“Ugh...!”

She opened her eyes to a sharp ache—and saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

...Where am I?

The deafening explosion that nearly ruptured her ears, the billowing black smoke, the slamming impact against the trailer wall—those fragmented moments pieced themselves together like patchwork. Only then did a rough breath burst from her lips.

“Haah... haah...!”

Seoryeong sat up with a start, eyes wide as she scanned the surroundings.

The truck—what happened to the truck? The team? Her body trembled in the aftermath. Even now, when she closed her eyes, the image remained burned into her vision: the steel frame sparking and sliding as it flipped.

A small, enclosed room. Furnished only with a bed and table, it reminded her of the basement where the children had been locked up—dark and suffocating.

But instead of mold, a clean deodorizer scent floated through the air. The sheets were stiff, as if newly laundered. She moved her arm—and froze.

“――!”

Clink—. A long chain connected to the iron bedframe was shackled to her wrist. Clink, clink. Clink, clink. She ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) yanked instinctively, then fell still—gasping in disbelief.

No way... Am I... imprisoned?

She laughed once, breathless and bitter. As if lashing out at the absurdity, she yanked her arm violently again—but her skull only throbbed with dizzying pressure. Just then, the door opened—and Kiya walked in.

“You...!”

Seeing that calm, composed face beneath pristine priest’s robes sent fury surging up her spine. But when she leapt from the bed, the chain snapped taut—Clack—! stopping her short. Like a chained beast, Seoryeong bared her teeth.

“You psycho piece of shit...! What the hell did you do to us?!”

Kiya approached with a smile. On the tray in his hands were a basin of water and a towel. That relaxed, unbothered expression made her blood boil all over again.

The moment he neared the bed, Seoryeong drove her foot straight into his stomach. The tray shook, water sloshing over—but Kiya only kept smiling.

“Sonia... it’s been a long time since you hit me.”

“......”

“Your feet are bigger now. You’ve gotten stronger.”

He didn’t even flinch. His long eyes just creased gently. Then, as if nothing had happened, he set the basin down on the table and opened a drawer. What came out was a pair of extended restraints—like a dog collar.

Humming to himself, he shackled Seoryeong’s ankle to the bedframe. Her boots and socks were long gone. The cold metal dug directly into bare skin.

“What are you doing now, you fucking—!”

She struggled violently, but Kiya subdued her without effort. Pressing down her flailing leg with an elbow, he cuffed her in seconds. Clank, clank. Every time she kicked, the cuffs rattled noisily.

Then he began wiping Seoryeong’s face—stained with grime and blood—with a wet cloth. She flinched away from the one-sided touch, but each time, he grabbed her chin to force her still. His voice was soft, immersed in something almost dreamlike.

“I just wanted it to be the two of us.”

“...What?”

“You always came with so many strings attached, Sonia.”

“......!”

“I brought you here because I was curious—how you've been living, who you’re with now. But that was a mistake. They just got in the way. I have so much to say to you...”

He tilted his head earnestly.

“Some of them... their faces were so punchable. Some were just shameless. Infuriating.”

“......”

“Sonia, I guess I just don’t like ants swarming around.”

Sonia. Again, Sonia. Completely unhinged. This deranged priest had finally gone off the edge. And RPGs in a monastery? What the hell even was he?

Seoryeong’s face twisted into a full scowl. Every nerve screamed. A creeping chill of dread crawled up her spine.

“The others—our team—what did you do to them? Ugh...!”

“They’re finished. None of them will ever get out of there.”

His slimy gaze gleamed. One long hand wrapped around her neck.

Deng, deng—

Just then, the evening bell rang.

“You’ll just stay here, with me. From now on.”

***

By the time Lee Wooshin noticed something flying in the rearview mirror, it was already too late.

He twisted the wheel, hard. But with a deafening boom, the truck flipped into the air. The agents were tossed helplessly as everything shattered around them. Windows burst. The truck skidded across the ground, scraping metal and fire.

The front half of the vehicle—a mangled chunk of steel—tumbled several dozen meters before finally coming to a halt. Smoke poured from its crushed bumper. Blood dripped steadily over blinking eyelids.

In his fading vision, he saw Owl smiling—reaching out her hand. When had this been...? She was fixing his collar, clumsily trying to tie his necktie.

Wooshin kissed the thin skin of her wrist. He didn’t want to leave for work. She pushed him forward, saying he’d be late.

He didn’t want to go. But then his vision shattered, ceiling and floor flipping.

Instructor—!

A voice snapped through the haze. Wooshin’s eyes flew open.

Beep, beep—

An alarm somewhere behind him wailed without pause. How long... how long had he been unconscious? He exhaled a blocked breath—and with it, pain burst like blades through every inch of his body. But sharper than the pain was a jolt of panic.

“Ghh...!”

Han Seoryeong. Seoryeong.

Through the shattered side mirror, he saw the trailer lying still—completely detached.

Just that sight alone made his fingers go numb.

He shouted to the rest of the team.

“Everyone, wake up―!”

One by one, agents began to stir.

“Uhh... ngh...”

Weak groans responded to his voice, but it was obvious—they hadn’t been able to shield themselves from the blast or the glass. Their injuries were severe.

Jin Hoje was in the worst shape. The explosion had scorched one shoulder and half his face. Blood gushed from wounds peppered with glass. One particularly deep shard had pierced his collarbone.

“Agent Jin Hoje. Jin Hoje, stay with me. Hoje. Jin Hoje!”

Suddenly, a voice from memory slithered like a snake—“Bring me that agent’s face.”

Grinding his teeth, Wooshin crawled out of the wreck. He pulled Jin Hoje free and began stopping the bleeding.

His heart pounded—but he couldn’t tell if it was slowing or speeding up. The beeping sound inside the truck continued relentlessly.

“Ugh... Team Leader...”

“You okay—what is that sound...”

From the back seat came scattered voices. Wooshin tied a handkerchief tightly around Jin Hoje’s neck to apply pressure, then staggered to his feet. He began walking toward the trailer.

One name filled his head.

“Wait, fuck, that’s—”

Suddenly, Gitaemin—climbing out behind—froze, face pale. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The persistent beep beep wasn’t from the vehicle. It was coming from the necklace worn by Yu Dawit—blinking red.

For a moment, silence. Then Yu Dawit screamed, veins bulging.

“Team Leader! Stop! Do not move!”

A rare outburst for the usually soft-spoken agent. But Wooshin heard nothing anymore.

He reached the trailer—and was met with a hollow space.

Was this a dream? Another illusion?

No children. No Seoryeong. Just scattered supplies. That was all.

“......”

His empty gaze swept the trailer again and again.

“Haah... haah...”

His frozen mind began to boil. That bastard. Saying “bring me that face” was just bait—to test him. The whole time, he’d only been after Han Seoryeong.

Kiya’s light, playful manner twisted his guts.

Bang—! Wooshin slammed his fist into the wall. Light blinked behind his eyes. His throat felt like it was clamped shut.

That obsession with “Sonia”—clearly unhinged. But the more they tried to pull him away from her, the more he felt compelled to fight it.

He wiped blood out of his lashes and let out a dry laugh.

Still the beep, beep continued.

“Team Leader—! Don’t take another step!”

Yu Dawit shouted again, voice cracking with urgency.

“It’s a trap mine!”

He was holding a portable metal detector. Gitaemin, mid-crawl, froze in place.

“This whole area’s a minefield...!”

Yu Dawit’s voice broke with despair. Landmines. Darkness. Every path toward Han Seoryeong had been blocked.

A perfect trap—Kiya’s handiwork.

In the distance, a spire loomed. Wooshin’s eyes burned.

Kiya... If the child I once held in my arms really was you—then fuck, you turned out rotten.

Night was falling. Moving after dark would be hell. Even detecting mines would be near-impossible.

Wooshin’s lips pressed into a pale line. Seoryeong. Han Seoryeong...

Pain clawed at his throat.

“――.”

Was the path to her always meant to be like this? Was this what it felt like—to be lost, with no way forward?

“Don’t move, Team Leader—!”

But still, he wanted to reach her.

Maybe the path to Han Seoryeong had always been this brutal. Even if he never confessed. Never repented. He had to go.

Wooshin took a step forward.