The night air outside the café felt colder than before.
Not because of the weather.
Because someone else was watching.
Seo-yeon stood beside me under the streetlight, still staring across the road where the stranger had been standing a moment ago.
But now—
He was gone.
Only the empty sidewalk remained.
Seo-yeon blinked.
"…Where did he go?"
I scanned the street again.
Cars passed.
Neon signs flickered.
People walked by like nothing strange had happened.
But the man with the ring had vanished.
"Ji-hoon?"
"I saw him."
"So I'm not imagining things?"
"No."
That didn't make the situation better.
Seo-yeon let out a slow breath.
"Great."
Then she looked down at her hand again.
The gold ring had gone quiet.
No light.
No strange pulse.
Just an ordinary ring again.
If I hadn't seen it myself, I might have believed nothing had happened.
But tonight had already proven one thing.
Nothing about this ring was ordinary.
"Come on," I said.
Seo-yeon looked up.
"Where?"
"Anywhere that isn't here."
"That's not a location."
"It's the safest one right now."
She stared at me.
Then suddenly laughed.
Not a nervous laugh.
A tired one.
"You know what?"
"What?"
"This might be the strangest night of my life."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Only tonight?"
She pointed at the envelope still in my hand.
"You appeared out of nowhere."
"Two weird men chased us."
"My grandmother apparently knew you twenty years ago."
"And someone across the street has a glowing ring."
She crossed her arms.
"If this is normal for you, you need new hobbies."
I almost smiled.
Almost.
"Trust me," I said.
"I'd prefer a normal night too."
We started walking down the street.
The rain had stopped completely now.
Water reflected the neon lights of the city across the pavement.
Seoul at night had always looked beautiful.
But tonight it felt… watchful.
Like the city itself was listening.
Seo-yeon walked beside me quietly for a few minutes.
Then she suddenly spoke again.
"Ji-hoon."
"Yeah?"
"If someone is chasing my ring…"
She paused.
"…why you?"
Good question.
One I didn't fully understand myself.
"I used to work in the military."
She nodded.
"You mentioned that."
"Some assignments involve strange things."
"That's a very suspicious answer."
I shrugged.
"It's the only one I have."
Seo-yeon studied me carefully.
"You're hiding something."
"Probably."
"At least you're honest."
Ten minutes later we reached the river road.
The Han River stretched across the dark city like a long black mirror.
Street lamps lined the walkway, reflecting across the slow water.
A few late cyclists passed by.
Couples sat quietly on benches.
The world looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Seo-yeon walked toward the railing and leaned against it.
She stared at the water.
"When I was a kid," she said quietly, "my grandmother used to bring me here."
I stood beside her.
"She did?"
"Yeah."
She smiled faintly.
"She said the river remembers things."
"That sounds like something a grandmother would say."
"She also said rivers are better listeners than people."
I nodded toward the water.
"She might be right."
Seo-yeon glanced at me.
"You don't talk much."
"I talk when it matters."
"That sounds like a soldier answer again."
"Old habits."
Suddenly Seo-yeon looked down again.
Then frowned.
"…Ji-hoon."
"What?"
"Is it normal for rings to feel warm?"
I blinked.
"Warm?"
She held her hand up.
"This one feels like it just drank coffee."
I leaned closer.
The ring looked normal.
"No glow."
"No light."
Nothing strange.
"Maybe it's reacting to the weather."
She stared at me like I had just said the dumbest thing possible.
"The weather?"
"Yes."
"Ji-hoon."
"Hmm?"
"It's ten degrees outside."
"Good point."
She sighed dramatically.
"Fantastic."
"What?"
"My ring is haunted."
"It's not haunted."
"You sound very confident for someone who clearly doesn't know what's happening."
I rubbed my forehead.
"Fair."
The wind shifted suddenly.
Cold.
Sharp.
For a moment the city lights flickered across the river.
And something strange happened.
Seo-yeon froze.
"…Did you see that?"
"See what?"
"The water."
I looked again.
The river looked normal.
Dark.
Calm.
But Seo-yeon was staring intensely.
"I swear it looked like something moved under the surface."
"A fish?"
She shook her head.
"No."
"Something else."
I studied the water again.
Then—
For a brief second—
I saw it too.
Not movement.
Not exactly.
More like a reflection that didn't belong there.
A faint golden ripple across the surface.
The same color as the ring.
But when I blinked—
It disappeared.
Seo-yeon whispered,
"…Okay that's definitely not normal."
"No."
"It's not."
My head suddenly throbbed.
A sharp flash of memory struck without warning.
Cold wind.
A military training ground.
Soldiers standing in formation.
And a voice shouting orders.
"Guardians stand together."
The image vanished instantly.
I grabbed the railing for balance.
Seo-yeon noticed immediately.
"Ji-hoon?"
"I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
"Just a headache."
"You had a headache right after touching the file earlier too."
She stared at me carefully.
"Your memories aren't just missing."
I didn't answer.
Because she might be right.
And that thought bothered me more than anything else tonight.
The river road grew quieter.
Even the distant traffic seemed to fade.
Seo-yeon suddenly looked behind us.
"…Ji-hoon."
My instincts sharpened instantly.
"What?"
"I think someone followed us."
I turned slowly.
The walkway behind us stretched empty for several meters.
Then—
A figure appeared near one of the street lamps.
A man.
Tall.
Calm.
Watching us.
Seo-yeon swallowed.
"That's him."
The same man from earlier.
The one with the glowing ring.
But this time—
His hand was empty.
No glow.
No visible ring.
Just a quiet smile.
He began walking toward us slowly.
Not aggressive.
Not threatening.
Just curious.
Like someone meeting old acquaintances.
Seo-yeon whispered,
"…Should we run again?"
I watched the man carefully.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because he's not chasing us."
"How do you know?"
"He would've caught us already."
The man stopped a few steps away.
Close enough now that I could see his face clearly.
He looked… familiar.
But I couldn't place where.
He glanced briefly at Seo-yeon's hand.
Then looked back at me.
And spoke in a calm voice.
"Still alive, Ji-hoon."
My heart skipped.
"…Do I know you?"
The man smiled slightly.
"That depends."
"On what?"
"On whether your memories decide to come back."
Seo-yeon looked between us again.
"…Okay I'm officially confused."
The man chuckled softly.
"Good."
"Why is that good?"
"Because confusion means you're asking the right questions."
Then he looked at me again.
"But you already know that… don't you?"
The wind moved across the river again.
The water rippled quietly.
And something deep inside my mind stirred once more.
Like a door slowly beginning to open.
Seo-yeon crossed her arms.
"Alright."
"You two clearly know each other."
The man tilted his head slightly.
"Not exactly."
"Then why does he know your name?"
The man looked at her calmly.
"Because long before tonight…"
His eyes returned to me.
"…Ji-hoon and I survived the same war."
My chest tightened.
"What war?"
The man smiled faintly.
"The one you don't remember."
And for a brief second—
I noticed something strange.
Not on his hand.
But around his wrist.
A thin mark.
A circular scar.
Like something had once been worn there.
Something powerful.
Something missing.