Mu Yichen’s heartbeat was quick, his footsteps growing faster without him realizing it. His eyes darkened as he gazed up at the five-story building. Something about it... called to him. A pull beneath his skin.

  They arrived at the entrance. It looked like a solid old hotel or office building, the kind long forgotten by the rest of the world. The heavy steel door had been rusted and weathered by years of abandonment, vines curling around its handle.

  Seo MinHyun reached out. “I’ll open it.”

  But Mu Yichen immediately held out a hand.

  “Wait.”

  Seo MinHyun blinked. “What? Why?”

  Mu Yichen’s gaze didn’t leave the building. “There’s someone inside.”

  A pause. Then…

  “…Seriously?”

  Mu Yichen gave a small nod.

  Seo MinHyun’s brows rose, then furrowed. He didn’t doubt Mu Yichen’s senses. The man’s detection ability was one of the most refined among hunters. If he said someone was there, someone was there.

  Still, Seo MinHyun’s mind jumped to the worst-case scenarios.

  “An unregistered hunter? Illegal activity? Monster cult?” he mumbled, cracking his knuckles. “Weirdos who collect monster teeth and sleep with slime cores?”

  Before Mu Yichen could say another word, Seo MinHyun had already activated his skill.

  A quick incantation, and a fiery blast erupted from his palm, slamming into the door with a thunderous BOOM.

  The door exploded off its hinges.

  But instead of darkness or a blood-stained warehouse, the two were met with..

  Warm lighting.

  A clean, surprisingly organized space.

  Furniture.

  “…What the hell?” Seo MinHyun blinked.

  The expected shady, dust-filled lair didn't appear when the door was blown open.

  Instead, the interior was strangely… peaceful.

  Clean. Organized. Domestic.

  The building’s first floor was large, designed like a reception hall fused with a dining area, likely an old hotel lobby or government branch office, but much of the space was swept clean.

  It had an odd warmth to it, like someone lived here comfortably. Not in hiding. Not out of desperation. Just… quietly.

  “…Did we just break into someone’s apartment?” Seo MinHyun muttered, blinking as his eyes swept across the room.

  There was a faint, tinny sound echoing from the distance.

  A human voice.

  Both Mu Yichen and Seo MinHyun immediately turned toward it.

  They moved quietly, instincts kicking in, every step echoing lightly on the floor. Their footsteps moved past cracked tiles and past rows of empty walls, toward the soft hum.

  “…It’s the TV?” Seo MinHyun whispered, narrowing his eyes as they rounded a corner.

  Indeed, the source of the noise was a large, boxy television placed on top of a wooden crate. It flickered slightly from poor reception but was undeniably on, playing what looked like a late-night comedy show or maybe a children’s cartoon.

  Mu Yichen slowed, his brows faintly furrowing.

  His hand unconsciously moved to his chest.

  Thump.

  His heart beat loudly. Too loud.

  The pressure in his chest was sharp and sudden, like grief pulling at him from the inside.

  Why?

  He didn’t know.

  But the sadness that surged through him was so abrupt and so raw, he had to pause and close his eyes for a moment, steadying his breath.

  Seo MinHyun, unaware, continued forward. “What is this weird feeling? Is this whole building just abandoned except for one guy binge-watching cartoons?”

  Mu Yichen ran a hand through his wet hair, water trailing down his neck as he exhaled slowly. His breath was faintly shaky.

  “…Am I cursed?” he muttered to himself, barely audible.

  Then he followed.

  The large reception area had been transformed slightly, an old rug was thrown down in the center, surrounded by mismatched sofas. In the middle, a small foldable table was set with a variety of food.

  Packaged noodles, some fried rice in a plastic tray, half-eaten snacks, and…

  “…Is that kimchi and instant ramen?” Seo MinHyun pointed out.

  Mu Yichen didn’t answer.

  Because lying right there, sprawled across one of the sofas, was a person.

  At first glance, they both thought it was a woman. The long black hair cascaded like ink across the cushions, curling softly under the glow of the television.

  But as they stepped closer, only about a meter away, they realized.

  It was a young man. Or more accurately… a teenager.

  Slim build. Casual clothes, a plain grey t-shirt, black track pants. His legs dangled over the sofa arm. His hair messily covered most of his face, hiding everything except the faint curve of a pale jaw and the edge of soft lips slightly parted in sleep.

  The only sound in the room now was the quiet murmur of the TV and the soft rhythm of his breathing.

  Mu Yichen and Seo MinHyun exchanged glances.

  Confusion flickered quietly between them.

  This wasn’t the shady criminal hideout or illegal experiment site they’d expected to uncover.

  They were prepared to meet resistance, a thug, a rogue hunter, maybe even a gate anomaly.

  Instead, they were met with the sight of a sleeping, peaceful teenager, surrounded by leftover food and cartoons.

  “…Okay, what the hell,” Seo MinHyun whispered, raising a brow. “This is some next-level homeless-core luxury lifestyle.”

  Mu Yichen didn’t respond. His attention was fixed on the boy.

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  He couldn’t understand it.

  But something in his chest, something quiet and buried deep, fluttered.

  It wasn’t suspicion or caution.

  It was… warmth.

  Almost like joy.

  It confused him.

  It shouldn’t be possible to feel joy just by looking at a stranger.

  Meanwhile, Lee Aseok, the boy on the couch, was having the best sleep of his new life.

  It had taken everything in him, days of exhaustion, hours of mental collapse, relentless insomnia and panic, to finally reach the point where sleep claimed him without dreams or memories dragging him under.

  And now, he didn’t care.

  Let the gate open. Let monsters tear through the walls. Let the building collapse over his head.

  He didn’t care.

  He just wanted peace.

  A few hours of silence.

  Even death, if it came quietly.

  So when the front door exploded open with the sound of splintering wood and heavy boots, he stirred, barely.

  He heard them enter.

  He heard the murmurs.

  But he didn’t move.

  Until….

  “…You think he’s dead?” a familiar voice whispered. Light, cocky, unmistakably irritating.

  Then another voice, quieter. Lower. Gentle and calm, yet something about it made his chest tighten like a vice.

  Lee Aseok’s eyes flew open.

  He sat bolt upright.

  His heart dropped into his stomach as he looked up at them.

  Two people stood in front of him.

  Clear as day.

  Seo MinHyun.

  Mu Yichen.

  No.

  Lee Aseok’s breath caught in his throat.

  His entire body froze.

  He couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe.

  His eyes were wide as he stared up at the two people he never expected to see again in this life, at least not this soon, not here, not now.

  His pulse raced. A chill ran down his spine.

  He was in the west zone. A dead zone. No one came here except bottom-rank hunters once a month to clear small gates. No one important should have come here.

  This wasn’t part of the plan.

  His hands trembled slightly.

  Lee Aseok’s breathing hitched as reality closed in.

  The sound of Seo MinHyun’s voice.

  The presence of Mu Yichen.

  It wasn’t a hallucination. It wasn’t a dream.

  He slapped himself hard across the cheek.

  The pain bloomed instantly, a burning sting that shot up to his temple.

  Real.

  His chest tightened. The air in his lungs turned razor-sharp.

  Then, silence, an unbearable, hollow silence in his head.

  And then….

  A tidal wave of memories.

  Things he had locked away, things he had buried.

  Blood. Betrayal. Screams. Loneliness.

  Their voices from a life long gone.

  Lee Aseok’s mind cracked like glass under pressure.

  His vision blurred. Pain lanced through his skull as the storm in his memories surged.

  He clutched his chest, struggling to breathe, but the world spun, and before he could even think of running, escaping, or even speaking…

  Everything went black.

  His body collapsed backward onto the sofa like a puppet with its strings cut.

  Mu Yichen and Seo MinHyun stood frozen.

  They hadn’t moved a step.

  They had walked in expecting anything, maybe even a trap, maybe a monster in disguise but not this.

  Not a teenager looking half-dead with a cartoon playing behind him… who got up, slapped himself, and fainted like someone short-circuited by their own existence.

  It all happened in less than a minute.

  Seo MinHyun slowly turned to Mu Yichen.

  “…I’m sorry, but what.. just.. happened?”

  Mu Yichen didn’t answer.

  He was staring at the figure slumped across the sofa, watching the soft rise and fall of his chest.

  The boy’s hair had parted slightly during the fall, and Mu Yichen could finally glimpse part of his face beneath the dark curtain of hair.

  Pale. Delicate. Sharp jawline. Long lashes.

  A face that was undeniably good-looking, though it held a sickly fragility, as if sleep was the only thing keeping it from shattering.

  Seo MinHyun squinted, then gestured toward the boy.

  “…You think he’s crazy? Like, actually brain-short crazy? He just slapped himself and passed out.”

  Mu Yichen didn’t respond immediately.

  His face was calm, noble as always, his eyes unreadable. But inside, a feeling prickled faintly in his chest, unfamiliar and persistent.

  Something about this boy unsettled him.

  Not in a bad way. Not even in a dangerous way.

  It was… curiosity.

  “Maybe,” Mu Yichen said at last, quietly. “Or maybe something else.”

  Seo MinHyun raised a brow. “Oh great. Mysterious and vague. That’s exactly what we need during a random thunderstorm in the middle of monster territory.”

  He folded his arms, huffing dramatically. “I told you we should’ve stayed in the car. At least I could’ve dried my hair in peace and not dealt with this.”

  Mu Yichen and Seo MinHyun stood in the stillness of the unfamiliar space, the sound of the rain against the windows now dull and distant.

  Seo MinHyun crossed his arms, tilted his head, and pointed at the unconscious boy with a sigh. “I’m telling you. Something’s not right in that head.” He tapped his temple, clearly unimpressed. “Slaps himself, stares at us like we’re ghosts, then faints. That’s not normal behavior.”

  Mu Yichen didn’t respond.

  His gaze never left the boy.

  When Seo MinHyun asked if they should wake him up, Mu Yichen shook his head and walked over to the other sofa, quietly sitting down.

  The living room was warm..too warm for a building in an abandoned zone. There were fresh blankets and pillows on every seat. A faint smell of food lingered in the air, too.

  Mu Yichen’s eyes fell back to the stranger. His dark hair clung to his pale cheeks, his chest rising and falling steadily. His clothes were simple, but his surroundings were… lived in. Cared for.

  This wasn’t a squat or a hideout. It was a home.

  Seo MinHyun, meanwhile, had taken it upon himself to explore, muttering under his breath as he peeked around the first floor.

  Five minutes passed. Mu Yichen still hadn’t moved.

  Mu Yichen’s gaze never left the figure lying on the sofa. His posture was calm, his expression as composed as always, yet his thoughts spun in quiet calculation.

  Seo MinHyun returned from his little indoor patrol and plopped down beside Mu Yichen, wiping imaginary dust off his sleeves with exaggerated flair.

  “The place is clear,” he said with a sigh. “No monsters. No traps. Not even a cursed teacup. The second and third floors are untouched, like no one's walked there in months. This guy might be living here, but he’s got no furniture beyond the first floor. What is this, a minimalist apocalypse suite?”

  Mu Yichen gave a faint hum in response but said nothing. His focus remained fixed on the boy on the couch.

  Seo MinHyun leaned forward and jabbed his thumb toward the motionless figure. “You think he was kicked out for being weird in the head or something? Seriously, no sane person chooses to live in the west zone unless they have a death wish.”

  Still, Mu Yichen didn’t respond.

  The sound of rain tapping against the cracked windows filled the silence. The boy on the couch didn’t move either, his face still partially hidden under strands of long, black hair. His breathing was steady now, almost too calm, too quiet.

  On the Other Side…

  Lee Aseok had come back to himself not long after fainting. His mind, battered by old wounds and unwanted memories, had calmed faster than expected, but he kept his eyes shut, pretending to be unconscious.

  He had heard their voices.

  Even now, Seo MinHyun’s voice echoed clearly in his ears: “Maybe he’s crazy. Got kicked out. No sane person lives here.”

  Lee Aseok’s eyelids twitched, but his face remained blank.

  His heart, which had felt like it would burst from sheer panic just minutes ago, began to slow to a more manageable rhythm.

  They didn’t know.

  They had no idea who he was.

  No memory of him.

  No guilt in their words.

  So… it’s only me, Lee Aseok thought. I’m the only one who remembers.

  A bitter breath slipped silently through his nose. The burden of memory weighed heavier than ever, like iron chains no one else could see. For a brief, cruel moment, he’d thought fate had come back to collect him… but now?

  Now it just felt like a joke.

  He lay still beneath the blanket, listening.

  Seo MinHyun was grumbling again, complaining about his wet clothes and the broken car. Mu Yichen hadn’t said a word in several minutes. He was probably still staring.

  Lee Aseok curled one hand under the blanket, fingers tightening slightly.

  I don’t owe anyone anything anymore, he reminded himself. This life isn’t for them. I’m not the person they knew. That life… ended already.

  But still, hearing Mu Yichen’s voice again… even as a stranger…

  It stirred something. Something he didn’t want.

  Back outside his thoughts, Mu Yichen continued to watch.

  Seo MinHyun finally stood up and stretched dramatically, glancing at the sofa. “Is he dead or what? It’s been almost ten minutes.”

  Mu Yichen’s eyes narrowed faintly. “…He’s awake.”

  “Huh?”

  “His breathing changed,” Mu Yichen said softly. “And he tensed up just now.”

  Seo MinHyun squinted. “How can you tell?”

  Mu Yichen didn’t answer. Instead, he folded his arms and leaned slightly forward. He had seen the tiniest shift in the boy’s posture, imperceptible to most, but not to him.

  “He’s listening,” Mu Yichen said. “He heard everything.”

  Seo MinHyun frowned and looked down at the boy. “Oi. You awake or what?”

  Lee Aseok, still wrapped in the blanket, slowly opened his eyes and slowly got up.

  The dull ache in his head had finally faded, leaving only a cold, empty quietness in its place. He stared blankly at the figures standing before him.

  They don’t know me, he reminded himself.

  The burden of his memories clung tightly to his chest, yet there was no longer anger. No hatred. Not even grief.

  Just a quiet understanding that whatever he once was had died in that other timeline. The Lee Aseok who had struggled, fought, and been betrayed had perished with that world.

  This life... was just the aftertaste.

  And yet, fate had led them here, Mu Yichen and Seo MinHyun standing in front of him, as if nothing had ever happened.

  Lee Aseok slowly sat up, brushing his hair behind his ear with methodical movements. The long strands of black silk slipped through his fingers as he leaned comfortably into the soft cushion of the sofa, back straight and calm as if he had all the time in the world.

  He raised his head, and for the first time, revealed his face.

  every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Yes, every week!