Min-ho sat in a café, quietly drinking his coffee. His mind wandered back to that strange white dungeon.
He had stayed inside for more than thirty minutes, but when he returned, only a few seconds had passed in reality. After a short while, the dungeon disappeared completely, leaving no trace behind.
Later, his mother came home. She already knew about the trap dungeon incident, but she hadn't heard the details of what happened inside.
The moment she saw him, she rushed over and hugged him tightly.
"I was so worried about you…" she said, her eyes glistening as she tried to hold back tears.
Min-ho explained everything about the white dungeon to her. She listened carefully, still worried, but her words carried a quiet strength as she told him not to give up.
Her concern stayed with him even now, as he sat in the café. He took another sip of his coffee, the memory still fresh in his mind.
The rain outside pattered against the glass, a steady rhythm that filled the quiet café. Min-ho's hands curled around his warm cup of coffee, steam fogging the edges of his vision as he stared at the dark liquid. His thoughts kept circling back to the Red Dragon, to Min-ji's scream, to Sung-min's last moments. No matter how much he tried, the images wouldn't leave him.
The bell above the café door chimed, letting in a rush of cold air and a drenched figure. A young woman, her hair damp and sticking to her cheeks, hurried inside. Min-ho almost didn't recognize her at first, but when their eyes met, memory hit him like a jolt.
She was there. The raid.
You're Min-ho, right?" she asked, brushing the rain from her hair.
"Yeah," he nodded. "You were in that raid too."
"Kim Yoon-ah," she said quickly, introducing herself before sitting down.
Her expression softened with recognition. "I thought so." She hesitated for a moment, then added, "What are you doing here?"
"Just… needed some air," Min-ho said quietly.
Yoon-ah nodded as if she understood. Without waiting for an invitation, she pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. Her smile was faint, but her eyes carried the same heaviness as his.
"I've been trying to forget about that dungeon," she admitted. "Doesn't seem to be working."
Min-ho lowered his gaze to his cup. "Yeah… me too.
Min-ho glanced at her. "So… you're going to keep being a hunter?"
Yoon-ah gave a small nod, her eyes lowering for a moment. "Yeah. I don't really have a choice. Good jobs don't come easy, and… my dad's sick. I need the money."
She looked back at him. "What about you? You'll keep going too?"
Min-ho let out a faint breath, staring at the coffee in his hands. "Yeah… I will. Not because I have a reason. Just… I don't have one to quit either."
The talk eased after a while. Yoon-ah gave a small smile. "If we end up in the same raid again… let's try not to almost die next time."
Min-ho's lips curved faintly. "Yeah. Maybe we should just stick together. Watch each other's backs."
She nodded, pulling out her phone. "Then give me your number."
They exchanged contacts, a quiet understanding settling between them. By the time the rain outside thinned and finally stopped, they both stood, slipping their phones away.
"See you around, Min-ho."
"Yeah… see you."
They stepped out of the café, each going their own way, but the weight of the conversation lingered.
—End of Chapter 5—