Suwon – Saturday Morning
A light breeze drifted through the city, carrying with it the smell of grilled sweet potatoes and blooming lilies from the park vendors.
It was peaceful.
But not for long.
Inside a sleek black van parked near the main intersection, a group of men and women watched a tablet screen intently.
> "He left his house. Headed toward the north end of the city."
> "Do we engage?"
> "No," said the woman in charge. Her voice was cold, practiced.
"Observe only. Do not interact. Not yet."
On the screen, Jung Ha-Joon walked down the street in his hoodie and sneakers, hands in his pockets, as ordinary as any other student.
But their data said otherwise.
> "Red eyes. No aura. No mana flow. But the system identified him as a Class-X anomaly."
> "What's Class-X?"
> "A placeholder. Because we have no scale for it yet."
---
Elsewhere – Suwon Hunter's Guild Branch
Baek Seo-Yeon sat in a quiet, private room, her Guild training manual closed in front of her.
The branch leader—a broad-shouldered man in his forties named Captain Ryu—sat across from her.
> "So," he began, "you're saying your classmate… might be something more?"
> "I'm not saying it," she replied firmly. "I'm warning you."
> "There are rumors," Ryu admitted. "The Gate incident. The eye color. The girl following him."
> "He's not dangerous," Seo-Yeon added quickly. "Not unless someone tries to hurt him."
Ryu studied her a long moment.
> "You're close to him?"
> "I'm trying to be."
> "Then stay close. And keep reporting in. But don't interfere."
> "You're afraid of him," she said.
> "No," he replied.
"I'm afraid of what might come looking for him."
---
Downtown Suwon – A Quiet Cafe
Ji-Yun sat at a window seat, sipping barley tea, pretending to enjoy the sunlight.
She wasn't alone.
Two men entered the cafe. One took the seat across from her without asking. The other remained standing by the door, eyes watching the street.
> "Ji-Yun," the seated one said. "It's been a long time."
She didn't smile.
> "You were ordered not to find me."
> "And you were ordered not to return to Earth."
She looked out the window.
> "He's remembering."
The man's face hardened.
> "Then we're out of time."
---
Back with Ha-Joon – Abandoned Lot Behind Suwon High
Ha-Joon walked behind the school, away from cameras and traffic. He knew they were watching.
He didn't care.
He knelt by a broken fence and touched a stone hidden in the weeds.
A faint hum answered.
It wasn't mana.
It was memory.
Another piece.
Suddenly—
Footsteps.
He turned calmly.
A girl stood there. Not Ji-Yun. Not Seo-Yeon.
She wore a student uniform, unfamiliar, and her aura felt… wrong. Too precise.
> "You're hard to follow," she said.
> "You're not from this school."
> "I'm not from this world," she replied, smiling.
His eyes narrowed.
> "Watcher?"
She bowed slightly.
> "Correct."
He stood.
> "Leave."
> "We can't," she said. "You're waking up. We're here to measure what remains."
> "Then you're already too late."
He didn't raise his hand.
Didn't activate anything.
But the girl froze.
Her body locked in place—unable to move, breathe, even blink.
She looked down. Her shadow had vanished.
Then, she vanished with it.
---
Watcher Van – Emergency Alarm
> "Agent-13 lost!"
> "Signal severed. No trace."
The commanding woman stood quickly.
> "He's active."
> "Do we pull back?"
> "No," she said. "Now we wait. He's giving us limits. That's more than we had yesterday."
---
Ji-Yun's Apartment – That Night
She returned to her tiny rooftop apartment above a convenience store. Clean. Quiet. Ordinary.
She didn't take off her shoes.
Instead, she opened a drawer and took out a thin metallic cube.
She pressed her thumb to it.
A hologram appeared—images of Ha-Joon through multiple cycles, lifetimes, and civilizations.
Most of them ended the same:
Alone. Surrounded by ruins.
A red throne behind him.
His eyes glowing like stars.
> "Don't sit on it again," she whispered.
> "Please… not this time."
---
Final Scene – Ha-Joon's Room
He stood in front of the window, crimson eyes reflecting the night lights.
Behind him, the pendant now floated silently in the air, spinning slowly.
He didn't command it.
It moved on its own.
Outside, the watchers waited. The hunters whispered. Ji-Yun worried.
But inside, Ha-Joon finally spoke aloud:
> "I was never meant to return."
He opened his hand.
The pendant dropped into it—and for just a blink—
His eyes pulsed.
And every camera in the city glitched.
---