The first coordinate Ryu Seo-ha moved to with the scroll was inside an abandoned school with no signs of life. Without time to look around, he immediately took out another scroll and tore it.

After arriving at the second coordinate, he changed clothes and discarded all his belongings. Everything that Choi Gang-hu’s hand had ever touched.

It was to avoid potential tracking. After keeping only the scroll items separately, he hurriedly left that place. He had to move as quickly and far as possible.

“Haa, haa.”

His breath rose to the tip of his chin as he crossed between unfamiliar alleys. When he reached an empty playground, he tore another scroll.

Even while using the expensive items like water, he couldn’t shake off his anxiety. All the CCTVs across the country could become Choi Gang-hu’s eyes.

He started running at full speed again with his hat pulled down tight. Huk, huk, his breath trapped inside the mask cried out in pain.

It felt like his heart would jump out of his mouth. But he didn’t stop. After repeating several spatial movements and running, he arrived in front of a closed shopping district.

“Ugh.”

His body, repeatedly exposed to spatial items, complained with symptoms similar to motion sickness. But despite painfully groaning, he ultimately couldn’t vomit.

“Haak…”

There was a fishy taste of blood in the breath coming from his throat. Ryu Seo-ha, who had been inhaling the cold air painfully fast, staggered to his feet.

After catching his breath while leaning on the rusty iron shutter, he started moving his trembling legs again. This place was once called Chinatown.

It was a place that had turned into a cemetery after the quarantine was lifted 5 years ago. More precisely, it was state-owned land used as a burial ground for unclaimed bodies, abandoned because everyone avoided it.

Here lie the souls of the nameless

A solitary tombstone of unknown origin guarded the entrance to the cemetery.

“Huu─.”

After taking and exhaling a deep breath, he stepped inside. Into the pitch-black darkness without a single light. Overgrown weeds of unknown names brushed against his ankles.

It was a very desolate and gloomy atmosphere. So much so that it was hard to believe buildings once stood here. It was evidence that this place was not being managed at all.

He wasn’t sure himself why he chose this place of all places to take his last breath. It was a place where good memories were hard to find.

He walked without hesitation, not getting lost on the path with no directional signs. Right to the very spot where he had to part with his parents and younger sister.

“…Mom, Dad. Little sis.”

He stopped in front of the small mound of stones protruding from the ground and collapsed. Tears poured out. Without any context.

“Hic…”

The sorrow that had been suppressed throughout the past few days, no, for over a month, overflowed. In a place with no one around, the pitch darkness ignited the expression of emotion.

“What should I do…”

It was ridiculous to speak like this, as if confiding. The remains of his family members who had passed on first weren’t even really buried here.

The bodies of his family members, which couldn’t even be recovered, had disappeared without a trace. He had simply piled up stones here one by one when he returned after the quarantine was lifted.

“I don’t want to die… hic, I don’t want to die…”

The crying that burst out suddenly didn’t stop until dawn broke.

❖ ❖ ❖

He sat blankly, watching the scene of dawn breaking. The very faint light gained strength as time passed, quickly pushing away the darkness.

The roughly made mound, traces as if dug up by animals, disorderly grown grass blades. The surrounding scenery that had been hidden in darkness was also revealed.

A lonely grave with no visitors. Here, even if a corpse suddenly appeared, or if a passing wild animal ate it, there would be no one to be surprised.

Status: Remaining lifespan 22 hours 38 minutes

One day. Exactly one day left now. Ryu Seo-ha curled up his body, resting his chin on his knees, and imagined. Imagining eating lots of delicious food with his sister, playing, watching stars and the sea, closing his eyes embraced in Choi Gang-hu’s warm arms.

It would be happy. He could decorate the end more beautifully than anyone else. But what about after that? No one knew what form Ryu Seo-ha would take, how he would die. If he suffers too much…

‘No.’

Unlike his outward behavior, his soft-hearted older sister might suffer from nightmares for a while. Like she did after losing their parents and younger sister.

It would be better to be processed as a disappearance or unexplained sudden death. That would be shocking too, but better than showing a dying appearance right before their eyes.

He wanted to believe that. He was already too exhausted. To face the reality that no matter what choice he made, all he could leave behind were wounds.

“I’m sorry…”

He closed his eyes tightly and murmured an apology. To Choi Gang-hu who must be feeling betrayed. He hoped that he, who had bestowed love beyond his station, would be happy for life.

He wanted to contribute to that happiness, not cause pain. Not only had he twisted the flow of the original work, but he had also scarred his heart.

But selfishly, he didn’t want to show the sight of dying uglily. He didn’t want to remain as a painful afterimage in the memories of his precious ones.

Beep──

Just as he was sinking deep into endless depression. An unpleasant mechanical sound rang out from far away. Like noise when a loudspeaker is mishandled…

…after burning down the abandoned school in …, began a massacre.

The loud humming sound wasn’t coming from just one place. Unless the same content was being broadcast from all nearby speakers, sound waves couldn’t collide from all directions like this.

Hunters from the Disaster Management Agency have been dispatched to stop Guild Master Choi Gang-hu’s indiscriminate slaughter, but…

A serious voice, clear pronunciation, a tone with the unique emphasis of announcers or anchors. He had to stand up abruptly at the content that was clearly from a news channel.

All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. Concerns about innocent victims and Choi Gang-hu who would lose a lot from an unmanageable accident.

“No.”

But soon he shook his head. It was suspicious for a news broadcast to come out so suddenly, and even with such a loud sound. It was clearly an intentional broadcast. Forcibly exposed for Ryu Seo-ha to hear.

Then the content was likely fabricated too. If the purpose was to lure him, there was no need to actually carry out the mentioned crime. It must be a ploy to make him return on his own out of premature alarm.

Did they attempt hacking? The clear fact was that Choi Gang-hu still hadn’t pinpointed his location. If he had found out the place, he would have come to catch him right away. While feeling relieved, he was newly appalled.

‘Surely not on all speakers across the country…?’

As always, he was a person whose scale of causing trouble was extraordinary.

…As it spreads, the authorities have issued an evacuation order for citizens…

Suddenly, worry sprang up that if crimes were actually being committed, shouldn’t he go stop them? If there was even a 1% chance…

Thinking that far, he realized that this kind of mindset was exactly what Choi Gang-hu was aiming for. He shook off the thought of visiting nearby shops to check briefly.

‘If I get caught then I won’t even be able to explain properly…’

As he tried hard to gather his thoughts, suddenly the sound of a propeller turning was heard. Ryu Seo-ha unconsciously looked up at the helicopter crossing the sky.

Bang─! Something fell from the sky with a loud roar. Dust rose and thickly covered the surroundings. An ominous premonition flashed through his mind.

Characteristic ‘Sanctification’ is activated.

After deploying the defense system first, he hurriedly turned to leave his spot. While covering his eyes with his arm and coughing dryly, cough, cough.

But a thick arm wrapped around his waist, completely blocking his escape. A familiar touch, a familiar scent. His mind went blank.

“I warned you beforehand.”

A heavy bass voice that seemed like it could dig into the Earth’s inner core coolly wetted his ear.

“Are you prepared to be punished?”

The strength of the arm tightening around his waist was different from before. It was strong enough to make him feel like his bones might be crushed.

To the point of being reminiscent of a snake constricting its prey before swallowing it. Perhaps this was the squeezing power of a giant anaconda that easily pulverizes any bone.

“Ugh…”

Ryu Seo-ha bit his lip without even being able to say it hurt. When he fixed his gaze upward, which had been lost in surprise and bewilderment, he saw a face so expressionless it was chilling.

“How on earth…”

“Is that all you have to say?”

Though his tone was calm, blazing anger was welling up in his eyes. The nape of his neck felt chilly at this reaction he was facing for the first time.

“No matter where you run away to, I’ll find you no matter what.”

In an instant, the scenery before his eyes changed. To the all-black room, Choi Gang-hu’s master bedroom.

“Whatever it takes.”

It was a frustratingly quick return.

“Uh.”

Surprised by the sensation of being thrown into the air, he unintentionally grabbed Choi Gang-hu’s necktie hard. The relief at feeling his back settle onto the bed was brief. A mountain-like huge shadow pressed down on his body.

“Wait… I’ll explain, I’ll explain everything.”

He reflexively demanded a chance to explain at the red blinking danger signal. Choi Gang-hu, who had roughly loosened his necktie, twisted the corners of his mouth.

“Why should I listen to those excuses?”

His sharply opened eyes looked dark red.

“If you really want to, do it tomorrow. Though I’m not sure if your voice will come out.”

His brain noisily sounded warning alarms. Was that why?

“There is no tomorrow…!”

His lips blurted out unintended words.