Se-min felt like he’d just woken from a wild, disjointed dream—one that had left him exhilarated, aroused, his heart racing, ashamed, even terrified. It was as though he’d lost every shred of the morality he was supposed to uphold. But those feelings slipped away like smoke, dissolving before he could grasp them. No matter how hard he tried to hold on, they vanished like sand through his fingers.
He blinked slowly, the last traces of sleep clinging to him. Just moments ago, the dream had been so vivid. But now, all that remained was a dull, hazy confusion.
“…Hyung.”
As his vision cleared, Se-min realized he was lying on the floor, his head resting against Cha-hyeon’s thigh. He had no idea how he’d ended up like this.
“You’re awake?”
Cha-hyeon’s voice was calm, almost amused. Se-min rubbed his eyes, still groggy.
Of course I’m awake. I must have dozed off—you can’t fall asleep standing up, so I must have been lying down…
But the real question was why he’d fallen asleep in the first place. Had he really passed out in the middle of a department store? They’d been on a date, then the rift had appeared, and the raid team had failed to neutralize it. Cha-hyeon had seemed… different somehow. And then, in his dream, there had been two of him.
But the details were already fading, as if it had all happened years ago instead of minutes.
His body felt heavy, drained, as though he’d been asleep for days. A strange chill crept over him, his limbs weighed down by an invisible force. He fidgeted, trying to shake it off. Cha-hyeon watched him, a faint, almost painted-on smile playing on his lips.
“Can’t get up?”
Se-min stared at him, the dream still clinging to the edges of his mind. His voice was rough, cracked.
“…Hyung, you… kissed.”
Cha-hyeon’s smooth, expressionless face twitched—just once. But Se-min, still half-lost in the haze of sleep, kept talking, his words spilling out in a confused rush.
“You kissed yourself… In the dream, there were two of you, and you were—” His voice dropped to a murmur. “Kissing.”
“You don’t have to tell me.”
“Cha-hyeon Hyung and Cha-hyeon Hyung… they were just—kissing. On top of each other. But they hated each other, and they were still—”
“Enough.”
Se-min finally fell silent, but only because Cha-hyeon clamped a hand over his mouth. Around them, a few Espers and on-site support team members exchanged glances, hesitantly approaching the two.
“G-Good work, Sung Cha-hyeon Esper,” one stammered. “We’re grateful.”
Their expressions were a mix of awe, fear, and curiosity. A dungeon gate that should have taken two days to clear had been conquered in ten hours. What had happened inside? But Cha-hyeon shut down their questions with a single, offhand remark.
“Where’d everyone go? There were more people here when we went in.”
His tone was light, but the implication was clear: You couldn’t even handle the rift, so you sent in an S-rank Esper to solo-clear it—and now you’ve all scattered instead of waiting? Where’s your professionalism? The admiration in their eyes flickered into something more like …He’s ruthless.
“W-We didn’t expect you to clear it so fast,” the Esper stammered. “We were taking turns guarding the gate, just in case we needed to go in ourselves. We were just trying to stay ready—”
“Mm.”
A simple sound, but it made the air even heavier. As if you’d have been any help.
The Espers shifted uncomfortably. Cha-hyeon studied Se-min’s face, waiting for the last of the daze to leave his eyes before finally removing his hand. As if in apology, he ruffled Se-min’s hair.
“You good now?”
“…Yeah.”
Se-min was fully awake now—awake enough to realize he’d been rambling nonsense. The dream, which had felt so real just moments ago, was already fading, thankfully taking his embarrassing confession with it.
Cha-hyeon kissing Cha-hyeon…
He shook his head sharply, dispelling the thought.
But why was he so exhausted? He hadn’t even done anything. His body hummed with a strange mix of clarity and fatigue, and an odd, tingling sensitivity lingered in places he didn’t want to think about. The conflicting sensations made his stomach churn. He exhaled slowly.
“Water?”
One of the Espers—judging by the black combat suit—offered him a bottle, his voice carefully neutral. Se-min took it, his throat dry.
“…Thanks.”
The Esper even twisted off the cap for him. The cold water washed away the last of his grogginess, sharpening his senses. He blinked, focusing.
“Thanks—wait.”
His voice trailed off. The Esper was a stranger, and yet… Se-min couldn’t shake the feeling he’d seen him before.
Misreading his stare, the Esper smiled and held out a hand.
“Give it back when you’re done.”
“Oh, keep it—Hyung?”
Before Se-min could finish, Cha-hyeon snatched the bottle and drained it in one go, his throat working as he swallowed. Then, with a casual crunch, he crushed the plastic in his grip and handed it back.
“Thanks. And I’ll wash the clothes you lent me before tossing them.”
The Esper blinked. “Tossing them?” But he recovered quickly, bowing politely. “Ah—my apologies. I’m Seo Su-hyeon, vice-team leader for this raid. We didn’t expect you to finish so quickly, so I’m giving thanks on behalf of our team leader. Truly, we’re grateful.”
He offered a handshake, formal and respectful. Cha-hyeon just stared at it.
“Mm.”
The silence stretched, awkward. The onlookers’ expressions shifted from He’s brutal to …Of course. That’s just how he is.
Se-min couldn’t stand it. He finally understood why Cha-hyeon’s reputation among Awakened was so terrible. Sweating, he jumped in.
“Ah! Thank you. I’m Ji Se-min, his guide.”
“Right! Seo Su-hyeon, Esper. I’m twenty-seven, vice-team leader under Team Leader Kim Se-hwa—”
The tension eased slightly after the introductions. Se-min, drained from smoothing over Cha-hyeon’s rudeness, finally took in their surroundings. The department store was closed. So why were Espers and support staff gathered here?
His mind raced, piecing it together. The date. The rift. The failed neutralization. The dungeon gate writhing into existence. The screams. Cha-hyeon, unmoved by the chaos. The blue light. The blinding flash.
And then—waking up here.
Se-min’s shoulders stiffened. It wasn’t hard to guess what had happened while he was out.
Cha-hyeon had gone into the dungeon alone.
“…Hyung.”
His voice was steady, but his pulse wasn’t. He wiped his damp palm on his pants, his throat tight.
“You cleared the gate? The one that formed from the rift?”
“Yeah.”
Cha-hyeon’s answer was casual, but Se-min’s heart pounded. He swallowed hard.
“Solo?”
The vice-team leader answered before Cha-hyeon could.
“Yes. It was a B-rank Illusion-Type Dungeon. Sung Cha-hyeon Esper cleared it in under ten hours—alone. The estimated time was two days. Incredible speed, right? That’s Sung Cha-hyeon for you.”
The Esper spoke with something like pride, as if Cha-hyeon’s feat were his own. Se-min forced a smile, his face stiff.
7% survival rate. S-rank. Dungeon. Rampage. Flood. Death. Memory loss.
His throat worked again.
Cha-hyeon had gone in alone. And come out. Alone.
