* * *
The moment he heard the buzz, his lips pressed tightly together, and surprisingly, he looked rather irritated.
It caught me off guard—he’d been calm and gentle this whole time.
“Excuse me.”
But his voice toward me was still polite.
He had his watch on the same wrist that was holding my hand, so to check it, he had to let go.
He hesitated, clearly reluctant.
Left with the warmth of his hand, I awkwardly fidgeted and turned my gaze outward.
Looks like it had been a sudden shower.
The rain was easing up a lot now.
“I’ll be going now. Thank you.”
“Ah, it’s still raining—take an umbrella.”
“I’m fine. Your offer is enough.”
It looked like something urgent had come up, so I expected him to leave immediately—but instead, he just stood there quietly, staring at me.
Then, all of a sudden, he reached out.
Startled, I instinctively shut my eyes.
I thought he was going to touch my face… but for some reason, his gloved hand never made contact.
When I cautiously opened my eyes, I was alone in the tent.
I rushed outside, but the tall man who had been just there—was completely gone.
Like a mirage.
Only faint crackles of static and withered grass remained where he had stood.
“Haa…”
After scanning the area for a while, I slumped back into the chair inside the tent.
My mind was a fog.
It all felt like a dream.
The sudden downpour, meeting the man in the gray coat, the strange atmosphere between us, nearly kissing…
The timing was uncanny.
The moment he disappeared, the rain stopped completely.
Water trapped on leaves and the tent roof kept dripping, leaving behind echoes of the storm.
Maybe it was just that too much had happened in too short a time—but my body felt drained, like something had sucked the soul right out of me.
I leaned fully into the chair and looked up at the sky.
The rain had stopped, but the sky was still overcast with heavy, gray clouds.
“When is Taehwan coming back…”
In truth, it hadn’t been that long since Taehwan left the tent.
Not even an hour.
He had driven through quite a remote area to get here, so counting both ways, it’d probably take a couple of hours.
Still… I really wanted to see him. I needed to talk about everything to clear my head.
I’m not sure if this is what people usually do after getting a confession—but for me, Taehwan isn’t just a friend.
He’s also like a guardian.
He always gives me answers, so this time should be no different.
I missed him so much, I was starting to see his shape in the clouds.
I was seriously losing it.
“…Mentor.”
Come to think of it, should I have talked to Gray Coat about being my mentor when we met?
I’m not sure, but he seems to like me.
Maybe he’d agree to take me as his mentee?
“I don’t know if I really have to switch though…”
It’s a dilemma.
Meeting him in person, I started thinking Taehwan might’ve been right—there might actually be potential.
Honestly, I’d love to have both of them as mentors… but the rules probably wouldn’t allow that.
“Maybe I should ask for advice?”
Even if it’s just a possibility, it might be better to give a heads-up rather than dropping the news out of nowhere.
And it’s not like I’d be asking just anyone—this is Cha Taeyang.
Even if he’s not officially my mentor, I’m sure he’d give me advice.
He didn’t seem to be on bad terms with Gray Coat either, and he told me I could ask him anything…
Having made up my mind, I immediately picked up my phone.
[Me: Would it be okay if I asked for some advice?]
Sending it made my heart pound, nerves coiling in my chest—but after taking a deep breath, I pressed send.
Shockingly, it hadn’t even been 10 seconds when I saw he’d already read it.
And then, just like that, a reply came.
[Cha Taeyang Hunter: What’s up?]
[Cha Taeyang Hunter: Of course! Tell me. I, your mentor, shall listen.]
…Does this guy keep his phone in hand 24/7?
How is he this fast?
I wasn’t even ready yet.
The sudden pressure hit me like a weight on my chest—my fingers were trembling.
And he didn’t even wait patiently—he started bombarding me.
[Cha Taeyang Hunter: Well?? What is it??]
[Cha Taeyang Hunter: Tellmmeeeee]
[Me: So, the thing is…]
As I slowly typed out what I wanted to say, I realized something.
At my pace, texting would take forever.
It’d be way faster to just call.
[Me: Would a call be okay?]
[Cha Taeyang Hunter: Yup. Totally.]
[Cha Taeyang Hunter: Ah wait lol I’m in a meeting rn give me 10 mins, I’ll call then]
…You’re in a meeting?!
It felt like I got whacked on the back of the head.
He responded so fast, I assumed he was just lazing around!
Now I started to panic.
[Me: It’s not urgent, please focus on your meeting…ㅠ]
Cha Taeyang kept sending more messages afterward, probably still talking to me—but I decided not to read them.
Knowing him, if I opened them, he’d keep chatting and wouldn’t focus on his meeting.
He’ll call when he’s done.
And honestly, thanks to him, I felt a bit more grounded.
I should get back to what I was doing.
Taehwan won’t be back for a while, so… maybe I should make some food in the meantime.
“Maybe I’ll try making rice in a pot this time.”
Taehwan did buy a pressure cooker.
But I was someone who could never forget the taste of rice cooked in a pot, like the kind dads used to make when we went camping.
Freshly cooked, fluffy white rice, with the crispy scorched layer at the bottom scraped up and eaten last—there was nothing more heavenly than that.
That said, it was my first time actually cooking rice while camping, and I’d never properly learned how to do it from my dad.
I’d only watched over his shoulder multiple times.
Maybe using the pressure cooker would be tastier and easier than clumsily trying to make pot rice… but still—I wanted to try.
It had been a while since I last went camping, and it felt meaningful to relive some memories and challenge myself.
“Huh?”
I was rummaging through the cooler for the rice when a sound suddenly caught my ear.
An engine.
Tires crunching over rain-soaked ground.
Reflexively, I thought, Taehwan? and shot up, about to rush out of the tent—but I paused.
“Wait… that doesn’t sound like Taehwan’s car.”
Taehwan’s car was super expensive, and maybe because of that, its engine was practically silent.
But the vehicle I was hearing now was loud. Not just one, either—multiple engines.
‘Maybe other campers? A group?’
That’d actually be nice.
While I liked having the spacious campground to just the two of us, I honestly preferred when it was bustling with other guests.
Even if we didn’t talk to each other, just sharing the space gave me a comforting sense of community.
“…Huh?”
I peeked out, trying to see who had arrived—and froze.
A group of people poured out of three large vehicles, and their appearance was… strange.
There was no way they were here to camp.
No ordinary person would be dressed like that.
They were all in distinct black suits, faces obscured by shady-looking masks.
For a second, I wondered if it was a film shoot. I glanced around, looking for a camera crew—but nothing.
If this wasn’t a movie, then what the hell was with those outfits…?
I tried to piece together the situation with my weak imagination—when one of them suddenly shouted:
“There he is!”
At that cry, several of them pointed—
At me.
‘Me?’
I was sure I’d never seen them before.
No, I couldn’t see their faces, so I couldn’t be sure, but I was fresh out of school and barely had any social connections.
There was no way I knew that many people.
And yet all their eyes were locked on me, brimming with unmistakable hostility.
“Come quietly.”
“Wh-what? Me? I think you’ve got the wrong person—”
“No. It’s you.”
“I… I don’t think so?”
“This f*cker doesn’t get it. It’s you. Got it?”
“You’d better come without a fuss.”
The group started approaching me without hesitation.
Their confident expressions and the atmosphere around them made it clear—no matter what I said, they were planning to take me by force.
Were they seriously targeting me?
Why?
The thought cut off midway—
There was one very obvious reason.
Maybe I’d gotten cocky after beating a monster and getting my license.
I’d completely forgotten—
I was an ‘S-Class who was easy to target.’
Maybe they’d been waiting for me to separate from Taehwan before making their move.
“Don’t come any closer. L-let go of me.”
I backed away, trying to warn them—but they grabbed my arm anyway.
Unlike the ‘gray coat’ from before, their grip was clearly threatening and rough.
My head went cold like ice in an instant.
“I told you to let go.”
I didn’t know what they were after, but one thing was certain—
These people were not the type I could allow myself to be dragged away by.
I had to resist. If they meant to threaten me, I’d give it right back.
I clenched my hand around the wrist that had grabbed me, holding on with just as much force.
And then—
- Crack.
All the hairs on my body stood on end.
* * *
