It was a new day. Ji-ho sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor. The events from the other day still weighed heavily on his mind. He had dragged Ye-rin into his mess, into a life she didn't ask for. She didn't complain, but that made it worse. It made him feel guilty.
What can I even do to make up for it...? Just then, the door creaked open. Ye-rin walked in, holding up a small notepad and grinning. "I'm going shopping today! We need new stuff for the house!"
Her smile was bright. Too bright. Ji-ho's chest tightened a bit. He didn't understand this feeling. He had faced somethings, even some emotional pain, but this was something else. It hurt... but in a different way.
"I can come with you, if you want," Ji-ho said, trying not to sound awkward. Ye-rin raised a brow. "No need. My friend, Choi Su-bin, is joining me. She'd love to see you, actually," she said, then paused. "But never mind," she smiled again, waving it off.
She skipped off toward the door in a flowing purple dress, humming softly. Ji-ho couldn't remember ever seeing her this happy. Once she was gone, he stood up and picked up his phone. "Guess I should make the call…"
He dialed. "She's left the hotel," he said after a short silence.
"Good lad," Geon-woo's voice came through the speaker, calm and sharp. "You know what to do. Follow her." Ji-ho sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not doing this again, if it doesn't work, Geon-woo-nim." "Sure, kid and good luck."
Ji-ho tossed the phone on the bed and grabbed his hoodie. "Here we go…" Outside, he kept a careful distance as he trailed Ye-rin. She met up with a girl around her age probably Su-bin. They laughed and chatted while walking down the street. Ji-ho couldn't hear them clearly, but watching them made him slow down.
That feeling came again. Heavy. Uncomfortable. He shook it off and stayed focused. After a while, the girls walked into a shop that sold pots, utensils, and other house stuff. Ji-ho waited across the street behind a wall. He yawned, rubbing his eyes. This trailing of a thing, was tiring.
Inside, Su-bin picked up a shiny kettle while Ye-rin compared curtain colors. They seemed at ease. Su-bin was holding up a frying pan like it was a weapon, pretending to swing it, which made Ye-rin laugh even louder. But the light mood didn't last.
Two boys entered the shop. Both wore black hoodies with their faces partially covered. At first, they looked like regular customers. But when one of them quietly locked the door behind him, Ye-rin's smile faded. "Su-bin," she whispered, nudging her friend. "Something's wrong."
"Please… leave us alone," Su-bin said, her voice shaking as she stepped back. The boys didn't listen. One of them grinned, "relax. We're not gonna hurt you… too much." Suddenly, the shop's receptionist slumped behind the counter, unconscious.
Ye-rin's eyes widened. Her instincts kicked in. As the first man reached for Su-bin, Ye-rin reached into her bag and pulled out a small can of pepper spray. Without a second thought, she sprayed it into his face. "AARGH! My eyes!" the Boy screamed, dropping to his knees.
"Su-bin, run!" Ye-rin shouted. They tried to make a break for it, but the second boy stepped in their way. He looked calmer than the first, but his voice was cold. "Ye-rin, we don't have to do this," he said. Ye-rin's brow furrowed. "How do you know my name?"
The Boy chuckled but didn't answer. That alone was enough to creep her out.
Just outside, Ji-ho stood with his hands in his pockets. His expression was unreadable as he stared at the shop door. He had recognized them despite the mask " Geon-woo nim, just why would You choose this two for the job?" he muttered, rubbing his hair.
Inside, things were getting worse. The second boy grabbed Su-bin's arm, but Ye-rin didn't hesitate. She kicked him, hard right between the legs. "Ghk!" he gasped, doubling over.
"Run!" Ye-rin shouted again, and this time, they made it past him.Everything was going okay… until the sky cracked. It happened in an instant. A loud, unnatural snap echoed above them. Ji-ho's head turned sharply toward the sky.
A long fissure, like a glowing wound, had opened in the air above the shop. Ji-ho's expression darkened. " he had heard of it, from an EDC officer.
The women paused mid-run. People in the streets looked up, gasping and pointing. The energy in the air changed, thicker, colder.
Ye-rin grabbed Su-bin's hand tighter. "Stay close." Before Ji-ho could move, a loud crack ripped through the sky. His eyes shot up. A giant fissure opened above the store like someone tore the sky with a blade. From the rift, three massive figures stepped through, landing with a heavy boom that shook the ground.
Grotesque, Huge, covered in thick, scaled skin. Their blood-red eyes scanned the area with a hunger that made Ji-ho's chest tighten. "Shit, out of all days!" Ji-ho cursed through clenched teeth and lunged forward.
One of the demons noticed him and charged, its arms flailing wildly. Ji-ho leapt, flipping over a broken table and landing on one knee. He he threw a pot, hoping to distract it which it did. Demon lost sight of him for a moment. Then, BOOM! Ji-ho slammed his fist Hard into the demon, it stumbled, screeching. Ji-ho didn't stop.
He came infront of it, kicked its knee, and slammed its head down with both fists. The floor cracked beneath them. The demon twitched once… then went still. Ji-ho exhaled sharply, looking at demon as it started dissolving leaving a green-root shard, "One down."
But the other two demons were already heading for Ye-rin and Su-bin, their claws glowing with condensed mana. In a panic, one of the robbers, his mask still on, thrust his hands forward. An earth wall exploded up in front of the girls. Ye-rin flinched. "Huh?" The demon's blast hit the wall with a loud crash, cracking it.
The second robber, still beside the girls, sighed and muttered, "We're robbers, not murderers." as if he knew what they were about to say. Ye-rin blinked. "You guys are actually trying to help?" He didn't answer. Instead, he sprinted forward, mana flaring in his hands. The demon roared and threw a fist. The earth-user tried to block but was sent flying through a shelf, groaning in pain.
The second robber stared at the scene and whispered, "Just when I forgot to bring my gear…" The demon lunged again, but before it could strike, a flash of black darted across the room. CRACK! A punch from Ji-ho slammed into the demon's side, sending it flying across the shop and through the front display glass. Ji-ho stood there, chest heaving, eyes sharp.
"You alright?" he asked, not looking at Ye-rin. "Yeah," she said quietly, eyes still wide.
The injured earth-user groaned but stood up. "Don't think I'm out yet." He created spikes from the floor to pin the demon's legs while Ji-ho delivered the finishing blow with a clean strike through the chest it was done. It was rather easy to take down the last one with a combined attack.
The shop was a mess, glass, shelves, burnt pieces of wood everywhere. Su-bin looked around, trying to process it all. She turned to Ye-rin. "Those were really robbers?" Ye-rin nodded, unsure herself. "The worst ones… and maybe the weirdest." Ji-ho walked over to the two masked men. The one who helped protect them was nursing his shoulder. "You're welcome," he said with a smirk. Ji-ho didn't reply. He simply raised his fist then lightly bonked the guy on the head.
"Ow! Hey!" the robber protested, falling backward. Ji-ho stretched his neck and sighed. "That's for trying to rob them in the first place." The other one tried to speak, but Ji-ho raised a hand. "Already called the EDC. They'll be here soon." True to his words, a few minutes later, EDC agents in dark suits arrived at the scene.
They didn't waste time, within seconds, the two robbers were bound in cuffs made from shimmering shard-tech. One of the agents gave Ji-ho a short nod. "We'll take it from here. We'll also clean this up before it causes media noise." "Thanks," Ji-ho replied.
As the EDC dragged the robbers away and sealed the area, Ji-ho finally turned to Ye-rin and Su-bin. "You okay?" Ye-rin nodded, her voice soft. "Thanks for watching over us."
Then she turned again, "just when did you get here?" ,Ji-ho hesistated then spoke " well to be honest, I was bored and I followed You from behind." He said, rubbing his hair, "please believe" he wished in his mind. Ye-rin only nodded. As she seemed somewhat shy.
Su-bin just stared at him. "Are You... One of the EDC ?" Ji-ho smiled faintly. "well, someone wouldnt let me." Ye-rin pouted "fine, I'll think about it, what a weird day." She said, still trying to understand what was going on, it might have not been the best of event, but Ji-ho was glad, everything went smoothly. He also prayed bora does resent him, for punching him so hard.