“Who knows?
Maybe someone was playing games.”
His words trailed off.
His pointed, almond-shaped eyes, though hazed by the drug, narrowed sharply.
When that gaze landed on him, Gwanghyeon nearly choked.
“Sh-should I find out who it was?”
Mujin nodded.
“How did you know I was here?”
“A town resident reported you.”
“Where are they now?”
“Uh… they were gone when we arrived.” Gwanghyeon scratched his chin.
Silence fell.
A non-awakened person caught in a Gate Surge would typically hide and wait for rescue.
But to call for help and then vanish?
Gwanghyeon glanced at the lab coat and mop handle in Mujin’s hands.
“That is strange.”
Her ear itched.
Dana scratched her earlobe, tilting her head.
Class had just ended.
The campus was still buzzing about the disaster in Seokpo.
It was the first major incident in a long time for South Korea, a country with relatively few Gate appearances, and it had resulted in dozens of casualties.
As the professor finished, students began filing out in groups.
‘The articles are all focused on the awakened people.
Only one even mentions the death toll.’
Swiping through the news on her phone, Dana slowly rose from her seat.
Just then, someone strode toward her.
“Hey, Dana Lee!”
It was Jintae, his beard now thicker than ever, looking nothing like a college student.
“Why is it so hard to find you?” he demanded.
“Why haven’t you been in school?
I thought you might be dead…” He trailed off as Dana looked up.
Her expression was as indifferent as ever, as if the world could burn down around her without leaving a mark.
But a distinct yellow bruise marred the skin around her eye.
Jintae stammered, pointing.
“What’s that?
Did someone hit you?”
“Ah,” Dana said, blinking.
It was the only emotion she showed.
“I bumped into something.”
“At least make your lies believable.”
She gave him an annoyed look.
“What do you need?”
“Well, it’s not that I need something…” Jintae collected himself, scratching his cheek awkwardly.
Dana stared, wondering what had him so flustered.
“I came because I was worried.”
“Worried?”
“Of course I was worried!” he exclaimed.
“When I came to my senses, I’d been rescued, but you were gone.
You weren’t at school, you weren’t answering your phone…”
“I lost my phone that day.”
“How can you be so calm?
So, what happened?”
Her eye throbbed, and she recalled the events of a week ago.
When she’d reached the danger zone on the other side of town, Espers were hunting low-level demon beasts while staff from the center managed the recovery.
But Doha wasn’t there.
After a fruitless search, the fatigue of the day washed over her.
Her body felt heavy as lead as she turned away from the chaos.
She found an abandoned car and drove to the last possible location: a resort on a mountainside, over an hour from the zone’s health center.
The place had been chosen for their practical training because, ten years ago, a Gate had opened there.
Though now a bustling tourist spot, remnants of demon beasts still lurked in the mountains.
The resort greeted her with a glamorous facade that betrayed no hint of past tragedy.
A young couple brushed past her.
“Wow, look.
A Gate opened in Seokpo.”
“Seriously?
When?
I was so busy gaming, I didn’t even check my phone.”
“The Espers must have handled it quickly.”
It was so peaceful.
They were surprised, maybe even a little concerned, but it was ultimately someone else’s problem.
Dana felt a surge of confusion.
‘Then where is Doha?’
She stood frozen for a moment before heading to the parking garage and beginning a thorough search.
Amid the rows of flashy cars, she finally stopped in front of one.
A boxy, rugged black vehicle reminiscent of a military transport.
A G-Wag.
Chairman Lee had loved them since his youth and had bought this one for Doha as an admission gift to Ideia University.
Doha’s car was here.
A few people glanced at the girl standing blankly by a concrete pillar.
Soon, a security guard approached to ask for her identification.
She showed him her student ID and explained she was looking for her missing training team.
The guard chuckled.
How could they be missing if their car was right here?
‘I know, right,’ Dana thought, forcing a smile.
She waited for what must have been two hours.
As midnight approached, the resort remained brightly lit, gamblers streaming out of the casino, their faces flushed with excitement or soured by defeat.
Just as she’d lost all track of time, she heard a familiar voice.
“Doha, I was wrong.
I’m telling you, I was wrong… I just thought you were so tired.
I thought sleeping pills might help.”
It was him.
The man she’d been searching for.
But Dana couldn’t move, could only watch from the shadows.
Even in the dim light, Doha was beautiful.
He turned to Saeron, a faint smile on his lips.
Hope blossomed in Saeron’s eyes.
“Go,” he said, his smile vanishing.
His expression was colder than anything she had ever seen.
Saeron’s lips trembled.
“And stay out of my sight.”
Only then did Dana move, stepping up to the driver’s side door just ahead of Doha.
He noticed her, his eyebrows rising slightly in the only sign of his surprise.
“Here, the key.”
Dana took it, slid into the driver’s seat, and started the engine.
Saeron, dazed by Doha’s rejection, turned at the sound.
Her face twisted into a snarl when she saw Dana.
Her carefully made-up eyes narrowed fiercely.
Dana put the car in drive, her gaze indifferent.
Saeron looked so different now.
Her signature wavy hair was straightened, and her sophisticated makeup made her look strikingly like Yeonhwa Hwang.
‘Doha was kind to her from the beginning,’ Dana mused.
‘Anyone would get the wrong idea.
They wouldn’t understand that his affection was no different from petting a dog.’
That inflated confidence had led her to spike his drink.
Dana remembered putting sleeping pills in his tea as a child and felt a chill.
If her intentions hadn’t been pure, she could have ended up just like Saeron.
A bitter laugh escaped her.
Saeron, mistaking it for a sneer, glared menacingly.
Dana considered telling her about Aram Jin’s death but decided against it.
Bad news could wait.
It was a small mercy.
Her return to Yangundang had been poorly timed.
President Lee and his wife were seething over news of Mujin’s latest success.
Unable to direct their rage at Doha, they took it out on her.
Doha disliked anyone touching his “possession,” so they waited until he was meeting with Chairman Lee before the violence began.
Even the brutish President Lee usually avoided her face, but Mujin’s triumph must have truly stung.
“Are you really okay?” Jintae’s worried voice pulled Dana from her thoughts.
She nodded.
He didn’t look convinced.
“Well, it’s a miracle you survived that mess.
Are you getting counseling?
I started going because of the nightmares.”
Nightmares.
She’d had them every night she was locked in the storehouse.
“I’m fine.
It’s not like I’m going to die.”
“Even so… Forget it.
You’re strange.
I can’t tell if you’re brave or just crazy.”
“Did you come here just to insult me?”
“No.
I came to ask you something.
I’ve been hearing strange rumors, and I wanted to see if you were involved.”
“Strange rumors?”
“Yeah.
Dana, have you ever met Mujin Park?”
At the unexpected name, Dana’s pupils dilated.
Why was Jintae saying his name?
Was this rumor about her?
A dozen questions flashed through her mind.