Mainstream (2)

The day the movie "World of Superhumans" was first revealed.

The filming period couldn't be called long, but the effort put into the film was certainly not small.

"Ugh, my stomach hurts up here..."

Maybe because of that, Shin Ah-yeon's complexion was deathly pale.

She couldn't even take a proper step unless I pulled her by the hand.

"You came all dressed up, so why not walk around a bit?"

"That's a job for the actors, isn't it?"

"You're an actor too, you know."

At least, in the world of "Superhuman," she was a full-fledged actor, but it didn't seem like Shin Ah-yeon thought so.

"That... that just messes with my conscience..."

Conscience, huh.

I had told her that even doing things with magic was a matter of one's personal ability, but Shin Ah-yeon still seemed uncomfortable with it.

She was a stickler for strange things at times.

"So, what did you think about the movie?"

"I thought it was fun."

To say it first, the quality of the movie was excellent—so good that you wouldn't think it was shot in a short period.

The scenes created with Shin Ah-yeon's 'real magic', not CGI, were tremendously impactful, and the story itself was neat, with nothing out of place.

"The message was a bit lacking, but as an entertainment film, it seemed great. It's worth looking forward to."

I gave my impression as plainly as possible.

Of course, that wasn't exactly how I felt inside.

To exaggerate a bit, you could easily call it the best entertainment film of the year.

'Isn't this going to be a real hit?'

No matter how biased I might be, every scene Shin Ah-yeon appeared in was a masterpiece. Her acting, enhanced with illusion magic, was perfect, and there was nothing more to say about her presence or the direction.

'I should ask Tae-yeong Group to ramp up the advertising.'

Because this movie was extremely important to Tae-yeong Group as well, they would provide generous support for sure.

"So, cough, cough. Really? W-what did you think of me?"

"... You?"

"W-why, what is it? Was I not that good...?"

Seeing Shin Ah-yeon stammer nervously, which wasn't like her at all, I could tell she was very tense.

'Well, she does care a lot about what others think.'

Sometimes, she's carefree, but in these areas, she's extremely timid.

I hesitated for a moment, thinking about what to say, and then spoke slowly.

"You looked extremely pretty."

"..."

Ah, was that the wrong thing to say?

Come to think of it, just complimenting her looks might be rude.

"Your acting, styled with magic, was excellent too. You really looked good on camera—your presence was incredible. Honestly, you could just become an actress..."

"S-stop. Stop... Just stop. I was just a little curious, that's all, okay?!"

Apparently, the praise was awkward for her, as Shin Ah-yeon blushed and punched my side.

Last time, it was Hwang Yeon-ji, and now it's Shin Ah-yeon.

'Do they really think of me as just an awakener?'

To casually punch an ordinary person's side with the fist of an S-rank Hunter!

Even if it was just playful, and she is a mage, an ordinary person's ribs would be crushed like a sponge cake.

Of course, I wasn't that fragile, but it still hurt.

"Ah, over there!!"

At that moment, a group of reporters could be seen rushing down the far end of the hallway.

It was clear that, just after the end of the preview, reporters who had been filming the actors had tracked Shin Ah-yeon down here.

"I'll hold off the reporters for now, so you go wait in the car. You don't want to do interviews separately, right?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, but... Do you think I should?"

I thought for a moment at Shin Ah-yeon's words.

There was no downside to doing an interview.

It was a preview event, and given how Shin Ah-yeon had performed today, it would probably generate some buzz in online articles at least.

"No. I think it's better to hold off for now."

It's not that I didn't want any articles at all.

But I could just ask Journalist Kim Ki-sung for that separately.

The real moment would be after the movie's release.

By then, Shin Ah-yeon's name would be much more valuable, so until then, maintaining as much mystique as possible seemed wise.

Anyway, wasn't she going to appear on "Living Together" soon too?

"T-then, I'll go ahead. Oppa, don't overdo it and get away quickly."

"Got it."

I waved at Shin Ah-yeon as she hurried off, and then stepped in front of the reporters who were running this way to block them.

Reflecting the success of today's preview, the reporters' enthusiasm was hotter than ever.

"Today, hunter Shin Ah-yeon-nim is unable to do interviews due to health reasons."

As I delivered the prepared comment, the running reporters slowed down instantly.

'Surprisingly obedient today, aren't they?'

I had expected them to push me aside and chase after Shin Ah-yeon, but contrary to my expectations, the reporters gathered quietly before me.

And then pointed their microphones at me.

"Manager Park Jung-woo! Do you have anything to say about the documentary trailer revealed today?"

"Eh?"

"How did you feel about luring monsters in Jeju Island? Please tell us!"

"Why are you suddenly...?"

"Was this Jeju documentary prearranged with Director Cha Jae-seok?"

The rapid-fire questions left me dizzy.

'Documentary? What's that about?'

Suddenly, I remembered.

Director Cha Jae-seok had said he was going to make a documentary about the Jeju incident as a promotional piece alongside the movie.

"Jung-woo oppa!!"

While I was bewildered, not knowing what was happening, Shin Ah-yeon, who had run off to the car, came running back here, out of breath. The reporters, caught off guard by her sudden appearance, stepped back with confused murmurs.

"L-look at this!!"

Shin Ah-yeon shoved her smartphone screen in my face, apparently not caring about the reporters watching.

"Director Cha Jae-seok must have revealed the documentary while we were gone!"

What I saw on the screen was an article that had just gone up a few minutes ago.

It briefly summarized the preview event and contained information about the released movie and documentary.

'I left right after the movie ended, so I didn't know.'

When I shifted my gaze from the smartphone screen to the reporters, I saw their eyes burning with excitement.

Who would have thought Director Cha Jae-seok had prepared such a surprise?

If Shin Ah-yeon hadn't asked to leave first, we would definitely have been surrounded by the reporters right there.

At least now, it was only a few we happened to bump into, but then, it would have been dozens.

'I really need to get to America quickly.'

It was clear that staying in Korea right now wasn't an option.

***

At that very moment, in a Los Angeles prison.

James Walker was gritting his hair in his cell, deep in worry.

'What happened to Alencia? Damn it, I hope nothing happened to her.'

He wished she would just stay put, but Alencia never listened to him.

In that sense, she certainly resembled him, but the worry eating at him was something he couldn't help.

'If she just comes out as a normal awakener, that's fine...'

Whether Alencia was an awakener or not—she definitely was one.

Though she'd never been tested, that much was clear.

Alencia herself seemed to have an inkling, but James, and her mother as well, had known for a long time that Alencia was an awakener.

'Calm down, still, it shouldn't be a problem in most cases.'

Generally, there are two big criteria to distinguish ordinary people from awakeners.

Whether they possess magic power, and whether their physical abilities surpass ordinary humans by far.

Alencia fulfilled both conditions.

The only issue was, thanks to her 'trait', it barely set her apart from ordinary people.

Unless she was aware of her own trait, her magic power would only be the size of a grain of millet, and apart from her exceptionally sturdy body, she wasn't all that different from normal people.

'She's only categorized as an awakener, that's all.'

That was fine.

The problem was, if by some chance Alencia's ability manifested.

He knew she wasn't a normal awakener, but James himself didn't fully understand what her ability was.

Because the power of the "stigmatic mark" on her back had never properly awakened.

But if this examination awakened that power?

If the US government found out about it, then what would happen to Alencia?

"I came to talk, but you look awfully troubled, James Walker."

"!!"

The unfamiliar voice came at that moment.

A cold, indifferent male tone.

James's body shook so much that he instantly forgot all thoughts about Alencia.

"... Who are you?"

Swallowing dryly, James slowly, ever so slowly, turned his head back.

Standing there was a man with ash-gray hair in a neatly pressed suit.

His skin was pale enough to make you wonder if blood was even flowing through his veins.

"Excuse me, I have offended the father of the Saintess."

"H-how did you know!!"

When the word "Saintess" slipped from the man's lips, James had the urge to leap at him and grab him by the collar. But he couldn't move his feet.

The moment their eyes met, his body froze like prey before a predator.

This man is not human.

James knew it instinctively.

How had this man walked into his solitary cell so easily?

And how come, when something like this should be causing chaos, it was so eerily quiet outside?

He had many questions, but somehow, he had the feeling this man could make anything happen effortlessly.

"I am Damian Hertha."

He could have laughed at James's trembling, but the man—Damian—spoke in a serious tone without the slightest hint of a smile.

"I am the son of the one who was once Demon King."

***

"This is nuts."

While taking a break in Unique's training ground, I sighed as I checked the article that had popped up online. It was about the events of the recent preview.

'Most of it's positive reviews for 'World of Superhumans'.'

That's fine.

Especially the talk about looking forward to Shin Ah-yeon's performance was very favorable.

The problem was, my name was mentioned as well.

【Director Cha Jae-seok dropped a bomb at the preview. Who would have thought he'd reveal the documentary trailer about the recent Jeju incident as well! In particular, Shin Ah-yeon's manager, Park Jung-woo, was a scene-stealer worthy of being called the main character.】

Apparently, there had been mention of me in the footage shown at the preview.

Just that alone was enough to reignite the barely-doused issue of my presence.

'At least there aren't any articles focusing entirely on me.'

Even a side mention was causing this much fuss.

If there had been an article shining the spotlight squarely on me, things would be beyond annoying.

"... Hopefully, things will have calmed down by the time I get back from America."

I was going to be in America for about a month.

By then, some time would have passed, and this little firestorm would die down soon enough.

"It's really not far off now."

Just two weeks left before I would be shooting a variety show for the first time in my life, in America at that.

According to PD Jung, all the other members had been confirmed, and he suggested we meet for a quick intro meeting the day after tomorrow.

Of course, I'd said I would go, but I wondered what I should say there.

'Not that the shoot is what matters anyway.'

I took a deep breath, quietly observing my own state.

The sole reason I was going to America to participate in the show was the Demonic Zone incident in Mexico. The Demonic Zone—no, the erosive-type dungeon—was probably still growing, and if I was careless, it might even expand to America.

So, before that happened, I had to kill the being serving as the "core" expanding the Demonic Zone.

I might even end up facing the demon behind this whole incident, so I needed to keep myself in top condition.

"Hoooo."

As I exhaled, some of the demonic energy built up in my body seeped out.

If Shin Ah-yeon or Lee Soo-ah saw me like this, they'd be shocked, but this was the Unique gym today.

It was the weekend, and since I had worked the Hunters hard yesterday, none of them would dare come and train with me again today.

'If only Shin Ah-yeon didn't keep barging in, I could train at home or my own place.'

She used to drop by occasionally, but these days, she'd hit it off with my mother, playing cards together and so on.

She says that whenever she's gaming at home, Lee Soo-ah keeps pestering her to go outside or to train, so she runs away here.

"Keuuuum, cough!!"

The demonic blood flowing through my body was converted to magic power via my heart, and the leftover residue burst out of my mouth.

'As expected, with less demonic energy, not all of it can be converted into magic power?'

I'm no ordinary awakener, so there were many inconvenient side effects like this.

It wasn't as bad as passing out like Shim Chun-hoo, but it was still a pain when this happened.

"Guess I'll need to fill up again..."

Most of the magic power I'd built up was used up destroying the S-rank gate and defeating Shim Chun-hoo. But I'd get that sorted once I got to America...

Clunk!!

Suddenly, the sound of the practice room door opening interrupted my thoughts.

Startled, I glanced over to see Hwang Yeon-ji standing at the door, staring blankly at me.

'Why is she here at the gym today?'

On second thought, Hwang Yeon-ji spends most of her time in the practice room, so it wasn't odd at all.

I just hadn't expected her to be training even on the weekend.

'But why is she looking at me like that...? Ah!'

Realizing her gaze was lingering, it dawned on me that I had just coughed up blood and my front was covered in it.

"Oh, you're just in time. Since you're here, could you clean up a bit—"

Bang!!

The door slammed shut before I could even finish.

And I could faintly hear Yeon-ji's footsteps moving away down the hall.

"... Maybe she went to get a mop?"

But Hwang Yeon-ji never came back to the gym that day.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=The misunderstanding intensifies.Also, Jung-woo still considers himself a normal human when he can wipe the floor against most enemies.Lastly, it seems he needs demonic energy to use his power.【【_】a(⩌ᴗ⩌ )】

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