Drip…
Dawn.
Drip… drip, drip, drip!
After hanging heavy and oppressive for hours, the dark storm clouds finally began to shed a few drops of rain as dawn broke.
Since the discovery of Atlanta, the once-bustling Northern Continent has become all but abandoned, its significance fading into obscurity. The same goes for Monica, a small southern town once known for its stability. The quiet there is so profound that even the faintest drizzle can be heard clearly, barely leaving a mark on the earth.
As the night deepened, the silent town gradually filled with the growing sound of rain…
How much time had passed?
Bang!
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the fourth-floor window of a building still brightly lit.
“This can’t be happening!”
The source of the sudden noise was Ahn Hyun. While everyone else remained seated, he alone stood up, eyes wide with disbelief, hands gripping the table as if to shatter it.
After a brief commotion, the conference room fell into a heavy silence, as if a bomb had just detonated. Some glanced at Ahn Hyun in surprise, but most stared blankly at the table or into empty space, as if stunned.
“I can’t accept this. I understand what you’re saying, but… but…”
His face twisted in anguish, Ahn Hyun clenched his teeth and let out a strained groan.
“This… this isn’t right…”
“I… I feel the same way.”
Unable to continue, Lee Yoo-jung, who had been watching nervously, quickly stepped forward.
“I don’t know him that well, but… even so… no matter what, this is just too sudden. Too cruel.”
“…”
“He’s always been himself. I can understand that. So please, just stay as you are. If it’s too hard, we’ll be right here to help you…!”
“If it’s too hard?”
Kim Yoo-hyun muttered to himself, prompting Lee Yoo-jung, who was stumbling over her words, to clasp her hands tightly. It was understandable—whatever news they’d just heard had clearly shaken her. Her trembling eyes betrayed the shock that hadn’t yet faded. Accepting that Kim Soo-hyun had returned from the past would take time.
“We’ll help Soo-hyun.”
The quiet voice answered in broken fragments. The crystal of truth had long since turned to ashes. But now, whether it was true or not no longer mattered. Besides Kim Yoo-hyun, two others in the room knew the truth.
“Soo-hyun has good siblings. Understanding and support—that’s something I’m grateful for as his older brother. Ha ha.”
Kim Yoo-hyun smiled faintly, slowly interlacing his fingers and resting his chin on his hands.
“Well then, on a different note, would you listen to a story of mine? I’ve never told this to anyone, not even Soo-hyun. It’s not long, but I think it’s worth hearing.”
His voice softened, as if soothing a stubborn child.
“When I was young… probably in elementary school, I came home early from school to find the house empty. So I grabbed a snack from the fridge, played around, and eventually fell asleep on my bed.
But in the middle of a deep sleep, I heard footsteps in the living room. Maybe my little brother had come home—I was happy at the thought and quietly peeked out, planning to surprise him.
But it wasn’t my brother. It wasn’t my father or mother either. It was a stranger’s back. Even though it was midsummer, he wore a black jacket with the hood pulled low, and in one hand, he held a knife… Yes. A robber.”
Kim Yoo-hyun closed his eyes gently.
“To be honest, I can’t say I handled it well. The memory is still vivid. Instinctively, I covered my mouth with my hand and backed into the room. Then, quietly, I closed the door, afraid the robber might hear me. When the lock clicked, I thought my heart would stop.
The phone was in the living room, and I didn’t have a cell phone. I was trapped in that small room. I gritted my teeth, but my legs gave out, and I collapsed. Just as I leaned my back against the door—”
“…”
“There was a knock. A ‘knock, knock’ against my back. It was a vibration from outside. The robber knew I’d closed the door and was knocking on purpose.”
“…”
Kim Yoo-hyun let out a long sigh.
“Knock… knock… knock… knock… The robber kept knocking, endlessly and rhythmically. No words, just occasional chuckles.
People say it feels like your soul leaves your body. That’s exactly how I felt. An indescribable terror and dread.
Oh, I thought all sorts of things. Why is he knocking? Could he be someone my parents know? No, that can’t be. I don’t want to die. I want to live. Oh no, Soo-hyun will be home soon. What should I do…?”
Most listened quietly, but a few sharp minds began to grasp why Kim Yoo-hyun was telling this story.
“Well, in the end, the robber disappeared, and I was safe.
But you know, what felt like a thousand years was actually only fifteen minutes.
Just fifteen minutes gave me a trauma I still can’t shake off as an adult. Sometimes, even now, I wake up drenched in cold sweat. Ha ha.”
Kim Yoo-hyun smiled wryly and unclasped his hands.
“So, what I want to say is…”
He slowly opened his eyes and looked directly at the still-standing Ahn Hyun and the confused Lee Yoo-jung.
“Don’t act like a child now.”
Both their eyes widened in shock.
At that moment—
“You don’t know anything.”
The gentle spring breeze on Kim Yoo-hyun’s face instantly hardened into something fierce and unyielding.
“You who have always stayed safe inside the fence, who have always just followed Soo-hyun around—what do you know?”
The restless atmosphere cleared, replaced by sudden tension.
“Fifteen minutes. I was young, yes, but even in those mere fifteen minutes, I felt an eternity and was tormented by impulses that nearly drove me mad.”
His sharp eyes and low, growling voice made the two flinch.
“But Soo-hyun’s ordeal… it’s not fifteen minutes. It’s fifteen years. To keep me and the user Han So-young from becoming residents here, he gripped a heart about to burst with pain, fought with all his might, clashing and breaking through countless times to get here. A pain I can’t even begin to imagine.”
Kim Yoo-hyun’s words poured out relentlessly.
“And yet you can’t accept it? You say you’ll understand and help if it’s so hard? You? Ha! You just don’t want to lose the Soo-hyun you remember, thinking only of what’s easy for you… How do you plan to rekindle a fire that’s already gone out? Are you sure? Really?”
His breath grew rough, his glare sharp enough to devour. Ahn Hyun, stunned, lowered his head. Lee Yoo-jung bit her lip, tears welling as she fought back sobs.
The conference room fell deathly silent. A long, heavy pause stretched on. Only the intermittent patter of rain against the window broke the stillness.
Suddenly, Kim Soo-hyun’s recent question—whether he wanted to go home—flashed through their minds. In this space where even breathing felt cautious, Lee Yoo-jung shivered and looked around. This place, too, held memories of Kim Soo-hyun.
“Let’s begin the meeting.”
It had only been a few years. The mercenary clan rooted in Monica had grown its influence here, with Kim Soo-hyun at its center. As clan lord, he always led from the front.
Having been through the rites together and seen him up close, Lee Yoo-jung couldn’t deny that the Kim Soo-hyun before her was slowly drifting away from the one she remembered…
As the awkward silence lingered, Kim Yoo-hyun slowly covered his face with his hands.
“I’m sorry. I got a little—no, a lot—too worked up.”
“…It’s fine. I know what kind of guy you are.”
Hwa-jung’s voice was weak. Pressing his temples as if nursing a headache, he shook his head and continued.
“So, you’re saying it’s hard to rekindle an extinguished flame, so you’ll just start a new one?”
Kim Yoo-hyun nodded calmly. Hwa-jung’s lips twisted.
“Well, it might be a way, regardless of success… but still.”
Pausing briefly, Hwa-jung fixed Kim Yoo-hyun with a sharp gaze.
“You’ll regret it.”
“I guarantee it. You, me, everyone here—we’ll all regret it.”
“Yes. Probably. I know that. That’s why I’m asking for your understanding.”
Without blinking, Kim Yoo-hyun answered resolutely. Slowly, he stood and turned to gaze out the window.
The sun had risen. Raindrops clinging to the glass sparkled brilliantly, flooding the room with light.
“Only…”
Kim Yoo-hyun began.
“Only…”
But his words faded into a whisper, lost in the distance.
“……”
Perhaps because of the strong sunlight, his eyes narrowed slightly.
No sound followed.
He simply gazed endlessly, wordlessly, at the sky—now calm after the rain had stopped and dawn had broken.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Um… I clearly said at the end of yesterday’s note that this wasn’t the case… ;;;;
I’m honestly quite surprised because the reactions are so different from what I expected.
I just got a little emotional and scribbled something down on a whim, so please don’t take it too seriously. Haha. ^^;;;;
Anyway, we’ve finally made it this far.
Is this the seventh installment of Episode 0?
Looks like it’ll wrap up perfectly at the maximum I had in mind—ten chapters.
I’ll do my best to carry you through to the epilogue! :)