Fragments of the World

Lee Sa-young, who had been standing still and watching, moved at a moderate pace and stood right behind J as the other hunter started talking in earnest about the upcoming schedule. The hunter, who had been going on and on about the importance of medical supplies, took a step back in surprise.

"L-Lee Sa-young."

"Ah, Lee Sa-young. You came quickly. How was Dongdaemun?"

J also turned around and acknowledged Lee Sa-young, but Lee Sa-young coldly replied only to the hunter standing in front of him.

"Send someone else."

"What? But…"

"I said send someone else."

The hunter, who was about to say more, couldn't withstand Lee Sa-young's fierce aura and bowed his head, stepping back. Lee Sa-young slightly bent down and whispered in J's ear.

"Just listening to this nonsense…"

"Don't be too harsh. Efficiency-wise, it's better for me to go."

"Please, don't you start with the nonsense too."

"I told you to speak nicely."

Lee Sa-young mumbled something angrily, as if pouting, but J couldn't hear it. Lee Sa-young's soft black hair nestled between J's shoulder and neck. Even while looking at the documents, J patted Lee Sa-young's head with the other hand. It seemed like a very familiar action.

Cha Eui-jae, who was watching the unfamiliar scene, crossed his arms with a sour expression.

'…Is this a delusion?'

As Yoon Ga-eul said, the fragments of the ruined world were confusing and chaotic. The J and Lee Sa-young appearing in these fragments were both the same and different from the ones Cha Eui-jae knew. It was like looking at distorted reflections in a warped mirror.

These absurd stories made him question whether he should keep watching, but there was a reason he couldn't dismiss them as mere nonsense. The space appearing in Yoon Ga-eul's fragments… was too familiar.

The white ash falling like snow, the familiar collapsed buildings covered in ash, the completely destroyed space. Monsters he'd never seen before pouring out from gates opened everywhere.

Wasn't it strikingly similar to the inside of the West Sea Rift that he'd been navigating for eight years?

'…'

Cha Eui-jae shifted his gaze and took a deep breath. The sound of glass shattering and countless fragments passed by Cha Eui-jae rapidly, as if in a blur.

In one scene, Yoon Ga-eul was saving people with hunters from Channel 1. The later the fragments appeared, the more disheveled the hunters looked. They were fighting monsters with all kinds of wounds, scars, bandages, and even missing limbs.

The surviving hunters did their best to save people, kill monsters, and close the rifts, but the situation showed no signs of improving. The endless war of attrition continued. Even the steadfast hunters started to fall one by one. Despair began to settle on people's faces.

Suddenly, time and space shifted. At this moment, Yoon Ga-eul was crouched between collapsed buildings. White monsters filled the streets, and even more were pouring out from gates that appeared in the air.

J, sitting next to her, bandaged his arm and held a spear.

"I'll hold them off here, so run first."

"Wait! No matter how strong you are, J, this is too much…"

"If I run, these things will all head to the base camp. Can you handle that?"

Yoon Ga-eul was at a loss for words and pressed her lips together. A scarred hand patted Yoon Ga-eul's head.

"It's okay."

"J!"

"I said it's okay."

"…"

"I'll finish this quickly and come back. Trust me."

Eyes twinkled round through a half-broken mask. The sound of monsters roaring and footsteps grew louder beyond the buildings. The young man erased his smile. He stood up, holding his blood-stained spear.

"When I give the signal, don't look back and run."

"…"

"Oh, right. One more thing."

J put his index finger to his lips, just like in the first fragment.

"Keep this a secret from Lee Sa-young. Got it?"

The fragment ended there. But even without seeing beyond that, Cha Eui-jae could tell. J probably didn't make it back.

Cha Eui-jae found himself in an unfamiliar room. Judging by the textbooks and tablet scattered on the desk and the school uniform hanging on the wall, it seemed to be Yoon Ga-eul's room. Yoon Ga-eul, who had been lying on the bed blankly, burst into tears the moment she opened her eyes.

Was it over? Cha Eui-jae lifted his head. Then, he heard a slightly different sound from before. A creepy sound like broken glass being trampled.

Creak. The ominous sound continued, and a piece of glass similar to the one Yoon Ga-eul had shown appeared before his eyes. The fragment, which sparkled in countless colors, soon… turned pitch black. At the same time, Cha Eui-jae was engulfed in darkness.

In the pitch-black darkness where not even an inch ahead was visible, only irregular, beast-like rough breathing could be heard. It almost sounded like low sobbing.

Then, bang, something broke. A small beam of light pierced through the darkness. Bang again. With a crunch, a tree snapped.

"You bastard, how long are you going to stay holed up in there!"

Bursting through the door with a rough shout was Honeybee, covered in wounds from head to toe. Her once-proud golden hair was messily cut at the nape. Pointing into the darkness with her bandaged hand, she shouted.

"Do you know how much power we lose with just you gone? Do you think the ones fighting for their lives are idiots? Get a grip! At least the living have to keep living!"

"…"

"Are you the only one who's sad? Are you the only one, damn it, are you the only one…! Stop acting like you're the only one who lost the world!"

"Honeybee, calm down. Your wounds are opening."

Bae Won-woo, who had followed her in, grabbed Honeybee's shoulder. But she roughly brushed off his hand and shouted.

"Do you know Jung Bin is dead? Mok Tae-oh died today. Damn it, Mok Tae-oh… that idiot is dead!"

Honeybee started to cry, tears streaming down her face. Bae Won-woo, watching her with a troubled expression, turned to the darkness. He was wearing a brown coat, with his left sleeve empty.

"…Lee Sa-young."

"…"

"I understand how you feel. But…"

Bae Won-woo's face, full of scars, was visibly exhausted. He seemed to want to say something but eventually kept his mouth shut.

"…Never mind. Let's go, Honeybee."

Bae Won-woo almost carried Honeybee out of the room. The sound of her crying grew distant. The room fell silent again.

"…J."

A hollow voice came from the darkness. It was a familiar voice. Cha Eui-jae stepped into the darkness as if bewitched. At that moment,

"Hyung."

A purple light flashed in the darkness.

Whoosh! Something fiercely flew out from the darkness. At the same time, a giant hand with a kaleidoscope-like sparkle grabbed Cha Eui-jae. Yoon Ga-eul's urgent voice hit his ears.

"J! Get a grip!"

"Gasp, uh…"

Cha Eui-jae gasped for breath and blinked his eyes. It was the familiar interior of a hangover soup restaurant. Across from him, Yoon Ga-eul was dripping with cold sweat. She sighed in relief, closing her eyes tightly, when she saw Cha Eui-jae wake up.

"Thank goodness…"

"What was that just now…"

Cha Eui-jae asked, still dazed. Yoon Ga-eul clasped her trembling hands together. Her right hand, which had been sparkling in many colors, was now completely black. She muttered anxiously, holding her right hand with her left.

"I don't know either. I've never seen that fragment before."

"…"

"What was it? It felt like it was connected to that world, but…"

"Wait, calm down."

Cha Eui-jae had to comfort Yoon Ga-eul, who was more agitated. She bit her lip and lowered her head.

"I'm sorry! This is the first time I've shown this to someone else, so I didn't know this would happen. I'm really sorry. I never thought you'd get dragged to another place…"

"Just take a breath first. What do you mean by being dragged to another place?"

"Well…"

Cha Eui-jae gestured for her to breathe deeply. Following his lead, Yoon Ga-eul slowly calmed her breathing. After regaining some composure, she spoke in a hoarse voice.

"The fragments J just saw are paths I created and led. I made a path so that once you saw all the memories, you could return here. But suddenly, that path was cut off… and we were taken to an unknown place."

"Did someone else intervene?"

"I don't know. This is the first time something like this has happened…"

"What about your hand?"

"My hand? Ah…"

Yoon Ga-eul's right hand was constantly covered in black energy. She hid it inside her long coat sleeve and muttered.

"It should be okay, I think. If I tell the Awakened Management Bureau, they'll treat it."

"Was it because of the last fragment?"

"Seems like it."

"…"

A short silence fell. In that last fragment, was Lee Sa-young the one buried in the darkness? Why did Cha Eui-jae get drawn into that space? What led him there? Why was Lee Sa-young…

"J."

Cha Eui-jae looked up. Yoon Ga-eul muttered.

"I haven't told anyone that Cha Eui-jae is J. There must be a reason you're hiding your identity. I will continue to keep it a secret."

"…"

"Ah! Of course, the Awakened Management Bureau asked me if the J who appeared recently is the same J who entered the West Sea Rift… and, well, I said yes. I mean, I really wanted to keep it a secret, but when I had a one-on-one with the director, I just got so nervous…"

"…"

"…I'm sorry."

Yoon Ga-eul bowed her head deeply again. Cha Eui-jae waved his hand dismissively.

"No, no, it's fine. I should be thanking you for not saying more…"

Come to think of it, the gap between the J he saw in his dreams and the part-time worker in the soup restaurant was quite large. Yet Yoon Ga-eul was confident enough to identify the two as the same person and came looking for him. Despite being nervous in front of the director, she seemed to have a surprisingly strong will.

"I just… thought you should know. This world is also heading towards its end."

"Didn't you tell the Awakener Management Bureau about this?"

"Of course, I did."

"Then won't they be taking measures?"

"…Yes, and that's the problem."

Yoon Ga-eul's response puzzled Cha Eui-jae. What was the problem with them taking measures? Isn't that what Yoon Ga-eul wanted?

Swallowing hard, Yoon Ga-eul continued.

"The Awakened Management Bureau is considering various methods to prevent the end… and with J appearing in the rankings, they're desperately trying to find him. A search team is probably already on the move."

"…"

"Registering as a hunter was a really good decision. The search team is focusing on unregistered individuals and civilians, considering the possibility that J might have lost his memory due to shock."

Cha Eui-jae, who had been quietly listening to Yoon Ga-eul, suddenly raised his head.

"How did you know I registered as a hunter?"

It would've been better if he had lost his memory. He felt a bitter taste in his mouth. Anyway, if he had been a little later, he might have been included in the search net. His contract with Lee Sa-young proved to be quite useful.