, Japan, India, Russia, and Singapore all made moves to visit the Lee family estate, hoping to see Rheon in person.
Of course, none of them succeeded.
Chairman Hyun-seok Lee, Rheon's father, and his grandfather, former Chairman Sang-hoon Lee, turned every single one of them away. Some tried to push their way through. Others used more underhanded methods, sending spies and agents to get close. None of them made it past the estate's security. Eventually, they all backed off.
Why? Because the Lee family wasn't just some small-time clan.
Chairman Hyun-seok Lee was ranked in the global top 80, the second most powerful awakener in South Korea. And standing at his side was Seongik Han, South Korea's number one, ranked in the global top 70, a man from Baekho who was both a friend and ally of the Lee family. On top of that, the Shinhwa Association and other major powers in Korea stood behind them, making it clear that any further attempts to approach Rheon would not be tolerated.
At the time, I didn't really get it. The significance of awakening at five years old.
But as I kept hearing his name—especially from my own family—I eventually understood.
The first time I met Rheon was during his official proclamation as heir to the Korean Awakeners' Association. We were both eight years old. I still hadn't awakened at the time, and I wasn't sure what to expect from him.
Before we left for the event, my father had pulled me aside.
"Make sure to get close to him," he had said. "You and Aera both. A connection with the Lee heir will raise our family's prestige within the awakened community."
I thought Rheon would be cold and distant, maybe even arrogant. Someone who would ignore us outright or treat us like pawns.
But he didn't.
He actually spoke to us.
Held a conversation with us and children of other executives, treated us like normal kids despite everything that had been said about him. And as we got to know each other, I told him the truth—about my father's intention to have us befriend him for status.
He wasn't even surprised.
He had expected it.
And instead of getting angry, he just shrugged it off like it was nothing.
That was the moment I realized something: Rheon Lee wasn't just some prodigy with terrifying potential. He was someone who saw through people, understood their intentions, and didn't let it bother him. And that made him different from every other heir I had ever met.
That's how we became friends.
I was pulled from my thoughts by my sister's voice.
"You still haven't gotten dressed yet?" Aera said, exasperated. "We're leaving soon. Hurry up."
I glanced at her and sighed. Aera was a few years older than me, and despite her usual composed nature, I knew the real reason she was so eager to come along.
She had a crush on Rheon.
She wouldn't admit it outright, of course, but it was obvious. The way she always made sure to look her best whenever she knew we'd be meeting him. The way she paid more attention to his words than anyone else's. The way she got unreasonably irritated whenever another girl so much as glanced in his direction.
Honestly, it was kind of funny.
Still, I had no interest in dealing with her right now, so I waved her off and went to my room to get dressed. I threw on a fitted black t-shirt, a grey hoodie, and a pair of dark jeans. My sneakers were a limited edition pair from one of our family's brands—not that I cared too much about that, but my father insisted on keeping up appearances.
Just as I was about to leave my room, my phone buzzed.
A text from Rheon.
"We're on our way to the restaurant."
I checked the time.
Shit.
I hadn't realized how much time had passed while I was thinking. Muttering a curse under my breath, I grabbed my phone and hurried out of my room.
"Come on," Aera said, already by the door, tapping her foot impatiently. "Let's go."
I sighed. This lunch was about to get a lot more interesting.