Seeds of Doubt

Lee Sojin stood on the balcony of his high office, his mind adrift, eyes fixed on the distant horizon cloaked in heavy gray clouds. The phone was still in his hand, and the voice he had heard minutes ago echoed in his head like the pounding of war drums.

"They're dead? Lee Lian? Si Hun? Suk Won?"

He couldn't grasp the news at first.

But the greater shock wasn't their deaths… it was their survival.

Joseph…

Wasn't he supposed to be the one who died?

And Hana? How did the two of them survive, while the strongest perished?

He furrowed his brows as he recalled the reports the team had given before entering the labyrinth.

"They said Joseph didn't show up. That his phone was off. So… how did he get in? How was his presence never detected?"

Questions piled up in his chest like embers beneath ashes, and something deep inside him began to whisper:

"There's something wrong… none of this adds up."

At that moment, he picked up his phone again and pressed the number for the Korean Guardians Agency. It wasn't just curiosity anymore—it was now a duty.

When the other end answered, he spoke in a firm tone:

"I demand a formal investigation into the deaths of Lee Lian, Si Hun, and Suk Won. I suspect there was a serious breach… or foul play."

He paused for a moment, then added:

"And I want a thorough check of the labyrinth entry logs… especially Joseph's movements."

Joseph returned to his apartment just before sunset, the red sun retreating behind the horizon as if dragging blood along its path.

He stood before the door for a moment, looked at it silently, then murmured softly:

"I hope Hana keeps her promise…"

He turned the key and entered. His sister greeted him with a tired but warm smile and said:

"Welcome back. How was your first mission as an official Guardian?"

He answered in a calm, composed tone:

"Everything went fine."

Then he headed to the bathroom, quietly closing the door behind him.

Hot water poured over his exhausted body, the droplets flowing over his skin as if trying to wash away the blood clinging to his soul rather than his hands.

He remained standing, staring at the wall in front of him, as thoughts poured through his mind without end.

"Is this really what I wanted? To kill them?"

Regret began to creep in like a faint smoke, slipping under doors unseen yet choking the chest.

He had taken revenge, yes, but… was the revenge complete? Did he feel peace?

He couldn't quite understand what stirred within his heart. It was complicated, a mix of unquenched rage, twisted satisfaction, and a fear he dared not name.

He stepped out of the bathroom wearing simple clothes, but his mind found no rest.

Just as he was heading to his room, a soft knocking came from the apartment door.

It was late, and the air felt eerily still.

He approached slowly and opened the door…

A man wearing a gray coat stood before him, holding an official identification card.

"Are you Joseph?"

"Yes, I am."

The man handed him the ID of the Korean Guardians Agency, then said in an official tone:

"You are required to attend an investigation regarding the recent labyrinth incident."

Joseph showed no surprise. He simply looked the man in the eyes for a moment, then stepped aside and said:

"Alright."

The man added, "As well, you're required to appear tomorrow at 10 AM."

Joseph replied, "Alright."

The next morning, Joseph woke up early. He hadn't slept well despite his fatigue—yesterday's visitor's words kept echoing in his mind throughout the night.

He dressed silently, then left his apartment and headed toward the Korean Guardians Agency headquarters.

His steps were steady, but weighed down by what he knew… and what he feared.

Upon arrival, he was asked to wait for a moment, then was escorted to the investigation room.

As he neared the door, he saw her…

Hana was standing outside, just about to leave.

He paused for a moment, looking at her without speaking.

She looked back at him, then turned her face away and walked off.

Did she tell them what happened?

He asked himself in silence as his hand gripped the door handle.

I hope she didn't break her promise…

He opened the door and entered.

Seated behind the desk was the same investigator he had met months ago at the Guardian Hospital, after the Black Gate incident.

But the look in the investigator's eyes this time was different.

He examined Joseph with eyes as if seeing him for the first time.

"You've changed," he thought to himself before opening a file in front of him and beginning in an official voice:

"Joseph, we have several questions regarding the last mission.

First, why was your phone off at the start of the operation?

Second, why didn't you enter with the team at the scheduled time?

And third… how did only you and Hana survive, while the others died?"

Joseph sat calmly and answered in a low but confident voice:

"My phone battery had died. I was on my way to join the team, but I took a wrong path at first, so I arrived late."

He then took a slow breath and continued:

"When I entered the labyrinth and went deeper, I found Hana standing there, as if in shock.

In front of her were the bodies… Si Hun and Suk Won, already dead.

As for Lee Lian… a massive serpent was coiled around him, crushing his body to death."

He lowered his gaze for a moment, as if the memory weighed heavily on him, then said:

"In his final moments, he said to me: 'Take Hana… and run.'"

"So I did… that's what happened."

The investigator remained silent for a moment, his eyes watching every movement on Joseph's face, every tone in his voice.

Then he said quietly:

"Your story… matches exactly what the girl said."

A slight sense of relief flowed through Joseph's chest. He didn't show it, but the investigator's gaze remained fixed on him, laced with doubt.

Joseph left the agency building. The sun had risen a bit higher in the sky, but it brought no warmth to his heart.

He found Hana standing by the gate, waiting.

He walked toward her with steady steps and stopped in front of her.

He looked into her eyes for a moment, then said softly:

"Thank you… for covering for me."

Hana didn't reply. She simply nodded, then walked beside him in silence.

They got into a taxi together, heading toward the company where they worked.

Each of them was lost in their own thoughts.

The silence between them was heavy, but for the first time, Joseph felt that Hana, despite her silence, had become part of the shadow that now walked with him.

At the same time, in the top floor of one of the luxury buildings in the heart of the capital, Lee Sojin sat in his office.

He was holding his phone, calling Tae Jun.

Tae Jun's voice came through the speaker, heavy with tension:

"There's no way they died and Joseph survived alone. It doesn't make sense, Sojin."

Lee Sojin responded in an agitated tone:

"I know… I've been thinking about it since last night. Something doesn't add up. Joseph wasn't even there at first, and he was supposed to—"

Tae Jun interrupted him, his voice sharper now:

"Listen to me carefully, Sojin. Hire assassins, use rogue Guardians, do whatever it takes—please…

Get rid of him. By any means necessary."

A heavy silence settled over the line, as if the air had frozen between their words.

Lee Sojin replied, "I'll handle it. Don't worry."

He slowly hung up the phone and placed it on the desk.

He stared into the void for a moment, then took a deep breath.

He felt that something wicked was starting to take shape around this young man…

Joseph