The morning light shone gently through the curtains of Ji Han's dorm room. His body felt heavy, like he had run a long race in his dreams.
His mind was still full of what had happened the night before—the red and blue glowing lights underground, the strange reaction from his system, and So Min's strange answer.
He slowly sat up, noticing how his chest still felt warm, as if something was burning deep inside. He blinked and opened his system window, expecting the same usual stats.
But something was different.
[Emotion System: Level 5]
[New Notice: Bond Link Strengthened]
[Shared Core Detected – Dual Emotional Field Active]
Ji Han stared at the new line. "Shared core? What does that mean..."
Just then, there was a soft knock. Ha Neul opened the door slowly, his expression full of concern.
"You're awake," Ha Neul said.
Ji Han gave a small nod. "Yeah… barely. My system changed overnight. It says our bond link got stronger."
Ha Neul stepped inside and sat at the edge of the bed. "Mine too. But it's strange. My system leveled up. I didn't do anything. It just... changed."
They both went quiet for a moment, thinking back to the glowing light. That moment in the underground had felt like something important, something beyond their understanding. Ji Han could still remember the way the red light had reached out to him—and the way the blue light had wrapped around Ha Neul.
The two lights didn't fight. They merged.
---
Later that morning, the instructors gathered the students for announcements. But So Min wasn't there.
"She hasn't returned to her dorm," one student whispered.
"Maybe she got hurt?" another guessed.
But Ji Han wasn't so sure. His heart felt uneasy. Something inside told him So Min wasn't in danger. She was hiding. Or avoiding them. Maybe even running from something.
---
When the teacher finally called Ji Han's name, he stepped forward with Ha Neul and Ji Won.
"Squad A," the teacher said. "You three will be assigned together again. You've proven your teamwork during the last training."
Ji Han nodded. It made sense.
But then, the teacher added, "And one more will join your squad. So Min."
Ji Han froze. Ha Neul looked confused. Ji Won raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
So Min walked out from behind the teacher's tent. Her face was calm, but her eyes looked colder than before. She didn't say a word as she joined their group.
Their mission was simple on paper: investigate Sector 8. It was an old rift zone—quiet for years, but recently, signs of energy had been detected. The instructors wanted a small squad to check it out before sending stronger teams.
But Ji Han didn't trust this mission.
Location: Sector 8
The four of them traveled on foot. The air in Sector 8 was thick, like the sky itself was holding its breath. The buildings were broken down, and the ground cracked from past battles.
As they walked, Ji Han began to hear things.
Not real sounds—but emotions.
He paused in front of a broken wall. Fear. He could feel it. Deep fear, old and strong. Not from his team—but from the wall itself.
"How can a place feel like this?" Ji Han whispered.
He kept walking. Sadness. Anger. Loss. The closer they got to the center of Sector 8, the heavier the emotions became. Ji Han's system was picking up on them like leftover pieces of people's hearts, left behind after they were gone.
So Min didn't say anything the whole time. But Ji Han noticed her hands were shaking.
---
That night, as they set up camp, Ji Han opened his system window again.
[Emotion System: Level 5]
[Warning: Emotion Overload Nearby]
[New Feature Detected: Emotion Echoes]
He frowned. "Emotion echoes…?"
He didn't remember unlocking this.
He looked at Ha Neul, who was leaning against a tree. "Are you feeling anything strange?"
Ha Neul opened his eyes slowly. "I had another dream last night. But it wasn't mine. I think it was yours."
Ji Han blinked. "What did you see?"
Ha Neul hesitated. "You… as a child. Alone. Crying in a dark place. I don't know why, but I woke up feeling really sad. And my chest… it hurt."
Ji Han looked away. That memory… he hadn't told anyone about it.
The bond between them—it wasn't just about powers now. Their feelings were starting to bleed into each other.
---
The next morning, as they moved deeper into the zone, a strange fog rolled in. Ji Han's instincts screamed that something was wrong.
And then they saw him.
A man stood near a ruined building. He wore a black coat with no markings, no weapons, and no expression. He didn't show up on their scanners. No name. No system ID.
Ji Han tried to read him—but nothing happened.
No emotions.
It was like the man didn't even exist.
When Ji Han looked closer, his system glitched. Static filled his vision.
The man finally spoke, his voice low and quiet:
"You're not supposed to exist. Neither of you are."
Then, he vanished.
---
They returned to camp in silence. No one knew what to say.
That night, Ji Han couldn't sleep. He sat alone, watching the fire, thinking about everything.
His system had changed. Ha Neul's system had changed. So Min was hiding something. And now a stranger had appeared—someone who knew about their systems and didn't belong in this world.
Everything felt like it was leading somewhere.
Some kind of truth was getting closer.
He looked up at the stars, whispering to himself, "Who am I really? And why do I feel like this is only the beginning?"
Ha Neul approach him. "Hey, you alright? You've been spacing out since we returned."
He snapped out of his thoughts and turn to Ha Neul. He smiled faintly. "Everything is just..going too fast for me..you know..our system's connection..So Min's appearance."
Ha Neul nodded, understanding.
"And..I know none of us has talked about it, but what do you think..those words meant..from the stranger earlier?" Ji Han asked. Finally talking about it.
Ha Neul sighed."I'm not sure..but don't worry too much about it. It's just some stranger's words we know nothing about.."
Then he added." We'll find all the answers we're looking for someday. Don't stress out too much and sleep." He patted Ji Han's back before going to sleep.
Ji Han closes his eyes. Taking a deep breath to clear his mind.