"Yang Sang-gil?"

    I know who he is, but I''ve never had personal dealings with him.

    He''s an office worker, and I''m a field operative.

    "I don''t have much of an opinion about him," I replied.

    I''ve neither suffered because of him nor had any disputes with him.

    The most I''ve ever seen of him was a fleeting glimpse in passing.

    We’ve exchanged words a few times, but nothing beyond superficial pleasantries. Honestly, I even question whether those conversations really happened.

    After my lukewarm response, I glanced at Woo Min-hee’s expression.

    Her lips curled into a faint smile.

    "Yang Sang-gil is scheduled to die this winter."

    "Scheduled? As in, it''s already decided?"

    "Yup. During the recent refugee fleet incident, a small problem arose."

    "A small problem?"

    "Yes. Someone carrying satellite internet equipment was aboard that fleet."

    Woo Min-hee’s smile widened.

    She was talking about Dongtanmom and Baek Seung-hyun.

    "Sharp people figured out that the so-called ''refugee fleet'' was actually a ''banishment fleet.''"

    "Banishment fleet?"

    "The media portrayed it as a random lottery, but in truth, they prioritized boarding people without children or those whose children failed certain evaluations. It''s unfortunate for them, but they were deemed expendable."

    She stared quietly at her prosthetic hand.

    The hook-like device flexed and curled as smoothly as living fingers before returning to its original position.

    "Someone has to take responsibility."

    "Is that why Yang Sang-gil is here?"

    "Yes. He doesn''t realize it, but he came here to die. With his family."

    Woo Min-hee stood and strolled leisurely before climbing onto the central podium. She closed the toilet lid, sat on it, and crossed her legs.

    "Hey, that’s my toilet...”

    "I’m just sitting for a moment."

    "Isn''t it dirty?"

    "When I was in China, I sat on weirder things. Once, I thought I was sitting on a charred piece of wood, only to find out it was a human corpse burned by napalm. That was quite a shock."

    She gazed dreamily around my bunker.

    "So, this is the view from your place, huh, Senior?"

    With a sly smile, she pulled out her e-cigarette and took a puff.

    Whatever thoughts she had about my bunker, I didn''t want to know.

    She turned her gaze back to me.

    "Sometimes, Senior."

    "Yeah?"

    "You look like someone who''s more heartbroken than me."

    "Me?" I replied with a hint of defensiveness.

    But Woo Min-hee wasn''t looking at me.

    Her eyes were fixed on the black vinyl sheet on the wall, where my name and Sue''s were printed.

    "Why is it, I wonder, that someone like you never became Awakened?"

    "Why, you ask...?"

    "Apparently, there''s a higher likelihood of mentally unstable people becoming Awakened. It seems to hold true."

    "Maybe it''s because I''m normal."

    Woo Min-hee stood.

    "Becoming Awakened isn’t necessarily a good thing."

    "Why do you think that?"

    I couldn’t let a statement like that slide. To me, it felt like a form of deceit—those who’ve achieved something dismissing it as no big deal.

    Yet her hollow expression bore not a shred of malice.

    She glanced at a younger woman nearby, who had been quietly watching us.

    "For someone low-level like Yu-jin here, it’s not something to worry about."

    "Ah, haha..." Yu-jin forced an awkward laugh.

    "But among those on my level, there are stories about people turning into monsters."

    Woo Min-hee flexed her hooked prosthetic fingers as she spoke, folding and unfolding them meticulously.

    "Monsters? Surely you don’t mean literal monsters?"

    "Sharp as always, Senior. You’re close."

    "...Is it true?"

    "There are stories, but no one knows the truth."

    Suddenly, the world around her seemed to invert as light and darkness exploded outward, sending a wave of pressure that could crush every cell in my body.

    Thud!

    In that twisted world, she turned to me with a dazzling white smile.

    "The way we wield our power isn’t so different from monsters, is it?"

    "..."

    The oppressive force was suffocating. Even just standing across from her, I felt crushed at a cellular level.

    This was the power of a Level 12 Awakened.

    It rivaled that of large-scale monsters.

    "With just a whim, one of us could become a monster—or maybe the monster devours us. It''s all just hindsight in the end."

    The inverted colors surrounding her body suddenly collapsed inward, vanishing entirely.

    At the same time, the pressure that had filled my bunker disappeared without a trace.

    "...Anyway, let’s get back to why I’m here."

    She had revealed her power, perhaps as a natural part of the conversation, but there was a clear intent behind it.

    Her request was not an easy one to fulfill.

    "I’m planning to build a zoo. Over at the Air Force base."

    "Yeah."

    "No wonder her husband calls you Mr. One Million. That’s your title now."

    "..."

    For a moment, I felt my composure slip. Still, I don’t think I made any significant mistake.

    But Kim Daram... could it be her fault?

    Was she the reason Woo Min-hee had been so fixated on the theory that I was Eomchang?

    And if Kim Daram recognized the cable, does that mean she was on the same forum as me?

    Who could she be?

    No clue.

    She might be one of those lurkers who only leave the occasional comment.

    As I mulled over these thoughts, Woo Min-hee began preparing to leave.

    "Anyway, I had fun today. I’ll head out now."

    "How about a coffee before you go?"

    "Oh, you have a roasting machine. But the lab has better ones."

    "Ah, I see. Well, I’ll give you a ride. Let’s head to the garage."

    "No, I’ll walk. I feel like getting some exercise."

    With that leg?!

    Her expression, however, showed no concern.

    "Alright."

    With her metallic prosthetic leg, Woo Min-hee strode elegantly as always, leading the unfamiliar woman out of my territory.

    I escorted them to the bunker entrance.

    Outside, she suddenly turned to me.

    "Senior, you’re such a cruel person."

    Her smile faded as she glanced at the unfamiliar woman beside her.

    Somehow, I felt her remark about my cruelty was tied to this woman.

    And sure enough, Woo Min-hee lightly patted the woman’s shoulder with her prosthetic hand and said, "Don’t you recognize your dear student?"

    "Student?"

    "You had a student, didn’t you?"

    "What student? If we’re talking about my teaching days—oh."

    There was one.

    A student.

    But could she really be called that? I wasn’t even a proper instructor, just a temporary one who quit after two weeks.

    I stared at the woman Woo Min-hee had been calling Yu-jin.

    Her name tag read Song Yu-jin.

    A name so common I must have heard it more than once.

    Her face didn’t ring any bells, either.

    "Uh?"

    Wait a second.

    I did know someone like her—a much younger, teenage version.

    A bratty middle schooler.

    "Teacher, you’re a Hunter but have no powers? Why are you even an instructor? Huh?"

    She used to pester the weak and downtrodden version of myself back then.

    "Teacher! You wore the same underwear as yesterday, didn’t you? I can see everything! Change them, will you? That’s why you’re powerless!"

    It was probably her way of trying to catch the attention of the popular, handsome young instructor. But back then, I was so fragile I couldn’t even retort. I ended up resigning.

    Could it really be her?

    "...Are you the kid who used to follow me around and harass me?"

    The once mischievous girl was now a thoroughly worn-down corporate worker.

    "I’m so sorry! So, so sorry!"

    Seeing her bow repeatedly with a pale, terrified face, I felt the full weight of time’s relentless passage.

    "Yu-jin, you can head off first," Woo Min-hee told her.

    Left alone with her in the barren expanse, Woo Min-hee gazed silently at my domain from the high ground.

    Was she deep in thought?

    I stood by her side, waiting for her to speak.

    Eventually, she turned to me.

    "Say, hypothetically."

    Her usually impassive face began to curl into her characteristic cruel, twisted smile, spreading slowly but unmistakably.

    "Yeah?"

    "This is just a wild scenario, but—"

    She let out a brief, self-deprecating laugh before facing me squarely.

    "If I were to turn into a monster... would you kill me?"

    Her tone wasn’t flippant. There was a sliver of sincerity, even a faint hint of fear—an emotion I never thought I’d associate with Woo Min-hee.

    I suppressed a wry smile and nodded firmly.

    "..."

    In the distance, I saw Woo Min-hee and Song Yu-jin walking across my territory, heading toward the golf course.

    They wouldn’t leave just yet.

    But for now, our conversation was over.

    As I turned back to my bunker, the first thing that caught my eye was an old photograph.

    Wrapped in a black bag, it was a memento from the early days in China, pulled out for Woo Min-hee’s visit.

    It was a group photo from when we were all younger, filled with dreams and hope.

    In the photo, the living, the dead, and the departed stood side by side, gazing in the same direction.

    All except me.

    I was the only one looking elsewhere.

    I don’t even remember what I was looking at back then.