The café remained still, every breath drawn with caution. Jihwan's grip on the knife hadn't loosened, but neither had the woman moved. She simply watched him, her cold gaze unwavering.
"You're evaluating me," he said, voice quiet but firm. "For what?"
The woman didn't answer immediately. Instead, she reached into her coat—slowly, deliberately. Not a weapon. A small, sleek device, black and smooth like obsidian. She placed it on the table between them.
Jihwan didn't take his eyes off her. "What is that?"
"The next step," she said.
Sohyun let out a soft chuckle, leaning forward with interest. "You people really love being cryptic, don't you?"
The woman didn't acknowledge her. Instead, she tapped the device once. A faint hum filled the space, and then a small, flickering display appeared above it—a web of shifting data, symbols, and something Jihwan recognized all too well.
System markers.
His own.
Lines of text shifted too quickly to read, but a few words burned themselves into his mind before they vanished.
Subject: Yoo Jihwan
Status: Active Assessment
Evaluation: Unstable Variable
His jaw tightened. "Unstable variable?"
The man across from him finally spoke. "You're an anomaly. The system wasn't designed to handle someone like you."
Jihwan forced his voice to stay steady. "Explain."
The woman studied him, then flicked her fingers over the display. A new set of data appeared.
Deviation Detected
Threshold Unknown
Potential: Unclassified
Jihwan's pulse remained steady, but inside, his thoughts churned.
The system had rules. Even when it was unpredictable, it followed a pattern. Survival, growth, power—these were things it rewarded, tested, refined. But this…
This wasn't a test. It was something else.
Sohyun's gaze flickered between them. "So, let me guess. If he's too 'unstable,' what happens?"
The woman's expression didn't change. "Correction."
Jihwan's grip tightened. "Correction?"
The man beside him exhaled. "Elimination."
A heavy silence settled over the room.
Jihwan kept his breathing even. This wasn't a shock. He had suspected as much. But hearing it confirmed—hearing the system had already marked him as a potential failure—solidified something cold in his chest.
Sohyun clicked her tongue. "Well, that's rude."
The woman ignored her. "The system is watching you more closely than anyone else. That's why I'm here."
Jihwan's fingers twitched against the knife handle. "And who exactly are you?"
For the first time, the woman hesitated.
Then, she spoke.
"A Remnant."
Sohyun frowned. "That's new."
The man across from them, however, seemed unsurprised. "So, they've finally started sending you out."
Jihwan's gaze flickered to him. "You know what she is?"
The man's lips curled slightly. "I know what she represents."
The woman didn't respond. She simply held Jihwan's gaze.
He exhaled slowly. "And what do you want from me?"
She tapped the device again, and the display shifted once more. A single message remained, stark against the dark screen.
Initiate Override?
Jihwan didn't move.
The woman finally spoke.
"You have two choices."
Her voice was quiet, but the weight behind it was absolute.
"Let the system decide your fate."
She tapped the screen once more.
"Or take control of it yourself."
Jihwan's heartbeat remained steady, but in that moment, something in him shifted.
The game had changed.
And this time, he wasn't just a piece on the board.