Chapter 28
My grip on the sword was iron, my nerves coiled tight. The weight was nothing—I’d handled far worse. But the dim, eerie light and the desolate, desert-like landscape twisted something inside me. The shape of this space felt wrong. I was inside a Gate. I hadn’t hesitated. I’d charged in alone, reckless, my footsteps loud, unmuffled. No, I’d been shaking—not with fear, but with a rage so fierce it vibrated through my entire body. For the first time in my life, I knew what it was to burn with fury.
Before I could even try to steady myself, a horde of monstrous figures came barreling toward me. Their purple, slimy skin was even more grotesque up close than I’d imagined. I adjusted my grip, settled into my stance. I knew from training that a swarm like this would take a team of A-rank Hunters—or higher—to bring down. But no one was here to help me.
And I knew that. My body still hummed with the ghost of another’s presence, but I shook it off and swung my sword in a wide, brutal arc. The movement was fluid, precise—the force gathered in my core surging through the blade. Several monsters collapsed at once.
No rest. I dodged a clumsy attack from the side and swung again, wider this time. The monsters fell like water rushing downhill, their resistance nothing. For the final blow, I didn’t even bother with the sword—I punched straight through. The monster’s head exploded with a sickening crunch.
I felt nothing. As if I’d done this a thousand times before.
I waded through the sea of blood, snapping off heads and prying out the red, gem-like cores from their chests with my bare hands. I took only what I needed, stored them in my carrier, and stood still, waiting for the Gate’s exit to open.
The sky above was an artificial black, but I sat down as if I were in some rural backyard beneath the Milky Way. I breathed deeply. The air reeked of blood, but I’d grown so used to the scent it almost felt like home—like I could live here forever, breathing it in.
I lost track of time. A small dot appeared in the void, swirling, expanding. The outside world blurred as if seen through a veil. I stood and stepped out of the Gate.
Reporters, journalists, and influencers were already waiting. Gates spawned randomly—there was no way they could have known in advance. Yet here they were, strange and relentless. I frowned at the flashes and pushed through the crowd, ignoring their shouts. I didn’t feel like engaging. I headed for a quieter spot to wait for the Combat Bureau’s car.
“How does it feel to clear an A-rank Gate alone?”
“You’re the first in the country to do this—any thoughts?”
I waved them off, annoyed. They didn’t back down, hurling more questions.
“The gap between you and Cha Hyerin, the second-ranked Hunter, has widened even further. Any comment?”
“A word for your father, who must be watching from the Combat Bureau!”
I’d been expressionless the whole time, but now I shot them a glare so cold it should have frozen them on the spot. They only grew more excited.
“A message for your fans!”
“Will you be donating this reward money as well—”
I ignored them and pushed through faster. Behind me, they kept calling my name.
“Dohyun! Just one shot over here!”
“Dohyun…”
***
I opened my eyes. This time, I wasn’t drenched in sweat or gasping for air. It wasn’t the first dream like this, so I could dismiss it as another figment of my imagination. But dreaming as Yu Dohyun always left me unsettled. The familiar pattern on the blanket told me I was back in my own room. Then, a familiar scent reached me.
“You’re awake.”
Yu Hyunjae sat in the chair beside my bed. A thermometer and a dry towel lay on the table—he must have been taking care of me. For a moment, my heart lurched, but his face was as indifferent as ever. He was only here because someone had ordered him to be.
“…Thanks.”
Hyunjae just looked at me. Then, abruptly, he asked, “Why are you like this?”
“Like what?”
“What are you thinking…”
I didn’t answer.
“Are you actually being nice to me, or just pretending to be?”
I blinked a few times. My dry eyes couldn’t even muster a tear. That was a relief.
“Think simply.”
“What?”
I spoke again, my voice slightly hoarse but calm. “It’s my heart.”
My heart. In a world where nothing truly belonged to me, it was the only thing I could still control, even if just a little. Even if we were all just pawns in a scripted world, living lives where our very existence was a luxury. At least my heart could be mine—wholly, truly.
“Can’t I even have that?”
Wouldn’t it be cruel to take even that away?
“…I don’t know yet.”
“You don’t have to know.”
“Are you someone else?”
“You can think of me that way if you want.”
“Why didn’t you oppose me going to the Combat Bureau?”
That made him pause. I couldn’t read his thoughts. Why? Was there a reason I shouldn’t go? Or was it strange that he hadn’t opposed it at all? But before I could press, Hyunjae turned away. I decided that was enough for now. I would close my eyes to what I could, and every now and then, when the melancholy crept in, I would take out my heart—just a little, just enough to examine it without changing anything. And when the time came, I would die by his hand, just as the script demanded. That was the ideal plot.
After Hyunjae left, I picked up my phone and opened the messenger app. I tapped on a name that had become familiar in my recent chats and sent a brief message.
“Look into someone for me.”
Han Jaemin: “Chanhee, starting your tyrannical bullshit again?”
The name is Kim Guhyeon. He’s the Chief of the Security Bureau in the Combat Division.
***
Open-top cars are freezing. This was the first time I’d been in a passenger seat this uncomfortable since riding with Cha Suhyun. We’d met because we each had our own agendas, but Han Jaemin had thrown open the entire roof of the car and was driving like he was on a leisurely Sunday cruise. For someone leading an anti-government faction bent on overthrowing the system, he was awfully brazen.
“Where are we going?”
“What~ did you say~?”
Han Jaemin leaned toward me, pretending he couldn’t hear over the wind. I wasn’t in the mood to play along, so I stayed silent. He straightened up and said nonchalantly, “We’re going to get something good to eat.”
See? I told you I heard you.
“I never said I’d eat with you.”
“Hmm? What was that, Chanhee?”
I barely resisted the urge to punch him with everything I had. In the end, I just let him drive wherever he wanted. We ended up at a secluded restaurant at the foot of a mountain, famous for its gukbap.
“How good would it be to have a bowl of this soup with some soju and then go hiking? Have you tried it, Chanhee?”
“Do you want to get arrested?”
“Oh, right. You’re still a student, aren’t you?”
I thought you were my hyung with how bossy you’re being.
Han Jaemin kept deliberately needling me, as if he’d planned it all along. Did he think he was someone important? He was just asking to get his neck snapped by Hyunjae and have his rank sorted out instantly. The petty thought actually made me feel a little better.
“Answer the question I asked earlier.”
“Before that—”
Han Jaemin, still grinning, asked, “You’ll have to tell me the purpose of this information gathering.”
“I don’t like that he’s one of my father’s close associates.”
Han Jaemin’s eyebrow arched like a mountain. “You’re really something, Chanhee.”
“What do you mean?”
“You grew up so loved, yet you’re so desperate to rebel against your father. Meanwhile, I can’t even get the love I want.”
“Does it only matter if it benefits you?”
“Well, in the end, yeah.”
I took the thin envelope Han Jaemin had been holding since earlier. He insisted on giving me the information in physical form, saying data transfers weren’t secure. I slowly pulled out the contents and began to read.
