As they walked through the cave, the two remained lost in their own thoughts. It was a routine they were used to whenever they entered a gate. Still, the unusual sense of being alone together made Seo-ha nudge Han Ju-oh in the side.
“What goes through your head when we walk this path?”
When Han Ju-oh turned to look at him, Seo-ha met his gaze with an expression that said, Come on, it’s not a hard question.
“There are usually too many people around to have a conversation like this. But since it’s just us today, we can actually talk freely.”
Normally, people didn’t speak much while walking through the long gate tunnel. And if they did, it was only in hushed tones to the person next to them. The entrance of a gate always carried a heavy, tense atmosphere.
“I don’t think about anything.”
Han Ju-oh replied flatly.
“Really? You don’t try to guess what kind of monster might show up, or imagine turning into a bug or something? You seriously don’t think anything?”
Maybe it was because Seo-ha’s examples were oddly specific, but Han Ju-oh turned to glance at him again.
“What’s that look for? You think I asked because I have those thoughts? I don’t.”
Seo-ha’s comeback was so sharp and matter-of-fact that Han Ju-oh’s brow lifted slightly. He wasn’t lying—there was nothing to hide. Still, Seo-ha’s curt reaction caught him off guard.
“I just try to picture what the place ahead will look like. Whether it’ll be a desert or a snowy field. If it’s a desert, I need to consider how much water we brought. If it’s snow, then I need to check how many heat packs we’ve got.”
“Practical.”
Han Ju-oh’s comment made Seo-ha laugh and nod.
“What, were you expecting some ridiculous daydream? I mean, sure, some people relax that way. But I can’t. The world’s already too strange to bother with fantasy. Weird stuff’s happening right in front of us.”
As the end of the cave began to reveal itself, Seo-ha drew in a deep breath.
“Let’s see what’s out there this time. Hopefully not another cracked, drought-ridden wasteland like last time. Right?”
Han Ju-oh nodded silently, and Seo-ha slowed his pace with a soft smile. You never knew if a monster might appear the moment you exited the cave, so he fell quiet.
He let go of the hand he had been holding all this time. From here on, Han Ju-oh had to do his job as an Esper, and Seo-ha had to support him without getting in the way.
When they finally reached the end, the view that filled their vision made Seo-ha stop breathing for a moment.
He’d suspected it from the sounds in the distance, but the sight of waves breaking into white foam left him stunned.
“Whoa.”
It wasn’t the time to admire the scenery, and yet the sky meeting the wide, brilliant sea was too captivating to look away from.
“We don’t even know what kind of monster might show up here, so why do I feel so good?”
Seo-ha said honestly, without hiding his feelings.
“Should’ve picked the sea instead of the mountains.”
As Han Ju-oh let out a short, amused breath, Seo-ha unzipped one side of his backpack. He pulled out two pairs of shoes and held one out.
“Wanna wear these?”
Han Ju-oh stared at the pair Seo-ha held out, unable to bring himself to take them.
“What are those?”
“I packed them just in case. You know how slippery the rocks can be. These are the classic aqua shoes.”
Seo-ha slipped off his dress shoes and put on the rubber ones. He poked at the ground with his toes to test the fit—they were snug enough, not too loose, not too tight.
“They’re actually pretty comfy. You should wear yours too. Yours are the special floral edition.”
He held out the other pair toward Han Ju-oh, who was still in his dress shoes, but the man didn’t take them.
“Ju-oh.”
Seo-ha called softly, his voice lilting playfully.
“Come on, let’s put them on.”
‘And walk the beach together, yeah?’
***
“This is insane, seriously.”
Seo-ha couldn’t laugh out loud, so instead, he trembled, barely holding it in. Seeing Han Ju-oh in those rubber shoes made the laughter bubble up uncontrollably. He bit his lower lip hard and pulled out his phone. He couldn’t make a call in airplane mode, but he could take pictures.
“I’m making this my wallpaper forever.”
Han Ju-oh gave him a deadpan look, but didn’t avoid the camera. Seo-ha happily snapped away, capturing Han Ju-oh in his black floral rubber shoes, then casually looked around.
Han Ju-oh climbed up the slick rocks without missing a step.
“It really is nice here.”
They didn’t know what kind of monster might come out, but the atmosphere was too perfect to care. The breeze was cool, the salty air was fresh, and everything about the place felt good.
“Should we get a house near the beach someday?”
“Didn’t you say you wanted to move somewhere quiet? You changed your mind already?”
“Guess I did. This place isn’t half bad. A while ago, we were looking at mountains, and now we’re staring at the sea.”
Seo-ha inhaled deeply, filling his lungs until his chest rose, then let it out slowly.
“Ju-oh.”
He brushed back his wind-tossed hair and finally asked the question he’d been keeping in his heart.
“What are you so afraid of?”
When Seo-ha first brought up the idea of forming an Imprint, Han Ju-oh hesitated. Since Seo-ha was the only one capable of guiding him if he ever approached a berserk state, Ju-oh hadn’t wanted to be greedy. That’s what Seo-ha had thought at the time. But later, he came to realize—that wasn’t the whole story.
Fortunately, he had overheard every word of Han Ju-oh’s conversation with Guild Leader Kim Mi-yeon.
“Guild Leader Kim said it’s fine because it’s me.”
It was something Seo-ha had to ask, something that couldn’t just be left alone.
Han Ju-oh looked up at the sky, then turned his gaze back toward the sea. Waves crashed at his feet, but the distant waters remained calm.
“I’m afraid I won’t be able to protect you.”
His lips, which had stayed firmly sealed until now, finally opened. Not wanting to miss a single word, Seo-ha climbed up onto a nearby boulder. Even in that moment, the thought crossed his mind—those rubber shoes were really a good buy.
“I watched my family die right in front of me. I couldn’t even lift a finger. I’m scared it’ll happen again.”
Seo-ha climbed up to where Han Ju-oh stood, picked a flat spot, and sat down. From up there, the ocean looked even more breathtaking.
He reached out and gently took Ju-oh’s hand.
“So that’s what it is.”
Even after overhearing their entire conversation, there were parts he hadn’t fully understood. But now, the pieces were falling into place.
“I didn’t know you’d been through something like that. But you know…”
Seo-ha had family too—lost in an accident. The number of people carrying such pain kept growing, but grief never seemed to diminish.
“Just this once, let’s go with what the Guild Leader said. I’ll protect you, so stop worrying.”
Han Ju-oh looked to the sky—he had spotted a monster flying in from afar—then turned to Seo-ha.
“You’ll protect me?”
“Of course. Just trust me. I’ll keep your mind steady no matter what.”
He held out his fist—a silent invitation. ‘Come on, give me a fist bump.’ Han Ju-oh reached out with a closed fist, but just before their hands met, he wrapped Seo-ha’s in his palm.
“I’m counting on you.”
“Naturally.”
“Don’t die. No matter what.”
“Obviously.”
“Make sure you adore me.”
“Of course.”
“And love me. A lot.”
“I love you.”
Seo-ha answered every one of Ju-oh’s requests without hesitation. He even blew him a kiss for good measure. ‘Was that good enough?’—his expression seemed to say. Han Ju-oh nodded, satisfied.
“Time to fight, huh?”
Seo-ha waved cheerfully. ‘Come back in one piece.’
***
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to eat shrimp crackers again.”
He muttered to himself as he watched the seagull-shaped monster. Each time it opened its beak, hundreds of razor-sharp teeth came into view—yet another memory he’d never be able to forget.
“I was wondering what kind of monster we’d get… and this is definitely something.”
Thanks to Han Ju-oh dropping him off in a safe spot, Seo-ha didn’t need to move. He could just sit and watch.
“But don’t seagulls usually come in flocks?”
He spoke more out of habit than anything, but moments later, that idle remark turned into reality. In the distance, an eerie screeching rang out—and a flock of gull-like monsters emerged.
“Oh no…”
Han Ju-oh could fight well enough on his own, but the numbers weren’t in his favor. Seo-ha grew tense. The battle wasn’t going to end quickly, and it didn’t look like Ju-oh would get through this unscathed.
“Would this even work…?”
Seo-ha rummaged through his bag and pulled out a nitrogen-puffed bag of shrimp crackers. It had started as a joke, but now… he wasn’t so sure. It might actually come in handy.
“Please let this help. Han Ju-oh!”
He shouted, hurling the bag toward him. Then, before the monster flying at him could get close, he bolted to safety.
In midair, Han Ju-oh veered sharply and caught the shrimp crackers. He also noticed something taped to the back and tore it off immediately.
The force of his motion burst the bag, sending shrimp crackers scattering through the air. But despite looking like a seagull, the monster clearly had different tastes—it ignored the snacks entirely and lunged straight for him.
In response, Han Ju-oh used the weapon that had been taped to the bag to slice through the monster’s skull.
It was the beginning of a battle that showed no signs of ending.
