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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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Having traveled across galaxies and planets, meeting countless people, I’d learned that no one was truly strong. While physical strength was attainable, I believed true inner strength, unwavering and unshakeable, was an illusion.
Any sentient being with emotions could be hurt. Human lives, often governed by emotions, were susceptible to negativity, no matter how mentally resilient they were. Everyone had people they disliked or even hated.
Pink had been rejected by her longtime friends today. She hadn’t done anything wrong. She’d probably just acted like her usual self, the self her friends knew. The only difference was that she’d finally told them she was a superhuman.
I couldn’t understand. Could you really call someone a friend if you discarded them over a minor difference? It wasn’t even a flaw. The difference between humans and superhumans was purely physical. What was it about superhumans that Earthlings disliked so much?
“Ugh…”
I glanced back at Pink, who was groaning softly on my back, and continued walking. I didn’t know her address, only the general direction she went after work, so I’d be in trouble if she passed out completely.
“Is this the right way?”
Still groaning, she lifted her hand slightly and pointed. I started walking in the direction she indicated. I could have just left her in front of the convenience store, but I couldn’t just abandon a girl, even if she was a superhuman.
Moreover, I couldn’t leave her like this, vulnerable and hurt.
“Sigh…”
She seemed to have regained some consciousness, her body, which had been completely limp against my back, tensing slightly. She lifted her head and checked our direction.
“Feeling a little better?”
“No.”
Her blunt reply felt less like a playful joke and more like a genuine confirmation of her inebriated state.
“Just hang in there until we get to your place.”
If she fell asleep again, I wouldn’t be able to find her apartment. I’d have to consider leaving her on the street if that happened.
“…Ah-ssi, what do you think about superhumans?”
Her words, slightly slurred from the alcohol, were clear enough. I considered her question for a moment.
“I told you before, didn’t I? I don’t care if you’re a superhuman. Superhumans are just like any other human. What’s there to think about?”
“I wish everyone thought that way.”
She leaned against me, seeking a more comfortable position, and I continued walking, following her directions.
“Everyone thinks differently.”
“That’s true…”
Her short reply was heavy with emotion, a complex mix of feelings I couldn’t fathom.
“Ah-ssi~”
Her voice, nasally from the alcohol, called out to me. Normally, I’d frown and reply curtly, but today, I decided to indulge her.
“What?”
“Am I pretty?”
I wondered what she was going to say, but it seemed the alcohol had emboldened her, and she started expressing her usual narcissism.
“Yeah, you’re pretty.”
I decided to play along and gave a perfunctory reply, like I usually did.
“You really want to hear that, huh?”
I’d expected her to agree immediately, but she fell silent. She gently tugged at my neck, her grip tightening.
“It’s all I have.”
Her quiet reply was laced with sadness. It was heartbreaking to hear her say that her only redeeming quality was her appearance, that being a superhuman limited her options and left her with nothing else to be proud of.
Beauty could be an asset. Throughout the history of the universe, countless events had been triggered by beautiful women. But Pink needed something more. She felt like she had nothing else to offer.
She would never have shown me this vulnerable side of herself normally. To her, I was just an ordinary person, an average guy. But hurt and drunk, the strong facade she usually maintained had crumbled.
“When did you realize you were pretty?”
I decided to indulge her narcissism and be her sounding board today.
“In high school. I was popular.”
I could believe that. Beautiful, with a figure that attracted male attention, and a bright personality… she was the ideal type for many men; she had to have been popular.
“Everyone liked me at my first part-time job after I graduated.”
A hint of amusement entered her voice as she reminisced, then she fell silent again. I didn’t rush her and just kept walking.
“So, I told them I was a superhuman for the first time. And they all hated it.”
She’d believed they genuinely liked her and would accept her completely, and she’d been met with a cold rejection.
“The guys, too, they were nice to me at first, but they all turned away after I told them.”
Pink’s words, spoken with a hollow laugh, weren’t amusing or interesting. I only felt disgust towards those who so easily hurt others.
“You know? When guys approach me because of my looks, I can see in their eyes that they just want to sleep with me.”
As a man, I understood to some extent. However, I couldn’t condone acting on those impulses indiscriminately.
“Maybe I’m wrong, but those guys always run away after they find out I’m a superhuman.”
They probably wanted to take advantage of her, but upon realizing she was physically superior, they quickly gave up. Or maybe they genuinely just disliked superhumans.
“What did I do wrong? I only fought for people, for Earth.”
I knew. Even though they were the enemy, and we always lost, I knew Hunter Killer fought with everything they had. It was frustrating and infuriating to see someone’s efforts disregarded and unappreciated, even if they were the enemy.
But even with these thoughts, I couldn’t respond to her question. I was a Spacetroe soldier.
“My team members must be going through a lot, too.”
Not just Pink, but the other Hunter Killer members as well, and probably all superhumans, were likely facing similar prejudice.
Having lived on Earth for 20 years, I’d been gathering information about superhumans since they first appeared. My understanding of the improved social perception of superhumans had been based on superficial observations, from an outsider’s perspective.
I’d been fooled by the lack of negative portrayals in the media.
Or maybe this was just an isolated case. Perhaps somewhere, superhumans were treated with respect and understanding, fighting duels to protect Earth. While I couldn’t be sure, based on Pink’s story, I couldn’t imagine such a scenario.
“My team members are also struggling.”
Pink had recently argued with and then reconciled with Yu-bin, and they seemed to be on good terms now. From what Pink had said, there wasn’t much communication within the Hunter Killer team. But even so, they must know something about each other’s personal lives after three years.
“One of them was abandoned by her parents, another is deep in debt…”
Pink fell silent again, leaning against me.
“But it’s okay. I have the people at the café now.”
The cafe staff didn’t discriminate against her for being a superhuman. She was probably including me among the “people at the café.” The cafe was a safe haven for her, having faced prejudice for being a superhuman.
“It’s okay. Not everyone dislikes superhumans.”
I didn’t have any words of comfort for her. I wasn’t good at that, and I wasn’t obligated to offer any. But I wanted her to know she had people she could rely on.
“Yeah, I tried to hide it at first, but I ended up throwing a customer out because he was causing trouble. But the owner said it was okay. The others thanked me, too.”
Pink had been rejected and hurt by her high school friends after revealing she was a superhuman. Ironically, the people who accepted and understood her weren’t her longtime friends, but the people she worked with at the cafe.
“Here!”
After walking for quite a while, Pink suddenly spoke, her voice regaining some energy, and pointed to an officetel building.
“Which floor?”
“702.”
She reached out and entered the passcode at the entrance, and the door unlocked. We took the elevator to the 7th floor, and Pink, still on my back, reached out and entered the code for her apartment door.
“You can put me down now.”
“Just let me take you inside!”
Her drunken voice was loud, and I didn’t want to disturb her neighbors, so I carried her inside.
Her two-bedroom officetel was neatly organized and much larger than my studio apartment.
“Nice place.”
Impressed by the size, I took off my shoes, carried her to the bedroom, laid her on the bed, and took off her shoes.
“You’re such a handful.”
I grumbled, but Pink just giggled, seemingly oblivious to my annoyance. I placed her shoes by the door and returned to the bedroom. Pink was still sprawled on the bed.
“Are you asleep?”
“Not yet.”
Her slurred reply confirmed her drunken state. I was surprised she could still talk after five bottles of soju, but I couldn’t help but shake my head at the sight of her passed out on the bed.
“I’m leaving, so wash up and go to sleep.”
“Ah-ssi~”
As I turned to leave, she called out to me, but she didn’t move.
“What?”
I asked, but she didn’t answer immediately, as if lost in thought.
“…We’re friends, right?”
It was a difficult question to answer. I was the only one who knew the truth about our situation; Pink had asked because she considered me a friend and I couldn’t bring myself to say no.
“Of course we’re friends.”
“Hee hee! Okay~”
She waved her hand from the bed, as if saying goodbye, and I checked on her one last time before leaving.
As I walked home, I couldn’t calm my racing thoughts. I’d heard a lot from her, but it was all emotionally charged, too personal to use as information.
“This sucks.”
I didn’t wake up early the next morning.
I’d pretended to be fine while taking the drunk Yu-ra home, but the delayed effect of the alcohol hit me as soon as I arrived, and I passed out. I didn’t wake up until the afternoon.
I drank some water to quench my thirst and calm my stomach. Just then, my phone rang.
It was Yu-bin. Her morning meeting must have ended.
“Hello?”
My voice was still raspy with sleep, and I heard Yu-bin’s voice from the other end.
“Oppa, did you drink yesterday?”
“Yeah, a little, with a client.”
“You should have at least texted me when you got home. I was so worried because you weren’t answering this morning.”
“Sorry, I passed out as soon as I got home. Are you done with work?”
As I talked to Yu-bin, my mind cleared, and I suddenly remembered the day we first went to the motel. The way she’d clung to me, begging me not to leave her.
Her past must have been difficult, too. I didn’t know her story yet, but maybe I’d learn about it someday.
“Red!”
I heard someone call Yu-bin’s name in the background, and I immediately recognized Yu-ra’s voice.
“Oppa, sorry, I have to go.”
Yu-bin hung up abruptly. I couldn’t help but smile, sensing the peaceful shift in their dynamic.
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ayooo update lagii