"Third Awakening?"
"Yes."
"...You're undergoing an Awakening?"
The teacher asked, as if questioning my sanity. Sihyun reached for his neck as if to fend off the disbelieving looks. Doyeok, his eyes scanning the room once before returning to their original position. Despite the brief hesitation, when their eyes met again, there was no change. No, perhaps there was a hint of a different emotion.
Something other than surprise, maybe self-blame.
"...Do you think Sihyun got dragged into the sea because he's powerless?"
It was a question reeking of guilt. While that might be partially true, it wasn't the real reason for the Awakening. Sihyun, facing the lowered gazes, chose his words carefully. People tended to remember criticism more than praise.
"No."
"Then..."
"Because I didn't want to."
"What?"
Interpreting my words, he made a shocked expression. Sihyun realized that his words left them without any context, perhaps unintentionally. It was a defense mechanism, like protecting oneself.
And when he spoke, memories resurfaced.
"...."
His blue eyes sank deep, like submerging into the sea. It felt as if he was drowning, and Sihyun, feeling his breath slowly being cut off like a noose tightening around his neck, held onto it. Sihyun couldn't help but be familiar with what trauma was.
It was something that clung to his life like a persistent shadow.
Just when he thought he had overcome one thing, another arose. Stumbling upon a truck, he found himself hesitating, and now it was water.
"What a long life I've lived."
Sihyun, thinking he hadn't even lived for 24 years, took a deep breath as if finally able to breathe.
"...Because I don't want trauma."
Even though he tried to say it as casually as possible, the teachers sighed briefly. The people in front of him had similar expressions, as if they had made some unspoken agreement. Seeing their sympathy, Sihyun swallowed a sigh. Fidgeting with his uncomfortable hands in the awkward atmosphere, one of the teachers, who had been silent for a long time, spoke up.
"Then, is the class you want to awaken in related to the mental domain?"
"No."
"Hmm?"
The teachers, who naturally thought of the mental domain, smiled in disbelief. Sihyun, decisively denying, turned his gaze to the window and frowned. Blinds covered the window, so the sea was not visible.
Someone, even if unknown, was concerned. No, everyone in this room seemed to be.
Sihyun, who had become someone that others needed to be considerate of, let out an awkward laugh. On the first day of Awakening, he remembered mentioning to the principal that he was on the weaker side. He had thought he was reasonably healthy, not too thin, but now he felt increasingly fragile.
Speaking of it brought bad luck. Sihyun, lost in his short contemplation, looked at the blind-covered window and slowly spoke.
"I want to awaken with the Water attribute."
"...."
"As Water."
Silence filled the cabin as Sihyun drove in the nail. After a while, the teachers, surprised, tried to dissuade him. There was genuine concern. Sihyun realized that. He had been worried about what would happen if he awakened as a paper doll, used his ability, and collapsed the next day. Sihyun looked at the bewildered teachers and sighed. One of them finally spoke, breaking the uneasy silence.
"Hyun-ah, awakening is something to be considered carefully. If you awaken incorrectly, losing one ability can be a significant loss."
"I've considered it well."
"Can't you receive therapy through counseling?"
Whether it was because my decision was not to their liking, worry resonated in the hesitant voice. Sihyun, contemplating the teacher's proposal, shook his head. If he intended to receive counseling, he wouldn't have mentioned awakening in the first place.
"I don't want counseling."
"Then..."
"Just let him do it."
A weak voice broke the wavering situation like a conclusion. It was Russ, who had taken a seat without anyone noticing. The man who spoke confidently laughed at Sihyun with his squinted eyes. Looking at him, it felt like he was saying, 'See this guy?'
"He looks a bit stubborn, just let him be."
"...."
"It's not like it's your life; it's his seedling life."
Where did he even get that nickname?
I don't know how familiar they were or how friendly they were, but I didn't like the nickname. Even though I appreciated his understanding, he looked at me with a plea for a different nickname. Even while talking to the teacher, the man who had been watching Sihyun laughed.
"Improvement or regret, that's his business. No need for you all to interfere."
In the face of the man's blunt words, the teachers fell silent. Sihyun looked at Russ, who was still watching him, and bit his lip. Despite being more considerate than the others, Im Hamin spoke up.
Maybe Sihyun thought he might be the adult version of Lee Hamin and turned his head to look at Hamin. Sihyun, with Rus's face overlapping on his, frowned in confusion. While Hamin followed his expressions like a decalcomanie, the teachers who had finished exchanging glances reluctantly sighed.
"Do you regret it?"
"No."
"Did you think carefully?"
"Yes."
"... You can do the awakening at school, so keep thinking until then."
"Yes, thank you."
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