Despite the choas surrounding Ji-ho and his teammates, trouble loomed quietly in another corner of Seoul. Bora stood silently on the grassy path leading into the rural outskirts of a worn-down village. His calm gaze drifted to his two teammates.
Ha-eun and Byung. One was pacing restlessly, arms crossed and clearly annoyed. The other stood a few steps away, back turned, hands in his pockets, lightning flickering faintly at his fingertips. It was Byung. "You know," Ha-eun snapped, "you could at least say something." Byung didn't respond. His eyes scanned the trees.
"We're on a mission, Byung. Not your personal brooding session," she added, tone sharper. Bora quietly stepped between them, sensing the tension. "Let's focus. We're here to deal with the poachers raiding this village for relics, not each other."
Ha-eun rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm focused alright." Byung finally spoke, voice quiet but firm. "You never understood."
"And you never explained!" Ha-eun shouted, clearly fustrated. Before Bora could intervene, Ha-eun lunged forward. A high-speed dash, her movements nearly invisible. Her Steel sword slashed toward Byung's side, but he parried with a crackle of lightning, his hand blocking the blade just in time. "I don't want to fight you," he said.
"Do You think You can defeat me?!" Ha-eun moved first. No warning, no shout, just a blur of motion. Her heel cut through the air like a blade, aimed straight at Byung's face.
He ducked. The wind from her strike whipped past his cheek as she spun mid-air and landed with a controlled slide. Before he could blink, she was on him again.
Her fists came in quick, vicious patterns jabs to the ribs, elbows to the collarbone, a knee shooting toward his gut. Byung blocked them all, barely. His body tensed with restraint, his arms absorbing the blows instead of returning them. Lightning sparked faintly around his wrists, threatening to burst, but he kept it down.
"I said stop," he muttered.
Ha-eun growled. "Then make me!"
She leapt up, flipped midair, and stomped downward with her heel. He caught her ankle, the impact sending a tremor through the dirt, then tossed her aside. She twisted in the air, landed on all fours, and dashed forward again like a bullet.
This time, her kick connected. Byung flew back, tumbling across the ground before landing on his feet. Dirt and blood smudged his cheek. Still, he didn't attack. "You're holding back," she spat, storming toward him again. "Don't insult me." "I don't want to hurt you," he said quietly. That only made her angrier.
"You already did!" Her voice cracked as she shot forward again. Her fists blurred. Left. Right. A low sweep. A high elbow. Her speed had always been her strength, and now, it was almost terrifying. But Byung's reactions were fast too, unnaturally fast. He dodged just a hair too early, predicting her attacks before they landed.
Each time, his lightning flared brighter, flickering up his arms and legs, but he refused to strike back. "You think I can't take it?" she shouted. She feinted a kick and twisted into a spin, her leg grazing his cheek. Then she dropped low and slammed her palm into the ground. Dust exploded up around them.
Byung's eyes narrowed, too late. She came from above, diving like a hawk. Her knee hit his shoulder, knocking him back. She followed with a punch to his ribs. His body jerked sideways, crashing into a low stone wall. He stood slowly, wiping blood from his lip. "You always hated unneccessary violence." "I hate liars more." Ha-eun shouted.
For the first time, Byung stepped forward. One foot slammed into the dirt and his form blurred, moving faster than before. A bolt crackled through the air as he appeared beside her in a blink, palm raised. She turned fast enough to block but the shockwave from his strike still flung her back ten feet. Ha-eun rolled, gritting her teeth. "Finally." She darted forward again, keeping low to the ground.
Their speeds were nearly matched now, Byung's lightning-infused reflexes against her natural agility and precision. They met in the center of the field with a clash loud enough to crack nearby windows. Kick met fist. Punch met forearm. Sword slashed past skin. Sparks and sweat filled the air. Ha-eun's blade skimmed Byung's side, tearing through his uniform.
His counter came in the form of a pulse of electricity, blasting outward like a ring. Ha-eun's body jolted and she stumbled. He hesitated. Just for a second. She used it. With a yell, she tackled him, sending them both to the ground. Her knees pinned his arms as she raised her Sword high. Then she stopped. Byung wasn't fighting back. His eyes weren't angry. They were soft. Sad. "I never meant to leave you behind," he said, voice shaking.
"I just didn't want you to follow me into this mess." Her hand trembled above him. "You idiot," she whispered, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. "You didn't even let me decide." she muttered, fists pounding against his chest before she broke down completely. Bora watched from a distance, lips pressed into a thin line. He didn't interfere.
"I never meant to leave you," Byung said softly. "After my mom died… everything changed. I didn't know how to face you. I didn't want to drag you into my pain. My revenge." "You could've just told me," Ha-eun sobbed. "I thought I'd be better off alone. But I wasn't." She sniffled. "You're still an idiot." "I know." They stayed like that for a moment, the wind brushing past them gently
"Remember when we were kids?" she said, voice softer now. "You got beat up just to get my hairpin back?" He chuckled quietly. "I tried to hide the bruises, remember?" "You smiled like an idiot. Even with blood on your face." "You said we'd end up together." "I was ten, Byung." "And I was hoping you meant it," he replied, making her lightly punch his arm again.
He finally pulled away. "What do You say, we start over again. She nodded. "I'd love that."
Just then, a crack in the distance echoed. Bora's head snapped toward the source. "Company." From the trees, a group of men emerged, five of them. Their gear was mismatched, but their eyes gleamed with greed. One of them held a strange relic, glowing faintly. "Well, well," the leader grinned, "looks like someone was too busy flirting to notice us sneaking around."
Byung stepped forward, lightning crackling around his fists. "You picked the wrong day."
The poachers drew weapons. One man activated a relic, surrounding himself with a weak mana barrier. Another raised a cannon-like gun infused with dull red energy. Ha-eun grinned, wiping the last of her tears. "I needed a warm-up anyway."
The battle erupted instantly. Byung blurred forward, his body disappearing in a flash of light, reappearing behind one of the poachers. A kick to the back sent the man flying into a tree. Lightning sparked across the grass, lighting up the dusk sky. Ha-eun dashed low, sliding under a swinging axe before landing a solid knee into her attacker's chest. She flipped over him, slashing twice with her sliver sword. One down.
Bora finally moved, he flicked his wrist, erupting spikes from the ground, which impaled the poacher. "Three left!" Ha-eun shouted, blocking a mana projectile with her blade. Byung raised his hand, storm clouds crackled above. A bolt of concentrated lightning struck the center of the group, scattering them. One poacher charged Bora with a large hammer, but Bora weaved between the strikes and delivered a palm to his gut "I got him!" Bora called out.
The last two poachers tried to run.
"Not happening," Ha-eun said, vanishing into the shadows. She reappeared in front of them, blades drawn. One swung desperately, but she dodged with fluid grace, slicing his weapon in half. Byung landed behind the other with a thunderous stomp that sent shockwaves across the dirt.
The poachers fell, groaning in pain.
Bora approached, dusting his uniform. "Guess the village is safe now." Ha-eun flicked her hair back. "They weren't that strong, just slippery."Byung knelt beside one of them. "Relics intact. We'll return these." As the adrenaline faded, the trio took a moment to breathe.
Ha-eun sat on a rock, arms crossed. "Hey, Bora…" He looked over. "Sorry for acting all childish." He blinked. " Glad You were able to resolve the issues with your lost love." He grinned "That's not it." Ha-eun sqeaked. Still. I was… being a bit much." He gave a tiny nod. "Water under the bridge." Byung sat next to her. "We really did look like idiots, huh?" Ha-eun smiled faintly. "You more than me." They all laughed.
As the sun dipped below the trees, casting golden light over the quiet village, Ha-eun leaned back, looking at the sky. "I wonder how the others are doing," she murmured. "Especially the newbie… Ji-ho, was it?" Byung chuckled. "Bet he's having an easier time than we did." Bora looked toward the horizon, his expression unreadable. None of them knew just how wrong they were.