Free Web NovelA suffocating silence fell.
What’s wrong? Why isn’t he answering?
Roy couldn’t read the question in his partner’s eyes—Who is this weirdo?—but he didn’t know that. When there was still no reply, he spoke clearly again.
“You—become my companion.”
The boy, who’d been staring at Roy without a word, finally answered.
“So you’re asking me to be friends?”
“No? I’m just telling you to be my companion.”
The status window asked for companions, not friends. Words matter, so there had to be a reason it said companion. If this worked, it would at least be a stopgap until he found the members. But the answer he got was far from what he’d expected.
“No. I refuse.” ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
“Okay, refuse... what?”
“I said I refuse.”
His partner pushed his glasses up with his middle finger. Roy, who hadn’t expected rejection, felt a flicker of excitement.
“No—why? Why don’t you want to?”
“Just because. Do I need a reason?”
“No, I mean—look, I can’t explain everything now, but if we team up you’ll see it’s great.”
Roy paid little attention to others, but he fiercely looked after his own people. Even if this was just a business alliance, it still brought someone inside his boundary. If they pulled their weight, he’d reward them and protect them to the end. But his partner simply didn’t care.
“Are you really not going to? For real?” freēwebnovel.com
“How many times do I have to say no?”
Annoyed by Roy’s persistence, the boy whipped his head around and snapped.
“Do you even know my name?”
“Huh?”
“Talking about companions without even knowing my name—that’s rude. Lee Roi.”
Roy’s heart sank. He glanced down at the boy’s chest to read his name tag—but the boy’s hand was faster, tearing off the tag and shoving it into his pocket.
“Hey! That’s not fair! You saw my name!”
“Well, you could’ve shown it first.”
The arrogance was something else—Roy, who rarely lost an argument, was floored. Exhausted by two strikes in a row after Busan Gong, he collapsed face-first onto his desk. High school, he thought, really was brutal.
✧
Weekend finally arrived—the first since enrollment. His parents had offered to send a driver to the school gate, but Roy insisted on going with a friend. Of course, the friend was a lie. Already suspected of being the resurrection guy because of his unique name, he didn’t need a chauffeured car to confirm it.
Friends? I don’t need that.
People come and go alone. He’d already proven that once. Roy glared at the status window floating in the corner.
【Gather companions (0/4)】
Damn MZ kids. Why can’t even one of you just say yes?
Rebuffed by his desk partner, Roy made the same offer to others—but the results were miserable.
“Sorry.”
“No thanks.”
“What are you, anyway?”
He’d only wanted to test things, but even that was too much. To make matters worse, having shown no ability in the first practical class, he’d earned an F-grade stigma. Even his homeroom teacher doubted him and called him in.
“Um... Roy? I’m not scolding you. It’s just that what’s on your record doesn’t match what you wrote.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you filled out the application, you wrote everything truthfully, right?”
[Lee Roi (Special) / Elemental: Fire]
Even at a special-purpose high school, a student’s grade was private and couldn’t be viewed without consent. So the Awakener Department had created internal-grade tiers to gauge abilities roughly: A and above = Special, B+ = High, C+ = Medium, D+ = Low. In other words, the teacher was asking if he was really A-grade or higher. Roy was at a loss.
I’m not really F-grade... I really am S-grade...
He couldn’t tell the truth. After a moment’s thought, he decided to use reverse logic.
If D and above counts as S, won’t they lump me in too?
He thought life would be happier if he was mistaken for low-grade and spared the stress of proving he was high-grade. Even if his transcript said Low, his true rank wouldn’t change.
“Sorry—I must have filled it out wrong.”
“Ah, see?”
The teacher’s face lit up as if a weight had lifted.
“You did. Hmm, so it was a mistake up here, too. I saw it was approved and was wondering. I’ll fix it right now.”
“Thank you.”
Roy bowed and left the office. Bitter at his deceit, he returned to class—but heard mocking voices behind him.
“Hey, F is passing by!”
“No way, his ability’s amazing! You know what it is.”
“What is it?”
“Inability. Pfft hahaha!”
Some kids really thought grades were everything, but even if he argued with them, he’d lose. Roy, wanting to keep a low profile, chose to leave the dorm early rather than confront them.
Outside the school that morning was eerily quiet—shocking compared to the entrance day.
They must all be in Busan to see Gong.
He disliked each and every one of them. Grumbling inwardly, he pulled up his map app—he’d promised Roze he’d bring fish-shaped bread. Though it was March, the chill made it easy to find a street vendor. Zipping his coat to his chin, Roy headed to the nearest spot: a ten-minute walk to Seoul Station. Open early, thankfully.
“Hello. One order of choux-ring taiyaki, please.”
He hummed happily remembering Roze, to the tune of , Shooting Star’s mega hit. While waiting, he surveyed the crowd—half people, half pigeons, and a homeless man who looked oddly like the CEO.
“Huh?”
Roy squinted at the man. Across the plaza, the CEO was cornering a teenage boy by the arm. When the boy growled in annoyance, the CEO bowed repeatedly, apologizing profusely—his movements too practiced to be unfamiliar. The taiyaki vendor sighed.
“Oh dear. That poor man too—he lost his young son, they say? He’s been here ever since last week.”
“What?”
Roy had never heard that story. In the previous life, the CEO had no son, not even a girlfriend—he was a confirmed lifelong bachelor.
“He has a son? He lost a son?”
“That’s what they say.”
“Where did he lose him?”
“Right in front of his house, I hear. He’s been all over Seoul looking.”
Roy’s confusion deepened—if he lost him in front of home, why would he find him here? Roy tilted his head. The vendor’s pitying expression made him more bewildered.
“I hadn’t seen him for a while, but last week he set up camp here.”
“Camp?”
The vendor pointed at a group of homeless people feeding pigeons.
“He’s doing all right, I guess. They must have turf here, but he’s holding up.”
Roy’s mind spun at the surreal tale. Just then the vendor handed him a ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) steaming bag.
“Here you go—₩5,000.”
Roy hesitated, then handed over a ₩10,000 bill and asked for another bag. With both in hand, he headed straight to the CEO.
No way his wish was to be homeless—did he want a family so badly?
And now he’d lost the son he’d gained and was searching for him? This was maddening. If Roy could pretend not to see him before, he couldn’t now that he knew the truth.
“Excuse me.”
Roy crept up and timidly tapped the CEO’s shoulder, offering the taiyaki. He remembered the last time the CEO chased him, so he bowed low to hide his face.
“Please eat something.”
He didn’t mention hoping the CEO would find his son—he simply recalled how, in Shooting Star days, he’d called the CEO “Father” and followed him loyally. It wasn’t jealousy; it was disbelief that this man could be his real father. The CEO had shown them love, calling them his children.
“...What is this?”
“It’s taiyaki. I bought them just now—you can ask the vendor.”
The CEO, surprised, accepted the bag. Roy then emptied his wallet and pressed the cash into the CEO’s hand.
“The vendor mentioned he’d lost his son. It’s not much, but I wanted to help.”
A chaebol heir’s wallet held plenty of cash, but Roy didn’t hesitate. Compared to the second chance he’d been given, this was nothing. In fact, he felt it was too little.
“Please, take it.”
He couldn’t see the CEO’s expression, so he gently clasped the CEO’s hand around the money. But no matter how down-and-out, a homeless man wouldn’t be pleased to have a child hand him money. Roy planned to leave before the CEO refused—but then,
Clasp!
A desperate arm shot out and grabbed Roy’s wrist. Instinctively, Roy looked up—and their eyes met. And he saw it clearly: the glint of madness in the CEO’s eyes.
“Ah, my son...!”
Before Roy could even react, the man enveloped him in his arms and crushed him to his chest.
“Eek! The smell!”
