Chapter 7

#7. Awakening

Jae-in wandered around this floor with a hermit crab chasing after him. They said the hermit crab was a modified cleaning monster, and it was quite dedicated to its mission. It quickly cleaned up the dust that fell from the boxes. It made him feel somewhat apologetic for continuously opening the dusty boxes.

‘I can’t find anything strange in the photo albums, so why is Jae-hyun acting like this?’

There was nothing noteworthy in the diaries and notes he wrote as a child. His personality hadn’t changed from then to now, so it was natural. He had hoped the photo albums might provide some clues, but there were none.

‘If I could remember anything from this Jae-in’s life, I might understand the reason.’

It seemed that when he took over this Jae-in’s body, all the memories were erased. No matter how hard he tried to recall the past, only the memories from his original world came to mind. He even checked news articles related to the elementary, middle, and high schools he graduated from, and the university he was on leave from, but there was nothing related to him.

Moreover, this Jae-in also seemed to prefer having a few close friends rather than many acquaintances. There were several group chat rooms, but he had only exchanged messages with a few people: two high school friends and a university classmate. It didn’t take long to check the conversation history.

“Well, he lived a good, quiet life without getting into trouble.”

Jae-in was starting to feel annoyed. He had searched this floor thoroughly but couldn’t find the reason. It seemed unlikely that he would find the reason why his brother was overprotective by searching further. It didn’t seem like he would get a clear answer even if he kept looking.

“Give up, give up. If I really want to know, I’ll just ask him in person. If he really wants to protect me, let him do it.”

He felt embarrassed to give up so quickly after vowing to find out the reason, but among the recent events that had happened to him, was there any reason he knew of? Adding one more unexplained event didn’t make much of a difference.

“Not only that, but this is also a problem.”

Jae-in frowned at the strongly present potion. After experiencing the side effects of the potion a few days ago, he wondered why he was taking it again. He was skeptical of its effectiveness and the color was quite off-putting.

‘Still, this is something that’s stored in the Awakened Guild’s warehouse.’

The crimson Jujube fruit potion, which looked so repulsive, had received extremely, almost unbelievable, positive reviews. It was said that after taking it, one would sleep well, digest food better, and their life would improve. The added benefit was improved skin elasticity and a radiant complexion.

“Phew! What a color. It’s not like I’m a vampire, why make it this color?”

If he hadn’t learned the price through online reviews, he wouldn’t have taken this potion, even if Jae-hyun had chosen it. In fact, the reason he hesitated to take it wasn’t just the color.

Side effects. The main reason he was hesitant to take it was the fear of experiencing the same side effects as before. Online reviews didn’t mention side effects, but the same was true for the previous potion.

“...I have to drink it. ...I felt like I was coming back from the dead.”

Without exaggeration, he thought he was going to die. The first time, it started with a pain like being cut all over his body, and as time passed, it felt like someone had set him on fire, burning inside and out.

Recalling the pain, he shuddered for a moment. It was really something he didn’t want to experience again.

If there was a place to store it, he might have thought about it for a few days, but there was no such place at home. It was very regrettable, but he had to drink it before it deteriorated. He couldn’t let something worth thousands of won go to waste. Jae-in didn’t have the nerve to do that.

-Swallow! Swallow! Swallow!

“Aah! It hurts!”

Jae-in drank the potion in one go. He didn’t make the mistake of sipping it like last time. Still, the result was no different.

* * *

Jae-in got up from his bed with a grimace, despite feeling refreshed. It was fortunate that he had fallen asleep in bed, expecting to pass out.

The Jujube fruit potion he drank last night was quite nasty. The taste was surprisingly sweet, unlike its appearance, but the pain was, if anything, worse than the skin beauty potion he had taken before.

“Phew! Even though it doesn’t have a fishy smell like last time, it’s still uncomfortable.”

He had twisted his body and sweated so much last night that he couldn’t stand the discomfort. He desperately wanted to rush to the bathroom.

However, he couldn’t do that. There was something he needed to check first.

He needed to understand the message that filled his field of vision.

‘Is this it? A status window?’

He hadn’t heard of such a thing when he searched online. He had been told that there were no status windows or inventories like in games. It seemed that he was the only one experiencing side effects that were said not to exist, and now he was the only one with a status window.

“Every cliché is popping up.”

He had the same thought when he realized it wasn’t just a simple regression but also a dimensional transfer. He had thought that if he were a rich man’s son or in a novel, he wouldn’t be surprised even if hidden settings were revealed.

“Is this going to end with me being asked to save the Earth? One day, I wake up as a hero and get a quest to save the Earth... Phew. What is this?”

How many people dislike special treatment? If this were a situation where he was receiving good treatment and being respected, there would be no reason to dislike it.

However, everything happening in his life was done without any of his wishes being reflected.

‘Oh, my head.’

When he saw such situations in novels or game scenarios while translating, they seemed cliché and boring, but experiencing them himself made his head feel like it was going to explode. It felt like he was caught in a situation where he was being manipulated by an omnipotent being, and he felt an inexplicable fear.

‘What is happening to my life?’

He didn’t think he had lived his life poorly, but how did he end up in such an absurd series of events? He hadn’t committed any crimes, not even minor ones like traffic violations, so why did he end up like this?

“Regression, dimensional transfer, awakening... I hope nothing worse happens in the future.”

Was it too early to feel relieved? Jae-in shuddered at the thought.

He had only seen the system message so far and hadn’t checked the status window. He was anxious about what it might say.

Jae-in read up to the title in the status window and then closed it. He looked around, even though he knew his parents had gone to work and he was alone, fearing that someone might peek at his status window.

‘Am I crazy? Why is my job and title like this, really?’

He felt so embarrassed he wanted to die.

A god of beauty? He wasn’t a beautiful woman, and it was suspicious why such an absurd job was given to a man in his twenties.

The title was also problematic. Why did they use the embarrassing title he heard at the KH Guild yesterday? It seemed like they were intentionally trying to embarrass him.

If that was their intention, it was a brilliant method. Embarrassment was a very gentle assassination technique.

“Should I check the rest after I take a shower?”

He had delayed taking a shower because he was shocked by the status window, but the discomfort had reached its limit. The clothes stuck to his body were uncomfortable, and his hair itched. In this state, he couldn’t think clearly.

Actually, he was in a hurry to take a shower, but he was afraid to see the rest of the content, which he suspected would be strange. He wanted to delay checking it by even a minute if possible.

* * *

“Ugh.”

Jae-in groaned in front of the mirror. The reflection was something he couldn’t get used to.

“This is a bit dangerous.”

No matter how much he puffed his cheeks like a pufferfish, squinted one eye, or pouted like a duck, it wasn’t humiliating. Even though it was his own face, it looked cute when he scowled and charming when he smiled.

‘It wasn’t just the bathroom that made me look good.’

It wasn’t the steam, the soft lighting, or the warm water that made his skin look rosy. He actually looked stunningly handsome. It was a world apart from the improvement in his skin a few days ago.

From head to toe, even his nails and fine hairs looked handsome. His skin and hair were so smooth and shiny that he almost felt a halo behind his head.

“Is it the effect of the potion, or are the side effects actually not side effects? I can’t tell.”

He had briefly suspected it was due to the awakening, but he was sure it wasn’t. Many awakened individuals had already proven that they didn’t experience physical changes during their awakening. Therefore, it was likely due to his body’s good response to the potion.

“Ahem! I need to always carry my ID from now on.”

His skin was so smooth and elastic that he looked younger. He thought he might need to show his ID to enter bars or clubs that prohibit minors.

He was briefly happy about the possibility of ID checks, but then he frowned, thinking about the remaining tasks. Even his frowning face looked handsome, making it difficult for him to leave the mirror.

‘Status window.’

As Jae-in’s eyes scanned the semi-transparent message box that appeared in the air, they trembled. The status part, shown as the ratio of awakened individuals to the population, was fine. It was also fine that there was a divine power gauge since his job was the god of beauty.

However, the skill names were intolerable. Instead of simply calling it a shield, it was named [I’ll Protect You with My Love!]. Even if he never used it, it felt like it would shorten his lifespan every time he did. It was embarrassing.

‘Who did this? Who gave me such a skill?’

Jae-in gritted his teeth. Being handsome and young was good, and living in a world turned upside down with bizarre monsters was fine.

But he couldn’t tolerate a skill that was so embarrassing he couldn’t even say it out loud. [If You’re in Pain, I’m in Pain!], [Keep Going, I’ll Wait for You at the End of the Road!]. Was it necessary to add such names to a skill that simply heals wounds and boosts morale? Did they really expect him to use it?

“Skill names can be replaced with actions, damn it!”

The actions shown for the skills were even worse. The job title was grandly named the god of beauty, but it seemed more like a comedian. Who would shoot love bullets or make finger hearts at a patient?

“I’ll get angry and jump up, thinking it’s a joke. Is this a skill given to be used or to be discarded?”

Most of the skills in the list were like this. The skill names and actions were so embarrassing that it was difficult for a person with a healthy and normal mind to use them.

-Trrrr.

“Unknown number.”

It wasn’t from his two high school friends or his university classmate. It was from a completely unknown person. Jae-in put his hand on the reject button, thinking of hanging up. He was already troubled by the awakening and didn’t want to be on edge talking to a stranger.

However, the call ended before he could reject it. It seemed to have been a wrong number, as it didn’t ring several times.

-You have a message.

It wasn’t a wrong number; it seemed the person sent a text message, fearing that he wouldn’t answer an unknown number.

He remembered the teaching assistant who came to take his picture while he was eating a sandwich and gave him the photographer’s contact information and his own. He didn’t know what kind of project it was, but he was willing to help. He felt bad for wasting the assistant’s time.

“I’m okay with a call. Please contact me. This should be fine.”

He didn’t intend to cause any trouble like yesterday.