Episode 004
Jo Yoo-hwa couldn’t believe it. That kind of experiment… happening inside the research center?
She was in shock.
Ever since she found that file, she hadn’t slept properly. One day, while trying to clear her head in the garden outside the center—
“Yoo-hwa.”
“Oh… sunbae, came out for some coffee?”
She was still distracted by what she read in that classified document.
“Yeah. And you… doing errands again, huh?”
Ryu Ji-seung walked over and started chatting casually.
“You look like something’s bothering you.”
“Well…”
At that time, Ryu Ji-seung was the only person Yoo-hwa trusted.
“What’s wrong? You can tell me.”
That warm gaze of his… she’d always leaned on that.
After hesitating for a moment, she ended up telling him everything—what she found in the secret document.
“Shouldn’t we report it?”
“Hmm…”
Ryu Ji-seung furrowed his brow.
“Well, this is… a problem.”
“I know, right? How could something like this happen at the center? We have to let people know.”
Yoo-hwa was hoping—really hoping—he’d help her figure out what to do.
But then, he said something totally unexpected.
“You shouldn’t have found that.”
His tone was suddenly ice-cold.
“This is why people at the center don’t like you, Yoo-hwa. You’re too honest.”
“…What?”
She honestly thought she’d misheard him.
“I’m sad you saw that, really.”
That gentle smile he always wore? Now it looked… eerie. Creepy.
“You were supposed to just do your job.”
His words didn’t even make sense anymore.
“Wait… you knew about the project?”
His eyes were empty. Dead. Like looking into the eyes of a corpse.
“Look at me, Yoo-hwa. Don’t look away.”
He grabbed her chin firmly.
“S-sunbae?”
She looked around nervously, but strangely—no one was around. It was usually a busy walkway, but right now, they were alone. Too alone.
The unease showed clearly on her face.
Ryu Ji-seung’s lips twisted into a mocking smirk. Then in a flat voice, he said:
“Your dream… wasn’t it to be a professor? Just do research, teach a few students, live peacefully? But your parents died, and all you had left was debt. Life’s been tough, huh? Yeah, you’ve got your PhD, but at work? You’re treated like crap. Doing chores, barely getting paid. And even that—who got you the job again?”
“Please stop. You know that project is wrong! You—ack!”
He suddenly grabbed her shoulder, hard enough that she couldn’t move.
“It hurts!”
She struggled, tried to break free, but he was too strong.
His voice dropped to a growl.
“Forget it. Just forget everything.”
His pitch-black eyes bore into her like he was trying to suck out her soul.
They were terrifying. Like bottomless pits.
“I won’t!”
Yoo-hwa squeezed her eyes shut in fear.
“Goddamn it! Again?! Why isn’t this working?!”
He suddenly snapped, swearing and sounding pissed.
Now!
She jerked his hand off her shoulder with all her strength and ran.
She had to get help.
The main building had security guards posted. If she could just make it there—
“Ugh!”
But as she sprinted, her ankle twisted. She crashed to the ground, skinning her knee hard.
She pushed herself up, but something made her freeze.
She slowly looked up.
The surrounding center buildings… all of them had people in the windows.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of people were watching her. Just standing there. Staring.
Expressionless. Cold. All of them.
“…No way.”
Everyone at the center… they were all in on it.
Her hands shook as she fumbled in her pocket for her phone.
She had to call the police.
Her fingers trembled uncontrollably as she unlocked the screen and dialed.
“Planning to report us?”
That voice—right by her ear.
Yoo-hwa slapped a hand over her mouth to stop the scream.
“You think the police are really gonna be on your side?”
Ryu Ji-seung stood there again, smiling smugly.
And now, guards were flanking him.
“You’re all insane… all of you…”
Her legs started backing away on instinct.
“Running won’t help.”
He kept closing in.
Every cell in her body screamed: Run.
She turned and bolted.
“Get her!”
His voice rang out, and the guards chased after her.
Yoo-hwa ran like her life literally depended on it.
Her lungs were burning, but she didn’t stop.
There was a forest surrounding the center.
‘If I can just get in there!’
The trees were thick—perfect for hiding.
She somehow managed to shake them off. But she didn’t stop. She kept moving.
Ryu Ji-seung… that bastard…
‘When he looked into my eyes, I saw it—his pupils dilated. Just like an Awakened using a skill…’
He was a rogue Awakener. Undocumented.
Her thoughts were racing, but she didn’t have time to process it all.
She had to survive first.
After what felt like forever—
Grrrr…
Yoo-hwa froze.
“No way… is that a monster?”
Its skin was black and rotting. Its face was sunken in, bone practically sticking out, its body twisted and hunched.
It was a humanoid monster. And not far away.
Which meant… a gate must have opened nearby.
But there was no sign of a gate. Everything was eerily quiet.
She ducked behind a tree and held her breath.
Hsssss!
And then she saw it. Right in front of the monster—there was a small figure.
A little girl. Probably a kindergartener.
“What the hell is a kid doing here…?”
The monster hadn’t noticed her yet.
If she moved quietly, maybe she could avoid it.
‘But…’
The monster started drooling, stepping closer and closer to the girl.
And as stupid as it was, Yoo-hwa couldn’t just ignore it.
“Goddamn it.”
Before she knew it, her body had moved—racing toward the child.
SKREEEEEE!!
The monster lunged, mouth wide open.
“NO!”
Yoo-hwa dove and managed to scoop the girl into her arms just before the monster’s teeth reached her.
She took off running again, clutching the child tight.
Her lungs were burning. She couldn’t breathe.
“Who are you?”
The little girl looked up, confused—but she couldn’t answer.
Her foot snagged on a tree root, and she stumbled forward.
“Ahh!”
They went tumbling down a steep slope.
Even as her body slammed into the ground, she curled around the child to protect her.
But the slope didn’t stop.
At the end… was a cliff.
“KYAAAA!”
The little girl’s scream pierced the air.
SPLASH!
Blub blub.
Cold sea water rushed into her nose, her mouth, her ears.
Blood from her head injury turned the water red.
The current dragged them deeper and deeper.
The more she struggled, the further she sank.
‘Ah…’
This was the end.
She’d run so hard… and still ended up dying.
The child in her arms thrashed, mouth opening in a silent scream.
‘I’m sorry… I couldn’t save you…’
She was really, truly sorry.
Her last breath slipped out.
And her eyes slowly closed.
