The thread between us

The night was quiet… almost too quiet. It was 10 PM, and Ji Ah had already left her house with a small backpack slung over her shoulder. Her mind was still clouded with thoughts. What exactly is this mission? Why did he ask me to come alone?

Ryu Hwan had told her to reach the jungle route by 11 PM — a place considered the edge of the city, beyond which the real wilderness began.

She stood by the lonely road, dim streetlights flickering behind her, as the vast jungle loomed ahead. Then, headlights pierced the darkness. A sleek black car rolled toward her from the city road and stopped right in front of her.

Ryu Hwan stepped out, cool as ever.

"You're late," Ji Ah muttered.

He smirked. "You ask too many questions. Get in."

She slid into the passenger seat and noticed a small takeaway bag placed beside her.

"What's this?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Check it."

Inside was a cold boba tea — her favorite.

"This… is for me?" she asked, surprised.

Ryu Hwan shrugged with a casual grin. "It's common sense not to meet a girl empty-handed."

Ji Ah looked away, sipping the drink with a quiet thanks, while making an annoyed face he found too amusing.

She broke the silence again, "If we were leaving together, why didn't we just leave from your house?"

"I had something important to take care of. Otherwise, I would've picked you up."

She didn't press further. Instead, she stared out at the dense black woods, the trees forming eerie shadows as the road narrowed.

They passed two sharp turns. At the second one, Ryu Hwan took a left and drove deeper into the jungle. Then, without warning, he stopped the car and stepped out.

Ji Ah followed him, scanning the dark thickets around them. That's when Ryu Hwan raised his left hand and tapped a symbol on the back of his glove.

A glowing red and black flame erupted from his palm.

The earth beneath them trembled. It was as if something ancient was waking up beneath the soil.

A deep metallic echo rang through the jungle.

From the ground, a massive, rusted iron gate began to rise. Dust flew. The very air shimmered.

Ji Ah's eyes widened. "This… is the entrance to the N1N zone?"

Ryu Hwan chuckled softly.

"Entrance? The N1N zone doesn't need an entrance." He stepped closer to the gate. "I am the gate."

Ji Ah blinked. "Wait—what do you mean? Why isn't there a fixed location?"

He kept walking, smirking as his voice deepened. "The N1N zone exists, but no one knows about it. No one enters unless I allow them to. So why would it need a gate?"

As the rusted door creaked open, two familiar faces greeted them — Haa Rin and Haa Jin, the mischievous twin brothers.

"Take this car to its right place," Ryu Hwan instructed.

"Yes, boss!" they replied in unison. With a cheerful wave, they hopped in — and in a whoosh, the car disappeared with them into thin air.

Ji Ah stood there stunned. Everything about this place... is unreal.

She walked beside Ryu Hwan through the ancient gate. What she expected to be ruins was, instead, a high-tech tunnel glowing in blue and silver lights.

Suddenly, a hovering mechanical eye floated towards her, beeping and blinking as it scanned her face.

"What the hell is that?" Ji Ah instinctively stepped back.

"Relax," Ryu Hwan said calmly. "Just one of my creations. It's scanning your biometrics."

Ji Ah gave him a sharp look. "Wait—you built that?"

He simply nodded and walked ahead.

Seriously? He builds tech too? What is this guy...

They entered a vast lab space filled with advanced tech and data screens. Ji Ah couldn't help but explore with her eyes.

"This lab... it's yours?"

Ryu Hwan glanced around. "It connects to that small house you visited before."

Ji Ah snorted inwardly. Small house? Wow. If that was small, then I live in a shoebox.

They stepped into a lift that took them to the upper floors — and finally to Ryu Hwan's private quarters.

Ji Ah folded her arms. "You know, Mr. Dragon... if we had to come back to your house anyway, why bring me here through the lab route?"

Ryu Hwan threw himself onto the couch with a smug grin.

"Just showing off a bit. Needed to flex my tech knowledge."

Ji Ah rolled her eyes. "Seriously?"

He patted the couch. "Now, sit. Listen carefully."

She sat down, still sipping her drink.

"Tomorrow morning, we head to the abandoned sector of the N1N zone," he said. "There's someone — not a wanderer, not a creature from another realm. But a human. Someone dangerous. Someone... twisted."

Ji Ah leaned in. "Twisted how?"

"You'll see. But you'll need special weapons — they're in the lab downstairs. We'll check them out tomorrow."

Ji Ah nodded, absorbing every word.

Ryu Hwan yawned and stood up lazily. "Go change. Get some rest. Big day tomorrow."

He disappeared into his room, leaving Ji Ah alone on the couch, deep in thought.

What kind of human are we hunting… and why does it feel like this mission is more personal for him than he's letting on?

To be continued