Suwon – Rooftop, Night
The night was cold but clear.
Ha-Joon and Ji-Yun sat side by side, a quiet city stretching endlessly beneath them. A peaceful world. A fragile world.
She handed him something wrapped in an old, faded cloth.
It was small. Oval. Cold.
He unwrapped it slowly.
Inside was a black stone pendant, barely larger than his thumb. Cracks ran across its surface, glowing faintly with red light—as if reacting to his presence.
Ha-Joon didn't recognize it.
Yet something in his chest twisted sharply.
> "What is this?"
> "Something you gave me," Ji-Yun replied.
"Long ago. When we were both… different."
> "From before I entered the Gate?"
> "Yes."
He stared at the pendant.
> "I don't remember anything before that day. Not one second."
> "That's not an accident," she said softly.
"You made sure of it."
---
Elsewhere – Inside the Bone Tower (Gate #3)
Something massive stirred beneath the structure.
Bone shifted. Tendrils stretched upward. The pulse of the tower grew faster.
It had felt the stone pendant awaken.
And it recognized the power bonded to it.
> "The Crimson One... remembers," it whispered.
> "Then we must act."
---
Back in Suwon – Jung Family Shop, Morning
Life resumed.
His mother restocked milk and eggs. His father left early for his job at the security booth. Ha-Rin counted change at the register.
Ji-Yun had not returned since last night.
Ha-Joon slipped the pendant into a locked drawer and headed out silently, his school uniform perfectly ironed.
No one suspected anything had changed.
But everything had.
---
At School – Library Period
Baek Seo-Yeon cornered him during study time.
> "That girl—Ji-Yun—who is she?"
> "Just someone I used to know."
> "From when?"
He hesitated.
> "Before the Gate."
Seo-Yeon blinked.
> "That's not possible. You said you didn't remember anything before that day."
He looked at her for a moment.
Then gave a small, bitter smile.
> "Maybe I lied."
She grabbed his wrist.
> "Why are you pushing everyone away?"
He met her eyes.
His voice was calm, but heavy.
> "Because if I don't… you'll all be dragged into something you can't fight."
---
That Afternoon – Underground Archive, Seoul
In a secured government facility, Guild officials examined a digital scan of the pendant's energy trace.
> "This doesn't match any Gate crystal."
> "It's not made from Earth materials."
> "Then where is it from?"
An older researcher stepped forward.
> "It's not where," she said.
> "It's when."
---
Evening – Park Overlooking the City
Ji-Yun met Ha-Joon again.
They sat on a bench under a flickering lamp.
> "There are things you should remember," she said.
> "But I won't force you."
He turned toward her.
> "Why did I erase them in the first place?"
Ji-Yun's voice softened.
> "Because you were afraid."
> "Afraid of yourself."
He didn't speak for a long time.
> "I'm not afraid anymore," he said at last.
She nodded.
> "Then when the time comes, the stone will show you everything."
---
Elsewhere – Hidden Hunter Network
In an encrypted global chat:
> [UnknownUser34]: "Sighting confirmed. Crimson eyes. Suwon, Korea."
[WatcherNet7]: "Gate resonance increasing. Tower #3 pulsing every 4 hours."
[HighPriest]: "Initiate observation protocol. Don't engage."
[UnknownUser34]: "He's not hiding anymore."
[WatcherNet7]: "He never was. He was just… resting."
---
Final Scene – Ha-Joon's Room, Late Night
He sat alone at his desk, pendant in hand.
It vibrated faintly now.
Not in warning. Not in danger.
But like a heart calling out to him.
He closed his eyes.
And saw…
Nothing.
Only silence. Blackness. A void with distant whispers.
He opened his eyes again.
> "Not yet," he whispered.
"But soon."
His crimson pupils glowed faintly in the reflection of his window.
Behind him, the pendant pulsed once—deep and red.
---