The air inside YG Corporation's west wing was colder—sterile. Ji-Hyun stood before the biometric scanner, disguised beneath tinted glasses and a lab coat swiped from the records department. Her heart thudded with every beep of the machine.
She shouldn't have been able to enter this part of the building—only three people had access: Yue Wang, personal assistant, and a man listed in the archives only as "Project Architect - K."
A green light blinked. Access granted.
Her breath hitched. Why? Why did it grant me access?
The door slid open, revealing rows of dark glass chambers. Behind each pane shimmered digital blueprints, neurological maps, surveillance data—all tied to one name: The K Project.
On one screen, a paused video flickered to life as she passed. Her parents. Younger, vibrant, holding hands in a forest clearing. A faint audio feed crackled:
> "They'll come for the child if we activate the gate. We must separate her from the pendant."
> "I won't let them take Yue Lusi, She's too young to carry this burden…"
But she wondered why her name was mentioned instead if Yue Xianying
Her eyes stung. She staggered forward, every breath sharper than the last.
Suddenly, a cold voice echoed from the shadows. "You shouldn't be here."
Yue Wang.
He stepped into the light, hands clasped behind his back. "Tell me, dear niece… ?how's your health?" He gave a fake smile
Ji-Hyun froze.
He continued, circling her. "You always were your mother's daughter. Nosy. Brave. Reckless. You should rest at home"
"Oh just checking around the company to see how it's going" She gave him a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Oh uncle can you tell me why my parents are killed"
Yue Wang's smile vanished. "They chose to die for something that couldn't be controlled."
Yue Lusi triedto hide her anger. "And what's that thing uncle?!"
Kang Ha whispered. "You won't like to know but Yue Xianying," he paused and looked at her
"They'll be coming for you soon—the real ones. The ones who started the K Project long before you were even born."
---------------
In a Hidden Server Room
Back in her villa later that night, Yue Lusi inserted the recovered USB into an isolated laptop. A single encrypted file blinked on the screen: ChronoKey_Origin.mp4.
She clicked.
> The screen showed her father, pale and sweating, holding the jade pendant before the camera.
> "Yue Lusi… if you're watching this, we're already gone. The pendant chooses its bearer. It's older than memory, older than time. They'll tell you it's a gift, but it's a curse."
She wondered why her name is mentioned but not Yue Xianying. Is there something that she didn't know?
> "The ChronoKey is not just a way to travel—it's a prison key. You're the jailer. And someone's trying to get out."
> "Don't trust anyone—not even those who claim to love you. And if you find Li Xuanyin—don't leave his side. He's not just your protector."
> "He's your soul anchor."
The video ended. Yue Lusi sat frozen.
Li Xuanyin's face swam before her eyes. Soul anchor. Protector. Lover... or sacrifice?
Her pulse thundered.
----------
Elsewhere, Li Xuanyin sat alone in an abandoned observatory. The sky above swirled with strange stars. His hand glowed faintly—the Mark of the Gatekeeper pulsing.
He whispered her name to the wind.
Far away, the jade pendant flared.
And time… shifted.
-------------
The villa was silent, perched on a cliff's edge like a lone sentinel watching the sea. Yue Lusi sat cross-legged on the rug, the glow of the USB footage still haunting her laptop screen. The jade pendant pulsed faintly on the table beside her, as if breathing.
Too quiet, she thought, glancing toward the dark windows. Mira Mu had gone to fetch dinner. The bodyguards were unusually delayed returning from patrol. She rose, instincts on edge.
Then—
The lights cut out.
Yue Lusi froze. The air thickened.
A second later, a crash shattered the glass door to the veranda. Three masked intruders stormed in, dressed in tactical black. No insignias. No words.
Her hands scrambled for the jade pendant. The moment her fingers closed around it, a ripple surged through the room. Time slowed—but not enough.
One of the masked men lunged. Yue Lusi dove behind the couch, barely dodging the sweep of his blade. Another flash of movement—he pulled a tranquilizer gun.
She reached for the ChronoKey. It glowed dimly. Not enough charge. Dammit!
Gunfire erupted in the hallway. A thud. Silence.
And then—Li Xuanyin appeared. Drenched from rain, eyes wild, hands glowing faintly silver. He moved like lightning. One attacker slammed into a wall with a supernatural crunch. The other collapsed under a pressure wave that cracked the ceiling.
Li Xuanyin turned to her. "They found you."
Yue Lusi stared, breathless. "Who are they?"
He pulled her up, fingers warm against hers. "The ones who created the ChronoKey. The ones your father warned you about."
"Why now?"
"Because," he said, eyes darkening, "you unlocked the Origin file. They know it's activated. You've triggered the Hunt."
Aftermath
Minutes later, Ji-Hyun stood in the wreckage, trembling. One attacker still clung to life. Li Xuanyin crouched beside him, placing a glowing hand to the man's temple.
The man's eyes widened in terror. "The Gate… must never open."
"What gate?" Ji-Hyun demanded.
He didn't answer. Instead, he began to convulse—and then, like a puppet cut from its strings, he died.
No wounds. No poison. Just… gone.
Li Xuanyin stood, his expression grim. "They're not human anymore."
Ji-Hyun clutched the jade pendant to her chest. "What am I becoming?"
Li Xuanyin stepped closer. "Not what. Who. You're becoming the one person who can either save this world… or destroy the next."