Return to Reality and a Shadow of Doubt

Visual: Park Min-Ho and Refrigerator-sama trudge through the cave, illuminated only by the dim light of the giant mushrooms. Surprisingly, the refrigerator maneuvers skillfully between obstacles, emitting a quiet hum.

— How long have you been here? - asks Park Min-Ho, trying not to fall behind his unusual companion.

— Ever since some idiot activated the trap, - grumbles Refrigerator-sama. — And, apparently, that idiot is you.

— Sorry, — mutters Park Min-Ho. — It wasn't on purpose.

— Yeah, I can see it wasn't on purpose, - snorts the refrigerator. — To mess up that badly on purpose, you'd have to put in some real effort.

— Could you stop blaming me already? - Park Min-Ho can't help but retort. — Maybe you could tell me how to get out of here instead.

— And how am I supposed to know? - replies Refrigerator-sama. — I'm not from around here. Just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

— Just like me, - sighs Park Min-Ho.

— Only I, unlike you, am not a useless piece of trash, - remarks the refrigerator. — At least I serve a purpose. Preserving food, for example.

— A very valuable skill in this godforsaken place, - the System interjects.

— Shut up, — Park Min-Ho snaps, and then mentally adds, addressing the System: — And can you not comment, too?

— As you wish, hero, - the System chuckles. — Just don't complain later that I'm not helping you.

They continue walking in silence, broken only by Refrigerator-sama's humming and the System's occasional remarks. Park Min-Ho is increasingly lost in his thoughts. He thinks about Han So-Yoon, about the Hate King, about the talking refrigerator, and how he ended up in this ridiculous situation in the first place.

Suddenly, Refrigerator-sama stops.

— What is it? — asks Park Min-Ho.

— Quiet, - the refrigerator hisses. — Do you hear that?

Park Min-Ho listens carefully. Through the refrigerator's humming, he can hear a faint sound, like the murmur of water.

— It sounds like there's something there, — he says.

— Seems like it, - agrees Refrigerator-sama. — Let's go check it out.

They carefully move towards the sound. The noise grows louder, and soon they come to a small underground lake. A faint light flickers in the center of the lake.

— What's that? — asks Park Min-Ho.

— Looks like a portal, - replies Refrigerator-sama. — Only it's... unstable.

— Do you think it can get us out of here? - asks Park Min-Ho hopefully.

— Maybe it can, maybe it can't, - says the refrigerator. — It might also throw us into another dimension. Or even tear us to pieces. Who knows.

— Great prospects, - comments the System.

— So what do we do? — asks Park Min-Ho.

— We take a chance, - Refrigerator-sama declares decisively. — It can't get any worse.

With these words, the refrigerator heads towards the lake.

— Are you sure about this? — asks Park Min-Ho hesitantly.

— Do we have a choice? - asks Refrigerator-sama rhetorically, without stopping.

Park Min-Ho sighs and follows him. After all, staying in this dungeon with a grumpy refrigerator and a sarcastic System isn't the best prospect.

They reach the very edge of the lake. The flickering light in the center grows brighter, drawing them into its vortex.

— Well, worthless, ready for more adventures? - asks Refrigerator-sama.

— And you? — retorts Park Min-Ho.

— I'm always ready, - declares the refrigerator. — Unlike some people, I'm not afraid of difficulties.

— We'll see about that, - mutters Park Min-Ho.

Refrigerator-sama takes a step forward and... disappears into the flickering light.

Park Min-Ho closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and... jumps after him.

Visual: A flash of bright light. Park Min-Ho opens his eyes and sees... his office. He's sitting at his desk, an unfinished report in front of him. Outside the window is an ordinary cityscape.

— What... what happened? - he asks, bewildered.

— It seems you're back, — states the System. — Congratulations.

— But... how? — Park Min-Ho still can't believe what's happening. — And Refrigerator-sama?

— What about Refrigerator-sama? - asks the System. — He stayed where he belongs. Among the mushrooms and mold.

— But... we... — Park Min-Ho tries to find the words. — We kind of... became friends?

— Friends? - the System makes a sound similar to a laugh. — Don't make me laugh. You and a refrigerator? That's absurd.

— But he saved me, — objects Park Min-Ho. — And helped me get out of the dungeon.

— Just a coincidence, — the System dismisses. — Don't get hung up on nonsense. You should be thinking about how you're going to explain your absence.

Park Min-Ho looks at the clock. Only a few hours have passed since he fell into the trap. But it feels like an eternity.

— You're right, — he says. — I need to finish the report.

— Then get to work, — says the System. — And I'll take a rest. This has been the most exhausting adventure in my worthless System life.

Park Min-Ho starts working, but his thoughts are elsewhere. He's thinking about Refrigerator-sama, left behind in that strange dungeon. About Han So-Yoon, who almost killed him. About the Hate King, dormant in the depths of his consciousness.

He has returned to the real world, but a part of him remained there, in the world of dangers and adventures. And he knows that he will return there more than once. Because that is his destiny. The destiny of a Hunter, even the weakest and most worthless one.

Visual: Park Min-Ho sits at his desk, immersed in work. But his gaze is thoughtful and directed somewhere far away. He has returned, but he has changed forever.