Wavelength

A slightly awkward expression showed through Jung Bin's usual gentle smile. He covered his mouth with a fist and cleared his throat before slowly nodding.

"Yes, I've seen it."

"What do you think? You know both of them, don't you~"

"Haha, that's not something I should comment on."

Gyu-Gyu bit down on the straw, showing his teeth as he chewed on it.

"Eeh~? Is there really something going on between them? All the hunters in the world are curious."

Jung Bin didn't answer and maintained his smile. After observing Jung Bin for a while, Gyu-Gyu shrugged as if he was losing interest. He tossed the empty takeaway cup behind him with a flick.

"Ah~ boring."

Clang—

Cracks began to form in the air as if a thin fracture had split open. Beyond the rift was a wasteland covered in white ash. Soon, a white light burst from within, and it scattered into fine ash. Gyu-Gyu balanced himself on one foot atop the corpse before standing up straight.

"Up we go."

Jung Bin scanned the surroundings. As the rift vanished, the piles of monsters around them also began to disintegrate into ash, one by one. Even the monster beneath Gyu-Gyu's feet turned to ash. He lightly jumped to the ground, stretching his neck and rolling it from side to side.

"Fish market, huh. It's been a while since I visited…"

Gyu-Gyu, who usually left the country as soon as his business was done, had been staying in Korea unusually long. Even though the task of tracking J had ended with his own appearance. Clearly, what had changed his mind was the Day of Change. The day he pierced through that massive whale in one blow…

Jung Bin, watching Gyu-Gyu move about busily, finally spoke up.

"How have you been lately?"

"Sudden interest in my life? Just living as usual."

"I heard you've been attending Sunday services regularly…"

"Ugh. Where'd you hear that?"

"Your picture was plastered right on the homepage of your father's church. It was hard to miss."

Son of a pastor, Ban Gyu-min. Hunter alias: Gyu-Gyu. His photo, prominently displayed on his father's church homepage, had become somewhat famous. Jung Bin had stifled a laugh the first time his team had shown him that picture.

It was hard not to, given the sight of someone standing out by a whole head among the others, awkwardly smiling and giving a thumbs-up. Even more so in a choir robe.

"I told them not to post that…"

For once, Gyu-Gyu scratched his cheek with an embarrassed expression. Jung Bin added with his usual gentle tone.

"You looked like quite the dutiful son."

"Ugh. If you've got something to say, just get it over with. I've got other places to be."

"Alright. Will you be attending the upcoming General Assembly?"

"Wow… So you came all the way out here to ask me that?"

Gyu-Gyu stuck out his tongue, pretending to gag in disgust. He then scratched his messy hair, grumbling.

"Why would I go? It's a hassle, and I know the director will just chew me out."

"But this meeting is important. Haven't you noticed the recent unsettling atmosphere?"

"…"

Gyu-Gyu continued to stare at Jung Bin with his ever-present smile, waiting for him to reveal his cards first. Jung Bin fiddled with the earpiece in his ear and finally spoke.

"Public distrust of hunters is growing by the day. That's what this meeting is about."

"So, everyone's gathering to scheme about how to get back into people's good graces? Hmm~"

Gyu-Gyu folded his arms, pretending to think deeply, before grinning.

"Not going!"

"Are you really not coming? You'll regret it."

"Not going~ I'd rather dive into Lake Baikal."

"That's unfortunate."

Jung Bin let out an exaggerated sigh, making sure Gyu-Gyu could hear it. He turned around with deliberately heavy footsteps. His voice, though soft, was just loud enough to be overheard.

"I heard J is personally attending this time…"

"…"

"Well, I can't force you to come. I'll be heading off then, I need to pick up Hong Ye-seong as well."

He had barely taken two steps when— whoosh! A thin vine shot out from behind, wrapping itself around Jung Bin's wrist. Jung Bin calmly began untangling the vine with his other hand, thread by thread.

"Aren't you headed to Lake Baikal?"

"Well, it's not like I'm dying to go."

The vine that had lightly coiled around his wrist now bloomed into a small, white wildflower. Jung Bin glanced back. Gyu-Gyu, half-turned away, was pretending to look at his phone. The vine had extended from the ground beneath Gyu-Gyu's feet. Looking up, Gyu-Gyu gave a sly smile.

"I was just thinking I'd check the schedule~"

***

Cha Eui-jae blinked for a moment, lost in the blinding white light that filled his vision.

Blurred figures rushed past him, too busy to notice. Once again, he found himself standing in the hallway of the old Awakened Management Bureau. He was standing in front of a door, his hand already reaching for the doorknob. Cha Eui-jae looked up and read the nameplate next to the door.

Director's Office. This was Ham Seok-jeong's room.

'Is this a memory of meeting Ham Seok-jeong?'

What kind of information could he extract from their conversation? It would be nice to find a clue about the apocalypse. His hand, which was reaching for the doorknob, hesitated. Cha Eui-jae took a step back from the door.

Right next to the Director's Office was another black door.

'Was there a door like that before?'

It was a door that did not exist in 'Cha Eui-jae's' memory. The door, which had appeared suddenly, strangely caught his attention. There was no nameplate on it. From the gap beneath the door, a black energy seeped out, undulating slightly. It felt oddly familiar.

'What is this?'

Someone whispered; Open the door. As if hypnotized, Cha Eui-jae reached out and gripped the doorknob. It was cold enough to send chills through his body. Slowly, he turned the knob. Creak— the door opened more easily than expected. Cha Eui-jae poked his head in to look inside. Pitch-black darkness greeted him.

'This is strange.'

He had read through 'Cha Eui-jae's' memories several times using the watch, but this was the first time an anomaly like this occurred. Has something changed? What could have caused this shift? The only thing different between then and now was—

'Lee Sa-young woke up…'

Thud. The space trembled. A powerful force pushed him through the door. Instinctively, he tried to resist, but the force was too strong for him to fight. He was helplessly pushed into the center of the darkness.

Bang! The door slammed shut behind him. Cha Eui-jae stared into the void with an incredulous expression.

'Damn it, did I just get pushed so easily?'

He clenched his fist, then opened it again, something felt off.

'…Wait, what?'

The power he had always felt as his own was gone. He hadn't realized how weak he had been before awakening. He felt disoriented, like an ant among giants. He stared blankly into the darkness.

'Cha Eui-jae' whispered; This isn't mine, that's why.

'What are you talking about…?'

Then, it happened.

In the empty void where nothing could be seen or heard, a voice echoed.

"…Did you say you turned back time?"

A voice, deep and low, more like a beast than a human. Creak, creak, the sound of footsteps on a wooden floor. Clatter, the sound of a drawer opening. An old clock floated into the air.

"Then, that means I can turn it back too…"

"…"

When Cha Eui-jae opened his eyes again, pitch-black darkness and a strange sense of being watched greeted him.

Before he could grasp his surroundings, he jolted upright, instinctively feeling his face. The mask was gone.

What is this? Where am I? The eerie presence continued to track his every move. It made no effort to hide itself. Just as Cha Eui-jae was about to throw a punch in the direction of the unseen presence, a familiar voice spoke.

"You don't need to be so startled."

It was Lee Sa-young's voice. Click— the sound of a button being pressed. A faint reddish light flickered on. Squinting, Cha Eui-jae looked around and saw the familiar room he had been visiting for months— Lee Sa-young's room.

Next to it, in the chair Cha Eui-jae often sat in, was Lee Sa-young, now casually seated with his legs crossed. Sensing his gaze, Lee Sa-young unfolded his arms.

"Looks like I woke you up."

"…"

"Did you have a good dream?"

"…You."

Cha Eui-jae stared at him, his shadowed face showing a flicker of recognition in his blinking eyes. Eyes that reflected everything like a mirror. He clenched his fist tightly.

"You're not him."

"Yes… you're right."

Surprisingly, Lee Sa-young agreed lightly.

"You woke up after two days."

"What?"

Two days? It was hard to believe. He instinctively tried to check the time, but there was no way to do so in this room— he had cleared everything out. Even his phone was gone.

Right, the watch. He raised his wrist, but his wrist was also bare.

"Looking for this?"

"…"

The watch was now in Lee Sa-young's hand. His black fingers were fiddling with it.

"It's pretty worn out."

"…"

"Yet, somehow, it still works."

Was he telling the truth or lying? Cha Eui-jae tried to read something from his expression, but his face was as blank as ever. That expressionlessness made him more anxious than anything. The Lee Sa-young he knew, after all, was always quite expressive.

Gazing at Cha Eui-jae, Lee Sa-young tapped his temple lightly.

"Seemed like you were having an interesting dream."

"…"

"How was it?"

A void entangled in the end of a long dream. A faintly familiar voice that had been heard. The owner of that voice was unmistakably Lee Sa-young. A mechanical smile spread across his face, devoid of mockery, joy, or any other emotion.