# Chapter 56
He didn’t mind being called a rat again. Lee Hwan checked that no one was around, then pressed himself against the door to eavesdrop on what was happening inside.
“…until when… what kind of results should…”
“…investment funds in the name of…”
The voices were intermittent, requiring his full concentration to hear. The door was thick, letting little sound through, and the distance to the table seemed quite far.
Still, he could understand enough, which was better than not hearing anything at all.
Thankfully, Kang Dongha had given him a tour of the interior. It was his way of saying that he wouldn’t leak the experimental content himself, but Lee Hwan was welcome to eavesdrop at his own risk. If caught, Dongha could claim ignorance and escape blame.
His ability to provide promised help while always protecting himself had reached an almost artistic level.
‘He really makes me speechless with how annoying he is.’
Throughout this, Lee Hwan was checking if Taesung’s voice was mixed in the conversation inside the room. However, most of the voices he heard probably belonged to Kang Dongha. He found himself wondering how Dongha had so much speaking authority among these wealthy individuals who spoke so bluntly.
Lee Hwan quietly thought that perhaps Dongha was some kind of scapegoat himself.
If someone invested in an experiment, there would naturally be those who ask questions and those who answer them. Since this experiment was being conducted at Naru, specifically in the research building, it would be appropriate for someone from research to provide proper explanations…
‘With that lineup, normally a director or deputy director should be the one stepping up.’
If they had declined using business as an excuse, then Kang Dongha, as Kang Dongying’s brother, would have been semi-forced to step up in the research management role.
Though supposedly insignificant, he was worthy enough of the Kang bloodline to fill in.
If these people treated him with such consideration, perhaps the members of this meeting weren’t just wealthy, but people who used whatever power they had—whether actual authority or something else—to support the semi-Awakening project?
Lee Hwan continued thinking while listening carefully. What would be necessary for a secret research project that must remain hidden from everyone?
Research and facility maintenance costs that wouldn’t appear in financial audits, easier procurement of necessities, legal amendments to facilitate their work… He suspected that these people provided all sorts of assistance that ordinary people couldn’t offer.
‘Anyway, they’re definitely not ordinary people.’
Thinking about it now, the reason why the HPA, this gathering’s name, sounded stupidly like “Health Promotion Association” made some sense. Most of the people who passed through that door were elderly.
The abundance of older people here was partly because their wealth had accumulated over many years of living, but also because this gathering possessed something that influential people of a certain age desired.
What wealthy old people want most.
‘It’s so obvious it makes me want to curse.’
Health, longevity, and rejuvenation.
Lee Hwan recalled the effects of semi-Awakening, along with the packaging that Naru had carefully wrapped it in when announcing it.
‘The dream of life extension.’
These people all wanted to become Awakened. No, to be precise, most just wanted to live long and healthy lives. They already had everything else.
So they allied with corporations that wanted money and security, and dreamed of a rosy future while gnawing away at others’ lives.
“…have reached that stage, but for stability, we need to proceed to the next…”
“…investment funds under the pretext of…”
Yet from what Lee Hwan could overhear, the semi-Awakening project, which had supposedly passed the middle point, was still incomplete even seven years later from his perspective.
That meant either those claims were false, or some significant problem had occurred during the experiments. It was something he couldn’t know yet.
Lee Hwan continued thinking along the lines of what he did know.
‘Come to think of it, there’s Jade. If he’s a test subject related to semi-Awakening experiments…’
Then was he also a manufactured Awakened?
But Lee Hwan had seen Jade’s skills in the Gate. He didn’t seem like a simple low-rank Hunter. Though Lee Hwan’s ability was particularly high-tier, Jade’s telekinesis would surely be at least B-rank.
‘Even seven years later, semi-Awakening couldn’t produce abilities of such a useful rank.’
Also, if he were truly a product of semi-Awakening experiments, he would have been paraded in front of these people as an achievement, rather than being treated the way Dongha treated him and dragged back to the laboratory.
“…let’s end it here.”
Somehow, it seemed like closing remarks were being made. While Lee Hwan was still thinking, their meeting was already coming to an end. He quickly moved away from the door and looked at a corner of the hallway with an uneasy feeling.
He had gained a lot of information in this short time. Lee Hwan could roughly guess the purpose of this meeting and its participants. He still couldn’t understand why Taesung would appear at a place like this, but at least he confirmed that Dongha hadn’t lied about him frequenting here.
It should have been a welcome discovery, but the reason his mood kept worsening was probably because of Taesung.
* EX Broken Clockwork (0 times)
* B Spatial Control (★)
* C Gravity
The skill window he opened out of habit barely managed to lift his exhausted, crumbling spirits. Lee Hwan collected himself and slowly stood up.
‘For now… let me rest and think.’
Meeting Taesung seemed to have drained his mental energy. Staying tense the whole time and receiving quite a shock had apparently used up his daily stress capacity.
‘I’m hungry…’
Moreover, once the nausea subsided, he felt severe hunger. Only then did Lee Hwan realize he hadn’t eaten anything since a light breakfast. Looking at the outside scenery through the window in the hallway, he noticed the sun had tilted significantly.
After recognizing his empty stomach, it felt like his insides were twisting. Missing a meal or two might not normally be an issue, but for someone who consumed a lot of energy, it was quite troublesome and difficult.
Should he just leave? If he stayed here, he would encounter Taesung again. Earlier, there were many watchful eyes, so they had simply let it go, but what if something happened to him when everyone left and only Kang Dongha remained?
That wouldn’t be good for him, Taesung, or Dongha.
Lee Hwan blankly stared at the door while contemplating, and eventually left only a brief text message for Dongha before quickly leaving the building.
* * *
Eight salmon sushi pieces, a plate of ricotta cheese salad, six pieces of boneless chicken, two slices of pepperoni pizza, a plate of spicy tomato pasta, and ten pieces of pork belly barbecue. After even consuming a bowl of scorched rice soup, a pleasant and comfortable feeling of fullness finally caressed his brain.
Lee Hwan returned to his seat after slurping down some cider with a scoop of ice cream dropped into it. A held-in breath escaped languidly. Haah.
This was why buffets were good. You could eat as much as you wanted of whatever you wanted. How nice would it be if all of life’s matters could be so easily chosen?
But his life had shone brilliantly for only three years before facing an apocalypse, and had been walking through sewers daily ever since. A series of unselectable events kept happening, making his mental state feel as tattered as a 5-year-old nightgown.
‘If I had known it would be like this, I should have just lived carelessly.’
But Lee Hwan appreciated people’s goodwill too much to give up everything. He found fulfillment in Hunter activities and felt joy in being with Taesung. If he could get that back, wouldn’t it be strange not to react at all?
A bouncy pudding slipped into his mouth. Lee Hwan slowly chewed it while thinking of Taesung.
Just 4 years. It had only been 4 years from the moment the doomsday hands began turning until Lee Hwan met Taesung. He still found it amazing how many events Taesung must have experienced and how he must have had to collect himself to become the Taesung of the future.
However, he could vaguely sense that even if the semi-Awakening issue hadn’t escalated into a serious incident in the past before the regression, it certainly hadn’t been easy for him. That scar on his neck might have formed during that process.
Whenever Lee Hwan thought about it, something uncomfortable seemed to stir inside his chest. Taesung had beaten him up several times, so friend or not, he would have to get revenge someday, but for some reason, just the thought of facing Taesung gave him a strange, inexplicable feeling.
Lee Hwan glanced at the arm he had rolled up while eating. If the past Taesung had seen these scars, his face would have immediately hardened. He would have calmed the startled Lee Hwan, but eventually, unable to hold back, he would have said something.
Like asking why he had let whoever did this to him get away with it.
“What can I do when it’s someone I know.”
Lee Hwan found himself snickering and muttering unconsciously. Imagining Taesung’s face—angry but unable to say anything harsh, his mouth tightly set—was a bit funny even though the situation wasn’t humorous.
Was there such a story in the world? The list of things to tell Taesung once his memories returned kept growing. He would definitely tell him how terrifying it was when Taesung chased after him with fury blazing in his eyes. And despite having reasons, how he dared to strangle him.
Perhaps by then, he’d have so much to say that he’d have to distill only the most essential complaints. But that was something for the future when Taesung had gathered all the pieces of causality, so for now, all Lee Hwan could choose was food.
Maybe if he selected and swallowed food properly, he could shake off the day’s fatigue. Lee Hwan slowly closed his eyes as he put another pudding with pineapple pieces into his mouth.
