Chapter 1: Wake up from Sleep

Small stature, delicate features.

Softly flowing silver bob and silver eyes.

A golden, round ring floating above her head and a pair of small, dainty wings.

A girl with features too unusual to be human.

As the girl lightly raised her hand, the massive sinking ship instantly floated into the air.

Along with it, cheers erupted from all directions, accompanied by the incessant clicking of camera shutters.

Click. Click. Click.

Along with the familiar voices of reporters delivering the news.

“Yes, I’m here near Mokpo Harbor….”

“Just now, the angel lifted the sinking….”

“Today, she can be called the guardian angel of the Republic of Korea….”

The scene of the accident was crowded with people.

Despite the perilous situation that could have resulted in a massive loss of life, people’s attention was solely focused on the small girl who had just lifted the ship, her face flushed with embarrassment.

I opened my eyes underwater.

Warm and comfortable, like being nestled in my mother’s embrace.

It was a strange underwater world where I could breathe naturally, even without gills.

I could see a membrane-like substance with visible veins surrounding me.

It pulsed rhythmically, like a heartbeat, and watching it brought a sense of tranquility.

‘…Where… is this?’

Thanks to this calmness, I could relatively calmly try to recall why I was here.

Of course, I couldn’t figure out the reason.

My last memory was of my entire body tingling like I’d been struck by lightning on my way to work.

Feeling puzzled, I delved deeper into the remaining memories in my head.

Strangely, the memories were fragmented, and there weren’t many left.

Certainly, there was no useful information about this current situation.

Still, if I tried to recall them, I remembered my name was Kim Haneul, a 23-year-old male.

Born into a dirt-poor family burdened with debt, I worked tirelessly every day of the week.

‘Oh…?’

Suddenly, I realized something.

This current situation, where I could curl up and rest, wasn’t so bad.

This place was the complete opposite of my life, where I had always lived chased by time.

So, I decided to enjoy the coziness of this place to the fullest.

It didn’t matter anymore whether this was the afterlife or somewhere else.

I was strangely satisfied with the current situation and just wanted to sleep.

Yes, I wanted to sleep.

A very, very deep sleep….

Unable to resist the temptation, I slowly closed my eyes.

Crack. Crack.

At that moment, the space around me began to change abruptly.

‘…?’

Starting from what seemed like the ceiling, the membranes began to break apart, and water started pouring in.

Crack.

Whoosh-

The membranes continued to shatter rapidly.

Along with it, the water inside began to disappear quickly.

I flinched, startled by the cold air that suddenly touched my face.

Having been underwater, the air felt twice as cold and unfamiliar.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

The air stung my eyes, making them water.

My body was immobile, like a corpse, but I was thankful that I could at least blink.

Anyway, even with my eyes closed, I could still hear the sound of the membranes breaking.

Finally, when all the membranes had shattered, I collapsed limply onto the ground with a thud.

I felt like the Little Mermaid who hadn’t gained legs yet and had been brought out of the water.

Or like a goldfish that had fallen out of a broken fishbowl.

What on earth was happening now?

Feeling my heart flutter slightly, I cautiously opened my eyes.

The first thing I saw was the asphalt floor soaked with spilled water.

And then, a number of unidentified black shoes.

However, here, “black shoes” didn’t simply mean footwear.

It meant that a crowd of people was looking down at me.

Thump-thump.

My heart started pounding uncontrollably.

I felt a vague fear of the sight before me.

After all, right after escaping from an unknown space, I was now being stared down by a crowd of people.

And it was me, naked, unable to move a muscle, not a single thread covering my body.

How could I not be surprised?

This would undoubtedly be a terrifying and horrifying situation for anyone.

‘what is this…!’

Overwhelmed by fear, I tightly shut my eyes.

Then, I felt my body being lifted into the air.

‘…?’

Surprised by the sudden change, I opened my eyes again, and this time, I saw the face of a smiling woman.

She introduced herself as “Lee Hyejin.”

“Hello, Angel! It’s a pleasure to meet you again! I’m Lee Hyejin, and I’ll be in charge of your care!”

“Hello. Likewise, I’m Park Gyutae.”

“……?”

Forced to sit on a sofa, I stared blankly at the two people in front of me who were suddenly introducing themselves.

They had taken me somewhere after finding me naked on the ground, and I couldn’t grasp the situation at all.

Where was this place?

Was the tingling sensation before I lost consciousness actually from a taser?

With some kind of cloth draped over me, I moved my eyes around to assess my surroundings.

The room appeared to be part of a luxurious hotel, exuding an antique elegance, spacious even from what I could see. Of course, I’d never actually been in a luxury hotel, so this was just a guess.

‘Hmm….’

Anyway, this information wasn’t particularly helpful in my current situation.

I had no choice but to look back at my so-called caretakers.

Then, I noticed that the woman named Lee Hyejin was smiling brightly, almost strangely excited.

Her expression conveyed an overwhelming sense of happiness.

Perhaps the kidnapping had been so successful that she was overflowing with excitement. There was no other way to explain this situation.

But was I really valuable enough to be kidnapped…?

Enough to warrant assigned caretakers…?

Looking at Lee Hyejin, this question suddenly crossed my mind. Objectively, I didn’t have that kind of value, no matter how many times I considered it.

But trying to understand the minds of criminals was foolish. I decided it was better to ask directly about the kidnapping. Of course, there was no guarantee they would answer truthfully. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to try.

Steeling myself, I swallowed and cautiously opened my mouth,

“…….”

Just like my body, my voice wouldn’t come out, making it impossible to ask anything.

‘Idiot….’

If I couldn’t even move a finger, of course, my voice wouldn’t work either. However, Park Gyutae seemed to notice my attempt and quickly explained something.

“Ah, Angel, since you’ve just woken up, your body is still unstable. You’ll probably be able to speak properly by tomorrow.”

A concise and easy-to-understand explanation. So, the reason I couldn’t feel any strength in my body was, according to the explanation, something that would resolve itself over time.

At first, I thought I might have been drugged or something, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

I breathed a sigh of relief internally, and at the same time, I felt a nagging ache in my back muscles. It seemed my sitting posture wasn’t ideal.

Ache.

If I left it like this, muscle soreness was guaranteed.

I tried the best I could in my current state. I slowly leaned my body to the side, letting my balance collapse.

As expected, I sank like a doll into the surprisingly plush sofa, and for some reason, I saw Lee Hyejin hurriedly covering her mouth with a flushed face.

…She wasn’t about to curse just because I lay down a bit, was she…?

I started to regret moving so freely when I wasn’t even sure I wasn’t a hostage yet.

Knock, knock.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

‘…What now?’

I naturally moved my eyes, following Lee Hyejin’s back as she headed towards the door. A slight tension crept in, wondering what would happen this time.

Lee Hyejin spoke to someone at the door and was handed something.

It was a pure white sleeveless dress. Judging by its small size, it seemed like it was for a young girl.

‘Hmm…? Was there a child here…? Why was that suddenly…?’

The appearance of the dress was completely out of the blue.

Naturally, my mind was filled with questions. What were they planning to do with it?

I stared blankly at Lee Hyejin without much thought. Then, she looked back at me and smiled brightly.

‘……?’

It was a meaningful smile that suddenly filled me with unease.

‘No way… right…?’

Feeling bewildered, I gulped involuntarily. Even though I was a man, they wouldn’t actually make me wear that, would they?

Unless they had a peculiar fetish for dressing men in women’s clothing, there was absolutely no way that would happen.

‘Yeah…! It, it wouldn’t even fit…! Definitely not, not mine….’

I firmly believed that until the moment Lee Hyejin came right up to me.

Until the moment her mischievous smile came into my wavering focus.

“Ah, senior. You absolutely cannot look.”

Lee Hyejin murmured, followed by Park Gyutae’s flustered voice.

Slip.

Swish.

The sound of thin fabric against skin echoed sequentially through the room.

“Wow, oh wow…! Angel, it suits you so well!!!”

“…….”

Just like that, I was dressed in an ankle-length dress, and Lee Hyejin’s genuine admiration made me want to die.

[Breaking News] South Korea’s Angel awakens after 16 years.

[Breaking News] Worldwide attention pours in for South Korea’s Angel, the last to awaken….

.

.

.

“Wow~ It’s a total frenzy, isn’t it? Everyone’s talking about the Angel.”

Lee Hyejin said, glancing between the adorable sleeping girl on the TV screen and the internet news on her laptop.

“Well, it’s to be expected. She’s the last of the five Angels.”

“That’s right. And she’s the smallest and cutest too. Hehehe…”

The news was already forgotten. Lee Hyejin stared fixedly at the TV screen with a silly grin.

What she was watching was the feed from the surveillance camera installed in the Angel’s room, put in place for efficient care and to prevent any unforeseen accidents.

This feed was broadcast nationwide on TV from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., a 12-hour period. This was a rule implemented due to the public’s strong demand for their right to know.

“…I’m telling you this now, but you better be careful. If you show even the slightest bit of disrespect towards the Angel in public, you’ll be writing a formal apology.”

“Hey~ I know! Of course, I’ll be careful in public! Ah! Of course, when she lay down on the sofa earlier, I almost couldn’t contain myself. Hehehehe…”

“…Seriously.”

Park Gyutae shook his head with a tired expression at her relaxed demeanor.

“Anyway, we’re going to be incredibly busy.”

“Ah, yes~ Because other countries are trying to steal the Angel, right?”

“…Hey, don’t talk about the Angel like she’s an object.”

“Well, it’s not wrong, is it? I feel like I’m going to cry right now if I think about her being taken away and not being able to see her anymore.”

“…….”

The beings called Angels inherently lacked any sense of national belonging. Placing a country’s name before their name was merely a reflection of human greed. They were simply transcendental beings who happened to awaken in that particular country.

Therefore, other countries frequently attempted to lure Angels away. There was even a case of an Italian Angel now living in the United States.

Furthermore, the Korean Angel was like a newborn, completely unaware of the ways of the world. Naturally, she would garner even more attention in this pure, innocent state.

Park Gyutae felt a headache coming on, anticipating the events to come. Lee Hyejin, however, remained oblivious, completely absorbed by the TV screen.

“Ah! She moved! Oh, so cute!!!”

“…….”