Baekho opened his eyes. They were normal again. Brown and tired. "You should not have come.""Someone had to stop you from doing something stupid.""How did you know where I was?""I told you. I tracked your phone. And I investigated you. I know about your sister. I know about the hospital bills. I know why you came to this Gate."Baekho tried to sit up but was too weak. "You know too much.""Yes. And I am going to help you anyway.""Why?"Choi Iseul looked at him with serious eyes. "Because two years ago, my older brother died in the Incident. The one that killed 300 people. The government said it was a rampaging monster. But I never believed that. Monsters do not leave burn marks in the shape of human hands. Monsters do not cry black tears over the bodies of their victims."Baekho's eyes widened. "You know.""I know you were there. I know you caused it. I know you have been living with that guilt every day since." She helped him sit up against the wall. "But I also know you did not

She fell back asleep. Baekho sat there for another hour, just watching her breathe. Then his phone buzzed.A message from an unknown number."Kim Baekho. We need to talk. Come to the old coffee shop on 3rd Street. Alone. If you do not come, your secret will be revealed to everyone. You have one hour."Baekho stared at the message. Someone knew about him. Someone was threatening him.He should ignore it. It was probably a trap.But if they really did know his secret, he could not let them expose it. Not now. Not when his sister was about to have surgery.He stood up and walked out of the hospital.The coffee shop on 3rd Street was old and run down. Only a few customers sat inside, drinking cheap coffee and minding their own business.In the back corner, a man in a dark suit waited. He was in his fifties, with gray hair and sharp eyes. When Baekho approached, the man smiled."Kim Baekho. Thank you for coming.""Who are you?""My name is Nam Garam. I work for the Hunter Association. Spec

It sounded better than working for the government. At least with Choi Minho, there was some honesty."What about my sister's surgery?" Baekho asked."Already arranged. My personal doctors will handle it. Best in the country. Free of charge.""And the Incident? The 300 people who died?""Sealed. Forgotten. As far as the world is concerned, it never happened." Choi Minho's eyes grew serious. "But I need to know the truth. Did you kill those people deliberately?"Baekho looked down at his hands. "No. I lost control. My power went wild and I could not stop it. When I finally regained my senses, everyone was dead.""Why did you lose control?""They were experimenting on me. A secret government lab. They had captured me and were trying to understand my abilities. The pain, the torture, it was too much. I snapped."Choi Iseul gasped. "They were torturing you?""For three months. Every day. They would wound me and watch me heal. They would force me to absorb death energy until I passed out. T

The abandoned subway station smelled like rust and decay. Water dripped from broken pipes in the ceiling. Graffiti covered the walls. No trains had run through here in five years.Baekho and Shin Sola stood at the entrance, both dressed in black combat gear provided by Shadow Division. Each carried weapons and a communication device connected to Choi Minho."The Gate is deeper inside," Shin Sola said. She checked her sword, making sure it moved smoothly in its sheath. "Stay close. Do not run ahead. Do not play hero.""I know how missions work.""Do you? This is your first real mission with Shadow Division. Before, you were just a kid clearing illegal Gates for money. This is different. We have rules. We have strategy. We do not just charge in and hope for the best."Baekho said nothing. She had a point.They walked down the stairs into the old station. The emergency lights flickered, casting strange shadows. Rats scattered as they passed."Three homeless people were sleeping here when

Ha Chaewon's surgery was scheduled for early morning. Baekho sat in the hospital waiting room, his leg bouncing nervously. He had not slept at all the night before.Choi Iseul sat next to him, reading a book. She had shown up an hour ago without being asked."You did not have to come," Baekho said."I know." She did not look up from her book. "But here I am anyway.""Why?""Because when my father had his last surgery before the Gate mission that killed him, I sat alone in a waiting room just like this. I remember thinking that if just one person had been there with me, it would have been easier." She finally looked at him. "So I am here. You do not have to talk. You do not have to thank me. I am just here."Baekho felt something tight in his chest loosen a little.The surgery took six hours. Six hours of waiting and worrying and imagining everything that could go wrong.Finally, Dr. Cho Kyul came out. He was smiling."The surgery was a complete success," he said. "We removed all the d