"If there's another life…I wish I could be healthy, Just once...Just enough to walk. Even if it's only one step…"
****
Back to the Present
A log cracked loudly in the fire, pulling Jin Rak back to the cave.
Back to the present.
His hand was clenched.
His eyes were wet.
But he didn't cry anymore.
Not really.
That boy—the one who lived behind glass, who never ran, who died in silence—
He still lived somewhere inside him.
But this body…
This body was strong, with heart of steel.
He could walk.
He could fight.
He could protect.
And next to him…
A small girl.
Alone. Afraid.
Just like he once was.
He looked at Seo-ah, curled up under the blankets, her tiny face soft in the firelight.
He reached out and gently tucked her hair behind her ear.
Then whispered into the night, his voice low but full of fire:
"This time…I'll protect the cage, even if I have to burn the whole damn world."
****
Two weeks passed quietly.
Jin and Seo-ah had made a temporary home deep within the mountains that overlooked Seoul. A small cave, tucked beneath thick pines and hidden by snow-dusted ridges, became their shelter. It wasn't perfect, but it was safe. And more importantly—it was quiet.
In those two weeks, the two of them fell into a rhythm.
Seo-ah taught him the basics of her world's language, carefully repeating words until Jin could say them on his own. He had trouble at first—his pronunciation was clumsy, and his memory short—but he was a fast learner. Every time he got something right, Seo-ah's face lit up like the firelight that kept them warm at night.
He was learning more than just words. She told him about her world—how people lived, what a "Hunter" was, how the guilds worked, and what kind of monsters roamed beyond the cities.
And in return… Jin protected her.
He hunted beasts—wild boars, strange wolf-like creatures, even a bear once. His movements were sharp, controlled. He didn't waste a single strike. Seo-ah had watched him from a distance once, and for a moment, she forgot to breathe. He wasn't just strong—he moved like someone who had fought in wars, someone who had lived through hell.
They grew close—closer than either of them expected.
Some nights, Seo-ah would fall asleep beside him, her tiny hand clutching his coat. Sometimes, Jin would catch himself staring at her, not out of pity, but because she reminded him of something fragile. Like glass. Like the boy he used to be.
If someone saw them from afar, they might think he was her father.
And though he never said it out loud… he didn't mind that thought.
The smile that had disappeared from Seo-ah's face started to return—hesitant at first, like a child testing warmth after a long winter. But it was real.
In the quiet of the mountains, with the wind brushing the trees and the fire crackling each night, it felt like the world had forgotten its cruelty.
For two weeks, there was no blood.
No screaming.
No war.
Just two broken souls trying to find peace.
****
Back at the Hunter Academy, the atmosphere was anything but peaceful.
Tension hung in the air like smoke. The hunter exams were just around the corner, and this year's batch of students was said to be one of the best in decades.
Even before the exams began, top guilds were already making calls—both from South Korea and abroad. Promises were whispered. Contracts were hinted at. Students were nervous, excited, and terrified all at once.
B-Class students was much this year, fulled with solid talent —but the real storm was in AA-Class student.
That year had someone… special.
A boy whose skills placed him above everyone else. The only student in Asia ranked high enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with S-Class hunters.
And today, as the bell rang and students cleared the halls, the whispers began.
"Look! The student council is coming—move!"
Students parted like water.
Dressed in a sleek black uniform with silver trim, the student council walked with quiet power. They didn't shout or threaten. They didn't need to. Their very presence bent the atmosphere.
"Hey! That's the president! That's him!"
Girls whispered. Boys muttered. Eyes followed every step he took.
"He's so handsome," one girl sighed, placing a hand over her chest.
"What do you expect? He's the highest-ranking student in Asia," another student said, shaking his head in awe.
"And you know what's crazy?" someone added. "His dad is the Guild Master of the Fallen Sword—the number one guild in South Korea!"
"I heard his older brother's a total failure though," a boy nearby muttered, snickering.
The student council president—Ryu Min-jae, nineteen, tall and composed, with solid black hair, and an imposing aura, —paused.
Just for a second.
It was subtle, but his steps faltered. His eyes dropped to the ground. His jaw tightened.
Then he kept walking.
But his hand curled into a fist behind his back. And for a moment, his perfect calm cracked. He bit the inside of his lip—hard.
"Hey," he said, turning to the council member beside him. "Where's Jacob?"
His voice was sharp. Cold.
The others looked at each other in silence. No one dared to ask why.
But the way he said that name—Jacob—made it clear.
This wasn't just a student.
This wasn't just some friend.
Whoever Jacob was…
He mattered.
And to Ryu Min-jae…
He was a problem.
To Be Continued…