"Just one more, and your wish will be fulfilled."
A strange monster with long horns and a twisted face held a glowing cage.
Shadows flickered inside it. Its sharp gaze fixed on her, cold and unblinking.
Suddenly, Rian's grandmother's eyes snapped open in panic.
But soon, her expression twisted into something dark—almost satisfied, as if her plan was nearly complete.
---
Meanwhile, back in Rian's secret hideout…
Before Yurim could say anything about the person who had been peeking earlier, the landlady suddenly grabbed Rian's bag and shook out every single coin.
Rian simply stood there, clearly used to this kind of embarrassment.
She yanked him closer and screamed into his ear again,
"This is your last warning!"
Then she froze, her nose wrinkling as a strong scent hit her. Her eyes darted toward Yurim.
"Ugh… what is that smell? Haven't you bathed in ages? Who wears this much perfume?" she spat, waving her hand as if she might pass out.
Her little son ran in, tugging at her sleeve.
"Mom, hurry! I'll be late for school!"
Round-cheeked and waddling, he looked like a little piglet dressed in human clothes.
Yet he dragged her along with surprising force, her curses trailing behind them as they left.
The person who had been peeking earlier—Yunho—quietly opened the door once the landlady was gone.
He stepped outside with a smile. He was tall, with messy, curly hair that caught the light as he moved.
"Hi, Rian. Why didn't you—"
He stopped mid-sentence, covering his nose as the strong perfume hit him.
"Who… is she?"
Rian walked inside without answering, and Yurim quickly followed.
Yunho closed the door, still looking puzzled. A long silence followed, with no one answering his questions. To pass the time, he turned on the TV.
The news was filled with chaos—headlines flashed across the screen about a scientist competition happening that evening.
Yurim froze. They actually compete like this?
Yunho muttered, "We should go watch it tonight."
Rian finally spoke. "She's human. She doesn't know how to get back to her world."
Yunho's eyes widened. "H-human? Go back… to her world? Are you… helping her?"
Rian turned to Yurim. "Do you know how you ended up here?"
The sudden attention made Yurim uneasy.
She tried hard to remember how she had arrived, but nothing came. After struggling for a while, she let out an awkward laugh.
"I can only remember the school where I first saw you," she said softly. "I was in a classroom… that's the last thing I recall."
Rian's expression turned cold, his glare sharp.
Sensing the tension—Rian's icy stare and Yurim's frightened face—Yunho quickly stepped in.
"Ah… then let's go to school tomorrow," he said hurriedly. "Maybe it'll help you remember how you came here."
Yurim nodded.
---
After a while…
The evening sun slanted through the window, soft and lazy.
At some point, boredom quietly won, and the three of them had dozed off without noticing.
Yurim leaned back awkwardly, her head tilted at an uncomfortable angle.
Rian sat with his arms crossed, his mouth slightly open.
Yunho, sprawled in the corner, looked like he had lost a battle with gravity.
The room was silent except for their uneven breathing.
---
But elsewhere, the long-awaited competition for the best scientist was about to begin.
The grand lab hosting it buzzed with excitement, filled to the brim with eager faces.
The lab looked nothing like an ordinary place—it was vast and strange, almost alive.
Giant glass tubes lined the walls, each trapping bizarre creatures floating and twitching in colored liquids.
Tiny glowing beings fluttered through the air like fireflies, leaving trails of light behind them.
Strange inventions were scattered everywhere—gleaming machines, unfamiliar gadgets, even something resembling an energy cell that sparked faintly with energy.
Human-looking monsters crowded every corner, their eyes shining with anticipation, their voices blending into a restless hum.
Amid the chaos, a small monster boy wandered away, chasing the glowing light-creatures.
They darted toward a dark corner and slipped through the grills of a heavy door.
Curious, the boy dragged over a stool, climbed up, and pressed his face against the narrow slits to peek inside.
What he saw made his breath catch.