Min looked at him after Seok left, still holding his plaster finger. His voice came weak but soft.
"Hyun… wanna go PC room? Play some games? My treat."
Min knew Hyun Woo didn't have money. He always paid for him, every time. That's how it was between them.
His dad was rich, working under Kang's father. But Min never said a word to his family. He couldn't. If he spoke, if he told, it would only get worse. That's why he always got bullied, and that's why he always ran to Hyun Woo.
Hyun Woo looked at him. For a moment he almost said yes; the words almost left his lips. That's how it always was. Every time things went bad, he'd run to the PC room with Min. Hide in games. Forget the world.
He remembered nights staring at the screen, losing hours, his chest feeling light because in the game he wasn't the weak Hyun Woo. He wasn't the orphan. He wasn't the kid everyone bullied. He was someone.
But then the game ended. The PC turned off. And when the lights came back, nothing had changed. He was still the same boy. Still weak. Still hiding.
He shook his head. "Not today, Min."
Min blinked at him. "Why not? You always come…"
Hyun Woo pressed his lips tight. His hand clenched on his bag strap. 'That was the old me. That comfort, that fake world—it's over now. I can't hide anymore. Not when everything's changing.'
For the first time, he turned down Min's offer.
Min squinted at him as they walked. "You look different today, Hyun."
Hyun Woo didn't answer. He just gave a small smile.
They kept walking on the footpath till a black car rolled up beside them. The window came down, and the driver nodded at Min.
Min sighed, then looked at Hyun Woo. "See you tomorrow, Hyun."
He waved and got into the car, the door shutting with a dull thud. The car pulled away.
Hyun Woo stood there for a second, watching the back lights disappear. Then he put his hand in his pocket, kicked the small can with his leg, and started walking on the road alone.
Hyun Woo walked home slowly, his head low. His head and jaw were still hurting from the earlier beating from Seok, but his mind was set on tonight's mission.
Seok and his gang. He had to meet them. He had to be ready.
There would be a lot of people. He couldn't just go as himself. He needed to hide.
He opened his wardrobe, sliding clothes left and right. Old shirts, worn jackets, nothing useful. Then his hand stopped on a black hoodie. He pulled it out.
He crouched by the drawer and opened it, digging through old notebooks and socks until his fingers touched the black mask. He picked it up, holding it in his hand.
He stared at the mirror. Hoodie in one hand, mask in the other.
The sky outside turned red, then darker. The sun sank, and night came.
Hyun Woo slipped the hoodie on, pulled the hood low, and tied the mask across his face.
Only his eyes showed now.
Before he could leave, Hyun Woo stopped. His hand froze on the doorknob.
Wait… my first verdict. The judgement. I still have 400 JP from that night.
He turned, hoodie half over his head, and sat back down on the bed. His chest tight, his mind racing.
"System. Open skill section."
[ Justice Avatar System — Skill Section ]
Hyun Woo's finger kept sliding on the glowing list. Names of skills kept popping up, one after another. All of them high. All of them out of reach.
[ Skill: Scales of Balance — Cost: 2,500 JP ]
[ Skill: Dominion Fire — Cost: 5,000 JP
He clicked his tongue. "Tch… useless for me now."
His finger kept moving down. Scrolling. Scrolling.
Then his eyes stopped.
[ Skill: Crowd Seal — Cost: 120 JP ]
[ Skill: Alias Impression — Cost: 200 JP ]
[ Skill: Echo Mask — Cost: 80 JP ]
His pupils widened a little. He leaned closer. The numbers… they were within his balance.
400 JP.
His lips twitched. A spark ran in his eyes.
A spark lit in his eyes.
"Perfect," he mused aloud.
His lips curled up. A smirk stretched across his face.
Hyun Woo pressed on the first one without thinking.
[ Skill Unlocked: Crowd Seal ]
[ Cost: 120 JP ]
[ Effect: Blurs memory of nearby humans for 30 min. (5 m range). ]
[ Cooldown: 24 hours ]
[ Remaining JP: 280 ]
He let out a short laugh, "Heh…" His finger was already sliding down again.
Second one.
[ Skill Unlocked: Alias Impression ]
[ Cost: 200 JP ]
[ Effect: Alters recorded biometrics for 1 hour. ]
[ Cooldown: 24 hours ]
[ Remaining JP: 80 ]
His heart beat faster, thump-thump, thump-thump. The glow reflected in his black eyes.
"Perfect…" he whispered.
He scrolled down and saw the last one. Cheap. Just enough.
He pressed it.
[ Skill Unlocked: Echo Mask ]
[ Cost: 80 JP ]
[ Effect: Distorts motion detection for 30 minutes. ]
[ Cooldown: 6 hours ]
[ Remaining JP: 0 ]
The moment he pressed confirm, golden light spilt out from the screens. It wrapped around his chest, his arms, and his face. His eyes burnt, glowing gold, and flames like threads came out of them.
[ Installing Skill: Crowd Seal… ]
[ Processing Neural Pathways… ]
[ Memory Distortion Patterns Uploaded ]
He gasped, his hand clutching his temple. A rush of knowledge stabbed straight into his brain. He could feel it. How to lower presence, how to make people's eyes slide away like he was nothing but air. The feeling was carved inside him, sharp and clear.
Another glow.
[ Installing Skill: Alias Impression… ]
[ Biometric Alteration Routes Uploaded ]
His spine shivered. His legs shook. He saw flashes — cameras watching him, recordings bending, and posture turning taller, shorter, and different. He knew how to move his muscles, how to change his step, and how to tilt his shoulders. His own body felt like clay in his hands.
Then the last hit.
[ Installing Skill: Echo Mask… ]
[ Motion Distortion Imprint Complete ]
A wave hit his chest and rolled out, like ripples in water. He could feel how to twist air itself, just enough to make cameras blur. His heartbeat synced with it, thump, thump, thump, like the pulse of distortion itself.
"…Hah… so this is… how it feels."
Inside his head, the System voice was cold and heavy:
[ Skill Installation Complete ]
[ Neural Imprint Secured ]
[ The user may now activate skills instinctively — thought trigger confirmed. ]
Hyun Woo rubbed his eyes; the golden flicker was still there for a second. He smirked, his hand sliding down his face.
"Perfect. Just… perfect."
"No one will see me tonight," he muttered, sliding his palm over his face, covering his mouth as the smirk spread wider.