Chapter 2

'I thought that having three children would result in at least one being a failure, but if I had known it would be the third, I would have stopped at two. Tsk.'

The voices began to play like a broken speaker, emitting noise. The voice just now was something Soram had heard when he was around six years old.

Jin Soram was born as the third son of Jin Sung-tae, a member of the National Assembly representing Dongwoon-gu, Seoul. Soram was what people called a slow child. However, the family of the National Assembly member who had succeeded as a self-made man could not understand Soram's learning pace. What reason was there for him to grow up so lacking in an environment that had everything? Therefore, his parents tried to forcibly correct the child's slowness and pushed him hard when his performance was insufficient. The gaze that clicked the tongue and picked up the stick changed at some point to eyes that treated him as a bothersome burden.

With his parents' attitude like this, his siblings were no different. Soram grew up as the youngest brother who was the easiest target and could be treated recklessly. Even the things that came in as his share were taken away, and he was treated like a good-for-nothing.

'Jin Soram, are you crying because you got hit once? If you had come quickly when I called, you wouldn't have been hit.'

'Why else would I have called you? Show me what you received today. What's the big deal about New Year's money? Oh, are you rebelling, you bastard? Okay, go tell Mom. Go ahead and tell.'

'Sigh. Why are you even telling me that? You don't do anything properly, yet you're just being greedy and creating a fuss in the family.'

Amidst that malice and neglect, Soram turned eighteen.

That year, the cycle of domestic rift occurrences, which had been believed to be stabilized for several years, was broken. Simultaneous rifts occurred nationwide once again after the 1st Great Rift that had occurred three years prior.

The entire country was attacked by terrible monsters that appeared from the black rifts. The few awakeners dispatched to stop this struggled as the heroes of the citizens. At least when watching the broadcast, his brothers didn't bully Soram, so he could also watch the screen, even if it was from a corner seat.

While watching the dazzling heroes' activities, he might have harbored some kind of wish while holding his pounding heart.

A few days later, Jin Soram became a 1st-grade awakener.

* * *

"The 2nd Great Rift, which boasted a desperate level of power at the end, was blocked at the frontlines by the current members of the Disaster Safety Headquarters. However, in various downtown areas, the ones who protected the citizens were three high school students who were Awakeners. It was as if heaven had helped, awakening at the moment of crisis and appearing."

"Yes, the three individuals are Seo Min-ki from Eoryong High School in Busan, Kim Ga-eul from Namdong High School in Yangju, Gyeonggi-do, and Jin Soram from Gayang Foreign Language High School in Seoul. Surprisingly, they are all second-year high school students of the same age, and it is estimated that the total number of lives saved by these three students alone exceeds 10,000."

"Among them, Jin Soram became the center of attention when it was revealed that he is the third son of current National Assembly member Jin Sung-tae."

The hazy mind slowly awakened. Looking down, he saw the hospital gown covering his body. His arms and legs were shorter than when he was wearing a combat uniform in front of the 4th Great Rift. All the memories fell into place, and the situation became clear.

This wasn't the first time Soram had experienced this situation.

He already knew where the pain would rush in now. Right arm, right leg, and even his torn back. As soon as eighteen-year-old Jin Soram awakened his ability, he ran around saving people without a moment's rest. The kid who had only been treated like an idiot all his life and had become a hero was excited and ran around in high spirits.

He probably wouldn't have dreamed that he would return to this time again and again, so he must have overworked his body to his heart's content.

"Assemblyman Jin Sung-tae, what kind of person was your son usually?"

"Our Soram was a child with a weak body and a gentle heart since he was young. I never thought that such a child would bear the heavy burden of being an awakener. Not only me but also my wife and Soram's older brothers were worried throughout his growth, fearing he might get hurt somewhere with his weak body... Phew, seeing him collapsed with injuries like this, apart from being proud and boastful, my heart is torn as a father."

"I see. You must be very worried even now... Oh, director. It seems Soram has woken up?"

"Camera, focus on that hospital bed. Zoom in on Soram."

"Student Soram, can you hear us?"

Student Soram. That word drove home the current situation. No one would call the 28-year-old Soram a student, so it meant that he looked young to others' eyes as well.

Jin Soram had returned to the past once again.

'Chief Jin, you have to live.'

The voice he had heard at the moment of his death kept echoing in his head. It was a voice he wanted to erase even if it meant digging out his brain if he could.

"Student Soram, can we do a quick interview?"

"Soram, I know it's hard, but the people are very curious about you. Your father is proud of you..."

"Aaaah! Crazy, damn it!"

"...Huh?"

"Why do you keep jumping in and dying first every time! Damn it! Damn it! Who asked you to save me! Why do you keep saving me! Why!"

His two fists pounded the bed as if venting. His teeth clenched tightly.

"You crazy bastard. If you like dying so much, then die alone!"

Why the hell was he imposing a life debt on someone who didn't even ask for it? The resentful cry echoed through the hospital room.

"Assemblyman, Student... Soram, you said he had a quiet personality..."

The reporter gave an awkward smile as he heard the rough curses pouring out from the pretty-looking boy. Assemblyman Jin Sung-tae, who had been stunned in surprise, finally came to his senses.

"Ah, no. Soram doesn't seem to be in a good condition, so turn off the camera now. Everyone out!"

"Han Tae-un. Damn it, ha..., you bastard..."

Soram didn't care about the filming crew and his father arguing. His mind was filled only with the last moment of his previous life. Why the hell did you…

For the third time already, he threw away his life to save me.

This was the fourth time Soram was living through the moment right after his awakening at eighteen. In his past three lives, he had met a team member named Han Tae-un and survived thanks to the life he threw away in a crisis.

Yet, he had died without being able to stop the Great Rift and returned to this time.

"..."

Soram curled up his body in the hospital gown as if being crushed by something.

He closed his eyes tightly in the darkness created by his knees and arms. The sound of sirens didn't stop outside the window. It was because the point he had returned to was right after the destruction of the 2nd Great Rift.

After this, peace would come to Korea for a few years. However, the 3rd Great Rift would come again 9 years later, and the 4th Great Rift 10 years later. Even Soram, who was just a student now, would soon be part of a government agency called the Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters with the position of chief hunter.

From twenty-eight to eighteen once again.

What came to mind at the futile moment of death was unavoidable regret. It would have been nice if everything had ended like that. When he returned to the past with the memory of regret, what ironically arose was hope. If he lived through the same time again, he thought he could do well the things he had been sorry about, the mistakes he had made, and the things he hadn't been able to do properly.

Paying more attention to the hunter Lee Ayoung, who had been a student.

Not letting Seo Min-ki and Director Park Jae-seon die in vain during the 3rd Great Rift incident.

Taking more appropriate measures before and after the Bukhansan Fire Dungeon.

He wouldn't have let Kim Ga-eul bear the stigma, be criticized, and take her own life.

The countless moments when he thought there might have been better results weighed heavily on him like mud.

But hope wore off with each repetition.

He was too exhausted, both physically and mentally, to jump up and say that he could succeed this time for sure. Now, facing this moment for the fourth time, Soram couldn't lift his deeply bowed head.

"...I failed three times..."

Would this time be any different? That doubt was added on top of the helplessness.

"Jin Soram!"

At that moment, Assemblyman Jin Sung-tae, whose face was red with anger, burst into the hospital room.

"Are you crazy! Where did you learn to curse like that, in front of all the reporters! Can't you see the camera if you have eyes!"

With no eyes on him, he returned to his original self and approached the bed, making threatening footsteps.

"From now on, behave properly in front of reporters. I told them to delete the footage, but if this comes up later, say that you had a hallucination of things still coming out of the rift. Understand?"

"..."

Assemblyman Jin Sung-tae had come in very angry, but in fact, he wasn't in a terrible mood. After all, one of his children had turned out to be the great 1st-grade awakener. Upon hearing the news, even the party leader had personally called.

However, he deliberately didn't show it. His youngest son, Jin Soram, was the kind of kid who would cower and apologize when yelled at like this. Then, he planned to forgive him just this once and firmly instruct him to make no more mistakes and only do as told.

That was supposed to be the plan.

Soram, who had been looking at Assemblyman Jin Sung-tae, who was younger than his last memory, with dull eyes, opened his mouth.

"...I don't want to. If I open my eyes and see a shitty situation, I can curse a little, can't I?"

"Wha- what...?"