EP 03 : Red’s Awakening – The Unstoppable Evolution
[ A Lingering Presence]
The mark burned.
Not with pain—
But with a sensation far worse.
Something watching.
Something waiting.
Ji-Hyun stood in her apartment, staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.
The black symbol on her shoulder pulsed faintly beneath her skin, twisting like something alive.
> "It's changing."
Her fingers brushed over it, and a sudden rush of voices filled her head—
Whispers.
Echoes of something ancient, something inhuman.
Her grip on the sink tightened.
> "Red, what the hell is happening to me?"
The parasite inside her remained silent.
> "Red!"
Then, finally—
> "It's starting."
The air felt heavy.
Like the weight of the sky was pressing down on her.
Ji-Hyun staggered back, her vision blurring for a moment.
The world around her warped—
The lights flickered.
Shadows stretched unnaturally.
And then—
She saw them.
Figures standing at the edges of her vision.
Unmoving.
Watching.
Their faces were featureless, but their eyes—pitch-black voids—stared directly at her.
> "They're here." Red's voice was sharp now. Urgent.
> "Who?!"
> "The ones drawn to the mark. They've already sensed it."
A cold realization settled in her gut.
The Firstborn hadn't been the end.
It had only been the beginning.
The air cracked.
Like reality itself was splitting apart.
Ji-Hyun stumbled back as the shadows around her moved.
Not just shifting—
Emerging.
Forming.
One of the figures stepped forward.
Its body was impossible.
Neither flesh nor shadow—both and neither.
Its elongated limbs twisted unnaturally, its head tilting as if studying her.
Then—
It spoke.
> "You are marked."
Its voice was wrong.
Not just deep—
But layered.
Like multiple voices speaking at once.
> "Your existence has been recorded."
> "Your fate is decided."
Ji-Hyun's breath came slow and steady.
She refused to panic.
She wouldn't panic.
> "And what fate is that?"
The creature's mouth stretched into something resembling a grin.
> "Consumption."
The world rippled.
For the first time—
Ji-Hyun felt it.
Something inside her stirring.
Something waking up.
The mark on her skin flared.
A surge of power flooded through her veins, forcing her body to move before she even thought about it.
The creature lunged—
And Ji-Hyun moved faster.
Her reflexes—inhuman.
Her strength—unnatural.
She dodged without effort, twisting mid-air, her body reacting with an instinct that didn't belong to her.
No, that wasn't right.
It belonged to her now.
She landed on the ground, her heartbeat steady.
The shadow creature hesitated.
As if it realized something.
> "You..." it rasped.
> "You are not prey."
Ji-Hyun exhaled, her lips curling into a smirk.
> "Damn right I'm not."
Then, she attacked.
And the hunt began.
------
Ji-Hyun moved without thinking.
Her body lunged forward—faster, stronger, more precise than ever before.
Her fist struck the shadow creature's chest, and the impact sent shockwaves through the air.
For a moment, the entity froze.
Then—
It exploded.
Its body shattered into fragments of black mist, dissolving like smoke in the wind.
Ji-Hyun barely had time to register the victory.
The other watchers stepped forward.
One.
Two.
Three.
More of them emerged from the darkness, their twisted forms shifting like living nightmares.
Their eyes—voids of endless hunger—locked onto her.
Ji-Hyun took a slow breath.
> "More of you, huh?"
Her pulse didn't race.
Her hands didn't shake.
For the first time in her life—
She felt alive.
Red's voice hummed inside her mind.
> "You're adapting."
> "Damn right I am."
Then—they attacked.
They moved like shadows.
Faster than human sight.
But Ji-Hyun—
She was faster.
She ducked, twisting under razor-sharp claws that sliced the air.
A second creature lunged from behind—
She spun, driving her elbow into its skull.
It collapsed, its form breaking apart like smoke.
A third came from her left—
She didn't dodge.
She caught it by the throat.
Her grip tightened, and its body cracked.
It let out a horrible screech—
Before she crushed it.
The remaining creatures hesitated.
Ji-Hyun smirked.
> "What's wrong?"
> "Didn't expect me to fight back?"
The mark on her shoulder burned.
Not in pain—
But with power.
A hunger of her own.
The last creature backed away.
It spoke, its voice warping through the air.
> "This was a mistake."
> "She is beyond expectation."
> "She is..."
It didn't finish.
Because Ji-Hyun didn't let it.
She lunged.
A single, precise strike to the core of its being.
Its body erupted into black mist—
And then—
She felt it.
Something entering her.
Not physically.
Something deeper.
The mark on her shoulder glowed faintly—
And her body absorbed the remnants of the creatures.
Her breath hitched.
For a moment—
Her vision blurred.
She saw something else.
A memory that wasn't hers.
She saw—
A city made of black stone, floating in an endless void.
A sky without stars, filled with shifting, living shadows.
And something—
Something colossal.
A being that had no shape—
Yet its presence was overwhelming.
It turned toward her—
And spoke.
> "You are awakening."
Ji-Hyun gasped, her vision snapping back to reality.
She was back in her apartment.
The creatures were gone.
But the weight of what she had just seen—
It lingered.
Red's voice was quiet.
Almost—uncertain.
> "That wasn't just a vision."
> "You're changing, Ji-Hyun."
She exhaled slowly, flexing her fingers.
She could feel it.
Something inside her was no longer human.
Her gaze shifted to the city skyline outside her window.
> "Then I'll just have to figure out what I'm becoming."
She smirked.
> "And make sure it's something they should fear."
The air was heavy with something unnatural.
The apartment was gone.
Or rather—twisted.
Ji-Hyun's surroundings melted into a distorted void, shifting between shadows and a warped reflection of reality.
The floor beneath her wasn't solid—it felt like liquid and air at the same time. The walls pulsed as if they were breathing.
The creatures surrounding her watched in unnatural stillness.
> "This place..." Ji-Hyun muttered.
> "A subspace." Red's voice was sharp. "They've altered reality itself. You're no longer in the human world."
A flicker of movement—
One of the entities lunged.
Ji-Hyun barely saw it move before it was on her.
A black blade, formed from its elongated limb, sliced through the air toward her throat.
But she was faster.
She tilted her head—the blade missed by an inch.
Her fist shot forward, connecting with its chest.
BOOM.
The creature's body cracked.
It let out a horrible screech before its entire form shattered into black mist.
Ji-Hyun landed lightly on her feet, rolling her shoulders.
> "That's one."
The remaining creatures did not move.
They simply watched.
Their pitch-black eyes absorbed every moment, analyzing her.
> "They're studying me."
> "Yes," Red confirmed. "And they're about to evolve their tactics."
The creatures merged.
Two of them combined, their liquid-like bodies fusing together.
Their shapes twisted and snapped into something more defined—something stronger.
The result was a new entity.
Taller.
Faster.
More solid.
Its fingers elongated into obsidian blades, its form shifting like a nightmare brought to life.
It vanished.
Not moved—vanished.
A sudden pressure behind her.
Ji-Hyun turned—
Too late.
A black blade pierced through her abdomen.
Her breath hitched.
For the first time—pain.
The blade retracted.
Ji-Hyun stumbled.
The creature didn't attack again.
It waited.
Red's voice was sharp.
> "They're testing your limits."
Ji-Hyun clenched her jaw, forcing herself to remain standing.
Blood trickled down her side—but she didn't feel weak.
In fact—
She felt stronger.
The mark on her shoulder pulsed.
And then—
The wound closed.
Not over time—
Instantly.
The creature froze.
For the first time—it hesitated.
Ji-Hyun exhaled, rolling her neck.
> "Looks like you're not the only ones evolving."
She vanished.
Not moved—vanished.
Reappearing behind the creature in an instant.
Her fist struck like a hammer.
The monster's body didn't just break—
It was erased.
The remaining creatures stepped back.
They weren't predators anymore.
They were prey.
The twisted realm shuddered.
The remaining creatures dropped to their knees.
They weren't bowing to her.
They were listening.
A voice—deep, layered, and ancient—filled the space.
> "She is no longer human."
The sound vibrated through Ji-Hyun's bones.
It didn't come from the creatures.
It came from beyond.
> "She is an anomaly."
> "She must be observed."
Ji-Hyun's heartbeat remained steady.
> "Who are you?" she asked.
The voice laughed.
> "Not an enemy. Not a friend."
> "A witness."
The creatures dissolved into nothingness.
And just like that—
The real world snapped back into place.
She was in her apartment again.
As if nothing had happened.
Except—
Ji-Hyun looked down at her hands.
Her fingers still trembled with residual power.
The mark on her shoulder was no longer just black.
It now had a faint red glow.
> "What was that?"
Red was silent for a moment before answering.
> "That was the beginning."
> "Of what?"
Red's voice was calm.
> "Of your real transformation."
Ji-Hyun exhaled, looking at the city beyond her window.
Something inside her had changed.
And whatever came next—
She wasn't afraid.
------
The city outside her apartment window looked the same. The neon lights still flickered, the streets below still pulsed with the endless movement of people, cars, and life.
But Ji-Hyun knew she was different now.
She stared at her hands. They weren't shaking anymore.
The wound in her abdomen—completely gone. No scar, no pain.
And then there was the mark on her shoulder.
It was no longer just black.
It glowed.
A deep, ominous red.
Ji-Hyun exhaled slowly.
> "Red. Talk to me. What's happening?"
Red's voice echoed in her mind.
> "You are no longer fully human."
That much was obvious.
> "Your body has begun adapting. Faster than I anticipated."
Ji-Hyun clenched her fists.
Her muscles felt denser, stronger.
Her senses—sharper.
She could hear the individual heartbeats of the people walking on the streets below. She could smell the faint scent of gasoline from a car two blocks away.
And then—she felt something else.
A presence.
No—multiple.
Eyes.
Watching her.
From the rooftops. The alleys. The hidden corners of the city.
They were there.
> "They're still here."
Red's voice was steady.
> "Yes. They never left."
Ji-Hyun turned her head slightly, catching movement in the reflection of her window. A shadow shifted on the rooftop across from her.
Not human.
Not normal.
> "They're waiting for something."
Red's voice hummed in agreement.
> "They are waiting for confirmation."
> "Confirmation of what?"
> "That you are no longer their prey. But their predator."
Ji-Hyun didn't sleep that night.
Her body no longer seemed to require it.
Instead, she sat on the floor, her back against the couch, staring at her reflection in the darkened TV screen.
She expected fear. Panic.
But all she felt was a strange, eerie calm.
Her old self—the girl who once feared the creatures in the dark—felt like a different person.
She was becoming something else.
But what?
> "Red… am I still me?"
There was a pause before the voice answered.
> "You are still Ji-Hyun."
> "But you are also something more now."
Ji-Hyun exhaled.
> "What exactly am I becoming?"
> "You are evolving."
Red's voice carried no fear. No hesitation.
> "And evolution is irreversible."
Something about that truth settled deep in Ji-Hyun's chest.
There was no turning back.
And yet—
> "I don't want to lose myself."
Red was silent for a long time.
Then, finally—
> "Then don't."
At dawn, Ji-Hyun left her apartment.
She moved through the streets like she always had, hands in her pockets, hood up.
But everything was different now.
She could hear the whispers of people's conversations from blocks away. She could feel their presence—like ripples in water.
More than that—
She could sense them.
The Others.
Not human. Not normal.
They moved between the crowds. Hidden in the skin of everyday people.
Watching.
Waiting.
> "They were always here, weren't they?"
> "Yes," Red confirmed. "But now, you can see them."
A businessman in a suit.
A high school girl with a backpack.
An elderly woman sitting at a bus stop.
They all looked normal.
But Ji-Hyun could see beyond their disguises now.
Their bodies were not human.
And they knew she knew.
The old woman at the bus stop smiled as Ji-Hyun passed.
A mouth too wide.
Teeth too sharp.
For a brief moment, the disguise wavered.
The skin around her mouth rippled like liquid, revealing something grotesque beneath.
Then, just as quickly—it was gone.
Ji-Hyun didn't react. She didn't need to.
She just kept walking.
> "They're testing me."
> "Yes."
> "What happens if I fail?"
> "You won't."
There was no doubt in Red's voice.
And somehow—
That was enough.
Ji-Hyun smirked.
Let them watch.
Let them wait.
She was no longer their prey.
She was something else now.
Something far worse.
Ji-Hyun stood at the edge of the rooftop, the city sprawled beneath her like a living, breathing organism.
It pulsed with life, but now—she could sense something beneath it.
A hidden world.
A network of creatures lurking in plain sight.
She could feel their movements, their silent whispers, the weight of their gazes locked onto her.
They were everywhere.
They were hunting.
And yet—they feared her.
> "They're restless."
Red's voice hummed within her mind.
> "They don't understand what you are yet."
Ji-Hyun smirked.
> "Good."
Her grip tightened on the ledge as she crouched, eyes locking onto a nearby street corner.
A man in a long coat stood beneath the flickering streetlight, unmoving.
His shadow stretched unnaturally across the pavement, as if it had a mind of its own.
A normal human wouldn't have noticed.
But Ji-Hyun did.
The way his body subtly twitched. The faint vibration in the air around him.
> "He's not human."
Red confirmed.
> "No. But he's watching you."
Ji-Hyun exhaled.
Then, without hesitation—she jumped.
Her descent was silent.
A normal person would have broken bones from the height she dropped.
But Ji-Hyun landed without a sound, her body moving with an unnatural ease.
She stepped forward, her gaze locked on the man.
He didn't flinch.
Didn't even move.
It was as if he had expected her arrival.
Slowly, he turned his head—his face obscured by the dim light.
> "You're not afraid of me, are you?" Ji-Hyun asked.
His lips curled into a smirk.
> "Should I be?"
His voice was deep, unbothered.
But Ji-Hyun could sense it.
The faintest flicker of hesitation.
He was testing her.
Just like the others.
She took another step forward.
The air between them grew heavy.
> "You parasites have been hiding for a long time." Ji-Hyun said. "But now, you're making mistakes."
The man chuckled.
> "And what mistake have I made?"
Ji-Hyun tilted her head.
> "You let me find you."
Then—she moved.
The man barely had time to react.
Ji-Hyun's fist shot forward, the air around it distorting from sheer force.
A normal human would have been torn apart.
But the man wasn't human.
In an instant, his body morphed.
His skin split open, his arm stretching unnaturally, twisting into a blade-like appendage.
A parasite.
A true one.
He slashed toward her—
Ji-Hyun dodged.
Her body moved on instinct.
A second attack came, his arm shifting again—turning into something resembling a scythe.
Ji-Hyun caught it mid-swing.
The moment her fingers touched his mutated limb, the red glow pulsed from her skin.
> "What—?" the man choked out.
Then, his entire arm disintegrated.
It didn't just break.
It didn't just bleed.
It was erased—turned into nothingness.
The man staggered back, eyes wide with terror.
> "What… what are you?!"
Ji-Hyun slowly clenched her glowing fist.
Her body hummed with power, a sensation unlike anything she had ever felt before.
She looked down at the man—the parasite—who was now backing away.
For the first time, she saw it.
Fear.
Not in herself.
But in them.
She took a step forward, her voice calm.
> "You parasites have been feeding on humans for a long time."
The man gasped, his body struggling to regenerate.
> "You think you're at the top of the food chain."
Ji-Hyun's eyes glowed red.
> "But now, something stronger is here."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
> "Me."
The parasite knew he couldn't win.
He turned—fled.
His body twisted, shifting, becoming a blur as he moved at an inhuman speed.
But Ji-Hyun didn't even blink.
> "Red."
> "Understood."
In an instant, she moved.
The world blurred around her.
One moment, she was standing still.
The next—
She was in front of him.
His eyes widened in horror.
> "Impossible—"!
Ji-Hyun didn't let him finish.
She grabbed his throat.
The red energy flared—consuming him.
The parasite screamed.
Then—
Silence.
Nothing remained.
Not even ashes.
Only Ji-Hyun.
Standing there.
Breathing deeply.
Her fingers still tingling from the sensation of erasing something from existence.
She exhaled slowly.
The night was quiet again.
> "It's starting," Red's voice echoed in her mind.
Ji-Hyun nodded.
> "Yeah."
She turned her head.
She could still feel them.
The others.
Watching.
Hiding.
Waiting.
She smirked.
> "Let them come."
Her eyes glowed.
The hunt had just begun.
-----
The night was thick with silence.
A silence that wasn't natural.
It wasn't the calm of a city resting.
It was the breath before the storm.
Ji-Hyun stood in the middle of an empty street. The streetlights above flickered, casting her shadow long and distorted.
> "They're still watching."
Red's voice slithered through her mind.
She didn't need to be told.
She could feel them.
The unseen eyes buried in the dark alleys, the rooftops, the windows of abandoned buildings.
The parasites weren't just afraid of her now.
They were learning.
Testing her.
Adapting.
> "This is different." Ji-Hyun murmured. "They're not attacking outright."
Red hummed.
> "Because they know what happens when they do."
Ji-Hyun smirked.
> "Smart parasites."
She took another step forward, her boots clicking softly against the pavement.
Then—
A single droplet of blood hit the ground beside her.
She stopped.
Looked up.
On the rooftop above, a body hung from the edge.
Dripping
Ji-Hyun's body tensed.
The corpse above wasn't human.
At least—not anymore.
Its skin was stretched, torn in places, revealing blackened muscle.
Its arms had been mutated—elongated and twisted, yet lifeless.
It was a parasite.
A dead one.
> "Something else killed it," Red noted.
Ji-Hyun narrowed her eyes.
> "Something stronger?"
Before Red could answer—
The streetlight above shattered.
Darkness swallowed the alley.
A soft click-click-click echoed from above.
Ji-Hyun didn't hesitate.
She jumped.
She landed effortlessly on the rooftop, scanning the shadows.
A scent hit her first.
Metallic.
Rusty.
Blood.
Then—
A figure stepped forward.
Tall.
Not just any parasite.
This one was different.
Its eyes weren't hollow like the others.
They were intelligent.
Its body was lean, almost perfectly human, except for the subtle way its skin rippled—like something barely contained beneath.
> "You're her."
Its voice was calm. Almost amused.
Ji-Hyun flexed her fingers, the faint red glow pulsing from her skin.
> "And you are?"
The creature smiled, revealing teeth too sharp for a human mouth.
> "A survivor."
Ji-Hyun's eyes flickered.
> "Survivor of what?"
The parasite took a step closer.
> "The first culling."
Her muscles tensed.
> "Culling?"
> "The first time we were hunted. Long before you."
Her heartbeat slowed.
This was new information.
She had assumed these things had always been the predators.
But if they had been prey before—
What exactly had hunted them?
Red was silent in her mind.
Which meant this was important.
The parasite tilted its head, studying her.
> "You don't know, do you?"
Ji-Hyun didn't respond.
The creature's smile widened.
> "Interesting."
Then—
It moved.
Ji-Hyun barely saw it.
One second, the parasite was standing still.
The next—
It was behind her.
A flash of claws.
A blur of movement.
Ji-Hyun twisted, barely dodging as the air split apart where she had just stood.
Fast.
Faster than anything she had encountered before.
Red's voice cut through her mind.
> "Adapt, Ji-Hyun."
She did.
Her foot slammed against the rooftop, launching her into the air.
She twisted mid-flight, eyes locking onto the parasite as it grinned.
It blurred again—this time, coming at her from above.
Ji-Hyun's instincts screamed.
She blocked.
Their arms collided.
The sheer force of impact sent a shockwave through the air—shattering the rooftop tiles beneath them.
For the first time—
Ji-Hyun felt pressure.
> "Stronger than the others," she thought.
The parasite chuckled.
> "You're fast. But are you fast enough?"
It disappeared again.
Ji-Hyun's eyes widened.
Left.
Right.
Above.
It was everywhere at once.
And then—
She felt it.
A sliver of pain.
Her shoulder.
She looked down.
A deep, blackened claw mark tore through her jacket.
Her own blood dripped down her arm.
The parasite licked its fingers.
> "You bleed."
Ji-Hyun exhaled.
Her fingers twitched.
The red energy pulsed.
> "Not for long."
Then, she attacked.
She didn't hold back.
Not this time.
Her body blurred, moving at a speed she had never pushed herself to before.
The parasite's smirk vanished.
It tried to dodge—
But Ji-Hyun was already there.
Her fist collided with its chest.
A normal parasite would have been obliterated.
This one—
Barely staggered.
But Ji-Hyun wasn't done.
She followed through.
A second punch—faster.
Then a third.
A fourth.
Each blow carrying enough force to break steel.
The parasite blocked.
Parried.
Countered.
Their fight became a blur of destruction.
Buildings cracked.
Air rippled.
The city trembled.
And yet—
Ji-Hyun felt something new.
Excitement.
This was different.
This parasite wasn't like the others.
It was like her.
It could keep up.
It was a challenge.
Her lips curled.
> "Finally."
Then—
She switched tactics.
Her hand shot forward—
But this time, she didn't aim for its body.
She aimed for its core.
Her fingers pierced through its chest.
The parasite screamed.
Her red energy flared—erasing the flesh around it.
It tried to retreat—
But it was too late.
Ji-Hyun ripped out its core.
And in that instant—
The parasite ceased to exist.
The silence that followed was deafening.
She stood over the remains.
Breathing.
Her body still humming from the fight.
Then—
She turned her gaze toward the horizon.
Because now, she understood.
This was just the beginning.
The real hunters hadn't even arrived yet.
And she was waiting
-----
The city was silent.
A dead silence.
Ji-Hyun stood atop the ruined rooftop, her breath even but her body thrumming with energy. The parasite she had just slain had been unlike any she had encountered before. Faster. Smarter. More evolved.
And it had spoken of a first culling.
Something had hunted its kind long before she had.
That meant—
She wasn't the only predator.
> "Ji-Hyun."
Red's voice slithered through her mind, filled with both caution and something rare—curiosity.
> "Something's coming."
Ji-Hyun didn't ask what.
Because she felt it too.
A shift in the air.
A weight pressing down, almost suffocating.
Then—
A low rumbling in the distance.
And a roar.
Deep. Guttural.
Not human.
Not parasite.
Something worse.
From the edge of the city, the skyline rippled.
Not just physically—reality itself twisted.
A black void tore open in the sky.
And from within it—
They stepped out.
Not parasites.
Not humans.
Something else entirely.
Their bodies were tall, humanoid in shape, yet utterly alien.
Each one bore dark crimson armor fused into their flesh.
Their faces were concealed beneath sleek, featureless masks.
And their presence was wrong.
Like they didn't belong to this world.
Like the very air rejected them.
Ji-Hyun narrowed her eyes.
> "Red. What the hell are they?"
Silence.
Then—
> "I don't know."
That was all she needed to hear.
Her fingers twitched, the red glow of her energy flickering like a heartbeat.
The figures descended.
And the city trembled beneath their steps.
The first one moved.
Ji-Hyun barely had time to react before it was in front of her.
It didn't blur like the parasites.
It didn't leap or glide.
It simply appeared.
And its fist slammed into her chest with the force of a meteor.
The entire rooftop collapsed.
Ji-Hyun's body was hurled through five buildings, stone and metal shattering on impact.
She barely managed to flip mid-air before she crashed into the pavement below.
Dust and debris filled the street.
Her vision flickered.
Her ribs ached.
For the first time in a while—
She felt pain.
> "That was... unexpected," Red admitted.
Ji-Hyun wiped the blood from the corner of her lips.
Then she smiled.
> "This just got interesting."
She pushed off the ground—
And shot forward like a bullet.
She met the first enemy mid-air.
Her fist collided with its mask.
A shockwave tore through the street.
But—
The creature didn't even stagger.
It turned its head slowly, as if analyzing her.
Then, it grabbed her wrist.
Ji-Hyun's eyes widened—
Before she was slammed into the concrete.
The street caved in.
She barely had time to roll before a black spear pierced the ground where her head had been.
She twisted, eyes flicking up—
Three more of them had joined the first.
Their hands shifted, morphing into sleek weapons.
Blades.
Spears.
Scythes.
Ji-Hyun exhaled.
> "Fine. You wanna fight?"
Her red aura erupted around her.
> "Then let's fight."
The second attacker lunged.
Ji-Hyun ducked, barely avoiding the scythe-like arm that cleaved through the air above her.
She pivoted, using the momentum to drive her knee into its abdomen.
The impact rippled through its body.
Yet—
It didn't flinch.
Instead, its other arm shot forward, blade aimed at her throat.
Ji-Hyun caught it with her bare hand—
And snapped it in half.
The creature jerked back, its mask cracking slightly.
The first wound she had inflicted.
It could be hurt.
But before she could press forward—
The third attacker appeared behind her.
She barely twisted in time—
But not fast enough.
A blade sliced across her side.
Pain erupted through her body.
She gritted her teeth, twisting mid-air to retaliate—
Only to be caught by the first attacker.
Its hand wrapped around her throat.
And for the first time—
Ji-Hyun felt herself lifted.
The creature tightened its grip.
Crushing.
Suffocating.
Her vision dimmed.
Red's voice hissed in her mind.
> "No. Not like this."
And then—
The ground split apart.
A red explosion erupted from Ji-Hyun's body.
A pulse of pure destruction.
The force sent all three enemies flying back, crashing into buildings.
Ji-Hyun landed on one knee, gripping her side.
Blood dripped from her wounds.
Her breathing was ragged.
> "Damn... They're strong."
But—
She was stronger.
She stood up slowly, her aura shifting.
No longer flickering.
No longer unstable.
But focused.
Her red glow darkened.
Intensified.
The creatures, still recovering, turned to face her.
For the first time—
They hesitated.
Ji-Hyun tilted her head.
Then—
She vanished.
The first creature barely had time to react before her fist caved in its mask.
The second tried to counter—
But she was already behind it.
Her hand pierced through its chest, ripping out something black and pulsating.
The third one turned to flee—
But Ji-Hyun appeared in front of it, her hand gripping its face.
She lifted it.
> "Too slow."
And with a final, devastating pulse of energy—
She erased it from existence.
Silence fell.
The bodies of her enemies dissolved into nothing.
But Ji-Hyun knew—
This wasn't over.
These things weren't parasites.
They were something else.
Something that had hunted them.
And now, they were hunting her.
She clenched her fists, her red energy still humming around her.
Then, she turned her gaze toward the sky.
Where the void still lingered.
And from within it—
More figures began to step forward.
Ji-Hyun smiled.
> "Good. I was getting bored."
---
A sickening crunch echoed through the ruined city.
Ji-Hyun wiped the blood from her face, her chest rising and falling with each breath. Around her, the lifeless bodies of parasites lay in heaps—torn, shattered, and utterly destroyed.
And at the center of it all—
Red.
Her form shifted, veins glowing with an eerie crimson light as she crouched over a dying parasite, her body absorbing its very essence.
> "You're disgusting." Ji-Hyun muttered, watching as Red plunged her tendrils deep into the parasite's chest.
The creature writhed.
Screamed.
But its struggles meant nothing.
Its flesh dissolved.
Its power consumed.
Ji-Hyun could feel it.
Red was evolving.
Growing stronger.
And she wasn't done.
Not even close
A tremor ran through the ground.
Then—
From the shadows of broken buildings, they came.
More parasites.
But these weren't like the ones she had fought before.
These ones were...
Afraid.
Their forms trembled, their voices pleading.
> "Please… help us!"
> "The invaders are killing us!"
> "We have nowhere else to run!"
Ji-Hyun's lips curled into a smirk.
The predators had finally become prey.
One of them—larger than the rest—stepped forward cautiously.
> "You... you are one of us," it said, its many eyes locking onto Red. "You are strong. Stronger than all of us. You can lead us."
> "We will serve you," another whispered. "Just spare us!"
For a moment—
Just a brief moment—
Red was silent.
Ji-Hyun folded her arms, watching.
She knew Red wouldn't accept.
Because Red wasn't like them.
And she was about to prove it.
Red moved.
Faster than the parasites could see.
Faster than even Ji-Hyun could track.
In an instant—
Her tendrils ripped through their bodies.
One.
Two.
Three.
Dozens fell in seconds.
Their shrieks of terror filled the air as Red tore into them, devouring their flesh, absorbing their strength.
The parasites tried to run.
They begged.
They screamed.
> "We can help you!"
> "Please, don't—"
Crunch.
Their voices died.
Their bodies melted into nothingness.
Ji-Hyun watched, expression unreadable.
> "You really think you're the only one who can protect me?" she asked, stepping closer.
Red turned to her—
Eyes glowing with unearthly hunger.
> "No," Red said simply. "I know I am."
And Ji-Hyun laughed.
Because in that moment—
She knew Red was right.
The ground shook.
Something was coming.
No—
Something was already here.
Ji-Hyun turned her gaze to the sky.
The black void was expanding.
And from its depths—
A new wave of enemies descended.
Not parasites.
Not invaders.
Something worse.
Something that had sensed Red's evolution.
Something that didn't like it.
> "Red," Ji-Hyun said, cracking her knuckles. "I think we pissed someone off."
Red's tendrils curled around her shoulders, the crimson glow of her body intensifying.
> "Good," Red purred. "Let's kill them all."
And then—
The real war began..
-----
Ji-Hyun stood before the shattered glass window of a luxury boutique, the neon lights reflecting in her eyes. The city streets were quiet—too quiet. Bodies littered the sidewalks, blood trailing down the pavement like an artist's cruel brushstroke.
And standing beside her—
No.
Inside her.
Red.
> "Ji-Hyun, let's eat something pricy."
Ji-Hyun frowned.
> "Eat?" she muttered.
Red's voice slithered through her thoughts.
> "Not humans. This time, something different."
Ji-Hyun's hand twitched involuntarily, her fingers shifting into sharp crimson claws before reforming. She could feel it now—Red was evolving. The parasite had devoured so many of its own kind that its strength was no longer bound by ordinary limits.
And now—
Red could take over completely.
The transformation rippled through her.
Her legs elongated, muscles reshaping.
Her eyes turned black with glowing red pupils.
Her arms stretched, fingers extending into razor-sharp talons.
For the first time—
Ji-Hyun wasn't in control.
And she felt it.
Her inner desires.
The ones she always suppressed.
> "I want a steam bath." Red's voice hummed inside her. "Let's go buy a new house."
Ji-Hyun gasped as her body moved on its own.
Her feet carried her across the empty streets toward a high-end hotel.
> "W-Wait—!" Ji-Hyun tried to resist, but Red's will was stronger.
A high-ranking businessman exited the lobby just as they arrived. He barely had time to react before Red's tendrils pierced through his chest, his luxurious coat stained with blood.
His wallet dropped to the floor.
> "Perfect. Now we can buy whatever we want."
Ji-Hyun gasped.
For the first time, she understood—
Red wasn't just taking her body.
She was taking her sou
Inside a secret underground bunker—
The Anti-Parasite Squad gathered.
They had been tracking the most powerful parasites in Korea, and one name stood out above the rest.
A name spoken in fear.
A name whispered in terror.
Digra Parasite.
Colonel Han Min-Jae slammed his fist against the table, his sharp gaze scanning the classified reports.
> "This one… is different," he muttered.
His second-in-command, Captain Seo Yun, swallowed hard.
> "It's not just different, sir. It's unstoppable."
Min-Jae's eyes narrowed as he flipped through the surveillance images.
Ji-Hyun's face appeared on the screen—
But it wasn't her anymore.
It was something else.
Something far worse.
Red had fully taken over.
> "This parasite can now transform its host's entire body. Hands, legs, even the head. It's beyond anything we've ever seen."
Min-Jae exhaled sharply.
> "Issue the order. Effective immediately, she is no longer just a target. She is Korea's greatest enemy."
The hunt for Red had begun.
Ji-Hyun stood in the lavish penthouse, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
She had no memory of how she got here.
Only fragments.
Flashes of violence.
Of luxury.
Of desires she never dared to admit.
The scent of expensive perfume filled the air.
A bottle of the finest champagne sat on the table.
And Ji-Hyun—
She was wearing a designer dress.
Her fingers trembled.
> "Red… what did you do?" she whispered.
> "I gave us what we deserved."
Ji-Hyun's heart pounded.
She was losing herself.
No—
She had already lost herself.
And now—
The whole world was coming for her.
And she had nowhere to run.
---
Outside the penthouse—
The air shimmered with a deadly presence.
> "Target acquired," Captain Seo Yun whispered into her earpiece.
Snipers positioned themselves on the rooftops.
Drones hovered above the city, scanning for movement.
Min-Jae gave the order.
> "Engage."
The doors burst open.
Armed forces flooded the room.
Ji-Hyun smirked.
Her eyes burned red.
> "So, you finally found me?" she whispered.
> "Perfect."
Her body transformed in an instant—her arms shifting into monstrous blades, her legs sharpening like spears.
> "Let's play."
And the slaughter began.
[ The end of Ep 3]