The Main Characters That Only I Know

Chapter 162:

Chapter 162

Yu-hyun sat in a quiet cafe, waiting for Kang Yura.

He had been so busy lately that he couldn’t meet anyone personally. 

Anyone who heard that he was sitting in a cafe just to meet a student would laugh at him.

Does that make sense?

‘It makes sense, and that’s the problem.’

Yu-hyun recalled the conversation he had with Kang Yura last time.

-I awakened as a Collector!

The moment he heard that, Yu-hyun felt his head turn white in real time.

‘Why, of all things?’

Kang Yura was another Kang Yu-hyun. 

Yu-hyun had lived as a normal person until the end of the world in his previous life, unable to awaken as a Collector.

He really wanted to become one and tried hard in many ways, but the world was cruel.

‘So I thought Yura would be the same as me.’

Yu-hyun didn’t think he knew everything and could control everything.

The world doesn’t flow according to the knowledge of the future. 

Life is full of countless variables that are more than just thinking.

Just look at Moby Dick’s worldview.

He was able to clear it because he explored the experience and possibilities that were not the future knowledge he already knew.

The advantage of knowing the future was useless at that moment.

‘The world changes because of my actions. The future can change too. That was my original purpose, to change that future. It’s natural to change. There’s no need to be surprised by that, and there’s no need to be surprised, but…’

No matter how he thought about it, this was something hard to keep calm about.

A person who couldn’t awaken as a Collector, a person who had the destiny to do so, awakened as a Collector?

He thought of the possibility that Kang Yura lied, but he didn’t think so.

Her voice on the phone was full of joy that she couldn’t hide. 

If he thought she was acting, Yu-hyun would have seriously advised her to go into acting.

‘Even so, the fact that she awakened means that there was some kind of change.’

Yu-hyun compared Kang Yura with himself in his previous life.

From what he heard from her, Kang Yura was a hopeful Collector who had a dream of it, just like Kang Yu-hyun, who was full of dreams in his previous life. 

Except for the gender difference.

‘Did gender affect it?’

Yu-hyun didn’t think so. Then what was the biggest change?

‘My existence.’

The existence of Teller Kang Yu-hyun, not human Kang Yu-hyun.

His actions that left a big mark on her life, whether he intended it or not.

Yu-hyun thought that was the most likely.

‘I told her that she could be a Collector too. It wasn’t just a friend’s words. I was a Teller who raised Collectors, and I produced an outstanding talent called Geomhu. From Yura’s point of view, I’m no different from a pro in this field.’

It felt like the tangled threads were being untied one by one. His complicated head cleared up.

‘I said you could be a Collector too. Don’t give up. What if you hear that when your confidence is falling and you’re anxious? What if I heard that in my previous life? What if it was me?’

Lightning struck in Yu-hyun’s head.

Yu-hyun remembered a man.

‘Han Yongwoon.’

He had to move with Scavenger reluctantly, but he confessed everything to Yu-hyun because of his conscience.

Yu-hyun suddenly remembered that day. 

The man who cried in front of him, and the light of the book changing at the last moment.

‘People’s potential changes.’

Of course, not everyone changes.

Only those who are ready to change can change.

Those who have prepared everything but can’t take the first step.

Those people can change easily if someone pushes them lightly or holds their hand and leads them once.

Yu-hyun judged that Kang Yura was also such a case.

‘I’ll have to ask her in person for more details.’

Phew.

Yu-hyun leaned back on his chair and looked up at the ceiling.

Yura’s awakening was something he should congratulate her on. 

He was surprised because it was so unexpected, but it was a possibility for a girl who pursued her dream.

It should have been a happy thing.

But still, Yu-hyun felt something uneasy somewhere in his heart.

Yu-hyun realized why he felt that way.

‘I’m jealous.’

Yu-hyun honestly admitted his feelings. 

He couldn’t help but know. 

This jealousy was something he felt more strongly than anyone else in his previous life.

Yu-hyun thought of one hypothesis as he looked at Kang Yura’s change.

‘What if someone gave me sincere advice like I do now when I was then? Could I have changed?’

Looking at Kang Yura, he might have achieved his dream too.

I shouldn’t have despaired that it was impossible, or held on to the vain hope that it might work.

I wouldn’t have wasted five years meaninglessly.

I wouldn’t have struggled to survive after the end.

‘No. In the end, all of this is just a hypothesis.’

Yu-hyun pushed away the thoughts that were trying to rise up.

Everything was nothing but a hypothesis. And it was all in the past.

‘What’s the point of regretting it now?’

He was not without regrets. But Yu-hyun had already decided to look ahead and run.

‘Yura’s awakening is something to celebrate. Thinking what if I was like that is nothing but a loser’s lament. I am now Teller Kang Yu-hyun. My goal and my job are to raise my position, increase my value, and save the earth from the end.’

Looking back at the past and biting his fingers was something that only the well-fed did.

If he really regretted that time, he had to do his best to never be like that again.

Yu-hyun did not completely deny his past, even though he suffered from it.

His despair, pain, and failure were what made him who he was now.

‘Choi Do Yoon. He also helped me in a way.’

He couldn’t help but grind his teeth when he thought of that disgusting face. 

It was a kind of reflex action.

However, rationally speaking, Yu-hyun learned a lot from living with Choi Do Yoon.

It became the basic soil for him to build his foundation, and it allowed him to sprout as Teller Kang Yu-hyun.

‘Let’s not dwell on the past and say what if I did this then, or what if I did that then. The important thing is now and the future.’

Yu-hyun thought he was still lacking.

He was just a sprout that had just grown. He had to grow more and become stronger.

That was the way he had to go.

Ding!

The cafe door opened and Yura, wearing a school uniform, came in.

She immediately spotted Yu-hyun and smiled brightly, sitting down in front of him.

“Did you wait long? You must be very busy. I hope I didn’t bother you.”

“No, I’m free right now. I’m taking a break after coming back from the Worldview.”

“Oh. That’s right, you succeeded in this exploration, right? I heard your management was amazing.”

“My management?”

Seo Ryeon would sigh if she heard that.

Yu-hyun smiled awkwardly and nodded, agreeing with her words.

Yura’s eyes sparkled.

“And, you also decided on your second collector, right?! I saw it! Gwang Rang Kwon Ji Ah! Wow, she looked amazing just by looking at her. How did you find such a person and choose her?”

“I just got lucky.”

“Hehe. At this rate, your management will become a clan later, right?”

“A clan has too many people. I don’t like that.”

“Ah, I see. But, what are you going to do now? Are you looking for a third collector or something? How about me?”

She shrugged her shoulders confidently and smiled proudly. 

She had the youthful vitality of a teenager. 

Like a flower blooming under the bright sun of early summer.

Is this how it feels to have a younger sister?

“Ah, Well, You have to go to the academy if you’re awakened. You know minors can’t do collector activities, right?”

“That’s true. But there are some special cases too.”

“That’s irrelevant. Anyway, congratulations on awakening. How’s your ability? Did you check it out?”

“No, not yet. I haven’t been awakened for long, so I don’t know my exact trait.”

“Well, it usually takes time.”

“So I’m honestly anxious.”

Her bright smile turned dark in an instant.

It felt like a blooming flower had withered in an instant.

“If I’m awakened but have a worthless trait, what do I do? What if I’m really weak? You know there are problems even after awakening.”

“Well, I can understand your worries, but you don’t have to be so gloomy. From what I see, you can succeed enough.”

“Really?”

She asked in surprise, but Yu-hyun’s words were not empty. 

He was looking at her book. 

Yura’s book was shining with silver light.

The cover of the book was still dark brown, but if she tried hard enough, the color of the book could catch up with the light.

‘Between the brilliant silver light, there is a little bit of gold.’

That alone showed how much potential Yura had.

“Thank you, oppa!”

Yura needed these words too. 

She couldn’t help being anxious, but what she was most worried about was meeting Yu-hyun and hearing that she had no talent.

She was still young and didn’t know much about her potential.

If she wanted to be sure of something, she had to hear it directly from Yu-hyun’s mouth. 

Only then would her heart move sincerely.

She didn’t know why. 

Even though she hadn’t met Yu-hyun for long, and he was not a human but a teller.

‘It felt strangely familiar.’

Both logically and emotionally.

To Kang Yura, Yu-hyun’s existence was quite significant.

He was like an older brother to her, or so she thought.

“Right. I think you have the potential to succeed, so you just need to work hard. Don’t worry about anything else, and focus on what you have to do next.”

“Okay. I got it.”

“How are your parents doing?”

“They’re fine. Mom is still nagging a lot. But she congratulated me when I awakened recently, which was kind of touching.”

“Your mother… did that?”

Yu-hyun smiled softly as he recalled his mother’s face.

Yura asked him randomly about the mindset and tasks of a collector. 

Yu-hyun answered as best as he could with his knowledge.

Yu-hyun felt his heart relax as he talked with Yura.

He had felt a bit jealous of her before he saw her face, but now that he was having a conversation with her, he realized how pointless it was.

He wanted to cheer her on.

“Oh. Look at the time. I actually made plans with my friends.”

“Friends?”

“Yes. I awakened, so I have to leave this school that I’m attached to. So I decided to meet up with my friends and have a farewell party. It’s nice that I awakened, but it’s sad to part with my friends.”

“Don’t be too sad. It’s not like you can’t see your friends again just because you’re going to the academy.”

“Hehe. You’re right. But, I’m kind of nervous. There must be a lot of amazing people at the academy, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

Yu-hyun thought of the level of the students who entered the academy early and understood why she was nervous.

Especially since there were students from so-called prestigious families who were in a different league, it was natural for Kang Yura, an ordinary person, to feel pressured.

“They say it’s full of people who look like they’re from dramas.”

“Don’t be so scared. They’re just your peers. You don’t have to be intimidated by them.”

“Right? You’re right?”

“But, you said you made plans with your friends. Are you okay with staying here like this?”

“Oh. You don’t have to worry about that. One of my friends is coming here to pick me up.”

“Really?”

Yu-hyun didn’t think much of it since it was Yura’s friend. 

It must be a normal student. He didn’t mind having one more person join them.

Rather, he was thinking of using Yura’s connections to find some promising students when she entered the academy.

Ding!

The sound of the cafe door opening made Yura and Yu-hyun look at the entrance at the same time.

“Ah! Sumin!”

Yura raised her hand and shouted as she saw her friend’s familiar face.

“Huh?”

Yu-hyun widened his eyes as he saw the new person.