Side Story 1: That Day - Na Jeon-Il
Na Jeon-Il could not hear anything. Not only the surprised exclamation from his wife beside her but also the noise from the television faded away in an instant. Only the face of his son displayed on the television caught his attention.
He had been desperately waiting to hear news of his son from the Final Stage. Moreover, ever since the day he found his son’s will, he had been so anxious that he could not sleep at all. However, he was now seeing his son from the television unexpectedly. Furthermore, his son was referring to himself as Odin.
“I am Odin. I am your Odin. I announce it to everyone. You are all safe now. Led by me, Odin, and followed by Mary, Jonathan, Joshua, Kwon Seong-Il and Lee Tae-Han…”
While he stared at the television with an absent-minded look, his wife, Mi-Hee, trembled with both hands clenched. She called out to her sister in place of her husband, who did not respond to her.
“Unnie. Unnie[1].”
It was not just her husband who was completely absorbed in the image of their son on the television. Her sister and brother-in-law were also looking at the television, holding their breath. Mi-Hee almost cried out.
“That is our Seon-Hu, right? I am not seeing it wrong, right? Seon-Hu is right there…”
She was asking everyone. Then, her sister finally answered not with words, but by embracing her.
That was when it started. All of their phones started ringing. Na Jeon-Il looked at his phone with a blank stare. It was a call from his third sister-in-law. He had not heard from her in a long time since his mother-in-law had pa.s.sed away. It seemed that the calls coming into the other three were also from relatives who presumably recognized Seon-Hu’s mature face on the screen.
Until then, Na Jeon-Il’s mind was still in total chaos, but he soon came back to reality. The figure who had been hidden behind the veil all along was his son. He had been revered as a leader by the Awakened, and such a being was now revealed to the world.
He was his son, Seon-Hu.
My boy…
***
Just like usual…
What was needed the most now was to act as he did normally. He had to suppress the surging excitement and even the chills coming from beyond. Over-excitement would only belittle his son’s achievements. If he felt chills like the crowds did, it would make his son feel very uncomfortable, hindering him from coming back home.
He should not have let that happen as a father!
“Do not take any calls.”
Although his sister-in-law and her husband were older than him, he was the head of his family.
“Seon-Hu will call us. Our son Seon-Hu!”
“Yes, you are right.”
His wife and the in-laws began to turn off their phones as they could not stand Na Jeon-Il’s glances. The only phone left on was Na Jeon-Il’s. Even then, his phone was ringing with calls from their relatives.
He completely ignored them all and found a contact on his phone. An individual with the highest social status he could contact at the moment was the current Jeonil Bank President. Through him he could be connected to the Blue House[2] easily.
However, communication, which was working just moments ago, was now cut off. More precisely, it seemed the entire communication network was paralyzed.
It was expected. After all, this was the moment when humanity finally escaped the threat of the evil G.o.d.
Emergency numbers were also unreachable as well as the management office of the n.o.blesse Town where they lived.
“Where…where are you calling?”
Unlike Mi-Hee, who was tearing up from the joy of their son being alive and the shock of discovering that he was Odin, Jeong-Hee had not figured out if her daughter Ji-Ae was still alive or not. Na Jeon-Il sent a glance to his wife to console her sister.
He said, “We need security. I will prioritize finding out the whereabouts of Ji-Ae after that, so pack your stuff for now.”
“Security?”
Na Jeon-Il did not answer. He was filled with a firm conviction. If there was no guarantee that his son would return home soon, then their personal safety became paramount as Odin’s parents. Not for themselves, but for their son Odin.
It was very simple. He just had to contact the government and request security. Or he could simply drive to the nearest government building and request it. No one would harm Odin’s parents, but he had to prepare just in case in order to prevent Odin from worrying about them.
The intercom bell rang just as Na Jeon-Il was rus.h.i.+ng to grab the car keys. Only he tensed up at the sound. Although he had explicitly mentioned the need for security, the family was still lost in their emotions. Given the situation, there was no time to blame them, so his defenseless wife checked the monitor herself.
The girl from upstairs?
A woman was standing alone on the monitor. Na Jeon-Il had seen her occasionally in the hallway. He was aware of some of their neighbors, and all he knew were that two men and one woman lived in the unit above. She was always expressionless and cold. In fact, she was the youngest and had the coldest eyes among them.
Nonetheless, it was strange. In an apartment where only those who pa.s.sed the management’s interview could live, it was hard to find neighbors like them. In such a close-knit community, this was even more peculiar.
Na Jeon-Il’s eyes s.h.i.+fted to the golf club he had kept in the corner. Despite all the media articles saying humanity would be safe with Odin, there was a possibility that mankind could be on the brink of extinction. He had prepared it as the most dangerous ent.i.ty was not the evil G.o.d but the ma.s.ses.
Hence, he had kept that golf club, along with a survival backpack by the entrance.
She is suspicious.
Na Jeon-Il frowned and stared at the intercom monitor. Regardless of the reason she came downstairs at this time, the woman on the monitor had a weird expression that he couldn’t describe.
Hush.
Na Jeon-Il gestured to his family to be quiet. Then, a knocking on the front door was followed by the woman’s voice.
“I know…that you are in there.”
It was his first time hearing her voice.
However, it was as expected. The voice trembled subtly, and it was clear that she was emotionally very unstable. It felt like she would commit something immediately. The reason why Na Jeon-Il had thought he needed a bodyguard was because of situations like this where such individuals would approach with suspicious intent.
Na Jeon-Il tried to calm himself. Even after thinking about it again, he wasn’t being overly sensitive but was simply reacting in a basic manner.
He said, “The police are on their way. I don’t know what is going on, but if you need help, wait for them and ask.”
Then, it suddenly became quiet outside the door. The silence felt more than just uncomfortable to him. It was intimidating.
No matter how long he waited, there was no sign of anyone at the door, but the girl from upstairs was still standing in front of the door. It was clear that they were in a standoff with the door in between them. All he could do was hope he would be able to contact anyone on the phone, continuously touching it.
After a while, the girl’s voice began to come in from the door gap.
“It… It is an honor…truly an honor to greet you…this way… I serve him. I was once known as Lee Young in my civilian days…”
Meanwhile, the family thought Na Jeon-Il was overreacting. It turned out the woman upstairs was one of the Awakened that Seon-Hu had placed long ago for their protection. Despite that, Na Jeon-Il did not trust her and kept the door shut.
“If what you are saying is true, then please protect us from there. I am sorry, but please.”
Na Jeon-Il remained on guard and brought the phone closer to his ear. Finally, the contact he had been waiting for a while connected.
Na Jeon-Il could tell that the situation was a mess over the phone.
Sangchoonjae was one of the buildings in the Blue House, and it was a euphemism indicating a matter that required a covert unofficial meeting.
The hard-earned call was on the brink of being disconnected.
Na Jeon-Il hesitated for a moment. However, now that his son had publicly revealed himself and delivered his speech, it was easy for people to identify him and his wife. At this very moment, news about his son was spreading through those who remembered him. It was a matter of time, and the entire humanity would know of his ident.i.ty.
And more importantly, the man whom he was calling was someone he could trust. If he had no faith in him, then he would have never succeeded his position to him.
Na Jeon-Il said with determination.
After saying it out loud, Na Jeon-Il truly felt s.h.i.+vers running up his spine and spreading throughout his body. It was as overwhelming as the shock when he realized that his son was the Odin who saved the world.
My son… My Seon-Hu… The thought that his son was the Odin rang in his mind and tears welled up in his eyes.
As he mentioned his son’s name for the second time, tears flowed from his eyes. It was hot tears of excitement. It was indeed the pride that a father could never hold back.
<...is Odin…>
My son Seon-Hu is Odin.
Yes, what else was needed beyond that?
1. How females call their older sisters or close female friends who are older than them. ?
2. The executive office and official residence of the South Korean president. ?