Shin-Joo's words continued to echo in Ji Ah's mind as she stepped out of the clinic.
"This isn't just a dream... it's a memory?"
A chill ran down her spine. "But if it really is a memory from my life... then why can I only remember fragments? Why not the whole truth?"
Her phone buzzed, pulling her out of the spiral of thoughts. A message from a fellow hunter — someone who often worked alongside her.
[Text Message]:
Where are you, Ji Ah? Don't tell me you forgot about the meeting at headquarters. Hurry up!
She quickly typed back:
[Reply]:
No, I didn't forget. I just stopped by Dr. Shin-Joo's. I'm on my way.
As she put her phone away, Ji Ah took a deep breath.
"I need to focus on my mission. I became a hunter for a reason — to uncover the secrets buried in my past, to find out what happened to my parents… and to discover the truth about the man who haunts my dreams."
Later that day, Ji Ah arrived at headquarters. The air inside the meeting room was heavy with tension. That's when the mission was laid out — one unlike anything she'd taken before.
She was to enter a zone that, though technically a part of their world, was unlike anything in the normal realm. A place ruled by a single, unknown figure. A zone wrapped in mystery and danger, where nothing functioned as it did in the rest of the world.
And Ji Ah knew one thing:
If she entered that place… there was a real chance she might never return.
Later that night Ji Ah was hiding inside a car, heart pounding as it approached the entrance to the N1N Zone. Suddenly, the driver's eyes narrowed — he sensed something was off. He slammed the brakes and got out to check.
As he walked around, Ji Ah's presence was revealed. Without warning, he grabbed her and slammed her to the ground. Grinning fiercely, he demanded, "Who are you? How long have you been hiding in my car?"
Before Ji Ah could answer, a thick cloud of red and black smoke billowed nearby. Two men emerged from the haze, their presence chilling.
With a wave of their hands, they bound Ji Ah in magical chains.
Then one of them struck the driver down cold and sneered, "What were you doing at the N1N Zone border, huh?" their voices dripping with menace.
Haa rin said, "Boss will be so pleased with us — we caught another prey."
Haa jin laughed darkly, "Prey? Hah! This girl? She's just a little mouse to our boss. What could happen to her?"
They both laughed cruelly.
Ji Ah's vision blurred as she lay on the cold ground, fading into darkness.
Ji Ah mustered all her strength, trying to clear her blurry vision. She found herself in a deserted place at dusk, the sky above painted in an eerie shade of red — as if the entire heavens were engulfed in crimson.
Suddenly, from afar, a red and black flame shot across the sky with lightning speed and slammed against a giant clock wall in front of her. Ji Ah felt weak, as if every ounce of her power was being drained. She struggled desperately to break free, but an unknown force held her tight.
"Finally, you've come looking for me," a deep voice echoed.
From the clock wall stepped down Ryu Hwan, the leader of the N1N Zone. He walked slowly towards Ji Ah. She couldn't recognize him, but the pain of being bound made her restless.
Ryu knelt beside her, gently holding her face. "Welcome back, my little kitten," he said softly.
Filled with anger, Ji Ah spat out, "Who are you? Let me go! What have I done?"
Ryu ignored her words and stood up. Turning to haa rin and haa jin, he ordered coldly, "Don't let a scratch come to her. Take her home."
The red and black flames flared fiercely as Ryu vanished without introducing himself, leaving Ji Ah still bound and confused.
To be continued