Free Web NovelThe registration issue was resolved with Jeonseo’s help.
However, since Yeonwoo’s consent hadn’t been obtained, Roy still needed to persuade him.
D-14 until the Star Hero preliminaries.
Before then, befriend Yeonwoo—and convince him to join.
The next morning, Roy showed up with a grim expression and took his seat, nerves fixed on the back door of the classroom, waiting for news from his informant, Yeonwoo.
Sure enough, a boy burst in seconds later.
“Guys! Park Yeonwoo just surfaced!”
“Really?! Which class is he in?”
“3rd year, class A! I saw him talking to the principal this morning. He had some kind of blindfold on—something about awakening addiction?”
Roy’s twitching smile froze.
“There’s a disease like that?”
“Dunno. They say it’s a one-in-a-thousand rare disease. Anyway, he can’t see.”
Hearing that Yeonwoo had been ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) blinded by awakening side effects, Roy jumped up and rushed over—his presence alone so imposing you wouldn’t believe he was F-class. All eyes fell on him.
“Is that true? Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I think so. He had a cloth over his eyes and was feeling walls to walk.”
“Damn.”
Something was wrong. Roy started to leave, then realized break was almost over and returned to his seat, legs trembling. He fumbled for his phone, searching “awakening addiction,” when a sharp glare landed on him from beside. It was Bi.
“Why?”
Bi’s look urged him to stop shaking his legs.
“Sorry. But I can’t control it.”
Roy bit his lip instead of shaking his leg—but it started again. Curse that leg. Should he tie it up? Bi glared lethally. Then Roy spoke. fгeewebnovёl.com
“Bi, what is awakening addiction? You’re smart, you must know.”
Bi paused to think. Better to endure a little annoyance now than a leg shaking all period.
“Sigh... promise you’ll stop shaking if I tell you.”
“Okay, I promise.”
“Ahem. Awakening addiction is....”
A side effect that arises during awakening, when the body and mind undergo rapid changes. The exact cause is unknown, but most cases occur when the energy balance is off or the nervous system is overloaded. It could be genetic too.
“Is there any cure?”
“Am I a doctor? Symptoms vary by person, and I only know it’s a rare disease that even heals don’t work on.”
“So if it can’t be cured?”
“You die, I guess. Hence rare disease.”
Roy’s face went ashen. He looked nearly ghostly before jumping up—but his legs gave out, and he collapsed with a crash.
“Hey...! You OK?”
He’d tumbled along with his desk, making quite the racket. While Bi helped him up, the front door opened—teacher entering.
“What are you doing? The bell rang ages ago.”
Yet Roy was still dazed. Bi sighed, then raised his hand to the teacher.
“Teacher, I don’t think he’s well. I’ll take him to the infirmary.”
✧
In the infirmary, Bi dropped Roy on a bed, muttering “I hope this isn’t malingering,” then left. Poor expression, but Roy knew Bi genuinely cared. freewebnøvel.com
Thanks to Bi’s intervention, Roy could legitimately skip class—perfect opportunity to research awakening addiction. Though Bi said there was no cure, surely a few recovery cases existed. And in the Wilderness, Yeonwoo couldn’t just die easily—he was needed to stop Chaos Evil.
I can save him.
Roy grabbed his phone to put his past internet-searching skills to use. Just then the infirmary door opened—Yeonwoo stood there with a thin cloth over his eyes.
“Yeonwoo-hyung?”
Roy blurted it, and Yeonwoo paused in the doorway.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to. Uh, since the teacher’s not here, what’s bothering you? If you need medicine, I can get some.”
Roy rose from the bed and approached, but Yeonwoo sneered, eyebrows furrowed.
“Who do you take me for?”
“...Yes?”
“Get lost.”
Yeonwoo shoved Roy aside and headed for an empty bed. Roy watched in stunned silence.
I’m used to his mild side—this harshness is a shock.
They say his puberty hit late—guess it’s now.
As Roy turned away, a curt voice called out.
“Hey.”
“...?”
“Give me some headache pills, will ya?”
“Give...?”
Roy stood confused. Yeonwoo spoke again.
“You said you’d get medicine.”
“Oh—medicine?”
Roy thought he’d grown used to Yeonwoo’s dialect, but Wilderness Yeonwoo’s was rapid and angry—hard to understand. Perhaps at Shooting Star he spoke standard Korean.
“Get it by tomorrow.”
“I’ll get it... now!”
Without warning, Roy dashed to the cabinet, rifled through the box, and found headache tablets.
“Here.”
As Roy handed over pills and water, he felt Yeonwoo’s gaze fixed on the cup through his blindfold.
“Want hot water instead?”
“No thanks.”
Habit from pre-match caution slipped out. Embarrassed, Yeonwoo snatched the cup and downed it at once. Then he seized on Roy’s words.
“When did you call me ‘ham’?!”
“I never called you ham. I said ‘hyung.’”
Roy replied teasingly. Yeonwoo shot back immediately.
“That’s not the same!”
“It is. ‘Ham’ is food, ‘hyung’ is a title—how are they the same?”
Roy grumbled loudly. Yeonwoo’s face turned red.
“Ugh...! How old are you?! You infant, talking to a godlike ham—hyung!”
“If you had blood in your head, you’d die. And it’s hyung, not ham.”
Only then did Yeonwoo realize Roy was punning.
“You...! Get over here. If I catch you, you’re dead!”
As Yeonwoo lunged, a ping sounded overhead—the status window appeared, and Yeonwoo’s expression changed instantly.
【Status Ailment: Lethargy】
A line of text—likely his inner thoughts—appeared below.
【‘I don’t want to do anything. I might have lost my life’s purpose....’】
A status ailment? What was that? Just moments ago, Yeonwoo had been rampaging—now he crouched, lifeless on the floor. He looked pitiful beyond words.
“Hyung... you okay?”
Roy approached calmly, then another status window popped up.
【Resolve status ailment for ally ‘Park Yeonwoo (C)’.
Failure: Park Yeonwoo dies】
“....”
Why is this happening to me? He’d already died alone in a traffic accident—now this impossible task. Sitting beside Yeonwoo in the same pose, Roy buried his face in his knees.
Surviving Hell Wilderness is damn near impossible.
Clearly, Yeonwoo’s awakening addiction was linked to status ailments. Roy only knew the basic world-view background and Shooting Star’s albums, concepts, and MVs. There’d been no mention of status ailments in any MV. He was furious.
Roy turned his head to look at Yeonwoo. Realizing that the lethargy ailment was causing Yeonwoo’s foul mood, he couldn’t just stand by.
“Hyung, do you want to lie down?”
“No.”
“Okay.”
“Get lost.”
“Understood. Rest up.”
No—he’d changed his mind. One didn’t mess with a moody teen. He needed to step back now to advance later.
✧
After failing once, Roy began shadowing Yeonwoo secretly. A week of observation confirmed what he’d feared: Yeonwoo had not a single friend around him.
My own brother is being ostracized. He can’t even raise his head in shame.
Well, with that personality, it’s a miracle anyone’s ever near him.
At least Yeonwoo wasn’t completely blind: his blindfold seemed merely to protect him from bright light. Rumor had it it kept his awakened nerves from being overloaded.
That rag is actually a custom item, huh.
From behind a cafeteria pillar, Roy watched Yeonwoo finish his meal, then followed him out, pretending chance.
“Hey! Hyung, fancy meeting you here! Was lunch good?”
At Roy’s chirpy voice, Yeonwoo flinched and turned—face scowled.
“Hyung... don’t you hate this? I’m a bit annoyed.”
Yeonwoo refused to dignify him with a response and passed by. Such a snob. But Roy wasn’t one to give up easily: he’d anticipated Yeonwoo’s prickliness and prepared all week. He stepped in front of Yeonwoo, brandishing his secret weapon.
“Tada~! Hyung, want to see this?”
