The civilians were startled. Since the restaurant wasn't spacious, Park Youngbum and Goh Heewon overheard the conversation as well. Park Youngbum, silently resenting Yoon Seo, spoke up.
"But the beauty standing there, keeping the mood, is a B-rank. So just leave it to us, sit down calmly, and wait—"
"Do we look calm right now?"
"No, if you were office workers, you should've said so from the beginning. We wouldn't be just sitting here like this!"
The non-Awakened individuals flared up in anger. After exchanging glances with one another, they all seemed to agree and rushed toward the exit. Yoon Seo watched quietly, wondering what they were going to do. Was it because the tentacle monster outside was no longer visible? Were they planning to leave? If so, they needed to be stopped.
However, the scene that unfolded was the complete opposite of what Yoon Seo had imagined.
"Over there. The left side is shaking more, so make sure to hold it tightly."
"Wow, damn. First thing I'm doing when I get home is checking the state of my doors."
"I'm definitely getting a shield trap installed at my parents' house this winter."
A few of the non-Awakened helped secure the doors on the left and right. Those who thought they couldn't contribute much kept an eye on the situation outside. Someone adjusted Park Youngbum's slightly crooked glasses, while another wiped the sweat off Goh Heewon's face. Goh Heewon, looking bewildered, asked:
"What are you doing? We said we'd block it, so just wait inside."
"Come on, we're office workers. How different are we from you? Why do you keep telling us to wait?"
"But we're stronger."
"You're just stronger, that's all. So what should we leave to you? All we need to do is hold the doors like this, right?"
"Well, yeah, but…"
"Do we really have to hold them ourselves? What about stacking tables and chairs instead?"
"You could stack a hundred tables, but if a monster swings a tentacle at them, it's over. The doors are the safest bet."
"Fine. We'll hold on for a bit longer, so you two go rest. You've been at it for 10 minutes already."
"Huff… You all are truly…"
Park Youngbum and Goh Heewon's faces were filled with emotion. The non-Awakened felt the same. At that moment, their group chat name changed to 'Friendship, Cooperation, Harmony.' Yoon Seo stood as far back as possible, trying not to be swept away by the waves of emotion.
'Humanity needs to be kinder. That way, more Awakened will appear.'
He didn't know why that thought came to mind at that moment.
He just really missed Kwon Jihan. And Riceball, too.
Then it happened.
From outside, there was a loud explosion, and in an instant, the surroundings lit up.
The people inside the restaurant looked outside to assess the situation.
"Overflow cleared. Overflow cleared. We repeat, the current area's Overflow has been cleared."
"Wow! We did it!"
"Victory for humanity! Take that, you monster scum!"
The civilians cheered.
"What? Already?"
"No way. How did they finish in just an hour?"
On the other hand, Park Youngbum and Goh Heewon, who learned during hunter training how long it typically takes to clear a B-class flood, were shocked.
Yoon Seo gave a faint smile.
For a yellow-grade B-class flood to already be cleared—it was too fast. He had expected it to be quicker than half a day, but hadn't it been less than an hour?
'Kwon Jihan, you didn't get mad, did you?'
Yoon Seo approached Goh Heewon and Park Youngbum. The two, unable to believe the flood was cleared so quickly, were still keeping the door tightly shut and observing the outside.
"Yoon Seo, isn't it strange? It can't be over already. Could the monsters be messing with our senses?"
"It's really over. You can open the door and go outside."
"For real?"
"Yes."
Park Youngbum stepped away from the door in disbelief.
"Hey, everyone! The signal is back. We can make calls!"
"What, really? I need to call my mom."
"Imagine how worried my daughter must have been."
"Oh my, look at all these missed calls."
The civilians, fragile as they were, began crying again as they hurriedly called their families, lovers, and friends to reassure them. Park Youngbum and Goh Heewon also took out their phones, but they had to put them away quickly as some civilians approached to thank them.
"Thanks to you hunters, we managed to stay calm and hold on. Thank you."
"No, we didn't really do anything."
"By the way, do you get any bonuses if we write your names down for that Seokyoung hero program?"
"What's all this talk about heroes? We were all heroes today."
The Seokyoung Hero Program allowed civilians to recommend hunters for their heroism, with the top-ranked hunters receiving a monthly incentive. But Park Youngbum declined the opportunity. Goh Heewon, with a serene look, also showed that she wasn't interested in chasing incentives like some awakened people.
"You hunters are true heroes… Sniff. Awakened ones really are something else."
"Come on, we're not heroes. Haha…"
Park Youngbum laughed awkwardly. Yoon Seo understood why they rejected the chance for the incentive. If their names got too much attention as internal staff, the upper management might force them to retake the aptitude test for hunters and switch them to field duties.
Since Yoon Seo had been acting distant the whole time, no civilians approached him. He was glad and took out his phone to call Kwon Jihan.
"…."
Sensing a heated gaze, Yoon Seo paused, turned off his phone, and lifted his head.
The black mist had cleared, and the familiar landscape had returned.
The asphalt was crumpled like paper, and standing atop it was Kwon Jihan. He had undone his disguise.
Dusting off his clothes, Kwon Jihan walked toward them.
"W-Wait, that person…!"
The crowd gasped, having spotted the world's second most popular hero.
"Kwon Jihan…."
"It's Kwon Jihan…."
"Oh my god… he's so handsome."
Yoon Seo inwardly agreed. Kwon Jihan wasn't just handsome, he was incredibly good-looking.
"Wow… he's so tall. And his shoulders are huge…."
Kwon Jihan is just big in every way.
"Amazing flood…"
What does that even mean? Is it like, 'It's amazing that we get to see Kwon Jihan in this overflow'?
"Wow, I guess he happened to be nearby. No wonder it ended so quickly."
Even Goh Heewon and Park Youngbum had reactions similar to the civilians. They were staring with their mouths open, and Kwon Jihan was the first to greet them.
"Team Leader Park Youngbum, Assistant Manager Goh Heewon."
"H-Hello…? You know us?"
"Yes, I do."
"You know us…? You know us! But how?"
"I heard you're close with Yoon Seo hyung."
"Oh, ohhhh. We're super close! We used to be in the same guild back in the day. Well, we're still in the same guild now!"
"We're practically family. I must've eaten over 5,000 choco cookies thanks to him!"
"I see. I'm jealous."
Kwon Jihan gracefully accepted their excited chatter, then turned to greet Yoon Seo next.
"Hey, hyung. I was just passing by when I heard the flood alarm go off, so I came over and saw you here."
"…Yeah. Thanks."
"No worries. We're close, aren't we?"
Park Youngbum and Goh Heewon were watching them with bright, sparkling eyes. So were the civilians.
'Close?'
'Did he just say they're close?'
'Kwon Jihan is smiling like that?'
'What's their relationship?'
'Isn't Kwon Jihan dating Seo Chaeyoon?'
'What is going on!'
The heated curiosity from the crowd was palpable.
Kwon Jihan, too, was gazing intently at Yoon Seo, scanning him from head to toe with an intense look in his eyes.
Yoon Seo, feeling slightly overwhelmed, lowered his head, thinking he should check Kwon Jihan's medication later. Hopefully, this wouldn't add fuel to the rumors of an affair… right?
***