The young man Super Ribbon brought in had gone through something most people would rarely ever experience.

Right now, three people surrounded him. One was a popular streamer; one could easily be considered a world-famous singer and artist who had topped global charts; and the other was none other than a goddess who governed the world.

As an ordinary person, especially an average college student, receiving care from such people was clearly not a normal experience.

The young man who had been covered in blood was named Bae Seung-Woo.

He was in the same year and major as Super Ribbon, and had also joined the travel club she was part of.

He was an Awakened, known for his gentle and kind personality, with many people in the department liking him.

Yet, he had attempted suicide by jumping from the rooftop of a school building. Perhaps because he was Awakened and also due to sheer luck, he had managed to survive.

“Let go! Just let me die!” He thrashed around, and Super Ribbon tried to pin him down, but he wouldn't settle.

Willow finally lost her patience. She stood up and delivered a swift kick.

“Gyaaagh!!!”

“Stop whining,” she coldly commanded him. “You don't actually have the balls to go through with it, so why put up such an act? If you're that desperate to end it, I'll personally drop you into the deepest pit of hell. Is that what you want?”

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. “What did you just say?!”

She growled, grabbing him up by the collar, “I said stop saying bullshit and sit down.”

“Stop! He's clearly not in his right mind! Everyone, just take a breath!”

“Ugh. If I was the old me...” Willow scowled and stormed off.

Evangeline, who had been reading the room, muttered. “Haaah. Why do they have to be bickering here at my place?”

After a while, Bae Seung-Woo finally composed himself. He took a spoonful of the porridge Yuria had made and immediately started to cry

“Hic. Hic.”

“Seung-Woo... please, don't cry. Can you tell us what happened?”

“I'm so sorry, Super Ribbon. I'm sorry, everyone! I didn't mean to make such a mess.” He stammered out more apologies for the scene with Evangeline and Willow.

Willow shifted her gaze, looking uncomfortable now that he was wailing in regret. “Just try to relax for a second.”

He forced himself to stop crying and glanced around. It finally dawned on him where he was, and exactly who he was with.

His eyes widened with shock. “O-Oh my goodness!”

“Ummm. Seung-Woo? What exactly happened? Did you just happen to... trip or something?” Super Ribbon asked, clearly fishing for a less heavy explanation.

“No... I jumped. Honestly, it kind of sucks that I even survived,” he admitted quietly.

“Why’d you do that?”

“Well... that’s...” he began before trailing off.

“Please, talk to us. We’re supposed to help each other when we can,” Super Ribbon urged.

Seung-Woo let out a dry, hollow laugh.

“There's no need to worry about me so much. I've caused enough trouble as it is,” he mumbled, picking aimlessly at his food.

“Look, just spit it out and get yourself together. You're clearly crying for help, so you might as well tell us.”

He snapped and shouted at Willow, “Why do you keep talking to me like we're friends?! You don't even know me!”

She immediately stood up with an angry face. Super Ribbon and Evangeline quickly jumped in to hold her back.

“Take it easy!”

“Cool it, Willow!”

“Ugh, what a little fucking prick. Fine! Whatever, I'm done with this loser.” In the end, she stormed out onto the balcony.

Evangeline glared at Seung-Woo coldly, saying, “For your information, she can see a lot more than you realize. Her eyes aren't like yours.”

He didn’t know what she meant. Still, instead of asking, he just remained silent.

“And she's the one who saved you.”

“Well...”

“You think she's just making stuff up? She's telling you exactly what she sees. You know that better than anyone, don't you?”

Seung-Woo hung his head in guilt. “Ummm.”

“I suggest you go apologize to her. “

While he was a friend to Super Ribbon, he was just a stranger to Evangeline. She didn't have the patience for some random guy to be disrespecting Willow.

“Even if she sounded harsh, she only said those things because she was worried.”

“I'm sorry, Super Ribbon. I was way out of line. I'll go talk to her.” He stumbled to his feet and headed to the terrace. Spying through the glass, they saw him bowing deeply at Willow.

She looked away when facing his apology, clearly feeling awkward.

“Willow's a big softie deep down, isn't she?”

“Yeah, she sure is.”

That was probably why she protected the world without any complaints. It was simply in her nature. She had been like that since the moment she was born.

“Hey, Super Ribbon, do you mind if I ask what happened between you two? But it’s okay, you don't have to tell us, if it's personal.”

“No... it was actually my fault,” Super Ribbon confessed.

When Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon first merged, she couldn’t control herself, and the strain Davey had to endure was immense.

Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to collapse under such circumstances.

“And Willow stopped that from happening.”

Evangeline couldn’t say a word.

Willow had been thrown into extreme conditions from the very beginning, so she handled power more skillfully than Super Ribbon. When Super Ribbon lost control and caused problems, Willow was the one who intercepted them and minimized the burden on Davey.

Of course, she’d endured terrible pain in the process.

“I didn’t know at first. But... later, after I learned about Willow, I realized it wasn’t some simple miracle to have gotten so far. She has been helping us all along.”

Super Ribbon carried a heavy sense of guilt from that incident. Willow said she didn’t mind, but at the same time, she couldn’t accept that Davey had nearly been seriously hurt because of Super Ribbon.

“So she’s mad at you, but she can’t hate you at the same time...” Evangeline let out a complicated sigh. “Can you not bring this up to Willow yourself?”

“Okay, I will. Thanks, Eva.”

It was a small conversation they had only shared when the right time finally arrived.

“Ummm, well, thank you for caring about me. And Super Ribbon, too,” Seung-Woo returned and told them.

“I’m just glad we weren’t too late. If we had been a little later, treatment would’ve been impossible.”

Even for an Awakened individual, jumping from the height he chose couldn’t be anything but a suicide attempt.

“I didn’t want to live. I just... felt that way back then. I hated the world so much.”

As he spoke carefully, the three listened in silence. Meanwhile, the Gourmet Research Society somehow pulled out popcorn and started eating, only to receive a sharp glare from Willow.

As if recalling what had happened, his eyes turned red. “Super Ribbon, you know my girlfriend, Min-Ah, right?”

“Oh yeah, of course. Everyone said you two had the sweetest relationship in the department. Classmates, professors, and even some seniors all congratulated you.”

“Yeah. She was everything to me.”

It felt like a melodrama was about to unfold, but if it were that simple, he wouldn’t have tried to take his own life.

“So you already know a lot about her?” he confirmed.

“I heard you’ve known each other since you were young. You’re both Awakened individuals, and after losing your parents during the monster outbreak, you relied on each other and protected each other...”

“And? Did something happen to her?” Willow asked.

Given how broken he was, it was only natural to suspect that something had happened to the person he loved so much.

He closed his eyes for a moment, then raised his head as if recalling that time. “Ummm. sorry, but do you have anything to drink? Something strong?”

Receiving the request, Evangeline awkwardly shook her head. “Sorry. If our dad sees me drinking, he’ll probably break my legs.”

“Ah. I see.”

“If you want alcohol, we have some.” At that moment, Yuria, the head of the Gourmet Research Society, lit up and pulled out a strong wine from who-knows-where.

“Where did that even come from?” Evangeline asked, flabbergasted to suddenly see alcohol in her lair.

“I usually use it as a cooking ingredient, but it smells nice enough to drink, so I carry it around just in case the moment strikes.”

“T-thank you,” he said with genuine gratitude.

“It’s nothing. I’ll think of it as the price for hearing your story. Well... it doesn’t sound like a pleasant one, but I can’t resist my curiosity.”

The others silently agreed with that statement.

Meanwhile, Rinne, as if it didn’t concern her at all, grabbed a handful of ice from a bowl she somehow produced, tossed it into her mouth, and crunched it loudly.

“Ugh. Strong? Yeah, I guess so. I really just need to let it out, or I won’t be able to endure this pain,” he muttered gloomily before taking a big gulp of the strong wine Yuria gave him.

He had the look of someone who had given up on everything.

* * *

Bae Seung-Woo was as ordinary as anyone could be. He lived a normal life, in a normal family. Nothing particularly outstanding, but not so miserable as to complain about.

However, when the monster outbreak swept across Earth, it brought disaster to everyone, regardless of wealth. His parents were killed during the outbreak. He lost his family overnight, and his mind collapsed with it.

As he wandered from shelter to shelter, fleeing from monster territory, he met Jung Min-Ah.

Min-Ah was special to him. They had been friends since childhood, and at some point, those innocent feelings grew into a relationship.

After being separated during the outbreak, they reunited by chance at a shelter, and relied on each other like they were the only family left.

That continued until the Saint of Tionis, Davey O’Rowane, appeared. He slaughtered the calamities shaking the foundations of Earth, and humanity began its counterattack.

During that time, Seung-Woo awakened. He was a C-rank Awakened! Not exceptional, but not weak enough to be looked down on either.

He didn’t waste the opportunity given to him, working desperately.

That same year, Min-Ah awakened as well. They promised each other they’d become high-ranking individuals and live well together. However, life wasn’t that easy.

Min-Ah had awakened, but her power was insignificant. She was just slightly above an ordinary person, and also didn’t have exceptional combat sense.

Even so, she never gave up. Yet, because of that, the burden she had to carry was immense. As such, Seung-Woo carried that burden with her.

Since they were close enough to promise marriage, he pushed himself harder than ever, earning money to buy her good equipment, gifting her elixirs, and using his time to help improve her combat skills.

When she despaired over her lack of talent, he grieved with her and comforted her, supporting her completely.

The more he did, the more she relied on him, and he continued to support her as they built their future together.

Eventually, his efforts paid off. Min-Ah succeeded in awakening her true talent. Among the Awakened, some started weak but later awakened additional talent and rose in rank. She happened to be one of those cases.

From a low F-rank, she directly rose all the way to B-rank. While her own talent played a part, it was also true that his unwavering support had greatly contributed. The two steadily built their lives and believed it’d continue that way.

As their lives stabilized, both of them enrolled in a college they hadn’t been able to attend because of the monster outbreak.

He pursued Awakened studies, while Min-Ah chose a combat-related major. His major focused more on research and information gathering than combat. Even within Awakened-related fields, there was a clear difference between frontline fighters and those behind the lines.

To catch up to Min-Ah, who had become B-rank, he worked desperately to carve out his own path.

Even as she continued to grow and he remained stuck at C-rank, he didn’t give up.

Even when she told him it was okay, he refused to stop. He wanted to stand beside her. He kept searching for ways to further develop his own talent.

After entering college, many classmates supported him, recognizing his efforts, and they all celebrated their relationship. It didn’t matter that Min-Ah, once below him in terms of rank, had surpassed him. He hadn’t loved her because of her rank.

In fact, including Super Ribbon, many of his classmates felt he’d propose soon. With their help, he prepared to do just that.

Now that he and Min-Ah were both stable, he wanted them to move on to the next chapter of their lives. To spend their lives together, supporting and cherishing each other.

With that in mind, he headed to her department building, holding onto a diamond ring he had worked hard to obtain. However, that was when he saw her, smiling brightly as she talked with another man.

He trusted Min-Ah, so he tried not to think much of it. He saw nothing wrong with her chatting happily with a close classmate. Yet, the unease that had quietly built up inside him began to grow.

If only it had all been a misunderstanding. If only she had just told him that he was the only one for her. After that day, he started watching her from a distance without her knowing.

Each time, his doubts grew darker.

- Boyfriend? Ah... yeah.

- Sunbae! Let’s grab a drink together!

She had her own life. He began to wonder if it was even right to doubt her like that. Even as he questioned himself, he tried his best to trust her until the very end.

However, the moment he saw her kiss the tall, handsome senior she often spent time with, he understood that she didn’t love him anymore, and that she was no longer someone he could rely on.

Of all days, it was the same day he planned to propose.

“What’s going on here?” He couldn’t hide anymore and stepped out in front of them.

Min-Ah looked startled.

“Jung Min-Ah... what’s this supposed to mean?!” he shouted, his voice full of anger. “Tell me that didn’t just happen... Please? Tell me what I saw was wrong...”

He desperately sought denial, trying to escape reality.

However, as her eyes darted around, she drove a nail straight into his chest.

She turned to the other man and told him, “Ah. He’s just somebody that I used to know.”

That single line, pretending not to know him, hurt him more than anything he had ever experienced.

He might’ve been only a C-rank Awakened, but he had done everything he could for her. When all of that effort and love was denied in an instant, he couldn’t maintain his sanity.

“What kind of nonsense is that?! You don’t know me?! Jung Min-Ah! What are you talking about?!”

Just as he rushed forward to grab her arm, the man beside her moved at an incredible speed, caught his arm, and shoved him away.

“What the hell’s wrong with you? Why are you acting like you know us? Do you know us?”

“What are you talking about... I’m her boyfriend—”

“What? Min-Ah, you had a boyfriend? You said you didn’t.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t have a boyfriend,” she answered shamelessly. “Anyway, let’s go. I’m hungry.”

“Min-Ah, you...”

He clung to a foolish thought—that the man had done something to her, forcing and coercing her cooperation. That she’d never betray him!

Thinking that, he shouted, “Hey?! What did you do to her?! Fix her right now!!”

Min-Ah had been the only support left for him after he lost his family. That was why he suffered with her when she struggled because of her low rank, and why he worked desperately to help her with everything.

As his shouting drew attention, the two glanced left and right.

At the moment he tried to reach for her arm again, the man threw Seung-Woo onto the ground.

“Haaah. The fuck is wrong with this bastard.” Muttering irritably, the man, Park Ji-Hoon, glared down at him coldly. “Don’t make this a bigger deal than it is. Just get lost, you pathetic piece of shit.”

“Min-Ah... I’m just having a bad dream, right? Tell me I’m just going crazy. Please?” Even then, Seung-Woo clung to her desperately. “Please... tell me this isn’t true. Tell me this is all some kind of joke...”

“It’s not a joke. It’s real, Seung-Woo.”

“You...”

“I’ll be honest. I like him. Honestly, when I said I didn’t know you, I hoped you’d just leave.”

Hearing her shameless reply, his eyes went wide. “Why... why would you...?”

Min-Ah drove the nail in deeper. “Why? Because I’m ambitious. I’m not planning to stop here. I’m going to climb higher. I’m going to live well, no matter what.”

“You can’t say that to me! I worked so hard for you...”

“Hey, don’t be so pathetic,” the other man added. “If you really love her, you should let her go.”

“What did you just say, you bastard?!”

“I’ll be honest. I’m an A-rank, growing fast enough to soon be considered for S-rank. Money? I have more than you can imagine. Enough to let Min-Ah live the life she wants. Power? I have power that a little average C-rank like you can never achieve. And looks? Min-Ah, who’s more handsome?”

“Obviously you, Ji-Hoon!”

As she clung to his arm and delivered that crushing answer, Park Ji-Hoon deliberately leaned in and kissed her right in front of Seung-Woo.

His mind went blank from the horrifying reality.

“So yeah, I can treat her better than you. Got it? If you love her, you should know when to step aside. For her sake.”

“You son of a bitch!!” He finally snapped, and he lunged at Park Ji-Hoon, only to be completely tossed aside.

“Pathetic piece of shit trying to act tough. Seriously. Go ahead, try me to the end.”

“I’ll kill you, you bastard!!”

As he charged again in rage, Park Ji-Honn easily subdued him. “Hey. All it would take is one word, and I can ruin your life real good. I bet you don’t get it right now, but just watch.”

With that, he knocked him unconscious, and the two of them walked away.

From that moment on, his life began to fall apart. He could no longer work as an Awakened. Even stores that sold Awakened gear refused to sell to him for ridiculous reasons.

He couldn’t understand how all of that could happen. All he had done was try his best.

From that day on, something inside him rotted away. While he looked fine on the outside, he was completely broken inside.

When his future had completely collapsed, he met Min-Ah again and heard something that might as well have been a death sentence.

- I like him more. I appreciate what you did for me, but it’s not like you spent so much for me, right? So let’s not be pathetic, and just go our separate ways. Honestly, were we ever on the same level? Looks, money, rank—

Not only did everything he relied on shatter, but she pushed him off the edge.

He lost all will to live. Everything in the world felt meaningless, painful, sad, and even disgusting.

He figured it’d be better to just die and leave this messed-up world behind. The decision came quickly, and that’s when he jumped.

* * *

When he finished his story, Super Ribbon lowered her head in sympathy. She didn’t really understand romantic feelings between men and women. However, she was certain of one thing—she was angry. Just hearing it made her furious.

As if absorbing his emotions, she trembled and held back her shaking hands. However, she didn’t think of doing anything drastic, as she knew it wasn’t her place to be involved.

Yet, the other two were different.

“Those pieces of shit, I’ll fry them alive! I was about to comfort you, thinking you lost the will to live because the person you loved died, but this—”

“Wow. This is seriously messed up!!!”

Watching Evangeline and Willow explode in anger, Super Ribbon realized that she wasn’t wrong and it was alright to be angry. She learned something new.

“Hey. Gather up. We’re not letting this slide.”

“I know it’s none of our business, but who cares? He’s your friend, Super Ribbon. That makes him our friend too!”

The three sisters fumed, throwing out whatever justifications they could, completely forgetting how indifferent they had been at first.

“Can we join in too?”

“Rinne evaluates strong enforcement highly.”

“Yeah, that’s too much. I’ll help too if I can.”

Yuria, Rinne, and Marky. The Gourmet Research Society joined in as well.